Two Worlds Combined
by Venus Tenshi
Summary: Charlotte is just a normal British teenager trying to get to grips with reality. Being thrown into a video game doesn't help.
1. Run rabbit, run

**EDIT 24/7/10:** holy balls it's been 5 years since I started this. ANYWAY.

To new readers; recently, the website seems to have revamped everything on the site, and it's also affected this fanfic. so scene breaks that were previously there have vanished, as well as the "?"s from "! ?" together. so if scenes seem to overlap awkwardly and it looks like characters are randomly yelling at eachother in confusion, i'm very very sorry. and i can't be arsed to fix it. i'm sitting on 85 chapters as i write this, so just ... no. not worth it.

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Chapter 1 - Run rabbit, run!

I am in pain. Very much pain. Warning to you all, never EVER play tennis when your partner is indeed bigger and stronger than you. It's painful if say, you happen to be in school, fifth period, doing Physical Education, winning a game of tennis, missing the ball by about a foot when you aim to whack it and having it slam very painfully into your wrist. Not to mention we used a WOODEN ball because we were last to play (damn me and my lack of speed to change into gym clothes). Therefore I have a bruised wrist. It's not that bad, but it would hurt like hells if I moved it vigorously. So, here I am, on the bus, coming home from a rather painful school day.

My parents are away on a business meeting, my sister is on holiday with her friend, and I am left to fend for myself for god knows how long. I tried to cook for myself last night, and let's just say it didn't go to well (note to self: order a new cooker). I guess its Chinese Takeaway tonight. Whey.

Grumbling slightly, I shove the door open and trudge into the house, pulling Japanese homework out from my bag before throwing it onto the floor under the pegs. I'm lazy, okay? I dump my school torture (homework) onto the chair before grabbing the phone and pounding a number in. A lady with a slight Chinese accent picks up.

'Hello, can a take an order please?'

People in restaurants/takeaways are so polite. 'Uh, yeah … can I have special fried rice and sweet and sour chicken please?' I'll freeze half of it and have that tomorrow. Saves money, eh?

A slight pause means she's jotting it down on paper or something like that. 'Okay … can I have your address please?'

I sigh my address into the phone, flipping through my homework absently, barely looking at the hiragana scribbled down. The lady jots that down too and returns to the phone. 'You're meal will be at your door in quarter of an hour or less.'

'M'kay, thanks.'

With that, I hang up and stare down at the homework. Translate Japanese words into English for a test in two weeks … gah, screw it. I'll do that when I get my Chinese food. For now, some game is calling me upstairs. No idea which one, but I can hear it. My instinct will guide me …

Leaving my school torture to rot, I crawl upstairs and collapse on my bed, being careful of my wrist. I run my finger over a collection on PS2 games. Oh, the poor neglected Gamecube … I will give it support and play a GC game. Oooo, Tales of Symphonia! That'll do for fifteen minutes. But can I play without the assistance of my left hand? Yeah, why not. I tug the case open and pull out disk one. Completed the game about five months ago … haven't played it since. I doubt I can even remember how to fight. Sweet, sweet crap.

I place the disk in the blue box with a small click and pick up the case, laying back down on my bed and staring at it. Did anyone else think that Zelos was a woman at first glance? But whatever, just ignore that. Have you ever wish you were a game character? It'd be cool, right? But then again, I don't know how to fight with any weapon, unless I can just pick up a rock and throw it at some monster … but that wouldn't work on Yggdrasil, would it? Too bad.

In a world of my own, I didn't notice the power go until about three seconds afterwards. Damn these dark evenings. Now I can't even watch TV. Is the school that against me? Do they want me to do homework that bad? Bad enough to cut my dumb power? Oh wait, the powers still on. Wait, no it isn't … no lights are on. If the power IS gone, then how come my Gamecube is still buzzing?

Not to mention that my stomach now feels odd … odd as though I'm about to hurl, which I hopefully won't. I clutch both hands to my mouth and curl into a shaking ball, holding my breath. Must not puke on only clean bed sheet in the house … must not … only washed it all yesterday. My vision goes blurry for about a minute, and then I finally black out. Uh, damn?

"_Once upon a time, there existed a giant tree that was the source of mana …"_

Aw crap, I'm unconscious but I can still hear? Must play game … wake up damn you!

"_A war, however, caused this tree to wither away, and a hero's life was sacrificed in order to take its place.  
Grieving over the loss, the goddess left the angels with the edict: 'You must wake me, for if I should sleep the world shall be destroyed.'"_

Okay … this may sound odd, but I can hear the rushing air in the background, but is it insane to say I can feel it? It's true; I can feel wind rushing against my clothes and hair. Uh, this isn't normal, right?

"_The angels bore the Chosen One, who headed towards the tower that reached up unto the heavens. And that marked the beginning of the regeneration of the world."_

Well, I guess that's it for the game's intro. The next scene is in the Iselia classroom, right? I haven't played it in ages so … I have a crappy memory. Leave me alone.

Okay, I can't hear any voices … did it freeze? Am I still unconscious? Did I puke after all? Oh, I can open my eyes again! I raise a hand to my face to shield my eyes from the light.

Holy. Crap.

I am in the air. I am about one hundred meters above the floor. Again, holy crap! But when I look at it more carefully, I am floating. What the hell? I look down and see a village below, absolutely lacking people. I can't see a moving thing; not even an animal. I look up again and directly ahead of where I am … _floating_. There's a large cliff with a noticeable crevice ahead. Why is this all familiar?

From the crevice shoots a sudden blinding white light, travelling upwards at one hell of a speed and spreading. It reaches here easily, and many screams come from below. Ooh, I get it. I'm in Tales of Symphonia.

… OMIGOD! Holy fudge! I'm in the game (and about to die if I fall, but lets ignore that)! Insert scream here. Well, I don't actually scream, I just stare ahead and hope I don't actually have to puke this time. Okay … stay calm … the light hasn't completely gone yet, and I can see little black dots that I think are monsters in the distance coming towards the village. Then a sudden shocking thing registers itself in my brain.

I'm falling.

Again, I don't scream. I think I'm a bit too shocked for that. Okay … I'm about to die. Eek. I clutch my hands to my face again, trying to curl up.

A loud crack of wood breaking interrupts my thoughts (whatever they were) and I land on something with a thud, sending jolts of pain down my spine. Wood isn't exactly the best thing you want to land on after falling a hundred meters or so. Wait, this is a bunch of cardboard boxes … that must explain why I'm not dead. Somebody up there LOVES me!

'Owww …' I groan, stretching to see if I have any broken bones. Nope, none. But my wrist is hurting like a bitch. I arch my head back and open my eyes. My vision slowly begins to come into focus, and I see a hole in the wall. Wait … wall add Colette shaped hole equals …

The school. The school equals where the first three characters in the game are. Oh crap.

A box gives way under me, sending me tumbling to the floor and boxes to skid in every direction. I yelp, landing on my side on the hard wooden floor. Today really isn't my day.

I arch my head back again, opposite the wall. The first thing I notice is a load of upside down desks. Wait, I'm upside down. Ah, who cares? Anyway, about ten scared and shocked faces are looking in my direction. Well, they would be if some random person just fell through the roof, right? Most of them look about ten or eleven years of age … well except Lloyd, Genis and Colette of course …

Wait … oh crap.

I guess that light I saw before I fell was the oracle coming from the Martel Temple. Don't you think it would be a _tad_ bit strange if a girl just fell from the skies and through the roof _right_ after that event? Well, I guess I'll have to worry about that in a minute. Right now, my mind is focusing on what the hell I am wearing.

Rough cotton trousers suitable for any physical activity (hopefully fighting, but I also hope I don't have to do that), and a simple short-sleeved shirt. A normal leather belt is fastened around my waist with a buckle that kinda resembles glass bow (well that was unexpected). Uh, I'm not gonna explain the shoes. They're just normal shoes. And I have no weapon. Dang. Cool, I have an Exsphere though! Wait … its GREEN! Uh … I'll contemplate that later.

I make a face and pull myself up, using the nearest desk to help. A little girl with pigtails and large green eyes to match her shirt squeaks and scurries away. I guess she was sitting at the desk. Really, am I _that_ frightening? I finally reach full height and brush some dust and splinters from my hair and shoulders. I don't want those sitting around. While trying my best to put my hair back into its place, I look at everyone, staring back. Nothing happens, but a loose plank of wood from the ceiling breaks and lands with a loud crash. I flinch and make another face, looking back at the messed up pile of boxes, the broken ceiling, the mess, and then back at the students.

'Ah … sorry about that,' I finally say lamely. 'Didn't really expect to … fall through a roof,' I mumble with a slight and possibly unnoticeable laugh, looking back up. I notice no one's said anything yet except me. Not even out three little heroes over there. I suck on my lower lip for about ten seconds before breaking the silence again.

'Yeah, I'm gonna go now.'

Before I can even take a step towards the door, and old man with a white and blue robe stumbles in. I guess that's the priest. He has one groovy hat. Wait, this is bad isn't it?

'Chosen One!' he groans, stumbling forwards and collapsing face first into the floor. Colette immediately rushes to his side.

'Pastor?'

More children attempt to crowd around, but Genis motions for them to stay back as he and Lloyd approach.

'Are you alright?' Lloyd asks. Wow, he DOES speak! That silence was beginning to scare me a little bit. I wait in the background, thinking about what could be used as a weapon. I need to get out of here anyway. I shake my head quickly and continue to listen, still clutching the end of the desk. My body is recovering quickly, and I think that's because of my Exsphere. They're supposed to help in combat right? Even my wrist's pain is numbing.

Wheezing slightly, the priest continues is a husky voice. 'Desians … they attacked the temple …'

Genis mumbles something about a non-aggression treaty with the Desians. The three murmur about that amongst themselves before the priest continues in his rasping tone. 'I don't know why … but they have broken the treaty …' his weak hand clutches Colette's arm feebly. 'Chosen One … the oracle, you must …'

'I will,' she assures him gently. He continues, his voice becoming fainter by the second. 'Please … be careful. I regret that I was … unable to … protect ...'

With that, his voice fades and he slumps down, his chest ceasing to move.

'Pastor, hang on!' Colette cries, gripping the dead hand that slipped from her arm. Lloyd shakes his head and stands, his voice holding a morbid tone to it, 'It's no good. He's gone …'

The children around seem to have all retreated to the opposite wall away from the dead body. I guess most of them have never seen anyone die before. Well I guess it'd be shocking, looking at the dead priest for example. His face has gone as white a chalk and looks like the flesh could be ripped with a simple touch of the finger. I continue to suck on my lower lip. The priest has just died because some "Desians" which are Renegades have attacked the temple in search for the Chosen. If the Chosen _was_ handed over to the Renegades, it sure would save some hassle wouldn't it? But then again, I doubt her friends would give her up without knowing what was going on. I think about how they're doing the wrong thing all along, and even when they change strategies, it continues to screw up. "These people sure have a hard time, don't they?" I think with a small giggle.

… Uh-oh.

After my innocent little snigger, Lloyd and Genis are glaring at me, and if looks could kill … I'd go _beyond_ hell.

'How can you laugh?' Lloyd exclaims angrily, glaring at me. Hey, he's only known me for what, two minutes, and he's already evil-ing out on me. 'How can you laugh when a person has just died in front of you?'

'Who are you anyway?' Genis adds, his voice equally as hating as Lloyd's. Boy, this isn't gonna go well, is it? Not that I was expecting this to be a walk in the park from the start, but whatever.

'I …' I start, raising a finger, '… am outta here!'

With that, I dart past Lloyd. My mind is still saying that I need a weapon, so I absently grab one of Lloyd's swords as I run past and slide it out from the sheath, continuing to run like hell.

'H-Hey!'

I ignore his exclamation and dart out of the room, skidding down the small hallway and kicking open the door, jumping down the steps. I hardly know what I'm doing; I'm just acting on what feels like it's gonna get me in less pain. Upon exiting, I freeze and look around. I've seriously never been anywhere more silent than this. Not even the birds are chirping. And THAT is scary, my friends. I shrug mentally (mentally as in doing so in my head) and carry on, now dragging a sword that measures the length of my body and minus my head. And that is one _big_ sword, people.

I notice a blond man running towards the school, coming from the direction of Colette's house. Oh crap, it's Frank; her father. At the same time, the other three burst through the door (after swinging it open of course) behind me, and that leaves me in a very difficult position. Surrounded.

Lloyd only has one sword now, but Genis and Colette have their weapons too. Oh I am so screwed.

'Give that back right now!' Lloyd shouts, anger still dripping from his voice. I look around for an exit, failing to find one. I guess there's only one thing left to do …

I turn to the others and see that their weapons are drawn and ready to attack. I raise the sword (which is _heavy_ by the way) and attempt to hold it straight, failing miserably. If I can get to the temple and to the goddamned alter thing, that angel dude (I forgot his name) might know how to get me home. I mean, he _is_ an angel, right? A superior being or whatever? Buuut, I need to get there before those guys. If they see him first, he'll be gone and I won't get to see him. Even if I _do_ have to wound them, I need to get home, and … they don't!

'Stay back!' I say, stepping back myself and still holding the sword like a complete asshat. I grasp the handle with both hands, making it easier for me. That way I can bring it down on some unlucky monster's head, or even Lloyd's. Hopefully not though. That would wreck the game. I don't wanna do that, really. Due to my evil wrist that was hurt by tennis about an hour ago, I can't hold it properly, and the tip of the blade practically dives toward the floor, emitting a soft thud as it did so. This thing certainly is weighty for a wooden sword. I sigh heavily, hanging my head. 'Crap.'

Lloyd however no longer looks angry, but slightly puzzled. Well, I guess if he isn't angry, then he won't kill me … I hope.

'Is that an Exsphere?'

I look down at the green jewel on my hand, glinting slightly in the sunlight. What's the harm in telling him I have an Exsphere? I mean, he won't stab me for it, will he?

'Uh, yeah … yeah it is,' I say, still keeping a firm grip on the sword. Frank steps forwards in an attempt to calm the atmosphere.

'Please, we do not need to fight at this time,' he says, giving both me and Lloyd a slightly stern look. Ha, now I'm not surrounded! Taking no time to talk, I dart to the right and towards the exit leading to the Temple and the fields around it. In my haste, I almost run into a monster fast approaching the village. There is one thing I can say about this monster: EW! Ewwie, it's a zombie! If you ignore the mud coloured decaying skin plastered to the skull as thin as tissue, the empty eye sockets, the greasy black strings of hair and the fact that it's stomach has been ripped off and you can see the spine, it's not that bad. Unfortunately for me, the stench reminds me of all of those things. I flinch at the smell and shudder violently, trying to hold my breath.

The monster groans and advances towards me at the same time as the other three do from behind. I'm getting surrounded again … this is most _definitely_ not my day. I grip the sword tighter still and look around. Again, led by instinct, I swing the blade at the monster, scarcely knowing what I'm doing. A sickening squelch sounded as the blade sinks into the rotting flesh, tearing it like paper. From the shoulder, the arm of the zombie begins to crumble and fall apart. The arm hits the ground with a thud as I resist the urge to puke for the third time today. In its dull confusion to why one it its arms had fallen off, I dart past it while holding my breath and out of Iselia.

Today's gonna be a long one. I guess I'm gonna have rotting Chinese food on my doorstep when I get back home.


	2. Martel Temple

Well, regardless if this is crappy or not, here's a new chapter! Lots of battles in this one!

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Chapter 2 - Martel Temple

Note to self: never trust my instinct again. Because of following my stupid instinct, I am now trudging towards Martel Temple and dragging a massive and heavy wooden sword with me. To sum crappy events up to this point up, the sword belongs to dear Lloyd Irving, who will probably kill me when his group catch up with me. Luckily, I left the monsters for them to take care of. They might have gone to Colette's house to see Frank and get healed before they come, but other than that I don't know. I've made it pretty clear where I'm going, as the only thing in this direction is the Martel temple. Oh, sweet crap.

I mumble darkly to myself, still dragging the sword by the handle so it's trailing behind me. I look over my shoulder to see if it's making marks in the earth. If so, then it would be easier for the others to catch up with me. Thank God, no marks! I grin to myself and turn back around to see a monster charging towards me. Oh no! My wrist still hurts … damn, I wonder if I'll be able to fight …

The large grey wolf darts towards me, revealing itself as the monster. I grip the wooden sword with both hands again, pulling it forward slightly. It makes a leap towards me as I swing the blade as hard as I can towards it, catching it in the side. The wolf stumbles to the left with a feral growl, slightly stunned with the blow. Again, it _is_ a heavy sword. It recovers quickly and lunges at me, throwing me back as I attempt to back away. Now not only is my wrist still aching, my ass now hurts too.

Seriously, dammit. I've never fought a day in my life, let alone tackled a poor wolf. Though I'm armed with a sword I can barely lift, I doubt that will help me in anyway. I guess I'm gonna have to develop while I'm here.

'You … dumb wolf!' I hiss, thrusting the wooden blade forwards and planting it deep into the monster's chest. It makes a noise similar to a loud bark and jumps away. The sword slides out, its end now damp with blood. I make a face and pull myself up, being careful of my wrist. With one hand now holding the blade, I bring it up and drive it down into the wolf's back. It growls again, blood now trickling out of lips and finally slumps down onto its side. I shudder and gulp. First monster killed. The zombie didn't count because … well, it was already dead and I only cut its arm off. Lloyd and everyone did the rest.

I take a deep breath and get to my knees, searching through the wolf's carcass. Under the layers of fur, I pull out a small glass bottle with a red substance inside. It isn't water or anything … it's kind of thick, like medicine. A small brown note is tied to the neck of the bottle, its edges worn visibly. I pull it off and read the small scribbled text.

_Apple Gel: A gelatine-based medication. May heal various cuts and bruises. _

Ah, so this is Apple Gel. I might need it later if they ever catch up with me and decide to rip me limb from limb. Pocket … pocket … I notice a small satchel attached to my belt, about the size of one fist and a half. Nifty. I open it up and pop the bottle inside, making sure to tie it back up before I resume dragging the sword towards Martel Temple. I have obtained my first item, and I feel slightly giddy.

That wasn't bad for my first battle I think. Sure, it wasn't how I expected … but it was okay. I mean you never actually see them bleed to death while playing. I look back over my shoulder and see the wolf still lying motionless in a pool of its own blood. Hmm … I can't see anyone in the distance … maybe they're still at Colette's house? Well, Frank and Phaidra – Colette's grandmother – know a lot about the Chosen's journey and trials don't they? Maybe they asked if it was possible for people to fall unexpectedly from the sky. I'll just say I fell off a dragon or something …

My shoulders are hurting. I should have nicked the sword's damn scabbard, too. _THEN_ it wouldn't hurt as much! How the hell can Lloyd carry things like this? And _two_ for that matter? Well, Lloyd is averagely built and seventeen, and I'm … not strongly built and thirteen. That's it Charlotte, stop whining.

I think I could blend in well … but then again, people don't fall from skies. Let's ignore that for a bit … okay, I look normal, my name is okay (name: Charlotte. Damn French-like like name …), I'm human, and – wait … I discover that my ears are slightly pointed by bringing a hand up to brush against them. Aw, crap! Sure, I have to blend in … but they didn't have to go _that_ far! When I say "_they_", I have no idea who I'm talking about. The little people that live in my Gamecube to see that I fit in? Meh, we'll go with that. But still, man! They're not exactly utterly pointed like normal elves ears … I guess that makes me a half-elf, perhaps? Crap.

If they're doing this to make me milk out the experiance, I swear TO GOD ... agh ...

If I'm a half-elf, surely Genis would have been able to sense something. I mean, he's half-elf too, right? What if he tells Lloyd and Colette? What if they think I'm a Desian or something? WHAT IF THEY KILL ME? Er … I guess they won't … after all, if Genis can sense I'm a half-elf, surely he'd think I could tell he was one too. Maybe if he tells them, he thinks I'll say that he's half-elf too …

… Why am I thinking about this now? I have an angel to speak with!

On my way, a Hawk decides to attack along with a Giant Bee. I take care of the bug monster quite quickly, if fighting counts as dropping your sword, ripping its wings off and stamping it to death all the while screaming "EW!"  
I grab the sword again and swing it towards the approaching Hawk, hearing a sickening crack as its wing bones snap on heavy contact with the sword. It lets out a piercing screech and flops to the floor, still standing. If it's not gonna peck my kneecaps off, then I have nothing to worry about. I bring the sword down on its pretty little feathered head, hearing another crunch. I might have to take that Apple Gel just to stop throwing up (for the forth time today). I grimace and continue on my way.

I finally notice some stones arranged roughly to make a path on the floor and look up. I'm here! At last! And all I got was an aching wrist, a bruised back and a sore butt! Take THAT, monsters of Iselia! Ha ha!

… Uh, yeah … get on with it … must speak to angel.

I take another deep breath and continue to drag the sword down the small grass-rimmed pathway, the small portion of the field becoming dusty and rocky ground. The tip of the blade makes a scraping sound as it is pulled over the floor, leaving a line where tiny stones had been pushed aside. I chew on my lower lip as the pathway gets bigger and small fences come into view. I notice small banners hanging from part of the fence with gold patterns around the edges and an emblem in the centre. Nifty. I sigh and arch my head back to look up and the temple and the blue light bursting from the roof. Now _this_ is something you don't see everyday. Well, on Earth I mean.

While ascending the stairs, I notice rubble of a pillar or something on the other side of the fence and coated in moss. Hmm … you never really take the tame to look at the little details in the game, really. I shake my head, discarding petty thoughts and continue up the stairs. Should the Renegades be here now? I sure hope not!

I quicken my pace and run up the stairs, the sword tip still trailing behind me making a dull thudding noise every time it hits a new step. The Renegades being here wouldn't really affect anything that I do, but I doubt neither they nor Phaidra would let me through into the temple. Great, just great …

I finally reach the top of the stairs, where I see two familiar faces and three Renegades. Looks like Botta is already here … I have a strong, strong inkling it would be a lot safer to just turn around and get the hell away from this place, but a certain SOMEONE will be showing up soon, and I assume this is my only chance to get home before I get wrapped up in the regeneration shit. Which is something I don't want to do.

'Hand over the Chosen,' he demands in the deep voice I remember from the game. He's still wearing freaky clothing as always … I mean, he has _one_ sleeve! What is up with that? No! Must ignore … freaky fashion sense … and get to angel …

I guess me falling through the roof and stealing Lloyd's sword slowed them down slightly. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing …

Phaidra notices my totally random presence, causing Botta to turn and his lackeys to draw their knives. Aw, crap. Phaidra gives me a small glance that might as well read "whoever you are, run away now".

'Are you the Chosen?' he says, his eyes narrowing slightly. I shake my head quickly. Maybe a bit if friendly advice will stop them killing me, which is my second main aim, next to getting home right now.

'Uh, no, ... _sir_,' I add quickly for good measure. 'She's on her way though.' I try to inch the sword behind my back. Botta makes a sound of displeasure and tilts his head to the side, and towards a subordinate.

'You, prepare backup.'

'Yessir!' the Renegade says loudly, saluting and running into the temple straight past Phaidra. Wow, obedient aren't they? I shrug my hurting shoulders, pulling the sword forwards slightly and leaning on it. I look over my shoulder and see three figures running up their stairs. Uh oh.

'Aw, fuck' I say, backing away from the stairs. Hey, you don't know when they're about to attack! I lean the sword on a bar of wood and catch my breath. You can tell the next few minutes aren't gonna go without a battle. I could tell it was them from afar; you just need to look out for red, white and blue clothing. And alas, here they are! Phaidra takes immediate action. Verbal, that is. She _is_ and old woman after all.

'Colette, get away from here!'

One of the remaining Renegade soldiers spin around to spot the three, the Chosen somehow very noticeable. Well, you can just tell …

'Sir, it seems they have arrived!' he exclaims to his boss, who looks as though he's about to throttle Phaidra. Well, I would too. That is if I were Renegade of course. But I'm not. So I'll shut up. Lloyd opens his mouth as if to say something when he spots me, but Botta quickly interrupts with an announcement of: 'Chosen One, your life is mine!'

Luckily, thanks to that, Lloyd's attention is drawn away from me and to Botta. I can practically sense the anger radiating from him. Well, the "Desians" broke the treaty and are now trying to kill his friend … why wouldn't he be? The three of them draw their weapons simultaneously, which is kind of scary. I guess I can't do anything except watch them battle …

'We won't let you Desians lay a hand on anyone else!' Lloyd exclaims, gripping his one sword.

The Renegade that had made their appearance known (other than me) has his eyes shielded by the shadow of his helmet, but I can definitely see an evil smirk on his face. 'Desians?' he asks, holding back a laugh. Within seconds, the remaining two are almost shaking with giggle-fits. Botta gives them both a glare, making them shut up.

'What's so funny?' Genis demands, readying his kendama for an attack. Genis has always been one of my favourite characters and I _really_ want to say something, but I'm gonna ignore that little urge if I want to keep my life.

The last remaining soldier (the other one went in for backup, remember) draws a knife and steps forwards. 'Well then,' he says, a small laugh still tracing his words, 'Die at the hands of the Desians you so hate. Get them!'

I watch as they charge forwards, towards the group, out-numbered but still full of deadly spirit. One of them turns to me as his partner runs at Genis with his knife.

'Hey, kid!'

'Me?' I ask, indicating myself with my finger. I can be stupid at times, so just ignore that.

'Yeah, you with the sword! You know how to fight?'

'Uh, kinda …' I answer truthfully. I _did_ kill three monsters on my way here, but this is three people who are bigger than me. Well, except Genis, but whatever.

'Then stop standing there and give us a hand!'

'But – I'm kinda busy -'

'If you don't fight, we'll kill you too.'

I can't possibly get more screwed up than I already am, can I? I pull the sword away from the side of the wall and prepare myself for battle. The Apple Gel in my pocket bounces gently against my thigh as if saying "use me! Use meeeeee!", so I'll just ignore that for a bit. I'm fine, right? Besides, the Renegades are putting up a good fight. I just need to get into the temple and up to the altar; I don't care about anything else.

Two balls of fire are zooming towards me, so I throw the sword up to protect myself. Now, with the sword being wooden, I expect the sword to catch fire. But, for some odd reason, it doesn't. Even when the balls of fire make contact, it still doesn't erupt in flames. Hm … maybe Dirk did something to it. Ah well, no point worrying about that now. I guess Lloyd and Colette are taking care of the Renegades, so they're sending Genis after me. Ooh, great. Now I'm screwed.

_Hey, he's using magic!_ I think to myself, swinging the wooden sword awkwardly in his direction. It grazes his arm, but that's about it. _That's unfair …_

Another dose of fire makes its way towards me, but I just duck this time. _Damn Fire Ball!_

To my surprise, a burst of fire materializes before my hand and shoots towards Genis. Wow, I can use magic! Well, half-elves _do_ use magic. And I just "happen to be a half-elf" … dumb world. Anyway, my spell hits him squarely in the chest, and that my friends, is good. For me, of course.

One of the Renegades has already fallen, and is completely legging it away from the temple and down the stairs. I'd insult him, but notice his side is dripping with blood, couresty of _Colette_, actually. Awesome. Wait, whose side am I on here? Gah, I guess I'm already fighting Lloyd's team. Not that I'm on a side in particular, I'm just very certain that I have a better chance of being killed by the Renegades rather than Lloyd.

With a cry of "stupid kids!" the last Renegade high-tails it after his partner. I'd like to tell them now that I'm NOT actually a Reneg - "_Desian_" not that they've all buggered off, but I loud shout from behind me interrupts before I can open my mouth.

'Do not get in our way!'

I look over my shoulder to see Vidarr come out from the temple, hammer and ball-and-chain ready in his hands. I guess he knows I'm helping, due to the fact that I haven't been hit yet. Whey, good for me. Genis is throwing another spell at me, and I throw one right back. They meet in the air, disabling both in their tracks. Well that sucks. I groan audibly and throw a number of spells at Genis who is attempting block them all. Out of the five I throw at him, the last three hit him. Yay! I'm getting good at this. In my own personal celebration, I don't notice Genis swing his kendama at my arm. Ow, that'll leave a nasty bruise.

I guess I'm slow with the sword, but who cares. It's a good weapon. I throw another spell at Genis and attack away with the sword. I notice a nice big red stain on his arm, but quickly pass it off before I accidentally apologize for making him bleed. Well, I _am_ sorry, but it can't be helped. Regardless, Genis backs away closer to his friends and moves a hand up to the wound, touching it delicately. Lloyd and Colette look like they took a good beating from Vidarr. Both back away to catch their breath.

I watch them all, stepping closer as Vidarr does.

'This guy is too strong …' I hear Genis say to his other companions. Lloyd nods in agreement, still catching his breath. 'Yeah … that guy is really tough …' he says, nodding towards Vidarr. Well, I guess I've been fighting only Genis for the last few minutes. Ah well. Vidarr readies his ball-and-chain to crush their heads, and I back away drastically, waiting for the whole ordeal to finally play out. A part of me wants to stop the three of them getting their skulls crushed, but more of me wants to go_ home._

And something just gave me more of a reason to want that last one.

'AGH!'

A blow from a sword knocks me back from behind, and I think you _know_ who it belongs to. If it can make big muscular Vidarr fall on his ass, then imagine what it could do to me. Well, I know since I am me. I go skidding back a few feet, tripping and slamming awkwardly to the floor with my side now dampening with blood. Aw, crap.

I eventually tug myself up into a sitting position to see a black-clad figure had joined them. Oh shit. It's Kratos.

'Bastard-!' I grumble, pulling myself up while using the sword to help. I don't finish my sentence, but throw the biggest fire spell I can at him as Vidarr pulls himself up from a previous attack. It does hit him, and I feel slightly joyful about that, but he merely flinches and casts another fire spell with a sharp flash of light, sending it in my direction.

I can feel the painful burn through my clothing, deciding that's enough for me today. I am _tired_! I just want to collapse and _lay_ there! D'you know what? That's what I'm gonna do. With a weak sigh, I drop the sword at my side and fall to my knees, urging myself to lie down on my side. I look at the blurred battle through half-lidded eyes, watching Vidarr run like a little girl down the steps of the temple. That bastard.

I pull myself up to my elbows, my vision becoming clearer, and watch the six of them. Well, Botta is the only one still here out of the Renegades. He gives Kratos long, cold glare and practically hisses: 'I never thought you'd show up. Damn … retreat for now!'

The Renegade that was sent into the temple earlier runs out and follows Botta down the stairs and away from Martel Temple. I drag myself to my knees, breathing heavily and grasp the wall for support. I can stand, but only barely. Damn Kratos … damn Lloyd … damn … people! I might as well give Lloyd back his sword. I won't need it once I get into Martel Temple. I'm sure that if I don't return it soon, he'll put to kill me on his to-do-list. I take the bottle of Apple Gel out of my satchel and chug down half of the contents, feeling my bruises stop throbbing and my cuts heal slightly. Well, Kratos seems to have certainly made his presence made … and Lloyd is holding a grudge, seeing that everyone but him is basking in the awesome that he seems to radiate. Though he's a jackass, because he made me _bleed_.

Phaidra is still guarding the temple doors, seeming slightly wary of the scary, random man that has suddenly popped up and unleashed some serious shit on these Renegades, as well as myself. With a small groan, I pull myself up straight as Kratos turns to Lloyd's group. Not that he would be concerned about their injuries. Genis is already nursing his own wounds, and Colette seems to be fine. Lloyd however seems to be quite injured, though he's trying to hide it. Why? Because the company of the almighty Krat-man is very, very intimidating.

'If you're wounded, heal yourself, boy,' he mutters, glaring in Lloyd's direction. Lloyd, in response, huffs and clutches his wounded forearm tightly, glaring back a little. Kratos ignores him, and looks to the other two, as well as Phaidra. 'Is everyone alright?'

I laugh through my nose, clamping my mouth tightly shut as I approach them. I _love_ how he completely skipped me during the brief examination of everyone's wounds.

'Not _everyone_ is okay,' I say. My wrist hurts like the deepest depths of hell, and I seem to be limping. Great, I probably injured my leg. Nothing a bit of Apple Gel won't fix. I pull the bloodstained wooden sword forwards and throw it towards Lloyd. 'Here.'

Lloyd catches it quickly, unhanding his wound for the moment and gives me a suspicious look, but plants it back in its sheath anyhow. He opens his mouth again to say something, but Phaidra quickly makes Kratos's presence known again.

'Thank you for saving our Chosen one,' she says, bowing her head after deciding that he must be a safe person.

Kratos looks away from Phaidra, ignoring her hospitality, and at Colette, Chosen-like in every visible way. Again, you can just _tell_. While they talk among themselves, I gulp down the rest of the Apple Gel.

'Hm' Kratos says quietly. 'The new Chosen of Sylvarant, I assume.'

Bingo. I see someone is awake today, unlike myself. Is it such a crime to want to go to bed after a long school day? Is it really?

Colette's eyes widen visibly, hands clasped to her chest. 'That's right! I have to go accept the oracle!' she looks towards Phaidra. 'Grandmother, I'm going to undergo the trial now.'

As they talk about the trial and stuff, I discard the empty bottle and throw it down the stairs. It makes a soft clink as it bounces off each step, and I half expected someone to rise up and shout "no littering!". Thank God they didn't.

Phaidra's voice brought me out of my thoughts. 'The priests that were to accompany her fell at the hands of the Desians.'

The Renegades sure do a good job of hiding their true identity. I mean, the Desians don't exactly try to _kill_ the Chosen, but the Renegades do. That's the only way I'll tell them apart … and of course, the Renegades are led by Yuan and Botta, but no one cares. Yuan has pretty kickass hair though. For the love of GOD Charlotte, shut up and listen to everyone else!

Lloyd grins visibly at Phaidra and the Chosen. 'Then Genis and me will help protect Colette in their place!'

What bothers me most is that everyone so far has stuck to the story line more or less. I thought it'd be, y'know … different. Oh well. Anyway, Phaidra doesn't object, but she merely poses her feelings on the matter.

'I appriciate your offer, both of you, yet …' she says in her age-ridden voice. Lloyd pouts at her dropping tone, and she gives a small smile to seem less annoyed. 'All but you and Genis would worry me, Lloyd.'

And so it begins. I watch Kratos' face for any sign of "ohholyshit" that might be developing there, but all that seems to show for now is a small, unreadable glint in his eyes. His brow furrows slightly, and he stares at the boy that could very well be his son. I have no idea what's going through his head right now, and I don't think I could even guess.

Regardless, he decides to take action after a few moments, just to let go and clarify any unwavering suspicions.

'Your name is Lloyd?' he asks to double check, glaring slightly for some unknown reason. Usually things like this are too good to be true, and Kratos might be assuming this is some sick joke pulled up by Yggdrasill. However, Lloyd looks up at the mercenary, all defensive and such. Seriously, he's just being a jackass because Kratos made him look bad infront of his friends, which _really_ isn't that difficult. Let it go, man.

He says it as I remember. 'Yeah. But who are you to ask for my name?'

Uh, your father, maybe? Now, if I said that aloud, I'd be dead. I'm sure Kratos doesn't exactly think he knows for sure that Lloyd is his son, but he returns to his mission anyhow. He gave up fourteen years ago, so I guess he's not going to change now. I return to my own thoughts as they talk further.

Now I've given Lloyd back his sword, what do I do for a weapon? Even if I can't get into Martel Temple, I still need one to survive.

_Hey, you people who gave me clothing and made me a half-elf! I need a weapon, so if you don't mind, I'd like one soon so I can survive!_

As if on cue, I feel a heavier weight on my sides. I look down to see two fairly old-fashioned guns hanging in holsters. Nifty! My favourite game characters use pistols (Yuna from FFX-2, Maria from Star Ocean, Vincent from FFVII and so forth). I guess these are easier to use than swords. I ignore them which I surprising, since I can hardly contain my excitement. Now I just have to get the hell out of here? I don't think I'll be getting to the angel before these guys, after all. It looks like Phaidra has just accepted Kratos's idea to become the Chosen's bodyguard, anyways.

'Please be of service,' she says with a kind smile. Kratos's face stays emotionless, but he answers. 'It's a deal, then.'

Lloyd seems to have noticed he and Genis have been forgotten (I'll just go and sit in that corner over there, also forgotten amongst all the Chosen-worshipping stuff going on) and steps forwards in an attempt to have a saying in this. And reclaim any lost glory, which has seriously just buggered off out of reach. Seriously, let it _go_, man.

'H-hey … wait!' he says quickly with a hint of determination. 'I'm not just gonna stand around here-'

'Lloyd,' Kratos says quietly in a dark tone. I'm not too sure what, but there's a certain look in Kratos' eyes right now. Nothing of worry or concern for this boy that could very well be something he thought he'd lost, but ... a kind of anger? Nothing like I've seen before. Regardless, it make Lloyd shut his trap quick-time. 'You'll simply be a burden to us.'

Wait for it, aaaand ...

'Be a good boy and wait here.'

...Oooh, _burn._

I know, after playing the game through, that he's saying this now because he wants Lloyd to stay in Iselia and be safe, so he won't have to face all of those battles in the future, so he wouldn't have to be killed in the Tower of Salvation. Not that he will be killed, but … they don't know that.

Lloyd's brow furrows in annoyance, but he smirks anyways. 'Gotcha. Then I'm just gonna follow you on my own.'

What a loophole! Kratos frowns, but I notice a flicker of amusement replace the previous anger in his eyes. 'You're a stubborn kid. Fine, do as you wish.'

I clap my hands together, finally catching everyone's attention before they can turn to me and possibly stab me repeatedly. 'Yeah, I'm glad you guys sorted that out! Right, um, I'm just gonna leave now, so …' I turn towards the stairs, taking just _one_ step before -

'Hold it!'

'Holding!' I say, spinning back around to face Lloyd who had shouted. 'You called, Mr. Blinding-Red?'

Lloyd frowns obviously not affected by my humour. Screw him.

'Just who are you? And why did you fall from the sky?'

My shoulders sag as I sigh, letting my eyes travel over each one of them before speaking again. Well, this obviously isn't going to end well. Or progress well, either, but I have a feeling they won't leave me alone until they know who I am. And I'm pretty sure "oh, I'm just some random kid that comes from another planet you are _totally_ not aware of, and will now probably go out of my way to annoy you until I find a way home, tra la la" isn't going to go down too well.

'Uh, okay …' I start. 'Um, my name is Charlotte aaaaand … I was riding a dragon to a village north-east of here,' I lie. I think its working! 'T-The light from the Martel Temple caused my dragon to … go wild, and he dropped me, and I fell through the roof of your school. Again, I'm sorry about that.'

Lloyd's anger is dying down, but his still looks very suspicious. 'Why did you take my sword?'

I open my mouth to answer, but nothing comes out. Why _did_ I take his sword? It was something led by instinct, but it _did_ help a lot. 'Well … I knew there were gonna be monsters, so … I just grabbed one and ran. I-I though that my … dragon might have come here. I guess it got away,' I finish, forcing a small laugh. There silence for about ten very long seconds before Kratos speaks. This being the first thing he ever says to me is a little annoying, but I'm sure it's appropriate all the same.

'Were you headed toward Hima?'

Hima! That's the name of the village I forgot! Oh thank goodness he said so!

'Hima? Yeah. There's an old guy there who works with dragons …' I start, trailing off quietly. 'I-I thought I could give him that dragon … to help with the tourists.'

Can I just mention that this plan is working much better than I thought it would? I mean, sure I had to think up all this in what, five minutes? Well, except the dragon part that I thought of earlier, but geez … this is great!

'Do you need to get to Hima?' Kratos asks, putting a slight emphasis on the word "need". I shake my head.

'Nope, not anymore. The dragon ran away, so there'd be no point in going.'

I am actually going along with this big fat lie easily. I think they actually believe me! I think _Kratos_ believes me! I think I'm going to pass out! No, I don't want to do that. I purse my lips tightly and look down at my feet, shuffling them nervously. Please let them not kill me … please let them not kill me …

It was Genis that broke the second tense silence. 'Well what are you going to do now? I don't think you'd be very welcome at the village.'

I shrug, still staring at the floor as I kick up a small cloud of dust. 'I dunno. I won't stay in Iselia … the students have probably told their parents about the little incident, and there still _is_ a big hole in the ceiling. I have the feeling I wouldn't be that welcome, like you said …'

'Exactly' he says. I nod, fingering the handles of the pistols, slightly heavy against my hips. If I could convince them to let me go with them, then this adventure is in the bag!

'Well … I could give you a hand in the temple. I mean, I can fight, so …' I trail off, drawing one gun. 'I could be a bit of help. I could be, er … paying you back! For, er … taking Lloyd's sword and … making the kid bleed,' I finish, noting that his wound had closed, but his sleeve was stained red. Note to self: _Don't_ use weapons you _can't_ use!

'You up for it?' Lloyd asks. I nod, drawing both pistols with a grin.

'Yup! I have a dead wrist, but that's not to fret over! Let's kick some monster ass.'

'No. You'll be a burden.'

Oh come on, like I really have to say who said that. I roll my eyes, letting them land on the mercenary. I somehow wish I didn't display that act of carefree defiance just now, because the _glare_ he's giving me is ... agh, I shiver inwardly. That's quite powerful for a glare. I can tell this is the start of something bad.

'Hey, don't be so sore,' I say, frowning a little. 'These two have already jumped on your little protection-unit bandwagon, so why can't I hop on?'

'Regardless,' he snaps, and I can tell I'm trying his already worn patience. 'You are a stranger who's loyalties are expendable. You've made yourself a threat by aiding Desians.'

I scratch the back of my neck sheepishly, dropping a gun back into it's holster with a small click. 'What's your name again?'

'Krat-'

'Alright, listen here Krat-man,' I say, one hand still behind my head, pinching the back of my neck sharply. It'll start hurting when I know I've gone to far, because I feel I'm going to have to be careful for a moment. 'See, I'm a random kid that's popped up without any purpose except to maybe find this dragon of mine which I've pretty much abandoned, and repay a small debt for being a complete asshat to the Chosen. Thing is, I don't think it's ultimately up to you to decide what she wants.' Ow, my neck.

And _that_ ... that just marked the start of a very, _very_ bad relationship with this guy. The glare he's giving me makes me force myself to look over to Colette, giving a small smile as I do so to try and ignore the glare burning into the side of my head. 'So, can I pretty please tag along?'

'I don't see why not!' Colette says, smiling back. That could have marked the start of a _good_ relationship, so I'll just be happy inwardly for now. Kratos is totally making me want to cry right now. Seriously, I've just pissed off one of the most dangerous people in this world, and the urge to suddenly cling to his leg and scream several apologies is overwhelming. I won't do it though. It'd piss him off more.

Anyway, after a for moments of Kratos and Phaidra talking some things over about the Martel Temple (I'm assuming Kratos is pretending he has no idea what the temple is like, so Phaidra could be explaining a few things quickly). I feel someone tap my shoulder suddenly, and turn my head to see a certain brunet swordsman. The blinding red outfit is always a giveaway to who it is.

'Uh ... Charlotte, right?' he asks quietly, almost whispering. I raise an eyebrow, glancing over at the two adults to see that we're barely out of hearing range. Ah. Must explain the whispering and such.

'That's me,' I say, nodding. 'S'up?'

'I've known this guy for about ten minutes,' he whispers, jerking a thumb in Kratos' direction. 'But seriously, man, don't ever do that again.'

'Don't worry, I don't plan to,' I mumble back, knowing that he's refering to my little speech. 'I can't feel my knees, and that's never a good sign for nerves. Anyway, you're Lloyd, right?'

'Yeah, and this is Genis, and Co - h-hey! They're leaving us behind!'

I watch the Chosen skip after everyone's favourite mercenary as they enter the temple, and nod at Lloyd's statement. 'Yeah. I think you pissed off Kratos.'

Lloyd mumbles darkly and follows.

----

Well, I can say that the temple is dark. I look around at the three passageways leading out of the lobby. One is crammed with rubble and dust (and I think I see a monster lurking around there), the other leads to the warp for the altar, but that is blocked by … something. Little laser like things. The last passage seems fine enough, but I can see the shadows of a number of monsters. Something tells me this isn't gonna go so well.

As we walk into the main area, our footsteps bounce off the wall, leading an echo to crawl down the dark passage and alert the monsters. Well that was bad. I'm still limping slightly, and Genis has a nasty bruise on his leg, so I guess we're not that good for fighting. Oh well, it's not like we get a boss monster or something. Well, I really hope not. But we _do_ have to fight those rock golem type things … ah, we'll live. Kratos has healing spells.

Lloyd takes a look down the safest pathway (the path that doesn't have rubble or lasers …). 'So this is what the inside of the temple is like ... man, it's so cold in here ...'

I look up at the high stone ceiling and rub my bare arms. Lloyd's right - it's freezing, not to mention the smell of rot and ... well, death that lingers in the air. 'Kinda gloomy if you ask me …'

Colette nods. 'It feels different than usual … it's tenser.'

I walk over to the steps leading to the passage on the right and climb the first three, peering into the dark. I see something moving down there for sure. It looks like a giant spider … I've seen one about the size of my fist before, and I thought I was going to pass out then … that one is about the size of an average school desk. Holy crap.

'Do you see anything?' Genis asks from the centre of the room. I jump down the stairs a little too quickly and back to the group.

'Yeah … big spider-thing,' I say, keeping a tight hold on my pistols. No spider is gonna touch me! No way! 'I take it there _are_ monsters in here …'

Kratos gives a small nod. 'Don't let your guard down, even outside of battle.'

I can see Lloyd getting pissed off. He _really_ doesn't like Kratos, does he? 'We can handle a few measly monsters,' he says, trying his best to hold in anger. 'Let's just go already.'

'I'll take an assumption that your skills are self-taught,' Kratos responds evenly to answer to Lloyd's carefree attitude. 'You lack the basic knowledge any person permitted to swing a sword should know.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

After Lloyd mini-hissy-fit, Kratos gives him a small talk on self-taught techniques and other things that don't make sense in my mind, and I walk over to Genis. If I'm gonna survive through this, I might as well get along with everyone.

'So …' I say, attempting to start a conversation. 'Worried?'

'A little about the monsters …' he answers truthfully with a nod. Conversation started … I just need to lead it somewhere. I smile slightly and look around again.

'Have you ever been in here before?'

Genis shook his head. 'Only Colette has been here. Other than that, we're not allowed to enter.'

'Well that sucks …' I say quietly. 'Wouldn't tourists and people want to see inside the temple?'

'I guess. They're allowed to enter this entrance room, but the lower rooms are restricted.'

'I guess that's part of where the trail takes place then,' I say, still looking around warily. I don't want any monsters sneaking up behind me. The sound of stone scraping against the floor catches everyone's attention. It sounds like it came from the passage blocked with rubble. A large rock tumbles to the floor, cracking and causing probably all the monsters on this floor to spring to attention. The next thing we know, A Zombie, a Ghost and two …_ slime_ like things crawl out from under the rubble, heading towards us. Well, at least it isn't a spider. But I have a REALLY big fear of ghosts …

'Is that a real ghost?' I whisper to Genis who whips out his kendama with a nod. I bite my lip. 'Omigosh … okay, okay … I'll just attack the Zombie …'

The decaying corpse begins to stagger towards me with a zombie-like groan. I shudder and aim my pistols at the thing, shooting away like there's no tomorrow. The Zombie's body jerks violently whenever a bullet hits, an arm and two fingers come off and the dead bastard's still up for more. I throw a dose of Fire Ball at it, and hell does its body ignite. In seconds, the whole thing is burning to the ground. All that's left is a few bones and a lot of ash. EW.

I look up from the zombie's remains and see that Genis is sending a few spells at the Ghost, and the other three seem to be tackling the Slimes. I power up a fire spell and hep Genis with the Ghost, who seems to have gotten out a hammer (what the hell?) and started attacking him. As one of the Slime-blob-thingamabobs finally die, Lloyd and Colette take care of the last one as Kratos sends Fire Ball at the Ghost. I shoot it a few times, highly expecting them to go _through_ the Ghost, but they don't. Amazing. I'm not gonna ask about that, I'll just go with it. Genis wallops it with his kendama, and it _finally_ dies! Yay!

Now there's just the slime thing left. I shoot it several times, only to see the bullets sink into its jelly-like body and do barely anything. I throw a fire spell at it and watch it burn. Lloyd attacks it once or twice, and it melts into a big gooey puddle. I think that means its dead.

'Phew …' I sigh. 'If that's an average battle, this temple must be a tough area.'

Genis nods, still clutching the kendama. 'Yeah … we should be careful.'

We make our way down the passageway to the right, still wary of monsters. This might actually not be so bad …

* * *

Good? Bad? Needs to be burnt in the deepest depths of hell? I hope not (-sobs in corner-)  
Pleeeeaaaase review … I'll give you all a cookie! 


	3. Golems and Spiders and Ghosts oh my!

Chapter 3 – Golems and Spiders and Ghosts – oh my!

'You're scared of spiders?'

'Y … yeah …'

We just had a battle with two giant spiders on our way down the dark hall, and – like I said earlier – they _aren't_ the size of an average school desk. No, they're about twice as large in height _and_ length. I never want to see another spider again. Aw man, it was massive! It had eight legs! It tried to _eat_ me, dammit! I am _scared_, people … very scared of big yellow flesh-eating spiders that happen to roam the Martel Temple! I don't wanna die!

I squirm uncomfortably at the thought of them and run after the group (who seemed to have deserted me). I catch up quickly, still clutching my pistols incase any other spider decides to jump out and attack. I _do not_ like spiders one bit. Not after what happened a few months ago. I was in bed, happy and daydreaming, and there was a big fat spider on the quilt, about the size of my fist. It was scary! I couldn't move! I thought it would come and _attack_ me or something! Well, now you know about my fear of spiders … we can tick that off the list.

I sigh to myself, wondering how I got into this mess, and trailing behind slightly. That way, if anymore spiders come, they have to get through everyone else first. I wouldn't really do something like this with simple battles, but spiders are _really_ scary – as I have already explained.

Anyways, the Martel Temple looks pretty much like it does in the game. Stone walls, stone floor, stone ceiling, and stone … everything else. Gloomy and cold. They need to redecorate … I know they aren't allowing in the lower chambers, but _geez_ … they could have the mind to do something. Put up banners, wall scrolls, graffiti, anything! Then again, I guess the tourists like it all original. Eek, how boring. But I will not bother the other with my trivial thoughts! We have monsters to kill, and angels to speak to, and Cruxis Crystals to get, and big fat golems to turn into rocks!

With the temple's atmosphere being all glum and moody, it seems to have taken affect on our group! No one has said anything since Genis asked me if I was scared of spiders, and that was about five minutes ago.

We engage in combat a few seconds later with another Ghost (eeek!), winning easily. Seriously, monsters should know as well as humans do that it's stupid to battle on your own! Then again, I _did_ come here on my own and plan to fight alone too. I am such an idiot.

We finally come to a set of stairs leading to the lower floors, no railing or anything around the edge. I take a small look down the wall opposite the stairs, and decide that I would break my neck if I fell. I gulp and back away, following downstairs silently. They need to talk before I whack someone over the head for the sake of hearing another human's voice. Too bad.

'Look!'

Finally! I want to glomp whoever it is that spoke! I want to worship them for finally taking the strain away from my brain! But I won't do that, because it was Lloyd. And behold, he seems to have spotted the Sorcerer's Ring! We rush down the rest of the stairs and to the transparent platform which will now be referred to as "a floor" to get a better view of the thing we're looking for.

'I bet that's the Sorcerer's Ring,' Genis claims to no one in particular. I put one hand on the balcony to steady myself and lean forwards, pointing it the ring in all its floating glory. 'And it just happens to be all the way over there!'

'Yeah, but all we have to do is go get it!' Lloyd says in an attempt to lighten our current mood. I have to agree with him, but does he not notice the holes in the floor that we cannot jump over unless we want to die a horrible, bloody, bone-cracking death? No, I don't think he does. I attempt to point that out, but Colette's voice draws our attention away from the ring.

'There's something over here.'

We look up and see one of those Golems charging towards us. Aw, man …

We prepare for the upcoming battle immediately, drawing weapons and readying spells. It sure does look strong … it looks like both magic and up-front attacks will be effective against this thing. Lloyd and Kratos take care of a close-distance assault as Genis and I attack from afar with magic. Colette's sort of in-between, using her Chakram. The Golem throws a large rock fist at Lloyd, completely paralyzing him. As Colette, Genis and I continue to take care of the Golem (damn rock jerk), Kratos heals Lloyd who doubled over in pain about five seconds ago with a quick dose of First Aid. Kratos returns to the fight immediately after, but Lloyd looks a tad annoyed. You sure can tell that he doesn't like Kratos, huh? He healed you for goodness sake! Lloyd could at least _thank_ him! But alas, that would not be the Lloyd I love and adore … seriously, I'm joking. He's being a right moody bitch.

Finally, the Golem doubles over, curling into a boulder before it melts – yes, you heard me – melts into the shape of a cube.

'Wow! It turned into a rock!' Colette exclaims with amazement. I have to say myself; it _is_ pretty cool until Lloyd kills the excitement in the air.

'Well, it was kind of a rock to begin with.'

'Fine, it turned into a cube,' I say, trying to raise it again. Too late, he killed it. Colette steps forwards and reaches out a hand to touch the rock, only succeeding in slipping on the floor and pushing it into a square hole while falling. Insert sigh here.

'Oops …' she mumbles, gingerly pulling herself up. We all take a peek through the hole seeing it's made a new pathway for us to cross, getting us one step closer to getting the ring!

'Wow, something good comes out of clumsiness,' I say, looking back up at Colette. 'Good job, Chosen!'

The sound of rushing air causes us all to look to the right.

'Look, there's another one!' Lloyd says, pointing to the Golem that appeared out of thin air. I wonder where they come from … anyways, there's definitely another now walking around aimlessly. Monsters are so stupid … then again, Lloyd is so stupid … is Lloyd a monster? Sure hope not.

'It appears that whenever one is defeated, they take the form of a cube,' Kratos states as everyone takes another look down at the already defeated Golem-cube.

'And then we drop it down below to make a pathway,' Genis finishes. Lloyd and I nod simultaneously as I point a pistol at the new Golem.

'Well then, let us continue to cube-ify Golems!'

As if on cue, the monster charges towards us, rock fists a-swinging. I begin by riddling the thing with bullets as Genis concentrates on spells, everyone else attacking up-close. The good thing about my weapon and techs is that I can use both from afar. I am so lucky …

The Golem uses a freaky attack where its torso spins while its lower body stays the same, striking both Lloyd and Kratos in the side. Oh no, Lloyd's gonna get knocked unconscious! Kratos is stronger and is now up and fighting again, but still, oh no!

Damn, I wonder what my techs are …

"Would you like to know?"

Oh holy crap! There's something in my head! Seriously, what is _wrong_ with me today? I was perfectly happy and ordering Chinese food an hour ago or so, and now I'm here fighting alongside the TOS cast, and to throw more into the crap bucket, I now have people talking to me in my head! (A/N: The conversations I have in my head will be used with " and not ' … just so you know)

"Um … could you calm down a little bit?"

"Sure, but first, WHO in GOD'S name are YOU?" I shriek (in my mind, of course).

"I'm your Gamecube. Now-"

"What the f- you're my Gamecube?" I interrupt.

"Yes, I am your Gamecube!" this person replies angrily. By the sounds of it, it's a girl. "Now will you please be quiet and listen? I'll explain later."

"Um … okay," I say. "I'm waiting."

After a small pause (and of course the battle before me which I've apparently deserted), the voice comes back. "Right, so far you have Fire Ball, Stone Blast and First Aid. Oh, and one called Fire Shot. It's practically the same as Fire Ball, but it's made for you."

I feel kinda weird having a voice in my head claiming she's my Gamecube and telling me about my techs without even letting me question her, and – oh crap, everyone's getting attacked.

"Um … y-yeah, thanks," I say warily, returning to the fight. Lloyd seems back on his feet (thanks to Kratos and his First Aid), and Colette seems to be doing good attacking from afar with her Chakram, but Genis – who apparently went close-range to use his kendama to attack, has been hit and is now in pain. Oh dear me. Let's heal him.

'First Aid!' I try, half expecting it to fail. To my amazement, a green light surrounds the half-elf and a large bruise on his leg disappears immediately. The Golem melts into a cube again after a load of attacks from the other three. Genis pulls himself up, rubbing the spot where his bruise was delicately.

'I didn't know you used healing spells,' Genis says, putting his kendama away and looking up. I give a slight shrug, returning my pistols to their holsters.

'Well, now you do …' I say. Another sound of rushing air catches our attention as a new Golem charges towards us.

'Just how many of these things are there?' Lloyd hisses, blocking an attack with his swords. I draw my pistols again (do these things not get any peace?) and proceed to fire away as Genis Stone Blasts the thing. I know these dudes are weak against water … and we have no water spells. Damn.

I try out Fire Shot, feeling something prickling in my fingertips. Must be TP wasting or something. Anyways, two bright red bullets soar through the air, proceeding to ignite half way between the monster and myself. They slam into the Golems chest, hopefully causing a decent amount of damage (probably the same damage as Fire Ball deals). Genis uses Wind Blade (I think he just learnt it), the Golem curling up again almost immediately. Remember, this was all done with a lot of attacking from Lloyd, Kratos and Colette in between. Ooh, I think Lloyd just learnt Sword Rain. Nifty.

Genis looks around for another Golem. I hear no rushing air … YAY! 'Is that all?'

'That must be all of them,' Colette confirms with a small gesture around the place. We take a look at the two cubes, each on opposite sides of the room.

'What do we do now?' Lloyd asks, rubbing an Apple Gel on a scratch along his neck. Genis takes a quick look at the holes in the floor again.

'I think we're supposed to make a pathway to reach the Sorcerer's Ring. Look-' he points at the hole in the floor '- we can make a path out of these blocks.'

I return my guns to their holsters (_again_) and speak up. 'Well, let's get them down there.'

We take it in turns to push the two blocks down into the gaps (we made Lloyd and Kratos do it), descending the stairs from the platform when we were done and approaching the small block wall we has "accidentally" made. I give the remaining block a quick shove, sending it into the other pit to create a stable pathway. Go us.

'So that's the Sorcerer's ring,' Genis says when we reach the small pedestal with the ring atop, glowing in all of its glow-like glory. Colette takes it from the podium, giving it a quick look-over. 'It's really pretty …'

I guess she hasn't seen it before either. Well, I guess she was only taught and informed of part of the trials in the Martel Temple. They'd want the Chosen to get a good head-start on her journey. I'd hate to study about the journey of the Chosen though … it'd be boring, but I guess the Chosen are dedicated people to give up what make them human – oh right, the ring.

'Cool, I wanna try it!' Lloyd says excitedly, staring at it. Damn him.

'I'm trying it after!' I say quickly. Genis gives us both weird looks.

'You guys are like little kids …'

'Come on, we know you think it's cool too,' I say in defence. 'It's a ring that shoots _fire_!'

'It can do that?' Lloyd asks. 'Awesome!'

Genis shrugs and descends the stairs as Lloyd begins shooting fire at the wall, testing the ring out. Seriously, I need my turn …

* * *

'Genis, I said I was sorry!'

'Hmm.'

After several battles and bruises, we're back up in the main room - only Genis now has a big burn mark on his sleeve. Lloyd really needs to be more careful with that ring. Anyway, he's been apologizing since, and Genis is holding a grudge. Very un-Genis like …

'We should be able to break the seal now,' Colette says with a smile, showing the ring to everyone again (we decided Colette should keep it for … many reasons). A small nod from everyone and we continue down the blocked pathway. Since we got the ring, I've been wondering how we … y'know, make it work. I mean, when we use magic, we just use the mana in our body by concentration, so is the ring the same? We probably concentrate our mana into the ring to make it shoot fire. Maybe, I dunno. I might have to ask the Professor. I mean Raine. Crap, the habits are a-coming.

Colette breaks the seal to the warp with the Sorcerer's Ring and is the first one to ascend to the upper floor using the purple platform. The other three follow, but I hold back hesitantly. Should I ask the angel about how to get home? I won't be able to with the others there … it'd screw up everything. And he leaves right before _we_ do. Maybe I should just wait until the next seal … then I might be able to ask him. Wait bad idea. He leaves before we do _every single time_ …

Aw crap. Oh well, I can think it over, right? I hope so. I shrug to myself slightly and step into the warp.

* * *


	4. Why Remiel and Raine are scary

Okay … this chapter was meant to be longer, but my computer crashed and I lost everything. So I whipped this up before we had to restart the whole thing … so, the next one will hopefully be longer. 

* * *

Chapter Four - Why Remiel and Raine are scary

'This appears to be the top floor.'

Kratos' voice is the first thing I hear after the warp stops. That thing makes you dizzy … it's like your brain numbs and your whole body constricts. I feel like I'm about to hurl again (for the fifth time today). This is something I'm going to have to unwillingly get used to, huh? Ah well, it's not the only thing. I've still got a bunch of crap to sort out for a background story, too. Seriously, kill me now.

I blink a number of times and rub my head, looking around. It's a circular room with two open windows and a high arching roof. A roof that has a hole in. Now, wouldn't it have been _much_ easier if I'd have just fallen through there? Then I wouldn't have made the hole. Dumb fate. Dumb Gamecube. Dumb … fragile school.

'Yes. That's the altar.'

I look toward the centre of the room on Colette's words. As said, there is a large stone altar in the centre of the room, the light from the red platform above turning it a slightly ash grey colour. On the diaphanous red platform is a glowing crystal, glowing in all its … glow-like glory. Prettiness.

'Then that shining thing there must be the Cruxis Crystal.' I swear, all the speech so far has been stating the obvious. Ugh, the horror. Anyway … it's colder up here than it was down there. Of course, they HAD to build two windows didn't they? Solely for the purpose of pissing off a freezing 13 year old girl in the future. At least four other bodies in the room warm the place slightly. But seriously, it's cold. Lloyd, Colette and Kratos have decent clothing for the cold, I'm wearing a goddamn T-shirt (I need gloves like Kratos' … black, of course), and I look over at Genis and think WTF?

'So … isn't there supposed to be an angel or something?' I ask, rubbing my arms. I get cold easily. Leave me alone. Genis opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by a gold coloured orb of light sinking through the ceiling. Here comes Remiel. Must not shoot him … must not shoot him …

The orb of light seems to expand in a soft golden glow, showing the form of the angel. I've gotta say, everything here is more detailed than in the game, but WHOA! Pretty wings … shut up, brain. But seriously, they seem to have this luminescent feature to them with a pale yellow glow coming from every individual feather. Even his robes look more detailed than the usual normal green and blue ones that he wears with small patterns woven around each hem. If I do say so myself, Remiel looks quite handsome. I mean, he is no longer only four heads tall!

Everyone except Kratos and Colette look surprised at the angel's appearance. Colette has probably seen diagrams of them in old books and scriptures, and Kratos … well, y'know.

'Wh … what is that?'

Geez Lloyd, what does it _look_ like to you? A muffin? Oh crap, I've just reminded myself that I haven't eaten in about five hours. I know I shouldn't really be hungry right now, but I was going to have Chinese food, dammit!

'An angel, I would assume,' Kratos answers, no hint of any emotion in his voice except slight boredom. Genis looks over at the blonde Chosen, breaking a small five second silence after seeming to work something out in his head. 'So … is that Colette's real father?'

'Looks like it,' I mumble. If I want to blend in at all, I need to act like I don't know a thing about this. Not that they would _expect_ me to know the details of it all, but still … I can't afford any mistakes. Not yet. Colette either didn't hear Genis, ignored him completely, or didn't feel happy to answer just now. Regardless of what happened, she steps up closer to the altar, and Remiel begins to speak.

'I am Remiel,' he starts in a regal voice, 'I am an angel of justice. I am here to guide Colette, daughter of the mana lineage, on her journey to heaven as the seventh Chosen.' Don't you mean take away what make her human and turn her into a lifeless doll for Yggdrasil? Now, if I'd have said that aloud, I'd be dead. Remiel lowers himself slightly by halting his wings movements, levelling himself with the Cruxis Crystal that began to ascend of its own accord. Well, he looks like he practiced a lot.

'The time has come,' he starts again, 'to awaken the Goddess Martel, who sleeps in the centre of the world.'

'Awaken the Goddess Martel …' Genis mumbles to no one in particular. That is, until he turns to the crimson-clad swordsman. 'It's just like the legend Raine told us about!' he exclaims, probably recalling something that Lloyd forgot in class. He was probably sleeping. Poor guy. Well, Raine _does_ throw black-board erasers at his head, so brain damage maybe? Or maybe when he fell of the cliff fourteen years ago …?

The Cruxis Crystal begins to glide away from Remiel, slowly making its way towards Colette. As it moves I can see the slight crimson outline of the gem, smaller than what I expected. When you look at it normally, it appears about the size of your fist, but I guess that'd just be the light radiating from it. The Cruxis Crystal embeds itself in a necklace Colette is wearing (I never really noticed it), ceasing to glow. When the light finally fades, the gem is planted securely in the necklace. Remiel begins to speak again.

'From this moment, Colette becomes to Chosen of Regeneration-' he gestures to the window at out right – 'We of Cruxis bless this event, and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant.'

Lloyd, Genis and I run to the window (Kratos is just a moody bastard), squinting through the fog and clouds to see the Tower of Salvation rising up past the heavens. And _whoa_ is it big. Really, how does it stay upright? It looks so slim from here … I expect it to fall like a coin stack. Sure, it's wedged in the ground, but still …

'So that's the tower of Salvation!' Lloyd says with amusement. I wonder if they're all thinking about how it stays erect.

'I've read about it, but I didn't think it'd be that tall …' I lie. Well, partly. I haven't read about it in books, and … really, I thought I'd actually be able to _see_ the top. Maybe there isn't a top … maybe it goes on _forever_. Awesome, but very untrue … to bad. Right, back to Remiel.

'Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration. Unlock the seals that guard the Tower of Salvation, and climb its stairs to heaven is distant lands,' he instructs, still using his royal tone. Colette clasps her hands together and nods.

'I humbly accept this task.'

'Very good,' Remiel says with a slight hint of accomplishment in his voice. 'We of Cruxis shall grant you the power of the angels with each seal you unlock. Once you are reborn as an angel, this eroded world shall be regenerated.

'Thank you. I swear on my life I will regenerate the world.' Ha. How painfully ironic. She was meant to die from the very beginning.

'First head south, to the Seal of Fire. Offer your prayers in that distant land,' Remiel commands. There is no ordering tone in his words, but it would make anyone obey. And that is exactly what Colette does. 'Yes, Lord Remiel.'

With that, Remiel begins ascending toward the ceiling, but is soon interrupted by a cry of: 'Uh, wait! Please wait!'

Remiel waits for about five seconds before finally halting. Man, does this guy have a slow reaction system or what? Colette continues, her fingers wound together nervously. I wouldn't know what it feels like, because I've never had to ask if someone if they were my biological father. I might have to in years to come, but _this_ guy is an _angel_ for goodness sake. Eek. That must be scary on so many levels.

'I have a question I wish to ask of you,' she begins politely. 'Are you really my fa-'

'First,' Remiel interrupts easily, 'head to the Seal of Fire. Understood? My beloved daughter, Colette.'

That certainly set off a spark in her. 'F … father! So you really _are_ my true father.'

'We shall meet again at the next seal, my daughter.'

With that, Remiel disappears in an explosion of golden light and feathers. Nice exit.

But there is still something that bothers me. When Genis had asked if the angel was Colette's biological father, he only heard that as a rumour. Because of simple rumours flooding the village, this aching need to know has been built up onto the brink. Now that Remiel has confirmed – no – _lied_ that he was Colette's true father, the whole village will breathe a sigh of relief and believe that. Remiel was the one they were looking to for the answer, and with a simple lie, he confirmed untrue thoughts of the village folk and possibly many others. Even Colette believes him right now, but as time progresses, she will experience that empty feeling of playing along with a lie.

'Charlotte? Are you coming?'

I blink and look up at Lloyd who had snapped my train of thoughts. 'Wha …?'

I look around. Kratos and Colette have already left … was I thinking _that_ long? Geez … I must have a lot of pent up thoughts in that noggin of mine.

'You looked like you were zoned out or something …' Lloyd says. 'You okay?'

I nod quickly. 'Y-Yeah! It's just a bit weird seeing all this stuff. Y'know, the Tower of Salvation, the angels … it got me thinking about some things.'

Genis steps closer to the warp. 'Yeah. My sister would have loved to see all of this.'

'Your sister?' I ask. Remember Charlotte … you know _NOTHING_! Sure, I know Raine would probably have passed out at the sight of all this, but I want Genis' explanation too. His lips twist into a half-smile half-frown before finally answering to my question.

'My older sister, Raine. She's the teacher at our school. She loves ruins and old things that might have an interesting history behind it …' he explains shortly. Ah well, it's good enough for me.

'Ah …' I say. 'Scary, slightly.'

Finally deciding that this place is starting to creep us out, we step onto the purple warp and teleport down to the lower floor. It's slightly warmer down here, but minus two people for body heat. It's all this stone, isn't it? I never did like stone. It always made me shiver. I pass the thought away and continue with the other two down the corridor, taking a last look at the archway that used to conceal the warp. Oh, Colette took the Sorcerer's Ring, didn't she? Oh well, I'll ask for it back later. She might give it back to Phaidra, and we still need the ring.

I yawn slightly to myself. Geez, I haven't slept in … what, forty hours? I didn't sleep at all last night. I stayed up trying to finish some English and Mathematics homework, which I didn't, and that gained me two detentions. Also another detention for _almost _falling asleep. _Almost!_ Meaning I didn't! So why the hell did they give me one? Well, it doesn't matter. If I'm not back on Earth by tomorrow (which I highly doubt I will be), I have nothing to worry about, right? Well, they'll probably send someone around my house (the school likes to refer to him as "The Wag Man") to see why I'm not in school. Oh how funny it will be when they discover no Charlotte in the house with rotting Chinese food outside. Seriously, now I'm very hungry … my stomach is trying to eat itself.

When we step into the main room, I notice Raine is not here. Hmm … I wonder what happened to her.

'Hyyya!'

In my thoughts, I didn't notice Raine zipping down the stairs to our right and kicking Lloyd in the chest, who went flying across the room and into the wall, until I looked up. Just like in the game. She simply settles with giving Genis a few thwacks around the head. When she is done, Lloyd is trying to pull himself up and Genis is rubbing his head. I'll just back away quietly …

'Why aren't you both studying in class?' she demands. They do what any other sane human being would do. They stay silent. Raine turns to me abruptly. I half expect her to attack me or something. Sure hope she doesn't.

'I'm sorry you had to see that,' she apologizes. Oh, don't apologize to me, Professor! After all, I _am_ the one who got you a hole in your lovely school roof! But I'm not going to say that aloud. I take a different approach if I want to avoid lying in a puddle of my own blood on the count of five.

'Ah, no problem …' I say anxiously. If she attacks me, I _will_ die. She simply nods and turns back to the other two on the floor. 'There is no school for the rest of the day. Go home if you've learned your lesson.'

Genis looks up, still massaging his scalp. 'What about you?'

That scary look glazes over her eyes. 'I've received permission to explore the deeper rooms of the temple from Phaidra. It's rare that anyone would get an opportunity like this.'

Genis nods slightly, finally returning his hands to his side as The Professor walks away. Lloyd seems to have pulled himself up and is currently inhaling an Apple Gel, placing the empty bottle back into his satchel.

'I take it that was your older sister?' I ask, gesturing towards the pathway where The Professor had just disappeared to. Genis makes a face and nods.

'Yeah … she can be a bit violent sometimes.'

'A bit?' Lloyd scoffs. I have to agree with him on this. She scares me …

We dismiss the matter and exit the temple, the daunting shrilly scream of "MUHAHAHAHA!" following us on our way out. I ignore it willingly and continue out with the others.

FRESH AIR! Finally! I heave a sigh of relief and allow myself a smile. It's good to be out again on the fields. It's better than Earth here … for example, on Earth where I live, there is barely any wildlife. It's just cars and roads and cracked pavement littered with various wrappers and mouldy gum. So you can see why I like it better here. The air is much cleaner, too; it's easier to breathe. There may be monsters all over the place and Human Ranches, but I still prefer Sylvarant. I am a thirteen year old girl, meaning I do not care about politics or little fights that the world leaders have … so there.

'It's pretty empty …' Genis mumbles after a minute of standing just outside of the chapel doors. Lloyd gives a slight shrug, looking around.

'I guess Phaidra went back to the village to wait for Colette.'

We descend the stairs into the fields. Okay, let's just say that those events went as expected … but if everything _does_ go as expected, how am I going to get home? I guess I'll have to ask my Gamecube/weird voice in my head later.

* * *

Ta-da! … yeah, it needs to be longer. Dumb writers block … dumb computer … dumb Remiel. 


	5. Zodiac and Schooling WTF

I'm going on HOLIDAY! In a few hours actually O.o … meh, I'll be gone for a week.

* * *

Chapter 5 - Zodiac and Schooling ... WTF?

So far, no sign from my Gamecube … or at least that voice in my head that claims she is my Gamecube. I was hoping she'd show up and talk me through this, but noooo … she sounds like a cold bitch, too. I always expected my Gamecube to be kinder if it were a person – and as a male. Well, Gamecubes are blue. It's a hunch, okay? I'm confused with myself, so I'll shut up. I'll just ask my Gamecube when it/she gets here.

We've had one or two battles since leaving Martel Temple, and a few bruises to add. Other than that, I've been testing out my magic. It's not bad really, just the small tingly feeling that I'm sure I'll get used to in time. Fire Shot seems like a cool spell, but I want to learn some more … I wonder if I can. My Gamecube should tell me these things, you know, SOONER. Or at least helped me with that story I had to come up with. Not that it was bad (well it probably was bad), but still, the damn bitch could have helped.

In all, I don't like my Gamecube so far.

Two wolves are approaching us, accompanied by an angry looking Hawk. Well, they all look angry, but Hawks are just … able to fly. Apparently we are low on Apple Gels. Oh how craptastic. I whip out my pistols, aiming at the Hawk which is diving towards Genis – who is casting a spell – and fire like hell. Lloyd is taking care of one Wolf, while the other in bounding towards me. Shit. I may have bad aiming while moving, but I'll try anyway. If I shoot Genis by accident, well … double shit.

I jump back as the Wolf's jaws almost clamp around my arm, successfully dodging the threat of dieing from blood loss and a severed arm. Go me. Well, I suck at fighting, so yay for good luck! I probably shot Genis or something while celebrating, but still – YAY! If I keep rejoicing, the Wolf will attack me again, so I'll just have to kill it now. I aim for its eye (for no apparent reason) and shoot away. Um, I'll just leave out the gory details …

While the now blind Wolf is staggering around, I begin to fire spells like I'm hyper or something. I want more spells, goddammit! Oh crap, that Hawk seems to be pecking Genis to death. Might as well help him and ignore the carcass of the Wolf for now.

'First Aid!' I shout, feeling the mana in my body fizz slightly at being called upon for a spell (probably for the seventh time in a row). As it is cast, I feel slightly colder as though my body temperature has dropped the slightest. After a few seconds, I feel normal again. It must be the large mass of magic leaving my body or something. Soon it will be less noticeable … this is my first time actually casting spells like this, so it must feel strange. Again, ask Gamecube later.

The Hawk is killed with a blow of Stone Blast from Genis, and the other Wolf is still putting up a good fight. Genis sends a dose of Wind Blade at it while I begin to fire again. A few more stabs from Lloyd killed the damn thing at last.

'Not bad …' I say with a small grin, returning my pistols to their holsters. Think of it as an after-battle-spur-of-the-moment thing. Well, that's what I call it. Genis rubs half an Apple Gel on his shoulder wound from the Hawk, gulping the rest down quickly. I'm gonna need one of those when we get back to Iselia – I'll probably have a number of blisters on my feet and a soon to come headache.

I look over at Lloyd, who is healing a nasty wound on his arm with another Apple Gel. Do Wolves think we are chew toys or something?

'I have definitely had enough battles for one day,' the swordsman sighs, discarding the empty bottle. Genis nods in agreement.

'Yeah … my feet hurt.'

I begin to search my own satchel for an Apple Gel or at least something to numb the ache in my legs. Screw waiting until we're back in Iselia, I need it now. We've walked _really_ far since I fell through the roof, and me before that too. I had to get up, walk down to the bus-stop, walk up and down a four-floor building twice in a row, serve a detention for forgetting my gym kit (I had to run around the five tennis courts), walk to the other side of the school to get my lunch and go to next lesson, walk all the way _back_ to the other side of the school for another lesson, and then go to P.E and have someone try to destroy my wrist. Then I had to get the bus, walk _back_ home, get sucked into my Gamecube, and I walked to Martel Temple dragging a heavy sword, got beaten up by Genis and Kratos, I got freaked out by many Ghosts and jelly-wannabe monsters (which included painful fighting), I got beaten up a bit more, been in a few battles since then. So I ache. I ache a lot.

I finally find an Apple Gel, spilling it into my hand and rubbing it into my skin, smearing it over my legs like I would do with sun-cream. It should get rid of some of the pain, right? Apple Gels are awesome. We need them on Earth. I give the bottle a quick look-over to see if any ingredient notices are labelled on, but no. Dang. Ah well … I'll just eat lots of apples. Not that I don't already (I think I get through about four/five a day).

Lloyd sheaths his swords, looking at our surrounding. 'We're closer to the village now. That should mean fewer monsters.'

'That's a relief,' I say stretching my arms above my head. 'I don't know about you guys, but I got up early today. I'm tired after all of that.'

Genis is now rubbing some Apple Gel onto his bare legs. We went through that "only use Apple Gels when you need them" phase because they're expensive, but right now we're out of the monster's sights and closer to Iselia. Lloyd doesn't have to use any. Lloyd is stronger than us. I'm jealous. Damn him.

'Our class starts at 7:00 AM and we have to be up at six o'clock sharp,' Genis explains shortly. 'Well, Lloyd has to get up at 5:00 AM since he has to come through the forest.'

I raise my eyebrows and nod. 'Yeah, I saw a forest somewhere to the west of here when I thought I was falling to my death. You have to trek through there every day?' I ask, turning to Lloyd. He gives a small shrug as we start towards the village again.

'Sometimes Noishe will bring me if he's up for it,' he says, fastening his satchel shut. 'He's a really helpful pet.'

Ooh, I want to see Noishe! He's such a cute little thing … well he's not little, but he's still cute. 'Awesome. Can I see him sometime?'

'Sure.'

It takes us about three minutes to finally get back to the village without any battles to hold us back. The people seem to have come out of their houses now. They must have decided it would be safe when Colette returned to the village. She probably got bombarded with "Are you hurt?", "How'd it go?", "Where there any Desians?" and so forth. Hopefully no one gave Kratos a second look. That guy can kill with his stares. One can only admire him from afar … I'm joking again, seriously.

Iselia looks prettier with people out for some reason. Earlier it just looked like a ghost town or something, and the people seem to add to its liveliness. Let's just hope they don't take their village for granted, for it won't be standing much longer will it? Damn Desians.

'So … to the Chosen's house?' I ask, prodding my finger in the direction of Colette's house. 'D'you think you guys could go alone? I want to go somewhere and rest for a bit.'

'Come with us!' Genis say, obviously opposing my plans. 'Colette and Phaidra probably want to thank us all for helping out.'

'Yeah,' Lloyd agrees. 'It won't take long.'

I grumble softly, folding my arms behind my head. 'Fine. But if I pass out then I'm blaming you guys. I know where you liiiiiive …' That'd be my daunting tone.

Lloyd and Genis exchange confused glances, both shrugging it off. 'C'mon, it's getting late.'

The walk down there is silent, but I can here the drone of conversation from other people around the village. An old man is talking to a guard about the "Desian" incident and why they attacked the Chosen. I think I've found another way to tell Desians and Renegades apart for early in the story. Desians use whips, and Renegades use knives, right? Well, I guess I could be wrong … but it was worth a shot.

My thoughts were interrupted with a question from none other than Genis. 'Hey Charlotte, do you go to school?'

Oh, what a question. Now I have to think up something for that. My story right now is that I travel and don't have a home if they ask where I'm from, so what do I do about this?

'I, uh … I'm self-taught,' I decide. That's okay, right? Self-taught, no questions, no nothing. Lloyd gapes at me.

'You _choose_ to teach yourself? Like homework?'

I make a face. 'Only when I have spare time. Other than that, I'm as free and a birdy. And if I just don't want to, I'll just swallow a dictionary.'

That is actually how I cope with homework given by my teachers. I usually leave it until the last day, so I'm ultimately screwed over there. Many detentions have been received in the past, and they just keep coming by the truck-load. Anyways, Genis seems interested about this self-teaching thing I have going on.

'If you teach yourself then there has to be a subject you like above all others,' he says. It was posed as a half fact half question. What _is_ my favourite subject anyway? It's Japanese, but there is no Japan in Sylvarant, and that would lead to some odd questions. I guess I'll have to go with my second favourite.

'I guess it'd be Literature,' I say, digging up another word for "English".

'Literature?' Lloyd asks, brow furrowed in thought. 'You mean like writing?'

'Mm-hmm. I have a habit of finding how many different words there are for a colour too. But that's personal, don't mind that.'

Lloyd chooses to ignore the comment like I asked. It's weird that I'm talking about my schooling with these guys, but it's kind of fun.

'I don't understand how people can teach themselves subjects they hate,' Lloyd says, staring into space. I give a small shrug with one shoulder.

'I dunno. I tend to stay away from those subjects. Like wood-work and maths and icky-science,' I say, twisting my mouth into a scowl at science. Seriously, my teacher thinks I'm insane. I was writing a diary entry scene for someone in my story that I'm writing back on Earth, and this guy is _really_ depressed with things going on in his life … he's one of those typical "I will annihilate you on sight" guys … anyway, teacher confiscated my writing pad, read it, and now she thinks I want to kill someone. Blech. I'll never get on her good side now.

Ooh, I have an idea. 'Hey Lloyd, what's your star sign?'

The swordsman blinks, confusion written all over his face. 'Star sign?'

Oh crap, _please_ let there be star signs in Sylvarant. I dunno about the stars here, but they're bound to have something like zodiac here, right?

'Don't you remember, Lloyd?' Genis pipes up. 'Raine taught us about the stars last month. She was surprised someone like you knew so much about them.'

'Hey, what's that supposed to mean?'

Okay, things are looking good. 'So you know about Zodiac?'

'Constellations, yes. Zodiac, no,' Lloyd confirms. I chew on the inside of my cheek, trying to think.

'Well, Raine must have told you your star-sign if she taught you about the stars,' I say after a long fifteen second think.

'Wasn't it Sagittarius?' Genis offers. Now, I'm not one to craze over the stars, but I _do_ find it interesting, causing me to read about it in various books. I knew Lloyd sounded like a Sagittarius after reading some different articles, but I didn't think of being too accurate.

'Yeah, that's it!' Lloyd exclaims. 'Sagittarius! The … the, uh …'

'Archer.'

'Yeah! Why'd you ask?'

I give a small one-shoulder shrug again. 'No reason. Pure curiosity. I just thought you acted a lot like a Sagittarius-type.'

'You nerd,' Lloyd mumbles. I feel a small grin crawl over my face.

'I'll be taking that as a compliment.'

We finally reach Colette's house after our talk on zodiac and school status. I never for a moment thought that I'd be talking to Lloyd Irving and Genis Sage about those two things, but hey, things happen. Very _weird_ things happen. Anyway, we're at Colette's house. And being my first time actually here as a person and not someone behind the screen with a controller, it's just WOW. It's got to be the only two-story house in Iselia, and talk about plants … they're all over the roof, the walls, and there are little shelves under the windows with countless pots lined up, each sprouting various flowers from the soil.

Lloyd pushes the door open, dragging my mind away from gawking at the Chosen's house as we walk inside, seeing Frank, Phaidra, Colette, the mayor and Kratos all sitting around that disgustingly large table. Our presence is unnoticed until Colette looks up after the mayor says his thing.

'Thank you so much for your help earlier!' she says happily, a bright smile on her face. I still don't get how she can always be so happy. It sickens me slightly. Phaidra looks up, her beady little granny-eyes holding kindness. I don't like this family … it's to happy. Insert mental shudder here.

'Ohh, you're back!' she starts, voice thin with age. 'Thank you for your assistance earlier! Please accept this small thanks.'

Frank beckons us over with a hand gesture, passing a kind of book to Lloyd. Wow … a BOOK! Imagine all the THINGS we could do with it! We fought monsters and bled for a _book_. Yay. I might throw it at some annoying child and relieve some anger. Oh, and I might as well add, Frank is also smiling. Damn this family. I never thought there could be such a thing as too kind. Today I am proven wrong. Lloyd and Genis say their thanks (I fear I might hurl up something if I open my mouth), and the swordsman gets straight to the point.

'Say, were you talking about the world regeneration journey just now?'

'Yes.' OH GOD THE _KINDNESS_ IN THE VOICE … it's a simple word, yet it makes me want to kill someone. Hmm, Kratos is the closest. Yes, I'll back away slowly.

'I want to go, too! I wanna see Colette regenerate the world!' Lloyd says excitedly, and Genis is behind him the whole way.

'If Raine is going, I want to go, too.'

'And I'll be over by the door if anyone needs me,' I say quietly, retreating from the crowd of people. My comment is ignored, thankfully. I notice Phaidra open her mouth to speak, but Kratos gets there first.

'No. You'll get in the way.'

One sentence and all eyes are turned to Kratos, whose gaze hasn't shifted from a patch of wood on the table. Ohh, I really don't want to be here. I turn the doorknob quietly and step out into the garden before Lloyd detonates, killing us all. I close the door behind me with a small click, stepping down the wooden stairs and continuing forwards to the back of the village.

Upon entering the area, I notice a few children and middle-aged people giving my strange stares. I guess they are parents that the children told about me falling through the roof. A few meters away, I hear a child about the age of three say something over and over to an embarrassed parent. 'Look Mommy! It's the birdy! It's the birdy!'

Holy shite. Since when am I a bird? I do not have wings, dammit! I make a face a groan slightly before walking faster to the other side of the village, trying to focus on little details. Like the shine in the grass, or the brush of stone against my shoes. Anything to stop the staring and the boring eyes.

After more walking, I find myself outside Genis' house. This has got to be the second biggest in Iselia then. It _is_ big and the garden doesn't have as much flowers as Colette's, but it's still big. It has a _pond_! Omigodyay!

Yes, I'm here to wait for Genis and Lloyd, not act like a moron. I notice a fairly large dog walking around the garden. I never really liked dogs … well, not the spazzy little midget ones that yap like a frozen video. _It_ is walking over to me each wooden step creaking softly as it jumps down and continues towards me. Needless to say, I am frozen stiff.

It sits in front of me, staring up a blinking constantly, tail wagging at one hellova speed. I sigh inaudibly to myself, reaching down and tracing the small dip in it's forehead with my finger, gradually petting it. If it jumps up or something now, I'll run a mile.

'What are you doing here?'

I look over my shoulder to see Lloyd and Genis running towards me, halting with a skid. The dog leaves and trots back up to the garden. Lloyd watches it go and then turns back to me. 'You'd just suddenly disappeared.'

I shrug. 'I left the house. Didn't you notice?'

'Well, you didn't say anything.'

I shake my head. 'It doesn't matter. What happened with Kratos?'

Lloyd immediately frowns at the mention of the mercenary's name, Genis giving him a nervous look. 'Well …'

The fuming swordsman cuts off Genis' attempt to explain. 'He makes me so mad! He's strong, I know … but he doesn't have to upstage me like that!'

I raise both eyebrows, considering backing away a few meters. 'He isn't upstaging you … you just know that he's stronger, and that's threatening how you feel about yourself.' I had that told to me once. Good times …

'I am not being intimidated!' the swordsman rants on. 'We would have been fine on our own in Martel Temple, and we would have – would you stop laughing at me!'

Yes, I am trying to hold back giggle fits. I shake my head and swallow any remaining sniggers left in my throat. 'Come on, I'm just messing with your head.'

Lloyd pouts. It's funny when he does that. 'You nerd.'

'Great, I have a nickname.'

Genis has already ascending the first lot of stairs leading to his house. 'I won't take long. Come on in while you wait.'

Lloyd and I exchange glances, agreeing mentally as we walk up to the front door which Genis so kindly left open for us. As the swordsman goes over to see what friend is doing, I walk over to a large bookcase, looking over many coloured books. These things are thick … they must be filled with much text and diagrams. I reach up and run a finger down the spine of a red leather bound book, reading the golden words engraved into the material.

"_The Desians: A Lineage of Darkness"_.

I hook my finger into the top of the spine, tugging it out from between two books and looking it over. I flip open the first few pages, skipping the contents and others.

"_The Desians, an organization which opposes the Cruxis, are comprised primarily of half-elves. When looking at the overall organization, however, there are many humans who were lured by evil and now serve among their ranks. These humans who reject salvation from heaven are referred to as the Fallen."_

'What are you reading?' I look over my shoulder to see Genis behind me, obviously noticing I'd taken one of his books. Let's hope he won't kill me for it. Raine might, but hopefully he won't …

'Ah, just … a book on Desians,' I say, flipping it back to the cover. 'Interesting.'

'You can keep it if you want. I've read that book over at least ten times,' Genis says, moving his bag onto his other shoulder.

'Really? It's okay?'

'Of course. Just don't show my sister.'

I let myself laugh slightly. 'I won't.'

I notice Lloyd waiting by the door, so I quickly urge myself to stop looking at books and walk over to the entrance. They should be heading to the Human Ranch right about now …

'You're going home now, right?' I ask Lloyd, who nods.

'Yeah … where are you going to go? You're not from around here, so you wouldn't have anywhere to stay.'

He has a point … I don't have anywhere to stay. Come to think of it, neither did Kratos. Hmm, think Charlotte, think … I know what I need to do _before_ sleeping … I guess I'll think about rest later.

'I'll be okay. Besides, I need to do something anyway. More important than sleep right now!' I say with a small smile. Lloyd looks like he doesn't believe me.

'You sure?'

'Positive.'

'Well, okay. Let's go, Genis!'

I follow them out and watch them do down the pathway towards the entrance. It's getting darker … I guess it's about six o'clock. Well, I'd better go do that business. I turn the opposite way and walk down the path, the area now almost empty of people. I guess it _is_ getting late. Well, this'll make it easier for me. All I need to do now is find Kratos.

* * *

And … WHOA! It's 6:23 AM. I'm going on holiday in a few hours … 


	6. To blackmail a mercenary

* * *

Chapter 6 - To blackmail a mercenary

I can't find Kratos. I am mad. I need to kill something.

Seriously, I can't find the guy anywhere. I don't want to go back to Colette's house because of the possibility he might still be discussing things with the happy family and the mayor. If I interrupt again, I'm most likely to be shouted at or something. I don't want that when I'm staggering around half-asleep. I'll probably explode at them.

Lloyd and Genis left the village ages ago, so I'm totally screwed if I want to follow them now. Plus they'll probably have talked to Marble before I get there, so the Desians will be on a heavy guard. Wow this is bad.

Plus the sun is setting, so my eyes hurt whenever I look in the direction of the damn thing. I didn't know it was getting so late … and it's another reason I'm not going to Colette's house. I figured they might have finished their meeting by now, so … I'm just looking out for any signs of our auburn haired mercenary. He's got to be around here somewhere …

My feet hurt too. I haven't actually _sat down_ since I fell through the roof. I've been walking non-stop I think … oh the _paaaiiiin_ …

I raise a hand to my mouth and yawn, kicking at the small hill that surrounds the village. I've wound up south of Colette's house by the residence just down the pathway. You know, the one with the little girl and her father walking around outside because the mother is doing spring cleaning or something along those lines. Screw that, I _need_ to _do_ something … I can't stand just sitting … I need to be either drawing or writing or something else, but not just _standing/sitting_ here!

I plop myself down at the base of the tree, looking around. I see that the window to the house had been swung open, possibly for fresh air (I must resist throwing a rock in there for my own amusement), the shade of the tree creeping through the windowsill. I sigh to myself and conjure up a small flame for entertainment. I only used at least a quarter of mana needed to cast the spell, so the small flame is sitting a few inches over my palm. Happiness.

I blow gently at the flame, watching it dance in a strange flow, flickering up and then dying down while swaying to the sides. I totally need a life, but I'm bored right now. Leave me alone.

Suddenly, without warning, the fire bursts, flames flying around everywhere. A number of them fly towards the open window, slamming into a desk I can see and setting the whole thing alight. Um, it wasn't me. Really.

I leap to my feet, jumping behind the tree as the woman inside the house screams, alerting the child and husband. They rush to her aid immediately, leaving the place deserted. I can hear the shouting inside the house, something about not being able to handle something on her own, and a need of supervision. I guess that means they aren't coming back out.

'That was big.'

I spin around, seeing a little girl about the age of seven with a brown pony-tail and a plan green dress. I'm still freaked anyway.

'Who the _hell_ are you?' I ask, reaching for a pistol. The girl frowns and folds her arms over her chest, furrowing her brow.

'You're ruder here than you are on Earth!' she exclaims angrily, waving a hand about frantically. I raise an eyebrow, still keeping a tight grip on the pistol I have. The girl brushes dust out of her dress before performing a fancy bow, springing back up with a bright smile. I'm still bloody freaked. 'I am your Gamecube, the one and the only, here for your service!'

I slowly inch the pistol I'm holding closer to its holster. My Gamecube would be the only one to know about Earth and … well, a Gamecube.

'You're my … you're a game console?' I ask, completely dumbfounded. Well, not completely … I mean, I _did_ speak to her earlier …

'Yep,' the girl says, raising a finger, 'and I deserve to be treated with respect! Who kept you entertained when you were ill with flu? Who kept you entertained when you were bored? Who-'

'Are you on drugs?' I ask, tilting my head slightly. 'This is all before I got Tales of Symphonia … before that you were just a little box I could play Soul Calibur 2 on …'

'Shut up!' she snaps, striding up to me and prodding my forehead. 'I said I _deserve _respect! I let you play on Tales of Symphonia! Why, without me, you wouldn't be here.'

'Uh … who bought the game?' I point out with a glare.

'Who was able to play the preview disk from Nintendo Official Magazine UK?' she retorts. 'So you _would_ buy the game?'

Crap, I'm stuck. 'Fine, you win.'

My Gamecube grins, punching a fist up in the air. 'That's what I like to hear!'

'You won't ever hear it again …' I mumble, crossing my arms. I don't like my Gamecube. It's a bitch, and not because it freezes, but because it reminds me of my cousin Jay, who I would rather … like to assassinate.

'Well, whatever,' she says, placing fists on her hips. 'I'm here to give you an update and the rules! Rule 1) you totally, seriously, absolutely cannot tell anyone what happens in the game, or where you're from, or your family, or your friends, or anything to do with Earth. Rule 2) I don't give a catapulted crap if you decide to change anything minor … like, if someone dies or not … but not something like the fate of the worlds and other big things like that. With me so far? Good! Rule 3) Decide who you want a good and bad relationship with _now_. You can't just restart and do it again different ways like you do on Earth. Finally, rule 4) … well, this is more of a warning. Don't let Cruxis, Desians or _anyone_ get hold of your Exsphere-'

'Why?' I interrupt quickly. I've been wondering why my Exsphere is green … I mean the normal ones are usually red or blue … so why the difference? I need to know this, and I need to know it _now_. 'Why is it …_ green_?'

My Gamecube's face twists uncomfortably (that's a weird sentence when you think about it). I _knew_ it was bad. I'm going to _suffer_ or have something bad done to me aren't I?

'Well, don't take it off …' she says finally, folding her arms again with a pout. 'If it comes of for a long amount of time, you'll become ill and _diiiieeee_ …'

The scary tone was indeed scary, but I'll ignore it now. I raise an eyebrow at this anyway. 'I'll die, huh? Why? How?'

'Well,' she starts, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. 'The Exsphere is … different from others, but you'll find out about it later … just don't take it off! You hear?'

'I hear, I hear … man, okay,' I say as she starts waving her finger again. 'So I'll find out later?' I ask, folding my arms behind my head and choosing to change the subject. 'And plus, what do I call you? I'm not gonna call you Gamecube all the time …'

'I dunno … you name me, I can't be bothered,' she says with a sigh, stretching her arms out. 'I've been too busy having to sort everything out here so you don't get yourself killed.'

'Okayyy …' I mumble. I'm feeling kind of Symphonia-like. 'Martel?'

'That's retarded,' Gamecube states, dropping her arms at her sides with a small glower. Moody

'Fine, fine … how about …' I sigh, thinking it over again. Why don't I use one of my friend's names? That's not a bad idea. 'How does "Charis" sound?'

'Hmm … sounds French,' Gamecube says, pressing a finger to her lips in a thinking stance. 'Sure, it'll do.'

'Great … um, _Charis_ …' I say, feeling strange to be calling my Gamecube one of my best friend's names. The newly dubbed Charis does a small twirl as if trying out a new article of clothing.

'Well, now I must take my leave of you …' she sighs fake-sadly. 'I've cleared the area, so you'll be free to talk to Kratos when he comes down without anyone overhearing.' With that, she fades into thin air. Damn!

'Wait! What do I do?' I shout to nothing, looking around frantically.

"Just talk to him. Try and get him to take you on the journey. Only he can decide right now … it'll be too late in a while," Charis says from inside my head. "Here, this can be your background story. You've done decently so far."

A piece of paper suddenly appears in my hand, sliding from my weak grip. I grab it before it hits the floor, pulling it open and reading through.

_Say all your family members are dead and you're the only one left. Well, that or it was you and your mother but she died giving birth or something early like that. One of your dead relatives (a parent or an uncle) could have been a Desian working for Kvar's search party fourteen years ago, and therefore you have a reason to know about Kratos being Lloyd's father. You could use that to help go with the journey. Another relative could have been a priest and have made you study about the Chosen so you know about the death at the end of the journey and the location of the seals and so forth … well, these are things randomly thought up so you don't have to use them if you don't want to. Later!_

_P.S: Remember, you're a half-elf here._

I blink. Randomly thought up? This is kind of good … let's see then, I'm usually good at this. Um … mother was an elf … mother was a priestess … father was a human … father turned psycho and became a Desian under Kvar's command (they called them the Fallen in the book that Genis gave me …) … father quit … father married mother … I was born … father rejoined Desians and took mother to Asgard Human Ranch to become an Exsphere … mother killed father in attempt to run away … mother was killed by Desian troops … I was deserted at the age of … five? No, eight. Been alone for five years … ooh, stole Exsphere from Asgard Ranch where "Father" worked before death! I've been travelling since. Okay, eight year olds don't travel … screw it, I'll think up more later. Ooh, is that Kratos I see in the distance?

Oh fuck, it is. Okay, err … think, think, think …

'What are you doing out this late?'

Crap. I turn to see the mercenary standing there, a good one-and-a-half heads taller than myself. Size difference does _not_ help … it just makes me feel stupider.

'I … I-I was … waiting for you! I, uh … can I talk to you for a few minutes?' I stammer out. Why am I so nervous now? Is it because I know he'll say no? I'll make him angry because he's being asked too many times? Regardless, the mercenary folds his arms and looks down at me sternly. The words "looks down" are probably the worst. Damn height advantage.

'Fine. But make it quick.'

Yessir. 'I … was wondering about the world regeneration journey. Why won't you let anyone tag along? It wouldn't hurt … would it?'

Kratos' gaze narrows into a glare. 'The Chosen must complete her journey as soon as possible for Sylvarant and its population. More people would only slow down the progress.'

It makes sense. Terrible, true, not-what-I-wanted-to-hear sense. Damn him. 'I … guess that's true.'

'Humph. Did Lloyd put you up to this?' Kratos asks, placing one hand on his sword's scabbard. That is not true, but in some ways it looks painfully obvious … Lloyd probably would ask someone to do this, but … I think he'd do it himself. He is that way after all …

'Wha …? No, no … I'm doing this myself. I just wanted to know …' I say, realising I hadn't actually spoken in about ten long seconds. Kratos raises an eyebrow.

'Well then. Is that all?'

I hiss inwards. 'Well … no. I was wondering if …'

How do I say it? I feel like I can't just say "I want to go on the journey" … it seems to straightforward and it isn't giving a proper reason. Lloyd said something like that … but Lloyd is an idiot. So we'll ignore him for now.

'Yes?'

Screw it. 'I want to go too. Please take me with you.'

The glare returns to crimson eyes. Gulp. 'Were you not listening to what I just explained to you? The Chosen needs to fulfil her purpose as soon as possible, and more people would be a hindrance. Do you want the people of Sylvarant to suffer?'

Fine, put it that way you sinister bastard. 'No …'

'Good. Then I suggest you stay in Iselia for the duration of the Chosen's journey.'

Stay in Iselia? He's got to be kidding now. 'Ugh, no way. This village is boring.'

'Then return to your hometown. Whatever you do does not concern me or the Chosen,' Kratos says, turning and walking away down the pathway. He's heading to Lloyd's house, and its night-time now. I'll be too scared to follow through Iselia Forest alone … what am I going to do? I need to go with them … I _need_ to … I can't just stay in Iselia …

_You could use that to help go with the journey_ …

'What if I were to tell Lloyd you were his father?'

… Shit.

Oh my god … I can't believe I just said that … I can't believe I just said that to Kratos who will now kill me to keep me quiet - ohcrapohcrapohcrap.

_You can't just restart and do it again different ways like you do on Earth …_

Oh shite, now I remember … damndamndamndamndamn …

'What did you say?' Kratos asks slowly, turning to face me again. Oh the _expression_ on his face! It's kind of "I want to kill you but I want to know more and screw it I'll kill you afterwards". Don't ask me what that looks like.

'… Uh, nothing.' Way to go, Charlotte! Now you're as free as a bird about to be shot – or rather stabbed – to death. "_Nothing_"? I'm such an idiot.

'You … how do you know about that?' he demands, walking closer. _Now_ he's going to kill me. Oh this is not good.

'I … my, uh, my father! He worked for Kvar and … was one of the Desians in the search party searching for you, Anna and Lloyd!'

I said that last sentence really fast … I wonder if he actually heard me. I have a feeling Charis is helping with this … kind of. That bitch probably remembers the whole game back to front. I however haven't played it in about a year.

Kratos stops about a meter away from me. Technically, I'm backed up against the tree and if I try to make a run for it, I _am_ in stabbing range. Uh oh.

'Your father was a Desian?'

Charis, HELP ME! I plead silently in my mind. I think I hear a yes somewhere in there, but I'll just hope it was her. If not, that I'll just surrender to a gory and bloody death.

'Yeah … he quit thirteen years ago,' I say. Charis must have taken over my speaking ability. Happiness. Thirteen years … he left a year after Anna's death … meet mother, marry and uh … get a bit drunk with her one night … that should add up from then until now. How lucky. 'He joined up again five years ago, but he died straight after.'

Kratos doesn't say anything for a while, but stares over to the side. I twist a free strand of cotton from my trousers around my finger nervously and wait. What Charis said must add up … right? It has to …

'What else do you know?' he says finally. If I say I know about the whole Cruxis thing, I'll be killed for sure. I shake my head as Charis takes over my voice again.

'Just that you three were a family. I looked into my father's mission files after he died, and I just saw that hunting down a family containing a mother, father and a son were his latest.'

C'mon, that's _got to_ be believable at least. Kratos folds his arms, still looking off to the side. 'What about your mother? Was she also a Desian?'

'No. She was a priestess. They married a year after my father's mission was complete and after he left. She, um, killed him five years ago and then she was killed by some Desian troops.'

I have to thank Charis for this later. Who knew my Gamecube could talk so smoothly like this? All of it's a lie, yet it looks totally fitted into the truth … not bad at all. I notice crimson eyes have shifted back to me.

'So you're using blackmail?'

I shake my head. 'I don't want to tell Lloyd anything. I just want to go on the journey. Please, let me come …'

After a few seconds, Kratos sighs and presses a hand to his forehead. I wonder if he's reconsidered … or if he's just getting ready to kill me. I really hope it's the first one.

'If I leave you like this now …' he sighs. 'I don't know who you could tell the truth to. Be it Lloyd, the Chosen, or any resident of Iselia.'

Charis gives me control of my voice again, and I use it immediately. 'You mean-?'

'We leave at early morning. I need to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't breathe a word of this to anyone.'

I don't get what he said, but I have a feeling it is a good thing. 'So I can come?'

'Just behave yourself and don't get in the way,' he demands sternly, walking off. I wait until he turns the corner to hug the tree in delight. I'm going! I'm going on the journey and it _wasn't that hard_! Well only because Charis helped, but who cares? I'm going with them! Yay!

Um, shut up Charlotte … must go to Lloyd's house. Well, I might as well follow Kratty. I untangle myself from the tree and skip (oh my god, I'm _skipping_) to the Iselia entrance gates. Lloyd and Genis will join the group later on when Lloyd is captured by the Renegades and everyone goes to rescue him. Aw man, I don't get to see Yuan … or his pretty hair. I really need to see that hair while I'm here … it's the eighth wonder of the world. Well, this is Sylvarant, but I already knew about it on Earth … so there.

I kind of know how the story goes … it's all confusing, but I wonder how I'm going to be fitted in. I mean, they all have their moments and stories … like Lloyd's unknown past (to them anyways), Genis and Raine's half-elf blood, Colette being the Chosen, Kratos being a member of Cruxis … and of course all of the people from Tethe'alla. Even they aren't that important (except for Zelos), but they all have stories behind them. I guess I'm living a lie while I'm here.

It's weird, but I don't want them to know a lie that Charis made up … I want them to know me for … well, me. But I know if I do that, I'm screwed over. The Gamecube forbids me from doing so anyway. Besides, Charis already made me lie to Kratos, so it's only a matter of time before I have to tell the others.

I want to know about my Exsphere too. It's … _green_ for the love of cheese! Why the hell is it green? Lloyd's is blue, and … well, all the others are blue … or are they red? Well, whatever. The point is that mine is … _green_. I've never seen a green one in the game … and what was with Charis telling me not to take it off? She did say I'll find out later … so I'll just have to wait. Too bad I have no patience.

There's something I don't like about Iselia. It's hot. It's summer here, I guess. I come from England, and we have … very shitty weather. The other day it was thundering/lightning and raining like crazy. One side of the sky was red and the other was purple, and there was … a red rainbow. You couldn't see the others colours clearly, there was just red-ness. Like something out of a horror movie. The apocalypse is coming … and I'm just kidding.

I raise a hand to my mouth a yawn again. I'm tired … and hungry. I haven't eaten for about seven hours (I stumbled around the village looking for Kratos a _lot_, by the way). I need food …

Hmm, should I go to Lloyd's house or stop for a bite to eat somewhere? Wait, there aren't any restaurants, are there? Damn. I guess I'll catch up with the others later. Food first.

I open my satchel and look through the contents. We got some ingredients from the monsters we fought earlier. I have bread here because I volunteered to carry the ingredients at Martel Temple. Hey, I had to be helpful to gain respect … oh and what little respect I have right now. Ooh, I have beef strips here (Genis can cook any raw meat we have with Fire Ball … and so can I, but he's better at it than me … I'd probably burn it. Damn him and his perfect concentration)!

I make myself a sandwich and leave the village through the gates, heading towards Iselia Forest. Why not just eat on the way? It's much easier.

I don't know about others (I'm probably just weird), but I have a flaw where I can't eat in front of people. I can eat dinner an all the daily meals with people; that's no problem, but just snacks and things … I hate it. It feels like they're watching you … oh well.

To Iselia Forest and beyond!

* * *

Ta-da. Halfway through next chapter, so it should be up soon. Happiness and review please!


	7. Discrimination

Sorry for a few mistakes O.O ...

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Chapter 7 - Discrimination

I'm in paaaaaiiiiiin. I made it through Iselia Forest, but then I got attacked SIX GIANT BEES and FOUR WOLVES. AT THE SAME TIME. The others must have escaped from a battle up ahead, leaving the monsters behind … and I just _had_ to run into them, too. I think I've been poisoned, I have a number of pricks on my arm (thank you, Giant Bee), the Wolves tried to eat various limbs, and I have no Apple Gels and alas … I am in pain. I have no Panacea Bottles either, so if I don't get to Dirk's house soon, I'll possibly fall unconscious.

I've been stumbling through trees for about five minutes and the poison is sapping my strength every few seconds. I have a lot of bruises on my legs, too. Let's just say that I'm bad at dodging and always seem to put one foot behind the other (I fall over, okay?).

There's a pathway that comes from the forest and all the way to Dirk's house, but I ran away from monsters when I was attacked. I must have strayed from the path and come into the forest by accident. And now I am lost.

Wait I think I'm here! Yep I can definitely see everyone.

'Finally … made it!' I gasp, placing my hands on my knees to support my weight. Genis is the first to notice, turning to see me in all my bruised and bloody glory. Needless to say I look a bit battered. I guess it takes a bit of time to notice in the dark night and black clothing.

'Charlotte? What are you doing here?' he asks, doing his little … hand gesture thing he does when he talks … that freaky thing. I attempt to stand straight, failing and slumping down onto my knees, rubbing a rather large bruise on my thigh.

'Just decided to follow you guys … got into a little battle on the way though,' I say with a grin. 'I think I'm poisoned, I _know_ I'm half-dead, but I'll be as good as new in a few … minutes or so. You don't happen to have a Panacea Bottle, do you?'

While Genis searches through his satchel, Raine pulls out her staff (it's in a little case like thing on her back) and casts First Aid on some of my wounds. It heals better than Apple Gels, I have to say. When you swallow Apple Gels, it takes a bit long to work because … well, it's going down your throat. With First Aid it's concentrated directly onto the wound.

'Thanks,' I say, pulling myself up and taking the Panacea Bottle Genis is offering me. I gulp it down quickly, waiting for it to work.

'Don't mention it,' Raine says, returning her weapon to its case. 'I didn't think the monsters in the Iselia region were powerful enough to cause wounds like that …'

'They are if they come in groups of ten,' I say, discarding the empty bottle. 'Much better.'

'Did you come alone?' Colette asks with her blue eyes alive with worry. Does she just … worry about everything that moves? And everything that doesn't move for that matter? I shake my head.

'Just me and my imaginary friend Bob. Of course I came alone, silly,' I say. 'You guys are the only people in Iselia that know me. So, what's going on?'

I change the subject quickly for a reason. If I'm bombarded with questions, I _will_ attack someone. Painfully. Genis lowers his eyes, and I know immediately I've just said the wrong thing. 'Lloyd is fighting with his dad …'

'Uh … well-'

I'm instantly cut off from my sentence from a loud crash as the door of Dirk's house if thrown open, our red swordsman storming out with his face twisted in rage. Um, eek. Our presence is quickly noticed.

'Oh … let me guess … you heard that just now?' Lloyd asks, looking a bit surprised that we'd be here. Well, I would be too. I think.

'I'm sorry,' Genis sighs. 'Because of me, you and Dirk-'

'It's okay, it's not your fault,' Lloyd assures him quickly. 'I'm the one who got angry …'

Hey, they've actually started saying thing differently. I guess everything we do another way has a little effect of its own. Good thing only minor things are changing right now. The thing I discussed with Kratos will be ignored for now. Heh …

'Lloyd, you should go speak to Colette,' Raine says after a few tense seconds. I guess Genis still thinks he's the one to blame. I'll try and slap some sense into him later. 'We'll wait here.'

'Lloyd, let's go up to the terrace,' Colette says with a smile. The swordsman nods.

'Just a minute. I need to think about some things.'

I don't think anyone noticed Kratos has already gone to see Anna's grave. Meh, I'll just sit around and wait somewhere like everyone else. Hmm, where to sit, where to sit …

Did anyone notice the tree stump shaped like a lily-pad under the gravestone? It's surrounded by the fence, but there's a gap on the slope of the hill where the grave is. I'll just wait there.

I jump up onto the tree stump, sitting down and dangling my legs over the side. Trust me - it's higher than it looks. I don't know what I'm waiting for, but while I _do_ wait for something, I kick gently at the moss on the roots. I know I said Colette's family had a thing with having many flowers outside their house, but Lloyd's house is practically green. There's plants and moss everywhere! I think I remember some plants even growing on the walls in Lloyd's room … I dunno, like I said earlier, I haven't played the game in a year, so everything is all … blurry. Meh.

I look around and see Genis talking to Lloyd, looking slightly worried. Genis asked him about half-elves, right? He's bound to be worried … poor little guy. Wait, we're practically the same height. Okay, poor guy. Will hug later.

I hear a soft scrape of stone and see that Lloyd is coming to talk to me. I feel so loved. Kidding.

'So, why did you come out here anyway?' he asks, sitting on the fence. I shrug.

'I dunno. I just followed everyone else. Also, I heard about your mum. Are you gonna be okay?' I ask, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on them.

Lloyd nods as an answer. 'Yeah … I'll be fine.'

'I guess it was just a shock then?' I say, sliding off the tree stump. I hurt my already injured leg when I pulled it, so I'm trying to stretch it. 'Are you angry?'

'Of course I'm angry!' Lloyd says, looking almost shocked that I'd ask such an obvious question. 'Wouldn't you be angry too?'

I feel my throat tighten slightly. Charis must be taking over my voice again … I should be able to do this on my _own_ soon. Damn Gamecube …

'I am angry. My mother was killed by Desians, too,' she says, using my voice. Lloyd blinks, his eyes wide.

'Seriously?'

'Yep. She was a priestess elf and my father was a Fallen. Fallens are humans who joined the Desians,' I explain quickly, seeing the momentarily confused look on his face. Charis returns my voice. Damn her and not warning me about these things …

'So … you're a half-elf?' the swordsman asks, choosing his words carefully. I nod and look up at the moon. Cool, they have a blue moon … our moon is boring. I live in a city, and I can rarely ever see the moon from where I live, or the stars. It's actually really pretty here …

'Yeah,' I answer finally. 'I didn't say anything before because I overheard this woman talking about how she whished all the Desians and half-elves had died off in the ancient war …'

The lady that says that is in the house opposite the shop I think … I've always wanted to kill her.

'Really?'

I nod slowly. 'Yeah … I felt weird with all these people around me saying how bad half-elves where … so I guess they didn't realize. I hope it wouldn't change anything if they knew … I might get banned from ever coming back here.'

I've been a half-elf for only a few hours, and I'm already feeling the worry of discrimination. I'm discriminated on Earth too for the tiniest things … my hair colour, my choice of clothing, my interests, my opinions in life … even my teachers won't bother to teach my friends and I properly if we fail to many times in a lesson (damn you, cooking teacher). People discriminate me on the spot, even if I don't even know them, about my clothing or what jewellery I might be wearing …

'You really think that would matter?'

Lloyd's voice brings me back from my thoughts. 'Huh …?'

I wasn't concentrating … but Lloyd continues anyway. 'Regardless of your blood, you're a person just like the rest of us.'

I guess he's right, but what he says to me won't change other people's minds in the future. He doesn't talk to Genis like this because Genis and Raine say that they're elves, and people in Iselia and other villages praise elves … maybe I should have lied, too. Hmm … I said earlier that I wanted them to know me for me, but I can't tell them the truth. I guess I could just say that I'm a half-elf and they'd understand … "they" not being the people of Iselia … they can burn in hell with their village tomorrow. Mwahahahaha … wait, I didn't laugh out loud, did I?

'Th … thanks,' I say awkwardly, realizing I hadn't spoken for a long time.

'I heard you were going on the world regeneration journey tomorrow …' Lloyd says in a more questioning tone than saying so. I nod.

'Yeah. My mum made me read about the Chosen's journey and Martel …' I say, Charis apparently absent and unable to help me with the background story. Damn her. 'I've … always wanted to know what it'd be like.'

I feel weird after lying … I'm not one who lies a lot, and even if I do lie, I can't keep a straight face. It'll twitch or something. 'Aren't you coming too?'

'I'm going to ask Colette when I go and speak to her,' Lloyd says. 'I want to see her become an angel and avenge my mom.'

'Vengeance, huh?' I mumble. Rapid change of subject again. 'You and Colette are like brother and sister, you know?'

Lloyd grins. 'Yeah … Genis is like our little brother, too. We're all a big happy family,' he says, spreading his arms as a gesture for "big". Aw, bless him. Just like the family he never had.

'Ha … I had friends like that,' I say, remembering the friends I had before moving into secondary school (ages 12-18 for that kind of school). I moved into an all girl school with three of my friends, but my other male friends I haven't seen in about a year or so. Even though they were complete bastards, we were still like a little family. Ha, listen to me, getting all soft … icky-ness.

'I'm gonna go talk to Colette now,' Lloyd says, standing up. 'Hey, you still don't have anywhere to go, right?'

I shake my head. 'I guess I'm sleeping up a tree for tonight.'

'Why don't you stay here? We have enough room and all.'

I blink. Stay with Lloyd? I'd say yes, but we leave early in the morning but he's told to be at the village at noon … I guess I can't …

'Ha … thanks, but I'll pass,' I say with a grin. 'I need to go back to Iselia and prepare for the journey.'

'Prepare?'

'You know, buy clothing, Apple Gels, other stuff …' I clarify, tugging gently on a stand of hair. 'Well … goodnight, then.'

'See you tomorrow,' Lloyd says, stepping over the rock and walking back down the pathway. Okay, who _didn_'t he talk to? I saw him talk to Kratos (even though I didn't mention it) and Genis before talking to me … Raine I'm not so sure about. It's probably the fear of being attacked again.

Apparently who you talk to before Colette at this point in the game raises Lloyd and the characters friendship level slightly. I wonder how we'll get along in future … and not just Lloyd, but with everyone else too. I'm sure the discussion I had earlier with Kratos probably made him hate me to one hellova extent, but I can work on it later. Charis told me to decide who I wanted a good and bad relationship with early on, but … I want to know how I'm currently felt about. I know! When we get to Triet, the fortune teller does friendship readings. I can ask her when we stay at the inn there or something … I don't really want everyone there when I ask about it … 'cause it'll suck. Someone might hate me a lot (coughKrattycough).

Who do I want a good friendship with? Well, Lloyd of course, but … who else? I guess it all depends on how they feel about me. I don't really want to force them to like me or anything. Like I said – I want them to know me for who I am. I'll decide after talking to that fortune teller lady.

'Sylvarant to Charlotte! Are you coming?'

I blink and look up to see Genis. Musta zoned out again. 'Coming?'

'Back to Iselia. I'm sure you don't want to go on your own after what happened on your way here,' Genis says with his hands on his hips, looking much like he does in his official picture. 'Can you still fight?'

'Yeah. Just keep me away from the Giant Bees,' I say with a sigh. 'They like to puncture my arm.'

Genis gives a small laugh, but my glare shuts him up. How dare he laugh at my pain. Even if it is slightly funny, but how dare he! Will attack later. Violently.

Well … I might as well go. I stretch my legs, feeling (and hearing) my knees click slightly. Does anyone else get that if they don't stretch their legs for long? I do … they go all numb and painful.

We make sure to wave at Lloyd (still up on the balcony) as we walk past and out of the area. I guess this is the last time I'm gonna see him for ages … I'll see him in the Renegade's Sylvarant Base later on, though. Happiness.

Iselia Forest is actually bigger than it looks, just so you know. And there's a lot more monsters, and they are _everywhere_. In the trees, bushes, hiding behind rocks, straight ahead, straight behind … and they sometimes attack in big groups, so that sucks.

I make sure not to be to far away from the group. I don't want to be attacked by Wolves and Bees again. If I see another Bee, I _will_ pass out. Those things hurt a lot if they stab you about fifteen times in the arm within ten seconds.

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Well, we're all back at Iselia now. Raine took Colette home, and now it's just me and the guys. Oh how craptastic. Desert me, fellow females, and leave me to face the wrath of a top school student and a mercenary who needs Prozac or something. Goddammit! 

'I'm bushed, so I'm gonna head home now,' Genis says with a small yawn. 'You still don't have anywhere to stay, right?'

Holy crap. I may be a girl, but I can take care of myself! Well … most of the time. 'Nope. I'll be okay though. Haven't I already proven myself today fighting with you guys? Sheesh.'

'And they you killed all hope by coming to Lloyd's house looking like you'd been dragged through the Human Ranch and back,' Genis retorts. I shrug.

'I was weak _and_ hungry. Can you really blame me?'

'Well, duh.'

'… Man, go home already.'

Genis shakes his head slightly as a "whatever" sign. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Yessir.'

I watch after him as he walks towards his house. Where _am_ I going to stay anyways? Eight hours in Iselia and I haven't bothered to think of a place to sleep for the night. Maybe I'll go to sleep, wake up and be in my own bed back on Earth. Maybe this is all a dream and I _think_ I'm feeling pain! I've actually hurt myself in my dreams before, but that's only because I pinch myself when I'm asleep sometimes … so if I'm dreaming about my sister turning into a mushroom and then pinch myself, I'd think … WTF? Meh, I might be dreaming … well, I hope I'm dreaming.

I shrug to myself and turn, forgetting that the mercenary was behind me. Well, I yelp and jump a few feet into the air. And he didn't even say boo yet.

'… Uh, don't do that,' I say, straightening up. The stare that he gives me says all that it's supposed to. I pout slightly.

'Fine, I'm unorganized. I wasn't _planning_ on ge - falling off my dragon.' I was _so_ close to saying getting sucked into my Gamecube just then. I need to be more careful. If I let slip I'm from Earth I'm screwed. Maybe if I say I'm from Earth the world will malfunction and it'll all get sucked into a black hole … man, that'd be so cool. Well … we'd all die, but it'd be cool apart from that.

'Weren't you thinking about more important things when you first came to Iselia?' Kratos asks with his – what I like to call – "Simon Cowell" face. Seriously, it just makes me think of him.

'Well, I was a bit more worried about getting attacked by Lloyd, but _oh_ how wrong I was,' I say sarcastically. 'I'm not one to think about where I'm going to sleep in the middle of getting stabbed.'

'Humph. Do what you will from now on.'

Okay, I know I'm making him totally hate me right now, but … who cares, I'm just acting like I would normally. Well, I wouldn't speak like this to Kratos … but he knows that if he attacks me for some apparent reason I can just scream out his secret and the whole of Iselia would know. Yay for me. I won't tell him, but I really wouldn't tell his secret, regardless of whether he attacked me or not. Kratos is just too … y'know. You have to feel sorry for the guy, even if he is a bastard sometimes. We all love him really. Kidding.

… Yeah, he already left. I just need to find a place to stay now. And so I start my journey for a bed.

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'You tell me you've proven yourself, and I find you in the school sleeping in the map of Sylvarant?' 

'Shut up, Genis.'

Okay, maybe it wasn't a bed. Good blanket though. The paper is all worn, so it's soft and … well, scratchy, but still. 'What time is it?'

Genis tugs the map, pulling it from my body and folding it up. I yawn and pull myself to my legs using the desk, dragging out a stool and sitting on it.

'It's 7:00 AM. Raine sent me to look for you,' Genis says, propping the now folded map up on a shelf. 'Do you know where Lloyd is? He was supposed to be here a long time ago.'

Oh yeah, Colette lied to him … poor guy … oh well, he'll get attacked by that Exbelua thing, walk all the way to Triet, get attacked by Desians/Renegades, fight his way through the Sylvarant base alone, but we'll be all back together after that. No worries.

'Uh … nope. Have you checked his house?' I ask. I want things to go like they're supposed to, so I'll just send him in the same way as in the game. 'Maybe he overslept. Why don't you go and get him?'

'I can't. I'm saying goodbye to Raine before she leaves,' Genis mumbles. 'I'll go and get Lloyd later. Oh yeah, Kratos said hurry up or else they're leaving without you.'

'I feel so … loved,' I say sarcastically, stretching my arms above my head in an attempt to get rid of sleeping cramps. I slept on a wooden floor in a map, so … I'm currently suffering. I feel stuffy, too. It must be the dust and the closed windows in this place. I yawn again. 'I guess I'm missing breakfast.'

'Come on!' the half-elven boy sighs, somewhat irritably. 'Everyone's waiting for you!'

I nod at his words, straightening my rumpled clothing. As soon as we reach Triet, I'm going clothes shopping. I don't shop for clothes regularly, but I'm not walking around Sylvarant for about two months with one outfit. No sir-ee-do. 'Yeah, I'm coming …'

I follow him out of the school, raking my fingers through my hair. I have no hair-brush, so this will have to do. Good thing it was straightened before getting thrown into this world. Not that it's curly; I lost all my curls when I was around the age of ten … now it's just wavy and flicks up at the ends annoyingly. If I come near moist areas or water, I am so screwed over. Well, my hair is. I'm not looking forwards to the Thoda Geyser then.

The sunlight hits my face immediately. It must still be early … kinda … 7:00 AM … whatever, I hate the sun. Genis leads me around the corner and past his house. I take a few moments to look around Iselia. This village will soon be burned and Lloyd and Genis will be exiled, coming to look for us afterwards. If only I could warn Genis now about the Renegades, we could just skip the Sylvarant Base and carry on.

Why do I want this journey to go so quickly? What is my actual goal right now? To find a way home? To have fun on the journey with everyone else and enjoy the company of these people I know so well, but so little at the same time? I know that when we reach the Tower of Salvation, Kratos will reveal his true identity and we'll be taken to the Sylvarant Base after three long and hard battles. Remiel isn't exactly a piece of cake, y'know … we'll be fine. They beat him in the game.

… I find something that awakens a surge of fright inside me in that sentence.

_They_ beat him in the _game_. I'm here now … so what will happen? Can any word, any gesture affect the outcome on … anything? Everything? What if I change something drastic without realising? Will I change people's feelings towards one another? I don't know what I could do, but what if Kratos' feelings are changed about everything? What if he … kills us? Like he tried to do to everyone in the Tower of Salvation? Everyone was wounded – and badly. But he … almost killed Lloyd. What if the _tiniest_ thing can change that? What if Lloyd _dies_?

… I panic. I panic very much. But what should I do now? What _can _I do now?

Hey … if I can change their minds, it doesn't always have to be for the worst … right? Something good could come out of it … but what am I willing to change?

… I'll think about it later.

'So you've finally woken.'

I blink and look up, seeing the group I'm soon to be travelling with. It was Kratos that spoke, so I turn to him and nod. 'Yeah. Sorry I'm a bit late.'

'It's okay!' Colette says with one of her bright smiles. It makes me feel slightly less guilty, but Kratos is still standing there in all his "it's your fault" glory … oh well.

Genis gives Raine a hug, reminding her not to go near any ruins (like that would stop her), and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Oh, the sibling love … to bad my siblings are either to bossy, scary, disturbing or dead to have that kind of relationship. I'd rather be on my own with the bossy one. Don't ask why.

I'm still trying to sort out my shirt's creases as Colette declares that we're finally leaving, subconsciously coaxing the crowd in front (that I just noticed) to cheer for their precious Chosen. I don't exactly know anyone but Genis, so I'll just say goodbye to him.

'Hey Genis!' I say over the cheering from the crowd, catching his attention. He says his goodbyes to Colette and walks over to me.

'I just want to say thanks for letting me have that Desian book. I didn't actually say thank you before,' I say with a small uncertain laugh.

'It's okay, really,' he says with a grin. I make a face and shrug.

'Yeah, but still … well, anyway … it was good to meet you, even if it was for a few hours. I guess I'll miss ya,' I say awkwardly. Well, even though I played his character on the game for ages, I still have only _known_ him for a few hours … and lots of those were spent asleep. Heh …

'Yup. Take care of yourself out there.'

I had the problem last night where I was angry at him because I said I can take care of myself, and it's come back. I'll hold it in. 'Thanks.'

Alright. Pistols in holsters? Check. Apple/Orange Gels? Check. Food? Check. I got some Black Quartz from an enemy yesterday, so I'll just throw one or two of those in. All set. Let's go!

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Yay! Done. Um, review please. Confidence booster. If you want a better story, _revieeewwwwww _… you know you want toooooooo … 


	8. I wish I stayed in Iselia

Chapter 8 - I wish I stayed in Iselia

Well, I'm not in pain this time. We've had a few battles since leaving Iselia, but they've been okay. It's just been Wolves and Hawks mostly … just big monsters. Not that I'm complaining. I want to prove to Kratos that I won't get in the way and that I won't be a burden. Ooo, I'm turning into Lloyd. I've always thought that the more people there are in battle, the easier it is to win … right? I guess I'll never see Kratos' way of thinking through my own eyes being useful. 

So far, the group hasn't really been talking. Colette and Raine had a conversation about the Triet Ruins (Raine went into ruin-mode about half-way through), but that was about it. Kratos is just … a moody bastard and I'm not going to dare say a thing. Since coming here, I've attacked the Chosen's group at Martel Temple, broke Raine's school roof and blackmailed Kratos. I think I'm gonna stay quiet for a bit.

What really shocked me when I woke up this morning was that this isn't a dream. I know that sounds kind of stupid, but … last night I had a thought that this may _be_ a dream, just an illusion. But now …

I'm on the Chosen's journey of regeneration with people I thought didn't exist. How can they be here … when they're not real? Is Sylvarant even real? Is this all … an illusion?

"_Nah, you're just doubting what seems to be real,_" my Gamecube pipes up from in the back of my mind. "_They are real now, and none of this is an illusion. They're as real and alive as you, and so is Sylvarant. And don't worry, Sylvarant isn't going to malfunction and be pulled into a black hole, dumbass._"

"_Yeah … I guess,_" I think back to the voice in my head. "_It's all just a different universe._"

We've just been launched into another battle while I've been thinking with a Wolf and one of those evil Rabbit looking things … that thing is _not_ a Rabbit. It's just … not cute. I draw my pistols and cast Fire Shot on the Rabbit, catching its left ear and one of its legs. Colette throws her chakram at it, stunning it slightly (well, she hit it in the face), giving me a chance to keep shooting while I can. The Rabbit attacks Colette (how, I don't know) so Raine begins to ready up a healing spell. I'll just leave Colette and Raine to deal with the Rabbit and give Kratos a hand with the Wolf. That thing is bigger, stronger, and … well, they think we are chew toys still. Kratos has a nasty wound on his arm and Raine is busy healing Colette and trying to kill off the Rabbit at the same time.

'First Aid!' I shout, watching green light surround the wound, healing it completely. I can still see a thin red line from the cut, but it's barely noticeable. Kratos looks up momentarily to see who the caster of the spell was, but quickly returns to defeating the Wolf.

What do you think of me, Kratos? A burden? I am the only thing standing between your secret and this group knowing what it is … for that, do you hate me?

I shake my head and continue attacking the Wolf with several shots and then Fire Shot, throwing in a Wind Blade to see the results. After a Sonic Thrust from Kratos, the Wolf slips to the floor, dead. The Rabbit was defeated moments ago, so our battle is over. Hey, that didn't go so bad … well, we won and didn't really get attacked that much. Happiness.

Our victory is cut short as several hisses from behind make us all spin around. Four snake-like monsters are slithering towards us. I never did use a Magic Lens regularly, so I have no idea what half the monsters in the game are, these being one of them. Needless to say, they look scary, dangerous, and … and I don't like snakes.

'Wh … What the hell are those things?' I ask, backing away slightly as it slithers closer in winding patterns. Snake … must … die …

'They are Sidewinders,' Kratos confirms, tilting his head slightly in my direction. 'Don't let your guard down.'

'Yessir.' With that, I shoot like a mad-man. I want these things dead as soon as possible, for I _really_ don't like them. Anything slimy or snake-like just scares the hell out of me, even slugs and worms. But here, we're talking about a very long, poisonous reptile. Eek.

I continue to use Fire Shot as much as I can in between shooting. This thing is strong against fire apparently. Oh crap. I don't have anything else except magic and shooting … damn, what is it _weak_ against?

I feel around in my satchel, pulling out a microscope type thing, realising it as a Magic Lens. Okay, how do these things work? I hold it up against my view, catching the Sidewinder in the emblem shaped like an eye. I notice the small sign for fire, and then under it a white and blue sign. That must be ice!

… I don't know any ice spells. Crap. We'll just have to use magic and shoot away then, won't we?

I use Wind Blade and begin to shoot at an individual monster. Kratos has already killed one. Swords are easier to use than pistols in this position … you can just cut the scaly little freaks in half. The one I used Wind Blade on seems to be bleeding like hell, so that was possibly useful. No, that was _hopefully_ useful. I brush away the thought and use Stone Blast, successfully killing one off. Colette seems to have killed one with the use of Ray Thrust, and Raine is healing another one of the blonde's wounds. Why must she always fall over?

"_Congratulations,_" Charis says in the back of my mind. "_You learned Mana Beam._"

"_Mana Beam?_" I think at her.

"_Yep. Try it out next battle._"

As if on cue, three Hawks and a Wolf come charging/soaring towards us. How many more battles are heading our way? We just had two in a row!

'This is getting ridiculous,' Raine sighs, whacking an approaching Hawk with her staff. It falls to the floor on the impact, laying motionless for a few moments before twitching back to life. Colette uses Pow Hammer to reach a Hawk flying overhead, and the third is diving straight towards me. Do something Charlotte, or you will have one eye.

'M … Mana Beam!' I exclaim, hoping I pronounced it right. Two bright blue beams shoot out of my pistols, merging and heading straight for the Hawk. It goes straight through the monster, but it screeches loudly and … well, it explodes. In a big ball of light …

"_Well done!_" Charis says. "_That consumed all your tech points though._"

"_It WHAT?_"

"_I'll be leaving now!_"

The voice in my head leaves before I can throw out a line of swears. Great, I'll just have to use my pistols now … I can't even use Fire Shot. Sobsobsob.

Regardless of my current position, I still attempt to call upon a Wind Blade. I can feel a definite strain in my mind as though my whole body is trying to do something it can't. I make a face at the small headache I just received. Crud, I'm wasting time … I should just get to attacking.

A hawk heading towards me for a diving attack is cut short by Pow Hammer from Colette, throwing it off guard. I glance over at the blonde Chosen, who gives me a quick smile before helping Raine with a Hawk currently pecking her to death. I wonder how she can be so happy and reassuring when she believes her own demise lies at the end of this journey? Oh right, attacking Hawks.

I shoot at the one that was just thrown off guard, successfully piercing its beak and wings. Can it just die yet? It's still putting up a good fight, the damn thing … after a few more shots, it falls to the floor, dead in all appearances. Just one Hawk and the Wolf left. I'll help with the Wolf.

"_You should have some more tech points now,_" Charis informs. "_Try-_"

'Fire Shot!' I exclaim, hitting the Wolf directly in the chest. The last Hawk is currently attacking Raine and Colette, and Raine is busy preparing a healing spell. Might as well use something against it.

'Wind Blade!'

Yay, no more Hawks! Those things get annoying quickly … just the Wolf left, who is defeated quickly by a Sonic Thrust and a Pow Hammer. If anymore monsters come now, I'm going straight back to Iselia.

'That … was a challenge,' I admit, returning my pistols to their holsters. 'A painful, painful challenge.' I'll chug down an Orange Gel later. Raine is busy casting First Aid on her wounded arm, and Colette is looking around. I walk over to her look in the same direction. Well, I can't see much …

'What are you looking at?' I ask, trying to see beyond the fields. I notice a two-story house slightly to the right. Could that be one of those … thingamabobs?

'I think that's a House of Salvation,' Colette informs me with one of her irking smiles. I'll ignore it for now. 'When we get there, I can pray for a good journey ahead of us!'

'Yeah …' I agree. 'I'm not looking forward to anymore battles like that quite yet. Maybe when we're a bit stronger.'

'Yep. I'm going to do my best!'

'I'm sure we all are,' I sigh, rubbing a cut on my arm from yesterday that seems to have opened up. I cast First Aid quickly and straighten up, trying to smooth down my clothing again. I need new clothes when I get to Triet. How do they cope with this in the game? Damn them. Damn my jealousy. Grr.

'Those … Sidewinders?' I bring up, changing the subject. 'What were they doing out here? I can understand Wolves and Hawks, but I thought …'

'They reside in warmer areas then Iselia's average monsters,' says Kratos from behind me, making me jump a little. I look up at him (again, damn height advantage).

'Then … that means-'

'Yes. We are indeed closer to the Triet Desert,' Kratos confirms, arms folded across his chest. How very characteristic of him. Wow, I just used a big word. 'There should be more monsters around than usual.'

'Oh … well, that's bad,' I say with a nod. I just don't want a three in a row battle again. I can easily keep my distance from monsters, but I doubt I'll be able to do that forever. Something is bound to go wrong soon.

I look up at the sky. The sun seems to be almost at its highest point now … that must mean its midday. That _also_ means Iselia is going to be burned down soon. We need to carry on if the story is going to go how it's supposed to. I don't want to screw everything up like I have done with Kratos.

I wonder what's happening at Iselia now …

'It would be appropriate to stop by the House of Salvation and have Colette pray,' Raine says, looking over at the Chosen as if to ask her view on things. Colette nods "yes" and continues on. We have nothing left to do here but follow.

After a few minutes, we get closer to the House of Salvation. As Kratos stated, there are definitely more monsters than there were back there. We see them, but we don't go near them. I guess praying to Sylvarant's esteemed Goddess Martel is more important.

I've realised that the only people in this journey up until we reach the Tower of Salvation that will know everything will be Kratos and I. What if … y'know … I say something I'm not supposed to? Like something the group aren't supposed to know yet. What will I do then? Panic? Yes, I'll panic. But apart from that when the questions come flying at me? … I'll panic some more. Yet, there are still a number of things I don't know … like my Exsphere for example and what will happen now I'm here.

… I guess I don't know so much after all.

I sigh inaudibly to myself and follow behind the others, stretching my arms. I admit that I have a slow reaction system for basic things (I will never play tennis again), but I need to be prepared for battle. I doubt (well, I hope) that we don't get into another one soon. I know those last few battles didn't seem so hard on me, but I really don't like the gore. If you look back now, you'll see the carcasses of two Wolves, four Sidewinders, three Hawks and a Rabbit all lying dead in pools of their own blood. I hope we can run away next time.

It's weird, but I have a strange feeling in my stomach … not that I'm ill or feeling sick, but … a kind of negative feeling. Not towards myself, but to … someone else? No … have I done something to upset someone? I haven't really talked to anyone properly, and I'm sure I said nothing bad …

… Well, I blackmailed Kratos. And … well, that was bad. Right now, I'm the only one in this group that knows his secret … and even that would be nerve-wracking, just one person knowing. He doesn't trust me, I can tell from the tone of voice he uses when speaking to me.

Do I want Kratos to trust me when I know I can't trust him? When I know he'll betray us? If so, then … why do I want him to trust me now? Should I apologize to him?

… No … at least, not right now … maybe when I can catch him on his own. It'd be easier to apologize away from everyone, so they don't find out his secret. Maybe in Triet at some point. Right now, it'd be easier to just let Colette pray and keep walking.

I glance up at the mercenary (damn _height advantaaagggeee)_. Why do I want him to trust me? So this bad feeling will go away? So I can change what happens later on? What am I going to _do_? You know what, screw it. I shouldn't be thinking about things to early on …

"_Or should you?_"

"_No, go away._"

I see Kratos has realised I was watching him. I look away quickly and stare ahead at the House of Salvation. The path from Iselia to this place is actually very convenient … this way, we don't get lost in forests and other … scary places I'd rather not be.

When we reach our destination, Colette turns to us with one of her bright smiles that makes me want to kill her. 'I'm going to go and pray now.'

'Yeah, you do that,' I say, not really listening. 'I'm gonna wait out here, so … you just carry on.'

Colette nods at my idea, turning to Raine. 'Are you coming, Professor?'

'Of course.'

I watch as the two push open the large wooden doors of the House of Salvation. I know this is random, but those doors look really heavy … oh well. I don't really like Houses of Salvation … I don't know why, it's just the kind of thing I don't like, okay? Plus, the dog over there is staring at me … I'll go and attack it later.

It looks like Kratos isn't going in either. I'll avoid him for now … and apologize later in Triet.

Over in the small garden area is that weird dog, a small makeshift fire and a stone well. I'd go and throw a rock down the well or something, but that dog is walking towards me …

'No! Bad dog!' I exclaim upon feeling a wet nose on my wrist. 'Go away! It's going to eat meeeee!'

Everyone in the area is staring at me as though I'm high on sugar, including the dog that seems to have plodded off elsewhere. Musta scared it or something. Well, hopefully I scared it. Yeah, you keep plodding away! You evil … _dog thing_!

I sigh to myself again and look up at the mercenary, posing a question that I've been thinking about for some time. 'Hey Kratos, will we reach Triet by today?'

He glances down at me momentarily, shifting his gaze to the south and towards the desert. 'We will reach the oasis within an hour if we steer clear of monsters.'

'I see …' I can't say I'm surprised. The desert isn't far from the House of salvation, and Triet isn't far either as soon as we get there. Well … I can't quite remember, but I could see the desert before we actually got here. 'If we do get attacked, will the monsters come in big groups like before?'

'No.' Kratos looks away from the direction of the desert and back down at little old me. 'Weren't you prepared for those kind of battles when you asked to come along?'

I feel a small spark of anger flare up inside of me. Mockery, jealousy – I don't know what caused it, but it's still burning. 'Of course I knew! I'm not about to put myself in danger for nothing … I just didn't expect three lots of monsters at once, that's all.'

'Humph. If you want to refine your skills for this journey, battling stronger opponents than yourself is a technique you should focus on.' His voice held no mocking tone, no demanding manner … if so, why do I still feel pressured?

'Yeah, but …' I start, trailing of slightly before quickly grabbing my sentence before I lost it in the depths of my mind. 'Training alone is hard … if we stay at an inn in Triet tonight, then I'd be happy to go and fight some monsters to get stronger … but what if I get poisoned or something and have to Panacea Bottle? What if I can't get back to Triet before I collapse? Actually, forget it.' I finish off quickly, deciding I've said enough. If I say more than I'm supposed to, he'll send me back to Iselia. 'I'll just train with everyone else.'

The mercenary looks me directly in the eye. One little thing like that, and I feel as though my whole brain is under control by his gaze. How can he have this effect one people …?

'Doubting yourself and your own abilities leads to weakness.' Why must Kratos know everything and always be right? Whyyyy?

'Well, how can I feel good about my abilities if I know I'm crap at fighting anyway?' I glare slightly with my words, trying to prove myself right. I know I'm right … I am, I know I am! Kratos may be smart, but … my abilities are useless right now! How can he tell me not to doubt myself?

'Thinking uncertainty about your abilities will render you useless.'

It's seriously better said than done. It's human nature to have doubts in whatever you do, but you're not quite human are you, Mr. Kratos-seraphim-sir?

'Try to block out what others around you are doing and concentrate on how your own skills are progressing.'

So he's telling me to be in my own little world while fighting? What if someone needs help? But then again, I guess that's what Kratos is here for. Damn mercenary.

I hear a slight sound of conversation drone through the wooden doors of the building. Colette must have finished praying already; they'll be out soon. I might as well wrap this up with Kratty.

'Fine. I'll try it your way for a bit. But it's your fault if I get knocked out!' I add irritably as the doors open. Colette and Raine step out, The Chosen looking a little flushed. This is slightly confusing, so I'll ignore it.

'Wow … the people in there are lively,' she says with an uncertain smile, closing the door behind her and waving slightly to the priest and the others inside the house. Raine smiles weakly but gives a small nod in agreement.

'Yes. People often give such compliments to the Chosen. We should expect no less.'

I interrupt quickly. I'm anxious to leave this place to get closer to Triet … to get further away from Lloyd and Genis. If something goes wrong, I dread to think of the circumstances. Either that or I go and cry in a corner. 'We ready to go? There's nothing left to do here unless we want to give those guys another whiz down the happiness slide.'

Kratos inclines his head slightly at my words. I have a feeling the last sentence was ignored, though. No matter … this guy is resistant to humour anyway. 'I agree. Triet is not far from here. If we leave now, we will make it by nightfall.'

The half-elven healer looks towards the desert as if trying to make out an outline of Triet. We can't see it from where we are now … but I know it's somewhere up there. It can't be far … the House of Salvation lies on the edge of the fields. 'Of course. Let's go.'

Hmm … my hand feels numb. Ah well, I'm sure I'll survive. Then … let us continue on our merry way to the Triet Desert!

* * *

That was hard ... very hard ... REVIEW MY CRAPPY WORK! 


	9. Deserts and zentas and thieves

Chapter 9 - Deserts and zentas and thieves

You know what? I don't like the desert. No I do not. It … is too … _hot_. 

Wow, shock-horror, a desert is hot. I know I sound very dumb, but I've never been in a desert before … hell, I've never left England. Well … I went to Wales once, but that's right next to England … so that doesn't count. Screw Wales. In other words, I've got twelve years experience of England's climate, and I'm not used to very hot places … or very cold places for that matter. England has a temperate climate, so … I'm used to that. In other words, I don't like my position right now.

I don't know where I've heard it (people say at school and other places), but heat goes through darker clothing or something. I'm wearing _blaaaaaaaack_. Damn Colette … and Raine … and Kratos … no – damn Gamecube. She's the one that gave me clothing.

"_I hate youuuuuuuuu …_" I hiss into my mind, hoping she heard. Well, she definitely heard … I now have a headache.

"_Have what you're given, ungrateful person!_"

"_Wow, soft on the insults._"

I cut her off from my brain before she can give me one hell of a migraine (she can do that apparently) and look around. All I can see is … sand. Sand in front, sand behind, sand … everywhere. I can cope with not moaning about it for another few minutes … and I don't think Triet will be that far away soon. I'm quite sure now Lloyd and Genis might stay at the House of Salvation for a night, so we have no worries about Sir Whine-a-lot catching up with us. Well, _I_ have no worries. I'm the only one that knows they're coming, and I'm not really up to saying anything.

For some reason I'm trying to remember the battle theme for when you fight a future party member. It comes on when you fight Sheena twice and Regal in the forest place (I think it's called Fatalize). It's a really cool song … and I'm trying to make the ring-tone on my mobile on Earth, but I always get it wrong. Sobsobsob. Hey, if this was the actual game, do you think it would have came on while they where fighting me at Martel Temple? Hmm … I feel so … loved. Sarcasm, but very dudey song. I might end up humming it annoyingly soon.

Hmm, I'm not gonna do that.

A sudden gust of wind throws sand up towards our group. A lot of sand. Needless to say, we are all hit … and we are very sandy. I think we all closed our eyes, or someone would be whining about it. Well, I'd whine about it … shut up Charlotte. Well, I think I got it everywhere else …

… I _really_ don't like the desert.

'That was … slightly painful,' I say when the gust subsides, spitting out sand that found its way into my mouth. To add to the annoyance of sand, you sweat if you're hot. Desert is hot. Hot means sweaty. Sweaty means sticky. Sticky means sand is now plastered to my arms. Oh joy.

'Is everyone alright?' the half-elven healer asks, brushing sand from her sleeves. Colette nods, shaking her hair to get it clean again. That'd probably be impossible until we get to Triet where there might be a bath/shower.

'I'm okay …' I mumble, running a hand through my hair and shaking some sand out. 'Kratos is starting to look a bit like the sandman though.'

That causes Colette to giggle and lighten her spirits. Why God, WHY? 'I can see Triet from here. Let's go!'

I turn out my pockets (how the hell did sand get in there?) and brush them clean before jogging to catch up with the group. Kratos may hate me even more now … blah. I'll live.

It isn't long before the professor's voice interrupts any thoughts that might have been making their way to my mind. 'What's that?'

I look up at her words. I don't see anything … maybe it was one of those mirages? I don't know much about them, but … I've seen them in loads of films and things when people are in deserts. I brush away some sand that collected in my eyelashes and take another look around.

'I don't see anyth – AHHH!'

I really don't scream often … honestly … but right now, something heavy just collided with my back and … well, I now have a face-full of sand. Whatever it was is perched on my back still … bugger. I try to heave whatever it is off, but a sharp blade comes into contact with the back of my neck. Hmm, this can't be good.

'Don't move!' shouts a gruff voice from above me. Must be a man then. And by the sound of it, a scary one. 'Hand over all your valuables or the girl dies!'

Must be one of those bandits I used to keep running into in Triet Desert on the game. They don't usually attack like this. 'Um, mister bandit ...? I'm in a little bit of pain here!'

The flat of his blade or whatever it is meets the back of my head, hitting hard enough to hurt. 'Ow!'

'You heard me,' he continues, grabbing the back of my collar roughly. 'One move and you die!'

'Technically, you didn't say that,' I correct him with a grin. 'You said we need to give you our valuables and then you kill me if we don't.' Why am I being mouthy when he threatens to kill me? I suppose these guys aren't really that hard to beat. Well, he has a knife. Shut up Charlotte.

'That is true …' Raine agrees thoughtfully. Well, I'm so glad to hear she's worried about me. Ugh … this is uncomfortable … my back hurts.

Wordlessly, I reach for a pistol as Kratos draws his blade, catching the bandit's attention. I shoot repeatedly at the bandit's stomach, causing him to fly from my back. Woot!

Well, if this happened on Earth … he'd be very dead. But according to Charis, the bullets coming from my pistols are pure mana, pulling it in from the air. That explains why I never run out … but anyway, since it is mana, it doesn't kill. It's just very painful if you get hit.

With a grunt, the bandit pulls himself to his feet, dagger still in hand. I jump up and brush some sand off my front, drawing my other pistol. Colette pulls out her Chakram too, looking around. 'There are more of them!'

As said, another ten are practically coming out of nowhere and surrounding us. This is _not _our day. Were they planning to attack us? Do they know we're the Chosen's group? For the love of … er, Martel, I guess. I'd say God, but there's no God in Sylvarant. Only Martel. Who doesn't even exist. So there. Right, attacking bandits.

The apparent leader (who attacked me) waves his dagger threateningly at our small group. May it wallow in shame at Kratos's big shiny blade. Fear the pointy-ness, bandits! 'It takes a lot of guts to do that … a lot of guts to attack a bandit leader …'

I lift one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. 'Impressed ... nah … and my guts would like to stay inside me.'

'You little-!'

I immediately answer with a number of shots into his chest, firing like my finger hand a nervous twitch. I get that a lot, but we'll just keep quiet. Anyway, the others finally decided to attack the rest of the bandits … well, they charged towards us, but it's the same thing!

'Impudent brats!' the leader screeches, continuing to scream like a deranged banshee while attacking (well, trying to at least). Kratos decides to help me with the leader guy. Oh happy day. He seems to be the strongest anyway. Well, leader dude is still screaming and now attempting to kill Kratty. Now, Kratos being … well, Kratos-like, I'd expect him to pull off this amazing combo with slashing and stabbing, cutting through flesh like a hot knife through butter, or a number of spells, or something spectacular … well, he bonks the bandit leader in the head with the hilt of his sword, and … now the leader is unconscious. That was quite unexpected, but I nod in approval anyway. 'Nice. You need to do that more often.'

Kratos ignores my comment (moody bastard) and spins, hitting an approaching bandit in the face with the flat of his blade. A small cracking sound cuts the air, possibly meaning the poor bandit's nose is broken. Wait, "poor"? To hell with them, they tried to kill me first. The bandit sinks to the ground, clutching his face and trying to mop up a big gush of blood practically pouring from his nose. We'll just ignore him for now.

Another bandit is running straight towards me. Really, you think they'd have the brains to attack from behind. Well, it's getting closer … closer … now I just lift my knee and get him where it hurts. Three down! Muahahaha. Now there is one unconscious, one bleeding like crazy, and one writhing in pain on the floor. Colette seems to have taken one down by herself with the help of Raine's healing abilities. That's four down … happiness.

I look over my shoulder after hearing movement and see that a bandit is currently force feeding the leader an Apple Gel or something … whatever it is, the leader is waking up. Ooo … that will not do at all. I do the first thing that comes into my mind and practically launch myself at the bandit, throwing him about four feet away from the leader and smacking him in the head with a pistol (I stole Kratty's idea). Well, it didn't knock him out … oh well, I'll just shoot him now. I leap up and fire away, watching a Chakram out of the corner of my eye that smacks him in the arm. These guys aren't very strong …

'Enough!' screeches a voice from behind. Looks like the leader gathered up his senses. The remaining five bandits stop attacking and look up at their leader like obedient dogs. Hah … weird … and scary at the same time. 'There guys are strong … retreat immediately!'

I have this overpowering urge to scream "WUSS!" but I'll leave it for now. I guess I'd do the same if it were me.

'And why should we let you go?' Raine asks with a slightly raised eyebrow. 'You could be wanted convicts in Triet. You certainly look like ruffians of the sort.'

I have to agree with her. There might be a prize involved or something … and we could use the money or item.

'But Professor …' Colette interjects gently. 'If they're sorry for what they've done, they should be let free, right?'

No! Bad Colette! We want money! Shut up! We want money! Don't be nice! Dammit! The Chosen ignores my silent pleas and approaches the wounded leader. 'Do you promise not to steal from people again?'

The leader looks at the blonde like she's on drugs or something but nods quickly. 'Uh … sure.'

'See!' Colette exclaims with a smile. 'No one should have to live in the regenerated world in prison.'

At her words, half the group's heads shoot up. The leader himself looks very surprised. 'Wait … you're the Chosen?'

'That's right!' Colette says with another bright smile. Urge to kill … rising feverishly. Will be ignored for now. Well, the bandit leader drops his knife, the weapon landing with a small thud in the sand.

'Chosen One! If we had known, we … p-please, take it!' he exclaims, gesturing wildly to a number of bags his gang may have dropped for better agility in battle. 'Take it all!'

Hell, this is better than money from Triet. We get the bandit's whole loot. Happiness! Colette stills looks uncertain about taking the offer from the bandits and opens her mouth to say something. Crap, if she denies this, we're screwed. Time to interrupt.

'That's more like it!' I say quickly before the Chosen can speak. 'Now get out of here before we change our minds about letting you go with all your body parts still attached.'

'Y … yes of course …'

The five still either conscious or not wounded bandits drag away their comrades before another wave of sand hits us all from the right. Why does it always happen when the either come or go? WHY? Well, we can't see the bandits through the wave of sand still being thrown at us, and plus it's getting in my eyes. I quickly slap a hand over them and wait for the sand to drop from the wind. I'm never going to a desert on earth. Never ever ever.

'I think a sandstorm is coming!' Raine shouts over the wind. I cover my mouth with a hand to avoid swallowing about a litre of sand and shout back.

'Yeah. Let's get the stuff and go!' I drop both hands when I hear the wind slow down and finally stop. I look over to the rest of the group and see Colette brushing some from her shoulders and hair, Raine who had somehow managed to get it in her ears, and … I think the sandman stole Kratos and took his place! Nah, I'm kidding … but seriously …

'Kratos, you have lots of sand in your hair …' I inform quietly. The mercenary runs a hand through his hair, most of it pouring off and onto his shoulders. I'm sure he'll survive …

Raine is already searching through the bags (probably looking for a relic from the Triet ruins or something which I doubt she'll find). I pick up quite a light bag and look it over (hey, it might explode or something!), seeing what looks like very small writing just above the stitching keeping the bag together.

_From the Desian Base_

Desian base? They probably mean the Renegade Base west from here (at least, I think its west …). Wow, they had the guts to steal from there? I shrug to myself and tug it open. Absolutely nothing but a small box. Oh happy day, what treasure I have found.

"_Maybe you should look in the box, dumbass_," Charis says from the back of my mind.

"_Screw you; I'll do what I want. I'm checking it out when we get to Triet. If something falls out, I'll never find it in the sand._"

'Take only what we need,' Kratos declares, one hand resting on his scabbard in a very characteristic pose. I have got to stop using that word. 'We won't be able to carry all of it.'

I slip the box into my pocket, throwing the empty bag into the sand. 'Yessir.'

-----

'We're finally in Triet!'

Yes, my words are true … we have reached the desert oasis, people! We are …_ happy_. Oh so painfully _happy_. Hmm, Triet looks like any other town. There are a few shops here and there … an inn and a back street … not to shabby. Remember, I had a lack of gaming for about a year. I know nothing about where anything is, so leave me alone!

'Shall we look for information on the seal around here?' Raine suggests, looking around for herself. The others agree, but I want rest dammit. I don't care if it's only about five or six o'clock, I need rest.

'Uh … do you guys mind if I go rest for a bit?' I ask, jerking my thumb in the direction of the inn. Yes Kratos, I'm not as strong as you guys, for I am only thirteen. I can't live up to your expectations, so leave me alooooone.

A sudden exclamation from the Chosen interrupts the others from answering my question. 'Oh no!'

We look over to where Colette is pointing. A house only a few feet away is in a wreck; its roof is virtually torn off and there are crushed bricks scattered a good few feet away. There's also a pot half-buried in the sand which I will inspect later … because I am nosey.

'Desians?' I offer to no one in particular. I know it was them, but here, I know nothing. I've never been to Triet before, have I? I don't know _anything_. Nodnod.

'Yup.' A voice from behind makes me jump a little. Quite a broad man is standing behind us, a large sack slung over his shoulder. 'The Desians came and wrecked the city for their own entertainment.'

Raine gives the derelict house a look over, obviously noting some blood stains in a shadowed corner. I feel a small thing like a prick in my stomach, stirring some alien emotion. I've never seen a kind of destruction like this before, even if it does look small and unimportant now. Sure, I've seen things on the news, but never in real life. Whose blood is that? Who lost their life for the satisfaction of another? Gah, my mind is wondering again. Shut up, brain.

'Where are they now?' Raine asks, snapping my line of thoughts. The man gives a shrug, picking up half of a brick and tossing it into the sack he was carrying. He must be cleaning the place up. Maybe he had a relative that lived here?

'They've left the city now. But they'll be back, I guarantee,' he sighs, hauling another brick into the sack and stepping down into the ruins of the house. I guess there's more destruction inside. There's something I've always wondered about, so I guess I'll be asking the others.

'Hey, where did those Desians come from?' I wave away some sand blowing up into my face to continue. 'The nearest human ranch from here is the Iselia Ranch, but the second nearest is the one east of Palmacosta. The Desians from Iselia wouldn't walk all this way, would they?'

'The Desians are determined to find the Chosen,' Raine states as thought she was explaining in a harried manner to a five year old. 'They'll go to extreme measures to-'

'Yeah, thanks,' I interrupt quickly. If I get a lecture, I _will_ die. 'I'm gonna go to the inn and rest my legs, so … see you guys later.'

After bidding my companions goodbye, I head towards the inn. According to Raine, before I rest I have to book a room for her, a room for Colette, one for me and one for Kratos. I guess we're sticking to privacy while we're here. Well, Colette probably needs space to think about the journey ahead, Raine needs to spaz out about the ruins we head to tomorrow and sort out some monster notes, so she'd want some quiet privacy while doing that, and Kratos is … well, he's the only guy in the group, so I guess he'd want some space to himself, free of the female kind. I guess girls can get annoying to guys sometimes, unless of course you're Zelos. I guess it'd only be fair to give me my own room too. But wait, aren't there only three rooms? Meh … we'll figure something out. We do have Lloyd and Genis coming up soon unless I've screwed something up already. I hope not.

After booking the rooms, I head up the room Colette usually uses. I'm not gonna sleep here, I just need somewhere to sit … and it's the most attractive room. I hate rooms where you don't use the other beds that are around. There's two in the other room and four in the one downstairs, so … no sir-ee-do.

I push open the door and see that everything is bathed in a sort of orangey-golden glow. It's kind of getting to evening anyway, and most of the room is either white, beige or brown. I sigh from the pain in my legs and stumble over to the bed, sitting down and rubbing my aching muscles. I can't believe I walked all the way from Iselia to Triet … and it isn't the distance it looks on the world map … we left Iselia in the morning, and now it's evening. We've been fighting and walking non-stop for a good few hours.

'Well … that was painful,' I mutter to myself. 'I guess I'm not used to this.'

I suddenly remember why I actually came here and reach into my pocket, feeling around for that box. My fingers brush over the corner and I clamp my fingers around it, pulling it out. It's quite small … I wonder what it could be? Wait, why am I sitting here wondering? Let's open the damn thing!

I lift the lid to see what looks like a small silver sphere, no bigger than my thumb nail. Wow, a SPHERE! Happiness. I pick it up out of the casing and turn it over in my fingers, looking for something … _anything_! The Renegades wouldn't just have a sphere lying around unless it was a key to open a locked door or something … but I highly doubt that it is.

I find a small black dot I could easily have missed earlier and almost jump with glee. Of course, it could easily be a spot of mud, but who cares! I found something! I tap it gently three times with a fingernail, and then something happens. I feel a ping in my brain as if to say _manamanamanamanamana_. It must work on mana, then. Half-elves are able to sense mana, right? Well, Genis is …

The sphere begins to glow a soft white that I have to squint to see it. Some letters are orbiting the thing, and they're probably that "Angelic Language" that they always talk about. A small green beam erupts from the black spot, rising a mere five inches. After a few seconds, it spreads into what looks like a transparent screen … kind of like a computer screen, but only smaller … and transparent. Well, as transparent, I mean the background if a very faint green and beyond that that vision is made blurry. I can see a blinking line like the ones one MS Word, or WordPad on the computer after writing something. It follows, and that is annoying. Anyways …

The blinking line brings to automatically type:

_User Identification: Yuan._

_Password:_

Then it stops … wait, this is _Yuan's_? Ooh, I'm so screwed if he find out I've got it. Well, whatever this thing is … let's hope he threw it out. Okay … what would Yuan use as a password? I mean, we know about the guy in the game … but they don't go into depth about his background story. All we know is that he travelled with Mithos, Martel and Kratos four-thousand years ago, and then he got together the Renegades.

If I _do_ find out his password … how do I type it? I let my hands hover over the area where a keyboard would be and begin tapping thin air as though asking for it to get here. As if on cue, another green beam (well, this looks more blue than green, but who cares) shoots out from the silver sphere, spreading into a transparent keyboard (if you want to know what I mean by transparent, think exactly the same as what I told you with the screen). Appropriate, yet nifty.

I type a random word that springs to mind.

_Renegade_

Then I wait. I notice that when I touch the keys, they glow turquoise … damn, I want one of these on Earth! Ooh, something's coming up!

_Password Incorrect. Access Denied._

Oh fiddle. Hmm, what to do, what to do. Wait, why didn't I think of this before? I'm such an idiot! I tap down a few quick letters, practically bashing the enter button.

_Martel_

…… _Access Approved._

Yes! Oh, I want to jump and sing with joy! But I won't do that, because it will scare anyone that may walk past the door.

_Mana sample needed. Please place your forefinger on the screen_.

I guess I should do what it says. I hold my finger to the screen and wait. A dim light erupts from the space around my skin and a small vibration travels up the bone. Did they extract some mana from me? It must have been a very small amount, because I don't feel weak or ill or anything.

_The mana will be composed into the zenta. The zenta will be seen by the only person whose body's mana composed it. Please wait …_

Zenta? What the hell is a zenta? Maybe it's something the Renegades invented? Well, I'll just have to wait like it tells me to.

… _Creation Complete. Please control the zenta using your mind and a small amount of mana._

The screen and the keyboard disappear into a big area of sparkling lights. The lights seem to be drawn to another sphere, though this one seems a bit … invisible. I can tell it's a sphere because of the way the light is suddenly cut off after reaching its destination. It kind of reminds me of what the summon spirits do after being defeated … well, behold! I have a green sphere. I'm sick of spheres and green things.

Anyway, what did the computer thing say? Control the "zenta" with your mind and a small amount of mana? I guess I'll try moving it. The green sphere moves slightly over to the left when I use a small amount of mana to push it. The amount I must be using is tiny … about 0.1 percent for each action. Muahaha. I'm guessing that green thing is the "zenta", then. At least I can stop calling it sphere.

Without warning, another screen pops us. I almost yelp, but I definitely do jump slightly. It has a picture of … the wall? I blink and look up at the zenta. Another small black dot (I'm sick of dots, too) is pointing towards the wall behind me …

Then this "zenta" thing must be like a camera … well, the screen is perfectly clear and I can see every little detail … the Renegades or at least Yuan by himself must use this to spy on people … or rather, the Chosen. Well, I have it now … I don't think I'll tell the others about this. It'll just be … my little secret thing. Happiness. Now I can spy on the others … muahahaha! Wait, we're all on the same side … well, whatever. It's fun to spy on people. They won't be able to see the zenta, right? The computer said only people who used mana to compose it can see it. I guess Yuan had one of his own, but all mana must be different in people's bodies.

I think I'm gonna rest now.

* * *


	10. Makeup and the Sylvarant Base!

Chapter 10 - Makeup and the Sylvarant Base!

I wake with a start, shielding my eyes against the amber light from the window. It must still be evening. How long was I asleep? I shove the blanket away and sit up, rubbing my eyes. I don't usually sleep much … and I know it's unhealthy and we had a lot of battles today, but I still know that we have to do some more things before turning in for the night. Genis and Lloyd have to get here, too. What's taking them so long? They should be here by now … unless of course my being here has changed anything, like bloodthirsty, flesh ripping monsters of fifty foot that stalk boys wearing red. I really hope that isn't true. 

I swing my legs over the side of the mattress, stretching my arms above my head. This is probably the second time in my life I've slept in my clothing, and it is _very _uncomfortable. There are creases everywhere in my clothing and I feel all hot and stuffy … well, I won't annoy with personal matters. I yawn and adjust my belt, pulling a few creases straight and notice a gun has fallen from its holster around my waist. When I sleep, I'm going to take those out in future. I'll probably shoot myself while sleeping if I don't. Where'd the damn thing go? I tug up the beige sheets and notice the weapon lying there innocently. Damn thing. I reach for it and pick it up, dropping it into the holster.

A small clink of a hard object hitting the floor catches my attention. I turn and stretch over the bed, seeing the silver sphere from earlier. Hey, did I actually put that thing away? Meh, it must close by itself. I scoop it up, quickly shoving it into my pocket. If anyone sees it, they'll ask about it. I'm not usually good at lying, but that background story was an acceptation. Charis helped me with it after all.

I think for at least twenty-four hours now, I have nothing to eat but a sandwich … and that wasn't filling anyway. My stomach confirms that with a loud growl, compressing uncomfortably. I make a face and fall back onto the bed.

'Is it possible to fight on an empty stomach?' I mumble to myself, rubbing my closed eyes.

'Not really.'

'Hi Charis,' I say, opening my eyes and sitting up. My Gamecube is perched on the windowsill in a cat-like position … and to add to that, she's wearing a headband with cat ears attached. My Gamecube's entity is weird. She jumps down from the windowsill and straightens up, adjusting her headband.

'I've gotta say, you've done well so far. By now I'd expect your guts to be a shish-kebab.'

'Why thank you, oh great cat Gamecube of mine,' I say sarcastically with a salute.

'Found it on eBay,' Charis says, poking the left ear. 'SO! How've you been? You like Sylvarant?'

'Like it?' I gasp. 'Oh, I'm having the time of my life! I want to hug everyone and everything! I feel alive!'

'Really?'

'I want OUTTA here dammit! I HATE it!'

Charis arches back at my sudden exclamation, blinking rapidly. 'What …?'

I tug my hair in frustration. 'I'm a half-elf in a world full of discriminating bastards, an Exsphere that will apparently kill me if I remove it has attached itself to my wrist, currently blackmailing one of the four seraphim of Cruxis, and … and my hand hurts, but that's not the point!'

Charis raises a finger to stop my complaint. 'Fist of all, chill! Second of all, what better way to have you fit in than to make you a half-elf?'

I twitch violently.

'Um, okay … maybe that wasn't so good, but if you're human and they suspect something, it makes it all the more unbelievable. If you're a half-elf, it really makes it look like you're from Sylvarant!'

I twist my mouth into an uncomfortable frown, considering the statement. She has a point. A painful point. On many levels she's right, yet …

'I guess so …' I admit sulkily. 'But still, discrimination against half-elves still exists, and I think people might look at me a little different.'

Gamecube averts her eyes and looks over to the plain wall. '… I'm sure you'll cope. Genis and Raine did.'

'They said they were elves.'

'Whatever! I don't care!'

I groan and place my head in my hand. Gamecubes aren't helpful when you need them. No they are not. Sure, when you're bored and want to play a game, they're fine. But when you have life and social threatening problems? Do they help? Noooooooo!

I look up to see that Charis has disappeared again. Hmph, maggot (dear me, I'm turning into Albel Nox). I stand up and stretch again, making sure I have everything. Apple and Orange Gels, the, um, Zenta-thing … do I even look presentable? I wonder over to a table with a mirror attached in the side of the room and take a seat in front of it. I've never actually used something like this before … hell, the only thing I do in the morning is drag a brush through my hair and that's it! I'm one of those people who will pick up eyeliner and think "… what?"

Okay … this little paintbrush-type thing with small trays of pale pinks and peaches must be blusher. I pick it up warily and poke it. I've seen my sister and mom use things like this, so …

I dab it in a peachy colour and stroke the brush over my cheeks, watching my face carefully. I grimace slightly at the sight of myself using makeup. All my friends say I have to get into the habit of using makeup, so I guess I'll give it a go while there are things for it here. I guarantee I'll probably jump up shrieking in a few minutes.

I look over my handiwork and frown. My skin looks slightly darker, but that's pointless! Well … I don't exactly know what these things do, so it probably _did_ do something I didn't notice. I frown again and lick my fingers, rubbing at my cheeks violently. Be gone, evil blusher!

'Are you doing your makeup?'

I yelp and practically leap a good few feet into the air, causing my stool to topple over. After a resounding crash, I notice the auburn haired mercenary standing in the doorway. I will never admit to dolling myself up! I look over at the blusher still clutched in my fingers and back at Kratos. 'No …'

Kratos ignores my lie and lets himself into my room, gathering up my satchel. 'Blusher goes on your cheekbones mostly,' he remarks absently.

I raise an eyebrow. 'What are you now? "Kratos: Killer mercenary by day, makeup artist by night"?'

'Women can teach men very inappropriate things,' he says quietly. I bite my tongue and decide not to go further. He's avoided talking about Anna openly now, so I'll just play along. I open my mouth to say something, but quickly spin and start to put the makeup away. I watch the reflection of Kratos in the mirror from under many strands of hair so he won't notice. Hmm, he isn't wearing a wedding ring … maybe he took it off after the incident at Iselia with Anna and Lloyd. I wonder if he still has it … shut up, Charlotte. I guess I could break the tense air in the room.

'So, uh … how long was I asleep?' I ask, moving things around randomly on the table as to make myself look busy.

'An hour at most.' Judging by the volume of his voice, he's right behind me. I quickly brush that hair out of my face and straighten up, taking the satchel he hands to me. 'The Chosen told us to let you sleep when we entered the inn.'

'How … thoughtful,' I comment, attaching the satchel to my belt. That reminds me, I need new clothes. Later Charlotte, LATER! 'Well, I guess we should … wait, what are we doing anyway?'

He never told me what we where doing after this. It's almost night, and we're going out again?

'The Chosen is currently paying for a small incident she caused-' (I'm guessing it's the hole in the wall) '- and then she's paying a visit to the fortune teller at the back of the city.'

I make a face. 'Ew, fortune tellers. You go on ahead, I'll catch up.'

I have a thing against fortune tellers. Seriously, they tell you things you already know … well, most of them do. It just annoys me a lot.

I say my goodbyes to Kratos and collapse onto my bed, tugging the covers over me. A few more minutes rest won't hurt. I look over at the dishevelled dressing table and pass off the thought of cleaning it, turning over in my bed. What if Lloyd and Genis don't come? What if they were attacked in the fields or something, or if they couldn't beat that monster in Iselia? Man, I should stop being negative. They'll come! They did come in the game, so …

Well, my being here changed a few little things … it doesn't matter! That can't possibly change what happens when I'm not there, right? The Desians aren't after me, and I don't have anything to do with Iselia being burnt down. Voila, I'm free of blame. But I guess I'm still a bit worried.

… Maybe I should go and look for them. I can't tell the other three about it, because … well, they weren't supposed to leave the village in the first place and then it'd be a suspicion parade about how I knew.

I sit up and decide to go and look for them. I should go and buy some Panacea Bottles incase I get poisoned by a Sidewinder or a Scorpion on the way. Hopefully I won't, but it's better safe than sorry, right?

Upon stepping out into the landing, a blue and silver blur crashes into my side, throwing me to the floor. Whatever it was follows with a thud on the rough rug. Ouch. Did someone throw something at me?

I pull myself to my feet and rub my shoulder. 'Son of a - Genis?'

Yup, there's Genis in all of his silver-haired glory, pulling himself up too. Hey, they made it! Genis puts a hand to his head and blinks, looking up at me. I think he just realised it was me.

'You're here!'

'Uh, yeah …' I say, looking around. 'Where's Lloyd?'

Seriously, Genis looks like he just ran a mile or two … and in this heat? Wait, that must mean …

'He was kidnapped by Desians!' Genis pants. He must have run from the Sylvarant Base to here. Poor thing. 'We were right outside Triet and we got attacked, then they-'

'Right, right,' I say quickly, stopping him. 'Uh … which way is the base that they took Lloyd to?'

Genis leans his weight on the banister, considering the direction. I think it's to the right when you leave Triet, but I can't be sure. 'It … it's to the east of here …'

I was right. Goodie. 'Okay, listen Genis. The others are at the back of the town with a fortune teller. Go and tell them what's happened, then go and stock up on Apple Gels, Orange Gels, and any healing items you can get, and then come to the base. Don't go in through the front door, just find another way.'

Genis blinks and watches me sprint down the landing. 'W … wait! Where are you going?'

I look back over my shoulder. 'I'm going on ahead to find Lloyd. You guys just come as quick as you can.'

I turn back to the stairs, but Genis halts me by grabbing my wrist. 'You're going by yourself? That's suicide!'

'I'll be fine!' I confirm, tugging free from his grip. 'D'you mind if I take Noishe?'

'But-!'

'Thanks!'

I continue down the stairs and leave the inn. Over in the stable, I see Noishe gnawing on the pillar of wood holding the roof up. No comment. Noishe doesn't like strangers, so … I'll just have to try and get him to cooperate. This won't work, will it? I shrug to myself and walk over to the … "dog".

'Hey … Noishe …' I start warily, reaching out a hand towards his head. A soft growl stops my movement as the creature glares up at me. I sigh to myself and slap my forehead. 'Okay, Noishe … you already know that Lloyd got kidnapped by Renegades and I need to get there to help him escape, so _please_ just give me a hand until we get there! I really need to get there fast or he'll be executed!'

The creature's large ear twitches as I reach out to touch him, but he doesn't growl this time. That must be a good sign. 'So you'll work with me?'

Noishe nudges my shoulder with his nose as a "hurry up" sign. I fight back a smile and put one foot on the side of a water filled tub, hoisting myself up and swinging my leg over the Noishe's back. I've never ridden an animal before … so this'll be hard.

'Okay then, Noishe! To the Sylvarant Base!'

Riding Noishe is much like riding a horse … but more fur. I've seen my friends ride horses and other animals, but I've never had the guts to do it myself. I'm always afraid of falling off or something that will result in pain. I don't like pain. I can deal with it, I just don't like it.

If there _was_ a sandstorm like Raine said, it must have disappeared while I was sleeping. That's a good thing, because I'm not so keen on riding an animal that doesn't like me in the middle of a sandstorm. No sir-ee.

'So, Noishe …' I start awkwardly. 'What was it like to see Kratos again?'

I can feel the creature's furry neck vibrate gently at a long uncertain whine. I try not to grin and scratch behind Noishe's ear. 'Don't worry, you can trust me. I have no reason to say or try anything anyway. I'll give you permission to eat me if I betray you guys.'

Whine.

'So, um … I take it you don't really agree with what Kratos is doing right now ... you know, with Cruxis.'

Long whine.

'Crap, I wasn't supposed to know … um, please don't tell him.'

Longer whine.

'Oh, c'mon … please?'

Even longer whine.

'Pretty please with a cherry on top?'

Whine.

'Thanks Noishe. You didn't answer my question …'

Long quiet whine.

'I don't agree with it either … did you ever agree with Yggdrasill's idea?'

Growl.

'I guess not … sorry. Do you plan to try and stop Kratos working with Cruxis?'

Quiet whine.

'I'm sure he'll change his mind if you try … I mean, he knows that Lloyd is alive now …'

Short blunt whine.

'Well I think he will. And I think you can change his mind, Noishe. You just have to try hard.'

Long whine.

'I'm sure you want them to be a family again. I know it won't be the same for you guys without Anna, but I think it'll make them happy.'

Whine whine whine.

'Why do I care?'

Whine.

'Well … I dunno, really. I really don't. I just know that I'd like them to be happy, and that's all I need to know.'

Long whine.

'So you'll try?'

Whine.

'Hey, thanks Noishe!'

Whine whine.

'I'll help too. I think we can make Kratos see what's right. Man, I'm being kinda corny …'

Whine.

'Heheh … well, thanks anyway.'

Suggestive whine.

'I can't tell you how I know, but I'd like you to trust me, even if only for a while.'

Whine.

'You may not like me as a stranger, but I'd love you as a pet!'

Paranoid whine.

-------

Noishe and I are finally at the base, and … it is _really_ big! They don't really need a big base … all they really need is the entrance, the hanger, the sleeping quarters and maybe a hallway. They don't need it to be so big, dammit! Well, finding Lloyd should be easy … as long as I remember where everything is. Genis and the others had better be on their way.

'Okay Noishe …' I say, sliding off his back carefully and planting my feet into some deep sand. If this is sinking sand, I _will_ scream. 'I'm gonna go in and look for Lloyd. When the others come, don't let them go in through the front entrance. I told them not to, but just incase … they'll get caught by Yuan if the go in through the front. Plus, the Renegades will secure the entrance once they find out we're inside. We need an escape route anyway …'

I don't know if Noishe got all of that, nor will he be able to tell them that. But he can still stop them from going in through the entrance. So there. Okay then …

I step up to the entrance door. Surprisingly, it slides open. It must be locked only to people trying to get out … that must be why Lloyd couldn't escape before. Oh well, I'm in now. I should start looking for the poor guy.

The entrance is … well, how I remember it. Four electrical pillars, a four-way path … obviously I'm gonna go straight ahead to find Lloyd. He must be in this base somewhere.

The door makes that annoying "_ziiii_" sound when it automatically slides open at my presence. Whoa, giant Gamecube straight ahead! I'd just like to say whoa and wowie. I could really go for a game right now, but I'm currently stuck in a nightmarish game already. And oh how nightmarish it is …

I don't know how long ago it was since Lloyd was kidnapped, but he should be up and running by now, right? Well, I hope so … I don't want to travel all the way through this base to find him …

Wait, who has the Sorcerer's Ring? If Colette still has it, we're totally screwed over. I open my satchel and search through a bunch of healing items, finally seeing a silver ring tucked deep into the corner. Hey, I have it! I must be the person to carry all the light things. Or just random things, I dunno …

I step up to the Gamecube to see the colour points. Hmm, the red ones are matching … I'll have to make the blue ones match to get to the area where Lloyd might be. I don't know how far he could have gotten without the Sorcerer's Ring, so I'll just have to search everywhere.

The Sorcerer's Ring only shoots fire right now … I need electricity to make the colour-orb things move. Oh this isn't good. Wait, I have an idea …

I don't know if I've actually learned this tech yet, but I'll give it a go anyway. I gather up a large amount of mana within my body, concentrating on the 90 degree pillar. I can see purple symbols flowing out underneath me … that must mean the spell is working!

'Lightning!'

Out of nowhere, bolts of electricity sizzles the thing like a barbecue. Oh, it's gone black. That can't be good … I must have broke it. I shrug it off and turn to the mechanism in the centre of the room, seeing that the blue ones are now matching. Woot!

I make my way to the door, noting that the whole room is now flooded in a blue glow. The door slides open with a "_ziiii_" (angerangeranger) and the first thing I notice is a _lot_ of Raybits patrolling the room. Holy watermelons. This is going to be hard. Time for imitating James Bond! Well, not exactly. Screw it, I'll attack from behind.

I put the Sorcerer's Ring on my index finger, walking down the corridor and keeping close to the wall. A Raybit's sensor turns from orange to red and I spins towards me. Not good. I quickly aim the ring at the machine and shoot, stunning it. This should hold it for a while. Gah, why am I messing around with this? I should just leg it down there.

I draw one pistol and set off at a run, dodging a number of beams fired by buzzing Raybits. The wall behind me is now smoking with spent mana. Woot again!

I practically tumble through the door, landing on my hands and knees before it closes shut behind me. Charlotte: one. Renegades: zero! Hahaha …

I pull myself to my feet, looking around. I see a flicker of red and white quickly disappear into the hole in the floor. Hmm, this should be the central room. Lloyd couldn't have gotten further than this without the Sorcerer's ring … I think. I avoid the Raybit in the corner of the room and walk around the hole in the centre of the room.

I see a small moving machine near the edge a few feet away. That must be the ring's type altering pedestal. I'm gonna call it a TAP from now own. I walk up to it and immediately feel the ring on my finger vibrate. Small sparks of light shoot out from the pedestal and fly into the ring, making it glow slightly. I point it at the wall and fire, seeing blue electricity spark out and fly a good few feet away. This is awesome!

'Okay Lloyd, you can come out now,' I say, turning to the hole. Our twin-swordsman grips the edge, hauling himself out of the hole. Too bad I already knew about his hiding place. Maniac laugh goes here.

Back to reality, Lloyd looks pleasantly shocked. 'Huh …? What are you doing here?'

I shrug. 'I just came for a walk in a Desian infested base and I found you here. I came to rescue you, dumbass. Genis and the others should be up ahead.'

I walk over to a Raybit settled on the platform to my left and shoot it with new electrical charged mana, stunning it. Small sparks travel through the little passageway in the floor towards the door, confirming one lock open. I turn back to Lloyd. 'Man, you've got to try this. It's shooting electricity!'

Yes, I'm easily amused. And this is so cool anyway. I pull the ring off my finger and toss it to Lloyd, who puts it on and fires at the other Raybit. After a _sizzlesizzlesizzle_, a click confirms the door lock open again. It must have locked when I came through. Lloyd seems to like the ring too.

'Wow, that is so cool!'

'I know,' I say, walking over to him. 'I wonder if Raine shoots electricity when she's angry … anyway, we should get out of here before the monsters move again. They control the lock for this room.'

'Right.'

The door slides open easily, but then a bad thing happens. We are greeted by a large number of angry Raybits. They must have chased me when I ran down here. Oh this is not good.

I draw my pistols and begin to fire like mad, catching about five of the machines out of ten shots. Lloyd uses Sword Rain twice in a row against the machine nearest the wall, successfully destroying it. It falls to the floor with a clatter, numerous malfunctioning pieces falling off. Take that, Evil Raybits.

I really can't be bothered to use magic right now. I just need them all destroyed so we can leave this place. I continue to shoot at the Raybits, trying to dodge bullets of light zooming towards me. I should really learn Guardian soon.

I wince as a mana bullet hits me in the arm. It's not that painful, but it still hurts. Screw this, we need to get out of here. There's no way we'd be able to destroy them all …

I shoot rapidly and randomly, turning to Lloyd (still Sword Raining away). 'Hey! Go down towards the door over there! I don't think we can fight them all.'

Lloyd nods, kicking one out of the way and starting off at a run down the hallway. I grab the gun on a Raybit and quickly turn it towards another, having them begin to attack each other.

I jump over a pile of broken machinery and follow Lloyd down the hall, practically launching myself up the stairs and through the door. I land on my knees again. I really need to start being able to keep myself standing when I do these things …

'Are you okay?'

I nod and pull myself up, rubbing a grazed knee. 'Yup. Nothing better than a bit of Raybit massacre.'

'Uh … yeah.'

I sigh quietly and straighten up, looking around. Yup, back in the Gamecube room. I killed the 90 degree pillar, so we'll have to work it without that. Not too hard … two 45 degree turns is 90 anyway.

I look over at the swordsman, noticing for the first time that the material of his sleeve is a darker shade of red. At a normal glance I probably wouldn't have been able to see it, but I can see a small slit in the material where a knife or a sharp object may have struck.

'Lloyd, you're arm is bleeding like crazy …' I say, feeling slightly worried. If he passes out on me, I'm not dragging him through this base. He's five years older, bigger, and just … no.

He looks down at his arm, touching it carefully. He winces in pain when his finger brushes over the bloody wound, quickly removing his hand. 'I must have gotten it in battle further back …'

I dig out an Apple Gel from my satchel, tossing it to him. As he applies it to the wound, I walk over to the electrical pillars on the other side of the room. Stepping up onto the 45 degree platform, I fire with ring at watch the mechanism in the centre of them room spin for a mere two seconds or so. Damn the slowness of this machine …

I step over to the 180 degree platform, shooting the pillar and turning back to the Gamecube, watching the green colour orb spin into place. The light in the room changes to a soft emerald, being ignored by me.

I walk back over to Lloyd and look carefully at the wound. It seems to have stopped bleeding a lot, but a few drops manage to leek out every now and then. I hate wounds, especially having to look at them. Blood and gore isn't exactly my thing …

'Won't it close?' I ask, removing the ring from my finger and dropping it back into the satchel. Lloyd shakes his head, still applying Apple Gel to the cut. That must sting beyond a thousand hells. 'No …'

I signal for him to stop and move my hand about an inch away from the injury. 'First Aid!'

Green light surrounds the gash, closing it up almost immediately. Like I said earlier, First Aid is easier to use than Apple Gels. I don't think I healed the wound completely; there's still a scar there. I definitely closed it up though. Woot.

'Thanks.' Lloyd turns his attention to the unlocked door. 'Is that the way to the entrance?'

I shake my head and point to the door on the other side of the room. 'It's through there, but you can only get into the building from that entrance. You can't get out.'

'… That's kind of inappropriate, don't you think?''

I nod, glaring at the entrance. Why do you suck? WHY? 'Well, we should find another way out. That's the only way we can go right now.'

If things go as they're supposed to (hopefully I haven't fucked up anything too bad yet), Yuan should be ahead. Oh this isn't good. I don't really know why I'm dreading this, but I _do_ know I have his little spy machine thing that was stolen by a bunch of bandits. Oh crap. If he somehow finds out, he'll kill me for sure.

If I go _with_ Lloyd on the first meeting with Yuan, won't that do something to the flow of the storyline? I mean, Lloyd only went there alone and … well, I guess I could stall for a bit while they throw death threats at each other. I'm not sure I want to be caught in the midst of that. No sir-ee.

'Hey, you! What are you doing here?'

I look up to see a Renegade Soldier sprinting towards us. Oh crap, I don't wanna go and see Yuan! Ohh, I know! I'll just tell Lloyd to go while I fight it!

'Lloyd! Go down that corridor and hide!' I say, drawing my pistols quickly. He gives me a look that says "shouldn't this be the other way around?".

'You're wounded, I'm not, now go man go!'

Lloyd rolls his eyes and finally does as I say, narrowly avoiding an attack from the Renegade. I turn quickly and begin to shoot like I'm high on sugar. These guys have Exspheres, so I don't think it should wound them a lot. Still, bullets are deadly and hopefully cause a lot of damage. Muahahaha.

The soldier leaps at me with his knife, attempting to wrestle me to the ground. I side step and shoot as he falls to the floor with a crash. These men aren't very smart, are they?

I can't shoot at his head because he's wearing a helmet … damn. I don't exactly want to kill the guy … just knock him unconscious. Wait, I think he is unconscious. Yay! Charlotte: two. Renegades: still zero. Happiness!

I keep my pistols out just incase any more soldier come and decide I should go to that room. Botta and his entourage should be there by now. Oh … yay, boss battle. Sarcasm. Oh how I am not looking forward to this. I cast one last glance at the soldier. Out cold. Woot. Man, I'm wasting time. Must go now! Lloyd could be in danger if Genis and the others didn't come yet. Needless to say, run Charlotte, RUN!

Ohh, I shouldn't have run.

I crash into a blur of white, red and black before even getting to the damn door. Why do I keep crashing into things today? Whatever it was seems to have been able to keep its balance, staggering lightly. I however, land on the floor. Joy.

'Ouch …' I hiss sitting up. I can hear sizzling … is that normal? I look up to see a purple sphere of lightning pointed directly at my face, and beyond that …

'Yu-!'

Mustn't say name, mustn't say name! Hopefully it doesn't matter … it sounded like "you" anyway. Right, about to get hit by powerful magic. I luckily roll of out the way before it can hit me. Yay! Well, regardless, I'm still in the presence of ... a 4000 year old seraphim.

I jump to my feet, reclaiming my dropped pistol. Charis, help me!

"_Don't worry_," she says from the back of my mind. "_You're allowed to know who Yuan is and that he's a Renegade. In this world, you're father was a Desian. Desians know these things. Just say you found it in a folder or something_."

Well, that's a good thing. I really don't want to battle Yuan … he's strong, man! Stronger than Kratos! I'll be killed for sure.

'Judging by Botta's report, you must be one of the Chosen's little friends,' Yuan states, dropping his hand (he was about to attack me again). I move my pistols behind my back slowly so he doesn't notice. I don't think it worked.

'What if I am? You'll kill me?' I say, powering up Mana Beam. It'll consume my mana, but it's the only effective thing I can use. Hopefully Yuan won't blow up like the Hawk did. That'd be bad.

Yuan draws his sword from behind his back (I guess that scabbard is behind that cape he always wears). His cloak falls to the floor, possibly giving him better agility. 'You're rats, the lot of you.'

'And the Renegades aren't?' I exclaim, using Mana Beam. I manage to catch his shoulder, but he dodges the vital blow all the same. I frown and pull out an Orange Gel from my satchel, inhaling the potion (don't choke, don't choke) and discarding the bottle. I manage to jump out of the way of an attack, grinning at Yuan's narrow miss. Items make you stand still for about three seconds, and that's okay – but Yuan is really fast, so he could have killed me.

Yuan powers up a spell as I take that time to use another Orange Gel. 'Renegades fight for a good cause. I doubt you even realise what will become of Sylvarant.'

I dodge the ball of lightning that come flying towards me again, powering up Mana Beam. 'A good cause? Attacking whoever you see? Yeah, what caring people. You only need to get rid of the Chosen anyway!'

I have to halt the attack as Yuan begins to attack with his sword again. He catches my arm with the flat of his blade, causing me to stagger back. I can feel the blade rip through the flesh of my arm, but I manage to hold in a scream.

'And being the Chosen's bodyguards, you'd only get in our way.'

I fire Mana Beam again, finally getting a vital hit in. Yuan staggers back, giving me a chance to attack with my pistols. 'Who said I was a bodyguard?'

While he's stunned, I use an Apple Gel on my wound, gulping down the rest. I'm going to run out of items soon. I use another two Orange Gels, my chance to avoid an attack being snatched from me. The blade cuts my other arm and my back, causing a lot of pain. I don't have time to heal, I just need to get out of his attacking range!

"_Charis, I could use HELP! I'm being killed!_" I scream into my mind. I feel something in my holster; something my Gamecube sent no doubt. Barely thinking, I draw whatever it is and lunge at Yuan. I catch a glint of what's in my hand and almost stop dead.

A knife.

This might kill Yuan, but right now I'm sure that I want to live. If he attacks me again, I'll probably be stunned and then he'll kill me. I don't care what I might screw up … I need to survive, and that's my first priority.

Before Yuan can attack me again, I sink the knife deep into his side, stopping him. I jump away quickly as Yuan's hand darts down, gripping the hilt of the blade and pulling it out of his side with a gasp of pain. I don't think I struck anything vital … he should survive. He has an Exsphere after all …

'You … little rat …' he hisses, clutching his wounded side. I can see blood flowing freely through his fingers and down the material of his clothes. What do I do now? Should I leave? Should I stay? Should I finish him off? I doubt I could do that, but still …

As if on cue, Botta and his backup soldiers exit the room. 'Sir! You're wounded ...'

State the obvious … well, Botta is always worrying about Yuan. Because oh what a caring person he is. To bad he has to go and _die_. I didn't like it when that happened … I got all sad.

Yuan looks over his shoulder at his comrade, straightening up. 'Speak for yourself.' He turns back to me, hand still over his wound. 'I'll get you next time …'

Yay, death threats. 'Well, we'll see.'

All of them use their warp-y disappear thing. I have no name for it, but that's what it is. Whatever … the point is, I'm now alone. Finally some time to heal!

I pull out three Apple Gels, using them all on wounds and drinking the rest. That should heal me up for now. I wonder how Lloyd and the others got on … well, Botta came out, so that must mean they won. If I stay out here any longer, more Renegades will arrive and the others will think I died or something.

I walk (half limping here) over to the door, waiting for it to slide open. I practically fall into the room when it does. 'Ouch.'

'Hey. Took you long enough.'

I glare up at the crimson-clad swordsman. Everyone else is here, including Raine who is examining what remains of Botta's sword. 'Yeah, I got attacked by the blue-haired guy. Leave me alone.'

Everyone has wounds of their own. I guess the battle with Botta didn't run so smoothly. That guy is weaker than Yuan, but I got lucky while fighting him. Had I not used Orange Gels, I'd be very dead right now.

'We can discuss this further when we get out,' Kratos orders. 'They've probably increased security by now.'

'I opened the escape route just now,' informs our own crazy professor, plucking the Exsphere previously embedded in Botta's sword. 'Let's go.'

I notice a door on the other side of the room, probably being the escape passage. Raine taps a code into what looks like something you'd find in an elevator. It's probably controlling the lock on the door …

'Let's leave before the Desians get here.'


	11. Friendship Fortunes

Chapter 11 - Friendship Fortunes

We got back to Triet a few hours ago. We rested, healed our wounds, ate … and now we're watching Raine spaz out over an Exsphere. This must be very normal in the life of Genis. Poor guy. Anyway … I have to thank Charis later for giving me that knife to use. If I hadn't used it, I'm sure I'd be dead right now. I'm not looking forward to seeing Yuan anytime soon. That definitely wasn't his full strength. Though I have to admit, if I were as strong as him and I'd just come across a frail 13 year old obviously weaker than myself, I wouldn't use my full strength to kill them. Like I said earlier, I got lucky … next time he'll be going all-out. And with Botta. Eek. Meh, I shouldn't think about the future. What is to say I'll live through this anyway? 

The Professor is still contemplating the nature of Exspheres as I think. I should just focus on what's going on right now and forget the future. Just forget everything …

… I want to forget everything. I don't want to worry every night about how I could be killed by monsters, Yggdrasill, or even Kratos … and if I do die, I'd prefer it not to be the cause of Kratos's blade. I'm putting my trust in this guy, and I hope that he is slowly beginning to trust me. I want him to trust me, even though he'll betray us. I'm such an idiot …

I'm going to see that fortune teller when everyone retires to bed. Why can't I learn how to see how people feel about me myself? I hate fortune tellers … evil sons of maggots … evil I tell you!

… Um, back to reality.

'So, these Exspheres are amplifiers, designed to develop our best abilities,' the Professor explains to herself in a language only she can understand. I'm too tired to say "what?". 'I wonder if I could use one, too!'

Please, somebody stop her before she explodes from to much mania-mode.

'That would be difficult,' Kratos states from the other side of the room. 'Exspheres are harmful to the body without a Key Crest.' Yay, no exploding Raine.

I give a small shrug at the shared fact. 'Well, that's no problem. Lloyd can make Key Crests, can't he?' I say, looking up at the swordsman. I'm sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed, by the way. No more room on the beds. Evilness.

Lloyd gives a small nod, adjusting his position. 'Kinda … I can engrave the charm needed, but only my dad can process the ore.'

I completely forgot about that. 'Oh … right.'

The Professor undoes her backpack, pulling a number of old worn artefacts and placing them carefully on the rug. Everything looks like it came out of an English medieval museum … damn, getting homesick here. Ignore, IGNORE! 'Well, is there any inhibitor ore among these materials?' she asks, picking up anything that might resemble a Key Crest. That is not a Key Crest that is a goblet, lady!

'Raine!' Genis sighs angrily, jumping up from the bed. 'Did you bring all of this from our house?'

'Of course,' Raine says, not taking her eyes off the worn artefacts. 'They're valuable research materials. This is a holy vase from the Balacruf Mausoleum,' she states, pointing to a small grey vase thick with rust and other icky stuff. 'This is a jewelled sword from the Martel Temple, this is a priest's crown from the Asgard ruins, this is yellow ore from the Hima mines …'

Please, someone kill her now. I can't do this … it's like being back of school. Oh, which reminds me … I've missed a day off school today. They'll be wondering where I went. Then when (if) I get back, I'll go to school, horrid uniform back on, and:

"Where the hell have you been?"

"I went to Sylvarant."

"… Charlotte, did you eat cat food again?"

Hopefully not though … anyway, let's continue. Raine is still giving us a last of what these magical and mysterious items are (sarcasm) and no one has noticed the vaguely gleaming Key Crest tucked beneath the priest's crown. Lloyd has declared Raine's precious items are junk, and now she's getting ready to kill him. Bad move, Mr. Swordsman. Bad move.

I reach over to the crown, shoving it aside and picking up the iridescent Key Crest, pulling myself to my feet. This is definitely the item we're looking for … I can see the half worn crest and everything … well, Lloyd is busy being killed by Raine, so I'll just give it to Kratos. Raine will probably attack me if I interrupt.

No one has actually noticed I have the Key Crest. Are you all blind or something? Then again, watching Lloyd continuously being slapped up-side the head is quite amusing.

'Hey …' I say quietly, walking up to the mercenary. 'What about this?'

I turn over the Key Crest, dropping my hand at my side as he takes it, examining the item closely. Yes Kratty, it's a Key Crest. What is wrong with you people?

'Lloyd, we found something,' I say over the resounding smacks. The swordsman takes this as his cue to escape, ducking under the next strike and quickly making his way towards us and away from the evil clutches of the Professor. That'd make a good horror movie, albeit very disturbing.

'That's a Key Crest!' the swordsman confirms, obviously noting the fault with the item. Kratos's voices the situation.

'The crest is half worn off. It's unusable like this.'

'If so, then Lloyd can fix it, right?' I say, my tone of voice leaning more towards questioning. Lloyd gives a small nod taking the Key Crest and examining it quickly.

'Yeah. I can just re-carve the crest into it. You can equip it tomorrow, Professor,' he announces. The Professor gives a wide smile, her attempted composed mask crumbling. Beware of sudden explosions. She thanks him vigorously before the rest of the party begin to retreat to their rooms, bidding goodnight to the three left. That'd be Lloyd, Kratos and me. I said I'd see the fortune teller lady tonight, and … well, I guess I'm going to soon. Not right now though.

'Well, I'm gonna hit the sack,' I say, stretching my arms above my head. 'It's been a long day for all of us.'

'Yeah …' Lloyd agrees, walking over to a desk in the corner of the room. 'I'm gonna finish the Professor's Key Crest before turning in.'

I can see Kratos opposes the idea by the look on his face. Lloyd may need his sleep, what with fighting half the Sylvarant Base alone and the trials of the Seal of Fire we'll face in the morning, but he still made a promise to Raine that he'd fix the Key Crest for her. Without it, she can't fight with us.

'Actually, I'm gonna go for a quick walk before I sleep …' I say, backing away to towards the door before Kratos demands I rest for the battles tomorrow. I can sense his disappointment for failing to force both me and Lloyd to our beds, but he gives a curt nod. I grin slightly and pull open the door, stepping out into the dark hall.

The drone of conversation buzzes from one of the second floor rooms. Unless Colette is either talking to herself or praying, I'd say it was Genis and Raine. I don't think they'll notice if I leave … the inn's front door doesn't creak much. If they follow me out, I'll probably shoot them thinking it's a monster or something. Seriously though, I don't think Genis would, but Lloyd always follows people. He followed Kratos out when he left the inn in the game, and in Hima before the Tower of Salvation. Aurion stalker.

We may be in the middle of the desert, but the air has a somewhat comfortable breeze to it. I ascend the sand dusted pebble steps, catching a glimpse of Noishe dozing in his stable. Noishe is another person/animal that probably won't trust me. I don't want to pressure anyone and be all "like me! LIKE ME!" … because that is rather gay. And I will not lower myself to that level. Unless I do it subconsciously.

I shake off the thought and continue down the pathway, kicking up small clouds of sand. This town really has no entertainment to offer when I think about it … Iselia is the village of oracles and home of the Chosen, Palmacosta has the academy and I think Raine said there was a museum somewhere, Asgard has the famous stone dais and Luin … well Luin also sucks, and you can see the Tower of Salvation from Hima. Although that a man insists that the hole in the wall shaped like Colette will become this city's tourist spot. That confused me and scared me.

I have to say that I've never even been to a particularly hot place, so I don't think I could stand a whole day of Triet's heat without throwing myself into the oasis. It's a good thing we leave early tomorrow morning. Unless of course my being here screwed something else up and a random meteor or something hits Triet. But … hopefully not. I wonder if anything I've done now has buggered up anything in the future. Like, if someone dies or not … or if somewhere could get attacked by Desians … or anything.

I don't really want anyone to die … Botta, Zelos, Mithos … all of them turned to our side and then died. Wait, "our" side? I don't even know if I'll stay loyal to everyone. There is that possibility that I could turn into Zelos and help out Cruxis in exchange for help or something, but that's highly unlikely. No matter what, I want to stay with these guys. I know I can trust them. Well, except Kratos.

The fortune teller's tent is actually quite small … I remember it looking really stuffy in there … actually, all places like that are stuffy. I don't know why, they just are. Another reason why I don't like fortune tellers: they deny you your breathing abilities!

I push the heavy drape that acts as the door to one side, stepping into the mildly lit tent. As I expected, he has a heavy scent of some kind of herb mixed with burning wood. I discover this by taking a deep breath and coughing into my hand as the heavy air tickles my throat like spidery fingers.

The fortune teller is sitting there in all her cloth draped glory, two large hoop earrings dangling from her earlobes to give that extra "gypsy" look. I have Roman Gypsy blood myself because my mother's side of the family originated from Rome, but still … eww … I hate earrings. She looks up, noticing my presence from when I coughed. She leans forwards, elbows resting on the desk and long fingernails painted a vivid purple tapping her crystal ball.

'What can I do for you, dear?' she asks, lazily drawing shapes on her crystal. I try and breathe through my nose, failing and receiving an unwanted burning sensation in my nostrils. I make a face but answer quickly.

'I heard you were doing free friendship fortunes or something along those lines,' I say weakly from the attempt at holding my breath. The fortune teller quickly straightens herself up, adjusting her headscarf thing.

'Well, it's a bit late in the evening. I'm sure I'll conjure up something though.'

I give a small nod, stepping up to the front of the desk as the fortune teller pulls two stools up, one for her and one for me. I sit down and watch the fortune teller switch crystal balls, replacing the large one with another the size of an apple. This one is tinted a light shade of violet, a number of colours mixing together when light hits it. Can this really tell what people think of me?

'Aren't you travelling with the Chosen's group?'

That came out of nowhere. I look up give another nod. 'Yeah. I want to know what they think about me. Wait, how did you know?'

The fortune teller shrugs indolently. 'You don't look like you're from around here. It was just a refined guess.'

I arch my eyebrows in amusement, offering a grin. 'Well, you sure do know how to go about your questions.'

'I can practically read people's minds,' she says, talking to herself mostly. She gives the small crystal a quick spin on its pedestal, looking back up at me. 'Right, who's the person's feelings you want analyzed?'

I brace myself for the answer, squirming on my chair slightly and decided this wasn't a good idea. I'll just have to go along with it now I'm here. 'Um … his name is Kratos. Kratos Aurion.'

'Ah yes, the moody one in blue. I saw him earlier today. Okay, one friendship fortune coming right up.'

She closes her eyes, both hands clutching the small crystal ball. I can see the violet colours within turning a dark blue, a kind of smoke swirling around at a sluggish speed. I wait patiently, own hands clutched in my lap and my heart easing its way up my throat.

After a few seconds, the colours return to their original shade, the smoke disappearing. I barely notice the fortune teller removing her hands from the crystal.

'This man …' she starts quietly. 'Is finding it difficult to trust you. You know something about him, but my powers can't reach that far. His mysteries are shrouded in a dark shadow.'

My hands seem to have moved themselves to clutch my knees. I stare down at my lap. 'Is there … anything else?'

'Yes. Well, this may be personal guessing, but I think that because you know his secret or something that may have happened, you might be able to understand something about him. You know, a dark side of him or something.'

Me understand Kratos? I knew this was a waste of time. I mean, I KNOW he's from Cruxis (which I'm assuming is his dark side), but I know that I know he's from Cruxis. Wait, did that make sense?

'Well, my guesses aside, he still seems cold. It may be useless, but you could form some sort of friendship if you can get him to open up.'

If that's possible. I'm a normal 13 year old girl. Sure, lets trust the kid that blackmailed you!

'Well, anyone else?'

I shake away those thoughts and look back up, clutching my hands together again. 'Yeah … Lloyd Irving.'

I watch as she repeats the same strategy. The violet colours seem to have turned a light shade of orange instead of the previous dark blue. The smoke also seems to be moving faster, if only the slightest.

'Ah, this person is different,' she says, eyes lighting up. 'It seems you haven't reached the title of "friend" yet … more like a comrade. But if it's any consolation, you seem to be warming up to each other quickly. Have you done anything for this person lately?'

Well, I helped him out in Sylvarant Base. I guess that counts. 'Yeah, just a little something.'

'He seems to be very grateful for it. Carry on like this and you'll be good friends in no time. Anyone else?'

Meh, I'll do one more. 'Raine Sage.'

Do I have to explain again? Same thing happens; colour turns green, smoke goes slow. 'This person sees you as a … new student or something? Is she a teacher?'

I nod.

'She seems to have a great desire for teaching by my reading … I should just say that you had better prepare yourself for lessons and lectures on this journey.'

I allow myself a small smile. That's something I have to look out for, I guess. I'll just run for the hills if she starts a lecture or a lesson. I'm being denied of school right now and I plan to keep it that way.

'Well, thanks for the reading,' I say, standing up and pushing the stool under the desk. 'It was useful, in a way.'

'Anytime, dear.'

I step outside into the cool night, glad to have left the oxygen-denied tent. I should get back to the inn … Lloyd must have finished the Key Crest by now and given it to the Professor. If he's seen Kratos leave the inn already, I might bump into them. I guess if they're with Noishe I should keep my distance.

I quicken my pace down the pathway, hearing an exclamation split the silence of the air. That was Lloyd …

He must have chosen to follow Kratos. I fight back a smile and continue, keeping close to the wall as to not draw attention to myself. Time for a bit of nightly eavesdropping.

As I continue, I start to hear the sound of conversation from around the corner. Pressing my back to the wall, I rest my head against the worn stone and listen to the other's conversation, keeping my breathing at a quiet pace. Kratos may not be the Chosen, but I've been around him long enough to know that his senses surpass ours. Four thousand years must give him time to practise those things. It might also be that fact that he's an angel, but he can still sleep, taste and feel … only the Chosen and inferior angels completely loose their senses.

'Wh … what?' Lloyd asks nervously. 'What are you staring at me like that for?'

I am unable to stop my mind brew a memory for when my nephew and I saw this on the game. He made a rather … disturbing and dirty comment which I will not repeat, and now I have to jam my fist inside my mouth to stop a wave of giggles. Stupid nephew … putting dirty thoughts in my head in the worst of times.

My giggle fit subsides after Kratos leaves, heading back to the inn. Lloyd looks angry again … he stamps his foot hard into the ground, sand flying everywhere.

'Dammit!'

'Gee, someone needs anger management,' I say, stepping out of my hiding place and walking over. The swordsman looks up, quickly calming himself. He gives an uncertain grin and turns, resting his elbows on the stable fence.

'Heh … you heard?' he asks as I mimic his movement, reaching out one hand to pet Noishe.

'Most of it,' I say after Noishe wrinkles his nose and turns away. I guess the "dog" still doesn't trust me. Meh, I'll live. For now. 'Don't worry, I think you're a good swordsman.'

Lloyd clutches the beam of wood, leaning back and gazing up at the stars. I've just noticed how many there are … and as you probably know, I live in a city. Living in a city means you can't see the stars, and … well, that sucks. I have telescopes and things, but that doesn't help.

'Really?'

I suddenly remember what we were talking about and give a quick nod. 'Yeah. If I hadn't found you in the Sylvarant Base, I'd be being eaten by Raybits by now. If … it's possible for machines to eat, but you know what I mean. So, ah …' I say quickly, changing the subject. 'What did you do while I was out?'

Lloyd gives a small shrug. 'I finished the Key Crest and took it to The Professor … then I just saw Kratos coming out here, so I followed him.'

'You mean stalked him.'

'Sh ... shut up.'

I smile slightly to myself, twisting and resting my back on the fence, watching the swordsman pout slightly in the darkness. 'You know I'm kidding …'

'Yeah … but you're an evil little nerd.'

It's my turn to pout. 'Stop calling me nerd!'

'But you are,' Lloyd says smugly with a smirk.

'I am not!'

'Are.'

'Not!'

'Are.'

'Not!'

'Not.'

'Are! Wait …' I sulk again. 'Bastard.'

I feel my mouth twitch. Why am I smiling? I want to shoot him! Damn swordsman … messing with my head.

'You know …' Lloyd begins quietly, sliding down to sit on the ground. 'You don't smile much around people.'

I plop down cross-legged next to him, chin resting in hand. That was a very random fac - no, it wasn't a fact … it was … more of a stated guess. 'What are you talking about? I smile all the time.'

Lloyd shakes his head, brunette tendrils catching in the light breeze. 'No … it's more like a forced smile, or a grin.'

I shrug my shoulders, drawing patterns in the sand beneath me to attract my attention. 'Well … I don't smile unless there's something to smile about, I guess. I've found it hard to smile lately.'

Lloyd leans back onto the fence, waving away Noishe who attempting to chew his hair. 'Because of the way Sylvarant is suffering?'

I nod. It's actually because of the fact I'm stuck in a world that is very, VERY dangerous, but I'm not about to stand up and shout it to the whole of Triet. I'll probably be burnt at the stake.

'Well … that's why we've gotta be strong. We have to help Colette by becoming stronger, right?'

I look up and raise an eyebrow. 'And Kratos taught you that, didn't he?'

'Sh ... shut up.'

I pull my knees to my chest, resting my chin on them. After a few seconds of silence, I turn back to the crimson-clothed swordsman. The young man is resting his right cheek on his knees, looking away from me. I can see his high cheekbones are stained with a glowing red.

'You know …' I mumble quietly, looking up at the moon. 'You … don't have to be embarrassed that Kratos is trying to help you …'

'Help me?' Lloyd mumbles, lifting his head. 'More like mock me.'

I make a face, shaking my head. 'He's not mocking you …! He's just trying to make you more aware in battle! Because you … well, you're an enthusiastic guy and you need to simmer down a bit in battle …'

I'm greeting with a thick silence, the very stress of the air almost drying up my throat. I can feel my heart throbbing in my throat too. I wonder if I said something bad … I know that what Lloyd does and who he talks to in the game right now determines who's friendship levels go up … I wonder if I said the wrong thing. Judging by what he told me, he talked to no one. I have no idea if he talked to Genis or Raine, but … I guess I'll never know. I don't know if just talking to me now is causing us to become better friends … but I think I made him annoyed at me.

Without a word, my "comrade" stands up and turns back to the inn. I quickly jump up, stepping closer. ' … Lloyd, are you angry at me?'

The swordsman pauses as if considering an answer. I wait patiently, but my nerves are straining … I swallow to try and remove the dryness from my throat, feeling like I have tonsillitis again.

'No, I'm not angry. It's getting cold, so let's get back to the inn.'

I nod and follow quietly.

* * *

'You do both realise it is now very late.' 

'We know,' Lloyd mumbles, half-ignoring Kratos and toppling face-forwards on his bed. He must be tired, poor thing. Well, I'm tired to … I think I should finally get to sleep … I woke up early this morning (for me, at least), and now it's quite late. I think I'd prefer being at school today other than risking my life fighting monsters and bandits and Raybits. Oh, and Yuan. How could I forget? I'll always remember pretty-blue-hair-man-with-a-pretty-black-cape. Nyahaha.

Kratos closes what looks like a small black-leather notebook, sealing it with a gold clip-stud and placing on his bedside table. I know I shouldn't pry, but he looks like he was writing in it. That doesn't happen in the game … he never had a small notebook … unless I have a _ver_yshort attention span.

Kratos took no notice of my silent thoughts, lying back in his bed. 'You should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be far harder than anything we've faced up until now.'

The drowsy Lloyd raises a hand, pointing over at Kratos and talking through a mouth-full of pillow. 'You shush.'

Kratos gave a small amused look to the younger swordsman, pulling the beige covers over himself. 'Goodnight, Lloyd.'

'G'night Kratos …' Lloyd mumbles, quickly waving a hand in my direction afterwards. 'Goodnight Charlotte.'

I grin slightly, sitting down on my own bed. 'G'night guys.'

* * *


	12. Kratos has a diary!

Chapter 12 - Kratos has a diary!

I'm too nosy for my own good.

I pull myself up, pushing away the blankets as quietly as I can and stand. Both other occupants of the room are dead to the world, and I think it's a miracle Kratos is actually sleeping. I've never seen him sleep. Maybe he's faking it like Colette does when she's looses the privilege to do so. If I make any sudden movements, there's a very high chance I'll be impaled on the end of his blade. I just hope he doesn't keep it under his pillow.

The night is late, but I'm not tired. My instinct is nagging at my mind, screaming "TaKe ThE bOoK, tAkE iT! ReAd It! NyAhAhAhA!"

It took most of my self-control to not listen to it, but I had given in some time ago. Now I actually have the guts to creep over to Kratos's bedside table and take the annoying little book that's keeping me awake.

I tip-toe over the uncomfortable rug spread across the room (what do they make these things out of anyway?), scooping up the leather book and darting back to my bead, diving onto it. It's a good thing these beds are sturdy and don't make much of a noise. The sound could easily have been passed off for me rolling over in my sleep.

I drag the thin covers over my head, grabbing the flickering candle from my bedside and bringing that under too. Can't read without a light, you know. I concentrate some mana onto the flame, a small semi-transparent bubble concealing it. This is actually something Genis taught me in the Martel Temple after I accidentally hit him with Fire Ball while it was soaring towards a monster. It's to stop your comrades getting hit. Hopefully it will stop the mattress going up in flames.

I pull the clip-stud open with a small snap, flicking through a few blank pages before finally coming to a number of pages, each full with neat handwriting and small smudges of black ink. I am quick to realise some of the pages are done in pencil. How easier.

Flipping back to the first text filled page, I pull the candle closer and begin to read.

"_I currently have no idea if what I'm doing is right or wrong. I may silently be against Mithos' goal, yet his promises of this improved world free of discrimination and the long awaited reuniting of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla is something I cannot oppose. I must finally focus on what is ahead of me."_

Whoa, Kratos keeps a diary. Or a journal. Or whatever you want to call it, but he keeps one! Must keep reading. I flick forwards until I find something closer to this date.

"_I never for a moment considered I would have to return to Iselia after what happened to my family. _((Rather large blob of ink here. Must have attempted to scribble something out))_ Fool – I mustn't dwell on the past. It should remain as its title signifies – the past. I cannot allow this weakness to develop. Not now. Not ever._

_For now, I must find Lord Yggdrasill's new Chosen._

_The village is completely absent of life after the Renegades invaded in search for their target. The father of the Chosen directed me to the Martel Temple where she and two others have headed to receive the oracle. Lord Yggdrasill earlier informed me that Remiel has taken up the offer for role-playing the girl's guardian angel father from Cruxis. Remiel is nothing but a self-proclaimed 'Angel of Judgement', and he was so zealous on playing the role. There is obviously no doubt he is aiming to be one of the four seraphim. Such a high plan for such a deplorable lesser angel."_

Wow, someone doesn't like Remiel. I skip a few pages again.

"_Over the past fourteen years, I have created something like a bubble of seclusion, hiding myself within its depths and choking myself in its darkness, my own despair fuelling its power. My somewhat cold demeanour has been carefully structured around it, forming my new self. My sinned self._

_My globe of seclusion has just cracked. _

_I have found the remnants of my shattered life. I have found Lloyd, my son, in Iselia._

_This was not supposed to happen. But of course … if I had ever for a moment considered that you had survived that attack from Kvar, Lloyd … it would be certain that you would be living here in Iselia. Someone obviously found you, raised you into a fine (yet dim-witted) boy._

_I should be overjoyed, ecstatic that I have found you alive after so many years … yet the thought took no hesitation in striking me painfully, reminding that if Lord Yggdrasill's plan were to succeed and you were to accompany the Chosen, you're life would be among the ones sacrificed._

_That is of course, unless I could keep you in Iselia._

_On a whim, I decided to do that. You may have won our small argument at the Martel Temple, but I will make sure you remain in Iselia. I will not submit. _

_Aside from Lloyd, the plan for Yggdrasill was going quite well. Upon approaching the Temple, I immediately sensed danger. There was no doubt it was the Renegades come to take the Chosen's life. They were quick work, but I was surprised to see a girl barely in her teens_ ((hey, I'm fourteen soon!))_ among them. She later explained she was taking a dragon to Hima but the Oracle caused it to go out of control and drop her. Whoever she was, it was unimportant. The sooner we got to Remiel, the sooner I could report to Lord Yggdrasill. My only chance to have any contact with him was then until we reached the Tower of Salvation._"

Damn him for getting my age terribly right. Flick page, flick page, flick page. Ohh, my name!

"_The Charlotte girl we ran into at Martel Temple had come along with us, but she remained with Lloyd and his friend while we made our way back to Iselia. After I talked with The Chosen's family and Iselia's mayor, she was waiting for me to ask if she could come with us on the journey. Of course I said no – it would be another innocent life sacrificed and another person in the way. I could not allow another hindrance._

_But as I walked away, she revealed that she knew about my relations to Lloyd. The child had the nerve to blackmail me, but I, on some level, cannot blame naive instinct. Her mother was a priestess, so she was likely force taught religion. It's not rare to have a thirst for knowledge and want to see events so prominent first hand. Mark my words girl – I only let you come because if you were to tell someone, I would shudder visibly at the consequences. Lloyd must never know, even if this may very well be the last time I ever see him again."_

Woot, direct hatred. Keep reading, Charlie. Here's something from when we where walking across the fields … he must have wrote it while I was sleeping when we first came to Triet.

"_As I claimed earlier, I'm keeping a close eye on the girl. I have no way of finding out if she has told anyone so far. If she has or will … I would be forced to flee back to Cruxis. In doing so, all the innocents would be saved. They need not die for Yggdrasill's own needs. Part of me wants her to tell them, part of me wants her to stay silent. If all the innocents are saved, then so be it. I really have no compassion for anyone in this group. The Chosen is clumsy, annoying … and it took me a while to believe that she really is The Chosen and not some fake. The Professor is possibly the most … disturbing person I've met in quite a while. When it comes to ruins and cooking, I cannot help but wince inwardly. The girl is a nuisance as I suspected_ ((anger, much anger))_. Her fighting skills are standard … but I feel she can do better if she concentrates. It may be refined conjecture, but I feel she isn't familiar with the monsters, especially the Sidewinders _((I knew he was gonna bring that up))_."_

Hmm, last few pages. This must be the entry he wrote when Lloyd and I came in.

"_The news of Lloyd being kidnapped by Renegades was quite alarming, and equal in shock was the fact that the girl had left on her own to help him. Judging by her wounds when she found us, she had been through a lot_ ((you bet)).

_The girl aside, I'm glad Lloyd was not severely wounded. He may be much stronger than the girl, but the Renegades aren't fools. They know how to fight their enemies. The encounter with Botta allowed me to observe how Lloyd was progressing. Despite the fact that he is still lacking in his techniques and smarts, he has gotten much stronger indeed._

_Should I let myself feel like this? If I allow any emotion to surpass my demeanour, I will be showing weakness – to myself and to Lord Yggdrasill. I cannot. I mustn't._

_I won't." _

Whoa, that was shocking. I sweep a hand over the candle, a burst of mana devouring the flame. I have to admit, if I where Kratos, I _would_ have this little bug in the back of my mind screaming "blackmail-blackmail-blackmail-blackmail" every now and then. Quickly closing the book, I slide out of bed and creep back over to the bedside table, placing the book back carefully. I notice Kratos's arm twitch in sleep, so I quickly decide to leave before he whips his sword out from under his pillow and kills me.

I rest my hand on the juncture of my neck, rubbing away a cramp that seems to have formed there in the past few minutes. Must have been from leaning over that damn diary. Infernal, bloody … _thing_!

I grab a dressing gown from the end of my bad and pull it on, stepping over to the door and turning the knob quickly. A few clicks resound around the room as the old handle is turned. I make a face at look over at my frien – _group_. Still sound asleep … oh how lucky I am. I quickly step out into the dimly lit main room, noticing a few candles here and there. They must be there for little purposes … like visitors walking around and such. I'm rambling, and I will stop now.

I open the entrance door, walking out into pitch blackness. I notice the faint outline of some things, but … it's so dark. The only light is the stars and the moon. I've noticed there are more stars here than in Iselia. It must be because of the spare mana the human ranches let out into the air (Genis told me). I don't understand how there can be such a thing as excess mana. I mean, mana is vital to life … right? They need every bit they can get. But (Raine told me this) the mana let out into the air from human ranches apparently becomes unusable. I have no idea why, but I'm not willing to doubt the Professor (anyone notice Genis and Raine like to teach me things? It must be shocking for Raine to have a new student to torture!).

I can hear the inn door creak on its hinges as it is pushed open. I glance over my shoulder and immediately notice who that inky blue outfit belongs to. I grin uncertainly and look away. 'Hi Kratos.'

'What are you doing up this late?'

I shrug, tugging my dressing gown tighter around me. 'I couldn't sleep. You?'

'My reason doesn't matter,' the mercenary states, frowning evidently. 'What matters is your lack of rest. If you refuse sleep, your performance in combat will slacken greatly tomorrow -' a quick glimmer of stubbornness in his eyes '- and you will jeopardize those around you.'

I press my index finer to my lower lip, feeling a grin strain my mouth. 'We did this in Iselia, didn't we? The "make-Charlotte-feel-guilty-and-wrap-her-around-your-little-finger-thing".'

'I only base my thoughts on common sense.'

'And oh how well you do it.'

I notice a calm but cold glare meet my eyes, allowing no chance to strike up an argument. I agree to his silent demand and look away, back up at the shimmering stars. 'Okay, I'll go to bed soon. Right now just let me stay out here,' I say, letting my arms drop to my sides. 'I'll come back when I'm ready.'

Kratos turns and twists the doorknob. I hear the door click shut as he returns to the inn. Damn mercenary still doesn't trust me. I let my negative thoughts die on the breeze and think about who/what the hell would sell my Gamecube a cat outfit on eBay.

* * *

I wake with an inaudible groan, shielding my eyes from the sunlight that filtered through the open window. I roll over limply onto my front, placing my hands both sides of my pillow and hoisting myself up, ridding half my body of sleep cramps.

I collapse back onto the mattress after counting to seven and roll off the bed, hitting the floor with a thud. I curse drowsily and promise to send the floor into the deepest pits of hell if I ever become a demon overlord and drag myself to my feet, using the bed for support. I notice our favourite pineapple-headed twin-swordsman has woken too.

'Morning Lloyd,' I mumble, my hand searching blindly for clothing while the other rubs my eyes. 'How was your sleep?'

The crimson-clad swordsman stands and stretches, relieving himself of his own bed cramps. Evil little things they are – and these beds aren't exactly comfortable. I felt like I was sleeping on wood or something.

'Slept like a rock.'

'Good for you,' I grumble, giving the air a small punch to show my "happiness" for him. 'I slept like a rock on a bed-full of thorns in a room full of armed psychopaths watching my every move and screaming bloody murder every five minutes.'

Lloyd stares at me blankly.

'I had crap sleep.'

'Oh …' he mutters quietly, scratching the back of his head. '… You're still up for the battles at the seal?'

I look up with a grin, pulling my trousers on with difficulty (I wore a extra-large shirt for bed. Like hell I would dress in front of Lloyd!). 'Are you kidding? I'll chug down ten mugs of coffee and some sugar, get high, go to the seal and clear out all the monsters within two minutes, and I'll do it blindfolded with one arm tied behind my back.'

Lloyd gives me a childish grin, obviously amused at my "eccentric" idea. I'd do it if I could and he knows it. But right now, we are both _very_ late and if we don't hurry up, Raine is likely to bitch-slap us both into next week. And we _really_ don't want that. No-sir-ee-do.

I finish changing as Lloyd looks away, throwing random Apple and Orange Gels into my satchel. I sneak the zenta in there, hiding it in a corner and quickly straighten up. 'I'm ready, mister leader sir. Come on, let's go.'

We quickly leave the inn, deciding to keep at least ten meters away from Raine and walk up to the group, a large percentage of them looking extremely pissed off. I quickly brush away the thought of myself being stabbed, burnt and slapped to death and offer a small smile to the frowning lot. 'Sorry we're late.'

Genis shoots us a small glower, arms folded. I suddenly notice the Exsphere on the back of his right hand. Hmm, only took me about thirteen hours to realise that. 'It took you long enough …'

I scowl as I tighten the satchel around my belt (damn thing keeps falling off). 'Well, excuse us for fighting through a friggin' Desian Base on our own and getting beaten up by freaky men with swords. We needed rest, damn you.'

Kratos turns on his heel and takes a few steps forward. 'We should move on.'

'What's the rush?' Lloyd asks, causing Kratos to stop and shoot the twin-swordsman an emotionless glance over his shoulder. Wow, Kratos has been rebuilding his bubble of seclusion thing. 'The Desians could be fast approaching the area as we speak. Simply standing around would be walking right into their hands.'

'You sure are a killjoy,' I mumble as he walks away, probably only Lloyd and maybe Colette hearing me. 'I'm not excited now.'

Hey, wasn't Raine supposed to give Lloyd the monster notes or something? Hmm … must have slipped her mind. She probably sat up all night watching her Exsphere. That is really scary when you picture it. Moving on …

* * *


	13. Through the Desert

* * *

Chapter 13 - Through the Desert

Trekking through the Triet desert is a lot harder than it actually looks. If you have the game, you can just enter the desert and push the joystick forwards, all: "Ooo, Triet Desert, better watch out for monsters, tra la la la la …"

… I hate you all. I am _hot_ … I am _sweating_ … I forgot to buy new clothes … and I'm not riding Noishe. There's the regular gust of sand every now and then that is usually inevitable (curse you, weather), and just like when we came here it gets blown up into our faces. Grr and growl. Right now I'm attempting to sing all my troubles away. Sunday, Monday happy days. Tuesday, Wednesday happy days. Thursday, Friday …

Myaa, I think I'm dehydrating. My head keeps throbbing like a jackhammer with no mercy and all moisture from my mouth has disappeared, leaving a horrible dry yet sticky feeling. My tongue has jammed itself to the roof of my mouth to add to the torment which nature is giving me, and nature is pointing and laughing it's ass off. Anger, much anger.

'Does anyone else feel like they've lost the will to live …?' I croak, rubbing my neck and brushing stray pieces of hair away that seem to have stuck there. Lloyd raises his hand weakly, dropping it back to his side.

'Me …'

I nod but quickly stop after I discover it makes my head hurt even more. Lloyd looks a state, too. Poor guy must be tired. I guess I would be if I had to battle through a Renegade base on my own. Wait, I did. Well, half of it at least.

Fatigue may have reared its ugly head, but that doesn't stop me noticing the number of monsters crawling/slithering towards us, and among them a large number of Sidewinders. Oh sweet and holy crap. This is my first battle with my team mates since three groups of monsters decided to gang up on us. Everyone must have improved in the battle with Botta, and Lloyd and Genis too since getting abducted by the Renegades. I wonder if I should do what Kratos told me to in battle: don't doubt my skills, focus on how they're developing and block out what everyone around me is doing. Hmm … I'll give it a go, I guess.

I don't think I mentioned before, but Sidewinders are … _really_ big. Even though over about a third of their body is slithering away on the floor, its head reaches my waist at least. If it somehow, magically stood up on the end of its tail, it'd be taller than the average male adult. I'm scared again.

Deciding powering up spells and special techs would only waste time, I fire at a Sidewinder making its merry way towards me. It's not dying. Hmm.

I power up my tech anyhow and back away from the approaching snake. A Chakram flies out of nowhere and practically slices the poor thing in half. I turn away from the snake, its shredded skin and mangled insides not helping my current situation. Must aim attack at something else. I look around and notice a number of dead Sidewinders/Scorpions and a much bleeding and unconscious Bandit surrounding our favourite mercenary, blood-soaked blade in hand. I decide to ignore that before my stomach decides to heave up something I ate recently and glance over at Lloyd. He and Genis are attacking another Bandit who has received a large gash in his arm. Is everything gore-related today?

A scorpion previously plodding about seems to have crept up behind Lloyd and Genis, ready to attack. Colette is currently face-down on the floor (Item Thief usage, by the way), Raine is healing some wounds and the two boys are now trying to fend off another two Sidewinders. I currently have a technique stored that's about to hit something or someone if I don't use it soon, and Kratos seems to have already noticed and is running over there at a speed a never knew was possible by human man. I look around and see another Sidewinder slinking towards me. I shrug and send the tech at the beast.

'Mana Beam!' I shout quickly, executing the attack and turning away from the snake as it blows to bits. 'Lloyd, look out-!'

Three things happen at once. Lloyd looks over at me, the Scorpion's needle/spine sinks deep into his leg and Kratos's blade penetrates the creatures shell-encased back with a sickening, resounding crack. My brain denies me my ability to hear the cry of pain, any repellent snaps from the monster's shell as it is torn off and the beast is killed, Genis' exclamation to his friend. A throbbing I can hear and feel echoes in my head, the same tempo of my heartbeat. As Lloyd's knees hit the floor, a wavering blade of light swipes up my arm and disappears in less than a second. I can definitely feel the deep gash it left. My upper sleeve flutters open and hot blood begins to dribble down my arm, each bead leaving a crimson path, feeding my panic. I manage to stifle a scream of pain.

"_Holy crap, are you okay?_" Charis asks from inside my mind, apparent worry in her voice.

"_What was … that_?" I ask, a little worried. "_Did someone attack me?_"

No answer.

"_Charis?_"

Nothing.

"_CHARIS!_"

Dammit, she's gone. I quickly use several First Aids and inhale an Apple Gel, walking over to the group. Genis and Colette seem to have finished off the monsters and our friends skilled in the art of healing are tending to the poisoned and wounded Lloyd.

Usually, Scorpions in the desert attack with their pincers (learnt from Raine), and it's only rare that people are poisoned by their needle attacks. I just hope we have some Panacea Bottles with us.

I'm hearing numerous "Lloyd, are you okay?" from Genis and Collette as Raine performs Recover and a few First Aid spells to close the wound up. I turn away at noticing the evil looking injury. There was definitely too much blood in that battle.

Kratos straightens up (previously inspecting the wound) and looks south-west toward the ruins. I can see the dark outline of the nearly destroyed pillars and the large platform with the Oracle Stone and the entrance.

'He should be fine after a while,' Kratos declares quietly, starting off at a walk again. 'We should continue before more monsters begin to gather around this area. The fresh bloodshed will attract them.'

Lloyd is still nursing his leg with Genis and Colette kneeling by his side, the two half-elven siblings giving Kratos a glare probably wondering how he could be so cold. I give the other four an uncertain glance before running to catch up with Kratos, slowing down when I reach his side.

'Hey, are there any light elemental monsters around here?' I ask, thinking back to the blade of light that struck my arm. It must have been that kind of monster that caused the damage if it was far away.

'Only monsters of a fire type can survive in the heat of this area.' He stares straight ahead as he speaks, not looking down at me. Hopefully he won't notice the large wound on my arm. 'Any other type monster would soon die from exhaustion.'

Okay, so it wasn't a monster. Unless it was a human with light-type attacks, but that's unlikely. I glance down and now notice some blood is dripping down my Exsphere. I rub it off with my sleeve quickly.

The pillars are bigger than I expected up close. Then again, so is everything else. I lay a hand on the worn stone, feeling the heat radiating from it. That's some hot stone, people. I could fry an egg on this thing!

A whining voice interrupts my thoughts of food. 'I'm sick of this desert.'

I look over my shoulder to see the rest of our group and Noishe plodding towards us, Lloyd with a new bandage around his leg. It looks like he can walk fine and he doesn't seem sick or pale. The Recover spell must have worked on the poison injected into his body, and the First Aids seem to have done a good job too.

Noishe seems to be backing away to a nearby pillar with a quiet whimper, barely inaudible. He must be scared of the monsters around here, or something along those lines.

'Keep your guard up. Enemies are likely to gather near this area.'

Lloyd looks up at the declaration, furrowing his brow. 'We can take care of ourselves. What's a few monsters? I can take 'em.'

Genis frowns, glaring up at his friend. 'Lloyd, you just got attacked by a Scorpion.'

'S … shut up.'

No sooner did two monsters – Fire Elements to be specific – come floating our way. Their agility, in my point of view, is crap. Time to kill! Yay, massacre!111oneone.

The Fire Elements have already begun casting spells, so I guess the best thing to do would to try and attack them and make them flinch before they can successfully finish. Besides, Lloyd shouldn't be running around with a wounded leg, and the last thing we need is his other leg fried. If so, then I know what we're having for dinner.

An Aqua Edge from behind slams into the monster I'm shooting at, stopping it for me. I shrug mentally and carry on riddling the crimson rock with bullets. Lloyd uses Demon Fang (no walking required for that) and narrowly misses a ball of fire zooming towards his head. Another Aqua Edge heads toward the other enemy.

The one I was previously attacked seems to have sneaked up behind me and dismantled itself and sent bricks in my direction. That isn't good.

I manage to dodge the critical blow, but my right arm is sadly hit. I'll live. A blade of ice shoots up from the ground and penetrates the monster's body, reducing it to a pile of rubble (courtesy of Genis). These things are harder than they look …

Kratos and Lloyd seem to have taken care of the other one with Sonic Thrusts and Demon Fangs. Like in the game, only four people attack in a party. Before in the Martel Temple, we didn't have to do that because we didn't really have much to carry … but now we have sleeping bags, cooking supplies, cooking pots/pans, things to make a fire, Noishe food, healing items, spare equipment, more Noishe food, books (Raine's books), a compass and map, hairbrushes (shared between Raine, Colette and myself), even more Noishe food and twenty-seven bottles of hair gel for Lloyd. That last one wasn't real by the way … anyhow … we need people to carry all of that. And I guess that's what Colette and Raine are doing!

The Professor has already made her way up to the Oracle Stone and begun investigating it closely like it was a clue in some modern day murder mystery. I­ _need_ to stop watching weird things on TV.

I look up and notice Kratos had just that moment taken his eyes off me. I look down and notice the blood flowing steadily down my arm again. The brick that damned monster threw at me must have opened the wound … and worse, Kratos just noticed. I clutch my torn sleeve closer to my skin, mumbling a First Aid and climbing up to the platform. The Professor is currently muttering something about the something-carbonate slab …

She springs up from her crouching position, turning to her younger sibling. She has that weird look in her eye …

'Genis! State the usage for polycarbonate in the Ancient War!'

… Is she kidding? We have a Seal to release, and she's trying to make us learn! The horror, the horror! The half-elven boy answers anyway.

'It was a significant defence shield used against magic when an offending group invaded Triet,' he says impassively as if memorising it from a book.

'Very good.' She looks around for her next victim, crazy eyes settling on …

'Charlotte! Recall the time span of the effectiveness for the defence shield used.'

I stare at her blankly. Recall? I never learnt it! Like I'm going to stride up to my history teacher and ask her about the Ancient War and polycarbonate and such! About fifteen tense seconds pass with everyone staring at me. I should have a hole burned into my head soon. I tug on Kratos' glove. 'Help me.'

Raine interrupts before Kratos can give me the answer. 'Hm? You don't know?'

I lift one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug, pulling my fake-background story to the surface. 'I travelled around since I was young, so I don't really know much about the Ancient War … or the Chosen's journey … actually, I never knew there was an Ancient War …'

'Wasn't your mother a priestess?'

'I was eight! I didn't listen to a word she said.'

Raine has that weird look in her eye … I back away two feet just to be careful. Genis leans over and whispers quickly. 'You shouldn't have said that …'

His older sister's eyes burn with her common passion for teaching, she straightens up, raises her hand and declares proudly: 'Then I take it upon myself to teach you along with my other students. You will address me as "Professor" from now on, and-'

My response is perfectly typical. 'WHAT?'

I can see Lloyd and Genis are trying to stifle their laughs, and Colette is just her happy old self. 'Wow, you get to learn with us!'

Maybe I can make Raine forget about it. 'Hey, can we talk about this later? We have a seal to release and all …'

The Professor nods and returns to the Oracle Stone, dragging Colette over to the mechanism with her. I grimace and look away, thinking about what just happened. Omigod, I'm Raine's new student! I will soon be killed by words of wisdom! Nyuuuuuu!

I hear a loud scrape that causes the whole platform to shudder as narrow steps leading down to the temple area are revealed. It looks hot down there …

'The monsters within are much stronger than the desert's inhabitants.' We all look over at Kratos, who spoke. 'It would be appropriate for you to learn defensive techniques for upcoming combat.'

I stand to one side and watch everyone formulate their own versions of a defensive shield by watching Kratos use his. If I recall correctly, Lloyd and Kratos use Guardian because it's much suited for their abilities, Genis and Raine use Force Field because they're techniques are magic related, and Colette uses Damage Guard for some reason. What'll I get? I know I'm a half-elf and I use magic, but I also rely on my guns a lot … and I don't use magic that much. I guess it's kind of like Kratos and Zelos with their magic. They have it, but they have more focus on their weapons and other techniques.

As everyone is trying out their new defensive techs, Kratos comes over to me. Nyaaa, I don't wanna learn. The mercenary takes about four seconds to think over my performance in recent and combat. 'Are you right or left handed?'

'Right,' I confirm, holding up my hand with the Exsphere planted into my skin.

'Alright. Hold your arm in this position,' Kratos instructs, holding his right arm diagonally before his chest. I try to get the position exactly right, noticing my sleeve has flapped open again to show my bloodstained arm and the long crimson wound. Kratos takes quick notice of it.

'You mean like this?' I ask quickly to direct his attention away from my arm. Kratos nods and teaches me the rest of the technique.

My version is called Protection. It's pretty much the same the same as the others, but it's harder than I expected to perform. The energy used is a high amount. Kratos warned us only to use it in emergencies, but it's something I'll probably pass off in a matter of minutes. But still, better safe than sorry. It was nice of him to teach them. Uh, I mean us.

'Come on, let's get going already!'

I look up to see Lloyd calling me over. I cease practicing Protection and walk over, following the others down the stairs and into the ruins.

Okay, eight reasons why I don't like the Triet Ruins. One: It's crawling with monsters. Two: It's hot. Three: I'm stuck with an archaeological mad woman. Four: It's hot. Five: I'm close to collapsing. Six: It's hot. Seven: I know we have to fight the Ktugatch soon and I'm terribly afraid of fire. Eight: Did I mention it's hot?

I look over at our group, watching each one in turn. Raine is inspecting the whole area ("so this is all that's left of a city destroyed by Efreet's powerful hellfire? Remarkable!") and Genis is staring at his sister and looking like he wants to kill himself. Colette looks slightly uneasy … I guess it'd be releasing her first seal and everything. Kratos looks slightly bored and Lloyd …

Lloyd actually looks a bit pale. He was fine just a minute ago … maybe there's still some poison in his body. If so, it should be gone soon. At least, I think it will. Back to the ruins!

Without warning, several monsters charge towards us. Do we have food they want or something? Leave us alone!

If I remember correctly, there aren't any Sidewinders in the ruins … only those freaky element monsters, Scorpions, little … pot-like monsters, birds that can somehow live with being caught on fire, and those big warrior monsters. Okay, so I never used a Magic Lens. Sue me.

In the midst of battle, I manage to kill off a Scorpion with the help of Genis' magic and begin attacking one of those Brown Pots (yay for sudden fascination with Magic Lenses). Lloyd is facing a Fire Element on his own, Demon Fanging away and actually using his swords once either the beast came to close or he ran out of TP. There is a crumble as Kratos destroys another Fire Element, the previously living monster falling to the ground in a pile of stone. While shooting away at some random monster, I look over to see the Fire Element attacking Lloyd has begun to power up a spell. I should really get over there and make the monster flinch, but I'm in the middle of attacking a Scorpion plodding towards me and Lloyd's wound seems to have opened. Oh fiddle.

The Fire Element finishes the conducting of the spell, but is then promptly killed by Kratos' blade. It falls to the floor, pieces of rock crumbling to dust.

Lloyd gives Kratos somewhat of a glare and quickly turns away to attack an approaching Brown Pot. Kratos passes it off easily and finishes the Scorpion that was previously trying to attack me. I look around for any other enemies and see an Aqua Edge spell flying towards one of those Fire Warrior dudes. I power up Mana Beam and send it at the monster, the poor thing exploding into little tiny bits. Another one charges at Genis, but the silver-haired boy manages to dodge it and use Icicle to keep it away. I dodge a burst of fire from _another_ Fire Element and decide to attack that monster. The other two guys head for the Fire Warrior mauling Genis to give the boy a hand.

I back away from the Element, shooting it down as I walk.

"_You learnt Shockwave just now._"

I jump at the sudden intrusion in my mind. I should really ask her about what happened outside, but we're in the middle of battle and she sounds pretty blunt right now. I'll leave it until later.

"_Right._"

Might as well try it out. 'Shock-!'

Before I can even finish the sentence, several pretty-much-tangible curved pieces of mana erupt from the ground beneath me, spreading forwards into the battlefield. Both the Fire Warrior and the Fire Element are hit, the warrior still standing and the element smashed to smithereens.

'… Wave.'

'Hey!'

I look up at notice Genis gesturing wildly to me with his hand. 'Will you come and help us with this guy?'

I nod and sprint over there, guns at the ready. 'Yessir!'

"_You have enough TP left for another Shockwave._"

"_Yeah … thanks_." 'Shockwave!'

The impact on the already weakened fiend causes it to topple to the ground, not quite dead yet. Lloyd uses Demon Fang several times and Genis casts Icicle, the pointed blade of ice piercing the monster's chest. It finally falls still and … uh, goes boom. ANYWAY …!

'Phew … that was a hot battle,' I mumble, wiping my brow on my torn sleeve. 'Are all the encounters in the temple gonna be that … _scorching_?'

Lloyd shrugs, rubbing an Apple Gel on a wound. 'Well, it _is_ the Fire Temple.'

I pause, considering the answer. 'Yeah, that is true.'

With a wound littered body and too many doubts in my mind, I follow behind the rest of the group. When I first got here, I never actually thought I'd get this far … I thought I would have chickened out by now, but I've already faced Lloyd, Genis, Colette and Kratos in battle … plus Yuan if I'm going for the bigger battles here. Beside those guys, A lot of monsters have come my way too, some I've fought alone and some with the others. I just hope nothing drastic happens, you know … like I _DIE_. Which I hopefully won't. Well, I've got another number of Seals in front of me and two more Human Ranches before I can actually see myself being killed. And … by Kratos or Yggdrasill.

I cast a glance at the mercenary. Why does it bother me so much already? I already have Noishe trying to persuade him (if the damn "dog" can do that) to stop with the whole siding-with-Yggdrasill thing. Maybe I can get Lloyd to subconsciously do something … I have no idea how that'll work.

I just almost walked into the lava. Time to concentrate!

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	14. Fire Seal! Take One!

…Hi.

Did ya'll miss me? I'm back! I have my computer back! I can write again! YAY! (-huggles everyone-). Plus, it's 3:00 AM and I'm tired. Oh well. By the way, I've been thinking about the review thing, and you won't be able to review this chapter, will ya? O.o. Hmm … will it work if you log out and just write down your username? Maybe … oh well. And sorry about the shortness of this chapter. I just had to post something before I went insane.

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Chapter 14 - Fire Seal! Take One!

New discovery! I officially hate Fakes. Damn those gay treasure chest impersonating monsters. Damn them to magical creature hell. I can cope with those weird Brown Pot things that shoot little … clay balls, but Fakes are … just evil! They throw hammers and skulls and knives and stuff …

Well, we (we being the four actually fighting: Lloyd, Kratos, Genis and me) all came out of the battle unscathed … except Lloyd. His recent injury may have lowered his speed and resistance. I was kind of hoping that it'd be cured by now, but I guess not. Dang it.

I'm getting pissed off at how hot it is too. It's … _really _hot. These guys have lived in a hot place where it doesn't snow or rain a lot, and I've lived in a place where it rains all the time. It doesn't snow much in winter, but it does get bitterly cold. I'd rather be there than here right now. I think I'd rather be anywhere than here.

'Get ready.'

I look up with a small scowl at the mercenary, his sword drawn. He's so fussy. 'For what? There are no monsters!'

Kratos raises an eyebrow at my quick, but moreover assumed statement. 'Then explain the Fire Bird heading towards you from behind.'

'WHERE?' I shriek, spinning rapidly. My ankles crash together and I trip on my own feet, falling hard on my backside. The flaming bird soars towards us with a feral screech, its blazing wings flapping wildly. I freeze up instantly and do the first, pathetic thing that comes into my head.

I chuck my pistol at the dammed bird.

The heavy object knocks the monster clean out with a crack as it strikes the bird in the head. The Fire Bird falls to the floor in a heap, probably still alive, but definitely unable to fight. Silence falls over the group for a few seconds before Lloyd lets out a snort of laughter, quickly stopping.

I crawl over to my weapon and pick it up, noting it feels hotter and it's a tad burnt. Oh well. I pull myself up and rub my bruised area after dropping the pistol into its holster. 'Remind me not to do that again-'

'Let's move on,' Kratos interjects smoothly, taking a left at the first split path near the entrance (we didn't get far). I give a weak grin to the rest of the party. 'Onwards, people!'

The temple is just as dangerous as it is hot. A few rocks are falling from the ceiling every now and then … they're not big enough to hurt, but they're dusty enough to be a nuisance. The is neatly paved (which surprises me, since it's been around for a good thousand years or more) and the walls are in decent shape, so I'm judging by that the ruin won't collapse around us … hopefully. Really hopefully. _Really, really_-

'We're gonna die here, aren't we?' I mumble before I can stop myself. Lloyd claps a hand on my shoulder and grins, pushing me forward.

'C'mon, liven up.'

'Yeah,' Genis mumbles. 'It's Lloyd's job to get bored with things.'

'Shut up, Genis!' the young swordsman sulks, one hand still on my shoulder making me walk. He's right; I should liven up, despite the fact that a big lump of ceiling come kill me at any moment.

'Hey Lloyd, you look flushed,' I comment, suddenly noticing the colouring in his face. He looks a bit tired too. 'Something wrong?'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'Nah, I'm just hot.'

'Really?' I protest. 'What if it's the poison? Are you sure you're gonna be okay?'

'Hey, I'm fine! C'mon, Genis abandoned us.'

'But-!'

My final word is ignored, bringing a pout to my face. Everyone is hot, but they're not looking ill like Lloyd. Maybe it is the poison … or maybe I'm just taking the role of overprotective little sister. Oh kill me now. Must resist … protective instincts … not resisting well. Damn it.

I rub the back of my neck quickening my pace to catch up with the others. It really is too hot in here … and I wanna go home … to nice cold, wet England. Not this freakishly hot desert ruin.

'Why are there rocks falling from the ceiling?' I question absentmindedly, brushing another wave of dust away that seems to have settled in my hair. 'It can't have been doing this for hundreds of years …'

'It's likely that revealing the entrance to this ruin caused minor vibrations to run around the area,' the Professor explains, looking up at the ceiling. 'This seal must be fragile.'

'… Yep. We're gonna die here.'

'Well then …' Kratos cuts in sharply for the second time. 'We'd best hurry.'

'Hey, the path is blocked!'

The three of us abandon our conversation and turn to the brown-haired swordsman, currently kicking at some large grey rocks that piled up to the ceiling. Now I know that the opening to the seal didn't do _that_. Yay.

'Let's go that-a-way!' I exclaim, pointing to the door to out left. I've forgotten the layout of the temple, but I know that there isn't a flesh-eating rabid monster anywhere near here. Unless my being here has done something to make that possible. Which I really hope it hasn't. Oh crap, I'm doomed. 'A-a-actually, let's go bac-'

'Hurry up, we'll leave you behind!'

I turn to see the others already entering the room and sag my shoulders with a sigh, following the group.

The air around us is thick and scorching; every mouthful of air I take in seems to bathe my lungs in a pool of heat making breathing almost impossible and definatley difficult to do. I swallow hard and cover my mouth with both hands, coughing violently.

"_Charis, what's going on? I feel like my throat is being torn in half …_"

"_Um, yeah …_" comes the weak reply. "_Before you came into this world, where you … ill?_"

I ponder for a moment, thinking back. "_Well, there was a bug going around school making everyone sick … but I'd been recovering from that!_"

"_Haha … well, it'll only last about an hour. It's just a small error I made."_

"_Small?"_ I think, coughing again. "_SMALL?_"

"_Yeah, I leave now_."

That … evil game console. Owwww, my throat hurts now … gah, STUPID STUPID BUG! It's on _Earth_. Earth is … not even in this universe as far as I know. How can the bug get me here? I'm in _Sylvarant_ damn it!

I cover my mouth and cough violently again, my body shaking with each heaved breath. Luckily, the others are too engulfed in a new discovery to notice. Looks like they found the torch that moves the platforms at last. I gulp in a large amount of oxygen and follow.

'So, what do these thingamabobs do?' I ask, marching up the stone steps and doing my best to hide the fact that my body has been struck with illness in the past five seconds. I'm shaking a little bit, but that can easily be overlooked by the others, right. Usually I'd say it's the cold, we are currently in the Temple of Fire; a torrid, heat-packed and lava filled ruin. Here, heat knows no limit, and cold doesn't exist. To put it short, I'm totally screwed.

'It might have been a night lamp,' the Professor explains. 'These ruins were once the old city of Triet and this particular sculpt might have survived. Perhaps there are more around the ruin.'

'Let's light it and see what happens,' Genis says, touching a small pile of dry wood in the gap.

'You might want to move your hand then,' I mumble in a rasping voice, pulling the Sorcerer's Ring out from my bag. I've just remembered I had it since the Sylvarant Base. Genis quickly withdraws his hand as I shoot a fiery ball of mana at the torch. It bursts into flames at once and a terrible scraping noise erupts from the opposite side of the room as a large stone platform is pushed up into place to form a pathway. Which seems to be pretty damn high up.

… I hate the fact that nothing is in scale to the game. Especially the world map. Damn the world map.

'The floor moved!' Lloyd exclaims. He, Genis and Colette immediately dash to the area where the ground was reallocated, beginning a thorough inspection of probably nothing. Why am I always stuck with the adults?

'Raine!' Genis shouts. 'There's another wall sconce over here!'

'There are more of them?' Raine says to no one in particular. 'They must control the ruins passageways. It's amazing this mechanism has endured for so long! _Let me see them_!'

The Professor sprints down to the area where the others are, still studying the torch.

'Run, Professor!' I yell on an impulse. 'Unleash the five year old freak within you!'

Kratos makes a small "humph" sound to my left. I grin and look over at the mercenary. 'That woman will kill us all one day.'

'Of course,' the man mumbles, walking over to the spazzified group. For some unknown reason, Genis has been slapped upside the head and the Professor is now scrutinizing the torch. Wordlessly, I pass the Sorcerer's Ring to the younger half-elf before the elder one can attack me for not lighting it sooner.

Genis makes an effort to pull his sister away from the torch ("it is exactly the same as the other torch! There are no differences or flawed similarities! LET ME SEE IT!") and light it. The ground shakes again as the platform we where previously on is also pushed up to make a much longer path. And it's still pretty damn high.

'Maybe we have to light all the torches to get to the seal room?' Colette inquires with a slight tilt of her head. The Professor's eyes are beginning to glow madly again.

'Yes! That is excellent conjecture, Colette!'

'Oh … thank you, Professor Sage!'

For the third time, Kratos interrupts the small conversation and turns away from the group. 'It would be wise to _get_ to the seal room faster, then.'

'Why do you want to get this over with so badly?' Lloyd asks. Kratos looks over at the brown haired youth alone, a small glint of coldness in his eyes. The other three were still studying the torch, therefore unaware of the look in Kratos' eyes meant for Lloyd and Lloyd alone. I see a small flicker of emotion … something that doesn't suit Kratos.

'Well, you see Lloyd …' I say abruptly, striding up to the mercenary and reaching up to thump his shoulder. 'Kratos has developed what we call a headache.' Yes, I know I'm lying and sticking up for Kratos, but just work with me on this one. 'Therefore, it'd be totally appropriate and comfortable if we got this over with quickly! You follow?'

Lloyd nods, suddenly wincing in pain and bringing a hand up to cradle the side of his head. 'Ow …'

'What's wrong?' Kratos asks, quickly slipping his impassive façade back into place. The younger swordsman pauses for a long moment, lowering his hand.

'… My head hurts …'

Hey, that headache is pretty contagious for something I made up. Lloyd wasn't looking to good earlier either. I'd rather he just stayed in Triet, but that's out of the question now …

'Hm,' Kratos mumbles, supposedly showing no interest. You lie, Aurion! I can see right through you! '… Swap with the Chosen.'

'No!' Lloyd exclaims rapidly, stepping right up to the mercenary. '… I can still fight …'

'You'd best take it easy then. Stay behind and attack from afar.'

'But-!'

'Lloyd,' Kratos said clearly and sternly. 'Stay behind us or would you rather go back to Triet?'

That shut him up. Lloyd cast his gaze down with a stubborn "_fine_" and turned to one side in a childish sulk. Hm, should say something. Can't think of anything to say. Damn, we've gotta get to the seal chamber.

'Professor?' I say quietly, poking her on the shoulder. 'Professor, we have to get going. _Professor Sage_!'

She finally abandons the torch on my emphasized pronunciation of her name. With a small frown, she finally agrees to carry on and leave the flaming wall sconce alone. Just as we turn around, another wretched Fire Bird comes soaring towards us from behind one of the raised platforms. Oh no.

'The monsters must have taken the floors changing as a threatening signal,' the Professor states, staring up at the apparently freaked of mass of fire. 'The sound might have-'

'Does it matter?' I say quickly, trying to perform Shockwave upwards. 'Just kill it!'

Two of those Brown Pot creatures seem to have joined the fray, plodding along at their own pace (they're not very fast). I whip out a Magic Lens and study the creature's stats. Hm, weak against water and ice. You know, it'd really help if I had spells or techniques with an ice/water attack. Sadly I don't. I only have Fire Shot. This will do nothing! Damn it.

Genis is preparing what looks like Icicle (judging from the light blue waves of mana that seem to have surrounded him) in the back while Kratos and Lloyd take care of things upfront. Ah, Kratos is gonna get pissed off at stupid Lloyd.

'What are you doing?' I shout, shielding a blow from a Brown Pot. 'Lloyd, get back!'

'I told you, I'm fine!' the obstinate swordsman exclaims, turning his head with a small glower. Seriously, what the _hell_ is he doing, taking his eyes off the monster charging towards him?

Speaking of which, two Fire Warriors have entered the battle and the one charging at Lloyd is about to slice him into two vertical pieces. Oh crap …

'Cast Guardian!' I scream at the swordsman whose attention is still averted from the battle. Damn his headache. 'LLOYD!'

'Wha-?'

How dense can you get before death? Stupid, stupid Lloyd …

Kratos runs at such a high speed towards the confused Lloyd, dully noting that no one is currently looking (it looks like the other Fire Warrior is bent on killing Colette, so Genis is trying to distract it with Icicle). The mercenary wraps an arm around the boy's shoulders, tugging him towards his chest and a thick green sphere envelops both of them just as the Fire Warrior thrusts his blade down onto them. The sword hits the green spherical shield with loud _clang_ and is thrown out of the beast's hand a few meters to the right. As the monster quickly trudges to get it, Kratos let's go of Lloyd with a hiss of "_stubborn fool!_" and kills the unsuspecting Fire Warrior from behind with a wave of Demon Fangs and stabbing.

I finally kill off a persistent Brown Pot that seems to have been planning to attack me for some time now with a number of bullets. The Professor and Colette, free from the clutches of the other Fire Warrior now retreat to a safer area, dragging our items with them as the beast begins to go after Genis. I use Mana Beam on the Fire Warrior's left arm which then falls off with a mix of squelches and cracking. I make a face in disgust and turn to attack another Brown Pot as Kratos attacks the Fire Bird. Both monsters are quick work, leaving the angry, one-armed Fire Warrior now writhing in pain and swinging his sword around blindly. Genis is hit with the flat of the blade and thrown to one side with a small yelp of pain. I note various Demon Fang-ing from Kratos and Lloyd and run over to the wounded magic user, careful to dodge the attacks from the other swordsmen.

'Not very smart, are ya?' I say, crouching down as Genis pulls himself into a sitting position. I place a hand on his bare leg and cast First Aid, closing the wound instantly. The mage takes an Apple Gel quickly and grabs my offered hand, helping him up.

'At least I didn't fall over my own feet earlier,' Genis mumbles in defence, casting Aqua Edge. I pout angrily, using Shockwave on the still undefeated Fire Warrior.

'Ah, shut up.'

Finally, the monster falls to the floor in defeat as Kratos uses Sonic Thrust, driving his blade through the Fire Warrior's torso. Again, finally …

Raine tugs her brother over to her and begins to heal some bruises whilst muttering something about being careless. Kratos returns his weapon to its scabbard and turns to Lloyd, who has inhaled about fifty Apple Gels.

'Are you hurt?' he asks, probably already knowing his answer. Lloyd shakes his head, after swallowing another Apple Gel. Obviously he doesn't believe him since we are now short on medical supplies. Oh well.

'Nah … I'm fine.'

'You're a poor liar,' Kratos says, raising an eyebrow. He places a hand on the boy's shoulder, making him wince and mutters First Aid. Lloyd pouts as the pain disappears from his shoulder.

'I said I was fine!'

'And he said you're a poor liar, Irving,' I mumble, placing my pistols in their holsters. 'Which is right.'

'Shut up …' Lloyd mutters quietly, placing a hand on the side of his head again. 'Ow …'

Without another word, our group continues on, leaving the room. Kratos seems to be concerned about Lloyd, and he's doing a pretty crap job of hiding it. Well, in my eyes. Plus, I'm getting a little worried about him too … it can't be the wound or the poison, can it?

Ah, Charlotte slipping back into the overprotective little sister role. The horror, the horror, the doom, the doom …

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...Yep. Review please! 


	15. Fire Seal! Take Two!

Well hello there.

Yeah, I'm not going to do the reply thing for reviewers anymore (which really sucks), so I'll only add a small note if a question is asked or something like that. And I will say thank you to individual reviews who's comments are nice enough. W00t!

Sorry I haven't been updating regularly. I'm doing a performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller at my school tonight and tomorrow, so I've been practicing with my friends like crazy.

And to answer to darklightZERO's question, yes I'll try to do as many side-quests as possible.

Plus, a side note. I'm thinking about changing my username, but I don't know what to ¬¬ … you know. SO! Any suggestions for a new username would be greatly appreciated. And another note, go to meh deviantart account! The link should be on my user-page somewhere … ANYWAY. Enjoy.

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Chapter 15 - Fire Seal! Take Two!

… You know that feeling you get where someone knows something really important that's not exactly vital to you, but you'd kill hundreds of people just to find out what it was?

Yeah, I have that right now.

I hate this. Lloyd is _ill_. No more "I think he's ill" or "he looks ill" he just _is_ ill. And no one but Kratos and I can see that, not even Lloyd. He's too busy denying it, the stupid twit.

Alright, let me explain why I think he's sick. One: He's so pale I could mistake him for a snowman, two: he's shaking, three: he looks tired, four: he's not concentrating, and five – big fat number FIVE- he almost walked into the lava. Now I know I did that, but I'm mind numbingly stupid sometimes. Lloyd is … well, he's mind numbingly stupid most of the time, but not _that_ kind of stupid. I'm oblivious stupid. He's brain-dead stupid.

I'm seriously worried about him … I'm sure Kratos is too, but I doubt he'll be admitting that anytime soon – which pisses me off by the way. I think their relationship should be … y'know … _good_. Not stupid big fat crappy. SAY SOMETHING KRATTY! SAY SOMETHING!

And I'm mentally ignored. Which only pisses me off more. Fiiiiine, I'll do it myself. Rassmfrazzm …

I walk up next to the mercenary currently trailing behind the group slightly to defend against any monsters attacking from the rear. If I start talking to him, he won't be able to kill them. Oh well.

'Hey, Kratos …' I say with a weak grin. I always feel weird when talking to this guy. Damn his tallness. 'Um … do you notice anything different about Lloyd? Not that I'm saying there _is_ something wrong with him, but-'

'You're referring to the fact that he is unwell and cannot fight?' Kratos says evenly, looking up at the younger swordsman. I pause and nod, and I can tell that he wants to get this conversation over with now, because he _doesn't like me._ Oh, what a loss.

'Yeah, that. I'm worried … what if it gets worse?'

'We simply send him back to Triet with an escort, preferably the Professor,' Kratos answers, averting his gaze from Lloyd. 'He should not be allowed to fight in his condition.'

'I second that!' I say, raising a finger with a grin. It doesn't work - he still hates me. 'But I don't think Lloyd will. He really does want to fight, y'know.'

Kratos frowns, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword. 'Regardless, his safety comes before his wants.'

I don't know what I've done since getting sucked into this world, besides tell Kratos I know about his relations to Lloyd, almost kill everyone at the Martel Temple, wound Yuan badly and talk to Noishe, but Kratos is showing about 1/100 more emotion than he usually does! And that's saying something. Well, I wouldn't call it emotion … but I can see he is worried.

'What are you smirking at?'

'You're worried about Lloyd, aren't ya?' I say, my grin widening considerably. 'That's so sweet of you, Kratty!'

'Don't call me that,' the mercenary growls, quickening his pace to finally shake me off. 'And it's common sense. Lloyd is too weak to fight.'

I nod. 'Suuuuure.' I know it's impossible to touch a nerve on this guy, but I can still have my fun.

After another coughing fit (damn illness Charis let through) I slide my hands into my pockets and follow behind the rest, looking around at the new part of the Fire Temple. This area is bigger than the last room I think … there's definatley more floor space, but something seems a little different. It could be than in the game you view things from above … but I could have sworn something isn't here that's supposed to be. Raine (leading the group with Colette) stops and turns to us.

'Everyone search the area,' she says over the sound of the bubbling lava. 'Look for anything that can get us further in.'

'Hm,' Lloyd mumbles in compliance, taking the right pathway. After a few moments of consideration, Raine drags Colette down the right pathway, jabbering on about seeing something that looked interesting. I roll my eyes and look around again, trying to pinpoint what's missing. It's really annoying me now …

'C'mon Genis, let's go look around,' I say after seeing that Kratos has gone after Lloyd. Hm … I'm worried about Lloyd, but I'm glad Kratos isn't being the cold bastard he usually is. Well, he still is to everyone else but I'm glad he's looking out for Lloyd. Something that Noishe said (well, not exactly said…) comes to mind … why _do_ I care? I guess I can't really say, but whenever Kratos and Lloyd are happy … I guess that makes me a little happy too, because it means there's a lesser chance of him betraying everyone at the Tower of Salvation. And then I won't get killed. It's hard to explai-

'Charlotte?'

'Coming,' I mumble, following the silver-haired boy. 'Find anything?'

'No …' Genis mumbles, folding his arms with a pout. 'You think they'd go easy on us at the first seal …'

I nod at the half-elf's insult to Cruxis and look around, finally, _finally, FINALLY_ noticing what is missing from the room. Not to mention they're vital to progress further.

The stone blocks. The forsaken stone blocks we push into holes and walk over to get to a torch or something. Why the hell aren't the blocks here?

'Geeeeeniiiiiiis …' I say in a low hiss. 'Can you see any stone blocks around here?'

The younger boy blinks and looks around quickly at the dark, empty room. There's probably a vein popping in my forehead at my sudden mad passion to kill Charis, my almighty Gamecube. No, don't kill your Gamecube. That isn't good. It's very, very stupid and retarded. She knows things. Speaking of which: coughcoughcough. Ow, my throat.

'No, I don't see any …' Genis mumbles, turning back to me and my vein popping forehead. 'Why?'

'Oh well, you see we could have pushed them into this hole here,' I say, pointing at the five (_FIVE_) meter wide hole in the floor. 'And lit that torch, rising that platform, then we could get to the Seal Chamber, kill the guardian on the seal, have Colette do her Chosen-thing with Remiel and his totally bitchin' hat (which I say with fake pride), and then we could leave. Sadly, we have no stone blocks.'

Genis blinks at the information his brain is currently processing and does his pout thing again. 'Well that's no good.'

'Yeah, Cruxis doesn't seem to like us this time,' I sigh. 'When Colette gets up there, she'd better kick some arse.'

Genis looks over at the torch a good few meters away. I doubt anyone can jump that gap except Kratos with the use of his wings … so I guess we're stuck here until we all die.

'Say, you don't happen to be a remarkably good athlete, do you?' I ask. Genis shakes his head with a glare at the torch and turns to the left pathway.

'I'll go and get Raine.'

'Yeah, include more people in the torch bashing. She'll kick it into next week and we'll never get out alive!' Yes, Genis wasn't listening. He's too busy trying to get Raine to help, and I don't really know what kind of _help_ that will be. She isn't a fast runner in battle (unless there's a ruin somewhere in the battlefield), so I doubt she could jump a good five meters. Damn you Colette, why couldn't you have gotten your wings at the Martel Temple?

'Okay, I'll get the others,' I mumble, plodding off to the right path. It just got a lot hotter, and that is really annoying me. I don't like the heat! Or the cold! Or the wet or incredibly dry … okay, I don't like weather unless it's warm and breezy. Sadly, the Fire Seal is not. Damn you, Yggdrasill. Damn you and your blond, spandex coated evilness. Why did you make it so hot? You, you and your oddly dressed minions! Including poor Kratos.

'Guys, we need help with the new torch,' I say, swinging around the corner. 'We suck by ourselves.'

'Alright, we're coming …' Lloyd murmurs, rubbing his head again. Agh, he's in feeling bad again! Sure I'm coughing and stuff, but at least I can still _stand_ and _breathe_ properly. Lloyd is slumped against the wall obviously trying to hide it, but he's easier to read than an ABC book. Seriously. His face is all flushed and his eyes look a little watery.

'Uh ... goodie!' I say, ignoring the illness bouts for now. 'So, yeah ... I'm just gonna ... go.'

I sprint back over to the stupid fat hole in the floor separating us and the ability to get to the seal, almost tripping over my feet again. I grumble quietly and listen to the Professor talking to Colette about her knowledge of the Fire Seal's tricky puzzles. Sadly, the blonde Chosen knows nothing. What a fine Chosen.

'Can we just … _throw _someone?' I say, furrowing my brow and staring at the torch.

'At least suggest something logical …' Genis mutters under his breath.

'You shush!' I hiss. 'Wanna suggest something BETTER?'

'Stop it, both of you,' Raine demands quietly, still observing the giant hole. 'I think we'll have to climb …'

'Are you serious?' I say. 'We can't climb back up from there! It's too deep!'

'Hmm …'

I slap my palm to my forehead several times before deciding I'm losing what is left of my brain cells and look around, hoping the stone blocks will just pop up somewhere. Sadly not … darn.

'Any luck with the torch?' Lloyd asks as he and Kratos walk over to us. Judging by his question, I'm guessing they didn't find anything either. Which really sucks by the way. I shake my head, glaring at the hole in the floor. 'No, we have a floor-related problem. There _is_ no floor.'

'Technically there is a floor-'

'Shut up Genis.'

The silver-haired half-elf pouts, scowling at me. I roll my eyes and look away, noticing Kratos' outstretched hand.

'Wha-?'

'Give me the Sorcerer's Ring.'

I blink. 'Uh … sure.'

Just a quick note: I volunteered to carry the Sorcerer's Ring around, so I'll probably have it most of the time in the Fire Seal, and perhaps all the time if I beg long enough. Unless we have to split up at some point like in the Asgard Ranch and the other group need it. I hand over the ring to Kratos who slips it onto his index finger, taking a step back from the hole.

'You're gonna jump it?' Lloyd exclaims. 'You'll break your neck!'

The mercenary ignores him and leaps over the gap matrix-style with a little forward flip in mid air. Weird image of Kratos in shades and a leather trench coat enters my mind briefly. Must not crack ribs in effort to inhale laughter. Will have asthma attack and die. Not good. Kratty lands safely on the other side with a small _tap_ and lights the torch. Most of the group's jaws are currently on the floor, but we'll ignore that. I swear, he's secretly a _ninja_.

For some reason, I decide to break into song at the fact we're finally getting the seal over with. Some people don't approve of that, though.

'Stop that,' the mercenary orders from behind me. I yelp and spin around, falling over my ankles again. When did he get there? And ow, I've got to stop falling over!

'Damn you, Aurion …' I whine, taking Colette's offered hand and pulling myself up. 'Oww.'

'Let's move on,' Kratos mutters, turning from the group and towards the door. Bastard mercenary. I cough violently again, the memory of the illness rushing back. Stupid Gamecube.

'Must be the smoke …' I mumble. 'Let's go …'

The group proceeds through the central hallway and into the final room where the passage to the warp lies. I rub some sweat from the back of my neck and pray Martel for a hair band. Well, Martel is dead so I won't be getting one anytime soon and I'm stuck suffering with the heat. Argh …

'I'm beginning to not like the seals …' I hiss as Kratos lights the final torch, lifting a large platform to join the one that had risen with the previous lamp. Seal passage secure! WOOOOOO! We can finally leave. After killing the Ktugach. Oh no.

'Is something wrong Professor Sage?' Colette asks. I turn to the Professor to see a small frown on her face.

'It's nothing, Colette,' she says with a small sigh. 'I was hoping some remnants of the Earth Shrine would still be here …'

'The Earth Shrine?' I ask, furrowing my brow a bit. I hate changes. 'Isn't the desert where Fire Seals usually are? Efreet is here, isn't he?'

Raine shakes her head. 'No, not a shrine representing the Summon Spirit. It was one of the only shrines in Sylvarant dedicated to the history before the Hero Mithos; stories of Sylvarant's creation. Since the reoccurring process of world regeneration, those historic events have been overshadowed by tales of the Goddess Martel and Mithos' sacrifice for the Tree of Mana-'

'Oh no …' Lloyd mumbles, hiding his face in his hands. 'No more lectures!'

'Lloyd!' Raine exclaims, readying her hand to slap him hard across the head. Kratos grabs the swordsman's arm and tugs him away before Raine can kill his brain cells. 'The Earth Shrines are valuable historic events being lost under the tales of Mithos! Not even most scholars know about it these days!'

'Um, Professor Sage?' I ask quietly when she calms down (Lloyd has retreated somewhere in the corner). I never heard of Shrine places in the game … maybe this is something Charis made? Or maybe it actually existed but _was_ lost under Mithos' stories … I mean, the Chosen's journey is continuing to this day so they must study the events thoroughly … I'm clueless right now. 'Could you tell me about the Earth Shrines?'

'Could this be saved until we leave the seal?' Genis asks, cocking an eyebrow. 'Don't we have more important things to do right now?'

_Smack_.

'Ow!'

Genis rubs his head where he was slapped by his loving older sister and glares at the two of us. Raine says something about how the shrines are important to her brother and turns to me quickly as Genis mumbles something and retreats with Lloyd. 'I'd be glad to. Earth shrines where made in honour of the gods that created Sylvarant and the moon, Tethe'alla. After creating green land, elves and humans, the Gods returned to their own world to watch over their creations. Scholars say that one of the gods was our goddess Martel who remains in the centre of the world, though the theory has been dropped by the church.'

Ow, my head. Okay, let's try and analyse this. These "gods" must have created Sylvarant, Tethe'alla, and by the sounds of it – Derris Kharlan. I don't think Mithos would bother making something like that up … and they said it was before his journey anyway. Hm, hard situation …

'Okay …' I mumble after a minute of thought. 'Um … the gods went back to their own world or something, right? Where is that world? Is it in this galaxy or …?'

Raine furrows her brow in thought, folding her arms over her chest. 'I can't quite remember … I'm sure it's not in this universe … but there _is_ only one universe … so the matter hasn't been fully explained yet.'

So it's probably just some story made up by old gu – wait one effing minute. 'Professor, what is the name of the world they returned to?'

'Oh, it's Earth. Why?'

Oh. My. Fecking. God. Maybe Namco –who made the game- is what they're referring to. They made the game, and then they … well, they finished it. But Charis said that this world was a _real_ one now, so that must be what the Professor meant by the gods leaving. Gah, I'm confused. I'll think about it later with Charis …

'Oh … well, um, I was just wondering … i-it doesn't really matter …'

Kratos hands me the Sorcerer's Ring. 'Can we get moving again if you're done?'

Raine gives Kratos a small glare but nods. I can tell these two are _not_ going to get along. They didn't really like each other to begin with in the game. Raine was always suspicious of Kratos, so now she's going to hate him for interrupting her lessons. Best keep clear when she starts war.

'Alright then!' I interrupt quickly. 'Next torch?'

'It's over there!' Colette exclaims, pointing to the small indent in the wall. Alrighty, after this torch we can go to the seal room! Yay! I guess we'll have to fight Ktugach, but still … we can leave after! I walk over to the torch and lean over the small hole to reach, firing a ball of flaming mana and lighting the dry wood. It bursts into flame and a deep rumble echoes through the air as the final platform rises.

'Whoa, what's happening to the wall?' Lloyd shouts over the scraping of stone in the air. I look back at the torch and notice the whole wall is crumbling away. A mass of stone and dust falls into the lava below, sinking into the boiling substance. I gulp and try to imagine not burning to death in there. If you fell in, you would _melt_. That'd be a slow and painful death. I shudder visibly.

'A … passageway?' Colette inquires with a tilt of the head. As she said, it seems a set of stairs going down has been revealing in the wall's destruction. I can see the floor it ends at, so it mustn't be anything life threatening like the things you read in books with stairs going on for ages into dark depths of dungeons. ANYWAY.

'Should we go down?' Genis asks, peering down into the room below.

'It might be the Earth Shrine!' Raine exclaims, already running down the steps at one hellova speed.

'Sis!' Genis hisses in protest. He shakes his head with a defeated look and follows his demented sibling down the stairs. Colette skips down after them with a smile, causing me to unconsciously slap my forehead.

'Well, let's follow the gormless lot,' I say, swallowing another series of coughs. 'Onwards!'

I take care in walking down the narrow stairs, jumping the last few. I have to say, the room does look remarkable. The floor has a huge emblem carved into the centre of what looks like a giant V with a horizontal line slashed across the middle. I raise an eyebrow and sprint to the end of the room, past the Professor (currently inspecting the emblem on the floor). I hear a shuffle behind me and see that Kratos and Lloyd have joined us, and Genis has finally dragged his sister away from the emblem.

I walk over to the other side of the room and notice a kind of ... coffin – it's hollow and has a lid. I'm now scared to touch it. What if a zombie jumps out? What if it's a vampire? What if it sucks our blood and our bodies rot here? That's better than the lava, but I don't want to rot here! And while I've been thinking about this, Kratos is already pushing the lid off. I look away and screw my eyes shut.

'It's … a sword?' Lloyd says quietly.

I open my eyes and look down into the coffin-like thing. A silvery sword with a red, patterned hilt lies on a bed of what looks like red velvet. Wow, where's the vampire?

'It looks … really valuable,' I comment as Kratos picks the sword up, observing it closely and placing a hand carefully on the blade.

'It's in quite poor condition …' he says, giving it a diagonal swing. 'Though it seems quite powerful.'

Lloyd shrugs. 'Well, just keep it. It might come in handy. If not, I'm sure we could sell it for a bunch of gald.'

'Hm …' Kratos mumbles, drawing his old sword and placing it where we found the new one. I guess there isn't any point in keeping that, anyway … and it seems a waste to leave something so _pretty._

'This place is giving me the creeps …' Genis mumbles, shivering slightly. 'Can we hurry and get out of here?'

'But I-!'

'Raine, we need to finish the seal!'

The Professor grumbles, trying to catch one last glimpse of the emblem on the floor before leaving. If this place is connected with Earth, I'll keep a look out for that mark. Usually, to be straightforward, you'd think you need to get to the end of the game to get home, but what if I can get back before then? I don't really want to march my arse up to Derris Kharlan and attempt to kill Mithos at the end, because I'll get killed. And I really would like to live longer than that.

While we're leaving, I walk over to the blonde Chosen. Raine and her are still carrying all the equipment while we fight, so I'll ask if we have anything to draw with. I just need to scribble the emblem on the back of my hand in case I forget. Because I'm so totally far from perfect: I be teh scatterbrain! Yarr! I'm not exactly right in the head, either. I once poked myself in the eye because I thought it was closed. Anyway …

'Hey, Colette do you have a pen?' I ask quickly. The blonde Chosen tilts her head slightly in a questioning sign.

'Why do you need a pen?'

'Oh, I'm just gonna copy down that little sign in the chamber we where just in. You know, for future reference and … stuff …'

'I'll bet Raine has already done that in her ruin book,' Genis pipes up from my other side. I turn to him and raise an eyebrow. 'She's always copying stuff about ruins down and drawing diagrams, so you can ask her when we get out of here.'

I nod slowly with a small frown. 'Alright then … I'll ask her about Earth as well, I guess. Say Genis, did you know about Earth too?'

The half-elf shakes his head, folding his arms over his thin chest. 'No, not really. Raine talked about it sometimes, but I was probably to young to understand what she meant.'

'Usually our religious education is centred on the Goddess Martel,' Colette adds with a bright smile. 'I'm sure the Professor will teach us if she has the time!'

I'm not really keen on the whole "being taught by the Professor" thing, but I guess I could learn more about Earth, even if I do have to decipher the "gods" from other things. It'll be hard, but worth it. 'Yeah. I'll ask her about it tonight if I get the chance. I'll probably crash out after we leave this place. I didn't get much sleep last night and now fatigue is rearing its ugly head.'

'What were you doing last night?' Genis inquires absent-mindedly. I think quickly for a cover up; I can't exactly say "oh I was up reading Kratos' diary and about how he's all sad about Lloyd is his son that he thought was dead for the past fourteen years and how he'll have to betray us because he's part of the spandex-coated baddies of Cruxis and he could totally own us with his angel skills."

'I had a stomach ache.'

'Oh …'

Got out of _that_ one easy! The three of us stay silent until we finally reach the warp, probably running out of things to say. Whenever I run out of things to say with friends at school, I just get up, leave the room, and come back. THEN we get talking again, usually about funny things that have happened in lesson time. I miss those guys …

I think I want to go home now …

To bad I'm stuck in a stupid ruin with a psychotic half-elven woman.

* * *

Yesh, that be chapter 15. THRILLER, DUDES! X3 Wish me luck, because I have to go in 10 minutes! 


	16. Guardian of the Seal

* * *

Chapter 16 - Guardian of the Seal

Oh holy feckster.

Okay, let's review the game. Finish lighting the torches to get to the warp: check. _Get_ to the warp: check. Go _through_ the warp: check. Be faced with not just a Ktugach, but a BIG FAT INVINCIBLE KTUGACH. Nothing will touch the thing. Can't even get a dent in it. Which should be easy, because it's a flaming _dog_ thing …

When we first stepped out of the warp, the seal did its whole explosion thing as usual, and then the Ktugach came flying out in all its fiery and spiky glory. Now of course, I am just human so I'm expected to do what any other civilized human would _do_ at that point. Scream, pull out my guns and fire like there's no tomorrow. The bullets bounced right off the thing like it was made of some kind of super material or something, raising the groups panic. Well, except Kratos. He wouldn't panic if a meteor was three inches from his nose.

Everyone draws their weapons (save for Raine and Colette; it would suck if our stuff got burned) and charges towards the Ktugach. Kratos takes a mighty swing at the beast, which takes no effect at all sadly. The sharp sound of metal scraping against metal screeches through the room as the mercenary's sword clatters to the ground. Kratos grabs his blade quickly and dodges a blow from the flaming monster, ducking when a clawed paw flew at him.

"_Can I go home NOW?_" I scream into my mind. Charis doesn't answer, so I leave the small fight until later. She will die – she thought she was _helping_ me by dragging me into this world.

I cast Protection to deflect a bunch of spikes flying in my direction. The purple needles clatter to the floor in a pile in front of me, disappearing slowly. They might have been made of mana … that must mean Ktugach can do it a lot more time. OH NO. We need to kill it quickly before it can cause any severe damage … but nothing will harm it.

While I'm to the side, Lloyd swings a wooden sword at the monster. Okay, let me ask you a question: if you throw a piece of wood on a fire, does it or does it not burn? Yes, it bloody well burns, and LLOYD IS SUCH A DAMN MORON TO NOT NOTICE THAT. One of his swords burst into flame after touching the body of the beast, making him drop the weapon hastily and let it burn slowly. I think I just stood and stared at him for a minute with an eyebrow raised. _Can_ you get stupider than Lloyd?

'You twit!' I scream, firing a number of bullets at the Ktugach. Again, they ricochet off its tough skin not wounding it the slightest. 'What are you gonna do?'

Lloyd throws the useless sword to one side and looks around frantically. 'Uh …'

'Look out!' Kratos shouts at the boy from the other side of the room. Lloyd blinks and looks over at him, and not a second sooner is he hit in the side by the Ktugach's enormous tail, sending him flying in my direction. I quickly jump out of the way with a yelp, letting Lloyd land in a heap by my feet. Sure, I could have softened his blow, but that mean being hit in the face by short seventeen year old boy. And no, I don't want that.

Lloyd pulls himself up with a groan, rubbing his head. 'Ow … that hurt.'

'Well, duh,' I say, handing him an Apple Gel. The Ktugach seems to have gone to attack Genis and Kratos, so we should be okay for about a minute. 'Lloyd, you look like crap. Go and switch with Raine or something …'

'No!' Lloyd protests, struggling to stand. 'I'm fine … I can still fight.'

'Persistent arse, aren't you?' I say, furrowing my brow. 'You have no weapon!'

Lloyd pauses and looks down at my hands after a moment. I blink and notice my pistols. 'No.'

'C'mon, just give me one of those … things.'

'No!'

'Gimmie it!'

I groan with frustration and shove one of my guns into his chest. '_Fine._ But I'm getting it back after this battle.'

'Sure …'

I turn and aim at the Ktugach trying to cook Genis and attempt to fire, but am stopped by a tug on my shirt. I turn my head at the swordsman, glaring. 'WHAT?'

'… How do you use it?' he asks quietly, holding it carefully. I have a maddening urge to just thwack him over the head with my remaining pistol, but show him how to hold it properly.

'You put your finger in there … then you aim … and just pull down on that little thing there …'

A single bullet flies out and bounces off the creature's rough skin again. I notice Lloyd flinch at the bang from the gun as he fires, holding it a little tighter. 'Okay, I think I got it now …'

I nod and sprint closer to the Ktugach, stopping at a decent distance as to not get myself killed. The others are having trouble with it too … argh, why can't it just be normal like in the game? Why now? WHY?

'This is absurd …' Kratos says, jumping away from a swing from the monster's tail. 'It seems to have … some sort of shield.'

'It's like a second skin!' Genis shouts angrily as a bolt of lightning deflects off the Ktugach, long waves of purple electricity flying dangerously around the room. I duck as one reaches close to me, almost catching my arm.

'Then shouldn't it be something like a permanent Guardian technique?' I say, evading a flicker of fire soaring across the room towards me. Lloyd fires at the seal guardian five times before pausing for a moment of thought.

'Then how do we get rid of it?' he asks, keeping his eyes on the monster. 'Isn't there like a spell or something?'

Genis uses Force Field to repel a powerful Fire Ball from the Ktugach, shaking his head. 'I only know elemental spells!'

Kratos stops attacking again and jumps again from an attack that would leave him with no arm (Ktugach has very sharp teeth…). 'Then … Genis, use Icicle.'

Genis retreats to the back of the room and gives Kratos a questioning glance, but begins to power up his spell anyway. Kratos, out of the monster's reach, turns to Lloyd and me. 'The Ktugach's shield should be of the same element to its techniques.'

'So if Genis uses Icicle …' I say, after a moment of consideration. 'That should break the shield!'

'Yes, but only temporarily,' Kratos explains shortly, glancing over at the monster not going for Genis. 'It won't take long for its body to produce a copy.'

I watch a blade of ice shoots up from the ground after Genis completes his incantation, piercing the Ktugach's stomach. A loud roar indicates some sort of pain, meaning the shield is broken.

'Attack like you are on crack, men!' I shout, powering up Shockwave. Lloyd just shoots like crazy for a while, seeing as he knows no tech for a gun. Stupid wooden swords. He's not gonna be much help now, but we don't have time to swap him with someone else … we need to inflict as much damage as possible in a short amount of time.

'Much better!' Genis says after a wave of Aqua Edge puts out a few flames. Sadly, the spring back to life after a few seconds … it must be preparing its shield again …! Damn it.

'Keep attacking!' Colette cheers from the side lines. Raine puts a hand on her arm to quiet her.

'We mustn't draw attention to ourselves while they're fighting that monster.'

Too late. Stupid Chosen … the Ktugach has turned towards them and began to stomp its merry way towards the two. Genis quickly casts Icicle again before it can begin deflecting things again, but it seems to be ignoring the pain. OH NO AGAIN.

'ShockwaveShockwaveShockwaveShockwave!'

That'd be me spazzing out for a bit in attempt to stop the Ktugach. After a moment, the guardian of the seal stops with a grunt, turning its head towards me. OH CRAP. Note to self: never cover for Colette. Never. Nothing good will ever come out of it.

The Ktugach begins stomping in my direction at a somewhat faster speed than usual, probably seeking revenge for me shockwaving away at it's precious half-shield. Genis, I could use help over here!

I focus my mana into my remaining pistol, preparing Mana Beam. It won't be as powerful without both guns, but I'm sure it'll do at least something in my favour. Judging by Kratos' theory, it won't break the shield around the Ktugach, but hey – let's see what happens.

The Ktugach is literally five feet away from me as I aim and fire, using up as much mana as I can. OHMYGOD, it's a mana canon wannabe. Who cares, I'll probably die if I don't do _something_! Wait - that was stupid comparing it to the mana canon. The canon would have blown it to bits. This barely SCRATCHED the thing. Plus, all my mana is gone. Oh angst.

The Ktugach doesn't look like its preparing a spell to launch into my face … wait, oh cr-

'SHOCKWA-'

The Ktugach spins on its front paws, throwing its tail and all it's weight in my direction. Like Lloyd, I go flying. Comparing myself to Lloyd, I'd be lighter than him, right? That means I'd probably soar across the room. Well, I do. And I hit the wall. Shoulder first.

I drop from the wall quite fast, (attempted to keep balance by standing on the small sill around the room – didn't work) and land on the hard steps. Almost HEAD first. My vision blurs dramatically and I can barely remember my name. Ow, my brain. I close my eyes tightly and begin to see stars behind my eyelids, dancing across my closed eyes. Oh good grief, my head … I think it's bleeding … I think I'm bleeding everywhere … and my shoulder hurts …

I really … _really_ want to go home. I want to go to bed and lay down with a mug of hot chocolate. And painkillers. Many painkillers. I've never done anything spontaneous, so I haven't actually been hurt like this. Hell, I've never broken a bone before. The worst I've done is sprain my ankle really badly … and even then it hurt like hell …

Wait, am I sleeping? Unconscious? Dead? Highly unlikely for the latter … I can still think, but barely.

"_You okay?_"

I can't bring myself to make a full, understandable sentence to send out to Charis and send something between a groan and a sob.

"_Well, okay,_" she answers. "_Righto, probably not the best time to tell you this. I have to go and sort some things out about the possible things that could go wrong, 'cause I never really got time to do that, what with you worrying at the beginning and all. So yeah, you might not see me in what … four, five months? Hell, you might even be out by then. Well, that is half a year, and plus anything can go wrong, so-"_

I manage a few words that seem appropriate: "_I … kill … you …_"

"_Nah, you really don't want to do that. Anyways, I'm sure you'll be fine without me. Besides the whole little slash thing before coming into the temple."_

"_What … that?"_

"_Oh dear, I must leave now. See you!"_

"_Get … back … here._"

Damn my crappy mind right now. I can't form a proper sentence. And MY GAMECUBE LEFT ME! The ONLY thing I can rely on has left. Me. To Die. In Sylvarant..

… Damn it.

I want to go home! I really _really_ want to go home! I know I'm being as whiny as a five year old here, but I'm stuck in a world I know nothing about, I've just been in more pain than I've ever endured, and … and … I'll die if I stay here! I can't survive against Yggdrasil and other bad guys like they can! I'm 13, damn it! 13! I cannot _handle this_! Sure, Genis is 12, but he has Raine! He has an older sister to take care of him!

'It looks like it's come out of its socket …'

What the hell? That's Genis' voice … I_ am_ alive!

'Yeah … should we snap it back while she's unconscious? It shouldn't hurt then, right?'

That'd be Lloyd. Gahh, I'm not unconscious! Leave my shoulder alone!

'I'm … awake,' I groan, opening my eyes. Whoa, double vision. I blink a few times and squint at the orange figure kneeling in front of me. Giant carrot? No, Raine. Healer woman! Even better. Maybe I won't have to have my shoulder snapped back into place … that'd be so appropriate for me. I don't like pain. 'Where's the Ktugach?'

'We finished him off,' Lloyd said with a proud grin. 'He isn't so tough without that shield.'

'He still managed to whoop _your_ arse,' I mumble, sitting up with a flinch. 'OW!'

Raine helps me sit straight, holding her wooden rod in one hand. 'You shouldn't push yourself. This will hurt, so be prepared.'

'Alright, but if you – OWWWWWWSUNUVABITCH!' I scream, screwing my eyes shut as Raine yanks my arm back, snapping my shoulder back into place with a click. I am … in _much_ pain … much much pain. Ow, it's sore and aching … and I think my ankle is dead too. It doesn't feel out of place … just sprained. At least that isn't a big threat … I try and focus some remaining mana in my body to travel down my leg to my ankle, relishing it with First Aid. Ah, the pain is gone … I might not be able to walk properly for a bit … but I'll walk all the same.

'I'm fine …' I say in a very high pitched voice, rubbing my eyes. They've begun to water. I don't like crying around people … I don't know why, I've just found it uncomfortable. It makes me feel stupid and embarrassed, so I guess I'll just hold it in and use a couple of Apple Gels. That should do the trick.

And, without delay, here comes Colette's angel daddy in all his sparkling glory. I guess I must have missed a bit, what with my angst and all. Yes, that was sarcasm. I don't angst, I whine like a child.

'Colette, my dear daughter, you have done well,' he says with a smile. Wow, what a bastard … and a good acting bastard to go with it. I wonder when Colette begins to suspect things … I guess it's pretty soon. She doesn't look comfortable when around him … then again, neither would I if I had found out some angel dude was my father.

'The guardian of the seal has fallen,' he states. '… And the first seal has been released. Efreet will surely awaken soon. In the name of Cruxis, I shall grant you the power of the angels.'

'Thank you, my lord,' Colette says with an uneasy smile, hands clasped to her chest as light surrounds her. I notice her eyes widen slightly as she seizes up for a second … not vividly … like when you feel someone watching you. The pink, translucent feathers spring from her back slowly, stretching as though they had been folded for a long time. The left one twitches softly as she tries to move it herself.

'Ah …!'

Colette gasps softly as she is pulled from the ground by her wings as though it lost the ability to listen to its host. I look over at Remiel and wonder if it's his doing.

'The angel transformation will not be without pain,' he says to his "daughter" with another sickly smile. 'Be strong and endure.'

Colette nods with a hint of determination in her voice. 'I humbly accept this trail.'

As Remiel gives the directions to the blonde Chosen, I use the wall to heave myself to my feet. My ankle feels fine, but … well I lied. It feels like cotton wool – like I could loose balance any second and topple to the floor … like I have done twice since coming here. Darn it. I grit my teeth against the pain in my shoulder and stand upright as Remiel disappears in his pool of light and feathers.

'I shall await you at the next seal, the Chosen of Regeneration, my beloved daughter Colette.'

I really think he rehearses this thing. He must want a promotion to the four seraphim badly … what a jackass. I really don't like him. He's gotta be one of the most annoying guys in Cruxis … besides Rodyle. He creeps me out … and Kvar. THE MAN HAS NO EYES.

'Colette has wings!'

I blink and look over at the brunette swordsman, staring at the sparkling feathers that produced from Colette's back. She turns from the altar to look at her two friends with a smile.

'I can put them away, too!' she says with a giggle as they are pulled into her back. Genis sure looks entertained.

'Wow, that's so cool!'

'… Bitchin' …' I mumble, looking at the hyper people. Lloyd turns away and stumbles back to the Professor. Gah, Lloyd's leg is bleeding! His wound must have opened in the battle when he got hit … which reminds me, I want my gun back. But still, stupid Lloyd! He's almost as clumsy as Colette! And that's saying something!

'So, uh …' I start, rubbing my shoulder. 'Next seal over the ocean, right?'

'Yeah!' Lloyd exclaims with a grin. 'We get to go on a ship! I can't wait!'

I hate boats. To be clear, I hate water. I'm deathly afraid of it and I can't swim. I almost drowned when I was little … oh it was terrible. I was only five, and I was so scared … we'll just add "fear of water" to the bucket along with "fear of spiders" … and we all know about the spider thing … so we'll leave that be.

'A ship…hmm. I wonder if there are any ships sailing with the way things are right now,' Raine says, quickly dodging the thought of the sea. I'm with ya, Raine. Screw all oceans! We want land, damn it!

'We should head to the coast to see what we can find,' Kratos says, already heading towards the warp. I make a face as he leaves the chamber. Lloyd follows him second as Raine turns to the two enjoying the sparkly wings. Shiny things are fun, but this isn't the time! Argh.

'That's enough, you two. It's time to go,' she says, returning her staff to its little case thing. 'Colette, could you help me with these bags?'

'Of course, Professor!' she says brightly, attempting to fly over the room for the first time. A wing twitches violently and she stumbles, falling face first on the floor. 'Hehe … oops.'

'You're very clumsy, Colette,' I say, holding back a laugh. 'Maybe you should save wings for battle and seal breaking?'

'I guess you're right,' she says with a blush of embarrassment, picking up a bag and slinging it over her shoulder. 'I wouldn't want to break anything.'

'There ya go!' I say with a grin. 'C'mon, Lloyd and Kratos are probably lonely up there by themselves.'

'And I want to get back to Triet,' Genis says, stretching his arms over his head. 'I'm tired from all the fighting, and it's so hot!'

'And … why do you think they called it the Seal of Fire? Duh – we're under a desert,' I mumble. 'C'mon Colette, I'll help you with that bag there …'

I pick up a big bag of Noishe food and what look like pyjamas, slinging it over my back with a groan. Bad shoulder.

'Are you sure? Your shoulder …'

'It's fine, really!' I say. 'Besides, you just broke a seal. You've gotta be worn out. I'll just … put this on my other shoulder …'

'Are you sure?' Raine asks, reaching for her staff again.

'I'm fine! We leave now, people!'

Genis is the first in the warp, followed by our very own nutty professor. Colette turns to me, picking up another bulging bag left on the floor and pulling it over her other shoulder. 'Well, let's go!'

'Yeah … and Colette?' I say, looking up at her. Well, she is a lot older than me …'

'What is it?'

'Just … well, don't push yourself, 'kay?' I say, shifting the bag slightly into a more comfortable position. 'We girls have gotta look out for each other, right?'

'Yep!' she says with another bright smile. 'Sure do!'

'Yeah … we do.'

I guess I won't be looking forward to any other seals in the future. And I suppose Colette isn't either, but … she is the Chosen, after all. Let's just hope she doesn't go all Zelos-loony on us. I doubt she will … she's as determined to save this world as I am determined to leave it.

Maybe there is hope for me if I investigate the Earth Raine was talking about.

* * *


	17. Triet go boom

* * *

Chapter 17 - Triet Go Boom

And somehow, once again, Kratos' diary has found its way into my hands and flipped open to the most recent entry.

"'_Choose your saviour, Irving_.'

_Those where the only words I heard in my dream before waking. I could easily pass it off as an illusion forced onto my mind while I sleep, but the feeling it gave me was not something to take lightly. The voice possessed no body, but the sense of a spirit – a deity if you will – struck my mind almost immediately. The chances of it being a godly figure are unlikely, but it'll be something I have to ponder on for a while. At any rate, I believe Lloyd is in danger. It's quite likely that the sickness that struck him within the Seal of Fire is related to this. Once we return to Triet, I will purchase some medicine._

_Yet, I wonder if there is any point. By any chance if Lloyd decides to abandon this journey, his life will be lost at my own hands within the Tower of Salvation. I am just prolonging his life from here out._

_Should I let myself become attached, Lord Yggdrasil would not stand for it – another hindrance and another betrayal._

_Who am I betraying here? In carrying out my given task, I'm betraying my wife and my son. Though if I abandon Mithos' side, I'm betraying a friend very dear to me – even if he has grown twisted ideals. The Mithos I knew would not make me murder my remaining family."_

Hmm … puzzling. Poor Kratos is confused on what's right or wrong. I shouldn't be too worried. If everything just follows the same flow as the game, everything will be fine. Perfect and dandy … hopefully … well, it can't be too hard. Just make sure nothing goes wrong or changes. Then I can get back to Earth.

Yes, I lied. I'm worrying like there's no tomorrow and I haven't slept in hours. It must be about two hours into morning … and goodness I'm tired. But every time I lie down and close my eyes, my mind immediately fills with images of what could go wrong. Everyone dying at the Tower of Salvation … being ripped to shreds by monsters … being blown up in a desperate attempt to escape a Human Ranch. Being killed by the any of the five grand cardinals – anything could go wrong.

I sink into my sleeping bag and close my eyes for a few moments, savouring a small break from worry. And yep, there's Lloyd impaled on Kratos sword at the Tower of Salvation, sword cut clean through his stomach and rivers of crimson blood streaming down his shaking legs as his own swords clatter to the ground. I growl in frustration and sit up again, rubbing my temples.

'Lloyd, I fucking hate you,' I hiss, getting to my feet and swaying a little. I haven't stood in ages and my legs have cramps everywhere. Maybe I should go for a walk or something … clear my mind and my cramps at the same time.

I look around the camp to find everyone sleeping in their own little ways: Genis is curled up next to Raine, Colette lies on her back with her hands over her chest (she looks like she's dead or something …) and Lloyd is curled up next to Noishe Kratos is next to his with his head resting on Noishe's neck. The poor animal is practically a bed … maybe when we get some more sleeping bags he'll be able to sleep alone. Since it was only supposed to be the four of us, we only have four blankets and stuff. Raine is sharing hers with Genis, but Lloyd insisted in just sleeping next to Noishe. Sadly, the animal doesn't get a say in that. I think Kratos just dozed off during his night watch. Poor Kratty is stressed. He needs sleep.

The desert is full of monsters, so I should take pistols just in case. I doubt they'll be monsters near here, but its better safe than sorry. I get to my knees and search through my backpack, feeling around for my guns. Ah, found one. I tug it out, but … it's not the same colour as my normal ones. The ones I use are a dark metallic blue, but these ones are grey …

I plunge my hand back into my backpack and find one … two … three pistols! What the hell is going on? I wrench them all out and lay them in a line. Okay, I have my two blue ones and two new grey ones. There's a small note on one of the new ones …

I pick it up and read the small childish handwriting.

"_Charlie, this is my last way of helping you. These grey ones are real pistols so use them only in emergency, alrighty? Your faithful Gamecube, Charis."_

… Ah, I hate my Gamecube. She could have given me something like … a brain washing thing … I mean, she can probably summon anything up right? But nooo … how the hell are real pistols supposed to help me? I can kill with them, sure, but I don't want to kill. I thought about death a lot when my sister passed away, so I've gotten into the "don't kill its pointless" character since then. Gah, I'm turning into one of those soppy lovey-dovey like characters. I'll shoot myself if that happens.

I rub my sore shoulder and grimace, squeezing my eyes shut. It doesn't hurt as much, but it's still painful. Grr. I hate being clumsy. And short. Trust me, I'm short. Apparently, shortness equals clumsiness. Well, that's what my classmates say. I always fall over on the school bus and down the stairs. And yes, everyone in my class is taller than me. It's disturbing to look up at them when I speak, and I used to be taller than all of them, darn it! So … hopefully I'll grow a bit here.

I look around, and quickly pick up my two pistols, shoving the others into my backpack before carefully walking around the sleeping Noishe and through a small trail of rocks.

I stretch my arms over my head when I reach an open area and yawn widely. I'm tired, but my mind won't let me sleep. It keeps shoving sickening images of blood and massacre into my brain. Wow, this is the best night _ever_. First night I slept in a damn _map_ on a wooden floor, next night I couldn't sleep and barely slept because of Kratos' journal and my uncontrollable curiousness, and now I'll probably dream about everyone dying or something drastic and wake up screaming. Wonderful.

I fold my arms behind my head and begin to walk further from the camp. If I keep going I'll probably reach Triet or something. I'll do some late-night shopping … nah, they wouldn't be open. Darn. Oh well – if I look close enough I'll be able to see the outline of the city … kinda cool, actually.

I stand on my tip-toes, trying to peer in the direction of the small town, but there are numerous gusts of sand every five seconds because of the wind. I dunno about Sylvarant, but my Geography teacher said that deserts get really cold at night because clouds don't keep the heat in or something … I'm not good at remembering stuff.

'Nnn … I should sleep,' I mumble to myself with another yawn. I know I'll just be greeted with more grotesque images of Lloyd and the others all mutilated, bloody and whatnot. I sigh to myself and drag my hair out of my face when I'm met with a harsh breeze. Grr and such. I'd rather Charis give me a hair band than real guns. It's getting more curly at the ends … okay, either a hair band or my straighteners.

_I'll go and attempt to sleep soundly. I'm sure it won't work, but I'll do my best,_ I think to myself, heading back to the camp.

* * *

'He's not waking up.'

'Maybe if we try throwing cold water over him …'

'We can't do that! That's mean!'

I wake up to three different voices which I easily recognise as the Chosen, the mage, and the mercenary. I yawn widely and roll onto my front, pulling the pillow into a tight killer-hug. I slept well last night … you know, besides the reoccurring dreams of Kratos killing Lloyd, Yggdrasil killing Genis and Raine and all the rest. Other than that, I slept very well thank you very much.

'Hm? Is Charlotte awake?' I hear Colette's voice say. It sounds like she's sitting next to my head … okay, I'll ignore that fact for now. Genis snorts from a few meters away.

'I wouldn't be surprised if she woke up before Lloyd.'

I raise an arm upright into the air and let it drop limply. Either I've signalled that I'm awake or I've left them wondering what kind of dream I might be having. With a sigh, I roll myself over and feel my head bump against Colette's knee.

'Mornin' children,' I yawn, sitting up. The thick sleeping bag drops from my torso to show my pyjamas in all their glory. Courtesy of Charis, of course. She gave me a bunch of stuff the night before I left Iselia, including the yellow and white pyjamas with _BaNaNa_ written across the front and over and over again on the trousers. Not worn anything this childish in ages. I just stick to these freaky Chinese style pyjamas my sister-in-law bought for me from a weird shop in Birmingham. Anyway, moving swiftly along.

'Lloyd still asleep?' I ask with another yawn, rubbing my eyes. Genis shakes his head as I grope blindly for a hairbrush I left next to my bag last night. I'm not good at searching through things in the morning. My fingers close around the bristly object after a good while of searching and acted retarded.

'He's been asleep for hours,' Genis complains with folded arms and a pout. 'Lazy bum.'

I blink a few times to try and rid the heaviness in my eyelids and drag the brush through my hair, carrying out some simple morning routines. I wish I had a mirror or something to make this eaisier … I ignore it and attempt to flatten down every hair on my head so it's in line with everything else. It then occurs to me that it'll probably get messy anyway with the battles to come and maybe Sheena … I groan slightly in defeat and drop my arms that where previously aiding me in reaching the ends of the annoying mass of auburn on my head.

'Anyway wanna use this before I put it away?' I ask, looking around. Even the guys have long hair, so they'll probably want to use it. 'Kratos?'

The mercenary says nothing but gives me a look edging on annoyance.

'You … already brushed your hair, didn't you? Ha … haha … shut up Charlotte,' I warn myself aloud, quickly shoving the wooden object deep into my backpack. I quickly decide to change the subject with: 'So, uh … what's for breakfast?'

'Toast. There's still a few pieces over there,' Genis answers, signalling to a plate beside the dead black fire. I crawl over and grab two pieces, dragging myself back to my sleeping bag. If there's anything I love in the morning, its butter on toast. Rocks my morning world. Yummy.

'So … Lloyd won't wake up at all?' I say after gulping down a mouthful of crusty breakfast. 'You tried poking him yet?'

Colette nods, glancing over at the sleeping brunette. Lloyd is curled up on his side, one hand balled into a fist next to his head, and his other hand elsewhere (if you just had dirty thoughts then, shut up). I stand up and walk over to the swordsman and jab him in the forehead a few times with my finger. He makes no sign of life yet.

'LLOYD! FOOD!' I scream, holding my other piece of toast in front of his face. His brow creases slightly at my exclamation, but he only rustles the covers as he shifts his legs slightly. I shrug, getting to my feet again. 'Well, that's all I can do.'

'He's usually awake before this …' Genis says to my right, 'Since he has to come through the forest early everyday.'

'… It never occurred to you that Dirk might slap him upside the head every morning?' I reply, finishing off the last of my toast. He pauses for a moment in thought and shakes his head.

'Even so, he'd be awake right now. Raine kinda got mad at him for sleeping in before she went to check out the Seal again.'

'Ah … I see,' I mutter, stifling a giggle. 'Poor Lloyd.'

'One or two of you,' Kratos interrupts from feeding Noishe, glancing over at the three of us. 'Might recall he was extremely ill throughout the Seal.'

The silver haired mage is silent for a moment before answering quietly, 'Yeah, he seemed a bit distracted …'

'And a lot more reckless than usual,' adds the blonde, looking over at Kratos. 'You think he's just resting?'

Kratos nods silently, letting Noishe take the last few chunks of rolled up herbs from his offered hand. 'I would assume his body is taking its time to recover from its abrupt ill condition.'

'I remember him being shaky and pale …' I say, trying vainly to find my clothing. I left it somewhere around here last night … I hope Noishe didn't eat it or something. Kratos is pretty wise, given he's lived over 4000 years, so I question '… any idea what's wrong with him?'

'It looks like the Luin bug,' Kratos answers quietly, scratching behind Noishe's ear before getting to his feet. 'A traveller from Luin might have been in Triet carrying the sickness. Other than that, we'll have to wait until it passes.'

'Is it safe for us to go back to Triet then?' Genis asks, looking in the direction of the city. 'What if we … what the?'

Colette cocks her head questioningly. 'Something the matter Genis?'

'T … Triet is burning …!'

Kratos walks over next to Genis and looks out at the apparently ablaze town. Colette and I scramble to our feet and rush over to inspect, peering closely at the city. Huge wafts of black smoke are coming out from inside the walls like the mage had said. I can see a flicker of fire reach up above the wall where the inn should be as another burst of black smoke streams into the air.

'Oh no!' Colette cries, her hands clutched at her chest, shaking. 'What can we do?'

'We can get down there pretty damn fast!' I answer, stamping my foot into the ground at the words _damn fast_. Genis stands quickly, looking around for the direction of the ruins. When found, he sprints of in that direction.

'I'll get Raine!' he calls over his shoulder. Colette quickly gathers some bags together as Kratos goes to try and wake up Lloyd. _I should dress, and quickly_, I think to myself and search through my sleeping bag, finding my clothes folded neatly under my pillow. Need a place to change … aha, random large rock to one side!

I run around to the other side of the rock and almost rip my shirt from my torso. I manage to tug it off my head quick enough and throw my bloodstained shirt on which now reeks of the coppery smell; the same goes for my trousers. Most of the blood isn't actually mine, unless you count the blood from the battle with Yuan two days ago. Most of that is on my back, so it feels a bit dry … ugh, I'll wash them later. I tug my trousers up above my hips (which is difficult when sitting down with your back against a rock, mind you) and get to my feet. To be honest, I didn't like the choker that Charis gave me when I first got sucked into Sylvarant before falling through the roof, so I kind of ceased to wear it after my first night here. I'll just leave it here. I doubt it has any combat-related properties.

I decide to help Colette with the bags and gather up my pyjamas, searching for my backpack. I find it tucked under my blanket at the foot of my sleeping bag. I do wonder how it got there, given that I was using it moments before we noticed Triet burning down. Colette must have put it there.

I look over to see how Kratos is handling with waking Lloyd up. The brunette swordsman is sitting up, rubbing his eyes. The word that immediately springs to mind is _withered_. I don't know why. His skin is a sickly pale now with an almost greyish tint and he has dark bags under his eyes. His hair isn't as … well, vertical than usual … it looks a bit darker and seems to have dropped down slightly too either side of his face all dishevelled and whatnot.

'Need help, Colette?' I ask while quickly shoving my nightclothes into a bag and rolling up my sleeping bag with one foot. She looks over at me and quickly pushes some blonde hair out of her face.

'Um, no, its fine thanks!' she insists with a quick smile, turning back to the pile of bags. 'Um, which one was the Professors again …?'

'Alright, I'm helping,' I say, walking over and getting to my knees. 'Okay … this is Genis' because it has the kendama in it … this is Raine's I think …'

'Yeah, her notebook is in there,' Colette states, quickly pulling the bag shut. 'I'll put it with her backpack.'

'Okay,' I say as she runs over to Raine's sleeping bag. I look through the other two bags. Yep this is Kratos' since it has his diary in it. I close it and turn to the two swordsmen, Lloyd still having trouble coming to his senses. I'll leave them for a while as Lloyd gets into morning gear. If not, we'll just shove him on Noishe and let the "dog" do the work.

'This is Kratos' bag,' I say after she returns. 'I'm gonna write our names on them while we wait for Genis and Raine … and Kratos and Lloyd.'

'Um …' she mumbles, looking around. 'There's a pen in my bag … ah, found it!'

She hands it to me quickly. I thank her and find my own backpack, scribbling "_Charlie_" on the front. Colette hands me hers and I write her name down, doing the same with Genis, Raine, and Lloyd's. I 'accidentally' write "_Kratty_" on the mercenary's, but ignore it and throw it with the rest.

'Now we wait for them,' I say, throwing my own bag over my shoulders and getting to my feet. I look over at the ruins and see the two silver-haired siblings finally returning. Wow, Genis must have tried hard to get her away from a ruin that fast. I know she's only looking for where they where abandoned years ago, but I think she's developed a deep joy in inspecting ruins since then. Ah, the wonders of the Professor. Anyway, getting back on track to saving any survivors from the burning city …

'Here, Professor!' Colette says, handing Raine her bags. I throw Genis' at him, almost hitting him in the face. He quickly grabs it before it can do so. He scowls at me for a second but quickly pulls it over his back. I'm assuming we're going to ignore any monsters that come our way in order to get there faster.

Lloyd has finally gotten to his feet, but he stumbles slightly when he steps forward. Kratos grabs his arm before he can collapse.

'Genis, get his things together,' Kratos orders quietly. 'He'll have to ride on Noishe.'

'…M'fine …' Lloyd croaks, his voice rasped and dry.

'Oh, give it a rest Lloyd,' I say with a sigh, running over to help Genis. 'Just be a good ill boy and ride the damn thing.'

Lloyd makes a muffled sound in protest as he is put into the crouching Noishe. The protozoan stands as Lloyd weakly grips the sides of its large neck, slouching forwards. I've gotta say, I'm a lot more worried about Lloyd than Triet. Strange, because I'm usually panicky about things like this. I remember when a test fire alarm went of in the middle of Performance class. Ah, the memories. But really, this is a whole city. I should be like "omg shit fire", but ARGH Lloyd is too ill to not be noticed. Too bad Kratos can't buy that medicine now.

And so we begin our long walk to Triet.

* * *

I hate writer's block. Damn depression thing. Review please, even if this was crappy.


	18. Destruction

* * *

Chapter 18 - Destruction

'This is … terrible.'

I ignore Colette's quivering voice as we step into the city. Or at least what's left of it. Everything is in ruins … the once small bright and breezy city of Triet that depended upon the Chosen, just like many others … resulted to a burning mass of buildings, palm trees, and human flesh. My eyes water at the heat of the flames still reaching up towards the sky, emitting a large haze of smoke into the air, almost covering the whole of Triet like a dark, perturbing veil.

I don't trust my voice to speak clearly, so I stay silent and glance around. When my eyes settle on something – a mix of tan and red – I immediately heave as a phrase rushes through my head like a mantra.

_AN ARM AN ARM A HUMAN ARM_.

I can see how easily the flesh must have been cut, but the bone looks jagged, hacked … I choke on my own air and turn away before my stomach decided to throw that toast up. There could be a body around here lacking an arm … how must it have felt to have his arm hacked off? To have all his muscles, veins, skin – all of it torn apart while they were shrieking, begging … what if it was a child? A teenager? Someone I might have bumped into the other day and said a hello to? How would the people who knew them – family, friends – felt seeing them being tortured?

If this was the work of the Renegades, I'll kill Yuan next time I see him. But … the Renegades wouldn't. No, they're trying to save the two worlds … it must have been the Desians. I'm betting either Magnius or Forcystus … they're the closest, unless you count the Remote Island Human Ranch … but Rodyle – wouldn't he be in Tethe'alla? Then again, he appeared on the projector after the group left the Palmacosta Human Ranch in the game … and there isn't any Human Ranches in Tethe'alla, right? So he must be using a Rheaird … but he's busy trying to build the Mana Cannon! Why would he … no, it couldn't have been him. He's too busy deceiving Magnius for gald and trying to build the Mana Cannon to worry about destroying a small city, even if Triet doesn't have a peace treaty with Desians. Plus, he's working with Vharley and the Pope, I think … well, one of them. I shouldn't be worrying about things that will happen so much later.

So, it couldn't have been Rodyle … Magnius is busy getting money from Dorr and planning to assassinate the Chosen, but I doubt he'd come all the way over the ocean to do so … he knows that we'll eventually have to come for the Seal of Water. Other than that, they must be frantic to get Lloyd's Exsphere to become leader of the Five Grand Cardinals … but they still wouldn't just destroy a city! There's no point.

'What happened here …?' Lloyd mumbles, trying to push himself up from Noishe's neck. 'The Desians …! They-!'

'Lloyd, calm down,' Raine says sternly, turning to him. 'I know you're angry, but you are in no condition to take action. Let us take care of it.'

I turn away from the two, looking around again and trying to avoid the human arm lying nearby the wreckage of the stable. I hear Noishe whine from a few feet away as Lloyd shifts his weight, sitting up slightly and still clinging to the fur of his pet's neck. 'But … why? Triet may not have had a treaty with them, but this is -!'

'This is barbaric!' Genis finishes for him. I notice the mage's skin has turned a paler shade to roughly mach the silver bangs hanging in front of his face. He's trembling slightly too …

I notice the small muscles in my arms and legs ripple softly at the sight before me. How many people died today? How many families were torn asunder by the wrath of the Desians? How many bodies lie mutilated with deep gashes in their organs, blood splattered over once joyful features under the debris of the buildings? How many people woke up this morning and thought it was going to be just another day, only to now be dead, rotting somewhere – under a rock? In the oasis, drowned after half an hour? Speared on the end of a sword or a lance?

I can feel my stomach churning at the thoughts entering my head. Oh crap, that toast is coming up. I gulp quickly and turn from the view, finally not being able to trust my voice _and­_ what I can see in front of me.

Colette's hands immediately find themselves, clutching so tightly the skin over her knuckles is turning white. 'What do we do now …?'

'We'll look for survivors,' Kratos says calmly in comparison to the current situation at hand and walks off to the shopping section of Triet. Raine and Genis glare coldly at him before going off to search with Colette. I stand for a moment before going off to the stable on my own as Lloyd slumps forward again onto Noishe's neck. The creature whines softly.

I grab a piece of charred wood and push it out of the way with a groan, heaving the heavy part to one side. It cracks sharply on a remaining fence, probably catching the attention of the others. I definitely notice Noishe's head snap in my direction, causing Lloyd to almost fall from the animal's back. Luckily he grabs onto his neck quickly. 'Man, be careful!'

'Right, sorry,' I say, kicking a small piece of wood away. The water tray is filled with floating pieces of wood and ashes. I remember accidentally drinking a ash-filled lemonade once. My brothers like to use them as ash trays, which I find very disturbing. Plus, my throat burned with the taste for ages … we'll have to keep Noishe away from this then … it might make him sick. That won't do at all.

I drag another piece of wood away from the stable, giving me a good view of inside. Hmm, it looks like there's nothing here. HOLY CRAP A FINGER! I drop the wood and jump away, covering my hands with my mouth. I'm gonna be sick …

The wood breaks loudly as it hits another pile, drawing attention from everyone again. Noishe just jumps this time, and Lloyd manages to grab his fur before being throw off. 'What are you doing?'

'F … finger …' I squeak. I ignore a worried glance as I throw my front over the fence and hurl up my breakfast, leaving me feeling nauseous and dizzy. Ugh … I want to leave … I really want to leave …

I cough violently, spitting out the burning acidic liquid remaining in my mouth. As the caustic fluids burn the soft flesh of my throat, I breathe in, shuddering and try to catch my breath by using a method my doctor told me to use if I have an asthma attack and have no inhaler. I rarely get attacks, about once every seven months, but they still teach it to us anyway. Let's get that nice fresh air into my lungs and insides.

After a few moments, I pull myself up and use my sleeve to wipe away vomit and saliva dribbling down my chin with a grimace. I don't think I'll eat anything for the rest of the day … even if I am starving. I remember last time I was very sick I didn't eat anything for two days. _That_ left me feeling like I was going to die; it felt like my stomach had shrivelled up. On second thought, I think I might eat a small titbit of something so I don't starve. It'll depend how my stomach responds to the thought of meals later …

I sling my backpack off my shoulders, noting the scribbled "_Charlie_" in black pen as messy as my handwriting. I'm not that good at writing neatly, so imagine jotting down names in large letters in less than three seconds. I open it up and dig around for a flask of water. When my hand brushes against the cold metal material I pull it out quickly and unscrew the top, gulping down a mouthful. I can feel the insides of my mouth and my stomach burn intensely at the sick running back down there. I cough a few times before shoving the bottle back into my bag, dragging it back over my shoulders before standing up.

'Well that sucked …' I say shakily to the red clad swordsman, with an uneasy grin.

'You okay?' he asks, now finally sitting up properly instead of lolling all over Noishe's neck. I nod and walk over to the animal, petting it gently on the head.

'Don't let him go over there,' I warn, looking up at the teenager. 'That water tray has ashes and wood floating about in it.'

'… Alright,' Lloyd mumbles, lying back down on Noishe's long, broad neck. It whines softly again, sounding almost annoyed. I scratch behind his ears before walking down to the smaller shopping area nearby the fortune teller's tent. Colette, Genis and Raine should be looking down by here searching around for survivors … yeah, I remember Kratos checking the large shopping area, so they must have taken this. I'm so forgetful. It happened five minutes ago, darn it!

I notice Genis by the Katz Exploration Team stand, pushing the broken desk out of the way for a better view. I can see a broken palm tree that seems to have been hauled aside too, along with the orange coloured parasol with cat ears, small burnt patches still glowing red with dying embers.

'Hey, I heard you throwing up,' Genis says, straightening up and wiping his brow on the back of his hand, brushing sticky silver bangs away from his face. I nod at the slightly shorter boy, rubbing the back of my sweating neck gingerly. T'burns …

'Yeah, but everything is hunky dory now. No need to worry.'

'Okay …' he mumbles, grabbing the underside of the desk, trying to drag it out of the way. 'Ugh … could you give me a hand with this?'

'Sure,' I say with a small smile, crouching and clutching the leg of the table, pulling it as hard as I can. It shifts slightly from the large indent it created in the sand from being positioned in the same place for what very well may have been years, easily being dragged away but still with the combined strength of two small children.

I stand up with a sigh of relief and rub my probably red face, dusting the sand from my trousers. 'See anything?'

Genis manages to squeeze in through the gap, searching around for a moment or two before answering with a small, quiet: 'No … it's just a dog.'

I feel my heart thud in my chest at his morbid tone, predicting the worst. 'Is it …?'

'Yeah …'

I wait for a moment and ask softly: 'What colour is its fur?'

I hear the small sound of movement as Genis moved something out of the way, and after a second: 'It's to hard to tell … its all covered in blood.'

That dog was probably one Colette named when we spent the night in Triet. We'd gone shopping for supplies, just her, Raine and me and she saw a dog sitting by one of the palm trees in the shade. I remember as she went over to play with it she named it Cammy while seeing if it knew how to shake hands. To the Chosen's delight, it knew many tricks … she told it that she'd be along the next day to see it. I don't think we should tell her what lies under the dust, sand and rubble.

Genis climbs back out of the area with a much paler look on his face. I try a weak smile, but he just ignores my slight reassuring gesture. 'This is horrible.'

I rub my eyes and nod. '… Yeah. Why did the Desians do this? This city didn't have a treaty with them, but this is going to far … I mean, destroying everything? Killing everyone?'

'Are they …' Genis mutters, swallowing hard while staring at the ground. 'Are half-elves really that bad …?'

'They're not,' I answer firmly. 'It's just those damn Desians!'

'But the Desians are-'

'We're not Desians!' I hiss quite loudly, grabbing his shoulders. 'Just forget about them! Are you a Desian Genis? Have you shamelessly turned your back on salvation? No! You're not evil like them! You didn't do this!'

Genis stares at me for a long while, eyes slightly wide. I let go of his shoulders quickly, folding my arms over my chest and looking away. 'Sorry.'

'… Don't tell the others. Please …'

I blink and look back over at him. He's staring at the floor again. What … oh yeah, I wasn't supposed to know he was a half-elf.

'I won't. Promise,' I guarantee aloud with a smile, patting him once on the head. 'C'mon, let's find Raine and Colette.'

'O … okay.'

Before we can begin to look for the other two females of the group, they climb over a wreckage of the wall that seems to have been blasted in and barricaded the pathway to the smaller shopping area. Colette, just because she would, trips on a small jagged piece of wall sticking out of the sand. I half expect a sweat drop bubble to randomly shoot out of my head like in the game, but luckily the world I've been sucked into has none of the Namco goodness that would drive me insane in real life.

I settle with slapping my palm to my forehead and look over at the blonde Chosen. 'You okay there, Colette?'

Raine helps the girl up who is blushing wildly with embarrassment. 'Um, yes … I'm fine.'

'Goodie. Hey, uh Raine … where are … all the bodies?' I ask quietly, finally voicing a question that has been nagging at the back of my mind for a while. I've seen a hand that made me heave, a finger that made me hurl, but no bodies …

'They were all dumped into the oasis,' Raine says softly, clutching her staff in a shaking, white hand. 'Not one survivor.'

I fall silent and lick my dry lips before trying to answer. Behind my eyes are burning, my throat feels to big for my neck and my head is throbbing. I bite my lower lip hard before turning to the city entrance, hoping that indicates that I'd prefer leaving here quite soon. I think Genis wants to leave to. He's shaking more than anyone. Bless him and his little angsty half-elf crisis.

'Survivors?' Lloyd questions shortly as we approach him. Kratos has finished searching too and is now stood beside Noishe, hand resting on the animal's side. Noishe is probably a bit frightened now.

Raine shakes her head without saying a word, returning her staff to its case slug over her back. 'All the bodies were dumped into the oasis. The water has turned completely crimson with blood anyone who was still alive would probably have drowned under all of the bodies.'

I flinch at the thought of the once clean oasis being completely scarlet with spilt blood. The thought, the mental image – it's disgusting. Colette catches all of our attention with a small, quite oath.

'I'm going to defeat the Desians before they can cause any more disturbances. I have to …'

'Yeah, and we'll help!' Genis insists. I'm happy to see he has regained some of his childish spunk, even if only a little.

I am about to say something to second Genis' statement, but my brain interrupts me as I notice a small, orange bottle, about the size of a little finger, in Kratos' hand. 'What have you got there?'

Kratos pockets the small bottle, answering quietly: 'It's medicine.'

All eyes are immediately turned to Lloyd, still as pale as snow. Given the fact he's the only one of our group that looks like a reject from_ Night of the Living Dead,_ I think everyone has assumed it's for him. Lloyd's face reflects a quick look of panic before turning to the mercenary and asking quickly: 'Is it liquid medicine?'

'Yes.'

Lloyd slumps forward onto Noishe again (who whines rather loudly in protest) with a sigh of relief. 'Good.'

I raise an eyebrow and look at the three people Lloyd has almost spent the last fourteen years with for an explanation of sorts.

'Lloyd hates swallowing pills,' Raine says quietly. I nod quickly, keeping that in mind and turn towards the gates.

'I take it we leave now.'

Oh, but not before Colette does her little prayer to Martel. Darn god child.

* * *

I have to say, the walk to Ossa Mountain Trail isn't as far as I thought it would be. Or maybe it was just that we really did nothing, just slaughtering monsters in silence while we remained thinking over the Triet incident for the rest of the walk. Kratos is leading the group, being the strongest out of the six of us with Colette taking the same pace as Noishe, stroking his fur every now and then and petting him gently. Lloyd is still riding the animal (much to both of their dismay), his condition changing. He doesn't look half dead anymore … he looks fairly normal. But I'm not sure what he's feeling like on the inside. I know I feel sickly and famished, but that's because I threw up everything I ate today. And I want breakfast again. Aah, want toast …

We've not had any people come to attack up like bandits … they may have fled the desert if they saw Triet and gone to Iselia, or taken the mountain path to Izlood to head to Palmacosta. Even if they had, we had to struggle to find a boat, so they might have to as well.

'Look … the sand is thinning.'

At Colette's sudden statement, I look down at the soft sand beneath our feet indeed, I'm beginning to feel rocky earth beneath my feet instead of walking in ankle deep sand and random moments. I look at the view before us and can see the deep curve in the mountains surrounding Triet desert, recognizing it as the foot of the Ossa Trail mountain path.

Everyone turns to Noishe as he lets out a particularly loud whine, followed by a bark. Lloyd rubs his head comfortingly before sliding carefully from the animal. Raine holds his arm to steady him. 'He must know there are monsters here.'

'Well, duh,' I say quietly, performing an action that imitates holding a gun to my head. I magically shoot a bullet and die as Lloyd takes his bag from Noishe's back. 'D'you wanna find another route, Noishe?'

The creature whines loudly again, immediately turning and heading south at one amazing speed. He can probably run faster without the weight of a human on his back … poor Noishe must have a terrible backache after a while … savour the nights, my doggie-related friend! Wait, people sleep on him during the night don't they? Poor thing. I'll buy him something nice in Palmacosta. Because I've been feeling a bit generous lately. WHICH REMINDS ME.

'Hey, uh … what day is it?'

The Professor takes a moment to think, probably calculating inside her head. 'Hm … we left Iselia on a Sunday, so that would make it Tuesday.'

My birthday is in four days! I calculated it at home about a week ago and memorized "next Saturday" as my birthday! T'will be this Saturday! Should I tell them? It'll be a pain to have them think I'm thirteen forever … and they'll ask after a while, since I already told Genis and Lloyd I was Capricorn, and that star sign period is still going.

'I have four days left to be 13!' I say, holding up four fingers.

'Wow! That's great!' Colette says brightly with a smile, clapping her hands twice. 'We need to get you something!'

'Ah… no, that's okay,' I say with a small laugh. 'Besides, we have seals to release and Desians to kill, and a bunch of other shit to do. Wait, get me an apple each and I'll be happy.'

'An apple?' Lloyd looks back at me disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow. 'You're serious?'

'Lloyd.' I wag a finger in his direction. 'Apples are the epitome of rich, golden, delicious juiciness in a spherical red and green package. I have at least seven a day unless we – uh, _I_ run out.'

'Huh … that's really-'

'STOP!'

I yelp at the sudden exclamation from a large, steep cliff ledge before us. A few stones fall from the crumbling peak, clicking softly as the hit the floor as the Tethe'allan assassin thrusts her foot onto the curve of the cliff, propelling herself forwards in mid-air in a flurry of purple and black clothing a ruffled hair. Half of the group step back rapidly to avoid the rival ninja making her grand entrance.

Sheena lands flat on both feet, slamming one hand flat on the floor to support her upper body, otherwise she would have smashed into the floor face-first. And that would have hurt … we'd have a mutated nose on Sheena! Eek … I'm really hoping Charis isn't permitting herself to fuck up the appearance of the characters … just watch – we'll get to Tethe'alla and Presea will have blue hair and Regal will have pink hair in his weird little pony tail thing. Greatness.

'… What?' Lloyd tries carefully, fully aware of the large ofuda the woman is clutching. Sure they're just pieces of paper, been they have (gasp) SYMBOLS on them! What evil lies within those evil little white cards? THE SHEER HORROR.

'Oh! Do you know her, Lloyd?' Colette asks, turning to the still slightly weary brunette swordsman.

'… I don't think so,' he says quietly out of the assassin's earshot. Apparently, Sheena doesn't give a damn and continues regardless of our reactions … which aren't really what dramatic. I really hope she didn't expect us to scream "DEVIL WOMAN" and stab her to death … she probably didn't want that either.

'Is the Chosen of mana among you?' she demands firmly, glancing at each of us in turn. Her sharp gaze travels quite quickly over Genis and me, probably knowing that people so young couldn't be Chosens. Hey, I could be Chosen if I fell over enough and had a weird aura that attracted the opposite sex! And the Chosens we have aren't weird already?

'Oh, that's me!' Colette answers gaily with her trademark Chosen smile, waving a hand slightly. I sigh inwardly at her dose of daily carelessness as Sheena's ofuda mysteriously multiply in her hands like a fan. I strain to see a small almost tangible aura emitting from the cards … it must be like a power fuel or something along those lines. Either way, if Colette's dose of daily _clumsiness_ doesn't kick in soon, she's gonna get attacked. Badly.

'Prepare to die!' Sheena warns, immediately sprinting at the Chosen, ofuda leaving her hands and circling her body in what looks like a Pyre Seal preparation. In a sudden frantic effort to back away, Colette's foot hits the small red lever, successfully opening the old maintenance passage. The rusty, un-oiled hinges screech loudly in protest as they are half opening, stopping completely. Sheen's added body weight sends her tumbling down the dark passage with a shriek and a crash. Let's hope fate kicked into her as it did for me when I fell through the school roof. I've never loved card-board boxes more.

The impact probably rendered Sheena unconscious, so any expecting screams of fury directed towards us are gone. The group is silent for a long while before Colette springs up from the floor, crouching down at the side of the passage and looking down into the darkness, probably trying to make out a mangled puddle of ninja.

'Oh no! I did it again! What if she's hurt?'

Another few moments of ringing silence fill the air. I shrug and try to answer. 'Uh … then we'd all be … happy?'

'That's true,' the Professor says from my right, giving a "pass it off" motion with her hand. 'Had she not fallen in you might have been killed.'

Colette pauses and bites her lower lip, holding the edge of the opening, trying to look harder. I'm telling you, you can't see mangled ninja with that amount of light! Unless of course Sheena flies back up and shoves her knee in poor Colette's face, but that's very unlikely from what I know.

'But …'

'Don't worry about it,' Lloyd says, rubbing his head and kneeling down on the other side of the hole. 'It looks like she's an enemy.'

Colette obviously ignores Lloyd's small statement; proceeding to whine about how she wishes Sheena would be fine and not hurt. Hey Colette, what does falling down a ten meter hole feel like? Maybe we should push you down and then you'd know if you'd get hurt or not. WELL DUH. She probably sprained her ankle or something. If I'd fallen, all of my bones would probably have shattered like glass. Damn I need to drink more milk. I've got to stop living off orange and cranberry juice.

Genis, after his long while of thinking and considering and adding it all together begins his rant. 'Even assuming her weight to be 45kg, and this hole to be 10m deep, and calculating the gravity constant at 9.8, the impact shouldn't have been fatal.'

… My braaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiin …

'Gravity … constant …?' Lloyd questions slowly, staring at his half-elven friend with a positively befuddled look on his face. Ah, Lloyd is not that bright … but Genis is too bright. I have a feeling Genis used some weird spell when they were little to take all of Lloyd's knowledge and sense of maturity way from him and keep them for himself. Devil child.

'I _think_ … he means she's alive,' I say, walking over to the hole and looking down. Wow, it really is dark … you can only see the first few meters or so before everything is swallowed in an empty black mess.

'Most likely,' Genis confirms, folding his arms. 'Unless she fell on her head.'

'Wow, images just entered my head. Nice going, kid,' I say as a crumpled, headless Sheena comes to mind. Eurggh, thank goodness I haven't eaten anything since this morning. I don't think Sheena would like it if I started vomiting down the hole.

'But man, that's pretty unlucky … standing on a trap door and all just as it opens,' Lloyd says, pulling at the lever. After another piercing groan from the worn hinges, the doors slam shut. By the looks of it, the bar looks quite loose … maybe Colette broke it when she fell. It seriously would have been worse if she had broken it completely. We wouldn't be able to use it in the future … for random reasons. Lloyd, stop touching it!

'It's not a trap,' Raine says from behind Colette. 'It's a hidden maintenance passage for the mountain path.'

'That must explain why it's abandoned right now,' I say, straightening up. 'Not much use for a mine-thing in a world lacking its dollop of regeneration.'

'Desians?' Lloyd asks shortly, pulling himself to his feet.

'It's likely-'

'We should get moving,' Kratos interrupts before I can carry on, obviously getting irritated with our rambling about random murderous assassins and the holes that they fall into.

'Hey! Shouldn't we try to find out who that woman was?' Lloyd protests, looking over at the older swordsman. Kratos glances at Lloyd over his shoulder with his usual impassive look, probably not caring much for our groups little concerns that can be taken care of easily with the right amount of thinking. Sadly, our group isn't that bright. Genis must have taken all of our knowledge except Raine's. You know, I'm gonna be keeping a long distance from Genis now.

'She'll come after us again on her own,' Kratos says in a quiet tone, turning his cold stare back to the path before us. 'This area is too confined and the footing is poor. We shouldn't stay here long.'

Lloyd replies with a small "hmph", but leaves it at that. I guess even though he hates to admit it, Kratos is right. Then again, Kratos is always right. Lloyd may detest his situation; a random mercenary joining their group and being better at anything and everything Lloyd can do, but the logic of the mercenary's actions is undeniable. Even Lloyd has to realize that.

Though there is something that Kratos can't do that I wish he would. Would he – just once in a while – notice that his POOR SON IS ILL AND NOW HE'S GETTING WORSE.

Yep, we've begun our trek up the mountain path and Lloyd is beginning to look like a walking, talking mess of pale white and scarcely perceptible grey. I really hope that it will pass soon, and judging by Kratos' presumption of the sickness being the Luin bug, it _will_ pass. Soon. Hopefully. Knowing my luck, Lloyd is probably going to go and die somewhere, screwing everything up and then I'll be stuck here until I'm an old lady living in a small hut next to Luin and scaring little children saying that I used to come from another world where there was pollution in the air and oil in the seas and a big fat hole in the ozone layer as our world began to feel the effect of global warming.

Anyway …

'Lloyd, you feelin' okay?' I ask finally, slowing my pace to match his.

'I've told you guys hundreds of times, I'm fine!' the random-disease-ridden swordsman groans quite loudly, rubbing his temples. He probably made his own head hurt. What an idiot.

'Okay, I've asked about twice today,' I say in defence, my hands automatically finding my hips. I always do the weird, clichéd thing women do when they're angry when I get pissed. Damn female hormones, getting me irritated at stupid things. Puberty sucks.

'Well … it's not just you. Everyone's been asking me, and I'm fine! Really!'

'Lloyd, if I'd never met you and I was walking down the mountain path, I'd think you were a friggin' zombie,' I say, the concerned tone getting caught in my throat and failing to etch itself into my voice. 'Where'd all your blood go?'

Lloyd falls silent and continues to walk, following the group close behind. Kratos probably told him to trail them closely so any monsters that happen to stumble across our route can't reach him. We wouldn't want a dead Lloyd, would we?

Hm, you know what I haven't thought about today? The incidents with Triet probably got in the way of my thinking, but remember Kratos' latest journal entry? "_Choose your saviour Irving_"? What the hell was that about? And Lloyd's in trouble or something? Grr brain … not working properly. Okay, let's see ... _Choose your saviour_, huh? Saviour, being someone who will save him, confuses me to no end. And choosing means he has more than one saviour. Cue the head smashing into the random wall.

All of that must mean that Lloyd is in trouble somehow. How, I don't know. This never happens in the game, so Charis must have done something to make it all … screwed up. And somehow, Kratos is connected to all of this too. Some kind of automatic assumption is telling me he might be one of the saviours. Why? Well, it was his dream after all. And Lloyd might have had the same dream, but he doesn't keep a diary. Damn it.

'Uh … Lloyd?' I ask quietly, hopefully out of Kratos' hearing range. He might have those angel senses like Colette, so I have to be careful. Plus, that'd kind of give away that I've been reading his diary. And he will attack me so violently.

'I told you already, I'm-'

'Yes, Lloyd, I know you're fine!' I hiss quickly, trying to keep him from drawing any attention from the other four in our group. 'You're dandy! I just want a question answered.'

Lloyd looks at me in slight confusion, arching his eyebrow in a small bridge. 'Well … okay. Shoot.'

'Did you have any dreams last night?'

The swordsman pauses for a long moment, looking away from me and to the long, uneven path in front. '… No.'

Something in my mind – some weird inner self that seems to have a voice – groans loudly. '… Are you sure? None that you can remember?'

'No. Sorry,' Lloyd insists curtly, quickening his pace to get away from me. I furrow my brow slightly and try to pass off the look of guilt mixed with intense panic that lay somewhere in the depths of Lloyd's eyes. He way lying – he had a dream. Maybe it was the same as Kratos', maybe it wasn't. Regardless, it may have been connected to the whole little situation.

'Lloyd, look out!'

I glance up just in time to see one of those large brown and purple Bears – noticed only by the blue eyed half-elven boy - lunging towards the weary and unsuspecting swordsman with a feral growl. The two creatures, both man and beast, are thrown to the floor in a tangle of thick, grimy fur mixed with red and dark grey clothing.

I'm sure the rest of the group heard a loud "hoshit" from my direction as Lloyd's back connects heavily to the ground with a dull thump, earning a yelp of pain from the swordsman as a painful tremor probably burst through his spine under the weight of the lumbering bear. Kratos acts first, drawing his blade as Lloyd tries to kick at the creature above him, only resulting in flailing wildly with another pained sound as one of the Bear's large claws wrap tight around a thrashing arm.

I wonder idly why I haven't actually _done_ anything to help him yet as a burst of fire spreads onto the beast's fur as Genis casts Fireball in attempt to slow down the process of "ripping Lloyd limb-from-limb". Kratos drives his sword deep into the violent monster's side, drawing out a long, pained howl. I slap myself mentally and fumble around in my bag desperately. Those real guns Charis sent me – they have to help, right? They're _real_, for goodness sake! And _why_ is the Bear still pinning Lloyd down? It's starting to look _really_ wrong!

Something cold hits the sensitive tips of my fingers which I quickly recognise as the smooth surface of the gun's side. The message "grab-shoot" is sent to my brain, so – being to obeying person I am – pull my gun out, bringing a few random junk like red and black quartz and a piece of magical cloth – all which go clattering to the ground and aim at the monsters head, shooting crazy but carefully. Obeying I may be, but good at aiming I am not. Luckily, I don't shoot anyone in vital areas (we'll just ignore the bullet that barely missed Kratos' ear), but I do manage to land some hits on the monster's large, bulging shoulder. Wow, I'm not doing much.

I yank a piece of knotted hair behind me ear that decides to keep getting in the way of my aim (I'll remind myself to brush it later – and I need to stay away from damp areas, darn it). In my struggle with even more frizzing clumps of hair swimming in front of my face, the Bear drags a low growl from its throat as dark, black blood mixed with saliva trickles down its large, flabby lips. Lloyd manages to scramble out of the monster's grip before it slumps heavily to the floor with another quiet groan.

I don't think I'll call that a real battle, but I _will_ congratulate Kratos and Genis for their quick-to-act daily personalities (something I will never have), and Lloyd for not accusing the Bear of attempted rape. Now, if we continue down the path, you'll see a future image of Charlotte with Lloyd's sword driven through her skull, "purifying her of those dirty thoughts".

'Lloyd! Are you okay?' Colette asks anxiously, hands clutching themselves tightly again, something I will now assume she'll automatically do if she is troubled. 'Are you hurt?'

'That …' Lloyd mutters with a frown, wiping the Bear's bloodied saliva from his sleeve and flinging it to one side, '… was gross.'

I quickly gather up the things I dropped in my frenzied attempt to find my gun, returning them to my bag along with the weapon which didn't actually _do_ much (gee, thanks Charis – you might as well given me a water pistol), tucking them all under my thin blanket. You know, just so they don't decide to randomly fall out. Things like that happen to me – and I still don't know why. Maybe someone up there doesn't like that fact that I whine a lot.

'You know, I'm wondering why everything's been happening to me lately,' Lloyd wonders aloud to the group as we carry on up the mountain path, almost reaching the summit. I feel like offering an answer, but sadly, I do not have one. Kratty does though.

'Your illness has turned you into an easy target,' he says, tilting his head towards the boy ever so slightly. 'It's only natural.'

'So before the monsters decide it won't be fun to tear me into pieces …' Lloyd starts with a childish pout playing on his lips, trailing off.

'… You have to get better,' Genis finishes with a small grin, adapting the same pace as his older friend. 'I'm sure it won't last long. The Luin bug is only supposed to last for three days tops.'

Lloyd blinks, brow knitted in sudden confusion. 'Luin … bug?'

'Yeah, you've randomly been diagnosed with the bug-thing,' I explain shortly with a small shrug. 'S'all very confusing.'

'Oka – crap!'

I look to where Lloyd is pointing and notice two Bears come out from behind a wall of unstable boulders, hunched over and dragging their claws on the floor, emitting horrible scraping noises. I shiver at the sound. Honestly, I can't stand anything scraping – I can't even go through my own freezer without pausing for ten seconds after something scrapes against the ice. I grit my teeth and draw my mana pistols, because I simply cannot be arsed to go through all my junk for the real ones again. I'll probably drop the Sorcerer's Ring down the mountain, and then we're all screwed.

'Lloyd, use Demon Fang from over here,' Genis orders, glowing purple symbols and spell circles swimming around his feet. I really should start using spells again, but … gah, I can't be bothered to wait. Darn, I'm so impatient. It'll probably make me worse in battle, given I'm supposed to use a mix of magic and proper physical combat. But frankly, my dears, I don't give a damn. I miss Earth.

I use Shockwave, causing one Bear who happened to be in the middle of walking to stagger, giving Kratos chance to attack it with Sonic Thrust. Eww, leg bleed. No seriously, ew. I'm sick of all the blood today. It's more than ever … ugh, to think I've barely finished a tenth of the game and I'm already wussing out and feeling nauseous. Ooo, I'm not gonna cope well in the Tower of Salvation. I'll probably freak out and warp right back outside and then have to trek down to the Sylvarant Base. Or I could just use the dragon that we'd have used. Okay, Charlotte, you're rambling and Genis is getting mauled. SNAP TO IT, WOMAN!

I almost resort to socking myself in the face with the barrel of my gun and aim at the dim-witted Bears who seem to just be circling some random spot in the earth, groaning all the while. I pause to observe the disturbing, albeit slightly humorous before proceeding to kill things. Well, almost. Why darn, I hate my guns now. Stupid pieces of crap!

I consider simply walking over to one of them and just shoving the barrel into its mouth, firing away to make the job quicker. Unfortunately, there is a chance it would eat my arm before I got a chance to pull the trigger, and the fact that I'm still a wuss and I wouldn't go near the thing.

After what seems like a fifteenth wave of Demon Fang from Lloyd (who must be getting really bored), one Bear finally collapses in a heap of blood, fur and hacked flesh (lets just ignore the whole friggin' chunk of flesh lying about a meter away – thank you very much Kratos for making me want to puke for the second time today). The dusty rock underneath the remaining beast's feet glows a light, silvery blue for a few moments before an Icicle shoots up from the ground, piercing … _there_.

'Holy crap, Genis!' I comment loudly. 'Seriously!'

The Bear crumples to the ground with a long, guttural groan, somehow miraculously still alive. Well, until Kratos sinks his sword deep into the thing's back. Greatness.

'Gore, much?' I hiss, turning to Genis. 'Still … good thing it's dead. It wouldn't have been able to have kids anyway.'

'Uh … yeah …' Lloyd says quietly, returning his swords to their scabbards.

'But really, think about having an icicle ram straight through your-'

'Can we just go?' Lloyd asks hopefully, wincing slightly at the thought. 'You're making me feel worse.'

'Hm,' I comply grudgingly, waving my hand with a grin. I can feel some of my body's mana leave me as I attempt to push it out, creating a small circle underneath Lloyd's feet. I power up white mana, which looks quite similar to Icicle. 'Or, you know, I could just cast-'

'Get away from me!' Lloyd exclaims, jumping away from the circle beneath him and hiding behind the mercenary, who apparently proves a worthy shield.

'Oh, c'mon … I don't even know how to cast Icicle!' I say quickly as Kratos gives me an annoyed glance over his shoulder. 'Besides, I wouldn't want to deny you of your spawn! Unless of course you don't want kids-'

'Leave me and my future spawn alone!'

I give up and shrug, following behind the irritated mercenary and the swordsman that fears for his mini-Irvings. Maybe things are looking up … everyone is fine and doing what they're supposed to (sadly, for Kratos). Maybe I won't screw up after all …

Everything's looking up just a little bit now.

* * *


	19. A Guardian Who Just Won't Die

* * *

Chapter 19 - A Guardian Who Just Won't Die

You know, I didn't think the mountain path would be … _this _long. It takes about a minute to get through here, right? Considering you don't bump into monsters or crazed other-worldly assassins with a knack for falling into things. And getting beaten up. Anyway, we've been walking for _half-an-hour_ … and I cannot feel my legs. The soles of my feet are hot and itching, my knees feel like they're being stretched hard, the small bones in my feet keep panging with small shocks of pain every time I take a step forwards, and my thighs feel numb. I hate walking. A lot.

I finally reach down and drag my nails forcefully up my aching thighs, trying to carve some feeling into them. The thick trails left behind prickle softly for a few moments before beginning to burn with a dim pain. Great. I'm just not good at this. I could try rubbing Apple Gel on them again, but we're kind of low on supplies. Oww, my ankle. Remember I sprained it? I used a few gels on it last night … it didn't really work, but it froze the pain a bit. Now it hurts again. Why darn.

Oh yeah, Lloyd's health update: crap as ever. He's actually getting worse again … even after I said he was getting better when we entered the damn mountain path. He seems to be avoiding me for now, so I can't really get a good look at his current condition. It must be the spawn thing. Bless. But to be serious, the thought of Lloyd having kids freaks me out … I dunno why, it just always has. Mini-Irvings … they sound like a disease – caused by hair gel overdose.

'Hey, how big is this mountain?' I say, realising that I'm dragging my feet sluggishly across the floor, so no one may have heard me over the loud scraping noise. I didn't realise the floor here would be so dusty … weird. I thought it'd just be hard and rocky … which it is, but I don't think I actually considered being right next to a desert would make this place sandy. Wow, I'm dumb.

Anyway, we had an update on Lloyd's health, now let's have on update on my current thoughts about being in Sylvarant. I think I've been focusing subconsciously on the whole "I miss friends/family" thing. I really do miss them, though … I miss my mother, because that's pretty much the instinct of a child, I miss my big sister even though she's an annoying, moaning person who orders me around and what not, but I really … really …_ really_ miss my big nephew, Luke. Because he rocks. Yes, my _big_ nephew, for he is two years older than me. He's probably the only person in the family I have most in common with. Despite the fact that he is a boy and has a pickled onion fetish.

I really miss my friends Charis and Kim too. The Charis I'm talking about being the actual person who I named the Gamecube after, not the bitchy embodiment of the purple box. Kim is probably the only one in my form/class/thing that likes Tales of Symphonia and shares most of my interests, so a long time without her being there is really crappy. Charis is more of the caring/sensitive/will-listen-to-your-problems friend, and it's always good to have one of those rare people as a friend, and CRAP DAMN IT I MISS HER. I have the other caring friends, but she's the one that'll sit and listen.

After contemplating that, I've decided my Gamecube must hate me. Screw the fact I spill beverages over it every so often, it hates me for no reason. I … miss … EVERYONE. Even the people I hate. I miss those people in my form who call us "nerds" and "freaks" for no apparent reason, I miss my brothers who get drunk every night and do all kinds of random crap … but I can't really say I miss my father. I've never met him, but my brothers do try and fill that gap. That's one of the reasons why I miss them. It's like having three fathers, which is … kind of weird.

Technically, to sum it all up, I want to go home. Bad.

And thankfully (kind of), to drag my thoughts away from good old England, the sound of Raine attempting to bicker with Kratos fills my ears.

'We go right at this fork here.'

'No,' Raine insists firmly, her voice holding an edge of bitterness. 'We go right to reach the summit. The left pathway leads to the bottom of the mountain path.'

'I trust you have a map.'

'Yes, I've been using it since Triet,' the silver haired woman snaps quite loudly. Ooh, this is gonna get bad. We don't want any internal violence, now do we? But then again, if there _was_ hostility within the group, it'd be with Kratos and Raine. But anyways, that doesn't mean they can fight if we can help it.

'Genis … control your sister,' I whisper to the younger half-elf.

'Ah, just leave 'em,' Lloyd mumbles from the half-elf's other side. 'She won't do anything violent.'

'You're sure?' I say, raising an eyebrow. 'This is _Raine_. I've known her about three or four days, so I'd trust a response from her little brother. Genis?'

'She's gonna kill him.'

'Thought as much.' I scratch the side of my head, tucking a long piece that decided to drop right in front of my right eye behind my ear and ponder a sudden thought for a few moments. 'Err … which way are we going? Left or right?'

The small half of our group falls silent for a few long moments. I don't believe anyone actually knows where we are going … so that means either Kratos or Raine are right … and I really don't want to go and interrupt their fight … I might get caught in the middle and die. Violently. Let's send Lloyd in instead. No … we need Lloyd for the future. Genis! No, we need him for Mithos bait. Can't use Colette, she's the Chosen. Can't use Noishe, he's not here.

Darn, self is left.

Regardless, Raine continues to bicker away. 'This map was given to the Chosen by the priests of Iselia, and I'd trust Colette's tutors over the opinion of a thug.'

I notice Kratos' eyebrow tick slightly in annoyance at being called something as low as that. Eek, bloodshed is on its merry way.

'Hey, uh, guys!' I say quite quickly before any comments can come out of Kratos' open mouth. 'How about we quit fighting and think about this logically? Uh … can I see that map, Raine?'

The silver-haired healer hands over the worn parchment without a word, folding her arms tightly over her chest in a knowing pose. She'll probably be right, but … noooope, here we go. I look over the map of Sylvarant and the landmarks (which are all like mini sketches of the town from a level view). On one side of the map is a column with the same small town sketches and little notes next to them. Next to one of the Ossa Trail is a small sentence reading "_Turn left_"And yes, I do see a problem.

'Alright, uh … anyone know when the wall was built around Triet?'

'After the Palmacosta Revolution,' Kratos answers shortly.

I pause for a long moment, lowering my eyes back down to the map quickly and trying to think back to the game. 'The … the Palmacosta-what?'

'The Palmacosta Revolution,' Raine says, a small crease line forming on her forehead as she stares at me curiously. 'Tell me you've heard of the Palmacosta Revolution.'

I'm taking it this is something as big as World War II or something … oh, what a crappy time to be here.

'Ha … of course I've heard of it!' I say forcing a grin to my face before raising the map to hide my worried look. 'I just forget things easily.'

'Like Lloyd,' the mage pipes up from the background.

'Shut up, Genis.'

I roll my eyes at the two boys who have started to quarrel between themselves. Gee, would people give it a rest already? I'd like to somehow leave this mountain trail before we run into Sheena again (which is likely impossible, because she'll possibly come up the trail after us).

'Okay, Palmacosta Revolution then?' I question in a forced humdrum tone while still studying the map. If this is what I think it is, Kratos may be right.

'The people of Palmacosta overthrew the Desians for a short time with the help of Triet,' Raine starts. 'After three years, the Desians took back their rule over Palmacosta. Triet built a wall around their town in hope of stopping Desians from getting in, but they too were soon taken over by the Desians.'

'And … when was that?'

'Ten years ago.'

'Okay, look here …' I say, holding the map out to her and planting a finger sharply on the picture of the desert city. 'The sketch of Triet has no wall around it, so this map is pretty old. Isn't it possible that there was a landslide or an earthquake or something like that?'

Raine's mouth opens for a second with an explanation of her own, but she closes it again quickly before looking over the map again.

'And plus, there aren't any beaches or docks for boats around except the ones on the other side of the Ossa Trail as far as I know, and Kratos had to get to Iselia somehow, so I imagine that he would have come through here to get to the village, right? So I think he'd know …'

'Well then,' comes Kratos' clipped tone, interrupting me. 'We'll move on through the trail.'

I purse my lips pretty tightly (I'm pretty sure they're turning white right about now) and nod. 'Yep.'

Geez, whenever I try to help this guy I get clobbered. If I attack him, I might get showered with riches from the heavens, but that means him then attacking me back – and that'll hurt badly, so I'll stick to getting verbally clobbered. It's much easier, even if not satisfactory.

Genis quickly goes to his sister's side to try and force her into a conversation to raise her now low mood at being corrected by a "thug", which I think might be working since his chosen topic for discussion is the Palmacosta Revolution.

But seriously, I never heard of that in that game … I'm pretty sure it doesn't come up anywhere; just like that "Temple of Earth" thing … what kind of stuff has Charis done to the game? Or has the storyline been altered to fit my presence? I know that the Temples of Earth seem to be something to do with my being here, but I don't get the other stuff like the Palmacosta Revolution thing at what is hopefully the "Luin bug" that's affecting Lloyd. Maybe they're just little things that seem to … happen? Because I'm sure nothing is actually going to go its actual flow here, but I'd prefer it if no one _died_ or anything.

The Palmacosta Revolution seems relevant to the game though … seeing as Triet had a wall around it to begin with and Governor-General Dorr mentioned his father was opposed to the Desians. The Revolution might have ended when they killed Dorr's father and made his wife go all crazy-monster-like … but I'm sure that his wife couldn't have been like that for ten years … maybe Dorr tried to rise up against the Desians again after they had killed his father, but then they monsterfied his wife for blackmail and whatnot.

Wow, the Desians really aren't nice people.

Yes, I _am_ kind of realising this now.

I always thought that every Desians would have something like … y'know, a family with children, partners and all of that. I assumed that maybe sometimes they'd stop and think about what they're doing and how terrible they're making these peoples lives. But I guess not – I didn't think that kind of understanding could rule out the discrimination that they've felt for thousands of years. Even so … there are good half-elves like Genis and Raine and the people living in Exire. Plus, I'm pretty sure one of Kratos' parents or grandparents was a half elf or an elf, seeing as he can use magic. Hm, it just occurred to me that Lloyd has a small amount of elven blood in him. He might be able to use magic to some extent. Anyway, I just totally rushed off topic there.

'Hey Colette,' I say quickly before I can start another conversation in my head which will last ages. 'You feel okay? You haven't said anything in a while.'

The blonde girl gives a small smile in my direction before keeping her view forwards. She wouldn't want to trip over, after all. 'I was just wondering about Desians … and what they did to Triet.'

'Heh, I guess we think on the same line then,' I say with a grin, tucking some hair behind my ear (it seems to have gotten a bit windy and my hair is going everywhere). 'I don't think we should think about such things. Try and think happy thoughts!'

'But those people-'

'No! Happy thoughts!' I say, waving a finger disapprovingly. 'So, uh … how do you think Noishe is doing? Think he's found a way around yet?'

'Maybe. Noishe is really good at navigation!'

'Really? That thing?' I ask, raising an eyebrow in amusement. 'Well, he did get me to the Sylvarant base safely … I'll give him that.'

'Yep!' Colette chirps. Her mood has lightened significantly, so that's good … until she starts trying to make friends with Sheena. Then it's bad. 'He brings Lloyd through the Iselia forest every day!'

'Oh yeah, I forgot about that. So he must be a really healthy animal …'

Colette nods. 'Yeah! Dirk feeds him healthy things every day to keep him fit. But Lloyd kind of disagrees … he sneaks him treats in the middle of the night.'

I snort at the thought of Lloyd throwing a biscuit from his balcony and trying to get it into Noishe's pen. 'Poor thing …'

Catching us off guard and causing us both to jump several feet into the air in surprise, the large wooden wall sealing the mine from the outside falls open with a loud groan and proceeds to crash to the floor so loudly that I actually flinch at the sound. It shatters on impact (which is kind of making me suspect it was really old wood) and a large amount of sawdust billows up into the air. I was kind of hoping we wouldn't have to deal with this, but alas we must. It is probably a serious event in the game – I really don't know myself. But if I want to keep things from getting worse, I'm gonna have to make things flow the same way.

After everyone's favourite assassin from Mizuho's coughing fit subsides, she slaps on her Evil Ninja-Witch Glare of Doom™ and holds up her charm cards in an attacking position.

'Hold it!'

I seriously don't know why, but when people say things like that, or "hold on" or "hang on", I always reply with "holding/hanging". Except I don't think this is the most appropriate time to do such a thing since there is a terribly annoyed and bruised Sheena a few meters in front of me with a bunch of cards in her hands (which really doesn't sound scary, but believe me it is).

'Hey, she's fast,' I comment as she darts towards us before we can even attempt to reach for our weapons. Behind her, the freaky looking guardian thing she always seem to have with her appears in a big mass of smoke and sparks, giving me the weirdest urge to scream "OH GOOD GREIF don't look at it!". Shut up, they could go blind – you never know.

Before I know it, Pyre Seal is literally slammed into my face, knocking me backwards with a force that throws me from my feet and causing me to skid quite a bit before finally falling over on my ass. Wow, what a great way to start the battle. With a groan, I sit and pick up my guns (which flew from my holsters when I fell) and shove my fingers through the rests before anything else decides to throw me several feet. I probably have a bunch of grass stains or something on my trousers …

I straighten up after hopping to my feet, watching a rabid ninja chase after Genis who is trying vainly to cast Stone Blast under her quick moving legs. I'll leave him to that while I go and attack the guardian …

AND GET THIS. HE'S RIGHT BEHIND ME, WOW.

I yelp, and before a disturbingly large clawed hand can rake itself over my back, I decide to throw myself to the floor to avoid it. It's magnetism, I swear. I'm not stupid! I crawl out from under it (it seems to have floated over me while I retreated to the floor) and aim my pistols at the looming … bird/monster/face/circle thing.

It begins to do some sort of incantation (which sounds a lot like gurgling and groaning) with weird movements (which looks a little like the Macarena, so a voice inside my head is trying to make me rival it with the Birdy Dance …), obviously meaning trouble for me. So I'm all … screwed over from here on. Knowing my luck, it'll probably dissolve me into thin air.

Oh phlegm.

And no, it is in fact Stone Blast! And of course, instead of screaming and casting Protection like I should have, a long line of swears come out instead as I attempt to flee from the attacking pieces of rock that actually follow me as I run. Maybe it's using mana to push it towards me … kinda like with the zenta I guess. Regardless, I get pummelled into a big pile of Charlotte. Lookit, I gots a nosebleed too! Stupid … _thing!_

I half expect my mental self to pop up and start screaming "Charlotte you gorm, use magic! MAGIIIIIIIIC!", since I usually do things wrong anyway, but I ignore my little … mental-self … person/thing and begin to shoot like crazy, throwing in a shockwave after a while. Of course, it just goes straight under it since it floats. I should really listen to my mental self. It's smarter than … well, me.

I bite my lower lip hard, glancing around at my comrades to see if one of them can lend me a hand, preferably one of the swordsmen. Unless Lloyd has suddenly and randomly turned into Colette, I'd say that someone actually persuaded the tired (ILL HE'S ILL DAMN IT) swordsman to swap with the Chosen. Well, if no one did it soon I'm guessing he'd go down pretty easily …

Anyway, I'm guessing this battle isn't gonna be an easy one … but I _do_ know that Sheena is definitely weaker than the … guardian-thing. The problem is I don't actually know if she has an elemental weakness … wow, I really shouldn't have sold all of our Magic Lenses to the dude back in Triet for an Apple Gel. Which Lloyd just DEVOURED SELFISHLY at the Fire Seal. The faggot.

Fiiiiiiiiine. I'll use magic …

I reluctantly place my pistols back within their holsters, trying to summon enough mana to cast a basic fire spell, which I'm finding strangely … difficult. Let me try to explain this … the mana is definitely there; I can feel it. But … how to put … I'm having a hard time drawing it out to form a fireball to fire at the guardian. It's like it's gotten really heavy or something, but I can't really put it into form without trouble. It's making my head hurt a bit from at the straining. Hmm … odd.

Eventually, I do manage to form a decent fireball (I lie; it's the size of a potato!) and fire it at the guardian now attempting to hand-rape Genis. I mean that in a hypothetical sense, to those of you who have begun to foam at the mouth. Anyway, moving on, it didn't actually do anything. I strained all that time for nothing? DAMN IT!

My magic must suck really badly.

OH SNAP.

I (somewhat relieved) pull out my guns again, powering up Shockwave for a test to see if my mana got … "infected" or something and … isn't functioning properly. It takes a second, but the mana flows as easy as water through from … wherever it's stored to my hands, then into my guns. Several waves of pure composed mana rush out. I have an urge to scream out in frustration, yelling something along the lines of why my magic doesn't work properly, but my special attacks work perfectly fine. Since everyone is too busy fighting and Lloyd's in a lot of pain, I'll refrain doing that. It'll hurt his head.

With a sigh, I settle with 'Oh bugger,' and carry on attacking with my special attacks. Hm, maybe Mana Beam will work … or make the guardian explode. We don't really want Sheena exploding everywhere, because that won't bode well with Charis (wherever she _is_ right now, the abandoning little git). Knowing my luck, she'll randomly pop up out of thin air, despite the others being around and throw a brick at me or something hard and heavy.

I power up the attack, one arm outstretched towards the guardian (still battering Genis, the poor kid) with my gun in hand, the other hanging at my side. This position actually proves useful in some ways … and another theory lesson from Charlotte, coming up.

When casting spells or special attacks, mana pools around your feet in a bunch of symbols – like Genis' black magic attacks and Raine's healing spells. Well, using the mana around my feet and just leaving it there will drain me just enough to keep me in a conscious state. In other words, since Mana Beam takes up all of my mana, it'll only take up the amount that leaves my body with some to keep me going. Okay, here's the hard part. As learnt from Kratos, everyone has their own type of mana signature … kind of like a blood type. But the mana is like a magnet … if it's outside the body, it can be quickly drawn back in if the mana in your body sets up a connection with it. Using my hand, I can keep the mana at an equivalent state. Sure, the attack won't be as powerful, but I'll have enough to throw in a Shockwave after this attack. Got it? Brain exploded halfway through? To put it clearly, using the mana magnetism, I can use less mana needed for an attack, but it won't be as powerful.

Okay, in the time it took to explain that, my attack is ready! I pull the trigger, wincing at the bang (you think I'd be used to it by now …). The stream of solid mana races towards the guardian from behind.

And guess what. It does nothing. The thing didn't even flinch.

'WHAT THE HELL IS _WRONG_ WITH THAT THING?' I shriek finally, letting all of that pent up stress out. Hey, it kind of worked … you know, ignoring the fact the guardian is now aware I'm literally trying my _best_ to kill it, so it's now considering me a threat and coming over with it's claws stretched out towards me, I'm feeling quite dandy!

Okay, now let's focus on the negative issues, with a "hoshit" and a whole lotta running.

'Pyre Seal!'

I can feel the attack hit my on my left upper arm (where my muscles are sadly quite sensitive), sending me flying to one side _again_. I'm getting really sick of being thrown around … it can't be healthy.

I hit the floor with a thud (landing on my good shoulder, thankfully) quickly attempting to drag myself back to my feet. Sadly, my ankle got crushed under my thigh as I landed, so now it hurts. I'm sure I can cope for a few more minutes.

I use shockwave after heaving myself to my feet, leaning slightly against the wall of the mountain as I do so and dig around in my satchel for an Apple Gel. I've got to have at least one lying around somewhere … I'm honestly not that stupid! Really!

Before Shockwave can even reach the supposedly invincible guardian, it seizes up momentarily to my surprise and has a sort of spasm. I don't think I did anything to it … and the others are busy attacking Sheena, who looks like she's surrendered, judging by the fact that she's backing away and has a lot of cuts and bruises. Her hair is all messed up too, but I don't think that'd be a dramatic reason to pull out of a fight.

Oooh. The guardian must be dying because Sheena isn't using it anymore. Silly me. It looks like I can be that stupid.

'Just you wait! I swear I will kill you all next time!' the assassin declares, struggling to stand properly. She has a large sword gash on her left thigh that seems to be bleeding profusely. You can't really see the blood because her tights are black, but you can see a large area where some light is glinting from the spilled substance.

Boy, that's gotta hurt.

The guardian in front of me breaks up into particles … it looks like it's just been burnt and is all ash-like (good god, HP movie 1 flashback). The ashes fly towards Sheena, engulfing her in a thick grey cloud, which I'm quite surprised isn't choking her. As soon as the smoke clears, it leaves behind nothing but empty, ninja-less air. Sheena must have used the guardian to do her little disappearing act used in dire situations such as this one.

'O … kay then,' I say after a while of people patching themselves up, dropping my guns back in their holsters. I return to looking for an Apple Gel, finding nothing but two quartzes and the zenta. Which I really should put to use at some point.

Right, since I cannot heal myself, I will proceed the hopefully friendly gesture of seeing if everyone is okay! Because being the sweet, caring person I am (coughcough), I do those things. Let's start with our own little swordsman, seeing as he left the battle at the beginning for no apparent reason. Oh yeah, it was because he is ILL ILL ILL ILL. ILL. Yeah.

'Hey, Lloyd you feelin' oka-'

_Thud_.

'Crap! Lloyd!'

Sweet sons of bitches, Lloyd has just collapsed (and in the middle of a question, the impolite brat). Luckily, Raine is right next to him, so she can kind of check his pulse and whatnot incase he's dead. Because that won't do at all.

Oh shut up, I'm worried really.

'Professor …' comes the worried voice of Colette from behind me. 'Will Lloyd be okay?'

Raine continues her first aid procedure, checking the pulse in his wrist and neck, and listening for a heartbeat to be sure. Y'know, I'm glad we have someone like the Professor in our group that can do all of this healing stuff. If the nursing was down to me, I'd be shoving syringes in poor Lloyd while in a frenzy. I don't know squat about first aid, but I _do_ know that mouth-to-moth proves very embarrassing. Luckily, Lloyd seems to be breathing and has a pulse.

'He doesn't seem to be wounded at all,' Raine mutters, looking around for any blood stains. 'Why would he …?'

'Ah …' I interrupt quietly, remembering how Lloyd looked earlier. 'When we came into the Ossa Trail, he looked a bit ill. Remember how he was yesterday?'

I get several worried nods from my party members at my fact. I'm pretty sure all of them realised how bad he looked in the temple and how he couldn't move this morning on the way to Triet. Maybe the Luin Bug or whatever it was took a turn for the worst? I flipping hope not. We don't really need to haul around an unconscious pile of Lloyd … which we kind of have to do now. Or else we're not getting anywhere.

'Maybe we could take him to a doctor?' Colette asks hopefully. Raine shakes her head, getting to her feet.

'The only doctor around was in Triet and Izoold is only a port town. Not many people live there.'

'So there's no chance of medical help?' Genis exclaims. 'There has to be something we can do!'

Sad, too. I was kind of hoping we could investigate the mines, but I guess that's out of the question now. But no doctor for miles? That's really inappropriate! The closest city _with _a doctor would be Palmacosta, since Hima is only an inn and a graveyard. I hope, with the things are in Palmacosta right now, that we can actually _get_ medical help. With the Desians and everything, I wouldn't count on it. I guess we can only wait until Lloyd gets better and then set off to Palmacosta. We can't drag him around everywhere.

'So … what now?' I ask, playing with a clump of hair nervously. 'Shall we wait for him to wake up?'

'We should head directly for Izoold as soon as possible,' Kratos disagrees. 'We'll have to carry him.'

'And … _you're_ gonna do that?'

'Would _you_ rather do it?' Kratos asks with a slight sceptical tone in his voice.

'Get carrying, mercenary man.'


	20. Chimera

* * *

Chapter 20 - Chimera

Well, as planned, Lloyd is now receiving a piggy-back from dear Kratty (how sweet). Now, I know Kratos is really strong, but I actually thought he'd be struggling or something. I mean, Lloyd isn't exactly Genis, is he? He's gotta be pretty heavy. Kratos isn't showing any signs of fatigue at all. Lloyd is just draped over him with Kratos supporting him by hoisting him up by his thighs.

In other words, poor Lloyd.

I don't know why, but the song I just sang (coughattemptedcough) reminds me of Kratty and Lloydie; Silver and Cold by AFI. I really don't know how, though. I seriously don't. Just a note. Have a listen if you haven't heard the song. It's pretty damn good in my point of view.

Anyway, besides my weird psycho claims, I've been wondering about why my magic didn't work back in the battle against the guardian. I _do_ have a little theory for it though, but I don't think it's entirely true. Might as well explain myself: okay, if you think back, I haven't used my magic in a looong time. Well, at least not regularly anyway. So maybe it isn't working properly? I KNOW. Let's ask Kratos. He seems to know things.

'Krat-aaay!'

'I don't appreciate nicknames,' the mercenary mutters quietly, an unconscious Lloyd still hanging all over him. Oh yeah, and when was the last time he showed _me_ some respect? I deserve respect! Respect meee!

'…Uh, yeah. Hey, listen …' I start quickly, dodging around the fact I've probably pissed him off again. 'Um … back in the battle between that guardian thing, I tried to use my magic and it didn't work … any ideas why? Since you kind of know everything.'

SEE? I'VE RESORTED MYSELF TO SUCKING UP. RE. SPECT. ME.

The mercenary shifts the big lump that is our swordsman before answering in a quiet tone: '… You've been lacking in your magic skills lately.'

'How grand of you to notice,' I reply bitterly under my breath. 'Is that anything to do with the fact that my magic is all dead?'

'Magic techniques and special techniques require different kinds of waning mana, technically meaning that if it's not being used up, it won't supply automatically. If your magic isn't being used regularly, the mana that your magic depends on will begin to thin.'

It takes me a minute of going over that fifty times in my head and several nods to finally come out with: 'So, my _magic depending mana_ is thinning because I haven't used it in a long time?'

'Yes. Since you've been focusing on your special techniques exceptionally, you are able to use them just fine.'

Okay, I think I'm beginning to get it now. I need to start using my magic again in case it becomes crappy and unusable, because later on in the journey I'll need to use the opposing element for a summon spirit, and if I can't do that I'm really not that useful.

'Thanks Kratos,' I say with a small grin, getting ready to back away before he gets really annoyed with my presence. 'Oh, and you're doing a _swell_ job with this father thing.'

Rather amusingly, Kratos almost drops his poor son at the comment.

Well, avoiding the mercenary for now, we've pretty much almost reached Izoold now. In comparison to the prior map changes like everything being bigger or a further distance than usual, the port town isn't that far away from the Ossa Trail … which I kind of thought it would be, or maybe I had the unlucky chance of running into several groups of monsters on my play through. Not really pretty. I got to Izoold with a half alive Kratos and a bunch of other unconscious party members. Poor Kratty probably had to carry all of them, too.

'We should take Lloyd to the inn pretty quick and let him rest, huh?' I say out of boredom as we come nearer to the small village. 'Poor thing probably bashed his head when he fell.'

'No, but he may have bruised his right arm,' Raine corrects me, shifting her bag to her other shoulder. 'He could barely shield himself from the blow.'

'He must have been really weak,' Genis comments quietly from his sister's side, eyes downcast and worried. 'I've never seen him this bad since the time he came down with the flu.'

'He faked the whole thing,' Raine said in a clipped tone. 'The boy missed several weeks from school!'

'Raine, he could hardly move!' Genis protests. 'He was bedridden all day for about a month! He was still a little kid and he had a _reall_ybad immune system at the time!'

'He was perfectly fine!'

'I'm gonna step out of this one while you guys sort it out …' I say quickly before stepping away from the brother-sister war between Lloyd. Who, might I add is nowhere near waking up. I'll bet five pounds he's faking it so he doesn't have to walk, the lazy git. I don't wanna walk! My legs and my ankle hurt! I sure wish Noishe was here … but then he'd be used for poor Lloydie in all of his unconscious glory. I can just _imagine_ myself begging Kratos for a piggy-back. Ugh, the mental horror of that image.

'Okay, anyway, uh …' I start, not really knowing where I'm going with this. I just wanted to get a load of images out of my head and stop Genis and the Professor killing each other. 'The inn is … there.'

'Yes,' Kratos says without the slightest hint of interest. 'We'll let Lloyd rest here until he is fit to walk.'

'Unless you wanna give him a piggy-back to Palmacosta,' I add out of sheer boredom once again. The fact that nothing is really happening is bugging me. And of course, my comment is ignored by one Kratos Aurion. Stop holding a grudge against me! I've done nothing but blackmail you and continuously piss you off and annoy the living crap out of you! Grr.

'Golly gosh!' I snap sarcastically in the best old English accent I can slap on. 'Aren't we grumpy today?'

Still being ignored. Have the most disturbing urge to poke with a twig.

Hm, this inn isn't too shabby. It's not exactly heaven, but it's pretty clean and simple. There's three beds in the corner (that seriously looks like storage boxes with mattresses on top and thin cotton blankets), about one or two shelves, a desk and a REAL big window to let all of that sea air in. Wait, three beds? There are six of us! Hm, I guess that means we're gonna be in Palmacosta at some point today then. It's already getting a bit late … I think it's about seven? It's been a few hours since we were at Triet … and that was about midday at least.

'Are we getting a ship to Palmacosta today or tomorrow?' I ask the mercenary as he sets down the ill boy on the far left bed as Raine pays the woman (who is refusing pay since we might not stay the night). 'It's getting pretty late and we have a shortage of beds.'

'If it's not too late …' Kratos drags the covers up to the unconscious Lloyd's shoulders. 'Then we can leave in the evening. It depends on whether Lloyd is feeling better.'

'Emotiiiiiooooon …' I gasp. 'What is the world coming to?'

'I'm not grumpy all the time.'

'I've not seen you even the _least_ bit happy in the four days I've known you,' I say in an as-a-matter-of-factly tone, reaching up to place a hard poke on Kratos' nose. Ooo, he looks mad.

'I'm gonna go to _that_ side of the room now!' I say quickly after receiving a long glare from the mercenary, hopping off before the edge of his blade can reach my own nose. Kratos ignores my small gesture and drags a stool from under the desk, pulling it up next to the bed so he can sit down. He has to be even a _little_ tired from carrying a fully grown seventeen year old from The Ossa Trail to Izoold on his back. He can't have _that_ much physical strength. Really. Really really.

'It looks like we'll have to find a ship to get to Palmacosta today,' Raine says with a small sigh, pocketing her money (refused by the inn keeper who has now left the building for groceries). 'I shall go out and look for one we can use.'

'Oh, we'll go too!' Colette offers with a small smile. 'All this activity can't be good for Lloyd.'

Yes Colette, because Lloyd can _totally_ tell that we're scurrying around like mice and the whatnot. Kratos shakes his head as Colette and Genis look over for him, silently asking his option. 'I'll stay here and look after Lloyd.'

'I guess I'll go,' I say, stretching my arms above my head until I hear a click, letting them drop heavily to my sides. 'It'll be good to get some fresh air.'

'You should stay here and rest your ankle,' Raine orders gently but firmly to my surprise. Strange, Raine isn't the type of person to mother someone within four days of knowing them. Just look a her relationship with poor old Sheena. 'You've strained it a lot today.'

'But it feels fine-'

Before I can get another word out, the Professor has dragged out the equally confused Chosen and Genis, the door slamming shut behind them. After a moment, I realise the inn keeper isn't here either, my low attention span finally wearing off for the day. I'm alone with a murderous seraphim and an unconscious Lloyd. Aw, greatness. Could life just get _any_ better right now?

'Okay, that was edging on weird,' I say after half a minute of walking around one side of the inn aimlessly, dropping myself onto the bed nearest the window and flexing my foot. 'It feels just fine.'

'I see she doesn't trust me alone with Lloyd.'

I flop down onto my back and drop my head to an upside down position, watching the mercenary (who looks like he's on the ceiling and Lloyd just looks … weird). 'Yeah, I guess. She probably thinks you're some kind of kiddie-fiddler or something.'

'Kiddie-fiddler?' Kratos replies, his tone dropping excessively.

'You know, pervert, paedophile, the whatnot-'

'I'm very aware of that,' Kratos hisses darkly. 'But that is absurd.'

'Yes, yes it is,' I say, quickly pulling myself up. A whole lot of blood just rushed to my head and now I lack feeling in my nose. It feels like the flesh inside has turned into fuzz … owwie.

'Ugh …' I groan, pulling myself up from the uncomfortable bed, running my fingers over my scalp. The inside of my head has begun to feel weird as blood has rushed to it. 'I'm going for a walk. It's a nice evening and I don't want to spend it in here looking after your unconscious son.'

'… Don't.'

I look at Kratos over my shoulder, one eyebrow ticked up as a questioning gesture. 'Eh?'

'… Just don't call him that.'

I fall silent for a few moments, looking at the mercenary. One hand is resting over Lloyd's own which he's fisted in his sleep. I hope he's just dopey ill and not painful ill … the worst thing is having to suffer pain while you sleep, the only time your body shuts itself down for the day to give a well deserved rest … and Lloyd really needs that. And I'm pretty sure Kratos is more worried than Lloyd about the whole illness thing.

'Uh … I'm sorry,' I mumble before quickly striding over to the door, pulling it open and quickly darting out. I'm pretty sure I'm the most annoying thing in Sylvarant to him right now, and my ineffective sense of humour isn't helping anything either. It's making things worse, which is really difficult for me. Back on Earth, my friends and I used our humour to cheer each other up. Now it's useless.

With another sigh, I hop down the wooden stairs into the cool evening air of Izoold. Which, might I add, smells like sea, which again, might I add, I hate. I just don't like water for many reasons, a few being that I almost DROWNED when I was five and again when I was seven, and I'm not keen of the idea of drowning. It sounds a really horrible way of dying, and I can't swim. I'm just too scared of water.

I rub my eyes and walk over to the more crowded area of town with a few houses and a shop or two. I notice the inn keeper by a small grocery store outside of Lyla's house, and next to it is one of those Katz Exploration Team stands. I never actually used the Katz when I played through … I didn't really need them. I just got on with the game without their little … mapmaking and unvisited areas things. It's pretty useless if you think about it … except missed items is quite useful if you're going for that collector quest thing with Koton.

Hm … what can I do to pass the time?

I get a sudden thought and walk over to the right side of the inn nearest the entrance to the small town and clamber over a number of boxes and barrels and gardening tools. After a few moments of close calls of falling over, I slip on a small shovel and topple to the ground with a yelp of pain onto a hard patch of earth. And it really hurts when you land on your backside as most of you will know. I groan in pain as I sit up, using a large crate to pull myself to my feet.

'What are you doing?'

I look up, ignoring the glare of the sun from one corner of the building to see a familiar face in the window above me. Hey, it's Krat-ay!

'Uh … I thought I saw a rat,' I say thoughtlessly, rubbing my probably now bruised hip. 'They shouldn't be down here as far as I know …'

'Of course …' Kratos says disbelievingly as I straighten up, abandoning my plan. I was going to use the zenta to check out what everyone was doing and to see if I should lend a hand if anything doesn't go as it should. For all I know, some giant mutated octopus might come and attack the boat on the way to Palmacosta just because Lloyd was unconscious before. Because that could happen. And it probably will now.

'Kratos …?'

'Lloyd?' Kratos says, looking over his shoulder to the now hopefully awake boy. I jump and grab onto the windowsill (which is very high up actually), trying to scramble up through.

'Use the door,' Kratos offers, walking away to the bed and TOTALLY ABANDONING me.

'Phlegm!' I hiss in disagreement, slipping from the wooden sill and falling – once again – on my back. I resist the urge to grab the small shovel and hurl it through the window and get to my feet for a second time, climbing _back_ over the boxes and bound up the wooden stairs, almost falling through the door. Which I luckily don't, but I come _very_ close to.

I quietly push it open, stepping in and closing it gently behind me. Lloyd will most likely have a headache or something like that if he's just woken up, so I'm doing my best not to disturb him.

'Hey, Lloyd … how do you feel?' I ask, sitting myself down on the middle bed.

'Sick …' Lloyd answers shortly, quiet and unmoving. 'How long have I been asleep?'

'An hour,' Kratos answers, sitting back down on the stool. 'You passed out at the Ossa Trail.'

'Then … how'd I get here?'

'Kratos carried you.'

'Oh … thanks.'

Lloyd pulls himself up onto his elbows with a wince, pushing his body up against the headboard in a sitting position and making it terribly obvious to everyone in the room that he is straining himself. And apparently, that doesn't bode well with our mercenary. 'Lloyd, lie down.'

'I'm fine,' the weakened swordsman hisses sharply, his brow creased in pain as he adjusts himself into a comfortable position. I _do_ actually want to slap him silly for being so … _Lloyd_ at the moment, but if I do that his brain will probably crash and it's cells will just go flying out the window, given how ill he is right now (even if he is still denying it). I think I should write ILL in big fat red letters on his forehead.

'So …' I start, repeatedly poking my knee nervously. 'You in pain anywhere?'

'… My head hurts a bit.'

'Aw, that sucks. But at least you're finally admitting it now.'

'Yes,' Kratos agrees from Lloyd's other side. The boy glances over at the mercenary with a childish pout, leaning back on the headboard again.

'… Am I that bad at faking?'

'In comparison to your usual vibrant character, it's quite easy to notice,' Kratos answers. 'But you shouldn't hide things like fatigue. You could have been seriously harmed had it been something other than a bug.'

The three of us once again fall into silence, partly because Lloyd hasn't said anything to answer Kratos' small scolding. I half expect him to jump up and attack Kratos' face, but he (luckily) doesn't. He just sits in silence, staring at his knees under the thin, scratchy cotton.

'Charlotte, can you wait outside for a sec?' Lloyd asks, not looking up.

'Um … sure?' I say, standing up and giving the two a quick glance. Lloyd remains staring at his legs and Kratos gives me a small nod. I shrug and walk over to the door quickly, tugging it open a slipping outside.

Okay, first of all, not knowing what's going on when everything in the adventure of going out of flow doesn't rest well with me. Second of all, I will thank Yuan for his zenta, for I will be putting it to use. Oh what I rebel I am.

To make sure I _don't_ start falling over random wooden boxes and infernal gardening tools again, I settle with simply sitting behind the stairs of the inn, pulling out the small sphere from the corner of my satchel, buried under a mess of quartzes, gels and customization items. If I can remember how to use it, things should go perfectly, but knowing my attention span I'll end up blowing things to bits for no apparent reason at all. Okay, back my little … camera … zenta … whatever you call it thing.

Okay, I can remember this … uh … let's see … ooh, the dot! I remember that dot! It's what makes the screen come out. God, ain't I just the smartest person you'll ever meet?

I give the practically minuscule dot a few sharp prods with my nail (which is beginning to look not-as-sharp-as-usual) and wait for the screen to come out in all it's semi-transparent glory. And that it does with a sudden big fat loading screen that reads "Welcome YUAN". How bigheaded, putting his name in capitals. I mean really. I'd get a better impression if it was just "Yuan" or even "Da Homedawg Yu-yu". As long as it's put in properly. But then again, if he made it, he at least had the decency to make a welcome screen. What a lovely old chap.

Imagine if this was also Yuan's computer and not just a zenta. Hmm … personal folders just waiting to be plundered. Not to mention the possibility of a MSN contact history. Oh the possibilities.

"Yuan: Ur so gay, lol

Yggdrasill: D: dun dis my spandex!

(Yggdrasill is now offline)"

Okay, moving on …

The keyboard slips out of its little beam of light, letting me tap the password in (which is "Martel", just for a little reminder to those of you who forgot), the camera screen popping up along with the actual zenta thing. I give it a little test push using a small amount of mana, bringing it towards me a little. And would you look at that, it worked. Is that the coolest thing or what?

I use some mana to push up the zenta towards the nearest window, slipping it between the curtains while staring at the screen to see where exactly I'm pushing it. Is it just me, or did the sound a wee bit dirty?

I can finally get a clear view of the two silent swordsmen (blasted curtains), still in the exact same position as when I left them. Wow, those guys have a hell of a lot of patience. I'd have hurled something across the room and begun dancing to Tragedy on full blast in my head if I had to stay silent like that. Get your mind out of the gutter, Harrison! There are conversations to eavesdrop here!

Shouldn't they be doing something? You know, like a top-secret-information-that-no-one-can-hear type of thing? Well, they sent _me_ out didn't they? I doubt it's something like they're both going to plot to take over Sylvarant together with some convincing from Kratty (whoa, Star Wars flashback), but y'know. It could happen. I can imagine the whole "Lloyd, I am your father" thing, but thinking back to the game, Lloyd_ did _completely spaz out. Which was kinda fun to watch on some levels.

Kratos finally says something, or at least starts to. 'Lloyd-'

'Teach me how to fight.'

O … kay. Totally wasn't expecting that. I really wasn't. Not that I expected Lloyd to turn to Kratos and scream "YOUR MOM" into his face, but that was one of the last things Lloyd would say in my point of view. Kratos seems to think along the same lines as me, pausing for a moment with a slight shocked look on his face which clearly shows he'd rather Lloyd did insult his mother. '… Why?'

'I don't think this is the Luin bug …' Lloyd mumbles, but good old Krat-Krat has his super duper hearing abilities, so we won't worry about that. 'But whatever it is, it's making me weaker.' I notice Lloyd's hands curl into fists, gripping the sheets tightly. 'I came on this journey to protect everyone. If I can't do that, then-'

'Alright …'

Lloyd looks up, eyes slightly wide. 'You'll teach me?'

'Yes,' Kratos says, standing, probably getting ready to go somewhere. I'm guessing he might be coming to tell me I can come back in. 'But keep in mind I'm very strict at times.'

'I'd still do this even if you were twice as bad as the Professor,' Lloyd says, laughing slightly. 'Maybe one day I'll end up protecting you.'

'Hm. We'll see,' Kratos mutters, ruffling Lloyd's hair slightly. Kratos is being so parental it scares me. Only the slightest though. I stretch my legs over the grass (I had them drawn up to my chest) and shutdown the zenta, burying the small orb back under my bag of junk, which I seriously need to sort out. Maybe I'll customize some things when we get to Palmacosta, but it's likely that I'll head straight for the inn and collapse on a (hopefully more comfortable than Izoold's) bed.

'What are you doing?' comes the familiar voice of my fellow half-elven friend. I look over my shoulder to see Genis and the other two females of our group, looking at me just as suspiciously/confused.

I pause for a moment before coming out with: 'I'll have you know this grass is awfully comfortable.'

'Uh … huh. How's Lloyd doing?' Genis asks, dragging everyone's mind away from the grass issue. 'Has he gotten any better?'

'Yeah, the lazy git is awake now,' I say, hopping to my feet. 'He just wanted to talk to Kratos alone for a bit, but I have a feeling they're done.'

Raine is first to get to the door, pulling it open and going inside before any of us can get a word in edgeways. Genis follows his sister, Colette and I going in last after giving each other a confused glance and another shrug from myself. Kratos is leaning casually against the wall beside Lloyd's bed with his arms folded over his chest, and Lloyd is sitting on the end. I guess he healed up pretty quick.

'Lloyd! Do you feel better?' Colette asks with a small smile. The swordsman nods in return, getting to his feet and stretching his arms over her head.

'Yep. I got a bunch of cramps though.'

'Well, that sucks,' I say, meaning to sound affectionate, but it just didn't work out that well.

Okay, there is one thing I would like to get off my chest but in the privacy of my own mind. Raine, Kratos is NOT a kiddie-fiddler so PLEASE don't give him that dirty look, woman! Raine's cool and all and she totally kicks ass (not my favourite female character, but I will leave you guessing), but stop looking at Kratty like he's some kind of "hey kiddies, guess what's in my pocket" kinda guy. Okay, upon thinking that, WHY OVER THE MANY MOONS DID I THINK ABOUT REGAL?

Kratos is a decent guy after all, too. You know, despite the fact he betrays us and almost kills us and the whatnot, he's cool. I wasn't too keen on him at first, but I think my attitude towards his softened when I found out he was Lloyd's dear old daddy and all the things he'd done prior made sense. But I was kinda having a fit when I found out he was Lloyd's dad. I stared at the screen for ages and suddenly went "Oh my GOD no WAY!". I even phoned up my nephew (who didn't live with us at the time) to tell him.

"Luke! Luke! Kratos is Lloyd's _DAD_!"

"What the fu - its three fucking AM!"

Anywho, my point is, dun diss Krat-aay. He's terribly cool for a grumpy old man.

'So, anyways …' I begin loudly, bringing a halt to the staring contest between Kratos and Raine, one which Kratty isn't participating in might I add. So it's just Raine glaring in a suspicious manner at the poor old guy. 'Did you guys get a boat or what?'

'Yeah,' Genis says. 'A fisherman says he'll sail us to Palmacosta when he gets his boat ready. I think his name was Max …'

'Probably,' I say with a yawn. I'm quite tired you know, with having a day full of witnessing (kinda) the destruction of Triet, walking all the way through the Ossa Trail and to Izoold. Not to mention Lloyd almost being raped by that Bear, Genis ridding another Bear of it's … _area_, fighting with a freaking guardian thing and an assassin who, judging by her attitude, was likely PMSing. You want PMS? I'll show you fricken PMS, ninja-lady. 'So, we're just gonna grab our stuff and go?'

Before anyone can answer to my question, a loud and shrill shriek comes from outside. Aw crappers, what now?

I skip over to the window and lean out, peering around (it's actually getting kinda dark). And guess what? A whole bunch of Desians wrapped in their red spandex glory are marching towards Izoold and with them is a MIGHTY big machine. Kinda looks like one of those "Perfect Murder" dudes from Welgaia/the Tower of Salvation. And I know for a fact that they have a crap load of health, even more than Kilia. We don't actually fight her until later, but she's one tough cookie to beat, the purple, horned bitch.

'Aw, shit,' I say, jumping back into the room and turning to my team mates. 'Looks like the Desians decided to show up. And they bought a big ol' present with them, too. What a lovely bunch.'

'What are we gonna do?' Genis asks, looking up mainly at his sister for his answer. Raine sighs tiredly, running a hand through her slightly tousled hair.

'We'll have to fight them.'

'Alrighty then,' I coincide, pulling out my pistols and swinging one leg over the windowsill. Ouchies, I got a splinter in my thigh. I ignore it (despite the fact I loathe splinters with a passion. Take a four-year old me and a disused wooden slide. I'll let you do the math for that one, chaps). I ignore the offending shard now wedged in my skin and throw my other leg over the sill, jumping down and hurting my ankles a little bit. My comrades, obviously a whole lot smarter than me, use the door. Shut up, it was a spur of the moment thing. I'm feeling kinda agent-like here. I blame the Perfect Murder robot thing.

A few people retreat to the dock area of town and drag their poor confused children with them in a frenzied state, but the inn keeper sprints towards us probably thinking we're either very retarded or very suicidal.

'What are you still doing here? They'll kill you all!' she cries.

'Listen, lady,' I say, holding up a gun. 'As far as I know, we're the only people in this village who have weapons. You might wanna run before these guys get here.'

'Oh for goodness sake!' she sighs loudly, turning to the docks and making her way down there. 'Don't get yourselves killed!'

'Yes ma'am!' Lloyd shouts to her, drawing his swords. 'Hey, I actually feel a lot better now.'

I give him a look over my shoulder. 'Lloyd, I swear if you fall unconscious again because you're lying, the butt of my gun is gonna go where it's not supposed to.'

'I'm fine! Gee …'

And so, the group of Desians finally make it over here, faced with the oh-so threatening group consisting of two little children who _don't_ look very strong, a blonde girl who couldn't pull off looking angry even if she tried, a tired looking teacher and a boy (with an apparent passion for the colour red), and … Kratos is the only one that even has a right to be feared. Poor guy has to travel with us. Oh, he'll kill us all one day in a mad rage. With the exception of Lloyd, of course.

Isn't it _great_ when I go completely off topic?

'The Irving boy is with these guys?' one says, giving our group a look over. 'You're kidding me. They just look like a group of kids.'

'And they look pretty dim-witted,' another one adds. Oop, anger.

'So does your face!' I shout on instinct. It's good for any insult, trust me. Don't blame me, blame my friend Emily – she says it all the time. I'm innocent, really.

'You … little punk!' the Desian seethes, starting towards me. Wow, cranky much? Yes Charlotte, there is a man twice your size bolting towards you with a knife in hand. What'cha gonna do, fool?

SHOOT LIKE CRAZEH. And shoot I do.

After landing several shots into the Desian's shoulder, it then suddenly occurs to me I'm using the _real_ guns that Charis gave me before she left, and to express myself in a much cruder manner, I scream "HOSHIT" and immediately stop firing as I notice a load of blood spilling down the man's left arm. I must have shot about six times before noticing. How gormless am I when it comes to terribly serious situations.

To be honest, I've always seen the Desians in the game and no official art, so I've always thought of them to be … fat little midgets as the game portrays, but they're actually quite tall and muscular … all of them. And it's freaking me out. Can you _imagine_ what the women will be like? Thank GOD Zelos isn't here. Really, we just wouldn't get the job done.

Okay, now I've defined that they are muscular and powerful and the lot, _why_ are they running away? I can understand the poor bloke who I shot repeatedly, but why the others?

'Why are they running away?' Genis asks with his trusty kendama in hand. Hey, great minds think alike. Or confused minds, or whatever. I'm tired.

'Oh, we're not running away. This thing,' one says, giving the machine they brought with them a sharp pat on the side. '… is gonna do our job for us.'

'Wimps,' I mutter under my breath as they proceed to run for their dear lives (why, I don't know). The machine before us gives a terrific rumble along with a few crackling sounds, something like a pod on its front opening up, letting out a bunch of steam. And its cold steam and I don't like cold steam, hence myself backing away drastically. Not only because of the artificial fog, but because of what is _inside_ the pod.

And I express my sudden shock with the very common phrase; 'SON OF A BITCH!'

How to describe … well, it's a torso. Just sticking out of the machine's middle. And it looks so gross it's not even funny. Its skin is a grey, rubbery kind of thing with jet black patches all over it (how long has this thing been in there?) and stretches tightly over it's empty eye sockets and mouth (which is wide open and looks like it should be screaming in pain, but it's just groaning a hell of a lot). You can practically see the outline of bone in its arms the thing is so skinny … and I have to add that one hand is missing two fingers. EW. And it's completely bald and looks like it has a large dent in its skull. I don't know whether to kill it or feel sorry for it.

'What is that thing?' Lloyd asks, looking positively horrified along with the rest of the group.

'I think …' Kratos mumbles, drawing his sword quickly. 'It was human.'

'Was?' Colette asks, lowering her weapon.

'Have any of you heard of a chimera?' Kratos asks, still keeping a wary eye on the machine/human thing that still hasn't moved.

'What, those things in mythology that have a goat body and a lion's head and a snake for a tail?' I say. 'I think …'

'Yes, it is two or more organisms that are joined to make another. In this case, a human seems to be joined with a machine.'

'Augh, that's gross,' I say quietly, cringing at the thought. 'Not to mention cruel. Let's just kill it.'

'Wait!' Colette cries, grabbing my arm to stop me aiming a pistol. 'It was a human! We …'

'_We_,' I say, gently prying her off my arm. '… are gonna get killed if we don't kill it first.'

Raine gives a solemn nod, pulling out her rod. That totally wasn't supposed to rhyme by the way. 'She's right, Colette. I doubt it would want to live like that anyway. It must be painful.'

I cringe again at the thought of having copper wires shoved into the sensitive flesh of your body when it's been cut in half, attaching you to a machine and probably having it control your movements. It must be sheer pain … and for having your body rot like that … his eyes must have been gouged out … or maybe they just fell out like an effect to do with the joining of a human to a machine? But its skin, its appearance … is it actually dead yet? Or is it being kept alive only by the machine?

'You should use Lightning,' Kratos says, giving Genis a small glance. 'It will be effective with the machine area at least.'

Genis powers up his spell without a word as I prepare Shockwave. Colette seems reluctant about fighting, but she begins to, regardless of what she thinks. Raine pauses for a moment since there isn't any healing to be done, but I'm sure those spells will kick in soon enough. I really wish I had Charis to give me a hand, but I guess that's out of the question. She's gone god knows where and I'm stuck with … a big fat _thing_ to fight. I don't think I should call it that though, if it was human.

The machine part decides to go all spazzy at Genis' offending spell (which worked perfectly, by the way), almost collapsing at some point. It does however recharge itself and get back up and running in no time to the poor mage's dismay, who promptly begins powering up more electric-related spells. I should use mine, but as I learnt not long ago, they won't actually do anything. I should start powering them up in training sessions … maybe use them on trees for practice. Anyway, back to the big monster thing …

It seems that normal attacks won't do much on the machine (given its pretty big and made of metal/steel/whatever), but it works fine on the human half of it. The head drops to impossible angles when attacked with loud, sickening clicks, swerving itself back up after a five second delay for more raspy groaning. But Kratos, being the heartless (albeit loveable) bastard that he is takes no hesitation in driving his sword through the rubbery skin stretched tightly over it's breastbone, jumping back when those nauseatingly bony arms flail out slowly towards him

I let out Shockwave, causing some damage to the machine more so than the body. I think I should just focus on the machine and attack the body when I need to with my pistols. If they're real then they should cause a considerable amount of damage. I'm expecting the body to have died completely now, given the fact Kratos probably just punctured its left lung with his sword. Apparently not.

Raine, being the awesomely nice person she is (cough) casts Barrier on Genis who decides to get closer to see if his spells will take more affect. Can't you just feel the sibling love between these two? Y'know, pushing aside the fact Genis gets pummelled and spanked every day (well, hopefully not spanked)? I remember on my first play though at Martel Temple we saw Raine and she started spanking her poor little bro, and then she just said something like "you're next, Lloyd", and I was seriously to scared to press A. Because I'm pretty sure, even in Sylvarant, it's illegal to spank/touch your student there. Ugh, wrongness.

Colette uses Ring Whirlwind after a while, getting the human part straight in the forehead and probably stunning it for a decent amount of time, giving Lloyd a chance to attack without getting assaulted back. He's a little slower than usual, but at least he can still fight. Raine casts Barrier on our slowly recovering swordsman in case he _does_ get attacked randomly and viciously. Which we really don't want.

After a while of throwing magic, Shockwaves, and other various things to do with offence at the machine/human, it gives a loud click followed by a buzz before a large mechanical arm swings up over the top of it with something that looks like a ball in its hand. Which it rapidly decides to haul in our direction. I try to shoot the thing before it can get within two meters of us, but I fail and it hits the floor in front of Colette, exploding in a mass of dark grey smoke and engulfing the poor girl.

'Colette!' I shout, looking over my shoulder and still firing away at the body. 'Hey, can you hear me?'

After a moment, the blonde Chosen rushes out from the smoke, weapons swinging furiously as she lunges at me. I quickly dodge it by diving sideways, miraculously keeping my balance. Colette turns to me again, throwing a chakram in my general direction which I stop by throwing up one foot quite high. It hurts my foot slightly, but luckily my shoes have a thick layer of leather under them, so it doesn't ache as much as it should. Go me.

'If anyone cares to notice,' I say loudly as the rabid and suddenly bloodthirsty Chosen decides that it'll be fun to see what I'd look like in two pieces and continues attacking me up front (I'm using my guns to block most of her attacks and Protection at some points). 'I'm being assaulted by Colette! Help?'

If I recall, I don't think "confuse" was a status effect in ToS … but apparently it is now, and it looks like Colette get a pretty large dose of that gas, which I think is the culprit. Man, Colette can be pretty mean when she's not … sane. Or in a proper frame of mind. To be put straight, the girl would never hurt a fly, but since good ol' confusion came along, she looks like she's been taking much too many drugs. Poor thing.

I blame Final Fantasy for almost screaming out "does anyone have a remedy?", I do.

'Colette, I hope you forgive me for this,' I say as the other four continue assaulting the _thing_. I wait until she comes into about an arms length away, lift one of my pistols over my head and slap it across her face. I feel really bad now. Hug, anyone?

The impact brings up a large bruise on her left cheek, but none the less she's been knocked back into normal sense. Wow, don't I just rock? The Chosen blinks a few times, bringing a hand up to rub gingerly against her bruised face. 'Ow …'

'I … am _so_ sorry about that,' I say to the taller girl. 'You went all berserk 'cuz of that smoke and you started attacking me and I-'

'It's okay,' Colette says gently, smiling a bit. 'It was my fault …'

Well, during our little conversation, the freaky body thing has grabbed one of Genis' arms, and the poor boy has a look of sheer horror on his face as he tries to pull away. I don't blame him. That thing gives me the willies. Looks a bit like Michael Jackson. I'm kidding, to any of you MJ supporters out there. I'd don't want to insult people on their points of view.

Colette acts quickly, throwing a chakram at the body and successfully hitting it in the arm, stunning it and giving Genis time to pull away. I'm pretty sure he's paled a lot to match his hair. It must feel terrible, having that thing's skin against your own. It's probably all cold and rubbery and … augh.

After Genis throws one more wave of lightning at it, the machine begins to play up and dysfunction. The body falls forward limply (and presumably now dead), the mechanical part collapsing shortly after. I'm guessing we defeated it?

'Is it still functioning properly?' I say shortly, getting ready to return my guns to their holsters.

'No … it's dead,' Kratos confirms, sliding his sword back in its sheath. I give a small nod, looking back to the machine (it automatically closed its pod, so we can't see the body, which is kind of a relief).

'What do we do with it?'

'Don't worry dear, we'll burn it.'

I jump slightly at the voice of the inn keeper from behind us, nodding again along with my group. I don't think most of us can trust our voices right now. That thing made me feel sick. Uh, I'll be having nightmares tonight.

I _really_ hope that Max guy is careful. According to mythology, seeing a chimera is a sign of misfortune and possibly ACCIDENTS AT SEA. Chimeras like the ones in mythology don't actually exist, but I am still scared.

Very scared.

I'm gonna diiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee...

* * *


	21. Saaaaiiiiiling!

* * *

Chapter 21 - Saaaaiiiiiling!

I'd just like to say that we've earned a whole lot of respect from Izoold's people in the past half an hour or so, given we just saved their little town from the wrath of a … chimera thing machine/human whatever you want to call it. I guess a bunch of average people would be scared of something like that though … imagine sitting in maths one day and something as scary and disgusting as that charges through the door in all its groaning and rubbery glory? Yeah, we'd all be a bit scared.

Anyway, since defeating the chimera (and receiving more handshakes than I'd care to count), we've been getting all of our stuff back together and Raine has gone out to get supplies from a stall nearby the docks, leaving her brother and the Chosen here with us. I don't have much to do, so I'm just lying about and thumbing through that book that Genis gave me back in Iselia (_The Desians: A Lineage of Darkness_). And would you lookit here, I saw _Chimera_ in the contents page and found a small bit about it.

"_The 'Chimera' comes from the legends of Earth. The Chimera was the steed of the fifth god, with the body of a horse, the head of a dragon and the tail of a snake _((hey, I was pretty close with the tail bit))._ Magnius, the fifth Desian Grand Cardinal developed a human cultivation project and used a select few to attempt joining the body with a machine, creating a powerful weapon for his own use_ ((so that would explain why the Desians came and dropped the monster of here))._ Chimeras were put into use some time after the Palmacosta Revolution to keep the citizens loyal to the Desians._"

'Charlotte, we have to go now,' Genis says, pulling his bag over his shoulders. 'You can read that on the boat.'

'I suppose,' I mumble, slapping it shut and shoving it in my bag._ '_I'm tired anyway and my eyes don't work. All the text is going dodgy.'

After a minute, I wordlessly hop off the bed and follow the other four out of the inn. I have to admit, Izoold is a bit bigger than what I'd have expected it to be. It's usually just the two houses with an inn and a small storage house on the docks, along with one or two stalls. I'm going to attack Charis for making everything so different, especially with the chimera thing. That was just cruel, especially for the poor guy hanging off the machine. It kinda reminded me of the two chimera type things in Final Fantasy 8. Y'know, at the sorceress' parade, where she brings those lizard/lion statue things to life and sends them to attack Rinoa? Kinda like that. Except that machine thing was likely made by Magnius, not a body possessing crazed sorceress with a psycho knight kissing her feet every five minutes. Anyway, still getting myself homesick over here. Now it's over a game. Gee, imagine if I wanted to play something other than Tales of Symphonia? What if I wanted to play Tomb Raider or something? I'd still have pistols, but I'd be pissing myself with fear dammit.

I guess I wasn't too scared when I came to Sylvarant because … well in the game, everything's all minimized. When I first saw Forcystus, the 'great Desian who single-handedly-killed-a-group-of-humans-leading-a-massacre guy', I think I jumped up and screamed 'aw, cuteness!'. Now, if I did that in front of him, I'd be attacked ruthlessly. Very ruthlessly. Okay, moving on from my past experiences, we meet up with Raine in front of the notice board (as planned before she went to get supplies). Lloyd takes no hesitation in ripping down the wanted sign with his face drawn over it and shoving it in his pocket with a frown. I can't help but giggle slightly, earning a cold glare from the swordsman. I look away before he can whip out his swords and do loads of stuff that will probably end up with me looking like that poor bloke shoved into the machine. In a more bloody sense, of course.

'I don't see why they need a bunch of search parties all over the place,' Lloyd seethes.

'Well, you are one little man in a pretty big world,' I mumble, avoid his eyes before he can shoot me another glare. 'Plus, if they had only one search party it'd take forever to find you.'

'Man, whose side are you on?'

'Well, _yours_ of course,' I say.

'The side that lacks logical sense,' Genis adds in a quiet tone.

'Better that than the side that makes freaky chimera things in their spare time. But then again, who wouldn't?' I mutter the last sentence sarcastically.

'However disgusting and unnatural those chimera beings may be,' Raine starts, a growing look glazing over her eyes. 'They are truly _fascinating_.'

'Totally,' I say, again with a sarcastic tone slapped on the word. 'Imagine joining a dog with a human? Maybe then it would have the frame of mind to not urinate up the walls. Ugh, I'm never getting a dog again.'

'You had a dog?' Lloyd asks, now holding his crumpled up wanted sign and picking off the edges. We have to wait for Max to get his boat all sorted out, so we're killing time doing all kinds of boring stuff. Just so you know.

'Yeah, I had her when I was little. But we had to get rid of it. It kept attacking everyone and … doing stuff everywhere.'

True story, by the way. We had it for about a week before it started attacking everyone who had the guts to step into the house so we had to give it back to the animal shelter where we'd bought it. Not that I was complaining. The thing tried to eat me, and I wasa _lot_ smaller than I am now. I turned into a cat person after that, and speaking of the adorable little fluffballs, I miss my little kitty Oliver … I want to go home and see my cat. Ugh, I'll kill Charis next time I see her, that is if she _ever_ shows up again. Either that or demand she hands over my cat, because I _will_ throw a minor tantrum if she doesn't.

Oliveeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr…

'So, what do we do when we get to Palmacosta?' Lloyd asks, still shredding up his paper. I shrug and consider screaming 'BED', but refrain from doing so as Raine answers his question.

'We'll look for clues about the next seal in the morning. We should make reservations at the inn when we get there. There won't be much else we can do in the evening.'

'Except go out and get plastered,' I yawn. 'But I don't think they'll serve kids.'

Trust me when I say this, I really _wouldn't_ go out and get hammered. Really. When I was four, a certain older brother of mine made me chug down a mouthful of beer, and I tried one glass of WKD Vodka last year and had a headache for ages. So booze is a no-no in my books girls and boys, unless of course I'd consider leaping up onto the table with a basket on my head, singing and dancing to Hammer Time. Boy, I'd _love_ to see the faces on my companions if I did that. Kratos would probably stab me there and then since I promised not to be a nuisance. Then again, since this journey started I haven't really been supporting my end of the deal, have I? I can be such an annoying little bugger when I want.

Anyway, moving on.

There's not really much going on, sine Izoold is only a little town with … no one really living here except a few fishermen and about seven people. I'd try and make things more interesting by firing up a conversation, but all I can think about is the chimera and how Raine thinks Kratos is a kiddie-fiddler (I'm actually pissing myself laughing inside at the poor man). Speaking of kiddie-fiddlers, this guy over at the lookout point has been staring at me and Genis for quite some time now … ANYWHO, I'm pretty sure no one wants to hear about that. I inch behind the half-elven boy just incase. Better him than me. Shut up, I'm a nice person really.

Everyone raise your right hand if you believed that. No one? Didn't think so.

'… Why would you want to get drunk anyway?' Genis asks after a moment. I offer another shrug.

'To make myself look like a complete arse to entertain you all. It's the least I can do, really.'

'I'd personally rather you didn't.'

'Your loss.'

I remember this one time when my mum got me all drugged up on valium by accident (which entertained many people, apparently). I was supposed to have a prescribed amount at a time (for the dentist - Dentophobia you sonofabitch), but she made me take too much and I couldn't move for many many hours. I had to go into the school the next day (after taking more valium, since I had an appointment that day), so I had to have a note to pass around to all my teachers in case I fell asleep in lesson. Which I did at some points. It was not amusing, since it was stated jokingly in the note to "poke her with a ruler", which they ending up doing anyway. Don't do drugs, kids. Or drink. There we go, little lesson for you rebels out there.

On another issue going on in my head, I was in the AFI 'Silver and Cold' phase earlier, and now it's 'Ordinary Day' by Vanessa Carlton. I really am trying my hardest not to burst out into song here. Really. It will cause headaches. Darn it, I want my MP3 so badly. Charis, get your skinny ass down here and give me my music! The girl will probably show up with a sombrero and a crap load of maracas or something from a holiday while I was _suffering_, the cowbag. (A/N: Thanks to ImperialGuardian for that idea!)

'Charlotte …' I hear Genis mumble quietly after a few minutes.

'Yeees?'

'That guy over there is staring at us.'

I nod. 'Yeah. He must be old and lonely. And paedophile related.' Aww, but not as dirty as our lovely-and-apparently-sick-minded Kratty here! You child molester you.

Notice how everything got paedophilic lately? Freaky, no? I think the word we're looking for is disturbing, but Kratos isn't really perverted. He just wants to be happy with his son. Let's avoid all of the dirty jokes, okay? We already did one in Triet, let's not carry on. Incest isn't really my cup of tea. Reminds me of a terribly amusing day in school … I took in a picture I drew of our lovely swordsmen (A/N: If you followed the link at the start of chapter 20, you'll know which one I'm talking about), and someone accused it of being all "gay" and "incest-like". I remember vividly replying loudly (by accident of course) with a "They're not in an incestuous relationship! He just likes touching his son!"

Oh memories. Insert shudder here.

'Oh, it looks like Max is ready!' Colette says with a smile. 'We can finally head to Palmacosta!'

'Where they have _beds_!' I sigh happily.

'Without rock hard mattresses!' Lloyd adds. I'd offer a high five with him, but my hand hurts for some reason. Y'know, it keeps randomly hurting lately. I remember it feeling numb at the House of Salvation before … ah, maybe I hurt it in battle or something. I seem to remember falling over at some point before leaving for Triet. Basically, the main point is no high five. Shame.

Raine looks a bit sick, and I really can't blame her. I'm still scared to death of water and random sea monsters (thank you very much, Mr Chimera Dude), but they have _beds_ on the other side of the sea! _Beeeeeeeds!_ Which I can sleep on!

'You fellas ready to set sail?' Max asks us, looking a tad miffed about something. It must be the Lyla thing. Poor sod. 'Wait a sec, there were only three of you before!' he claims loudly. 'You want six free rides now?'

Y'know, I could do the female thing that always works, which is going into a big fake PMS psycho stress and accusing men of calling us fat and ugly (and trust me, it usually works), but that would probably annoy everyone, so I won't.

'No complaining!' Raine orders, stepping onto the boat reluctantly. We've decided to go with the "act like its normal" thing to see if it helps in any way (which it probably won't, but it's worth a shot). 'You wouldn't have been getting paid in the first place!'

'Stick it to him, Professor!' Lloyd cheers on jokingly. Max gives him a livid glare.

'Shut up and get on the damn boat!'

'Gee, someone has sand where it shouldn't be,' I mutter while carefully stepping on the boat (I can picture it randomly gliding away as I try to get on). Hey, this isn't so bad for a little fisherman's ship. Reasonable deck space … nice little cabin for when we decide to hurl … pretty big sails. Cool. But do you know what _really_ gets me? It's that this ship has NO MUVA FLUMPPING RAILINGS. We're all gonna die. We're really all gonna die here. Or get eaten by rabid dolphins. This will just totally happen now that I've mentioned it. Hell, rabid penguins if we're lucky.

The last of our group piles on the ship (which has decided "ha ha, fuck you all I'm gonna randomly turn smaller now") and Max pulls the sails up to full height. As soon as the wind begins to softly push the small boat forwards, Raine immediately heads for the small cabin, shoving roughly past the poor fisherman as she goes, slamming the door shut behind her.

Y'know … being on a boat isn't really that bad. This is the first time I've actually been on one, so I've been guessing it would have been terrible up until now. Strictly speaking, I don't enjoy it, but I don't mind it. Of course until Genis begins scurrying around the deck like an inspective bug, trying to see the ocean in all its shimmering sunset glory at different angles. The boat tips only slightly to the left, sending a signal from my brain thundering down to my hands as I grab onto the highest railing (that barely reaches my hip). Genis is still inspecting the sea. Good grief, it's like "as Raine is to ruin, Genis is to sightseeing". They have more in common than they think, sadly.

I decide to carefully lower myself to my knees, still gripping the railing like a lifeline. If I wasn't scared to death about plummeting to my demise under the cold waves licking up against the side of the ship, I'd fall asleep here and now. I'm so tired … and in a whole bunch of pain. Yesterday, my shoulder dislocated and I sprained my ankle, today I've been thrown around by Pyre Seal … and the gash on my back (a gift from Yuan dear) is starting to hurt like a bitch. I thought, with all the healing Raine had given me and the healing I'd given myself (and the bunch of Apple Gels I rubbed over it that stung like _hell_), it'd be all fixed up. But apparently not. I've gotta say, this journey isn't the most pleasant ride.

I'm seriously going to see a doctor in the morning. Given there _is_ one in Palmacosta. I really can't be bothered to ask around when we get there … I just want to sleep. And I want pyjamas, dammit. It's suddenly occurred to me I have no pyjamas. WHY DON'T I HAVE PYJAMAS?

Charis you bitch. She took my _BaNaNa_ pyjamas.

'I'm gonna go and see if there's something I can lie down on,' I mumble, getting to my feet (which takes a good twenty seconds or so). 'Give me a shout when we get to Palmacosta.'

'Alright.' I move carefully around the mast, almost falling into the poor stressed out Max as I go. I walk into the cabin to find Raine sitting at a desk with her head in her hands. I look around, a small bed similar to the ones in the Izoold inn pushed up against the wall. That'll do.

'Lighten up, Professor,' I yawn, climbing into the unappealing bed. 'We'll be there in a few hours.'

Raine doesn't answer, but she does drop her hands to the desk with a sigh. I curl up in a fetal position and drag the blanket over my shoulders. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep. And to start hearing familiar voices in my head, because I'm pretty damn sure Charis and some random young sounding boy haven't jumped onto the ship and invading the cabin.

"So, how's she getting on?' That's the boy starting off.

"Meh, she's pretty fine. A few scratches here and there, but she's good. Went up against a chimera earlier."

"She would have gone up against chimeras too if she'd chosen me, you know."

"Shut up. The Gamecube will always be better."

"Suuuuure. PS2s still draw her attention more though."

"Liar."

Okay, I'm taking an extravagant guess that the boy is my PS2. For heavens sake, shall we drag my GBA to join the conversation too? My long deserted N64? Damn, I wish random game consoles would stop invading my mind. It seems they're fighting about who gets my attention the most, and I'd sadly have to say it's the PS2. Sorry Charis.

"Anyway, how are you holding up with the whole 'change the plot' thing?" PS2 boys asks. "Screwed everything up yet?"

"Shut up. And _no_ I haven't actually. Some things just got a little out of hand and started organising themselves."

"In other words, you screwed up big time,' PS2 says with what I can only imagine a smirk plastered over his face.

"No, I'm just trying to get the Exsphere thing sorted out. And Kratos' dream thing. And the _thing_ that'll happen soon."

What? What thing? I wanna know! Tell me! Tell me!

"Huh. And what "_thing_" would this be? Are you killing anyone off?"

"I'm not going to say. She might be listening, after all."

Dammit. I need to know what kind of crap she's going to have me trekking through in the (supposedly) near future!

"So who are you killing then?"

"I'm not killing _anyone_. That's mean. Besides, it's not my fault if they get killed. I'm not really doing anything."

"Uh … huh. What about the chimera? Wasn't that your doing?"

"Blame that Magnius dude and his little human cultivation thing."

"I suppose. He has some awesome dreadlocks though."

"You have the worst sense of style ever."

Sorry PS2, she has a very strong point.

"So, Charis, what's this whole "_Choose your saviour, Irving_" stuff? Shouldn't you at least hint her on it? She'll get really confused otherwise."

"Where's the fun in having her know everything that's going to happen?"

"Good point. But really … you _did_ do that to him, didn't you?"

"For the last time you blasted hunk of junk, NO."

"Okay, okay, gee … you can get really cranky sometimes. Seems she would have preferred being in me after all."

… Is it just me, or did that sound really disturbing on some levels?

"Well, whatever. She chose Tales of Symphonia, so no complaining. Besides, what PS2 game would she survive in?"

"Final Fantasy 7?"

"She'd run screaming for the hills at the first sight of Jenova. Plus, she doesn't like pollution, so that's another point for me."

"Final Fantasy 8."

"She's too young to pass a SeeD test."

"Okay, _9_?"

"She'd piss herself in the Evil Forest. Gee, haven't you known her enough-"

"Fine, whatever, but you _cannot_ say she'd hate being in Dark Chronicle, or Dark Cloud 2 or … well, she'd like it as far as I know."

"Hm, I guess. She's almost the same age as Max anyway. Max being the one in that game, not the … scary fisher dude she's with now."

"I suppose. Right, I'm sure you have a lot to sort out, with screwing it up and all."

"Shut up and go away already."

"Tch. Fine."

I hear nothing more from my game consoles after a few moments, sending my mind spiralling into a warp of questions and worries. If the dreams and all the stuff to do with Lloyd isn't her doing, she can't fix it. Well, to my knowledge, but still … this isn't good. This really isn't good. I'm worried about Lloyd, sure, and I wish I could do something about it, but I'm afraid of screwing things up even more. And I really don't want to do that, because I don't think I'd be able to finish this journey if he _dies_ or something or loses the use of his legs. Shut up, it could happen.

And so, I am one again left to sleep with my troublesome thoughts.

* * *


	22. Guess who has trypanophobia?

* * *

Chapter 22 - Guess who has trypanophobia?

It's occurred to me that however logical it is, however much it makes terrible sense, there is an undeniable fact that if you fall asleep within morning hours, you will wake up at some point of the noon. If you fall asleep within the _noon_ hours, there is an almost unmistakable chance you will awaken during the early morning or middle of the night.

However much it makes sense, I want to take that fact, spit on it, crumple it up and shove it into a cow's arse.

I wake with a small groan, immediately noticing that my surroundings have changed even though I'm barely half awake. The smell of sea isn't as strong … I don't feel as nauseous as I did on the boat … it doesn't exactly come and hit me in the face screaming, it's just noticeable when your room isn't moving about every now and then and there isn't a distressed, silver haired healer at the desk.

Unless I'm still in the dinky little cabin dreaming away of comfortable beds and pyjamas, I'd say I'm in Palmacosta.

I could literally start jumping for joy were I not in a hefty amount of dull, throbbing pain. I'm hoping that the time isn't too late … maybe nine or half past nine? Then I could ask someone to fetch me painkillers … or something along those lines. Does Sylvarant even have any form of pain-relieving drug? I'll cry if they don't. I really will.

I lie still for a moment and focus on which parts of my body are experiencing the most pain right now. I have a terrible pounding in my head and my back wound stings … I'll have to get that bandaged up later, thank you very much Yuan. I swear I'll viciously attack him next time I see the blue-haired bastard for what he did to me. And to think, Renegades were supposed to be the good guys. Then again, they did try to take Lloyd hostage countless numbers of times and make threats to kill him, compelling Kratos to help them. Which didn't actually work out that well, but you get the idea. They're not the best of fellows.

I sit up, resisting the urge to cry out at the sudden pain to my head. It's like it's being split open from the inside with the use of a jackhammer … it literally feels like it'll explode any moment now, considering the force felt to be put into my pain. I sit still for a minute or two, trying to ease the pain by rubbing gently at the sides of my head, which doesn't seem to do much, only make the continuous thudding louder.

I steal a glance at a clock hanging neatly aligned on the wall to the left of the bed. The numbers are in Roman, but I'm pretty confident of reading those. I blame Final Fantasy again. And the fact that I have had a Roman clock at home for as long as I can remember.

Ladies and Gentlemen: It is 3:48 fucking AM. And I want to suddenly go back to sleep, but that will be impossible with the amount of pain I'm now apparent to.

Getting to my feet, I feel a small jab of pain in my lower side. It isn't anything vital, but it does make me pause for a moment. Shit, if I come down with appendicitis now I'm gonna kill Charis and do the same thing I'd do to that _fact_ I was talking about earlier. I'm not keen on getting any severe illnesses while I'm in Sylvarant and on this journey (I feel for Lloyd, I really do), so I'm hoping the "Luin Bug", if that _is_ what the swordsman has, isn't contagious. My immune system isn't the greatest around.

I'm hoping I just slept on my hip. Yeah, that's it. My hip just hurt – no appendicitis for me while I'm here. Nope.

In comparison to finally having the satisfaction of being in Palmacosta where there are half decent beds and hopefully a city where I can get the needed medical attention (I'm dragging Lloyd down there with me, by the way), I'm still in my muddy, bloody and ripped clothing. I pull up my warm, thick blanket, and as expected there are small flakes of dried mud scattered around the sheets. My shoes complete with a thick layer of dried dirt, sand and dust have been removed and are settled next to my bed, not really looking their best. A whole patch of varnish has been scratched off the front of one shoe and the laces are missing from my other. I never actually considered the physical state I'd be in, but I must have looked like a travel worn person to the people in Izoold. As much as I hate clothes shopping, it seems I'll have to do some while we're here. Plus, we have the whole Dorr issue to face sooner or later, so I'm guessing we're leaving pretty soon after talking to him and his monster child.

Before seeking out painkillers, I decide to find some decent pyjamas to slip into, or I'll just feel uncomfortable staggering around the inn in the early hours of the morning, shedding sand and mud everywhere. I have a feeling that won't be greatly appreciated by the inn keepers at all.

I manage to get to the door without falling over, pushing it open and stepping out into the dark hall.

Palmacosta has a pretty nice inn, even at night when I can barely see a damn thing. A few rays of light are shooting through the curtains that are drawn shut, save for the small gap between them. A large display of various wine bottles and glasses catches my eye, only because of the eerie glow bouncing from the smooth surface. Damn, everything looks so creepy …

I clutch the banister, not trusting my ability to stand straight and simply wait there, elbows resting on the smooth, polished wood. It might be because of the position I was sleeping in on the boat, but my knees feel weak. I always feel like this when I wake up, because I usually sleep with my legs drawn up to my chest. I get really cold easily for some reason, even if I'm in bed.

After what feels like five minutes or so, I finally decide to continue down the hallway. To my surprise, there is another door at the end of the landing. Strange … there was only one in the game. Not that I'm complaining. A lot of things probably changed to make this world realistic. I'm sure your average inn wouldn't just have three beds, but people don't seem to come across Izoold very often – it's not really a tourist attraction.

Completely ignoring the privacy that would be gladly appreciated from the room's occupant, I push open the door quietly. Lying on his side in the bed is the one and only Kratos, who takes care of the bags crammed with clothes. And of course, the bags are in the corner of the room next to a towering wardrobe which is actually quite off-putting, since this is a fairly _small_ room. I could scream with joy at finding the clothes in my first attempt. I'd rather not take a chance at walking down the stairs in my current dazed condition.

Anyway, pyjamas.

I walk across the room as quietly as I can, almost jumping a few feet into the air when Kratos mutters something in his sleep. I caught "toma", but the rest got quieter and silent. I can only guess what the last part was. I try to ignore the fact that Kratos could wake up at any moment and reach the bags with a sigh of glee, unbuttoning the front and digging around in the sea of ever changing materials and textures. It's hard to see in the dark, so I'll have to trust what I learnt in textiles in school about what are suitable cloths for night clothes.

I feel something made of soft cotton and immediately fish it out, trying to avoid pulling a mess of other clothes as I do so.

Well lookie here, it's Kratos' night shirt.

I blink in sudden confusion, looking over at the mercenary who sure enough isn't wearing a shirt. I'll bet the number of fangirls Kratos gains in Tethe'alla would kill to be here right now, but I can only beg to whatever gods there are up there that he's wearing shorts or something under there. Because if he isn't, I'm stealing his shirt and running for my room, regardless of the fact I feel I could collapse at any moment.

I straighten up and hold the neckline of the shirt to my collarbone. It comes down to my knees … hey, Kratos is pretty darn tall. This'll do as a fairly small nightgown or whatever you call 'em. I prefer nightie (or however you spell it). I'll have to apologize to him in the morning for stealing half of his nightclothes. Damn, that sounds weird.

'Kratty, I'm taking your night shirt since your not … wearing it,' I say quietly to the sleeping man, making my way to the door. I close my hand around the handle, pulling it open-

'I want it back in the morning.'

I seriously choke on my own scream, succeeding only with a strangled gasp of shock. I spin to see the mercenary now sitting up rubbing right eye – which I will say, despite my current situation, is the cutest thing you'd ever expect Kratos to do, in a strange way. Ignoring that, I bite my lip, still aware that I'm clutching his shirt like a lifeline.

'Hey, Kratty. Mind if I borrow this?' I ask with an uneasy grin.

'I don't mind, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't use it permanently.'

'Don't worry, I'm not gonna get child germs on it … geez,' I mumble at his stern attitude. It's a shirt, for goodness sake.

'Hmph.' The mercenary lies back down on his side, pulling his blankets up. I pause for a moment and quickly leave the room, shutting the door softly behind me as to not disturb him, which I have a terrible urge to do right now.

Feeling a bit better, I return to my room (almost tripping on a particularly large crease in the rug which I am then forced to smooth out in annoyance) and lock the door with a small bolt under the doorknob. Anyone could just walk in, y'know – be it Kratos demanding his shirt back for reasons that remain unknown to me, or maybe even just the inn keeper checking up on his/her rooms. I wonder why Kratos is protective of his clothing. Weird mercenary.

I quickly strip myself of the rather unappealing clothes I have worn for two days straight, now with a nice mucky and grimy texture to it and throw them to one side of the room, pulling on my new nightshirt which, of course, smells of Kratty-ness. If anyone's wondering, that'd smell strangely enough of sparked flint and on some levels, cinnamon. That's just plain damn weirdness on a kebab stick, my friends.

Who cares, it feels comfy enough.

I find myself feeling uncomfortable about walking around in search of painkillers wearing nothing but a shirt given reluctantly from Kratos and some girl boxers (yes, I have girl boxers - what'cha you gonna do about that?). Not that I don't walk around wearing this kind of stuff usually in my own home, but this is a public inn. Big difference, especially with - according to Raine - KRATOS THE CHILD MOLESTOR ABOUT. I trust him really. Raine has just spurred off a load of dodgy thoughts in the dirty little mind of mine. Damn you, Professor. Damn you.

I leave my room again (I'm probably pissing off the mercenary with my constant moving about) and head for the stairs, making sure to keep a damn hard grip on the banister to avoid toppling down the staircase (that'd piss him off more). When I reach the cold wooden floor, I hiss slightly. Barefoot here. Still cold. Grr.

To my left if a door (strange how there are doors where there weren't before) which I consider going through, since I know the one on the other side of the room leads to another bedroom, probably along with another random door that has appeared behind the desk of the inn. I shrug to myself, turning the knob and walking inside quietly, since it might be another bedroom and I don't really want to disturb anyone.

To my surprise, it seems to be a fairly large kitchen/dining room area. There's a woman standing at the counter, slicing up some carrots and other various vegetables that seem to be rapidly piling up. She has thinning brown hair and beady eyes, looking in her early fifties or so. As far as I can see, she's wearing quite a large red dressing gown and a flower printed nightgown. Why am I suddenly reminded of my mother? She chops up vegetables to calm herself and relieve stress (which actually works, since I tried it out a few times), but she usually has the same taste in attire.

'Oh, hello dear,' she says gently, setting her knife down. 'Aren't you up a bit late?'

'I could say the same for you, ma'am,' I say with an uncertain smile. 'Um, I was wondering if you had any painkillers …'

'Hmm …' the woman muses, tucking some hair behind her ear. 'I think we may have something to relieve pain.' She begins opening cupboards above her head, ignoring the fact I could be a terribly rebellious teenager who takes drugs. I'm not quite sure I look the type though. You never know these days.

'Ah, here we go,' she declares, pulling out a large plastic box filled with packets. I instantly feel a slight wave of uneasiness wash over me. I might not be a druggie teen, but she might give me the wrong thing and I could get really sick. Dammit, this was a stupid idea. I should have just chugged down some Apple Gels and maybe ask Charis for that valium that's been lying around at home.

After a moment, the lady hands me a glass of water and two small white pills. Ah, these look exactly like the ones I take at home when in pain. I guess Charis must have done something about this. I respect here the tiniest bit more now. Tiniest.

After taking the painkillers, I drink the rest of the water and rub my eyes (I blame Kratos; he made me feel tired). The lady soon returns to chopping her veggies. Maybe she's making vegetable soup. Damn, suddenly got hungry. I've not eaten anything toda … well, yesterday. Except toast. I guess I was too cautious about watching what I eat so I didn't hurl again.

'Thanks,' I mumble, setting the empty glass on the counter. 'I'm gonna go to bed again …'

'Alright. Goodnight dear.'

'G'night ma'am.'

I've never met anyone that reminded me so much of my mother - and in Sylvarant for that matter. Hm, still feeling a bit homesick. I'm sure everyone has thought about what it'd be like to be a character in a game at some point … but if you think about being in the game, you're just going along with the characters, doing what they do and fighting battles and stuff. I never considered I'd get homesick. Especially a large number of times. There hasn't been a day when I haven't thought about what going home would be like, leaving all of these guys behind. Sure, I'd never see them again and I'd seriously be giving up something millions of people would dream doing, but … I'd prefer home than here any day. Since being here, I've killed my shoulder, my ankle, been slashed brutally and had other numerous things done to me. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even get through that in a year at home. It's been about four or five days, for goodness sake.

I climb the stairs again, pushing my bedroom door open and closing it, throwing the lock shut behind me before launching myself at my bed. I fidget so I can reach the covers and pull them over myself. Tomorrow we do shopping and other things along with finding out about the next seal.

As soon as my head hits the pillow, I almost doze off at once, finally getting through a night without and dreams or nasty, gory images behind my eyes. Just long sleep …

* * *

I gather enough of my senses together and force them to snap into action for the day as a red light blares from behind my closed eyelids. I turn my head until it returns to a dim black, opening my eyes to the now light filled room.

That was some damn good snoozing.

I sit up, my head hurting the slightest bit but not as much as before. It's only a small pang that lasts for ten seconds at least. I yawn, stretching my legs under the covers and getting ready to stand, hoping I won't fall over as soon as I try doing so.

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I notice a light blue dressing gown hanging from the edge of the headboard. Strange, I don't remember it being there last night … maybe Charis put it there. Or the inn keeper. Or Yuan. Hey, he _does_ sneak into our rooms a lot. It might be true. I pull it from the headboard, regardless of who it came from and slip it on over my (well, Kratos') nightshirt, getting to my feet. Hey, I didn't collapse! Go me!

I walk over to the door, unlocking it and stepping out into the morning coolness the spreads through the hallway from the open window. I shiver slightly, already missing the warmth my thick blankets provided me. I steady myself with the banister once again as I thunder down the stairs, leaping the last three. As far as I know, the only thing I ate yesterday was toast and nothing else. If my nose is working and not just malfunctioning, I can smell egg cooking, and some poor little devil in my mind is screaming "OMG EGG GO GO GO". I _do_ try to ignore it … but it is _egg_ dammit!

I push open the kitchen door, once again forgetting about the sharp coldness of the floor. I roll my eyes at my own stupidity and step into the room. Kratos is sitting at the table thumbing through what looks like a pile of papers and looking kind of bored and Genis is at the stove, frying (precious) eggs.

'Mornin' guys,' I yawn, sitting opposite Kratos who looks up momentarily.

'Yes Kratos. I _am_ still wearing your shirt. And no, I didn't do some freaky voodoo circle thing on it before you ask. It's perfectly safe.'

Not amused, the auburn haired seraphim returns to his papers. I note that he's looking through the public services this town has to offer before I look over at my half-elven friend.

'Geeeeeniiiiiis …'

'Yeah?'

'Can I have some fried egg?' I ask, slumping down on the table and resting my chin on folded arms. 'Please?'

'Sure. Wait just five minutes …'

'Okay then …'

I pass a short amount of time by picking at the corner of the thin grey page Kratos is observing. It looks like he's found a doctor's advertisement somewhere in the pile of services. He must be looking around for a clinic to send Lloyd to. Can't you feel the love? Maybe I'll tag along and get my wounds checked; the doctor might be able to supply me with more painkillers. Stealing them from the poor lady isn't really an option here. I'm not a thief. Unless its monsters or evil dudes we're stealing from … then I have no problem. Not that I haven't stolen before … whoop, getting off topic again.

'You're taking Lloyd to a doctor?' I ask, still picking at the papers. I get a nod in return followed by silence. Talkative, isn't he?

'Alrighty … mind if I come?' I sit up as I say this. I don't think he'll mind; if he does, I can just go on my own later. I _really_ don't think he'll be against my idea though. Raine might accuse him of stuff if he goes alone with Lloyd. Oh Kratos you dirty, dirty man. Raine will tear out your eyeballs on of these days.

'Do you mind me asking why?' he says, leaflet in hand.

'Not really. I just want to get my back wounds checked and maybe some painkillers.'

'Back wound?' Genis looks up from the frying pan. 'When did you get that?'

'When you guys were fighting that Botta dude. Ran into some Desian and … well, yeah – wound.'

'How bad is it?' he asks, returning to the spitting egg.

'Not so bad. It's not deep, so I don't think I'll need any drastic treatment. Maybe a bandage or something,' I mumble. I should be a lot more scared really. I'm not good with doctors on Earth … I blame the doctor I had for about twelve years, Dr Page. He's a nice, bald, charming fellow but he used to tickle me around the ages of 1 – 6 whenever he used a stethoscope and he used to say he's scraped the syringe needles on sandpaper and that it'd make our arms fall off. I'm just glad he cut out the tickle thing before I hit puberty. He's not Kratos. Damn, if I keep going on like this I'll begin to believe he's a pervert. And I'll never give him his shirt back. It's actually comfy. Okay, screw the "only steal from evil dudes" bit, this shirt is mine.

'I'm _bored_ …' I mumble after a minute of silence throughout the kitchen. Kratos flips through more papers without looking up.

'Then do something that interests you.'

'Alright. Limericks! There once was a boy named Genis, who-'

'You're egg is done,' the half elf interrupts loudly, almost slamming the plate down in front of me to half my voice. And hey, it worked.

'Yay!' I grab a fork and begin cutting it up. What? I'm a civilized young woman and I refuse to shovel it down my trap. I'd never do that. Well, not in public. Shut up Charlotte and eat the freakin' egg.

The door opens with a loud creak, catching the attention of everyone in the room. I don't exactly have to look over my shoulder to see who it is, because strangely enough I can tell its Lloyd from the look in Kratos' eyes. They soften the slightest at the poor boy's wrecked state. Gee, that really must give off the wrong signals to the people who don't know that he's Lloyd's daddy. Save for Lloyd himself … because he's really not that smart.

'Mornin' …' he mumbles, sinking down onto a chair next to me.

'Feeling any better than yesterday?' I ask after swallowing a mouthful of egg white.

'Yeah … my head still hurts though.'

'Meh. Kratos is taking you to a clinic today to get you checked up, so I wouldn't worry too much.'

At my comment (which I attempted to portray as comforting), the little colour in Lloyd's face is drained immediately as he gapes at me as though I'd told him I was going to jump him with a rusty knife or anal probe him or something along those lines. Seriously, you decide.

'A … a clinic?' he looks over at the mercenary. 'I … I'm fine! I don't need a doctor! Really!'

'You are going to see a doctor,' Kratos orders, folding up a piece of paper.

'No no no no no! I'm fine! Seriously! I don't need a doctor!'

'You _do_ need a doctor, Lloydie,' I say after another mouthful of my breakfast. 'Plus, I'm going with you. I need to get a bunch of stuff checked.'

'Have you _seen_ what those people _use_?' Lloyd exclaims, gripping the edge of the table so tightly his knuckles are turning white. 'Those pointy things … and those things they put in your mouth, and that ear thing, and-'

'Lloyd, I've never had so many dirty thoughts at once,' I mutter dryly, forking my egg. 'I suggest you stop now.'

The swordsman flops onto the table front with a groan of protest. Sheesh, what's his problem with the doctor? Sure, he might be cranky because he just woke up and he's stressed out and all, but those docs really aren't that bad. I mean, the _do_ have syringes and _real_ cold stethoscopes and medicine that tastes like cat piss, but they're pretty nice. Except the one lady who came to our school when I was seven to give us meningitis jabs. Oh god, the pain. Evil lady, she was.

'So … when are we going to see 'em? Given you've found a doctor of cour – hey, give me my egg back!"

Lloyd gives me an annoyed glance, dragging my plate away from me. 'C'mon, I only want a bit-'

'That's _my_ egg!'

'Hey, I didn't eat anything yesterday!'

'Neither did I!'

'You had toast!'

'I threw up!'

'I'm _ill_!'

'Then you have no choice but to come to the doctors! So ha!' I proclaim, pulling back my plate.

'Wha … oh, dammit!'

'Found one,' Kratos announces flatly, holding up a piece of paper. 'It's next to the academy.'

'Oh, goodie!' I take the paper from his outstretched hand, looking over the services they provide. 'Hey, they give medicine _really_ cheap!'

'Not many people get ill in Palmacosta,' Genis says, setting down another egg in front of TRAUMATIZED Lloyd. 'I guess it's because of the clean air.'

'Maybe,' I mutter, finishing off my breakfast and taking the plate to the sink. 'Hey, Genis …' I whisper, casting glance over at the teenager picking idly at his egg with a solemn look plastered over his features. '… What's up with Lloyd and doctors? You guys told me he was edgy with pills back in Triet, but when I told him we were going to a doctor … geez.'

'He's always been edgy about this stuff …' Genis mutters back, taking my plate and scrubbing it with a worn yellow sponge. He'd make the perfect housewife, y'know? 'I know he has trypanophobia, but-'

At this point I choose to clamp my hand to my mouth and snort, gaining a suspicious glance from both Lloyd and Kratos. I calm myself before turning to the half-elf, still scrubbing at my plate. 'Er … Lloyd uses a sword, but he's afraid of _needles_?'

Genis nods, a small grin growing on his face. 'Yeah. I found it a bit weird too, but he freaks out so much …'

'Yeah. Well, I'm gonna go and get changed,' I say, giving Lloyd's shoulder a sharp tap before skipping off (ignoring the look Kratos is giving me – he still wants his shirt back). 'Don't worry; I don't think they'll be giving you jabs or anything.'

'How di – GENIS!'

'OWowow!'

I close the door behind me with a triumphant grin. Unless you've ever had the chance (not that I had a choice, to be precise) to be sucked into Tales of Symphonia, pissing off Lloyd actually gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Just so you know, I have a really pointless train of thought at times. I think you might know that already, with my incessant ramblings and all.

Hey, it's just occurred to me that I have no clothing. Maybe I should ask Raine or Colette for some spare clothes … well _if_ they have any. I mean, I really doubt the other's clothes won't fit me, unless I want to walk around Palmacosta in Kratos' shirt. Which I might just do. No, I LIE! I'd never go out in such clothing. And I think Lloyd's clothes would be too big for me too. I won't ask about Genis'.

Since I slept in a room upstairs … and Kratty slept in a room upstairs, I'm guessing one of the three rooms down here would be the one Raine and Colette are sharing. As far as I know, we've been separated into single sex rooms for inns and stuff. Raine probably ordered that Kratos have his own room. She was probably all "NO YOU'LL TOUCH LLOYD WHILE HE SLEEPS". But I won't go into detail. Because it's actually a very disturbing thought.

I knock the door opposite the kitchen area, choosing this one out of the two.

'Come in!'

Heey, its Colette! I push open the door and peer in too see Raine adjusting her clothing and the Chosen brushing her hair. I'll I just say this now: Colette has the _cutest_ pink pyjamas with strawberry patterns sown into the fabric. I'm not usually up for girly stuff, but I want those dammit!

'Hi guys! Say, do we have any spare clothing? Mine is all … bloody and dirty.'

'Oh, yes,' Raine says with a small smile, walking over to her bed and searching though a bag. 'I bought some new clothing yesterday. Lloyd forgot to pack some stuff before he left Iselia.'

'Well, I guess he was in kind of a hurry,' I say with a shrug. If I remember correctly, Dirk packed his stuff. Oh well, Lloyd might have gotten the "scatter-brain" thing from Dirk. Because he _definitely _didn't get it from Kratos. Anna I don't know about. Shut up Charlotte.

'Here you go,' Raine says, handing me some clothing as I think about totally off topic thoughts. 'I hope they're your si – is that shirt yours?'

'Oh! Um …' I laugh slightly. 'Nah, I stole it from Kratos.'

'You stole it from him?'

'Well, he _was_ awake …' I say, rubbing the back of my neck. I should really start wearing my hair up. 'He just let me steal it.'

'Oh, that was nice of him!' Colette giggles with a smile.

'Yeah, but he orders that he gets it back.'

'Are you going to give it back to him when you're dressed?'

'Screw him! I like this shirt!' I exclaim, tightening my grip in the terribly long sleeves as if she were going to rip it from me and give it to the grudging mercenary. Which I'm pretty sure she won't, but it's nice to be safe. Raine raises a silver eyebrow that disappears behind her fringe.

'Alright. We're going to buy supplies and see the governor-general of Palmacosta today. Will you be coming with us or staying here?' Raine asks, returning to her bed to finish packing her bags.

'I'll probably meet up with you guys later … I'm just gonna go and see a doctor with Lloyd today. I want to get some things checked out, and Kratos wants Lloyd to be looked at by a professional.'

I notice Raine wrinkle her nose as I mention the mercenary and his idea to have Lloyd see a professional. Ooh, she's gonna get pissed. I'm sure she wants Lloyd to get better and she doesn't know what's wrong with him, so it's natural that we would seek help from an expert. I'm guessing she's either ticked off because Kratos didn't consult her first or he's ignoring the fact she can heal.

'So, uh … thanks for the clothes, Professor. I'm gonna go and change now.'

I quickly leave the room before Raine can begin making a Kratos voodoo doll and shove pins in particular areas and hop up the stairs, returning to my room. Hey, these are pretty nice clothes. They look easier to move about in, too. I guess Charis was in a hurry to put some clothing on me before I crashed through the school roof naked. I'm very glad she did, even if it wasn't exactly to my personal tastes. Seriously, a glass bow for a belt buckle? What the hell?

So, you'll probably want an explanation of sorts of these new clothes I have. They're not really interesting (in comparison to my all of my comrade's clothing). For a shirt, it's a dark mauve tank top with a hood (which I find pretty cool) with a small pocket on the hip for … goodness knows what. It's pretty damn small. And for trousers … well, again they're just black. Not that I'm complaining. I might have mentioned this before, but I have a pair like these at home and they're damn comfy. Even comfier than Kratos' shirt. Which I'm still not giving back, by the way.

I slip into my new clothes and decide after a moment of thought to leave my pistols and the holsters here at the inn before we decide to leave. It'll look kind of dodgy if I'm walking around Palmacosta with pistols strapped to my hips. I hope Lloyd leaves his swords here … and Kratos too. We might get arrested or jumped by the militia. Or some form of police.

I search through the desk next to my bed and find a bright red hairbrush, quickly running it though my hair (which is becoming curly at the ends to my dismay - I wonder if we can skip the Water Seal). When I assume I look presentable at least, I shove all of my things into my bag to pick up later and leave my room.

I really hope the Desians don't show up for unknown and random reasons in the first day. Well, I don't exactly know how many days pass before we have to come back after going to see that artefact dude (who I do believe of a dirty old man since he only talks to ladies). Hey, you know what I've always thought about? At the start of the game, Colette says she has to "seal" the Desians. I don't really get that, because as far as I saw all they did was kick the shit out of them.

I jump back down the stairs and head to the kitchen where Kratos is still sitting with the doctor's leaflet, Genis has finally stopped acting housewife and Lloyd looks like an early victim from The Ring. I _will_ resist the urge to go and hiss "_seven days_" into his ear.

'Hey-looo,' I say, being completely ignored by Lloyd. A pissed off Lloyd gives off a depressing vibe. I'll buy him an apple pie or something. Apple pie always cheers people up. Well, it cheers me up. 'Kratos, where did you say that clinic was?'

'Next to the academy,' he answers, looking up. 'Are you going on ahead?'

'Yep. I don't want to guess how long it'll take to drag Lloyd down there.'

'Shut up, Charlotte,' Lloyd mumbles from his face-down position on the table. Aren't I going to have the _greatest_ fun with this guy?

'Yeah, yeah. I'll see you guys later then.'

I leave the inn, unable to suppress yet another yawn. I'm really tired lately. I haven't been getting enough sleep since I'm always awake thinking about stuff, including home. I slept yesterday because my mind was totally _wasted_ from the events we had (Triet being destroyed/Sheena and her guardian/Lloyd being ill/the chimera/the boat), and the day before that too.

Palmacosta is actually a refreshing change from the likes of Triet and Iselia. Why? Because it's crowded to some extent, and it makes me feel more at home. If we put aside the Desians gonna come and hold a public execution and start a battle in the middle of town, I'm a bit happier bout being here. Hm, I wonder where the impostors are … what if they got an impostor of me? Damn, that'd be weird … they didn't have one of Kratos, so they might not have one of me. You never know.

I don't know if it was already there or Charis just changed it, but the way out of town isn't just a little bridge like it is in the game. It's like … 100 meters. It makes you wonder why some idiot would decide to build Palmacosta in the ocean. At least they have a bridge for when people want to leave though … and shut up Charlotte; you're rambling.

The walk to clinic isn't very eventful. There's a dog that decides to follow me for one part of town (which I then have to reluctantly pat so he'll leave me alone), I see Cacao moving around some crates outside her shop and there's an old guy who I'm guessing is a pastor because of his hat who waves at me and says hello. What a lovely chap.

And as Kratty claims, there is a small building next to the academy with a wooden sign hanging beside the door with a first aid sign on it. I'm guessing it's the clinic if not anything completely irrelevant. Which I hope it isn't. I should get some anti-rambling pills while I'm here – they'd do me and the group a whole lot better.

Inside the clinic is just a small desk in the centre of the room with a few cabinets here and there and a bed up against the corner of the room. Damn, I hate the smell of doctor's offices. Speaking of the very people, an old lady with greying hair and rectangle glasses sitting on the end of her nose looks up at me from the other side of the desk. She looks in her fifties or sixties judging by the wrinkles under her eyes and around her chin.

'Good morning. Is there anything I can help you with?' she asks with smile, standing from her chair. I close the door behind me a step in nervously. Not that I expect her to whip out millions of syringes and attack me, but it's still edgy since I don't know what kind of treatment I'll need.

'Er, hi. Um, I was wondering if something could be done about a big scar on my back … I used some gels and healing spells to close it up, but it didn't last very long … only a day,' I explain, staring at the desk. 'I was also wondering if I could buy some painkillers.'

'Of course,' she says, immediately proceeding to wonder over to a random cabinet and pull open the mirrored doors, looking through its contents. I don't know why, but it adds to nerve when you hear bottles clinking together every now and then and every time she mumbles something after pausing. Not really wanting to stand through this, I take a seat opposite the desk and clench my hands in my lap.

'Alright dear … let's see this scar of yours.'

I won't go into detail about the whole check up; because I'm sure you're not interested. She just gives it a look (and adds a comment on its size) before telling me she's going to clean it and bandage it, and that she'll give me some bandages and antiseptic to take with me when I tell her I'm travelling. Well, the doc dabs it down with something that resembles a bottle of Dettol (but since _ToS_ don't _have_ Dettol, I'm guessing it's something else) and wraps it in a quick bandage (that sadly has to go around my middle. This is Sylvarant after all; not the 21st century).

'How did you manage to get a wound like that?' she asks as I hop off the bed, straightening my clothing. I can't exactly say "oh I got stabbed and slashed by a crazy man with blue hair", so I settle with muttering '_monster_' while taking the plastic bag she offers me (with all the bandages and stuff).

'For painkillers …' the doc says quickly, heading back over to the cabinets to put away the things she used, coming back with two bottles. One is filled with what look like ordinary painkillers and another is … filled with little green … what-look-like-jelly balls. They look like bath-thingies to make it smell nice. 'There are either the normal ones which will cost 20 gald, or these. But they're 150.'

'Alright …' I mutter, still staring at the green things. 'What are those?'

'They're healing pills made from elves. All it is is a specific healing mana put into a form of pill. But they don't really kill the pain as much as heal it quicker, so you might be stuck with pain for a few days.'

'… If I take those, how many times will I have to change my bandage at least?'

'I'd guess just the once, dear.'

'I'll take those then.'

'Alright.'

'… Can I keep the bandages and antiseptic anyway?'

'Of course.'

I pay her and say my thanks before turning to the door, jumping slightly at the talking from outside. I can only _wonder_ who is there when I hear the repetitive phrase of 'I don't _need_ a doctor …'

And as we all suspected, the mercenary and the grudging swordsman enter the clinic not at all that surprised to see me there. Kratos just nods and Lloyd gives a small wave.

'I won't ask how you got him to actually come, but good job Kratty.'

Another nod. What is it with Kratos and Lloyd and suddenly not speaking to other people, darn it? Anyway, I choose to walk around in the background while Kratos informs the nice doctor lady about Lloyd's sudden and random illness which is supposedly a nasty dose of the Luin Bug, adding in details like about how weak and ill he's been and the one time he collapsed, which earns Lloyd a sympathetic glance from the doc. She nods as she asks Kratos a few questions (since Lloyd's refusing to speak) about how he's been, like if he's been pale and shaking ("Yes") and if he's been throwing up ("no") or if he's been getting giddy for no apparent reason ("I can't say I see the difference sometimes …"). The last comment causes Lloyd to pout again. Poor thing.

'Alright …' the doc says, looking in a drawer next to her desk. 'It sounds like the Luin Bug – but it's alright if it isn't,' she adds at the disbelieving look Lloyd gives her. 'So I think it's safe to give him a shot-'

At the mention of the word, Kratos immediately has to grab for the boy who has rocketed in the door's direction, pulling him back so he doesn't escape. Poor thing must be terrified … don't worry; I _will_ stop referring to Lloyd as a _thing_ one of these days.

'Lloyd, you are _getting_ this injection,' Kratos says as he attempts to drag the resisting Lloyd to sit on the bed. I intercept with a: 'Lloyd, you're being stupid-'

'Let me go-!'

'If you don't take this, you won't get better,' the doctor says, still going through her cupboards.

It takes a full _five minutes_ for Lloyd to reluctantly move to sit on the bed. The doc straightens up with a plastic box, getting out a syringe and putting some of the …whatever-it-is inside of it.

'Would you like to hold someone's hand?' she teases gently. Lloyd glares at her in her soft humour glory, probably getting ready to bolt to the door again. As she checks to see if there are any air bubbles in the needle (which I'm pretty sure doctors just do to scare you – they know it works!), she randomly chooses to do this while facing Lloyd. At this sight, the teenager instantly fumbles for Kratos' hand that is resting somewhere on the bed with a mutter of "if I'm suffering, you're suffering with me". He's probably planning to bruise the bones in his hand or something.

I decide to leave before Lloyd can start screaming or kill someone in another attempt to flee for his life. Note my sarcasm, but ignore me all together.

I stand outside for a few minutes before the two finally leave, Lloyd looking extremely pissed off and Kratos rubbing his hand. Poor things. Who knew a simple injection could result in so much? Ah well, at least I came out of it unscathed.

'How'd it go?' I say, even though I've probably just summed up the answer myself.

'Damn, those things hurt,' Lloyd mumbles with a sour look. I'd give him a hug, but it's probably hurt his arm. Whenever I get injections, the flesh around it becomes sore and delicate for a few days. I don't know if it'd happen with Lloyd, but it's nice to be safe.

'Oh well,' I say playing with the rim of my new shirt. 'I'm gonna go and have a look around the city.'

'We'll see you later then …' Lloyd says, slowly regaining his usual attitude. Well he's talking again, and that's a start.

'Okay … I'll meet up with the others later.'

I watch the two swordsmen go back to the inn and wave a little before walking over to a fruit stall I saw earlier. They sell apples there, and I'm gonna buy as many as I can carry. Because I haven't had apples in days. And I'll get withdrawal fits. Really.

* * *


	23. An unexpected meeting, juice and an exam

* * *

Chapter 23 - An unexpected meeting, juice and an exam

Well, since being to see the doctor I've been doing some shopping around the variety of stalls in Palmacosta. Kind of strange, since you never really see anything like this in the game. It's really amazing; the academy and the church are still in the same place, but there are other things like the doctor's place, and a small café next to it. There's a small library somewhere too … and one of those freaky little stands that sell things like handmade necklaces and charms (which I MUST go and check out at some point while I'm here).

Right now I have a bag completely filled with Apple Gels and just plain apples (which I'll devour at some point back at the inn) and another one filled with just a few bits and bobs I've picked up from other stalls that I might need. Or want. Need/want – same thing. Anyway, I got a couple of life bottles and I found a book with a similar mark on the front as the one in the Earth Shrine remains at the Fire Seal. I'm thinking it might have information on how I might be able to get home … unless of course _this_ Earth they're talking about is in fact a world full of gods … then I'm screwed. And stuck here. Plus, I wanna find out things like why it was practically sitting in the Fire Seal and why there was a sword in there. The sword isn't really that much of a deal … it could have been something like "the pride of this particular shrine" that we've stolen and are now using for battling. I hope dead priests don't come and haunt us or something … or else I'm going straight back to Iselia and parking my arse there until Charis sends me home – which will be in a month or so by the sound of it … I hope she was joking when she said about six months.

I pass by another few stalls before seeing something that catches my eye. Those crystal balls from the fortune tellers hut back in Triet look exactly like a bunch in this stall next to the café. I wonder they actually work … or if the fortune teller was just playing around with my head while I was there. If only Triet was still standing … I'd give her a piece of my mind when I got back. Trick me, will she?

'Dear, you've been glaring at my supplies for quite a while now.'

I blink at the sudden interruption to my own minds non-stop rambling and look up from the crystal balls to the lady behind the stall, packing up. 'Oh, er, sorry-'

I really don't know why I stopped so suddenly, but the lady looks _so_ familiar. Oh crap, it's one of those moments where you'll search every crevice of your brain to try and remember but it doesn't work. Wait … purple nail varnish?

'Aren't you the fortune teller lady from Triet?' I ask, moving my bags to hold in one hand as she gets to her feet and picks up a box.

'Oh yes, I remember you,' she says with a smile while carefully putting the smaller ones into the corners of the box. Ha! I knew it! She actually looks really different without the head-scarf and the desert get-up. 'You're the one that asked for friendship fortunes. Tell me, how is everything with the Chosen's journey?'

It's bad! We're all gonna die! 'We're doing pretty well. Lloyd's a bit ill though … we've just took him to see the doctor, so hopefully he'll get better soon.'

'That's good to hear.' She closes up the smaller box and seals it with some string. 'We can't have the Chosen being hindered.'

Geez, Kratos much? Anyway, it seems she survived the attack on the Desians … which I find _very_ hard to believe since her little hut is at the back of Triet and the Professor would have said if there were any survivors or buildings still standing. Maybe she escaped or kicked Desian ass with mind powers or hired someone to escort her to Palmacosta? Ok, I'm thinking up too many possibilities here. I'll just say it out straight.

'Yeah … but why are you here?' I ask, suddenly feeling bit uncomfortable.

'My brother lives here in Palmacosta. He needed some help with his stall since he's always falling asleep.' I wonder if it's that guy that is always asleep in church. 'I left just before your group did in Triet.'

'Then … you don't know what happened?' I question carefully, not really picking at my vocabulary for the right phrase but being cautious all the same. I might say something wrong and throw her into a big dark pit of depression and such. I have the most unbearable urge to turn and leg it back to the inn, but I won't … because I have a sickening sense of honesty at times. It's a real bitch every now and then, y'know. 'Triet was completely demolished by Desians and everyone was killed-'

The two of us get numerous glances from people around the area as the fortune teller drops the box she was holding at my words, everything in the fallen casket smashing loudly on impact with the pebbled floor. She stares at me with wide unblinking brown eyes, hands pale and shaking. I don't reply and simply reach down to take the box as the lady seats herself unsteadily on the side of the table.

'…Really?' she asks, looking up again with the slightest glint of hope in her eyes. 'Please tell me you're joking …!'

'I'm sorry,' I mumble quietly, placing her things back on the table. 'I don't think you should go back-'

'Everyone is dead?' she continues, not really paying attention to my information. 'No one survived? No one?'

I shake my head. 'I'm sorry. Everything was destroyed … everyone's bodies were dumped into the oasis. You really shouldn't go back-'

'All the children …' Oh for goodness sake. 'Even them?'

I sigh and bring a hand up to rest against the side of my face in a stressed out motion, rubbing my pounding temple slightly with the tips of my fingers. '… I'm sorry.'

She finally falls silent, staring at her hands that rest on her knees, still shaking slightly. I discard the thought of moving to sit next to the distraught woman, settling with staring at my feet and waiting for her reaction. Well, what would I be like? To find out my city had been destroyed in one night by the Desians while I was away, the whole population not taken away to a Human Ranch as usual, but killed mercilessly in the Desian's violent assault.

'… The Desians. They did this?' she finally says, looking over at me. I nod silently as she turns to look at her hands again, angsting away to herself. I pause for a moment and clear my throat, catching her attention in the most clichéd of ways. Well, how else was I gonna do it? 'I've got to get back to the Chosen's lot now … I suggest you stay here with your brother or something.'

We say our small goodbyes, both a little uncomfortable and I leave quietly. Okay, so that's three people's day I've screwed up. Kratos' (for stealing his nightshirt and not giving it back), Lloyd's (for not helping him get out of having an injection) and the fortune teller's (do you really need an explanation for this one?).

I shift my bags around again after getting away from the stall (I really shouldn't have bought so many apples) and decide to take a breather at the café. Since it's quite hot in Palmacosta, I'm really glad they have outdoor benches with those cool umbrellas for shade. I love those things!

I set my bags down on the table and sink onto the wooden bench with a sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. I should really wear my hair up in Sylvarant. I always wore it down in England because it was usually cold and there wasn't much point in using a scarf, because I _really_ don't like them. Here it's actually really hotter than usual, and I've never been abroad to hotter countries. Or out of England (except for Wales), so I'm not used to the heat. Anyway, I'm sure it'd be appreciated if I stopped rambling and whining and went to buy something to help with my problem.

After a minute a waiter guy comes over and asks if I'd like anything, so I just order an orange juice and play with loose stands of my shirt while I wait. It's a wonder how I've already seemed to do this to my new clothing … ah, it always happens at some point, right?

I flop onto the table with a sigh, wondering what the others are doing right now. As far as I know, they're all at the inn probably more bored than me. Unless of course they've gone to see Dorr or buy weapons or go to the academy. There are actually a lot of choices there, so I won't bore you with the rest.

Hey, wait a minute. Since Charis just randomly shoved me in Sylvarant and gave me pistols, will I be able to buy stronger versions of them? Do they even _exist_ here? I know the Renegades and the Desians have mind boggling technology, but the towns don't. Not even in Tethe'alla. Aw, crappers. Well, what if Charis made them exist here? As far as I know, things like painkillers and the knowledge of phobias (proved by our good friend Lloyd) weren't around in Sylvarant's timeline. I think. Well, I _do_ use painkillers a lot, so Charis probably made them exist here to make everything a bit easier. Now if only she could do that with everything else.

It takes me about two minutes to notice that my orange juice has been placed in front of me and the money I left out has gone. Damn, I've really got to save thinking for the night. It'll make my awareness a lot better. Not that I wasn't a complete gorm before, but you get the idea.

I look up as a certain someone seats himself on the bench opposite me. 'Hey.'

'Hi Lloyd,' I say, playing with the end of the straw supplied with the drink. A straw as in the thing you drink things through, not a yellow crap horses eat. 'How's your arm?'

He gives a small shrug with his non-vitally-wounded arm. Note my sarcasm there. 'It's a bit numb, but I think it'll be okay.'

I nod, going back to my drink for a moment before saying with a small grin. 'Hey, guess who I saw?'

'Who?'

'The fortune teller from Triet.'

Lloyd's eyes widen slightly. 'She's alive?'

I give him another nod before answering: 'She came before the Desians got there to see her brother. Pretty lucky if you ask me – dammit, stop stealing my food!'

Sure enough, Lloyd has stolen my orange juice. 'Hey, didn't your parents ever teach you how to share?'

'Didn't Dirk teach you how to shoot people that annoy you?' I mutter sarcastically, trying to reach over and grab my glass back from him (which I'm failing terribly at since he leaned back to get away from me). 'Lloyd, that's gross! It's had my spit on it!'

'They why do you want it back after I've drank from it?' Lloyd says, running out of room to move back since I've practically got one knee on the table to lean forwards. I pause at his comment a slink back down into my seat with a frown, giving him a small glare. I don't glare a whole lot so this is the best I can do. Really.

Lloyd sits up again, taking a sip before handing it back to me. 'My spit isn't that bad.'

'It's still gross,' I mumble, eyeing the juice as I would a dead rat found on the road. 'Just drink it all. I don't want it …'

'C'mon, you paid for it. It's not poisonous, trust me.'

'Uh-huh,' I mumble, reluctantly taking it and draining the glass of its content. I rub my mouth thoroughly after placing it back on the wooden table. 'Don't ever do that again …'

Lloyd just smiles widely (I swear that's an evil grin). 'Sorry. I'll pay for it if you want.'

'Nah, I already paid. Hey, where's Kratos?' Honestly, I just remembered that they were supposed to be together. Maybe Kratos went back to the inn alone or went to buy another nightshirt.

'Oh yeah, he said he was going to pick up some stuff we'll need, like gels and stuff.'

'Aw crap, I just went and bought about ten apple gels,' I say, indicating one of my bags with a sharp pat. Lloyd looks at it for a few long moments, turning back to me. Before he can open his mouth to comment on it's bulging size (which is pretty big), I cut in with: 'I got other stuff too, y'know.'

In our sudden and disappointing lack of things to converse about, we fall into silence. I absentmindedly begin to play with a deserted plastic fork I spotted on the side of the table and Lloyd simply stares at the worn wood in place of a terribly delightful discussion we could be having. About what, I'll let you decide. I come close to starting a talk about the Desians and Triet, but decide to leave it be for now. It's not the most joyful of topics, I can tell you. Silence is a bitch, save for the buzz of chatter around us and the shouting of the kids playing what sounds like tag in the city square.

'Wow, this is boring.' That's Lloyd stating the obvious there after a full five minutes of staring at wood and playing with white plastic forks.

'I'm glad you find my company so charming,' I say dropping the fork with a clatter.

'No, no, I didn't mean-'

'S'okay Lloyd, I was joking.'

Another nod and silence grips us again. Oh the anticipation! It's blinding!

'Um … d'you think Noishe got around okay?' I say, wondering about the white and green pet of Lloyd's. I hope he didn't get into a battle or something. Or drown. Or get caught by Desians. I have no idea why he would, but it's a possibility. It's a long way around from Izoold to Palmacosta if you travel on the alternate route unless he didn't rest, so I don't know.

'Yeah, he got around safely. He got here overnight.'

'Oh … alright.'

And the silence makes its bitching return. Joy.

Y'know what, I have had to most terrible craving for music the past two days. Yes, I am conversing with anyone but Lloyd, who I really _should_ be conversing with, but forget about that for a moment. I really wish the blasted Gamecube would pop up even for a second and throw my MP3 player into my face. Then I will be a very merry Charlotte. Need music. Need 3 Doors Down's _Kryptonite_.

Neeeeeeeed …

Okay, let's attempt the _Talking with Lloyd_ plan one more time.

'So, um …' I start, trailing off before I can start to think of a topic. '…Uh, yeah … I'm not really going anywhere with that.'

'Yeah …'

'Hey, is that the Palmacosta Academy?'

I look over my shoulder at the building next to the church, looking very small in comparison to the church's massiveness and such. 'Why yes, yes it is. I thought it'd be bigger …'

'I think Genis was supposed to go there,' Lloyd mumbles, looking away and back at me. Of course I already know, but it can't hurt to act surprised. I raise my eyebrows in a stunned manner.

'I heard there's a really rare chance of getting a recommendation. He got one?'

'Yeah. I think it was last year …'

'Hm … hey, how about we go and pay a visit? I don't think it'd hurt if we just want to look around.'

'Sure. It's better than sitting doing nothing.'

And so the two of us climb out of our seats and I grab my bags, almost forgetting them until Lloyd pointed them out, still perched against the umbrella pole. I think my IQ just dropped by three from being such and idiot, but I'll ignore that and follow the swordsman as we walk our merry way to academy.

But if there is anything I _really_ don't want to get myself into, it'd be the exam thing that Genis has to do. Why, I hear you ask? I know practically nothing about Sylvarant. Sure, I'm okay with the geography since I had to refer to the map a few million times in the game (I'm not that smart), but I don't know anything like the history and all that. So I'll be very screwed over and embarrassed if I take the test and come out with a 12 or something.

I walk into the academy after Lloydie and see a two familiar faces immediately. Hey, it's Genis and Kratty!

'What are you doing here?' Wow Lloyd, your logic is not that good! It's _Genis_ and this is a _school_. Think, Lloyd, think.

The silver haired half-elf practically jumps out of his skin (since he wasn't actually looking at us when we came in). 'Oh, it's you guys.'

'I feel so loved, don't you?' I say, turning to Lloyd. I'm ignored as Genis continues with his answer, Kratos refusing to say anything at all. No surprise there; it _is_ Kratos after all.

'Colette offered to be a waitress here so we could get some money.'

'Oh, are we poor?' I say, a little shocked. I really thought we were loaded … hm, I guess not.

'Very,' Kratos utters. Don't you just _love_ his single-word conversation starters? Terribly interesting and amusing indeed.

For the second time today, Lloyd opens his mouth and is interrupted. Not by any of us trying to speak over him (which is hard not to do most of the time since he'll usually come out with something stupid), but by a loud crash and a shatter of dishes from down the hall. I notice a room with a large advertising chalkboard outside which I assume to be the currently trouble-ridden canteen. Oh the poor students. By the sound of it, we're not going to get a lot of money from Colette's (supposedly) good deed.

Silence claims all four of us for a disturbingly long while.

'Uh …' Yes, that was Lloyd. '… Hey Genis, I was telling Charlotte about how you got a recommendation for coming here.'

Kratos raises an eyebrow. 'Impressive.'

Do you know who he's reminding me of? One of Seifer's friends from FF8. The one who only says one or two words every time she speaks. Fujin, I think it was. Lucky for us, he doesn't bark or scream them into our faces; he usually mumbles them. I'd rather that than having my eardrums terrorized every five seconds any day. Poor Seifer, I wonder how he copes. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I assume you've never played FF8. If you haven't, you need to be stabbed. Constantly.

'Oh … yeah,' Genis says quietly. He's about to say something, but is interrupted by a rather spiteful sounding '_You?'_

What is it with people interrupting other people today?

Anyway, the smarmy blonde git who gave that dirty comment is standing by the stairs with another boy, supposedly his bitch. I'll just say this now or I'll never get it out of my system. This guy has the most _terribly fantastic_ glasses. They remind me of my bedroom windows they're so big. Note my sarcasm! Note iiiiit!

'A child this _small_ was recommended for the elite Palmacosta Academy?'

Let's just hope Genis isn't anything like Edward Elric. The poor twat wouldn't have any eyes for his ungodly large glasses. Anyway, his bitch is laughing. Damn, he reminds me of Goofy when he does that.

'He's bluffing. It took me six tries to pass the entrance examination.'

'Then obviously that dandruff is in fact your brain cells,' I say, unable to help myself. Besides, I'm not really fond of the way he's insulting Genis. He deserves to be skewered on a stick. A really sharp stick. It looks like Lloyd thinks on the same wavelength as me.

'Yeah, don't make fun of him! Genis can even say his multiplication table!'

Genis' face turns bright red and Kratos has the usual "kill me now" look on him. Bless them both.

'W-What kind of low example is that!' Genis argues, obviously a little infuriated. I'm using the term "little" lightly here, so keep in mind Genis would probably eat Lloyd's face if he were taller and possibly cannibalistic. Luckily, he is both short and sane. Anyway, feeling a bit insulted here.

'Hey!' I say defensively in spite of myself. 'I have trouble with my tables!'

Again, I am ignored. I don't really blame them, since it's not an easy thing to answer to. Math certainly isn't in my good area in the brain along with whining and moaning. It should be, but it isn't. Maybe I won't be around for my end of term test if I can drag this experience on longer. Not that I don't want to get home, of course.

'They say birds of a feather flock together,' the other drawls, giving Genis a disbelieving look which almost leaves the poor kid shaking with rage. I'd consider giving him a hug, but this really isn't the time or the place. I'll give him an apple later. 'I'm sure this runt is the same level as these guys.'

I come dangerously close to screaming out an insult about his mother, but I'm not that mean. And Lloyd gets there first anyway, so I don't really have the chance to however much I want to. 'Hey! I'll bet Genis is _way_ smarter than you!'

'Yeah!' I chime in for no reason. I haven't really said anything that hasn't gone unnoticed yet, so I try again. And fail, of course. The teen with glasses looks relatively amused at Lloyd's usual hot-headed behaviour (which isn't surprising to the three of us). After a moment, he looks down at our favourite – and _smart_ – half-elf.

'… Interesting. Will you challenge me, then?' he asks, still not at all convinced. Oh, we'll win you over window-face. Just you watch.

Lloyd, clearly still a little insulted, tries to convince Genis to take up the challenge. 'You'll do it, right?'

Genis stammers on his words, probably wondering how his friend can be somewhat relaxed about the whole thing on Genis' account. Lloyd will soon change his mind when he discovers he'll be doing it too. 'That's easy for you to say, Lloyd!'

'Go on, do it, do it!' I cheer from behind him. Kratos just gives a small nod from the boy's right, earning a sigh from the ickle half-elf.

'… Fine! I'll take the exam …'

Window-face grins widely, showing off buck teeth that are yellowing at the ends. Ew. 'You should know that I'm the highest ranked student in the academy.'

'That's nice,' I say flatly. The other one claims that he will be preparing the exam before both of them hop up the stairs, probably to either study or do something else completely irrelevant. I don't know what, but I'm sure you can think up things for yourself. Anyway, our group has gone silent yet again after the two of them left. Lloyd is still a little annoyed and Genis' is looking nervous, bless him. Kratos just has the virtually trademark look of boredom of his face. Maybe he'll get a few questions wrong on purpose to make it look like he isn't a super-duper angel of Cruxis that has lived for 4000 years. Not that the others would randomly guess that out of the blue, but they might.

'… Those guys are really stuck up their own arses, aren't they?' I say in place of something that could have been terribly intellectual.

'Hi everyone!' Colette shouts from down the hall, getting our attention. She skips over, followed by a very tired looking Raine. It takes me a few seconds to see a bunch of stains on her white clothes which I'll take as the result of that loud shattering noise from earlier.

'How'd it go?' Genis asks.

'I spilled some things … but I got 150 gald and this funny looking potion for my good work!'

'Smashing,' I say. 'Hey, hey! Genis is gonna do an exam thingie!'

Raine suddenly looks a lot more awake at the news. 'Really? How come?'

'This jerk made fun of Genis,' Lloyd says with a frown, looking towards the staircase where the two students previously were as if the slimy gits were still standing with their jeering expressions. Gee, I really hope Genis passes this exam just to see the look on window-face's … face.

'I haven't been studying lately-' Genis mutters, cut off sharply by the Professor who practically squeals.

'This will be a good opportunity for you all to study! The head chef said there was an empty classroom upstairs. We'll use that.'

With it said and done, Raine grabs her younger brother by the wrist and practically drags the poor boy up the stairs, causing him to stumble quite a bit but keep his balance on some miraculous account. He has a look on his face that plainly reads "help me", but I think we'll just follow in silence. That'd be the best course of action for this situation, I'm sure.

And follow we do, skipping with glee all the while. Okay I lied, but I'm a little excited and anxious at the same time. With the collection of books there, I'm bound to find something to do with Earth or Lloyd's current condition. I can't really decide which is more important right now. If I don't find out about Earth I might never get home, but if I don't find out about Lloyd's illness he might die. Tragically. And then I won't ever get home anyway since no one will go and stop Yggdrasill and they'll all become lifeless beings or something, plus me. And I'd prefer home, thank you very much.

Anyway, back to the exam. Gawd, I feel like I'm doing my GCSEs. And I don't do that until I'm fifteen! Grr.

The six of us pile into the classroom, taking seats at two desks. Since Genis and Raine are studying on their own, they've moved to the other side of the room, and I don't want to disturb them. I take a seat on the same desk as Kratos but succeed in keeping well away from him. He might attack me for the whole nightshirt dilemma. Not that he will, but it's nice to be safe.

'While Genis and I are reviewing, all of you can spend some time studying as well,' Raine says from the other side of the classroom. She gets the usual responses from everyone ('Ack', 'I'll do my best' and '…'). I give a small 'mm', not trusting the butterflies who have decided to party down in my stomach.

Everyone begins in their own time, Colette choosing a large selection of books in angelic language, Kratos flipping through a book about plants (insert question mark here) and Lloyd chewing on the tip of his quill. I pause, looking at the five books scattered around my desk, one branded "_History_" and one "_Medical illnesses_ _of our era_". The other three don't really matter, since I need both. Given we have ten minutes, I'll only get to flip through one …

I scold myself mentally and reach for the _"History_" book.

Of course, I don't get through the first two pages before quietly proclaiming "fuck this" and reach for the other one.

I flip to the index and search for the _L_ section, going to the end of the column and going upwards to find an article about the Luin Bug. Gee, I really didn't think that Sylvarant had so many illnesses and bugs flying about. The index takes up almost a quarter of the book, and it's a _really_ big book. I'd say about 2500 pages or so. Ah ha! Luin bug! Page 1242. Greatness.

After a good two minutes, I finally find an article on the said page entitled with the name of the illness. The description of the Luin bug is quite long … about one and a half pages. Oop, only about 4 minutes left. Get reading, Charlie!

I quickly skim through the description, the symptoms the doc mentioned catching my eye. I'll still laugh about the unintentional giddiness bit even though I've already heard it once. Ah, the humour of poor Lloyd's condition. How I worship you.

Okay, blah blah_ giddiness_, blah blah, _vomiting_, blah blah … blah … blah … oh my blah.

"_The limit of the bug's infection is one day at maximum._"

Genis, you liar! Gah, he probably got it mixed up with something else … but still, gah! This means it isn't the Luin Bug! Lloyd was right when he talked about it to Kratos back in Izoold when he said he didn't think it was the bug. Oh phlegm. Phlegm phlegm phlegm. What if it gets worse? What if Lloyd gets really ill and like … can't move or something? Or goes blind or deaf or his voice box explodes! What do we do then?

PANIC. LOTS.

I look over to the wooden grandfather clock on one side of the room, seeing that we have literally one minute left. Ho crap. I look around to see everyone deep in work (except Lloyd who has decided to draw one the small slate board with a yellow piece of chalk. It kinda looks like Noishe. I'm going off topic again. I need to work on that).

After a moment of consideration, I push the book sideways to Kratty's side of the desk. I notice him look over the pages briefly before deserting his own book and reading the description of Lloyd 'apparent' illness.

Damn, Kratos is a fast reader I think as he looks up after about 10 seconds and nods, going back to his plant book. Wait, that's _it_! A NOD? Damn Kratos, aren't you caring? Praise meee! I found it!

My mental scolding at Kratos is cut off by a proclamation from the Professor, packing away her books along with Genis. 'Alright everyone. We're ready to go to the test room now.'

I occurs to me then that I didn't review anything at all. Not that I'll be able to sit a 400 question exam and answer them … I'll just get them wrong. D'aww, this'll be embarrassing. With any luck I'll get a higher score than Lloyd.

Our group leaves the classroom after a minute or so and wonder down the hall to a room with a sign outside reading "_Exam in process"_, so we'll just go on in there. If there is a different exam going on in there, we'll probably be shot on sight and ordered to find the right room by an irate teacher. But I don't care, because I've found a cage on a bookcase containing a budgie named Benny (according to a small card on the cage)! So cute! Budgie, budgie, budgie!

… If you haven't noticed, I want a budgie.

I have to be dragged into the exam room by Genis as I attempt to feed it, feeling a bit pissed off when I don't get the chance to do so. I'll feed it when we come back out unless I throw myself out of window halfway through the exam, which I probably will. Wait, this is the second floor! Dammit!

I take me seat in the same place I was in when we revised in the other room. It's got the exact same desk formation and everything is in the same place, though this classroom is a lot tidier, and we'll just ignore the randomly placed Bunsen burner behind me.

We've been informed that the test is 80 pages long and we'll have two hours to finish it. It's a vary of questions from each subject, so we've been told to do the best we can. Lloyd responds to this with sigh. I gulp as the 80 page test is placed in front of me, wondering how I'll do. I won't be good with history or anything like that, and I'm not really that good at maths and science and-

'Turn you papers over, and your time starts now. Good luck.'

Oh crap.

I pick up my quill and turn my test over as the time starts, shifting uncomfortably. Okay, I can do this if I just keep a good posture. I just need to be relaxed, that's all, and then I'll be able to remember things more easily. If I just stress over it I won't be able to think straight. Well, that's my theory on the matter. Let's begin!

… Holy damn. I remember this question from when my sister did her GCSE science paper. Oh fudge, what was the answer? Something about … outer somethings … um … dammit, we haven't learnt this in science yet! Okay, we'll just … skip a few questions …

_Q.7: What is a catalyst?_

I know this! I know this! Er … oh goodness, it's a chemical of some sort … I know it does something to reactions, but … oh fudge – this is really bad! Okay, calm down Charlotte … just skip a few more and come back to them …

_Q. 11: What is an enzyme?_

I know this has something to do with catalyst (I remember them both being mentioned in the same lesson) … it's a kind of catalyst …

I set my quill down after a second or two and glance around the classroom. Genis, Window-face and Raine are speeding through the questions so fast I'm pretty sure the friction would set their papers on fire at some point. Colette is going through it at a steady (she's on her third page) and poor Lloyd is still on his first. I'm on my third (there are five questions on each page), but I haven't answered any questions. Holy … Kratos is on his eighth page! Oh the smart-arse …

I shift around in my seat uncomfortably and pick up my quill again. I think I'll skip to the whole science section and come back to it.

After going through the section, I see something about mana that catches my eye.

_Q.46: Mana can only form a magnetic reaction when ...  
_

When close to the same mana signature! Woohoo! I think I got that right! I THINK!

Yes, my joy will stop there since I can no longer answer these questions. Sob.

After about fifteen minutes, I've been able to answer four more questions about mana (thanks to Kratos for telling me about what happens if mana of a certain type isn't put to use), three about chemical reactions and two about the Luin bug in the _Sickness and Disease_ area. They were "_Name two symptoms of the bug_" and "_What is the duration_", so I'm pretty happy with myself for going through that book.

I go onto the history section and looks for something I might be familiar with. Not that I know anything about Sylvarant, but with any luck there might be something about the Palmacosta revolution or about what happened to Triet when Palmacosta was taken over again. Gee, it's amazing how I remember this. This kind of information usually goes in one ear and out the other with me.

Ugh, Kratos is on page 52! How can he be so smart! Sure, he's lived 4000 years, but if I'd lived that long I wouldn't spend that time studying! I'd build something or … or scare people!

I'm able to answer some things about the Palmacosta revolution and for what reasons the wall was build around Triet, but that's as far as I get before being faced with:

_Q. 128: Name the date on which the end of the revolution took place._

If I remember, it was thirteen years ago … the revolution ended ten years ago and lasted for three years, so that'd be thirteen. But I don't know what year or date it was! I'll just put 1992 and see what happens.

Okay, math section! I'll try my best with this … given I've skipped about 100 questions, I'd have to. I can answer some things about graphs with positive and negative correlations, but it gets harder after that.

I spend the next 15 minutes jotting down calculations on one side of the paper since it's seriously too hard to think about it in my head. My page quickly fills with random sums and symbols that would leave me thinking WTF at some point after the test is finished.

Hey, at least I got some easy algebra questions. We did some algebra last term at school. Damn I miss school.

Hm, I want to go back to school and see all of my friends. Lessons are much more fun there … they're not all silent and nerve racking like this. Especially English. Our teacher, Mr Fitch, is really laid back and cool. He wants us to learn, sure, but he'll let us have our fun … just enough so he doesn't get fired.

Wow, just suddenly had an English lesson flashback of when my two friends and I started signing _Like a Virgin_ from Moulin Rouge. Good times …

I just wasted about 10 minutes with that. Time to concentrate!

_Q. 288: Find 15 percent of 166_

… pass.

Okay, I won't bore you beyond imaginations with the rest of the exam. Let's just say it went terrible when I got to the last page, came back to the start and still couldn't remember what a catalyst is. Or and enzyme. But ah ha! My brain kicks in; I do in fact remember that an enzyme is a catalyst produced by a living thing when I hear:

'Turn in your papers.'

Noooo …

My paper is collected in by an assistant of the teacher's, and I've discovered the teacher's name is Dean. Cool, my friend's dad is called Dean. I miss my friend. And Dean. I'll shut up now.

After the tests are collected in, we basically have to sit around until they've been marked by a group of 'highly professional teachers'. They said it'll take up to 20 minutes, so we can just sit around and talk to each other while we're waiting for our results to be calculated. Happy happy joy joy.

'That was harder than I expected,' I say to anyone who wishes to notice, which seems to be only Lloyd who turns around in his seat.

'Yeah … what the hell is a catalyst?'

'I don't know!' I cry, flopping forwards onto the desk. 'I got stuck on that question too …'

'Damn … I hope Genis got it right,' Lloyd says quietly, looking over at the nervous boy. I wanna hug him again. If he reviewed what he needed to, I'm sure he'll pass okay … and he'll get more than I did, of course. 'Cuz Genis is our man of knowledge! Kind of like Raine, but the male and non-freaky and violent version. Geniiiis, we love you! You deserve a medal!

Notice how me and Lloyd get really quiet around each other after a while? It's because we have nothing to talk about! Except of course:

'Hey Kratos, what's a catalyst?'

'… It's a substance that increases the speed of a chemical reaction, but it does not enter the reaction itself,' the mercenary informs us quietly. Lloyd takes a few moments to figure out what all of that meant, and I wallow in the shame that I forgot that. I spent ages trying to get that to stick in my head! Why did I forget it now? WHY?

I slink back in my seat, feeling very pissed off indeed at my own lack of a worthy attention span and hum to myself to pass the time. Genis is talking to the Professor on the other side of the room (again), and Window-face is looking very smug at his chance of getting a sickeningly high score. Lloyd has resorted to once again chewing on the tip of his quill, Colette is fiddling anxiously with her sleeves and Kratos thumbing through another book from the shelf next to our desk. Goodness knows what impression I'm giving off, but it takes me a few seconds to realise I'm rocking back and forth a little bit in my seat.

I wonder what we're going to do after this is finished. We'll probably go and see Dorr unless they already have while I was shopping or while Lloyd and I were fighting over the orange juice. I don't think they have … ah, we'll see. I personally really hate the guy – I don't know why, he just pisses me off. Regardless, we're going to have to walk to Hakonesia Peak anyway to try and get that Book of Regeneration or something back from the impostors.

Heeey, Dean is back! And it looks like he has our results! Whey!

'I will announce the results,' he says, getting us all to quieten down as he takes a seat behind his desk. 'First … last place Lloyd Irving with 25.'

'What?' Lloyd exclaims, practically jumping out of his seat. 'It's out of 400! I can't have got 25!'

'I'm sorry, Mr Irving,' Dean says sternly, adjusting his glasses and bringing them close to his eyes. 'But those are the results. And a catalyst is not a "_type of cat"_.'

Lloyd mumbles a colourful swearword of sorts and sits back down. Colette tries to cheer him up, but I can't help but snicker at that particular answer he put, and I end up with a very annoyed Lloyd shooting me a glare over his shoulder.

Dean clears his throat. 'The rest follow in order,' he consults the papers. 'Charlotte Harrison with 29.'

A loud thud sounds around the room as my forehead connects with the table.

'Colette Brunel with 210.'

Lloyd and I comment on her high score (while I rub my head) before Dean continues with: 'Kratos Aurion with 380.'

Oh the slimy git! I know he got a bunch wrong on purpose, but still! I congratulate him either way after Lloyd and Colette remark on him being really smart. I swear he went a little bit pink there. Oh Kratos for Christ sake, learn how to take a compliment when it's thrown in your face.

'Raine Sage with 400.'

'Not like we expected anything but perfection from the Professor,' Lloyd says, leaning back in his seat (he's calmed down now).

'Well, duh,' I mumble, tapping the table with a nail out of nervousness. C'mon Genis! Get a high score, darn it!

Deany-boy turns to a nerve-wracked Genis playing with the ends of his hair and an overconfident Window-face. 'Now I shall announce the scores of Genis and Mighty.'

… What a name. I prefer Window-face.

'Mighty Washington (I accidentally snort quite loudly at this point) has 398 and Genis Sage has 400.'

The whole left side of the room (except Kratos of course) explodes with a display of exclamations, some from us three and most from a bunch of students who, to my surprise seemed to have sneaked in as they were giving out results. At one point, a boy around Lloyd's age screams out "OWNED", but we ignore him. Well, we try to. I've settled with just doing my own little version of Hammer Time with the words "go Genis".

After the shouting and applauding dies down, Mighty Window-face Washington replies to this matter with a mutter of: 'That's not possible …'

'Take that!' Lloyd shouts for the hell of it, pointing an accusing finger at the blonde wreck. 'Genis is amazing!'

'Hell yeah!' I add on just because I feel the need to say something. I love random urges, don't you?

'I guess I lost,' Mighty sighs after a moment, turning to Genis. 'I'm sorry I doubted you.'

'Ha,' Genis replies with a large grin. 'I can handle anything.'

The teacher orders all of the other students now lively with comments and theories ("I'll bet all elves are really smart!" "Maybe his sister taught him! She's really knowledgeable too!" "Maybe silver hair makes you smart!") and flips through Genis' exam paper. 'Genis, your intellect is quite impressive indeed.'

'Yes, he's very accomplished for his age,' Raine claims proudly from Mighty's other side (they had to sit on either side to ensure there would be no cheating). Oh Professor, just you wait until we get to Tethe'alla and he'll become a bumbling mess of lovesickness and hormones.

'I'm not surprised he received a recommendation,' Dean says, setting down the half-elf's test paper. 'How about it, Genis? Would you like to stay here and experience a full-time education?'

'Yeah, do it!' Mighty encourages. 'You'll become famous in this school!'

Lloyd, bless him, looks a little taken aback and saddened at the proposal that would leave us Genis-less. The said half-elf looks over at the swordsman, who quickly answers with his thoughts.

'It's all right if you want to stay, Genis,' he mumbles. 'I mean, you should … it's a once in a life-time opportunity, right?'

Genis shakes his head. 'So is being part of the world regeneration. I'll come back when the world is finally at peace, but until then I'm sticking by you. I already said I would!'

Whatever Lloyd was about to say (I'm sure he's getting annoyed at being cut off all the time today) is silenced by Dean handing Genis a certificate for entrance after signing it with his name. The students along with Mighty and the teacher begin to pile out of the classroom, all of them saying congratulations to Genis on one of the older boys attempting to flirt with Raine. Of course he got a good smack and leaves quickly, the poor man.

I stretch my legs as I stand up (remember I've been sitting down for about two hours), grateful for the nice clean sea breeze flooding in through the window. 'Ahh … let's never do that again.'

'I agree,' Lloyd sighs, standing up. 'All of that work gave me a headache.'

'Geeeeeeniiiiiiis!' I cheer, ignoring my crimson-clothed spiky friend and skipping over to the half-elf. 'You got full marks! Can I hug you?'

'I'd prefer you not to …' Genis says, staring at me as he would a psychopath.

'Pff. Fine,' I say, feeling a little offended. I think I've mentioned wanting to give him a hug for all his hard work twice today and he didn't let me! I feel very saddened!

'So, what do we do now?' Genis asks, looking over at his sister. Raine stands up from her seat, still looking a little tired.

'We should go and meet up with Governor-General Dorr and ask about the location of the next seal,' she says. 'We're not going to get anywhere without some help from the city leader.'

'Yeah, good point,' I say, stretching my arms over my head. 'Gah, I feel all stiff from sitting down.'

'Then walking should be useful,' Kratos informs me flatly.

'I'll keep that in mind,' I say, trying my best not to sound bitter. Geez, this guy has issues … he will never be worthy of a hug from me. Maybe a high-five at some point, but only when I'm in a good mood. Only Lloyd can have a high-five. And maybe Colette. Shut up, Charlotte.

As we leave the academy, I can only wonder if my lack of knowledge in Sylvarant will get me killed one day. It probably will, you know.

* * *


	24. Petrified? WHY YES

* * *

Chapter 24 - Petrified? Why yes!

The walk to he Governor-General's house isn't very eventful. I bound over to this random stall when we leave the academy and buy some doggie treats for Noishe that I promised to get for him, and along with this REALLY DUDEY TALISMAN … thing of a black cat (from what I was told by the lady who gave it to me it means good luck), and then we all fall silent for a long while. And in that while, Genis is in a happier mood because of the events in the Palmacosta academy, Raine is talking Colette through a few things that she got wrong in the test, Kratos isn't exactly jumping around and screaming with ecstasy as per usual, and I'm trying to teach Lloyd the Bohemian Rhapsody. Not very exciting, really. At least I'm getting progress with Lloyd.

… Okay, _slow_ progress, but you get the idea. I keep getting asked who Galileo is.

Anyway, I'm surprised to see that when we reach Dorr's building/pad/office whatever it is, it's actually bigger than it is in the game. Since Charis made everything more realistic and – sadly – larger than usual (I'm still not forgiving her for the world map change), it's only what I should be expecting. Especially if it _is_ housing Palmacosta's beloved and admired Governor-General fraud, his freaky daughter, and of course, Neil. Who I _think_ is Dorr's secretary. I can't really remember.

As we come up to the large building, both two guards dressed in bulky green armour give us a nod and open the doors for us. Hey hey, what if we're like, assassins or something and we're planning to shoot Dorr in the head and run away with his corpse? What do you do then, Mr rusty armour dude? You're screwed and most likely fired! Dorr needs smarter security, he does.

Regardless, we stride on in (guns still in holsters) and have to walk down a very large and smartly decorated hallway before reaching Dorr's office where we can talk, be accused, talk again, get mad and leave. I've gotta say, it's kind of boring knowing what's going to happen all the time, but I guess it's better than not being aware of what I'm getting myself into. Like for instance, when we reach the Tower of Salvation, I know that I have to fake a migraine or monthly pains or something and stay in the Hima inn for the rest of forever. Okay, I lied, I'm gonna have to go with them, but that was just an example. Really.

We enter Dorr's office after a short knock and I suddenly realise just how big our group is when we all try to get in the room at once (except Kratos, because he's smart, you see). I don't know what kind of impression this is giving off with five people now gasping for breath and swearing okay each other (okay, that's just me under my breath), but Dorr is all "oh crap, idiots again", Neil looks slightly amused and Kilia is giving us this whole seven year old "attempting-to-be-a-mature-bitch" look. And I've gotta say, it's kind of working.

Well Dorr stands up out of his seat, probably (and hopefully) dismissing that first impression. 'Greetings travellers. It is custom to welcome people like yourselves to Palmacosta by means of the teachings of the goddess Martel.' We get a smile from him at this point. 'May the blessing of Martel be upon those who journey.'

The group nods and Dorr takes Lloyd's hand in a handshake over the desk. The people of Palmacosta will just never cease to freak me out, sadly. Sure they'll all die at some point so I have to give them a little sympathy, but they're all scary and religious! Kind of like the USA! Dammit Dorr, let go of Lloyd's hand!

'Thank you for your support, Governor-General,' Colette says with a grateful smile for the old-ish man.

Another nod. 'By the way, may I ask where you have come from? Are you on a pilgrimage for Martel?'

Lloyd looks a little surprised at such a personal question from someone with such a status (and someone who probably shouldn't give a damn), but he answers anyway. 'Well, ah … most of us came from Iselia. We're all on the journey of world regeneration together.'

'World … regeneration?' Dorr repeats slowly in a questioning manner, raising an eyebrow at the brunette.

'Aye aye,' I comment from Lloyd's left, lost with words to say. I blame coming here in Lloyd's pirate outfit halfway through my second play through I never finished. Damn, that was cool. I was all "ha haaaaaa, eye patch!" for about 10 minutes when we has trying to threaten Magnius and beat up all the Desians at the execution. Okay back to our current happenings!

'You saw the Tower of Salvation, right?' Genis asks, looking at Dorr a little oddly. He gives Colette a small elbow in the side. 'Colette is the Chosen of Mana.'

'Ah, uh, yeah …' the bumbling Chosen replies a bit slowly. 'Well, it seems that way …'

The room goes quiet for a few long moments. Dorr and Neil are giving us looks like we've just told them we're part of a mafia and we're about to go and attack the youth of Palmacosta (KRATOS). I can't help but cough into the silence. The impression we're getting is not a good one, my friends.

'The Chosen was just here moments ago!' Dorr exclaims rather suddenly after a glance from his secretary, making us jump a little bit. 'How dare you defile that name in such a way!'

I hear a loud creak and notice that the guard previously watching the entrance to Dorr's basement has left. Shoot, he probably went to get those other guys to come and arrest us.

'These despicable criminals must be arrested and turned over to the church at once!' Dorr announces. Not a moment later do seven guards come charging in with a slam of the doors. You really think they'd have more sense to send a _few_ in while we're in such a cramped area such as an office, but I shouldn't be complaining about that now.

One of the leather clad soldiers goes for Genis (since he's the smallest and probably the easiest to catch), but our little mage isn't having any of that! He casts Fire Ball with a yelp as a soldier's spear narrowly misses his thigh and wedges itself into the carpet with a dull thud. He tries to step back quickly but collides with Colette who then, as usual, falls over. Raine manages to catch her before she hits the floor by grabbing her upper arms, but the poor Raine is hit in the stomach as Colette's pink (and sparkling _way_ to much) wings flare out from her back. I don't think it hurt Raine as much as it did the Chosen, since her wings are rather uncomfortably folded between herself and her teacher.

'Wow!' Kilia's sudden exclamation attracts the attention of everyone in the room, as well as Colette's wings that are now fully visible as she straightens herself up (with much apologizing to Raine). 'Father, did you see? She has wings! She's like an angel!' Stop ranting, child. 'They're so beautiful!'

Neil tries to control his now confused, astonished and a little scared soldiers as Genis hides behind Raine, clutching his kendama defensively. Through all that, Kratos and Lloyd were completely fine. Not scared one bit. I didn't climb up onto the table for cover. Nope. After a few moments, the guards finally leave reluctantly (seems they want to meet the Chosen) and one takes his place by the basement entrance again, still eyeing Colette who quickly makes her wings disappear.

'We are truly sorry about that small incident …' Neil apologises quickly as the door clicks shut behind us, shutting out the sounds of soldiers mumbling to each other in surprise at the Chosen's presence. 'It seems we were mistaken. Please forgive us, Chosen One.'

'Um, it's really alright …' Colette says, straightening out her white tunic/dress/thing. 'I don't really act like a Chosen …'

A moment, aaaand: 'Then … if you're the Chosen, the ones we gave the book to must have been the fakes!' Ooh, good! Dorr seems to be catching on after a while!

Lloyd seems to be mulling over things himself. 'Wait a minute … you said something about the Chosen coming here already.'

'Yeah, and what's this whole book deal?' I say from the desk (still half-sitting on it and pissing of Kilia at the same time).

'The Book of Regeneration,' Neil starts, looking over at Lloyd and moi, 'is a record of Spiritua's journey. It's the only document containing detailed records of the world regeneration and it is also a precious heirloom passed down through the generations of Governor-Generals of Palmacosta.'

I'll just bring this up now because I can. Do you know what really pisses me off? Dorr was gonna arrest us for "pretending to be the Chosen's group", but the actual _fake_ group not only pretended to be us but they took Dorr's so-called precious family heirloom (I wouldn't give it away if it were an heirloom)! Why doesn't he go and have them arrested? I mean, bloody hell, they've done a lot worse than us! Grr!

'If we have that, we'll have an easier time locating the seals,' Raine says, giving Dorr a "m'gonna smack ya" look. 'And you gave this to a random group of people claiming to be the Chosen's group?'

I follow from this with throwing my palm to my forehead.

'We had received information that the Chosen's group was headed this way …' Neil says with an apologetic look to our half-elven healer. 'We had assumed it was them …'

And off goes our once loveable and innocent (save for the events at the Ossa Trail … poor bear) mage. 'Are you _stupid_ or something? Now what are we supposed to do?' Whoa, down boy.

Neil sighs. 'I am terribly sorry-'

'I can't believe this!' he rants on. 'Do you use your eyes _at all_ or are they just there for decoration?' I have to agree with Genis on this point. I mean, _look_ at Colette's chest (ignore dirtiness here)! Cruxis Crystal _right there_, dammit! 'You humans are-'

_Smack_.

'OW!'

Ah Raine, sibling and parental compassion all in one nice package of a crazy lady. 'Genis, that's enough!'

'Guys, quit it,' Lloyd sighs. Raine looks like she's about to eat his face, but she calms down quite quickly as he turns back to Dorr, unscathed by our freaky teacher. 'Do you remember the contents of that whatever-it-is book?'

'Lloyd, it's gotta be like …' I measure with my fingers the size of your average life bottle, '… that big.'

'Correct,' Dorr sighs, seating himself back down on his chair. 'Unfortunately, no copies were produced in the time we had the book, and the text is written in the language of the angels. Only the members of the church would be able to read its contents.'

'The priests at the church might know something about it,' Colette says in thought. 'We could try asking them about the book.'

'That's a good idea,' Raine agrees.

So, with another apology from Neil, we leave Dorr's office, back down the hall, and out into the bright and sunny streets of Palmacosta. Genis seems a little pissed off and sore (courtesy of his older sister of course), Raine seems annoyed, and everyone else seems to be in a more upbeat mood. Except Kratos, because he's never upbeat, the moody git.

You know what? Why did Colette consider asking the Priests about the book? Dorr already said that there weren't any copies made, so what exactly can the priests do to help us? Well, I guess I'm being a little negative here; even if they haven't made a replica of the Book of Regeneration, they might have written down the locations of the seals. Plus, I don't actually know why I'm fretting over this. I know where the seals are anyway. Problem is, I can't exactly tell them that.

'Sooo …' I start, leaning against one of the large pillars outside of Dorr's building. 'What now?'

'I'm not sure …' Genis sighs, letting his hand drop from his forehead (which he was previously nursing). 'Even if they had a copy of the book, do you think they'd let us borrow it?'

'I doubt, if the real one's been taken,' I mumble. A quick wave of five seconds of silence, and then a sudden word from Lloyd.

'Hey …' he looks over at yours truly. 'Wasn't your mother a priestess or something?'

'Wha … oh, yeah. Yeah.'

'Do you know anything?' he asks hopefully. I shrug and straighten up from against the pillar.

'I don't remember. It was around 5 years ago.'

I get a large number of annoyed glances after my confession of my non-existent stupidity (well, on some levels at least), leaving me with a slightly guilty feeling inside. I should really tell them where we should be going for each seal, but it might screw up the story line more. Not that I haven't buggered it up enough already. Does this mean everything that didn't happen before in the game is because of me? Is that why Triet burnt down? Because I did something or caused someone else to do something? Is that why Lloyd is ill? Because I caused someone to do something differently?

'Hey, we should go and see those people!' Colette exclaims suddenly, causing me to jump a little. I give her a confused glance and realise I'm not alone when Kratos and Lloyd give her perplexed looks. I hope she's going somewhere with this. It's not healthy when you scream out random things with no correlation to the current conversation.

'… Come again?' I try.

'Oh, um …' She blushes a little. 'The three of us bumped into these people and I broke one of their potions …'

'Ah …' The impostors then, I'd assume. You don't realise how much I'd love to stride up to them and scream "Hey sons-of-bitches! Give us that book!", but alas, I can't. The story line will explode in my face and the world will get sucked into a black hole, I tells ya. It's always the way.

'Hey, uh …' I start, suddenly realising something rather amusing. 'Haven't you kept those guys waiting for about two hours now? We just did the Palmacosta Academy test …'

Colette looks positively stricken, people. 'O… oh no!'

'Oh no indeed,' I sigh. 'Do you want to go and see if they're still there?'

We agree on it as a group (d'aaaaww, group spirit!) and cross to the other side of the city, all the while thinking about weird stuff. Well, I know I am. I've become more … I dunno, "Charlotte-stick-to-the-story-line" lately. I've felt the need to not say much and agree with almost everything that's thrown at me in a group discussion. I wonder if I'm making it all okay by agreeing or driving everyone in the wrong direction. I'd like to be consulted of my action's consequences here, _CHARIS_.

I slow down slightly as we pass _Marble's_, the item shop of Palmacosta which Chocolat's mother Cacao owns. In the game, didn't they stop by here to get a Palma Potion (I wonder why they don't just call it a PalmaCOSTA Potion)? I'm pretty sure they did … wouldn't that be like … a really big deal? I mean, doesn't Chocolat show up later in the game or something? Ugh, this is annoying …

I pick up the pace after letting it go, telling myself this is one of the things we'll have to miss. It can't be all that bad … we only needed a Palma Potion after all, and I'm guessing what Colette received from the head chef was indeed the thing we were looking for.

After a while, Colette leads us to a group of people standing by the inn, looking rather pissed off. I can't _imagine_ why though. Colette rushes up to the impostors, quickly handing over the Palma Potion. Gee, she practically rips the thing from her bag and apologizes over and over until the fake leader, who I am presuming is Lloyd (because of the hair, see) has to tell her to stop, looking a little freaked out. I know I would, but in the few days of known our blonde Chosen, I think I've gotten used to it. Well, somewhat at least.

'It seems like you're good little boys and girls after all,' the fake Lloyd says with a smug grin, shaking the potion a little before dropping it into his satchel. I look over my shoulder to see if Kratos is still there, because he sure as hell isn't little. 'Just make sure you learn your lesson and don't mess with us again.'

Colette says something, but I ignore it and study the group. I immediately recognise Colette's impostor with the blue bobbed hair and the long, heavy looking yellow dress (ABSENT OF A CRU-XIS-CRY-STAL). Raine's impostor isn't so hard to spot with the witch outfit complete with the miniest of mini-skirts and the great, _massive_ hat. And, of course, Genis' impostor, who looks like a … there are no words. There just aren't. Okay, GORM GORM GORM.

'Uh, what are we gonna do with that book?' fake-Genis asks as they walk away.

'Dorr's book? We're gonna sell it to that freak on Hakonesia Peak that collects old crap.' My, my! It seems impostor-Lloyd has a cruder vocabulary than _our_ Lloyd! Good grief. And I thought Lloyd could be no worse. Save for Zelos … because Zelos is just … Zelos. 'Effing CASONOVA MAN.

After they leave, I reply to the situation with: '… What a bunch of arsewipes.'

I think the group slowly begin to realise just what's going on one by one. Lloyd of course comes last because shockgasp, a ladybird seems to be crawling over the back of his hand. I blame the plant in the inn window. Damn bugs …

After about fifteen seconds of the ladybird steadily annoying people, I give Lloyd's hand a quick slap, causing the small bug to rocket away in fear, and I get a weird pout from Lloyd. He shouldn't pout while looking down. It just doesn't look right on people.

'So …?' I say, gesturing wildly to the direction the impostors. Genis rolls his eyes at his friend's five second pause before Lloyd's brain finally kicks into gear and he _does indeed_ realise that they are the impostors! Good boy, Lloyd! Good boy! You gets a treat, you do.

'Wait, they're the impostors …?'

'Indeed,' Kratos says flatly, quickly hiding a look of amusement at the boy's lack of … general common sense. 'One would assume so.'

'One _would_, would they?' Lloyd groans, playing around with Kratos' words. 'Why didn't you say something earlier? Like … before they _left_?'

'I thought you were simply giving them some rope so we could follow them and reel them in later …' If you look _really_ close and _really_ carefully, you can see the _tiiiiiniest_ hint of a smirk on the mercenary's face. Or maybe I'm just imagining it. Oh Kratos, you bloody Mona Lisa you. 'Or was I mistaken?'

'Wha … ah, uh … no, no! That was the plan all along! Yep!' Lloyd claims with a grin.

'Aw, Lloyd we love you,' I say, walking past him. 'It'll be boring if you grow up.'

' … Hey! What's that supposed to mean?'

'Lloyd, you're so stupid!' Genis sighs from one side. Hey, I'm glad to hear the story line slipping back into place.

'Hey, you didn't realise either!'

I turn to the confused Chosen as the two boys resume their little spat. 'So … to Hakonesia Peak then? I doubt the priests would have a copy. Dorr told us that no others were made.'

Colette's expression falls slightly for a moment, but she smiles again quite quickly. Y'know, however annoying I thought she may have been while I was on Earth, I'm gonna miss her when she goes all soulless. 'I suppose your right.'

'Alright then,' Raine says, closing the discussion. 'We'll head to Hakonesia.'

'Okay,' I say. 'Snap to it, men!'

The two youngest of the males finally stop fighting and Kratos just snaps out of watching them with a slightly amused look. Anyway, we go to the inn and collect our stuff while I think happy thoughts about how our group is evened out … like, three boys and three girls. Sheena will join up with us soon enough (given the story sticks), so … screw you, men. We rock.

The inn keeper (you know, the nice lady that chops up vegetables in the dead of night) has left our bags and stuff by the door for us … how very nice of her. If we ever come back to Palmacosta I'll give her a hug and maybe a big sack of veggies. That'll make her happy.

And so, we get all of our bags together, leave the inn, call Noishe over and dump our bulging backpacks on the doggie. We manage to cheer him up when Lloyd feeds his those dog biscuits that I bought (he won't take them from me because he hates me, see), so he gladly takes our bags. Raine and Colette are stuck carrying the bags with Apple Gels, Orange Gels, Life Bottles, ect … because, if we're in battle and some monster has us all half dead, they can easily throw first aid items at us. Putting them on Noishe would be stupid, because he'd just run away when the monsters come … bless. You know what? Screw Genis, Noishe deserves a medal. Why? Because he does all the hard work. Yes you do! Yes you dooo!

Don't worry, I'll stop now.

'Off we trot, then?' I say, fastening my gun belt to my waist and dropping the weapons in with a small click.

And off we trot indeed. I think I mentioned earlier on my way to the doctor's about the huge 100 meter or so bridge leading out to the fields … and yeah, I can bet you all know we're gonna have to walk it. Which I'm not really keen on doing, seeing as it's not that wide (about 3 meters I'd say) and there isn't any railing. Does Namco seem to think the world has no railing at all? Grr. No seriously, grr.

And so, we begin our long trek down the Palmacosta Bridge (I make sure to keep myself in the middle of everyone as to not FALL IN). I don't think I mentioned, but it's getting kinda late now … I'd say about half-seven, eightish? Anyway, we've got that whole "sun-touching-the-brink-of-the-ocean's-horizon" going on in the background. I've gotta say, I'll never see anything like that on Earth. The sun's light is reflecting off the water in a long, uneven orange and red trail coming from the … east? I thought the sun rises in the east and sets in west? Well, over in England. I don't know if it's different in other parts of the world or if Sylvarant is just in a different position to its sun as Earth is to ours. Y'know, it could be all … yeah, I'm not going anywhere with that. It could be different, okay? I'll stop with the sun rant now.

'Whoa.'

Lloyd looks over his shoulder at my spoken surprise. 'Hm? What's up?'

I point at the sunset to the east. 'Lookit. It's really pretty.'

Colette agrees vividly (I won't bore you with explanations) and Raine seems very impressed and at loss for a very random daily educational rant (thank goodness). Genis, however amazed he may be at this b-e-a-utiful (oh, I just love Bruce Almighty) sight takes a more "Kratos" approach to it. 'How long do you think we'll have before we've got to set up camp for the night?'

'I'd say about an hour …' I answer with a shrug. 'It's pretty late now and I'm guessing we'll need a bunch of energy for tomorrow if we want to get to Hakonesia Peak soon.'

'Then we should hurry,' Kratos claims quietly, turning and carrying on down the bridge. Can't you tell how much he just _loves_ us? Wait up, Kratty!

We continue quietly with Noishe trailing behind, now ignoring the sea in all of its luminous purple-growing glory (which is a shame really, seeing as I won't be able to see something like this for a long time). For ages, I consider pushing someone into the water out of sheer boredom since the water level isn't that deep now we're getting closer to the shore. I can see some fishing boats lined up on each side of the bridge, only few with little old men in them with sweater-vests and weird hats like the one my granddad wears. Okay I'm kidding. There's some younger folk here too, like this guy nearest the beach who's caught about … fifteen or so. Whoa, I want one … I haven't had fish in the longest time.

'I have a weird craving for fish right now,' I say, eyeing the fisherman's catch which is now behind us.

'I have a craving for noodles,' Lloyd says, staring into space with a rather bored expression. If he's not careful, he's gonna fall right into that ocean.

'Okay, now I have a craving for fish _and_ noodles. Thanks a lot, Lloyd.'

I want fried noodles. I _really really_ want fried noodles. And rice. I blame the takeaway I was about to have before being DRAGGED MERCILESSLY into Sylvarant. I really wanted to eat that too, goddammit.

We reach the open fields after a few minutes of leaving the bridge (since there's a real big stairway and a huge circular paved area which I'm puzzling over the use for). I know I said I liked Palmacosta because of its crowded feel, making it all welcoming and patching up my homesickness in some places, but it's good to get into the nice rolling green fields of the Palmacosta region. And what would be nice rolling green fields without monsters, huh?

And so, as if some God of Fate has decided to laugh, point, and laugh again, two monsters come flying towards us with menacing buzzes you could hear ages away. And I'll be very straightforward. They're giant LADYBIRDS. Looks like Lloyd's little friend got revenge for my flicking rottenness.

To be honest, they aren't that hard. Sure enough I let out a startled shriek when one of them almost attaches itself to my face (but I manage to shoot it and stun it before it could touch me) and Genis gets winded when the other one rams its body into his stomach. I totally forgot about those kinds of attacks … I think they get stunned if the miss and hit the floor. Sadly, our little Genis is now on the floor clutching his stomach as Kratos tries to heal him, but with the presence of that particular Giant Bug (woot for Magic lenses!) has set itself to chew on Kratos' hair. Can ladybirds chew? Hm …

Lloyd kills the offending Giant Big with a quick swipe of his swords (which I've just now noticed are a pair of swords from Triet … I can't believe I forgot his wooden ones were burnt to a crisp), almost taking of Kratos' head with the blow. Luckily, our mercenary ducks in time, heals Genis and raises an eyebrow at Lloyd … who then apologises before trying to find the next Giant Bug. Which has … disappeared?

Oh, but not quite. I'm soon hit with a sudden blow from behind in my mid-back, throwing me forwards into the floor as the Giant Bug flies off. Ouch. Mother flump, that hurt! And if you're a girl, you know what hurts most.

Not wasting my time getting up (which is really not that smart, seeing as a dragon or something could come along and stomp on me) I aim at the little bastard and shoot like hell but to my dismay the finishing blow is dealt by Genis with a blast of Wind Blade. Why do I never finish them off? I need a moment of pride once in a while, dammit!

'Ow, ow … those things are heavy …' I grumble, getting up and rubbing my back. Genis agrees of course, seeing as he was also winded by the bug and thrown to the floor with the blow. It feels weird saying I got beaten up by a ladybird … and kinda humiliating. Okay, _very_ humiliating.

We continue on our way over the fields after collecting spoils from the Giant Beatles which happen to be two funky looking fruits called Kirimas (which might be useful for cooking at some point). Just as I thought that the crisp, cool evening breeze and the refreshing smell of grass and flowers could not get any better, I hear someone talking to me. In my head.

"_Hey, wassup?_"

"Oh holy crap," I answer. "I thought I was free of people in my head. PS2?"

"Yep. Now, I have about five seconds before your Gamecube goes all psycho, so I'll make this quick. There's a bunch of new status effects like confusion and stuff, and don't worry there are all these curing items and stuff."

"Wai-"

"And Charis picked you up three cure-alls, so that should do you if something decides to come along … y'know, like a bug or something."

"No, Wait-"

"Aaand, I have to go now, so it was nice talking to you!"

"GET-"

And of course, as promised, my PS2 departs. Which has me thinking for a moment, if I'm inside my Gamecube, how can he be here? Did he strap himself to my consciousness as I was getting sucked in and decide to tag along in my brain? What an arse. He could have at least explained to me what was going on, like why is Lloyd sick and why is my Exsphere green (which I haven't noticed for a while) and what was with that funky dream that Kratos had (and possibly Lloyd)? Sure, he wouldn't have been able to do that in what, five seconds? But still!

I trudge along with the rest of the group, them all luckily unaware of the sudden habitation that is my brain where game consoles come to play. Hm, it seems Genis has swapped places with Colette for battle. Gee, it can't have hurt him that much … then again, he did get the full force of it in the stomach … I only got hit in the back, so I guess I should shut up now. Genis is just helping carry all our crap now.

After a while, another group of monsters come charging towards us. Another two Giant Beetles and … two giant grasshoppers. _Can_ Namco be on _anymore_ crack? Genis quite reluctantly steps back out of the battle with Raine (d'aww, he wants to commit bloodshed) as we prepare to take on the huge bugs, likely a result of a chemical explosion. Yes, I watch too many movies.

'Are these real monsters?' Lloyd asks, drawing his swords again and trying to wave off another Giant Bug intent on eating his face. 'The look like overgrown bugs.'

'_Ugly_ overgrown bugs,' I say, correcting him and shooting at one of the grasshoppers jumping towards me. Okay, explanation on why I'm sure this battle will annoy me: in the game, I'm pretty sure the grasshoppers just plod along towards you and attack when you're within like, three feet of the thing. Nooo, now it has to be all different. Those g-hoppers can _jump_ like _fifteen feet_ around the place, which will prove bad for my aiming (since it isn't good).

I use Fire Shot on a grasshopper that leaps overhead, getting it in its stomach area. It recoils loudly, flailing its scythe-like arms around and almost taking off a large chunk of my hair (which would sadden my deeply, seeing as I just got it done before coming here). Ah ha, it seems the little buggers are weak against Fire! Damn, this would be a great time to have Genis up and running in the group. Sadly, Kratos is the only one who can cast Fire Ball and I'm the only one with a fire-related attack. The others would be useful if they had elemental attacks. Dammit Lloyd!

'These things are too fast!' Lloyd complains, stabbing at a Giant Bug he has pinned to the floor which quickly dies under his blade's power. I nod in agreement, quickly dodging one of the grasshoppers that almost lands on my head. Colette's chakram comes flying out from behind me (why does it always do that?), striking the Grasshopper in its ugly pointed face. It is now stunned! Woo! And to add to that luck, a Fire Ball comes from Kratos and sets its leg alight. Hm, I'm actually feeling sorry for the thing. Kinda.

Oh, but not after this. The grasshopper falls down in defeat, but as it does so it lets out this weird cloud of air as it collapses. Of course, since I am the closest, I get the full blow of the foul tasting stuff. Judging by the coughing behind me, I'd say it got to Colette too. Holy crap, let's just hope it isn't something like … toxic gas or something along those lines.

After my own coughing fit subsides, I begin to feel this burn behind my eyes … not like I'm about to cry (which I feel like I should be doing since I pretty damn scared about now), kind of … well, it's just this odd tingly feeling. And I discover by opening my eyes that I have indeed been temporarily blinded. My eyes sudden decided to go into a lot of pain while open, so I'll just close them for now. Hm, I wonder how Colette is doing.

'Guys, I can't see a bloody thing …' I inform them, sinking to the floor. 'Colette, are you okay?'

'I can't move …' the Chosen tells me from a few feet away. 'I think I'm poisoned …'

Okay, she's poisoned and paralysed. Now would be a good time for those cure-alls PS2 was talking about. With any luck, they'll be in my satchel. So, I carefully start feeling around in the pocket on my waist, pushing quartzes and gels to one side while looking for these new items. Being blind isn't exactly helpful in these kinds of situations, y'know.

'Wait, I think I have something …'

'Cure-all?' I ask from the floor.

'Yeah, I have a bunch.'

She probably bought them all in Palmacosta. Makes you wonder why PS2 didn't tell me earlier so I could have bought more while I was still in the city. I guess my game consoles really don't like me. I haven't exactly done anything to hurt them in the past (lets ignore the whole coffee spilling incident earlier this month), so why are they intent on making this extremely hard for me? Grr! Grr I say!

I hear a sigh of relief as Colette cures herself, getting to her feet. 'Charlotte?'

'Here,' I say, still searching my satchel. Man, I pick up a lot of junk. 'I'm blinded and my feet feel really cold …'

'Holy crap!' That was Lloyd. I'll ignore him for now, though I have a feeling that was directed towards me.

I feel a weird shaped bottle being pushed into my hands (by Colette, I'm guessing), probably a cure-all that Colette had. I'm getting really scared now that the coldness from my feet is travelling upwards, so I fumble quickly for the lid (cork, apparently), pull it off and try to drink the potion. Tastes dodgy … kind of like children's medicine with all of its sickly sweetness.

As my eyes begin to get their vision back I hear a terrible screech, probably the last grasshopper going down. At least I won't have to worry about them jumping on me from above. Oho! But of course, a word of warning from myself!

'Guys, get away from it if it's dead!'

I can't exactly see properly, but I think they listed and started backing away. I can hear footsteps on the grass getting closer to me, so that's someone smart getting out of the smoke's range or Colette. Ah, vision!

I rub my eyes quickly just to make sure and look around. They sting a little, but I'm sure I'll be okay after a minute or two.

'Can you see again?'

I look up at Lloyd who asked the question and nod (and ignore the pile of giant, dead insects behind him). 'Yeah, I'm okay now.'

'Alright. Just … don't look down.'

I pause, not trusting myself to go against his words (probably because of his sudden outburst a minute ago). '… Why?'

'Just … just don't okay? _Professor_!'

'I'm coming!'

Hm, my feet are still cold and the sensation is _still going up_. Screw Lloyd, I'm looking dow –

'OH MY GOD!'

I'm being petrified. Petrified as in slowly turning into stone from the feet upwards, not petrified as in pissing myself. Okay, maybe a bit of both. I feel my now grey shoes, cold and smooth like the statue I will soon be if I don't get cured. Oh crap. Crap crapity crap crap crap.

Raine, good old staff in hand comes to my rescue, kneeling down next to me. 'Alright Charlotte, calm down-'

'_Calm down_?' I hiss. 'I'm turning into a _flipping_ STATUE!'

Raine ignores me in all of my terrified glory, pressing her staff to my lower legs, using some kind of spell. A circle spreads out on the floor below them and a dim white light shoots up. The stone starts fading and cracking, falling from my trousers as I sigh in relief, brushing of some grains that were left. I'll guess that the spell was Recover, a spell to cure physical ailments. Raiiiiiine, I wuv yooou.

'Now, if you're done panicking, let's go,' Kratos says, ignoring me (I was hugging Raine's arm before she pushed me off gently).

'Yes_sir_,' I say, saluting sarcastically. I get a small snigger from Lloyd who comments on how he thought I wouldn't stress that much in battle (he earned my middle finger) and follow behind them, shaking my legs to get off some annoying grains, dust, and left over stone. After jumping around for a few moments, I walk over to the blonde Chosen.

'So, how are you?' I ask curiously. Well, she _was_ poisoned and paralysed. Keep up, people.

'I feel a little stiff … but I'll be okay in a little while,' she says with a quick smile. 'How about you?'

'Well …' I laugh nervously. 'I'll bet you can guess by the way I freaked out.'

'But you're okay now?'

'Yep. My eyes sting a bit though.'

'Oh …' she mumbles. 'It might take a while to work since it's a cure-all.'

I snort a little bitterly. 'I guess it isn't exactly a cure-_all_ if it didn't fix my petrifaction status.'

'I guess. Maybe it's a cure-most!'

'Maybe …'

Colette and I talk a little more, somehow getting into a conversation about the Palmacosta Academy test results. Well, at least it's something to talk about. She seems to have a major in the religious area (that must explain why she got a high score) because she's a Chosen … duh – I should have noticed that before. Everyone except Lloyd and I got high scores because they are generally geniuses, Lloyd just isn't that smart and I don't come from Sylvarant, so that rules out R.E, history, and I suck at science and math anyway. I'm only really good with machines and technology. Go me.

It all seems peaceful for now. I'm still chatting with Colette, Raine and Genis are just talking among themselves about … something smart I'll guess, and Kratos and Lloyd are talking by themselves to one side and I have _no_ idea at all what their conversation is about but I do at some point hear a strained "_whyyyy …?_" from Lloyd. I just won't ask or ponder on it. It'll be safer, I'm sure.

Oh, and Noishe is pissed off. Why? He's our walking, whining bag wagon. We still love him.

* * *

Yay, chapter 24 finsihed. Sorry that took longer than it should have. Sorry about the dullness of this chapter, but ... seriously, Palmacosta is one boring city.


	25. Dream For You, Dream For Me

TheSariiiii … if I did, I didn't mean to insult you Americans ;.; (-Huggle-)

* * *

Chapter 25 – Dream For You, Dream For Me

After half-an hour or so, we decided to set up camp in a quite deserted area of the open fields before us. South-east of the path leading towards to Hakonesia Peak is a small cliff completely free of monsters, so that'd be the most ideal place to sleep for the night. Plus, no one has to be on night watch so we can all sleep long and easy for once. There will always be the time where I'll be forced to do night watch, and I'm not looking forward to it. I don't like staying up late, because I usually have school. But here, I just have full days of walking, walking … and more walking. And fighting, of course, but I have to run about then.

When I think my evening couldn't get any better, Genis and Raine announce their theory on how quiet places will attract monsters (I know, I'm confused too). But then again, it usually _is_ the calm, quiet places that monsters will come to. I know I would if I were some freaky, flesh eating giant Grasshopper out to turn innocent people that pass by into stone. Yes, I'm still pissed off about it.

Well, everyone else agrees with their idea, so I'll just go with it too. I only hope it isn't my turn to do night-watch. Hey, my wishes came true – Raine (while helping me re-bandage my wound for the night and hopefully tomorrow) declares that it's Lloyd's turn now he's all better (it was supposed to be his turn on the night we left the Fire Seal, but he crashed out as soon as we got camp set up. Well, he _was_ ill. We can't really blame him.

Lloyd's a little reluctant about doing the watch, but he agrees quickly anyway with a few stern words. I try to cheer him up by telling him I'll set up his sleeping bag and such instead of him doing it, but Genis gives me a word of warning telling me that Lloyd will just fall asleep if I give them to him. Lloyd is then thoroughly pissed off and Genis quickly retreats before he can get a smack from the older boy.

I sigh as I set up my own sleeping bag, looking around at our group. Colette is quite happily trying to set up a fire with the Professor since they've finishing setting up their own things, Genis is sorting out the bags with difficulty (Noishe keeps walking off with the bag carrying his food), Kratos prefers to keep his bag with him for unknown reasons and I have a feeling I'll be asked for his shirt back, and Lloyd is just playing around with his Mumei sword things. It's probably his first set of non-wooden swords, so I guess he's a little excited. I remember the first time my big brother let me use a gun when we were doing target shooting down at these allotment areas. He tried to shoot a rabbit and I didn't want to use one after that in case I shot one by mistake. I was really scared! I love rabbits! Difference is, here they have red eyes and want to chew you to death so I don't mind using guns. Plus, these won't kill … so that's also a good point. Unless you count the real ones that Chairs gave me for an emergency.

I fluff my pillow and yawn, wanting to just collapse and curl up in my nice warm blankets after walking around all day and doing completely unnecessary academy tests. Every day here just gets weirder and more enjoyable at the same time. I'm just glad to get away from the heat of the desert and the danger of Triet and the Sylvarant Base.

It isn't long before I ignore everyone, throw on Kratos' shirt and crawl into bed anyway. Not that I want to sleep, I just want to rest. I've been walking around Palmacosta all day and these bandages are getting really annoying really fast. I rummage through my backpack while lying on my front on the hard earth, fishing out my water bottle (which I had to mix an apple gel with since I hate the taste of plain water) and those green healing pills the doc gave to me for the cut on my back. I swallow two of the small green pills with the aid of a mouthful of thick, apple flavoured water (which doesn't taste that nice) and pack away my things for the night to come, carefully settling myself down onto my back as to not torture the wound further. It hurts like a bitch.

With another small sigh, I pull my blanket over my too carefully positioned self (I will most defiantly shift around in the depth of sleep, probably resulting in a large amount of pain in the morning time). I've managed to avoid a wave of pain, but I feel like a small, deadly sharp needle is shooting up and down the cut for a few moments before it dulls and leaves me to relax. I say goodnight to everyone on the other side of our now alive and dancing camp fire, getting small mumbles for replies from them. I furrow my brow slightly in the lack of my comrades' enthusiasm (seeing as they're actually quite upbeat before settling down for the night … with the exception of Kratos of course), but I quickly pass it off after realising we've been walking around almost all day, so they're bound to be pissed off/tired/in pain or something along those lines.

I slip one arm under my pillow and pull it closer, snuggling down. With the smell of burning wood and the soft buzz of chatter from a distance, I'm out like a light as my mind shuts off in its usual "fuck you, world" kind of way. I love sleep. That is when I don't dream quite disturbing dreams, which I'm sure I've had my fair share of.

At first … well, I can't hear anything. Or see anything. It's like my eyes are closed and I just can't open them no matter how hard I try to. It's like my lids are being pulled down by weights, but without the ripping pain I'd probably experience. Ouchie.

This would be a good time to have a hair band since it's going everywhere right now as if a feral wind were swallowing me up in the centre of a freak storm. Am I falling or in a tempest or high or what? At least everything isn't flashing random colours, I think to myself. I'd get one hell of a headache …

I attentively stretch my leg out slowly to see if there's a solid surface below me, and to see if I'm actually moving at all. I seem to be, judging by the terrible winds around me, but you never know. I could be like, chained to the floor or something. It could happen. Okay, back to verifying if I am actually floating or relatively close to a floor of sorts.

My toe brushes something cold (am I wearing shoes?) and the storm around me immediately stops dead. I suppose the squall was holding me up, since I grab for something as I fall backwards, failing at my attempt to stay upright. I hit the floor with a small thud, landing on my hip.

I sit up and finally begin to open my eyes, everything looking a little fuzzy at first, but it slowly comes into focus after I blink a few times. Typical dream with apparent meaning: it's black. Just black everywhere, save for the floor which holds a dark silvery colour to it. Concrete? No … it's much softer than concrete, yet it still maintains a similar hardness. Just where the hell am I?

I get to my feet and rub my hip, looking over my shoulder for something that might give me a clue to where I am. Nope, nothing … just the endless black air before me. Before I can do anything, something rumbles … a sound low and dangerous to my ears. Something will probably come and eat me now … always happens.

But instead of a fifty foot dragon beast type thing that I predicted, something appears on my left hand side in a gush of light and mist that lingers after the light itself diminishes. Hm. I try to wave away the silver smoke that curls around my fingers, coughing a little bit before I can make out what it _is _exactly.

It … is a massive cross. Yes, it is indeed a rather large silver cross complete with chains and the such. What … the hell?

"_Do you want to continue?"_

Charis …

"What does this mean? Is it symbolism or … or something?"

"_Yeah. But this isn't your dream,"_ she tells me. "_It's Lloyd's. If you want to carry on watching, you can. But I'd recommend waking up now. It's not your business, really._"

"Oh really?" I say sarcastically. "Then why am I here?"

"_I'm giving you a choice. Take it or leave it._"

I think for a moment. If I stay here … do you think I'll be able to find out what is with Kratos and Lloyd's dreams? It will help a lot, and plus I'm really sick of being kept in the dark all the time since Charis left. Funny how she leaves just as things get complicated, no? But I suppose if I don't want to get into any trouble, I should just leave it. Hm, it's difficult choice … very difficult indeed.

"Screw it," I sigh. "Just let me wake up."

"_Alright, give me a minute or two. I'm glad to see some things are finally starting to make sense in that little brain of yours."_

"Ah, shaddup," I sigh as I feel her presence fade from my mind, leaving my head without a voice that I feel should be there. I'd really like to know what's going on, but I know better than to ask. I wouldn't get an answer, or at least a straight one. She'd probably answer my questions with some riddle mumbo-jumbo, and that'd just piss me off more.

Before Charis can send me back to reality, everything goes slightly fuzzy and the dream begins. A figure has appeared on the cross, arms chained to the two upper spikes and head dropped onto their chest. Yep, it's Lloyd. I'm kind of guessing this _is_ some sort of symbolism now, but for what I have no idea. It kinda reminds me of religious education in some ways, except this is inside the mind of a rather dim-witted seventeen year old boy, not Bethlehem.

Heeey, Lloyd is waking up! Not as in his dream has come to a halt, but … the Lloyd on the massive cross is opening his eyes. You with me right now? Good.

First thing Lloyd says when he wakes up: 'Guh …'

Ah, Lloyd. You truly amuse me.

Everything continues to blur and it's getting harder to make everything out … right now it's just a mass of red and grey stuck to a silver thing, and that's not helpful. I close my eyes tightly for a few seconds until I believe it hurts, opening them again. Everything is a bit sharper … but only just. I can see something else … there's someone standing in front of Lloyd with dark brown and white clothing … who is that?

… Would anyone believe me if I said it was another Lloyd? No? Well, screw you.

It's another Lloyd.

There.

Well, the Lloyd in red (who I'm assuming is the real of the two) is looking pretty scared himself. Well, I would if another me just walked up to my face and was all "WELL HELLO THERE". Not that Lloyd #2 just said that, but you get the idea. He's still pretty freaked.

'Hi,' the other Lloyd says with a grin, looking up at the real one dangling from the silver cross. He looks like he's smirking … I can't really tell. I can finally make out what he's wearing exactly though … and to be honest, it looks like something that has been ripped from 1920 Earth. And it's kinda scaring me. Reminds me of that jazz musical Chicago … hmm.

Shut up. Waistcoats are cool.

'Who …?' Lloyd pulls slightly against the chains. 'What's going on …?'

1920 inspired Lloyd's grin grows wider, still looking up at his red-clad and probably pissing himself counterpart (I'd say Lloyd is held like … 10 cm of the floor. Just high enough so he can brush the tip of his shoes again the totally-not-concrete if he stretched) 'I'm you. But an alternate you? A better you.'

That's defiantly an alternate version of Lloyd. Our Lloyd never say that. Or wear that.

'Alternate …?' Lloyd questions, trying to shift back a little bit. It's gotta be uncomfortable having someone claiming to be your other self so close that you're almost touching noses. Yes, other Lloyd is a lot scarier.

'Hm …' alter-Lloyd mumbles, eyes slipping shut in thought, grin still apparent.

'Alright, then. With all of your choices you've been faced with, I would have chosen the opposite to you. With all of the opportunities you've taken, I'd have turned away. Do you grasp the concept now or must I repeat myself?'

'… Do you even exist?'

Watch me face palm in mid conscious. I actually miss. The alter-Lloyd chuckles at his other's rather daft question, his voice deep … mature … nothing like Lloyd's.

I certainly do not like this guy.

'Only in your mind,' he replies, resting a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. 'Only to you. I am part of you. A part of you that exists, but doesn't quite exist at the same time.'

'… I don't get it,' Lloyd confesses, shifting slightly and trying to look to one side and away from this rather daunting version of himself. Alter Lloyd's white gloved hand moves from the chained one's shoulder, gripping tightly at his collar. His other hand shoots up to join it, pulling the boy closer. Alter-Lloyd looks taller at this point, if only by a few centimetres. It makes him look more intimidating … more evil.

'I _loathe_ you,' he hisses, somehow managing to maintain his smirk, looking down with some sort of satisfaction at the chained boy below him. 'I hate what you've made yourself become.'

'I, uh … wha-'

'And you're still doing things _incorrect_,' he continues, pushing Lloyd back into the cross so hard that he starts wincing in pain. 'You don't stop to _think_ about what you're _doing_, do you?'

'Can't … b-breath …'

Everything continues to blur, everything soon turning into an incomprehensible mist of colour. I can hear alternate Lloyd's low voice hiss something cruel once again to our chained friend, but I can't figure out what he's saying. My ears are drowned in a deep buzzing noise as I strain them. Oh I'm an idiot! Why didn't I just tell Charis to _leave_ me here? Gah, I wanna figure out what the symbolism means!

… Okay, I've pretty much figured it out, but still! I feel weird leaving with Lloyd being slowly killed by his counterpart. I'm sure anyone would, if they ever experienced this. That guy just doesn't look the nice type, or the type to quit halfway through strangling someone. Yep, Lloyd is still choking and gasping for air. I'd honestly get up and do something, like shout at him or run at him, but I guess I'm pretty much invisible to this world, y'know, seeing as it isn't my dream after all.

I wonder vaguely if Lloyd will understand this symbolism accurately before everything fades and I'm left with a dark navy sheet of sky above me, dotted with lights and a large moon above.

I'm awake.

I should be happy to be out of that scary-ass dream, but I'll have a difficult time getting to sleep now … and with a day of nothing but walking and fighting monsters before me, minimal rest is the last thing I want. I hope Lloyd will be up and ready in the morning … we don't need two people dragging their feet and whining about how hot it is or how long the walk is or that Noishe ate all of our food while we were sleeping. Which he is doing, by the way. I'll just leave him to it … he must be tired, going around the Hima way instead of coming on the boat with us at Izoold. Then again, Max wouldn't allow it. Did you know I'm rambling?

I don't sit up just incase anyone else is awake (the last thing I want to do is get into a conversation with Raine about artefacts and whatnot) and look around the camp, eyes half lidded. Everyone's asleep, save for Noishe and Kratos, who seem to have taken up night watch because Lloyd, our previous night watch guy, is sleeping, curled up again Noishe's thigh. What a bodyguard for the sleeping, defenceless group.

Speaking of our spiky headed swordsman, the boy jolts awake with a small gasp, hands automatically flying towards his neck as though phantom hands still clung to it, directing him to a slow, agonizing death. He sits in silence for a few moments, staring at nothing really except the flames of the dying camp fire, fingers dropping from the thankfully bruise free flesh of his neck with a small sigh of relief. 'Just a dream …'

'I see you're awake,' Kratos comments after watching the boy's display of shock, tossing a small log onto the flickering and sad excuse for flames and causing Lloyd to jump again at the sudden sound of his voice. Lloyd is not pleased.

'Geez, don't scare me like that!' he huffs, sitting back on his pet who then emits a low whine. 'What are you doing up anyway? Didn't trust me with night watch duty?'

Kratos reaches over to poke at the still-dying fire in some hope of bringing it back to warming life (he FAILS). 'It's not that I didn't trust you,' he informs the pouting youth in a flat tone, shooting him a small glance. 'It's that you fell asleep.'

Wait for it … aaaaand …

'… Shut up.'

The mercenary ignores Lloyd's moody vibes and leans back on Noishe (who wines again, getting a little annoyed with his new occupation as a bed/sofa). He takes one of two cups which I've just realised have been sitting on his other side and somehow spared from the greedy Noishe, pushing it into Lloyd's hands. The younger swordsman quickly takes it before he can drop it onto his lap, giving the steaming mixture inside a dirty look as if it had flipped him the finger.

'It's not poison,' Kratos assures him, taking a sip from his own drink. 'It'll keep you awake.'

'Coffee?' Lloyd ventures, drinking from it carefully as though it would knock him out. After a nod from the mercenary, he no longer treats the warm drink like a toxin. 'Don't give this stuff to Genis. He'll go higher than the stars.'

'I'll … bear that in mind …' Kratos acknowledges, shifting slightly against the poor animal behind him who looks about ready to shake off the two of his owners and trot off somewhere quiet and secluded, taking our food supply with him. Gah! Stop eating my apples! Noiiiiiishe!

The two men sit quietly with the enormous "dog" for quite a while, slowly drinking their coffee. Lloyd moves slightly (I swear Noishe was preparing to kick him) into a more comfortable position against his pet, looking just about ready to doze off again, coffee cup still in hand. I'll inform Raine on Lloyd's night watch skills in the morning, when he'll most likely be asleep. He's got all of the good intention there; he just keeps falling asleep. He's completely useless, except for the first ten minutes or so.

I close my eyes and feign sleep again, shifting myself slightly against the hard ground which is quickly becoming uncomfortable. I have the _thinnest_ piece of cloth to act as my really crappy excuse for a mattress and the solid earth right there under me. Trust my pathetic instinct to choose a spot without a hint of grass for my resting area. Not smart are you, Charlotte? Not smart at all.

After telling myself that the chance anything mildly interesting and appropriate for me to know will not happen tonight, I proceed to snuggle the best I can into the bedding I'm making do with and sleep for the remaining hours of the night. And since whomever it is that controls my luck hates me and wants to put my guts on a kebab stick for a Friday evening barbecue, I don't sleep.

If someone was playing this game and I was there, my status screen would read:

Charlotte Harrison  
PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A GUNNER (default title)

Luck: NOT WORTH CRAP.

Yep. If I had a five percent change of tripping up, I would. That's how much I suck.

Hm … would _Gunner_ be my default title? Something to ponder whenever I get bored.

As I try to force myself into sleep, I can hear the murmur of conversation between Kratos and Lloyd from the other side of the fire. I'm not listening to what they're saying, but I can just hear their voices … I catch a few words like another "_whyyy?_" from Lloyd and something with a stern tone from the mercenary, but that's all I get before trying to block out all noise when I shove my face into my pillow.

You know when it's really silent, you can hear a low buzzing or a ringing in your ears that only goes away if you move your head? I have that right now, but I'm finally in a position where I can't hear the other two speaking, so I really don't want to move. Plus, I'm somewhat relaxed. I can't be bothered to be continuously shifting around for the night.

The ringing, sharp sound of a blade being drawn partnered with footsteps makes me a little more intent on finally moving.

I turn my head slightly and look over my shoulder at the two seated against Noishe. Well, they aren't seated anymore. Kratos is standing with his sword (which I remember as the one we took from the Fire Seal) and Lloyd is trying to find his own blades amongst the mess of bags, weapons and clothes.

'Bring an apple gel,' Kratos says, moving his hand to pet Noishe who continues to rub against it with a cold, wet nose. Oh how he loves his owners. 'You might need one.'

Lloyd glances at him, arms sunk halfway through a mountain of backpacks … and humorously enough, it looks like he's being eaten. 'What? You're not gonna be _that_ rough on me are you?'

'You said you wanted to be taught.'

Lloyd grumbles something incoherent and continues to search. So, our two swordsmen are going out in the fields for a little bit of midnight training. Well, I guess if they want to train then it should be at night or evening, since we're walking all day and no one actually wants to hang around in a field full of monsters. It's pretty dangerous.

I'm guessing this area is free of monsters if those two are leaving without a second thought. Besides, all of the monsters are probably asleep at this time of night unless there's a fifty-foot owl monster … which there probably is. This is ToS after all, game of the mega-sized monsters. And a note: I can understand massive grasshoppers and bugs, but rabbits? Really?

I sit up once deciding they're far away enough to be out of sight and pull out the zenta from my pocket. I've decided to keep it in a place where I can get easy access, and if anyone sees it I can just say it's a good luck charm or whatever.

I start it up a quickly send the camera buzzing off in the direction that the two guys went in, hoping I'll be able to see them through the thick coat of darkness over the fields. I'm just looking for a mass of red standing out against the green and the brown of the fields with a sword. That shouldn't be too hard to find … unless I suddenly go colour blind in the next few minutes, but I highly doubt that will happen.

I continue to scan the area with my miniscule camera, looking around for the two figures. Geez, they can't have gone _that_ far, can they? There is a CLIFF nearby that overlooks the ocean at a pretty big height, so I don't think they'd do anything too dangerous, unless they happen to _like_ moonlight swims along with moonlight training. Moonlight can do a lot of crazy things to you, especially if you're a woman. Anyway, back on topic, and I have FOUND the two of them. Finally.

Lloyd is looking a little nervous, Apple Gel to one side along with an Orange Gel he must have picked up. Kratos seems to lack healing supplies, but he _does_ have healing _magic_, so he probably overlooked the matter. And since it _is_ Kratos after all, he looks pretty okay with himself. Poor Lloyd, he has such a scary teacher.

'I want you to dodge these series of attacks,' Kratos instructs him, readying his sword. 'You may sheath your blades if you prefer.'

After a moment of mental debating, Lloyd seems to think it'd be easier to move around without the swords getting in his way. I'd probably keep my guns if it were me, but pistols are a lot easier to use and aren't as big as swords, so I'll respect Lloyd's decision. For now. I mean, he might be able to defend with them, but he's been told to dodge, so … yeah.

'Okay … I'm rea – whoa!'

Before Lloyd can even say anything, Kratos has already come at him and swung his sword horizontally, aiming for Lloyd's middle. Luckily, he seems to be able to jump back without getting hit. 'Geez, hang on!'

'When faced with an enemy,' Kratos says, swiping at him again, earning an annoyed shout from the boy. 'They will not wait for you to prepare yourself.'

'Well _you _could!' Lloyd argues, ducking from a blow aimed at his neck.

Kratos gives him a look, continuing to swing away. 'Then what would be the point in training you for real battles?'

'Fine, fine!' Lloyd gives in, sidestepping (rather frantically) to get away from the fifth or sixth blow … I'm having trouble keeping count. I make sure to keep the camera a little way above them so it isn't destroyed in their training session. It _is_ really small, so they wouldn't be able to see it in the dark.

… Y'know, Lloyd is actually quite good at dodging. The flat of Kratos' blade swipes against him about three times, but that's it. I blame the coffee from earlier.

I watch for a few more minutes before rubbing my eyes with a yawn, swearing that I dozed off for at least a second there. I should really just sleep after tonight's events. I switch the zenta off and pack it away, slipping it into my pocket with another yawn. The sky is getting lighter and everyone seems to be in lighter stages of sleep, telling me that morning is quickly on its way.

I don't really know why, but I end up pushing away the blanket and sitting back up after settling down, getting to my knees. I suddenly feel very awake … full of energy, which I don't understand … I was practically falling asleep at my camera a few minutes ago and now I feel like I could run a mile or two. I get to my feet and look around, making sure that everyone remaining is still sound asleep. Colette is resting on her own, Genis and Raine are curled up next to each other and Noishe is giving me a cold look. It's pretty much all the same.

I start off in the opposite direction from which the guys went, hands deep in pockets and walking slowly. The area is getting lighter as the sun rises up from the sea's horizon, only a little but still spilling luminous glares of light around the land. Refreshing, in some ways, though it reminds me I haven't gotten enough sleep tonight. I _want_ to go back to sleep, but my body is refusing and telling me to rid myself of this random excess energy. I continue to walk further from the campsite.

I can see birds fly overhead, screeching their morning calls out to the land. Everything seems so sharp, so alive … too alive, if that's possible. A breeze soars through me, ruffling the grass at my feet and around the field. I feel a little uncomfortable … as if something isn't exactly right. I'm sure everyone gets these feelings sometimes … where you feel like a large portion of your stomach has been scooped out and replaced with something alien and _different_ … and it doesn't feel very nice at all.

I reach the edge of the cliff, not trusting myself to go near the edge. My legs would give way and I'd tumble to a very unsatisfying death by drowning. I blame incidents from my childhood. Grr.

Something that scares me half to death happens. I'm pretty close to the edge of the cliff (I don't know why I decided to test my limits) and someone pats me on the shoulder, quite gently but it was still very sudden. I shoot up like a live wire and trip over my own feet in an attempt to spin around, falling clumsily to the floor.

Yep, it always happens whenever its Kratos, doesn't it?

'Will you … _not_ do that?' I say, planning to get to my feet. Before I can do so, I'm faced with a rather confusing action from Kratos. Wordlessly, he gets down on one knee at my side. I give him a confused look, leaning up on my elbows. 'Kratos … what-?

'You had your chance,' is all he says before his fist crashes through my torso.

I can feel warm blood splash over my face and my neck, a few drips catching his pale skin. My ribs, my lungs, everything … they're screaming, but I can't make a sound. My mouth is dropped open in shock, but I can't move or speak. He pulls his now blood-coated hand out of me, wrapping it tightly around my neck. I'd move to stop him, but I'm a little – no, _very_ shocked. I'm dying.

I'm actually dying.

And regardless of my worries about the Tower of Salvation, it's at Kratos' hand anyway.

In a kind of half consciousness, I can feel myself falling … almost slowly. Everything seems to be in slow motion … does this always happen when you die? Is my brain surrendering itself?

I can see the sky … I can see the water slowly rushing towards me … was I thrown from the cliff so the others wouldn't find my body? Will they look for me in the morning, Kratos feigning some sort of worry?

My head is a mess. Thoughts are bouncing off each other. I want to see my family … I want to see my friends …

I wanted to see them one last time before I died.

I wanted to do a lot of things. I wanted a boyfriend. I wanted children. I wanted a family.

I _want_ to survive this.

My thoughts stop abruptly as freezing cold water envelops my body completely, seeping into my rather large wound. I can see inside myself … I can see the torn skin, the destroyed organs, and the broken bones of my ribcage.

I'm not going to survive this.

I hold my breath anyway, starting to feel light headed and dizzy. It's dark … and it's getting darker. I can see things behind my closed eyelids. I can see my friends at school … I can see my parents and all of my siblings at home, even the one that passed away a year ago or so. I can see the rest of the group … just as normal. Without me, like how it was supposed to be in the game. Colette is laughing with Genis and Raine, Lloyd is talking to Kratos on one side and everything seems so _perfect_.

I open my eyes to see the spread of dark blue before me, stained a deep red from my forever escaping blood, curling like the fingers of death and spreading. I open my mouth for a breath, inhaling nothing but a mouthful of water and my own blood. I choke, every nerve in my body wracking and straining itself.

I never thought I'd ask myself this, but … when will it end? What will happen? Will everything go black? Will I go to heaven? Hell? Will everything just stop?

My thoughts trail off, my eyes can no longer stay open, my mouth falls shut … and everything comes to a crashing halt. The throbbing in my ears, the ringing in my head.

Everything stops and falls silent.

Everything goes black and red.

And I wake with a sharp gasp, head in arms and zenta still buzzing before me with Lloyd shouting at Kratos for being too fast.

* * *

'Charlotte? Are you feeling okay?' Colette asks as we cross the bridge connecting the crack of land that separates the Palmacosta region and the Hakonesia region. I looked at myself in a mirror this morning, and I have to admit that I look like a terrible wreck. I have deep bags under my eyes, my hair is a mess and my eyes are red. Last night when I woke up, I shut down the zenta, went to a secluded area for an hour and _cried_. That dream caused me to realise just how much I missed everyone and how I might end up dying here, never seeing them again. I always thought this adventure would be a laugh if I were with them …

… And now I just feel like crap. I haven't been able to sleep either.

'I feel a little sick,' I lie, giving her a smile. 'It'll pass though.'

In comparison to these sad, sad events, Lloyd is looking a lot better, if not tired. I'm glad he's feeling better, but I wish I was too. As soon as something good happens, I'm sure my spirits will lift. Next up we have Koton to deal with a Hakonesia Peak and then we have to _walk_ all the way back to Palmacosta to defeat Magnius' troops and save Chocolat's mother. Then we have to walk aaaaaall the way to the Palmacosta Ranch and either go straight in and attack or go back to Palmacosta to make Dorr come clean. If we _do_ do that (hah … do-do … I'm such a kid), we'll have to go back to the Ranch and then we can carry on. A lot of walking to come, then.

I'll say it now. You can't go across an open field without getting pounced on every second by monsters. It's like … RPG law. And that law has decided to kick in as two buzzing ladybirds zip past my head, almost socking me. I blink a few times as the mess of black and red flicker across my vision for around … 0.5 seconds. Hm, fast ones.

I pull out my pistols and shoot at one until it falls to the floor, not dead but stunned. As Colette throws her chakram at the one looming over Lloyd, I get closer to the one I shot down and use Fire Shot (I had the _weirdest_ urge to call it Fire Bullet then) on the motionless insect, still not killing it. Before I can power up Shockwave, it springs back to life and dives at me, walloping me in the stomach. I double over for a few moments and pain soars through my nerves like a wild fire, trying to aim with one arm while the other clutches at my injury, trying to sooth it. I shoot at the bug a few times but none of my bullets connect … damn, this thing is really fast.

I cast First Aid on myself, but since I don't use magic a lot any more it doesn't do much … I'd say half of what an Apple Gel would usually do. Which isn't good.

Kratos seems to notice my difficulty and comes over, but as soon as I see his hand about a foot away from my stomach, I instantly jump back as though I'd been burnt by his non-existent touch.

'I can do it myself,' I spit, swallowing an Apple Gel and shooting away at the Giant Bug.

I don't know why I'm being cold towards him. I mean, it _was_ just a dream. But I still think, as I mentioned before, that I haven't been holding up my end of the bargain and I'm pissing him off continuously. He's bound to snap at some point and leave me in a city or something later on, or actually _kill_ me at the Tower of Salvation. I'm _THAT_ annoying. Plus, he's always bitter towards me! Why can't I be bitter towards him? Why am I judging myself? Shut up, Charlotte!

Kratos ignores my stubborn attitude and continues with the battle. I'm not sure if I give him a dirty look, but I glance over at him before using Fire Shot again.

'Hey, nerd!' That'd be Lloyd shouting me.

'You called?' I answer, shooting at the Giant Bug that refuses to die. 'What?'

'Do you want to try out a unison attack?'

I pause. '… A what? Oh! Oh yeah … sure.'

If I remember correctly, a unison attack is where you can attack with all party members at the same time and sometimes you can get a special attack if two of the selected attacks are compatible. They can actually be really good to use in a tight spot … such as now.

"_Shockblade. And Charis says hi._"

'Use Tiger Blade,' I say automatically at the voice of my PS2 in my mind. 'We can use something called Shockblade, but I think you'll have to perform it.'

'No problem,' Lloyd says with a grin. Hey, my spirits lightened a little. This could be cool … and I'm a little excited at performing my first unison attack, and Shockblade sounds pretty cool. It might look cool too … I guess we'll have to find out, but I'm a little nervous about screwing up. It's possible, I guess.

Well, so far so good. The Giant Bug I hadn't been attacking previously is caught between Shockwave and Tiger Blade. I get a strange feeling when I cast Shockwave. No mana seems to have been put into using it since this seems to be a unison attack, but this will always be one of the things I don't understand.

My guns suddenly feel hot in my hands, and I look down to see a glow radiating from the cold metal. It's happening with Lloyd's swords too, but he doesn't seem as shocked as me. Maybe Kratos practiced this with him last night … well, quite possibly. Lloyd would ask me for a unison attack anyway even if Kratos hadn't gone through it with him. Because Lloyd is hot headed and stupid, and that's why we love him. Right, unison attack.

I don't know why, but the light from my guns disappear and Lloyd's swords get brighter as he runs at the Giant Bug with a shout of 'Shockblade!'. The blow is normal, but as soon as Lloyd's feet make contact with the grass a horrendous Shockwave bursts from the floor a few feet high and envelops the bug, killing it instantly.

… Whoa.

'That was so _cool_!' I marvel, grinning like an idiot at the FRIED pile of bug. It caught the other one too, but it isn't quite dead yet. DUDE, FIRE SHOT. Okay, now it is.

I return my guns to my holsters with a smile still there. I feeling a lot happier now, and I don't really know why. Hey, I've done my first monster, my first tech, and now my first unison attack. Eee, I'm happy I'm getting somewhere. At least I know I won't be completely screwed over if I'm fighting alone, I guess. I'm getting the hang of everything so far.

… Except things outside of battle, but be quiet.

After Apple Gels are taken, we continue on our way and have a quick debate about if we should or should not stop by at the House of Salvation. After Raine tells us that it'd be suitable if we paid a visit to everyone we come across and let Colette pray and accept praise from the priests, we decide to go for a quick stay for about ten minutes before continuing on our merry way to Hakonesia Peak.

I apologize quickly to Kratos for my terribly rude behaviour back in battle, but he tells me to think nothing of it. Well, blah … if he doesn't care, then screw him. Kratos, I like you a lot less now.

After five minutes of walking (and Raine wondering why the food bags are lighter, which gives us a clue when Noishe whines guiltily), we come up to the House of Salvation.

We enter the house to find no priests (they all seemed to be outside shaking Colette's hands it's the end of the world) and no inn area keeper, but we _do_ find everyone's favourite purple clad assassin.

Sheena! She mumbles something about suffering and gets to her feet after praying, standing still for a few seconds. We pause at her strange actions, and though I feel it'd be a lot easier if we just left, Lloyd doesn't agree with me. I'm not saying we agree all the time, but I'm a little pissed off.

'Hey what are you doing?'

Sheena obviously doesn't recognize his voice and answers. I'd expect something snappy from Sheena like "it's none of your business", but instead she just replies with: 'I'm praying so I can save everyone …'

… Okay … _now_ she recognizes. 'Uh …!'

'That's a nice thought,' Lloyd replies a little sarcastically, but humorous all the same. Sheena obviously doesn't take it the right way and flares up in _raaage_ at our spiky headed friend.

'Sh … shut up!'

Our swordsman ignores her, as per usual. 'My name's Lloyd. What's yours?'

… I have the most overwhelming urge to smack my own forehead. Lloyd, you do NOT give your name out to random people, even if they do not look that strong. I've always been taught stuff like that, y'know, "don't give your name out" and "don't take sweets from strangers" (which put me in an odd position, because I bought something that tasted like _crap_ to me and I tried to give it to this little boy that was SO CUTE IT HURT, and he didn't – he's a good little boy).

And Sheena thinks on the same wavelength as me (scarily enough). '…What?'

'Lloyd, what are you doing?' Genis asks from behind him. Since Lloyd is ignoring people today, Genis too is denied of the satisfaction of having Lloyd listen to him. Oh, just kick the boy. It'll work. Dead legs _always_ work.

'I'm Colette!' our blonde announces with a wide smile. 'I'm still inexperienced as a Chosen, but I promise I'll do my best and regenerate the world.'

Sheena looks at us like we are complete spazbaskets and snaps back at Colette with: 'I never asked you your names!'

'Oh, you're right,' Colette notices rather suddenly, bowing in apology to the possibly freaked out assassin. 'I'm sorry.'

'I … I'm trying to kill you!' Sheena argues, getting steadily pissed off with Colette's carefree attitude. Who wouldn't? The girl is nice, but she can be a bit slow at times as I'm sure you all know.

'I understand. But I'm sure if we talk we can come to an understanding …'

'Wha … are you even _listening _to me?' Sheena cries, actually resorting to waving her arms around a bit. Poor woman. I can see her kicking Colette in the face in near future. Gah … can we leave yet? I'm pretty sure that ninja is getting more irritated by the minute and she's about to summon one of those guardians of hers to kill us. But you know, maybe not.

'I know, but … Ms Assassin-' Colette starts, sharply cut off by the Tethe'allan ninja.

'Sheena!' she declares, correcting the Chosen. 'Sheena Fujibayashi!'

Lloyd is an AWE of her surname. He's not the only one, poor Genis looks like he's been given an impossible math question and Kratos looks a little suspicious. I guess only people from Mizuho have those kinds of names, and since that's in Tethe'alla … I guess it's a thing to think about, huh?

'Sheena …' Colette addresses her correctly. 'You were praying just now. Pray makes one's heart grow. I pray too, so I'm sure we can understand each other.'

'I … I was praying that I'd be able to kill you …' Sheena says lamely, giving Colette a kind of "please shut up" look.

'Nice,' I mumble sarcastically.

'Augh … forget it!' Sheena exclaims, whipping out a card from beneath her skirt. 'I lost my concentration! You'd better be ready next time we meet!'

Usual stuff happens. Big smoke scene, lots of coughing fits, Sheena randomly disappearing into thin air. Same old.

After a few moments and when the smoke finally clears, Lloyd brings up probably the most wondered question. ' … Is she really an assassin?'

'It … seems like it,' I answer slowly. Sheena just doesn't seem like the assassin type of person to go out and kill people … she seems to clumsy and disorganised. Then again, looks can be deceiving … COUGHKRATOSCOUGH.

Must have swallowed a fly or something. Let's continue with our journey.

Colette kneels and prays for a few minutes while we stand considerately in the background, keeping silent while she does her thing. I go over to a window and look out, seeing the mountain in the distance that seems like Hakonesia … hm, it doesn't seem so far away … maybe a few miles. I'm sure we'll get there by midday at least, but then we have to walk _back_ to Palmacosta. Sucks to be us.

… It really does.


	26. Across the fields and back again!

* * *

Chapter 26 – Across the fields and back again!

I have to say it. I'm actually a lot happier, and I really don't know why. You know when you get these moments where you just feel all giddy and talkative for no reason at all? I've been trying to blame the fact that we've had no battles for about an hour and I'm just chatting with Raine about … well, take a guess. Coughruinscough.

I seriously have to stop swallowing flies.

While on the topic of the Balacruf Mausoleum's purpose and history - which I actually find quite cool, since it's like this burial type thing … um, a tomb! That's the word – we finally reach Hakonesia Peak. Collective sigh of relief comes around the group right about now. It took A DAY to get here, and now we have to go all the way back to Palmacosta, because …

… I forget. But still! I'm sure I'll remember in a minute or so … or maybe when we get _back_ to Palmacosta. I should have played ToS more … then I wouldn't forget things so easily. Dammit, brain. I'd kick you if it didn't hurt and was a fatal risk.

Okay, Charlotte be quiet and follow the group. Gah, I'm sorry sense of rightness, but I have to do this.

'Hey Lloyd …' I say, placing one hand on the worn, shabby fence to steady myself as I lean in towards the notice board on to the right of the entrance path. 'Look at this.'

Lloyd comes over quickly as the others tell us to catch up in a second, going up the hill so Colette can talk to a random priest guy that greet them with a very loud 'Chosen! Hellooooo!", which we will ignore. Well, I'll try to at least. Lloyd looks the board up and down but doesn't seem to realise what I'm pointing out. 'What? I can't see anything.'

'That's the point,' I say, hopping off the fence. 'It's probably the only notice board that doesn't have your face plastered all over it with a very inappropriate _WANTED_ written under your head.'

Lloyd seems to finally understand what I'm showing him and nods, giving me a quick glance that you can tell reads "do you _look_ for these things?". Why yes, Lloyd, I do. Maybe on one of them is a signature of the supposed '_wonderful artist_' that drew him. I'm pretty sure Lloyd is keen to find out just who it was … since they destroyed his precious face that is now shown it to the world.

Poor Lloyd. He must be a broken man. At least he has the strength to walk up to these people who have seen him only in his caricatured glory and say 'yo', but I have to admit that were it me, I'd throw on my (nephew's) blue dressing gown that is like … three sizes too big for me and curl up in bed with a jar of chocolate spread.

Because that's how some girls deal with things, if you're wondering … either chocolate spread or yoghurt. I prefer vanilla yoghurt myself, and I'm pretty sure you guys didn't ask to hear about how I cope with my trauma of the days. Oh well, at least you know now.

… I suddenly want vanilla yoghurt. I wonder if they have it here in Sylvarant – it isn't _that_ new to the world, is it? They might … I'll look for some when we get back to Palmacosta … that'll keep me happy for longer.

Notice how I've avoided Kratos since last night? Maybe that's what's making me cheerful. I doubt it, but it _is_ a possibility after all.

Okay, throw "_the need to listen to Everything About You by Three Days Grace_" in the crave bucket. Damn, I've never realised just how much I love music. Since I was denied of it.

We walk back up to the others of the group after the priest finally leaves (to talk to the Katz guy?), Colette looking kind of … happier, in a sense. She's always happy, but she's got this really wide grin plastered over face. Maybe this cheerful thing is contagious …

'Hey … who was that?' Lloyd asks the blonde Chosen before I can open my mouth to question the exact same thing.

'Oh, he was a priest that used to work at the Martel Temple!' Colette answers, bobbing up and down a little bit. 'He went on a pilgrimage around month ago, but he says he can't afford a road pass …'

'Ah …' I mumble. 'I hear they're really expensive … d'you think we can afford one?'

I know very well that we can't afford one, but you know … I have to keep in-character as the clueless one here. Plus, the pass guy that sells them, Koton, might have randomly lowered the prices to an affordable price. I highly doubt, but it might have happened … I mean, Triet blew up, didn't it? Who's to say something like this wouldn't have changed?

I get the feeling it wouldn't make much difference, seeing as we have to go back to Palmacosta anyway.

So, we enter the house that the priest so kindly pointed out for us, and I'm suddenly aware of the amount of CRAP that he has sitting in his garden. I didn't realise it in the game … I thought they were just rocks. Damn, he has everything! A broken pillar, a golden box, a pot, another pot … and another pot, and a random star like thing that spins around like a mini-windmill.

I think this guy is a little crazy, but I think _someone_ in our group begs to differ. Oop, another pot that I notice as we walk in.

… Okay, his house is worse than the yard. There are wall scrolls, _more pots_, armour, a … silver turtle hanging from the wall, GOD knows what hanging from the ceiling, millions of books, old fashioned paintings and of course, to one side, the book we've been looking for that the impostors gave him. But you know what I don't get? He has two beds … no, I do _not_ get that. He has a nice chandelier hanging from the ceiling though.

As Lloyd goes to touch one of his many pots, he interrupts with a loud and sharp: 'If you're looking for road passes, its 100,000,000 gald per person.'

Lloyd almost breaks the pot anyway and looks at the old coot like he's pulling some kind of trick. 'Wha …? What kind of price is _that_?'

'Silence, boy!' Koton shouts, waving his stick around. 'I'll have you know, I hate men!'

The whole of the group's faces have this kind of "am I being PUNK'D?" look. Including me. I honestly can't remember the price being _that_ high, geez … I though it was just 100,000 each person. Meh, shows what I know.

'That explains why the priest couldn't get through,' Genis mumbles, looking up at his older sibling, who nods in agreement with a sigh.

'Yes, even people on pilgrimages can't get through here.'

After looking at our silver-haired healer, Koton jumps up like a livewire and is practically shuffling up to her with a dodgy look in his eyes, smoothing back the small spot of hair growing on his balding head. No, Koton. Not attracting her anymore than you have(n't) already. 'Oh my! You're quite the beautiful lass!' (You should _see_ the look on Raine's face) 'If you're on a pilgrimage, you should join in the Asgard ruin tour at the Palmacosta travel agency. It's quite good, you know …'

'Hey!' Genis exclaims, partly because of his sudden realisation and the fact that this randomly old guy with an overgrown red nose, which I'm sorry, looks like a tomato, is flirting around with his sister. 'You're in cahoots with the travel agency!'

Koton turns to Genis with a glare for interrupting his vain flirting and opens his mouth to snap back with some rude reply, but Colette seems to have notice something that she brings to everyone's attention. 'Hm? This is a very old scripture …'

'Oh, my beautiful maiden!' Stop it, you freaky old man! I swear, I'm running for the hills if he gets around to me anytime soon. 'You have good eye! This here is something I purchased from the Chosen of Mana. It's a very rare scripture record that contains the Legend of Spiritua!'

… Bull_shit_, old man.

'I've been wanting to get my hands on this for ages!' he continues, kneading at his walking stick with some sense of bliss at the fact he has … a tatty old book. 'I'd just about given up on Dorr ever letting go of it. It was very fortunate that the Chosen herself was willing to part with it!'

'I … guess that got them to money for a road pass?' I ask, forgetting if this was covered in the game. We never got told how they got a pass, but I think Namco expects people to think that the impostors traded it in for one.

Koton looks over at me, and you can guess what happens.

'You know what, never mind!' I say loudly before he can say anything in return

Koton luckily refrains doing anything dodgy and old-man like (see, I think I've overused the phrase _paedophile _for now) and goes back to telling us just how _marvellous_ and _glorious_ it is that he possess such an item. I feel like pulling a face at his overreaction. I really, really do.

'Mr Koton …' Colette says from the other side of the room, turning to the balding man. 'Would it be alright if we had a look at this?'

At her request, he looks from Colette to the males of the group (like he was looking at a freaking dead _rat_ or something) and back to the Chosen once again. He looks torn between letting our greasy, grimy hands touch it and making Colette like him more … okay, screw it, PAEDOPHILE. PAEDO PAEDO PAEDO. PAEDOPHILE.

Yes, I am quite finished with my accusations. Sorry about that.

'Colette is …' Raine begins, hesitating for an instant, '… a devoted follower to the Chosen of Mana. She wishes to view articles that the Chosen has possessed. Colette is a faithful believer and is versed in the language of the angels, so she'll be capable of reading the book's text.'

'Ah, I see …' Koton replies, adjusting the glasses resting on the brink of his glowing red nose. 'Well … if it means that much, the ladies can have a look at it.

Group groan. Sexist old man …

'You see, I really want to get my hands on the Spiritua Statue in the House of Salvation south of here,' he informs us, kneading at his walking stick once again. 'But they've never been able to part with it, due to its role as a prayer instrument …'

'You want us to convince them to hand it over to us,' Kratos says evenly, giving the short man a small glower, '… and bring it back to you for a glimpse at the book.'

'Of course,' Koton says, tapping his stick to the floor several times. 'Fair trade, after all. But naturally, only the young women will be able to look at it.'

Upon saying that, he gives Raine another one of those looks and actually _winks_ at her. Genis, now is your time to start be the protective little brother and start kicking that old man's arse, for Colette's sake too. Even if she doesn't exactly realise the old man's attempts at chatting her up (basically because he's failing), it's still nice to do things for your friends, especially if they're being threatened by red faced old men who have appetites for relics and women.

… Can anyone tell I _really_ want to go home right now?

We finally leave the house, all looking a little defeated at the task that has suddenly been thrust upon our shoulders. I know it would be much easier to just _say_ where the seals are, and I _know_ Charis recommended I do so, but I'm still not doing anything seeing as I'm pretty sure I've screwed everything up enough already. So that crosses me out, the rest of the group is clueless and Kratos needs to avoid blowing his cover. So we're screwed. Badly.

'Raine, why did you lie to him?' Genis asks suddenly. 'About Colette being the Chosen.'

'It seems that the fake Chosen's group have visited this place previously,' she sighs with her explanation. 'We'd be treated like the impostors had we said anything.'

'Oh, I see …' Lloyd mumbles, leaning against the cool bricks of Koton's house. 'So, we won't be able to do much since they're ahead of us? Dammit …'

Before I can open my mouth to say something, a cane from inside the house is sharply slapped down on the windowsill next to Lloyd's side, causing him to jump in surprise.

'Get off my wall, boy!' Koton exclaims from his window, wrenching his curtains shut while mumbling to himself furiously. 'Youth these days …'

Lloyd glares at the magenta curtains as if Koton was still there waving around his stick like a madman as Genis tries to stifle a snicker which sadly doesn't go unnoticed by Lloyd. Glares all around today, huh?

'Hey, notice the large crowd of people that weren't here before?' I say quickly, seeing as no one has notice several students from the Palmacosta Academy, two or three old people and a few adults have appeared while we were in there. Two student girls are gossiping nervously at the back, but loud enough so I can get an earful ("I heard it was the lady that runs the shop!", "The alcohol store?", "No, the one next to it!"), and an old couple seem to be on the subject of moving to Iselia or Hima. I almost go and tell them Iselia was destroyed by Desians, but I decide to keep my mouth shut.

'Hey, you're right.' Well spotted, Lloyd. 'What's going on?'

'You don't know?' a middle aged woman says, overhearing the brunette's questioning tone. From among the crowd, a moustached man, who I'm assuming is the lady's partner answers our question.

'You all would be better off waiting here for a while,' he says in a grave tone. 'No matter what, you should avoid going back to Palmacosta. It looks like the Desians are headed there.'

'The Desians …?' Genis ponders aloud. 'Why?'

The woman shakes her head. 'We're not sure, but we won't take the risk by staying there. They say that Magnius, the leader of the Palmacosta Human Ranch is with them.'

The group share worried looks before the man speaks up again. 'We're going to wait here until things cool down. You guys should stay away from the city too.'

The two of them are called over by a small child, supposedly their daughter and leave us to worry. And because I can, I finally say something. 'So, ah … what do we do?'

Raine considers our range of choices for a moment. We can't exactly get through to the Asgard region without a pass, so we'll either go straight back to Palmacosta or carry on releasing seals. I remind myself at this point that everyone else doesn't exactly _know_ that the Seal of Water is inside the Thoda Geyser. Maybe if someone just absently suggests we go for a visit …? It won't be me since it'd make it _SO BLATANTLY _obvious that I'm from another world and seemingly know everything. That's sarcasm, but I'm still not saying anything.

'I think we should head back to Palmacosta and see what's happening,' Raine finally announces. All of us nod (reluctantly, in my case) at the decision made by the Professor in place of a group discussion and prepare to leave the mountain foot. I can tell by the looks on their faces and by the uncomfortable vibes that this isn't exactly the best choice. We're low on supplies and we have to now go _back_ the way we came, only to finish some business that doesn't concern us. Then we must return to Hakonesia. Joy. Ultimate, fucking joy.

So we start our long walk across the sun soaked region, all of us looking a little miffed at the fact that we must once again _walk_ and about the terribly stubborn old man. Oh, and the Desians. Who could forget the freaking _Desians_? Arseholes. All of that aside, we have nothing to worry about until entering Palmacosta. Except of course freakishly oversized bugs that may pounce at any moment, given we _are_ in the sickeningly open fields.

Once again, _JOY_.

After a few minutes, the universal law of RPG kicks again and we get into a battle with (_gasp_) two of those ladybirds or Giant Beetles or whatever you want to call them. They come zooming towards us regardless, getting ready to ram into someone's stomach or face (preferably not the face) to start of the battle. With any luck at all they'll kill themselves by smashing into the floor. It's possible.

'Augh, what's with all the bugs?' I wonder, shooting repeatedly at one zooming towards Colette. 'Do they want food or something?'

Lloyd defends against one of them flying towards him with a diving attack, casting a glare over at a certain pet of his. 'Well, _someone_ ate everything last night.'

Noishe lets out a defensive whine.

'Whatever, lets just get rid of these things.' I aim and shoot with Fire Shot, causing one to ricochet off course and plummet to the ground. Lloyd finishes off the bug with a series of Sonic Thrusts while the others take care of the second one. Wow, it's putting up a good fight. But of course, it's no match against Colette's Pow Hammer. Hm, I wonder if I have a union attack with her. Shock Hammer … Fire Hammer … damn, I want another union attack.

'They're getting easier,' I mumble to no one in particular.

'I guess we're getting stronger,' Lloyd answers with a grin. 'C'mon, let's go.'

And go we do, resuming our long trek through the plains, unscathed and in higher spirits with two giant dead insects behind us. But of course, after a few minutes everyone's fatigue seems to catch up with them, including mine. My knees feel like concrete in a matter of minutes and we begin to slow down to a kind of shuffled walk. Noishe, you could be _really_ helpful at times like this. But nooo, you have to carry the supplies which we have practically none of.

After around half an hour of walking and passing the House of Salvation, we begin to hear this weird noise, kind of like growling from afar. We stop walking and look around for the sound's origin, seeing quite a large caravan (by large I mean that the wheels alone are bigger than Kratos) being pulled by two of those … ugh, what are they called … Velocidragons! Like the ones that the knights ride in the Asgard and the Luin area. Y'know, strapped with armour and such.

Before we can discover if this randomly caravan that seemingly popped out of nowhere is of any threat to us, it rides up beside us and a door from very much above is thrown open. A tanned man with a block goatee and a white hat looks down at our weary group with a questioning glance.

'You guys need a ride?'

'Are you headed towards Palmacosta?' Genis asks, using a hand to shield his eyes from the sun's glare as he looks up at the randomly generous man.

'Yes, we're passing by that way,' he says. Suddenly, another head pops out from inside the caravan, this one belonging to a little girl who is childishly cute. She's your typical five year old: massive brown eyes and curly hair peaking out from under a hat similar to her father's.

'Dad, they look funny …' she says, blinking down at us. At her comment, I have the most terrible urge to slap Lloyd with my pistols for his taste in clothing, or even better – I should smack Dirk for making them for him. _Why_ are Lloyd's only other outfits in the game classy, revealing and PIRATE centric? Why can't he just be normal?

'May, that's a very rude thing to say,' the man scolds her, looking over his shoulder. 'Get back in before you fall.'

The girl obediently leaves the scene as the man turns back to us. 'You getting on?'

'It's better than walking,' Lloyd says with a shrug. 'Let's accept his offer.'

'Yeah, let's do that,' I say, a little relieved. I _really_ wasn't looking forward to walking all the way back to Palmacosta after coming _from_ Palmacosta. It'd hurt. Well, enough of my ranting. I climb the ladder after Genis, having to stretch to reach the next bar to pull myself up.

Damn I'm short.

Once safely within the warm shelter of the caravan, a young man sitting on a stool thing at the front who seems to be steering the Velocidragons gives them a quick whip and off we go at a comfortable speed. Next to him sits blue-haired woman in a long coat who looks over her shoulder and smiles at us and helps him guide the dragons before they can pull us into the ocean or a monster packed forest.

'My name's Colette,' our blonde says, bowing a little bit. 'Thank you so much for your help.'

The man waves his hand in a "pass-it-off" motion. 'Don't mention it. I'm Nova, a zoologist. I travel around with my family studying the animals of the world.'

'Really?' Lloyd asks, who I realise has taken a seat on the floor in the corner. 'You guys looked like you were on a pilgrimage or something. Isn't it kind of weird to study animals at this time?'

Lloyd's question is answered by a sharp blow to the back of the head, delivered by his _loving_ teacher. He nurses the mark with a small growl as Genis attempts to stifle yet another laugh. What a meanie, laughing at his friend's misfortune.

Okay, I lie, we all do it. We're only human; I swear it's something in the brain.

'What a fascinating occupation …' Raine marvels as Lloyd moves away from his teacher. 'You must be very knowledgeable.'

Nova laughs at her comment and takes a seat beside the opposite wall with his daughter. 'Ha ha … I just like seeing different kinds of rare animals …'

'Yeah, yeah!' May interrupts, waving her arms. 'We saw a _giant_ glowing bird before with two heads!'

'A bird with two heads?' I say from my place next to Colette, pulling a face. 'Ew … that sounds kinda gross.'

'It might have been Aska, the summon spirit of light …' Raine wonders, pulling her backpack from over her shoulders and pulling out a small and worn looking leather book. That must be her ruin book that Genis told me about in the Fire Seal when I asked about the symbol associated with Earth. I still have to look into that, by the way … and I'm thinking it was only Triet that had an Earth-whatever-it-was, but I'm not quite sure. I guess I'll have to look around properly when we reach the Water Seal. And see if there's another one.

Okay, now that's out of my system. Just wanted to share some assumptions there.

'Do you have a recording of the animal?' Nova asks, leaning over to look at Raine's ruin book. The Professor shakes her head, continuing to flip through tatty pages crammed full with text and diagrams and a few loose papers here and there. Geez, it looks like the whole of Sylvarant's ruins have been recorded in there. I don't think she travelled before going to Iselia, so I have _no_ idea how she got so much information. Kinda scary if you wonder about it too much …

'No, but I have a diagram of what the summon spirit is supposed to resemble.'

'A bird with two heads,' I repeat.

'Yes.'

'… Ew.'

Nova and Raine discuss the summon spirit for a good ten minutes before I decide to give up on listening and dig around in my satchel for something interesting to occupy myself with. I fail, actually … it seems I have _nothing_ of interest except that book on Desians that Genis gave me, but I'm not up for reading right now. See, I'm still kind of tired and my legs hurt. Don't ask me how that affects my reading. It just does. So, I'm stuck with doing nothing but watching the green countryside fly by while the others talk on about Aska. I should be listening, but I paid enough attention in the game. Luna's a stubborn bitch who needs Aska back before she can make a vow, blah, blah … blah.

At this point, half-way through a lecture on how Aska could be dangerous if approached, I notice something across the mountain that arches on the stretch of land outside Palmacosta. Behind it I can see what looks like smoke, but its greener and more pollute looking than ordinary fire smoke.

'What is _that_?' I question, pointing to the smoke. Raine looks a little annoyed at being interrupted but leans over and looks out of the window all the same.

'Hm … it looks like a DM wasteland has appeared …'

'… A DM wasteland?' I ask, looking up at her. She nods and sits back down.

'Yes. I'm sure I told you about how Human Ranches let out mana that is unusable in Triet.'

I nod at this, remembering vaguely.

'Most of the mana will be drawn to a certain place that lacks living things, like a wasteland. That place then becomes polluted with disposed mana (DM). People tend to stay away from it …' And back to Nova she goes.

Hm … I remember about the mana that the human ranches let out … I guess since those places are lacking rejuvenation from when the mana flows were switched, the mana let out immediately goes to heal it. But, since it's unusable, I guess it just sticks around and pollutes the place. I wonder if monsters can go there. I hope not.

'Those places freak me out …' Lloyd murmurs, looking out the window. At my questioning glance, he explains. 'When I was little I fell into one of the springs that had been polluted.'

'Not nice, huh?' I say, sitting back down.

'It feels like your life is being sucked right out of you.' Lloyd shivers. 'I hope we don't end up having to go there.'

I lean against the wall and sigh. 'I doubt we will. I know I'd be against it if we did.'

And so, we sit in relative silence until we ride up to what looks like the giant stone circle just outside from the bridge that leads to Palmacosta. Apparently, while I wasn't listening May gave Genis a Linkite nut from the tree that they were talking about. It doesn't look that appealing … kind of like an aubergine with lumps gone wrong. Ah well, we take the nut, Raine packs up and we hop off the caravan and meet up with Noishe, who seemed to be running alongside it as we were travelling. Obedient thing, aren't ya? Yes you are! Yes you are!

Shut up Charlotte.

We wave goodbye to Nova and his family as they set off to a nearby forest and start across the paving that makes up the circle and down the stairs. From here I can see through a small gap in the houses in the city the hanging instrument set up, ready to take the life of Cacao. Who didn't actually _do_ anything, by the way.

'Guys, it looks like their going to hang someone,' I say quietly. 'They have all of the apparatus set up …'

'Those damn Desian bastards!' Lloyd seethes. Try and say that really fast five times. 'I swear they're gonna pay.'

Kratos, wash your son's mouth out with soap! The _language_ he uses! Well, he can't have gotten it from Kratos or Anna. I blame Dirk. There _IS_ another side to him after all!

Evil dwarf. We love you really.

And so off we go on our merry way, running down the bridge and into the city of Palmacosta, read to kick some Desian ass. I know I am.

* * *


	27. Cardinals and Wastelands

* * *

Chapter 27 - Cardinals and the Wastelands

'So, why do you think they're doing this?' I say as we make our way through the city. Everywhere is practically deserted except for a few fear stricken people here and there mumbling to themselves. It's very different from its usual bustling atmosphere, but I guess rather than get on with their day they're keen to watch someone be hanged even if it is a sickening display. Even the shopkeepers have deserted their shops to watch this. I wonder if it's still Cacao who is actually punished …

I'd ensure more swearing from Lloyd at this point, but I don't get an answer from the group. I frown and consider asking again a little more loudly, but decide to leave it. I guess the last thing we want to talk about is why the Desians do these things, even though the question is brought up numerous times.

We finally make it to the back of the city where the apparatus is set up, just in time to see Cacao being led up some rickety wooden steps by a weird looking Desian in purple, her hands bound behind her back. It looks like one of those mage Desians, so I guess going to save her _now_ is out of the question. He could probably fry her if we make a move to early, so all we can do is watch him tug the noose roughly over her head and lead her to the currently sealed opening. Ah, fate, you do suck indeed.

Hm, it seems just seconds before getting here, our red haired grand cardinal of Palmacosta seemed to have arrived. Of course, we only notice because the Desians go out of their way to announce the burly man's presence, brandishing their whips and their staffs at the crown that quickly backs away. Plus, Magnius is kind of easy to notice amongst your crowd of average peoples, what with his massive muscles and his dreadlocked red hair. He's forever continue to scare me, and now even more so since we discovered he's creating those …_ things_. I'll have to find out what they're actually called, but judging from what Raine said when she used a magic lens, they're just for now classified as Human Robots. Just thought you'd like some info there.

'That must be Magnius,' Genis says as we stop on the bridge, our group silent agreeing not to take action until _ab-_so_-lute-ly_ necessary. The last thing we want to do is get anyone killed who shouldn't actually _have_ to be. I know Magnius killed that man in the game, but what if he doesn't exactly stop there? And what if Chocolat doesn't come and Cacao dies? Gah. Must think positively.

We watch silently as Magnius walks to the hanging device. I remember that man who was killed by him, and he's still there. I really just want to _do_ something, but I think I should stay put. For one, I could screw up everything (I don't know how, but it might), and plus I think it'd be in everyone's best interest if I _don't_ act like a retard in the next five minutes. But still, why is he just _standing_ there?

The man says something, but we can't hear it clearly from over here and over the buzz of whispering in the crowd. We _do_ however notice when Magnius turns to him, grabs the poor man by the throat and wrenches him into the air. My mouth actually drops open at this, seeing as the poor man is actually quite well built and tall for his age. If Magnius can life a full grown man off his feet with one hand, I'm actually dreading what's going to happen later if we end up infiltrating his ranch. 'That's LORD Magnius, vermin!'

A terrible crack cuts the sudden silence that overcame the crowd as the man's neck breaks and he falls limp, lifeless in Magnius' hand. The half-elf's grin makes me want to throw up a little as he lets the man drop to the floor, wiping his bloody hand on his trousers. I think I actually might hurl when I look at the dead man, flood flowing freely from his neck and dripping from his mouth. Judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, they're probably thinking on the same wavelength as me. Even Kratos looks a little disturbed.

Magnius climbs up to the platform and the Desian that lead Cacao up gives him a quick salute before announcing the situation to the terrified crowd who seem to have backed away more, no one daring to come forward and remove the man's body.

'This woman defied the wishes of the great Lord Magnius and refused to provide us with supplies,' he says loudly over the people. 'Therefore, while the designated death count had been exceeded, we have been granted orders to carry out this woman's execution.'

I don't actually understand this, and I don't think I ever did. It was Chocolat who refused to sell them goods, and they're punishing Cacao for it? I guess Cacao is the owner of the shop and all, but shouldn't it be Chocolat who is punished? Hm, thinking about this isn't exactly going to get me anywhere … I should just watch and see what happens.

As the Desian continues to speak to the swarm of people, Lloyd takes a moment to finally declare something that seems to have been on his mind. 'Hey, why isn't the city militia doing anything to stop this?'

A young man who seems to have heard Lloyd's question to no one in particular turn to us. 'It's Thursday, so most of them are out training. They always exercise once a week on a Thursday.'

'They must have waited until they left!' Genis hisses to Lloyd. We don't want to attract attention, really. I wouldn't really like to be hanging from that noose in the next ten minutes because of someone shouting out something that would rather be sealed in their big mouth. 'Those slimy jerks!'

I come very close to asking Genis to say "jerks" again, but I am shoved roughly to one side and collide with Colette as a girl with a brown pony tail clambers through the crowd, pushing into the expanse of space where the Desians wait. Yep, it's Chocolat of to save her dear old mother, and _can_ she be any more oblivious at a time like this? Desians? Instruments of death? Scary guy with dreadlocks? Do you _see_ these things, woman?

I don't think she realises she could actually get the whole of Palmacosta into a _lot_ of trouble for just being brave and confronting the Desians. I don't think she's had a _proper_ encounter with them before, but they don't take kindly to people who are very upfront and courageous. And in our case, people with numerous sharp pointy things at magic and other various weaponry that they can be clobbered with. Because that's always a laugh.

Before she can get any further, a whip crashes down in front of her and stops her abruptly with a sharp yell. One of the Desians grabs her by the arms, restraining her successfully. I don't get why they'd bother, since she's not really capable of doing anything threatening at the least. If she does, Magnius can easily jump on her head and take her out cold, but I'm sure they have their reasons.

'Stop right there, woman,' another one says as she tries to struggle free from the Desian's grip, aiming a kick at his … male regions. Luckily for him, she misses, but now two Desians are restraining her. Wow, she has some guts for your average tour guide.

'You think Dorr will let you get away with a public execution?' she shouts up and Magnius, trying to twist out of the unyielding grips of the Desians holding her. Yes, because Dorr will _totally_ come and save your ass from fifteen Desians or more. Isn't he like, forty something? How exactly is he supposed to defend a city from a bunch of Desians?

'Dorr? Don't get your hopes up, woman!'

I finally turn to everyone else with a question, looking away from the scene for a moment. 'Do you think we should get in there or something? At this rate, we'll have three dead people for no reason.'

Lloyd sighs and murmurs 'Dammit. We should-'

'Is he _trying_ to get himself killed?' the guy that answered Lloyd's question earlier inquires randomly, looking towards a small boy who seems to have come into the opening while Chocolat was giving Magnius a piece of her mind. Well, the little lad seems to be armed with a handful of fairly large stone from the doc's garden and is currently hurling them the best he can at Magnius. It takes all of my willpower not to burst out laughing at this, to be honest.

After another two zip past Magnius' head, one grazes his right temple. He flinches slightly and a small bead of blood drips down from the wound. He wipes it away, giving the boy a glare that makes him drop the stones. They clatter to the ground and catch everyone's attention.

'You …' Magnius seethes, Cacao backing away from him as he leaps from the high platform, 'disgusting little _vermin_!'

The boy, obviously quite smart or just acting on an impulse, runs into the doctor's garden for … some reason. I don't know if there'll be something like a magical bubble of protection around her shop (and I doubt it very much), but I don't think he'll be very safe. There's always the chance that Magnius could secretly be a vampire and the doc grows garlic in her spare time, but that's also very doubtful.

I'm shoved again (including Genis this time) and Lloyd pushes past both of us and through the crowd, unsheathing his swords as he goes. This actually scares some of the crowd who then back away quickly from our suddenly very active swordsman. Once again following the rules of impulse, we go after him … but that doesn't mean we get away with walking straight through the crowd, so after a lot of pushing and shoving and answering to rather vile names that are thrown at us because of our sudden attitude and physical handling of things.

Lloyd seems to have stopped Magnius going towards the boy (who is now being dragged into the shop by the doctor herself), and he looks _really_ pissed. The worst thing is an annoyed look on the face of a guy you can totally _tell_ you shouldn't be dealing with. Like, he has a massive scar on his eye and his nose and some on other areas of his face, like he's been in a rather vicious battle and come out of it alive. Either that or he had a very violent dog, but being ToS, I'd put my eggs on the battle idea. I don't know about you guys, but interacting with these people is a BIG no-no in my books. I should just run away now, but alas, I'm here to aid these people in kicking Desian arse, and kick Desian arse I shall do.

Well, Raine seems to have taken it upon herself to go and smack some sense into Lloyd, and funnily enough, I wasn't serious about the smacking. It might scare away most of the Desians, but this _really_ isn't the time.

'Lloyd, stop!' she orders, grabbing his arm as he tries to advance towards the temporarily wounded cardinal. 'Do you want to turn this city into the next Iselia? The Desians are ruthless.'

'It's not the same!' Lloyd insists, shaking off her grip. 'This city isn't like Iselia! They don't have a non-aggression treaty with them. How can we regenerate the world if we can't save the people standing right in front of us?'

Colette seems to finally be getting herself kicked up for the random speeches that they have in the worst of predicaments (that's what I love about ToS). She grabs her Chakram from a bag Genis is holding and manages to get through the last few people in the crowd.

'Lloyd's right!' she declares. 'I'm not going to stand here and let this happen!'

Well, everything goes nice and peachy for a millisecond or so before one of the mage dudes points his staff in Lloyd's direction. 'You! You're wanted criminal #0074, Lloyd Irving!'

… No really, why couldn't he just have said "you're a wanted criminal", or something? Is it _vital_ that Lloyd knows exactly what criminal number he is? And … does that mean that there are over 74 wanted criminals? Gee. Sylvarant is worse than I thought. Then again, they might just be wanted by the Desians, so they probably didn't _do_ anything. Lloyd's just a "criminal" because he has that funky Exsphere. And I still don't get how that's illegal! _Did_ you notice I'm rambling again?

Magnius manages to straighten up after Lloyd mumbles something darkly about wanted posters and how they suck. Aaargh, there's that grin again! Out of all of the Grand Cardinals, Magnius is the one that scares me/pisses me off more than any of them. Except Rodyle, but that's only when he turns into a massive, freakishly large monster with a Cruxis Crystal. _Then_ he scares me. Other than that he just makes me laugh.

'So, you're that boy with the Exsphere!' Magnius says as several of his cronies abandon the poor Cacao and Chocolat to protect their leader for the time being. The two securing Chocolat are still doing their job, just incase she tries to free her mother or something like that. 'Perfect! With that Exsphere, they'll make me leader of the Five Grand Cardinals! Get him!'

On his words, a mage at his side thrusts his staff at the three in the open space, sending a rather large and scorching Fire Ball in their direction after a little jig (which continues to amuse me to this very day). Oho, but _our_ mage isn't having any of that! I am again shoved out of the way and almost collide with a poor girl next to me as Genis runs to the front lines while Lloyd tries to defend himself with his swords. Sadly, the other two can't do much seeing as the spell would sail right through Colette's chakram and Raine doesn't have her weapon with her. But ah! It's Genis to the rescue with Force Field, which the spell bounces off with a resounding "_shing_". It sets fire to some grass growing through the cobbled paving, but I'm pretty sure you really don't give a crap. You might though.

'Armatures …' Genis taunts quietly, stalking to the back of the group so he'll be prepared if a battle starts. Back line and magic casting and all … or is that Final Fantasy? Durhhh, Charlotte you moron. You lose awesomeness points for being retarded, you do.

I can't help a small "hah" at Genis' attitude towards almost being blasted by a blazing mass of fire. It's not rare that I laugh at things in games, but this had me for ages when I first played, even if I was very confused. When I play games for the first time, I just get overly confused at what's going on (as you'll remember from the Tower/House of Salvation incident) so I just go through it and try to remember what happened prior. I think in Palmacosta Ranch I was all "duuuh … what's an Exsphere again?"

Bow down to the fact I suck _that_ much.

'Enough of this!' Magnius roars, probably pissed off at the fact that his super duper Desian mage got completely _humiliated_ by a little 12 year old boy, and trust me, it's worse than it sounds. Honestly. He looks up at the gallows, noting his unfinished business (and his reason for being here, mind you … he could just like … leave us alone) 'I'll take care of this woman first!'

One of the Desians behind him quickly moves to the wheel on the side of the apparatus, gripping it tightly a wrenching it to one side with an awful creak that makes me flinch a little. The door underneath Cacao's feet swings open, hinges screeching in protest and the noose tightens dramatically around her neck. I can hear Chocolat scream, attempting to wrench her arms out of the Desian soldier's grips which seem to be completely unyielding. Just as the colour in Cacao's face changes quickly and vividly, a chakram soars past Lloyd's head with an exclamation from the blonde Chosen behind him.

Whoa. Colette has very good aim for a klutz. It hits the rope dead on and slices through it without fail, almost taking off the brunette's head as it comes back. Cacao's rather weak and frail form crumples to the ground after falling a few feet, hitting her right arm on the hard ground with a painful looking crash. Kratos, for some odd reason that I will forever try to figure out, runs from my side and towards Magnius, sword at the ready. Poor Magnius _really_ isn't getting a break today. Left alone among the crowd, I do the first thing that comes into my head and run to Cacao and Chocolat, seeing as the Desians have finally given up on restraining her and gone to help their lord who is looking pretty beat up.

'You guys okay over here?' I inquire quietly (there _are_ still Desians around) as I jog towards them, ignoring Raine when she tries to grab my arm to stop me. Uh, hello? Woman in pain here. This is really your job Raine, but seeing as we're about to get our arses kicked by purple clad Desians, we might want to prepare a little. I'll keep out of this one seeing as Raine, Colette, Genis and Lloyd will be taking part in this battle. It's better to have four all the time, really … too many people and we'd start getting in the way of each other, so we should always have others in the sidelines to throw us bottles and gels and whatnot. I speak logic and you know it! Yep, I'll shut up and help the poor, wounded old lady now.

'Uhh …' I mumble lamely as Chocolat helps her mother sit up. 'I can try and … just stay still for a minute …' I kneel down by Cacao and place a hand tentatively on her wounded arm, willing the mana in my body to cast a decent First Aid spell. After a moment, my fingers begin to feel numb from the amount of totally NON-existent mana I'm putting to use (I guess it's thinning out more) and a few green sparks finally appear … but that's it. No super healing and such, just a bunch of _crappy_ sparks.

I scold myself mentally for being such a twitty idiot and grab a spare Apple Gel from my satchel, handing it to the shop owner whose hands are now unbound thanks to Chocolat. 'Drink this. It should help.'

Without hesitation (or any that I notice), the wounded woman takes the bottle with her other hand drinks from it quickly. I'd actually _expect_ more of an uncertain vibe after someone you don't know hands you a potion claiming that it makes you feel better, but then it finally hits me and triggers my memory that she _sells_ these things in her shop.

I've been being stupid a lot lately. Anyone noticed?

'Are you an elf?' Chocolat asks out of the blue. I look up at her with a confused glance and realise she must be basing her claim on my _sad_ attempt at a First Aid. I guess only elves/half-elves can use magic … Kratos and Zelos had some _events_ that enabled them to be able to use such techniques, but that's about it. I know Charis said she slapped me in as a half-elf so it'd look convincing that I'm from at least _one_ of the two worlds if someone got suspicious, but I still want to give her a good kick for it.

'Um … sure,' I say quickly, turning back to the injured woman. 'Feeling okay? How's your neck?'

'Better …' she croaks, lightly rubbing a deep red welt in her skin. Eep, looks very painful.

'The doctor can-' I start, but cut myself off quickly as I notice the large number of Desians blocking out way. We can't exactly walk around _or_ straight through them, seeing as we're bound to get noticed. Maybe if the battle begins with Lloyd and the others, it'll be safe to move to the other side of the area to the clinic. '… Dammit.'

'What can we do?' Chocolat asks, still kneeling by her mother who is attempting to get to her feet. She wobbles a bit as the gets half-way there, but her daughter manages to support her with grabbing one of her arms and pulling it over her shoulders. I steal a glance at everyone behind us while we remain in the dark shade of the gallows.

'We wait for the Desians to disperse,' I mumble, nodding in the direction of the said barbarians. 'Then we can get to the clinic and get you looked at.'

'Thank you,' the woman says, her voice barely above a whisper. Gee, I hope she didn't damage her voice box or anything … that'd suck, and I can't read sign language. My sister in law who works at an old people's home learnt it in school, and she _did_ teach me how to tell someone they're gay, but none of the basics, sadly. I blame my nephew for the inquiry of dirty words you can do in sign language. We never even got around to _hello_.

Or you know, Cacao might have a perfectly fine and functioning voice box and I might be worrying over nothing. Probably, but you never know.

After an exclamation from Magnius (he said _crap_, haha …) and learning he's probably the only of the cardinals that swears copiously, he orders is Desians to make sure we get taken care of and teleports out of the place. I'm sure most people in the crowd pissed themselves just now, but we'll ignore that and get on with the show. I don't really want to fight, seeing as the Desians remaining could saunter over and drive a knife through Cacao's stomach if I leave, rendering them helpless and person-equipped-with-Exsphere less. Sure, Kratos could come over and cover them in the midst of battle if they _do_ decide to come over, but he's a lot more powerful than I am, so he'll just have to try and either not get in anyone's way or use magic from afar. I'd use magic but, oh yeah, it SUCKS. A LOT.

As the two sides engage in combat the crowd retreats quickly further back or into the closest buildings in fear of being struck in the battle. We remain in our place for a while, and quite soon the first Desian goes down, out cold. They'll probably throw them in jail or something, or execute them. Well, they _have_ gallows now.

Y'know, these events remind me of Gibbet Hill, not far from my home. It's a hill where they used to hang people in the olden days, so that's always freaky to visit. Then again, someone _did_ just die _here_ today. Whose body, might I add, has been removed by an unknown character. Probably one of the crowd or something.

The Desians go down fast, seeing as a bunch of them left with Magnius, suddenly deciding they'd rather not participate in battle. What a bunch of wimpy, wimpy baddies. We're not that threatening! We're short and armed with weapons, but we're not scary! Really!

I motion for Cacao and Chocolat not to move or do anything as I finally decide to pull out a gun, pointing at a Desian running up to Colette from behind, whip ready to crack down on the girl's back. I aim a little way ahead to avoid missing and shoot quickly, piercing his shoulder and his head with the small mana bullets. I don't know how hard these things hit, nor do I know how painful it might be _to_ be hit, but he goes down pretty fast as Colette notices him just a little way behind her. She answers to this predicament, of course by yelping in surprise and throwing her arm up, chakram in hand, and hitting him. His head snaps back on contact and he crumples to the floor, the Chosen looking a little surprised at the pain she caused to the man (even if it was accidental). I believe a thumbs up is in order.

In my brief celebration, however, I didn't notice the Desian to my left slowly making his way towards us. Ooh, super shady. Like I'm not going to notice a mass of purple, black and silver against the dull colours of Palmacosta. I turn quickly and use Fire Shot of the man, who makes a break towards me after seeing that I realised his presence. The two bullets hiss through the air and connect with his helmet with a sharp "_ping_", not doing much besides stunning him a little. Genis, who I noticed now for some reason (probably because of the exclamation of the spell's name) casts Lightning on the Desian with a wave of his weapon, luminous forks of the energy charging down at the poor Desian who slumps to the floor. He must have been attacked by one of the others before we got to him.

Finally our short battle ends as the last Desian slumps to the floor, unconscious and covered in blood. I look around and notice Chocolat is quickly helping her mother stumble awkwardly to the clinic now the Desians are gone and she can get there without hassle. Chocolat looks over her shoulder at me quickly before I'm out of earshot and calls to me 'Can you wait in our shop until we get back?'

'Sure,' I answer as she turns and continues to take her mother to the doctor who seems to have noticed the approaching pair from her window. I notice that little boy from earlier; I can see his head bobbing up and down at the windowsill curiously.

The crowd seems to be thinning as people return to their shops/stalls/school/church. I notice one of the guards standing outside Dorr's place talking to a couple, the woman red faced and sobbing into the man's shoulder. They look pretty elderly … they might have been that man's parents. This is going to have a huge effect on those people it seems, but it's not like we can do anything to help them. The man's body is no where to be seen … hmm. I give up after a moment and walk over to join the others who are healing wounds and such.

'Are those two okay?' Colette asks, applying a gel to her wrist. I nod and cast a glance over at the clinic.

'Yeah, the lady's being looked at now. She's got a bad neck and probably done something to her shoulder, but that's about it.'

Lloyd finishes drinking a gel and looks around as if another Desian would randomly reveal himself and jump him. 'It looks like all the Desians are gone. What are they gonna do with the … thing over there?'

'… Burn it?' I offer.

Raine gives me a look and turns to the confused brunette. 'They'll likely take it down and use it for building.'

'You'd get a good door out of that,' I comment, looking over my shoulder at the large wooden mass, the broken rope flicking softly in the breeze (which I'm grateful for seeing as it's hot here, despite it almost being evening). 'Oh yeah! Those people … they said they wanted us to wait in their shop until they get back …'

'Why?' Lloyd asks, swallowing another apple gel. Raine offers another answer in place of my own.

'In the commotion, the shops would all have been deserted. It's a good time for thieves, seeing as there is no one to stop them taking anything.'

Lloyd's face falls. '… So we just have to watch it until they get back?'

'Yes.'

'… That's boring …'

He is of course, answered by a sharp slap across the head.

So, after those events, we have indeed got ourselves caught with waiting around in Cacao's shop. Raine and Genis are over by a bookcase, browsing through some interesting looking books (to them, anyways), Colette seems to be overflowing with worry, and she's pacing around a little behind the counter. I'd say something comforting, but I'm not good at things like that, usually.

I refrain from sighing to myself and lean on the wall next to the door. It's been … almost six days now? Whoa, six days and I'm only in Palmacosta. I'd expected we'd be in Luin by now … I guess you have to consider a lot of things, now that this isn't a game anymore. I guess I never considered the time span. I only regarded the camping scenes after seals had been released as days passing, so … yeah, I'm a little shocked. I wonder how long it will take for everything to finish. Probably ages … joy.

Plus, I've got the whole relationship thing to sort out. Charis told me to choose who I wanted a good, friendly relationship early, so I might as well consider what's happened so far. Well, Lloyd's a good kid … plus, he's a total and utter doofus. I don't know about others, but doofus like people are fun to be around. I don't think Lloyd's exactly fond of me since I can be (exceedingly) annoying at some times, but I think we're okay so far. Genis I'm not so sure about … I don't know how this will affect his "first half-elven friend" thing with Mithos later on, but I guess we're not that close. Plus, Mithos is a boy, and Genis would find it easier to bond with him. And taking my evidence from the incident on the way to Izoold, I annoy him somewhat.

Okay, Raine … this is a toughie. We're not exactly ripping at each others necks, but we're not exactly friends either. I'm sure we have our moments when I ask her about something like the Earth thing or the Palmacosta Revolution or something related to science/biology/whatever. I think I pissed her off with the Ossa Trail thing when I pointed out the right way, but she's not the type of person to hold a grudge for something like that (with the exception of Kratos, because she doesn't like him … _thug_ indeed).

Ah, Kratos. Somewhere, not-so-deep in my gut, I hate him. It may have been the fact that he continuously ignoring me and not considering my view on things or that dream I had, but I don't like him that much. Sure, I feel an overwhelming sense of pity for him because of the whole thing with Lloyd and Cruxis, and I _would_ prefer it if he just turned to Cruxis and told them to suck a fuck and he joined us. But that just won't happen, because … I don't know. He just won't. And that's what annoys me.

Finally, Colette. Colette, Colette, Colette. I'll be very honest with you. Before coming here, I _hated_ her. I loathed her more than anyone in the game (even Kvar! Simultaneous gasp!). But, I'm actually starting to like her now … not super-duper quickly; she stills annoys me a little, but I think we're okay. I'm the only female in the group close to her age right now, so we can relate in some ways, y'know? When Sheena comes along, it'll be a lot easier because we'll have finally maxed out the number of boys! Har har harrr …

That was irrelevant. But no one CARES.

After a few more minutes of standing around in perturbed silence, the door opens slowly with a small creak. Everyone's heads shoot to the direction of the door expecting to see the two shop owners, but we do not! Instead, greeting us with a small wave and a troubled but kind smile is …

'Neil? What are you doing here?' Lloyd asks from the counter (he was sitting on it). The secretary closes the door behind him and turns to us, holding up some old worn paper.

'I have urgent news for you, Chosen …' he says quietly, walking over to the wooden table.

Colette looks at him with confused eyes, noting the paper in his hand mentally before consulting him. 'Is something wrong?'

As Neil lays down the paper on the counter, Raine and Genis come over from the bookcase and Kratos and I come over to check out just what exactly is going on. Colette, still confused, looks down at the thing Neil has displayed to us.

'A world map?' Genis mumbles. Neil nods, giving the silver-haired boy a glance. Since Genis almost literally exploded in his face yesterday because of the incident with the book and everything … yeah. 'What do we need this for?'

Neil indicates a small ink line that he seems to have scribbled down on the map, close to the place where we camped out last night, not _very_ far from Palmacosta … just near the large crack of land that separates the Palmacosta region and the Hakonesia region. Ah, a sudden piece of information for you that I've noticed due to some markings on the map. The whole mountain range and the Thoda area are in Palmacosta's region … not only is it the biggest city in Sylvarant, it probably has the most land …

'There seem to be Desians here …' Neil informs us, prodding the ink line. 'It seems they're waiting for the Chosen. Magnius is developing a plan to eliminate the Chosen quite soon. We've heard that he's waiting there with them.'

This stuns us into silence for a few moments before Raine speaks up, taking in our situation. 'So you're saying we can't pass them.'

'Exactly,' Neil confirms, taking out a pencil from his front pocket and drawing a line from Palmacosta going north. 'However, there is another route you can take.'

'Through the mountains,' Kratos answers in a flat tone. Neil nods, drawing the line that continues on the edge of the continent.

'The Palmacosta Human Ranch is quite close to where the route ends,' he warns us, drawing a small circle to where it should be. 'But if you keep close to the mountains you shouldn't be noticed be any Desians on field exercises.'

'That's …' Lloyd starts, sounding a little nervous … and the look on his face … he's watching the paper as though it just confirmed his death. 'That's where the wasteland is, right?'

'Lloyd, I don't think you're stupid enough to fall into another spring,' Genis says from the other side of the table. 'Though I wouldn't bet on it.' And so, our mage dodges a slap aimed at his head.

'He's right,' I say from Lloyd's other side. 'When you last fell in, you were like …'

'Three.'

'So, yeah! You're not going to fall in _now_ are you?'

'If … we could get back to the matter at hand,' Neil suggests, turning his and everyone else's attention back to the map. 'From where you leave the mountains, if you follow a pathway you should be able to visit the House of Salvation before heading off again.'

'Yeah … we need to ask them about that statue thing,' Lloyd mumbles, probably remembering the deal we made (were forced INTO more like it) with Koton earlier today.

'Statue?' Neil asks, looking up at the brunette.

'Uh … nothing. Hey, don't we still need a road pass to get through Hakonesia Peak?' Lloyd wonders, looking up at us. Hey, we DO need a pass! Why didn't we sort that out when we were AT Hakonesia? Gawd, we're dumb.

'Let's get out of the Palmacosta region first,' Kratos tells him firmly. 'Then we can sort out our remaining loose ends.'

'Yeah. It's not safe here anymore,' Genis sighs, straightening up as Neil takes back the map, folding it up and returning his pencil to his front pocket.

'Indeed,' Kratos murmurs, running his hand through the mass of auburn before his eyes. 'The Desians in this region seem to be acting unusual. They are not usually so … enthusiastic.'

Well maybe, Kratty, it's because Rodyle is tricking Magnius into thinking he must kill the Chosen now she is in his province. I never did understand the whole thing with the Five Grand Cardinals very clearly … they're constantly tricking each other or killing each other or swapping sides with each other. It makes you want to throw your Gamecube out of the window and play Final Fantasy or something along those lines. Most games piss me off if I can't grasp what's going on (which is most games, actually).

'Well … that is all, Chosen,' the secretary verifies, bowing the slightest at our blonde team mate in a sign of gratefulness. 'Thank you for your small time. I wish you the best in your journey to bring us our long awaited salvation.'

'Take care of yourself, Neil!' Colette tells him with a smile as he turns to leave. We watch as he leaves, stopping momentarily at the door as he pulls it open. He mumbles something and abandons his grip on the door which swings shut with a loud creak. Confused glances are exchanged throughout the group, but before anyone can open their mouth a comment on Neil's behaviour, the door is once again pushed open. This time, it's finally the two shop owners that have returned from the clinic, and who Neil must have said a quiet hello to. Aha, so he HASN'T gone mad! Cacao has a sling around her arm and Chocolat is carrying a bag, probably full of medicine or painkillers or something to aid their current situation.

'Oh!' Colette exclaims upon seeing the state of the elder woman in the doorway. 'Are you feeling better, ma'am?'

'A lot better, thank you,' Cacao answers with a smile, looking Colette up and down quickly as Chocolat places the bag on one side of the counter. 'I believe you are the Chosen of Mana, or was it a mistake?'

'Ah … I am the Chosen,' Colette mumbles. 'Although I don't act like one very much …'

Cacao shakes her head, still smiling a little. 'Nonsense. You were very courageous back there. I owe you my thanks; without your help, Chosen, I would have died.'

Colette is blushing a little bit from the compliments she's receiving from the shop owner. She murmurs a thanks and begins to fiddle with the rim of her sleeves nervously. Kratos finally takes it upon himself to turn to the brunette swordsman still seated upon the wooden counter and hiss "_Lloyd_" in order to smack him into realisation. Lloyd sits there dumbly for a few moments, giving Kratos a confused look before _finally_ getting it. He scrambles quickly from the counter and apologizes to Cacao who shrugs off the matter (with one working shoulder, of course) and walks over to her daughter.

'I'm going to close the shop and lie down for a while,' she tells Chocolat who looks up from the bag, a little concerned. 'I'll be alright while you're gone. Good luck on the Asgard pilgrimage.'

'You're on a pilgrimage?' Genis asks, looking over at the brown haired girl who watches her mother head upstairs. She shakes her head and walks around to the other side of the counter, looking around in the lower shelf.

'Not really. I work with the Church of Martel Travel Agency … but I don't really believe in Martel or anything like that.'

'You don't believe in Martel?' Raine asks, raising an eyebrow as Chocolat straightens with a backpack in hand, swinging it over her shoulders. 'Even with the popularity of the religion?'

'Martel didn't protect anyone close to me,' Chocolat tells us, brushing some hair behind her ear with a cross between an angry and a solemn look on her face. 'After the Desians killed my father and took away grandma, I just stopped believing. No matter how hard I prayed or how much I asked, it's only the Chosen that helped us. While Martel sleeps, the Chosen is the only one making a difference in the world!'

'At least it sounds logical,' I say randomly. Shut up, I haven't spoken for a long time.

'I understand your views,' Colette says with a smile, moving around to the other side of the counter. I think she's realised we have to leave pretty soon unless we want to camp out in the wasteland, and I know a certain _someone_ who'd be very much against that. 'But I still think Martel exists inside you and me.'

'You really think so?' Chocolat asks before actually noticing the time. 'Oh, it's getting late! I have to go now. I'll see you again, Chosen! Good luck on your journey!'

'Thanks! Be careful out there, Chocolat!' Colette warns her, waving to the young shop keeper as she heads outside, pack slung over her shoulders. We stand in relative silence for a few moments as the door clicks shut behind the young tour guide and immediately begin to pack our stuff up and gather our things together. Lloyd drops some coins into a small wooden cube with a slit that looks like a money box, so I'm guessing it's the shop till (effectively glued to the counter!) and takes two Apple Gels from a shelf. I consider telling him to just leave it since we brought a bunch yesterday, but I suddenly remember that we _used_ some yesterday, Noishe ate most of them last night and we just used a bunch in the Desian battle. So yeah, shut up Charlotte.

Once we're ready, we leave the shop and make sure to lock it on our way out (since there might still be thieves crawling around Palmacosta) and set off on our way. I wonder about a few things as we walk, like the things we might have forgotten to do or missed out in the city, or before in Triet or Izoold. For Triet, we can't really do anything seeing as … well, it's not _there_ anymore. I'm glad the fortune teller is alive (seeing as I'll be consulting her about my friendship levels when I get the chance), but I don't think there was much to do anyway. Izoold … nope, did everything. But with Palmacosta, I can't help but feel that the whole deal with Cacao, Chocolat and Marble isn't being as … well, they don't tell us as much as we need to know. Hm. You can only wonder (or dread) what will happen later on.

It's getting late again. It's like when we left Palmacosta last time, but a bit lighter; the sun isn't exactly setting. Hm, I wonder – if we keep up this pace – if we can cross this … wasteland thing by nightfall. I don't really know what it's like there or if it's just Lloyd and his apparently distressing experience with such a place, but I don't really want to camp out there. It sounds really weird and freaky …

It occurs to me that we didn't actually buy new weapons or armour while we were here. Since the monsters will be getting stronger (and we're pretty damn close to either infiltrating a human ranch or kicking the crap out of … a weird purple monster thing that disguises itself as little girls) it'd be reasonable to buy some better things, no? But I don't think they'll sell guns. This is Tales of Symphonia, after all. Then again, the guns _are_ just based on pulling mana in from the air and shooting it out again … maybe they'll have something like this in a Desian or a Renegade Base. I'll have to keep my eyes pealed for treasure chests or storage rooms where I might be able to get my hands on a new weapon. Hey, you know what would be cool? A mana grenade launcher. That'd be awesomeness.

'So, gang,' I say, pulling up a word I don't think I've spoken aloud around a year. Until now, of course. 'Do you think we should drop by the market down by the docks and get some weapons?'

'Oh man,' Lloyd groans, holding the hilts of his swords protectively as if someone were about to pluck them from their scabbards and sell them to a random shop owner. 'But I like these swords …'

'You can buy better ones,' I say as he mumbles something under his breath.

'Hey, I've been meaning to ask …' Genis starts, looking down at my holsters where my pistols rest. 'What exactly are those things?'

I grab one by the handle and pull it out, handing one to him. He looks at it a little suspiciously before taking it with two hands and looking over it like he would an old artefact.

'They're guns,' I tell him. 'They pull in mana from the air and just shoot it out in solid form. Pretty nifty, if you ask me.'

'They don't sound very powerful,' Genis remarks, handing the weapon back to me. 'Where did you get them?'

Oh crap. 'Uh … when I was walking up to Martel Temple on my own. One of the Desians must have dropped them or something.' Sounds believable for now.

'They certainly look like Desian technology,' Raine comments as I drop the pistol back into its holster and as we continue to our new destination: the market. It should just be across another bridge near the inn, as much as I remember from the game. I didn't come through that way when we first reached Palmacosta, seeing as I was asleep after hearing my two favoured game consoles converse in my brain. Hopefully the shops won't be closing down anytime soon; seeing as Cacao has shut hers up to get some much needed rest, the other shop owners might have followed suit and packed away for the day.

'I've been wondering …' Lloyd muses aloud, staring up at the darkening purple sky. 'You know these Desian Grand Cardinals or whatever they're called? Can they all teleport like that?'

He must be referring to the moment where Magnius warped out of Palmacosta just before our battle. Hey, I've been thinking about that too … I _think_ Pronyma can do it, I'm not so sure about Kvar, Rodyle and Forcystus though. I _do_ know Rodyle flies around on his dragons a lot though. No one offers him an answer and an insistent look is shared with the group.

'Professor? Kratos? Anyone?' he asks as we continue down the bridge to the docks. I settle with looking in the opposite direction towards a large and rather impressive steam boat packed with sailors, scurrying around the dock like desperate insects.

'It is based upon concentration,' Kratos finally answers, rubbing his right temple with a sigh. 'That is why it is rarely used when in combat …'

'Oh …' the younger swordsman mumbles. 'Hey, if I practice enough-'

'It would be impossible for you, Lloyd.'

The boy pouts childishly, looking over his shoulder at the mercenary. 'Oh yeah, why?'

'The Grand Cardinals use a certain type of Exsphere,' explains Kratos, looking up at the boy with a hand resting on the hilt of his sword. 'It allows them to escalate their powers to unreachable limits for an average human being.'

'You seem to be knowledgeable of the Desians combat strategies,' Raine observes quietly from Colette's side at the front. I sigh to myself as the tension between the two continues to build, and it _will_ continue to build over time until one of them is left without a head … or an arm, or a leg.

Raine's tone and choice of topic earn her a bored, if not slightly piercing look from Kratos. 'While under orders from a previous client, I faced a cardinal in battle,' he says in a clipped tone. 'Their battle skills defiantly have varied greatly from people I have faced.'

We all fall silent for a few moments, staring either straight ahead or to the side, mindlessly observing the glittering expanse of ocean over the tall railings. Hm, they looked smaller in the game … if I stretch, I would just be able to rest my chin on the upper rail. We continue like this for a while, not making eye contact with each other or opening our mouths in an attempt to converse. For a moment, I cough despite how much my mind was telling me to hold it in and shut up, to refrain from disturbing the silence. I didn't listen, of course, and coughed anyway. It made no difference whatsoever to the sudden tension of the group.

I really want to whine about it being too hot.

The climate, it buuuurns. I want to go back to England.

After more moments of adverse silence, we reach the market place. Instead of the area being full and bustling with shoppers as I had expected of an average bazaar, the place is sickeningly quiet with a buzz of whispers and private mutterings in the air as though the Desians still prowled among them, whips at the ready.

Before I can comment on the eerie stillness in the air, something wet hits my cheek and rolls down my face to my chin. I blink and bring a hand up to wipe it away, only to be hit by another … and another … and a few more.

'It's raining,' Genis mutters, looking up. I have to do everything against my willpower to slap him around the back of the head and shout "well, DURRR", but I manage to control it and rub my face free of the offending rain drops.

'What if it turns into a storm?' I ask, looking up at the grey, orange like clouds that curl around the sky almost dauntingly. 'I'm not feeling too keen on sleeping through rainfall.'

'Neither am I,' Kratos agrees quietly, not looking away from his gaze's current interest. 'The Desians would track us down quicker should we remain in Palmacosta. It'd be best to sleep through a storm than-'

'Be cleaved and chopped by Desians?' Lloyd offers, also casting a glance to the sky. 'What if we all get colds?'

'A risk I'm sure we are willing to take,' Kratos mutters stiffly. 'I'd personally favour sneezing constantly over having my head cleaved from my shoulders.'

'Good point,' Lloyd acknowledges with a wince at the thought of headless mercenaries (or something worse, but I don't know what could be scarier than a headless Kratos at the foot of your bed in the dark with a bloodied sword screaming bloody murder through a non-existent mouth – okay, cue the nightmares once again).

We come up to a stall lined with glittering weapons of all shapes and sizes, swords and mage staffs, daggers and broadswords, small axes and much more that I don't know the names of. I notice Genis to one side all of a sudden looking through a barrel packed with different kinds of long weapons, spears and long swords and I _think_ I spot a whip. It must be from a clumsy Desian that dropped their weapon in the middle of a fray. Why is Genis interested in javelins and such things? Something to ponder on, maybe.

I yawn as the group begin picking out new weapons, knowing very well that a gun wouldn't be resting among the weaponry that means nothing to me and take interest in some armour on another side of the man's shop. I think I'd be better suited with guards instead of robes and chain mail. I'm not the kind of person that'd run around in battle with a robe billowing around everywhere and I'd probably collapse at the attempt to catch a fast monster with the weight of metal weighing me down.

'See anything you like?'

I look up at the brown haired man who rubs at his stubble as he eyes me curiously. I shake my head and he turns his attention back to Colette and the others (the said Chosen is holding a dagger up to the light and Raine is making a desperate attempt to pluck the weapon from her fingers before some ends up with three fingers or less.

My eye catches something rather cool lying against a heap of bracelets and circlets used to for some sort of defence (how it will work, I'll never know). It's a light purple, stark against the heap of silver and grey. There's something written within the outside, but it's another language and doesn't use our common alphabet. It must be Angelic, or maybe something like those Chinese good luck charms with the symbols all over them. But of course, there _is_ no China in Sylvarant or Tethe'alla and there are only two languages in these worlds. Angelic and the common tongue that pretty much the entire population uses. That's all I know. There may be elven or dwarves, but I'm not so sure right now.

I reach out and take the jewellery from the pile and observe it closely. I don't recognise these markings at all …

'Hey, what's this?' I ask the shop keeper who looks up at me, noting the small object in my hand. I gives it a look over and drags his stool around to face me. 'An accessory, lass. It'll protect ya from any type o' water that comes yer way …'

'How much?' I ask, my hand already disturbing the items in my satchel, pushing and pulling in search for a few coins. 'I'm short on money, but-'

'Five hundred gald.'

'F-Five hun-' I sputter, hand stilling it's movements in my bag. 'For a _bracelet_?'

'Magic bracelet,' he corrects me, flashing me a toothy grin.

'Magic bracelet,' I sigh, continuing to search the bag. Okay, I've found seven 10 gald pieces and two 50 pieces that I drop onto the counter. I continue to search, my hands closing around something soft. I pull it out, wondering what kind of crap crawls into my bag on its own accord and find a piece of Magical Cloth. The threads tingle and tremor against my touch and the colours fade into each other in several different shades, the scrap living up to its name as magical.

'How much will this sell for?' I inquire, looking up as the rain begins to fall a little harder. It falls down onto the cloth acting as a roof above the shop, dripping over the sides in large blobs. I shuffle closer to the rim of table until it's digging into my upper legs, but I'm dry all the same. The man takes the cloth from between my fingers, pulling out some glasses from a breast pocket and clicking them open, sliding them over his nose.

'Well, this here looks to be in good condition,' he examines it closer. 'No rips or stains … me best offer'd be 'bout … 750 gald.'

'Can I buy the bracelet with that?' I ask, wondering store credit and such back on Earth. Damn, I miss home.

'Of course. You'll be getting' 250 gald as spare change.'

'Cool,' I say with a small smile, scooping my change back into my satchel as well as the few coins that the shop clerk hands to me along with the violet bangle. I look it over once more and pull it over my hand and let it rest on my wrist, trying to see for myself if I can detect any mana at work. Hm … there's a small portion of lightning mana stored somewhere … and a little bit of something I can't quite put my finger on. It must create a shield against water, or at least cut down a full impact.

I look over at my comrades who are now receiving full attention from the shop owner (except Lloyd, who refuses to sell his swords from the Fire Seal). Everyone is armed with new weapons; Genis has a very cool looking kendama with spikes (which is just totally awesome), there aren't any new weapons for Colette sadly, and Raine has a cool looking battle staff … with spikes, again. I don't know who makes weapons to sell us, but they're trying to make the Sage siblings badass.

I don't know if he said something disrespectful or mean regarding a certain mercenary, but there's a hiss of steel as Kratos draws his blade. I consider grabbing his wrist to stop any bloodshed that could occur in the next few seconds, but I pause as Kratos simply hands over the artefact from the Temple of Earth to the man.

Ah, he's going to sell it.

You should see the _look_ on Raine's face.

'A relic from within the Fire Seal,' Kratos states in a flat tone. The man observes it closely, carefully running a finger over the sharp tip and travelling down to the hilt of the blade. He studies the texture of the blade and takes note of one or two chips in the sides, frowning a little when he does so.

'I see …' I shop owner mumbles. 'For such an artefact … I'd say 5000 gald.'

'2320,' Kratos corrects him, pulling up a steel sword from the barrel with a scrape and sheathing it. Wait, aren't those things only like … 1300 gald or something? Why is Kratos paying around double of what he has to? Apparently I'm not going crazy, seeing as everyone is giving him a look as though he was crazy (which he kind of is, but this is more stupid than crazy). Kratos scoops up the money he's received and returns it to his own satchel, still receiving funny looks from the others and now myself.

The mercenary takes another pair of swords from the barrel with one hand, drawing them out with another loud scrape of steel against worn wood. I notice these immediately as rapiers (must stop playing Soul Calibur 2 when I get home), pretty cool looking swords, and pushes them into Lloyd's hands without a word. Lloyd blinks, looking down at the new pair of swords he's suddenly been presented with. I _think_ … I _think_ he's confused.

'Uhh … Kratos, what-'

'If a client refuses to face logic and protect himself,' Kratos says, walking straight past the confused (and astonished that Kratos would do such a thing) boy, and heading to the bridge. 'I'll see to it that they aren't ripped to shreds by oncoming grasshoppers.'

'But – wait -'

We fall into silence for I think what is the third time today, staring after the suddenly a whole lot scarier man. Maybe he's plotting. Yeah, that's it …

'Lloyd, you should go and say thank you!' Colette chirps brightly, shifting her stare to the brunette swordsman. 'That was really nice of him!'

'Ah … yeah …' Lloyd murmurs, fumbling for his Mumei and handing them to the Professor. 'Sell these.' And off he goes in pursuit of the stubborn and overly confusing mercenary. Hm, strange group we have, huh? Lloyd must be one of those people that doesn't realise common sense until it's shoved into his face.

'… Does anyone else doubt their sanity right about now?' I ask, watching Lloyd catch up with his goal and slowing down to match his pace. Genis answers with a mumble of: "I think so" and we go after the two in front, already waiting by the side of the inn. Hm, it's getting darker … the sky is a mixed shade of red that grows darker by the minute, clouds blocking out the light of the setting sun. That doesn't help my sudden thoughts on Kratos and Lloyd.

Everyone question your sanity. Now.

---------------------

After a long while of crossing the next bridge leading out of Palmacosta in the rain now thundering down on our heads, we reach the outskirts of the city, soaked and miserable and showing no signs of drying anytime soon. I guess we're sleeping through this storm after all. Ugh, I'm drenched … my clothes are uncomfortable, plastered to my skin like a sheet of leeches and my hair has flattened one my head, straight. For now. When the rain stops and my hair dries, I'm pulling in at Frizz Station. Oh the joy.

Everyone looks as bad as me, to be honest. They're is utterly soaked, dripping wet and damp haired. Gee, even Lloyd's hair isn't in its usual place anymore (which is a refreshing change and funny to look at, just so you know). Noishe is looking very defeated, the poor mutt … he's whining every now and then which is getting on everyone's nerves pretty damn fast, and Lloyd even resorts to throwing an Apple Gel in the 'dog's' direction with an incoherent mutter about rain and dogs and wastelands.

I run a hand over my head, smoothing back small wisps of slowly curling hair (darn it) and groan, my whole body dripping with rain water, and tell them: 'We need umbrellas.'

'Are you kidding?' Genis answers, giving me a look. You know, the 'you're an idiot' one. 'We'd either get struck by lightning or it'd be carried off in this wind.'

'Indeed,' I mumble, mimicking a certain auburn haired man. I am ignored quite quickly after that. That is, until I'm dancing around as I walk while throwing my right arm in the air for _reasons_, mind you. This bracelet trinket should protect against water! If should be like a _shield_ or something! I continue to wave my arm around, failing glumly.

'Are you trying to catch the lightning?' Colette asks from one side, blonde hair plastered to her face. 'It'll hurt …'

'Yes Colette, I'm trying to catch the lightning,' I say, waving it around one more time. 'Oh, bastard!'

'It won't protect you against rainfall, Miss Harrison,' Kratos says quietly from the back of the group. 'It is designed for combat.'

This earns the group a few more swears from the dirty mouth of moi until Colette asks me very kindly not to say naughty words. I agree and quiet down, feeling the need to rip the useless bangle from my wrist and throw it at a mercenary's head. It will do me good, I swear.

We continue in silence. Well, not exactly silence if you count the roar of the thunder and the hissing of the wind and the rain, but we're pretty quiet for a while, heading south east so we can get behind the mountains. I'm sure I see a shadow or two pass by the group, but I'm assuming it's a bird in the sky just having a spasm or something.

… Until of course after a moment of buzzing another freaking Giant Bug pummels itself into my back. Before I hit the floor, I can see Colette was attacked too by another bug. Well, we both land face first in the dirt. Whoa, go us.

'That bug is going down,' I hiss, rolling onto my back and sitting up, wiping a glop of slushy mud from my cheek. Ew, ew, ewwww, it got into my mouth … I spit it out quickly, getting to my feet to see fire hiss between Genis' fingers. He throws it at the Giant Bug that attacked Colette, but it doesn't do much. Fire should fry these things on Earth. Damn you, Symphonia.

'Use lightning,' I call to him, spitting out some more dirt. 'Augh, gross …'

'Yuck …' Colette mumbles, wiping some muck from her face.

'C'mon, let's kill them,' I say, helping her to her feet. She whips out her rings and uses Para Ball on a Giant Bug zooming closer. As predicted, the lightning has a good effect on the dripping monster. It doesn't quite die, so Genis casts a quick wave of Lightning on it. A shock surges through its body and it crumples to a heap on the floor, sizzling and smoking.

'Tonight's dinner?' I ask, leaning over the twitching bug, fried and … still twitching oddly.

'Ew, heck no!' Lloyd protests loudly, smacking the remaining bug with his sword.

'What? Noishe ate everything else.'

'We're not eating a ladybird!

'I don't think it'd taste very nice …' Colette says quietly, prodding the twitching mass of black with her chakram. 'It's starting to melt …'

'EW, NASTY,' I yelp, jumping away from the bug I didn't realise was beginning to loose its limbs. 'Genis, you're gross!'

'_Me_?'

'Yeah!' I accuse him as he sends another bolt of lightning at another Giant Bug that seems to have entered the scene. 'Remember Ossa Trail? That poor Bear!'

Lloyd shivers visibly at the memory and I'm sure Kratos flinches, but luckily we of the female are left as normal. I don't know what it feels like to have a blade of ice rammed through your male area, and I don't want to know to be honest.

We continue the battle without another word to each other, throwing spells and weapons and other various things at the Giant Bugs swarming around us. Kratos and Genis are sticking to Lightning and Raine is just healing when she can. Colette is using Para Ball over and over again (it's beginning to make my head hurt every time she shouts out the name of the attack) and I'm settling with Shockwave. Poor Noishe has retreated somewhere with our stuff.

I yelp loudly when Genis misses a Giant Bug and hits me with Lightning. It _buuuuurns_. Luckily, the bracelet has a hint of Lightning mana, so that's all good. At least I'm not _dead_.

'What … there are loads of them!' I complain as another five head towards us from seemingly nowhere. They just keep coming and coming … there's about ten in the battle now, and I think the most difficult one you can get in ToS is 4 on 6. This is 4 on … a continuously growing number!

'Shall we retreat?' Genis yells over the buzzing and another loud crack of thunder. 'I can't …'

'Hit them, we know,' I hiss, smoothing my hair back down again. I groan in frustration as another Giant Bug zooms past by head, scratching my ear. 'Okay screw you guys, I'm running!'

'I'm with Charlotte!' Lloyd proclaims, avoiding a diving attack.

'I'm tired …' Colette mumbles. I don't know if that was an 'I'm running' or 'I'm staying', but I'm sure we'll find out seen enough.

'Onwards!' I yell over another rumble of thunder, pointing at the mountain range. It seems the whole group is finally agreeing on something and we run. Fast. But that doesn't mean the Giant Bugs don't follow us.

So, we have six rather sopping wet people running as fast as they can across a slippery field (as we have no experienced first hand, I think bitterly as I wipe some mud from my upper lip) being chased by a buzzing swarm of angry looking and sounding Giant Bugs. And they really are giant … they come up to my waist when they're on the floor, so that's pretty damn big for a ladybird, no?

'Will they _stop_?' I shout over the buzzing and rumbling and cracking. Oh, and the hissing. Bloody rain.

'Once we reach the wasteland, they should stop following us!' Raine answers, swinging he staff behind her at a fast approaching bug. It is speared on the spikes of her new weapon and falls limp to the ground. One down, around twenty more to go.

'Mana shortage?'

'Yes.'

'… Wait, does that mean we'll get weaker?'

'Yes!'

Hm, I wonder if we'll be able to keep running as fast as we are when we reach the wasteland. Since it's surviving on mana that doesn't do it's job, I'm guessing it's going to get some out of the nearest source, AKA: our bodies. I don't think it'll take much though, especially if we have six bodies packed with mana. We'll be fine for a day.

Oooh, I don't want to camp out in the wasteland. It's freaky.

I have the weirdest urge to start screaming "Cramp! Cramp in the side! Oh the pain!", but I don't. It _does_ hurt though, a lot. I have to now keep one hand firmly on the cause of pain while running in a desperate attempt to get away from the swarm of bugs. Hey, they seem to be slowing down and turning away … WOOHOO, WASTELAND GALORE.

Kind of. The ground under our feet is a lot harder and a horrible shade of grey … I _think_ it _was_ dirt, but now it just looks like cracked, horrible … wasteland. I notice one or two trees dotted around the area too, but they're lacking their greens and they're all withered or withering, branches stiffening and curling. I make a face at this place, feeling my spirits drop like a stone. There is water … small sections of water every 100 meters ahead of us (the wasteland is pretty big), but there is one little turn off.

They're green. Not mucky, sludge green like in swamps, but it's like a luminous light green glow, as if someone had painted a light bulb lime and inserted it at the bottom of each pool. I wonder how deep these things are. The glow illuminates everything within several yards, giving almost the whole of the plain an eerie glow. And I don't know what caused this, but it's no longer raining … well, not as badly as it was before, but further ahead everything is bone dry.

I can see why Lloyd doesn't like it here.

'…Hm,' is my only response to the land before me.

'Let's keep going …' Lloyd mutters, rubbing his head. 'I have a headache.'

'Are you feeling ill again?' Raine asks, leaning down to Lloyd's eye level and placing a hand over his forehead. Lloyd looks about ready to push her away but mumbles something that I don't catch, seeing as I'm on the other side of the group.

'If you're tired, then we should rest here,' Raine says, straightening up and returning her Battle Staff to its case on her back. It's getting harder to see everyone seeing as it's now pitch black. They're all just illuminated by that eerie green glow.

'No … let's just get out of here …' Lloyd insists in what is attempting to be a firm tone. It doesn't work, of course.

'It seems Lloyd is vulnerable to the mana exhaustion,' Kratos enlightens us, arms folded over his chest as he looks down at the chestnut haired boy. 'We should travel for another few minutes so we are out of range from the monsters and set up camp.'

Genis disagrees, people. 'What? Wouldn't it be best to get out of this place instead of _staying_ here?'

'It will take at least three hours to travel across the wasteland,' Kratos says with a small glare at the silver haired boy. 'I'm sure Lloyd would rather rest than walk for another few hours.'

'Resting sounds good …' Lloyd mutters. 'Ow …'

'Head?' I ask. Lloyd nods in response.

'Let's just go …'

'Indeed.'

After forcing Lloyd to swallow an Apple Gel, we continue through the cracked land with him close to Noishe, one hand on the pet's side so he can steady himself if he decides to fall unconscious on us again. I don't think Kratos is up to carrying another weakened Lloyd because of a certain silver haired professor's accusations. I will continue to laugh for the rest of my life at this.

Hm, just wondered. What am I going to tell the teachers in my school when I get back? "Oh sorry, I've missed a few months off school because I've been inside a game." Whoop, straight to the loony bin, Charlotte! Something to think about. Y'know, I have a lot of things to think about. I've just realised that …

After a few more minutes of walking, Lloyd finally drops this big shield disguise he's been holding up and brings a hand to the side of his head, gripping at his hair in an attempt to make pain appear on the surface instead of inside his head. I do that sometimes … it works to some extent, but poor Lloyd is just left with a lot more pain.

'We'll stop here,' Raine says finally as we come close to a tree. Sure, because the tree just might have some remaining mana to spare us with. I think not, Professor. 'Lloyd is falling asleep on his feet.'

'M'not …' Lloyd mumbles a protest, leaning against Noishe with his eyelids fluttering open and closed. Noishe whines at the weight leaning against him, but at the glare from Kratos he knows very well that he should stay put and support the youth on the brink of consciousness.

'Hey, do you think we could bathe in there?' I ask no one in particular, pointing to another pool of shimmering water around fifty meters ahead of us. 'We and Colette are covered in filth and we're all bloody …'

'I'd advise against it,' Kratos replies quietly. 'You're likely to fall unconscious from mana shortage and drown.'

'… Great,' I mumble, closing my eyes and wiping away more mud before it can dry. 'Augh, this is sooo not comfortable. How long until the next city?'

'It'd be at least a three day walk to Asgard,' Raine tells, directing her answer to Colette and Genis who look up questioningly.

'Three more days without a bath …' I whine. 'Sucks …'

'If I recall correctly,' Kratos interrupts, taking his sleeping bag from Noishe's back. 'You were the one that begged to accompany us on this journey.'

'Wait … you _begged_?' Lloyd said, looking a little more awake at Kratos' claim. I could have _sworn_ that the mercenary had a flash of cruel amusement in his eyes just then.

'Well, kind of,' I reply, glaring up at the auburn haired man who drops his bags to the ground after taking them from Noishe. 'I think I'd be having questions asked if I just randomly came along.'

'I wondered why you were here in the first place.'

'Oh, thank you so much, _Genis_,' I reply a little more coldly than I had to.

'How the hell did you get him to say yes?' Lloyd asks, settling next to a seated Noishe, but his actions don't go without a whine from the dog.

'We had words,' I say, reaching into my bag and pulling out an apple. 'Long words.'

------------

Well into the night, almost everyone is sleeping and Noishe is chewing on five apple cores, all thanks to me. Gee, ain't I sweet. I still stand against my claims that apples are the best kind of food in Earth, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Well, I don't know about Tethe'alla so much yet, to I can't be sure. Apples will continue to rock my whole freakin' sock drawer.

I yawn, tossing another apple core in Noishe's direction. I've been sitting in a daze most of the night, thinking about these wastelands and just how many more we'll have to face. Being in one begins to take its toll after a while as I now know. First you feel light-headed and dizzy, and then you feel weak and start getting drowsy. Then you just topple over, dead to the world (as proved by Genis). The little half elf is curled up in his sister's arms, both of them sleeping soundly, blanket pulled over then and … well, not as wet as they were when we got here. I'm still dripping, since I made no attempt to clean myself up, and now I feel like punching myself. Repeatedly.

I murmur something and fumble for my blanket, grabbing fistfuls of the material and scrubbing down my wet arms and my face. It looks like I won't be sleeping on this tonight, or either I won't be sleeping at all.

… Hey, where's Lloyd?

Sudden realisation hits me and I put down my blanket, looking around the camp. Sage siblings? Check. Chosen? Check. Mercenary in need of shooting (repeatedly)? Check. Tree? Check. Noishe? Check. Crimson swordsman? Escaped!

'Oh … fumble,' I mutter, staggering to my feet and stopping myself from saying another one of those naughty words that might wake up the Chosen.

'If you worry for Lloyd, Miss Harrison, he has gone for a walk,' says a voice from Noishe's side of camp. I make a face at my new name. He's never called me Charlotte … not that I can remember at least, and I'm _glad_ he's not addressing me as "_girl_", but Miss Harrison? Ugh. I guess he doesn't respect me yet.

'Yeah, don't call me that,' I say, sitting back down.'

'I will stop calling you by your last name is you stop calling me … _Kratty_,' the mercenary mutters, saying his nickname as though there was a bad taste in his mouth.

'… No, that's pretty much near impossible,' I sigh in defeat. It's one of those things that come out like carbon dioxide to the air. Can't help it.

'Then, Miss Harrison, I ask you sleep.'

'Wait, Lloyd went for a _walk_?' I say, loud enough to cause the Chosen to stir in her sleep and for Genis to mumble something. Kratos gives me a venomous glare that makes me sit down on my pillow with a quick _thomp_.

'No!' I continue, quieting my tone. 'Bad mercenary! Go and get him! Now!'

'Do not order me, girl,' Kratos says, his glare turning even colder than before. I feel as though someone dropped an ice cube down my back, minus the fit I'd be having right now.

'I'm … a client …' I say, the words trembling from my voice box as Kratos hears them.

'You are not paying me,' he says quietly, poking at the fire with a stick. I give up and shove a hand into my satchel still hanging from my belt and grab a handful of coins, not bothering to count them, and throw them at the stubborn mercenary. I notice something silver among the coins, cursing at myself mentally as I realise I threw him one worth 100 gald.

'That should be enough for five minutes at least,' I spit. 'Now go and get him.'

The mercenary gives me a look, and I have to say that it's one of the coldest looks I've ever gotten. He gave me that look in my dream, but I'm trusting fate won't be cruel enough to have Kratos tear apart my insides again. Just incase, I mumble 'please' as to not sound like such a brat. After a moment, I hear a shuffle and a whine from Noishe as Kratos gets to his feet, heading east towards the way we will continue in tomorrow. I watch him go and mutter a small curse to myself, getting back to my feet.

I feel like a terrible, terrible mess until a notice a small black book by Kratos' bag, illuminated only by the glow of the fire. A smirk crawls over my lips as I walk over to the vacant sleeping bag, scooping up book and hopping back to my own.

Kratos' diary. When was the last time I saw you?

I unclick the clip stud and flip to the latest entry. I swear I would have pissed myself laughing were I not in a tired state at the first sentence that has a long line struck across the sentence.

_I must remember to get my nightshirt back_.

_Triet was destroyed two nights ago by the Desians. I have a feeling that it was their attempt to reclaim Lloyd's Exsphere for Lord Yggdrasil, but my thoughts are not absolute. It could have been another group, but Triet is simply a small merchant town. It holds no interest or threat to anyone, even Cruxis. The Chosen's – or Lloyd's – presence might have been something to do with the matter, but I feel uncertain. The three half-elves are of no interest to Cruxis, as well as myself. Lord Yggdrasil would bring no threat to Martel's vessel._

_I mustn't, but I fear for Lloyd's safety. We're becoming closer, even if it is at a slow pace. He asked me to train him when we reached Izoold after he had fallen after battle. He feels worthless, his skills dwindling. I'm still not sure why I agreed. Showing more attachment to the boy would hurt him when we reach the Tower of Salvation …_

_I'm being selfish. I'm taking what I can of the boy's company before the fateful morning we strive so hard for. The world is being led to its salvation, Lloyd and I to our own destruction._

_If the Chosen were to fail – to die – Lloyd would be spared. But Yggdrasil would still pursue him … the Grand Cardinals would hunt him for his Exsphere, tear him limb from limb if so inclined. I would not be able to protect him._

_I wonder if Lloyd would slowly begin to remember my identity if I spent too much time with him. _

_I saw him buy the girl a birthday present for Saturday the day we arrived in Palmacosta. I'm not sure she'll understand or appreciate his sentiment, but I'm sure it's the thought that counts, as the old saying goes. I don't know how I'll feel when they celebrate her turning of age when mine lies overshadowed, buried under new memories of his own._

_4028 on Saturday … I wonder if I'll ever stop feeling old._

Whoa, Kratos has the same birthday as me? And he didn't tell us? What an arse! I wonder if I should tell everyone or just leave it … well, since it's in his diary I'll acknowledge his desire to keep this private (kind of … I mean, I _did_ read it after all). At least I won't have to buy him anything … our little spat just now lost me over 100 gald. Bah … not good.

Hah, poor Kratos feels old. I'll buy him some anti-wrinkle cream. I remember being hit by my sister for buying that for her once … darn, I want to go home. And possibly avoid being hit by the mercenary.

… He's taking very long. What time is it? It's ZENTA time!

I close the book and close the clip-stud, walking quietly over to the mercenary's bag and trying to put it in the exact same place I found it. I straighten up with another yawn, hoping I won't have another weird dream if I fall asleep at the zenta. Maybe Kratos will drown me … or impale me on the tree … ah, the possibilities are endless. Maybe Noishe will eat me.

I reach into my pocket and pull out the small camera. I hope the rain water didn't break it or anything … nope, still working fine. I type in the password (I wonder if I can change it at any point) and set up the small camera/stalking device and send it East. Since the mana in this place is short and practically sucking it out of everything, it takes a while for it to kick into average speed. It's going very slow …

Aha! After a minute of searching, I find Lloyd but no Kratos. Lloyd is just kneeling by one of the pools, staring down at it as he would an annoying bug or a piece of homework. He seems to be concentrating, but I'm wondering what the _hell_ he can be actually doing. If you're scared of something, I know that you don't go near it, like me and water. Aquaphobia, go die now.

'What are you doing?'

Ah, _THERE_ he is! Finally.

Lloyd snaps out of his trance and looks up at the mercenary. They don't say anything for a few moments and Lloyd averts his stare back to the shining water. Kratos looks a little confused and raises an eyebrow at the boy's strange actions, probably wondering if the shortage of mana has done something to his head. After realising the mercenary's piercing gaze wouldn't falter or leave him anytime soon, he sighs and closes his eyes.

'I'm just thinking. Happy now?'

'Not really,' Kratos answers, walking closer until he stands at the boy's side. 'You're worrying the others with your odd behaviour. You should head back and get some sleep.'

'Just …' Lloyd sighs, staring down as though trying to look through the water. 'In a minute, okay? I want to try something.'

'If this is a private matter,' Kratos murmurs, lowering himself to one knee to get to Lloyd's eye height (which doesn't work anyway, seeing as Kratos is sickeningly tall for my liking), 'then I won't pry into your affairs. But to save me some sort of worry, would you mind telling me what it is you're going to do?'

Lloyd pauses his actions, looking up at the crimson eyed mercenary. He spots an alien emotion in there, something not suited for Kratos or who he seems to be, and quickly averts his eyes. I know how he feels; Kratos is like Medusa. His gaze is dangerous in some ways … it makes you feel shaky and like you'll fall apart if you look too long. Except of course, Kratos has a flatter chest than Medusa and his hair isn't made of snakes. You can't be sure … it _is_ all over the place.

'I …' Lloyd starts quietly. 'You know in stories … if someone goes back to a place connected to their past, they'll remember it, right?'

Kratos nods. 'You've come here to try and remember your family.'

Lloyd's face turns a light shade of red and he bows his head to hide it. 'Yeah … it's a stupid idea, I know.'

'It's not stupid at all,' Kratos says softly (_softly_? _Kratos_?). 'Following things that tempt the heart is a common emotion among people … it is something they cannot live with or without. They aren't bad things, your wants and needs …'

'But still …' the brunette mumbles, rising his head a little bit. 'If … if I could change-'

'It's impossible, Lloyd. Things in the past are locked away from us,' Kratos' face pains for a second or two as he said his words to the boy. 'We cannot change them.'

'But if I had made the right decisions, if I'd stopped and thought,' Lloyd protested, his voice cracking slightly in his throat, his thoughts about trying to stop his mother's death spurring on another memory rather left alone. '… Everyone at Iselia, they-'

'They're in the past now,' Kratos says quietly, settling a hand on the boy's shuddering shoulder. 'They cannot be brought back-'

'It was my fault, wasn't it?' Lloyd insists himself, hands curling into tight, shaking fists. 'If I'd just stopped and made the right choice, I-'

'Lloyd,' Kratos cuts in firmly, stopping the boy's words. Lloyd's mouth snaps shut at the mercenary's tone, but his shaking doesn't cease. I can see worry on the man's face through the screen, and it's a rare, pitying site. 'Calm down. I want you to do something for me.'

Lloyd looks up at the auburn haired man questioningly, rubbing away something in his left eye. He nods, signalling Kratos to continue with his proposal.

'I want you to keep looking into the water, and when I ask you, I want you to tell me what you see.'

Lloyd, already averting his gaze to the water, nods and continues to stare. I notice, when I inch the camera closer, that I can see something different than before. Lloyd is … more relaxed … his eyes look glazed over in thought, but his features aren't sharp like they were when I first studied him with the zenta.

Kratos moves his hand from Lloyd's shoulder to rest at the dip between his shoulder blades. Lloyd tenses up for a second, muttering something about how it tickles despite how he doesn't laugh, but Kratos just shushes him gently and the brown haired one continues to look through the water. This continues for a while, Lloyd continuing to look more and more out of it as Kratos watches intently. I reach for another apple, my arm freezing in mid air when I hear a quiet: 'Tell me what you see.'

Eyes glazed and unblinking, not concentrating and looking in the brink of consciousness once again, Lloyd mutters his answers to the mercenary. 'Mom … the villagers … people from Triet … Marble … everyone, they're-'

'Shh …' Kratos murmurs. 'Now, close your eyes.'

Lloyd does so, his eyelids slipping shut almost reluctantly.

'Now, tell me what you can hear.'

'Your voice …' Lloyd whispers, not trusting his own words to come out steady.

'What you can feel.'

I notice Lloyd has begun to shake more violently. 'Your hand.'

'Open your eyes.'

The younger swordsman ignores him for a moment until finally opening his eyes, looking a lot less insane than he did a moment ago which Kratos seems to be relieved at. 'Who is here?'

Lloyd falls silent for a long, long while, still kneeling by the pool with Kratos' hand resting comfortingly on his back. I have to say, what is Kratos_ doing_? He said it himself that he shouldn't become attached to the boy, but he seems to be paying no heed to his own logic when his son needs him.

Selfish Kratos may be, but he's so defenceless against guarded emotions let free for the youth's sake.

'… Just you,' Lloyd gives his answer.

'They can't hurt you,' Kratos tells him quietly, kneeling fully next to the trembling boy. 'It's not your fault they're dead. You shouldn't have to cry over their loss as if it were at your own hand.'

I don't know what happened to Lloyd in that second. He might have finally snapped, he might have lost all sense of pride for a moment, or he could have just had his defences knocked down at the words of the older swordsman. I'm not so sure, but he launches himself at Kratos, hands clutching desperately at his shirt as though he too would disappear into his mind never to be seen again. Kratos, after completely abandoning his logic beforehand doesn't make any attempt to get it back and just holds the boy as he cries into his chest, the chestnut haired boy's frame shuddering with sobs.

I watch the whole scene, arm still up in mid air as Kratos shushes him gently and smoothes some damp hair from his tear drenched cheeks.

I don't think I've ever seen Lloyd so helpless or Kratos so comforting.

* * *


	28. Fragments

Anyone heard _Shining Collection_ by Iceman? It's been burnt into my brain. It won't go away. Please tell it to go away.

I ordered the first two official ToS mangas :D I'm not that confident in my translating abilities, but I can TRY. Yes I can. In other news, this holiday BLOWS. Everyone has gone on vacation and I'm not going on mine until September at some point. And plus, where did everyone go? I love you guys, and it's nice to hear from you T.T

Warnings? A little physical bashing in this chapter, but not much. Still, it's a lot less violent than other things ... (-coughTrietcough-) Another note at the end of the chapter for things that might need explaining. Yah.

Oh, and the chapter name? A lot of this chapter is chopped up into fragments, so ... yeah. Plus, I'm stuck for chapter titles. I might change it later on.

**EDIT:** Hey I forgot what I was supposed to mention! The matter of PAIRINGS (oh gawd). The ONLY pairings in this fic will be:  
_Kratos/Anna  
Yuan/Martel  
Regal/Alicia_  
Some hinted _Genis/Presea_ (because it's CANON dammit)  
So really, it's only canon pairings. Seeing as this story is in third person, we won't be able to get much depth in the pairing area. Charlotte WILL ask Kratos about his life with Anna and Lloyd before the Kvar incident, but that's REAAAAALLY later on. Yeah, I'm glad I sorted that out.

ONWARDS.

* * *

Chapter 28 - Fragments

I'm never taking my shower for granted ever again.

I've been waiting for around fifteen minutes since Kratos, urged by my payment, left to tend to the distressed Lloyd who, if you remember, broke down completely. I don't know if he's alright now or if he's still crying, but it's been like … quarter of an hour? I think he'll be okay now, seeing as Kratos is there to comfort him … so he won't do anything drastic … like jump headfirst into the pool. Not that I'm saying he would if he were alone, but still. Judging by the fact Lloyd could see dead people in the mana pool, I'm guessing it does funny things to your brain.

Anyway, I want my shower.

I'm (and pretty much everyone else) covered in dirt and blood and we stink of copper and dried rain and … other things. Plus, I was finally able to take off my bandage before I slept (Raine gave me a hand in removing it). I took another dose of those green pills just for good luck, seeing as my wounds seem to like splitting back open at random intervals. Joy. We have some bandages and green pills left, so if anyone gets injured badly then we can tend to them properly. That's one thing off our list, but I'm sure there are other things.

Like the lack of showers.

I packed up my zenta some time ago, seeing as I respect Lloyd and Kratos' privacy, and I'm sure they don't want me blabbering about Kratos' very scary and sudden change in attitude towards poor Lloyd - who is probably confused out of his head now that he's calmed down. He's probably wondering why the cold and seemingly unfeeling mercenary has his arms around him. I know I'd be confused, maybe wave a cross in Kratos' direction in panic.

I want my _shower_ dammit! This dried mud is getting itchy and making me feel very uncomfortable …

I sit up and grab my blankets again, scrubbing madly at my face, arms and shoulders – the only places that show skin. I note after a second that my hands reek of a metal like smell … must be from the pistols. I do hold them a lot, after all … all the more reason for me to have a shower or maybe just a quick wash if I'm lucky. Those glowing mana pools seem rather tempting right now, but I still heed Kratos' warning. Plus, those things looked pretty deep on the camera … I'd rather something that doesn't come up past me knees, or I'll probably have a fit and collapse. Maybe, maybe not. You never know. And NO I'm not going to go and find out.

I drop my blankets to my waist as I hear footsteps crunching against the dry land from behind me. Over my shoulder I can see Kratos returning to camp, illuminated by the strong shine of the pools, carrying a sleeping Lloyd on his back again, just like at Ossa Trail. I have to try hard not to snicker to myself quietly and not make a comment. I fail, sadly.

'Déjà vu,' I say from my blankets with a small grin at the mercenary who casts me a cold glance. 'Be glad Raine isn't awake; she'd probably rip your head off.'

'Perhaps,' he mutters stiffly, cautiously lowering the younger swordsman to rest against the grudging mass of white and green that is Noishe. The dog whines loudly, but a glance from Kratos shuts him up rather quickly. The sleeping swordsman, unaware of all the glaring, whining and giggle-fits, mumbles something resentfully about homework and ruins and slapping and snuggles deeper into the fur of his pet. Another long whine comes and I have to throw my face into my pillow to stifle my laughter and not wake anyone up.

'Are you quite done?' Kratos says with a dangerous tone in his voice. I snort and sit back up, trying to ignore the glare I'm receiving … and yeah, it doesn't work.

'Yeah, I'm done,' I mutter quickly, lying back down and covering myself with the blankets.

'Good. Now that's been settled, go to sleep.'

'I can't,' I sigh, rolling over to face the three. 'The stupid glow is keeping me awake.'

'Then try, Miss Harrison.'

I groan and sit up from my bedding, shooting him a kind of … polite glare? I don't know if that's even possible, but I'll try: respect your elders, after all. Your very, very much elders.

'Okay, stop calling me that,' I say, leaning on my elbows. 'We've been travelling together for almost a week now and I think I deserve a little portion of respect from you.'

Kratos raises an eyebrow at my logic and leans back onto the dog. 'When you cease addressing me by my newly dubbed nickname, I will stop. But for now-'

'I'm only doing that because you didn't respect me in the first place!' I counter with a hiss. 'Like at Iselia!'

'Then I guess we are caught in a loop,' Kratos whispers callously as Genis stirs slightly under his blankets at the conversation that is probably forcing everyone to the lighter stages of sleep. We stop talking, but I continue to stare into those emotionless depths, trying to pick something out. He hates me, and I hate him – we'd both rather neither was here, and I'm sure we'd both rather we didn't start conversations with each other that go places where we only seem to dig deeper at our pit of disgust for each other.

'You're a bastard,' I say, getting to my feet, fully aware I'm just wearing the nightshirt and pull on some pyjama trousers under my shorts, dropping back to my knees and pushing a hand under my pillow to grab my pistols.

'What are you doing now?'

'I'm going for a walk,' I spit, trying to send him my most venomous glare. Judging by the look on his face, it didn't work. 'I'm not going to sit here and be insulted by _you_.'

'To be blunt, _girl_, I was not insulti-'

'Just shut the fu …' I glance at the sleeping Chosen. 'Just shut up. Leave me alone.'

And off I go.

I walk away from the camp, feeling Kratos' intense glare leave my form and continue, my jaw shaking with rage. I'd love to storm back to the mercenary and punch him in the nose before going off again, but he'd probably attack me, or kill me or something. Yes, I'm very aware my attitude towards the mercenary in the past caused that rather unsettling nightmare of mine last night, but I don't think I'll be having another one soon, and I don't think Kratos would actually kill someone in the group, even if I am here under his supervision so I don't say anything to anyone about him and Lloyd's blood relations. If he _did_ kill people, a rather large portion of the group would be dead around now.

I finger the handle of my guns when I hear a rustle or two from a tree a few yards in front of me, but it seems to just be the wind sailing through the fragile wood. A few twigs snap and fall to the floor, unnerving me a whole lot more. I'm not the bravest of people as I've probably proved from this journey, so these things scare me a little, especially when it's dark and I'm on my own. Anything could jump out, and I mean _anything_. ToS still has the weirdest monsters … and the overgrown insects still scare me to death, especially after the Giant Bug incident.

I'll be having a nightmare about that sometime, I'm sure.

Hm, ever played Final Fantasy 10? The song Otherworld (the one where they're playing Blitzball and Sin attacks or something) is stuck in my head … I've resorted to humming it as I walk, feeling a little more lighter in spirits. I guess doing something to amuse yourself will help.

I sit at the foot of the tree, still humming to my hearts content, and look around at the wasteland. The floor is pretty dusty and really uncomfortable (the second reason I can't sleep), but I manage to park myself on a root, so that's matter is out of my head for now. It's honestly a wonder how the others can sleep with this light blazing around the place … I mean, it's a fairly soft glow, but it _does_ go quite a length … I can even see it beyond my closed eyelids, dousing what _should_ be a deep black that helps me fall asleep with a lime green glow that simply doesn't fade unless I sleep with my face buried in my pillow. Knowing my luck, I'll probably suffocate and die. Yup.

My ears are slightly pained by the sudden noise after getting so used to the silence. 'You're a fool.'

I groan, pressing a hand to my forehead. 'I thought I told you to leave me alone.'

I'm not looking at the blasted man that seems to have followed me, but I can see something silver in his hand glinting a shade of illuminate green from the pool's glow. I immediately assume the item to be a knife for unknown reasons and my head snaps up in his direction.

It's the 100 gald piece I threw at him earlier.

'This lasts an hour,' he mutters darkly, pocketing the money. 'And I'm sure our comrades would rather you do not get ripped to death by phantoms and undead creatures that roam these wastelands.'

At the mention of the monsters I didn't think would exist here, I instantly consider jumping to me feet and zooming back to camp, crawling under my blankets and trying to sleep. Except now I know there might be giant, blood sucking, bone eating undead monsters around, I just … absolutely won't be able to sleep now. Thank you, mercenary. You've made my night complete.

'I'll be fine. Go away now.'

'Stop being stupid, _puella_,' he growls, reaching to grab for my upper arm. Before I can even scramble away from the mercenary or ask him what the _hell_ he just said when he addressed me, I can feel myself being hoisted up rather roughly from the ground. I'd kick and scream, but this isn't really the time. I _do_ however manage to wrench by arm out of his bruising grip, now worrying for the change of colour my skin will take in the morning, seeing as what I wear shows my arms. I'll just say I slept on my arm funny or something.

'What did you just call me?' I ask, rubbing my arm. Kratos looks at me, seeming a little confused for a second, but it quickly fades from his eyes.

'I must have said something in Angelic … think nothing of it.'

'… You know Angelic?' I say after a moment, trying to come off as questioning. Obviously he knows it, but he doesn't know that I know he knows it … if that makes sense.

'I have escorted a lot of priests in my time. The language is quite easy to pick up that way, seeing as they pray regularly.'

'That sounded like Latin …'

'Latin?'

Darn. 'Ah … nothing. A-anyway … what was it?'

Kratos seems to have regained his cold, uncaring composure and regards me with another of his insensitive stares. 'It translates as "_girl_".'

'Thought as much,' I reply bitterly. Not that he'd address me as anything politer. But … I _do_ know that _puella_ means "_girl_" in Latin. My mother is a little older than most parents and she used to be taught the basics at her school when she lived on a farm. She didn't remember much of it (seeing as it was around 40 years ago), but I managed to pick up basic phrases … except I can't really remember now. Wonderful.

'Okay …' I mumble. 'Uh … _Miha … nemon est … _Charlotte …?'

Kratos shakes his head. '_Mihi nomen est_ Charlotte,' he corrects me. Whoa, he said my name (I know it was necessary, but still). I _think_ that means something like "My name is Charlotte" in Latin. I'm just testing to see if Angelic is the same as Latin. 'Though your name would change somewhat.'

'Oh …' I mutter.

'I take it your mother taught you Angelic?'

I look up, puzzled at his knowledge of where I learnt Latin/Angelic. 'Huh?'

'She was a priestess.'

'Wh – oh! Oh yeah! Uh … just a little …'

Kratos folds his arms over his chest, looking over at the pool of ever-glowing green. He looks a bit … suspicious. Oh crappers.

'That's very informal Angelic,' he comments, not taking his eyes from the mana polluted waters. 'It's also one of its oldest forms. Why would you want to be taught something of such little worth?'

'Oldest forms?' I ask. 'There's more than one?'

'Several, in fact,' he replies, finally looking over at me. 'It has changed over the past four thousand years. Using such and old version is informal and rather rude. It could get you into trouble should you speak it around members of the church.'

'… Joy,' I say after a moment, making a face. 'Well, that's all I know, so I guess I'm off the hook.'

'_Sei tous ioren_,' Kratos mutters under his breath, but just loud enough for me to slightly hear. I spare him a questioning glance, but he doesn't answer to it. '"_Sein nema est_ Charlotte". Use that from now on if you'd rather stay safe.'

I raise an eyebrow and salute. 'Yes, Mister Randomly Angelic Teaching Man. Anymore words of wisdom for me?'

'_Neran_,_ puella_.'

'… And that means?'

'Sleep.'

'… Okay, I hate you all over again. Go away and just leave me alone. I'll come back when I want to.'

'_Sei es nasarae cou sein bonsein_, Ms Harrison.'

'Leave me alone … and stop talking in Angelic.'

Before I can even finish my sentence, I hear footsteps and look up hoping to see Kratos already turning his back on me to start heading towards the camp, exposed only by the slowly dying embers in the fire that illuminate the sleeping figures of my comrades and Noishe. Instead, I can see him advancing towards me, and the way his thin, battle worn fingers touch the handle of his sword isn't very comforting to my situation.

'I told you, leave me alone,' I say, ignoring the way my voice shakes. 'Go and play Daddy to Lloyd and get away from me.'

He stops, says nothing. I continue to stare at the floor, refusing to look up and meet the cold-blooded man's eyes that would probably bore themselves into my soul, tear my confidence from the inside out and leave me shaking like a rabbit sat at the end of a shot gun.

'Never say that again.'

I tell me inner-self to shut up as she screams, pleads, begs, cries, and look up at the mercenary. 'Say wh-'

I cut myself off to save me my life. His dark eyes glitter with a kind of hatred I've never seen before from anyone, mixed with undertones of bitter resentment and shame. I try to still my muscles that scream in protest, try to halt the hairs standing up on the back of my neck, and try to stop myself screaming an apology. He doesn't deserve it … not after the way he treats me, talking and looking at me like I'm a piece of dirt on his boot.

'Why not?' I try bravely before I can stop myself, focusing my vision of the cape hanging over his back so I don't see the dangerous blend of emotions brewing in his eyes like a mix of poison. 'You like it when you feel your bond with growing … I don't know why you shouldn't just tell him-'

'The truth would destroy him, _Harrison_,' he spits, eyes wild and ablaze with a kind of animal fury that would have me cowering if I weren't human. I have a feeling I'm trembling all over under his stare, waiting for something to make it stop, to prevent him staring at me like a dead rat.

'You're not the only one that knows the truth,' I say with a grimace, my voice shaking violently. 'It's better if you just-'

At my rather empty threat, the mercenary grabs the collar of my nightshirt, winding it around his fist without struggle and wrenches me from the floor, face twisted with rage and hate. I manage to grab his wrist to stop myself choking immediately, but his grip is strong, unyielding. I find myself quickly gasping for air.

'You shall do no such thing lest you have your head sliced from your shoulders, girl. If I must have you pay me my fee in blood and bone, so be it. Breathe a word to him and consider yourself joining Shadow in the abyss of darkness.'

'Let me go!' I cry, trying to kick him. 'Please, I can't _breathe_ …!'

Saying that Kratos dropped me to the floor would be being a bit subtle. He throws me – not with much force, but I fall on my heels and collapse, landing on my back safely enough, but at the sudden blow my head snaps back and hits the floor with a dull _thwack_.

And it hurts like a _bitch_.

On instinct, my hands fly to the back of my head and cradle the bleeding cut in an attempt to ease the pain that has shot like the sharpest of needles to my temples. I can feel the warm, wet blood stain my hair probably a dark crimson that will most likely show tomorrow. I forget to breathe for a few moments and suck in a deep breath of chilly night air, still staring at the cloudy sky above me, eyes so wide that they're starting to hurt from the cold.

Then I hear something I never expected to. 'Are you alright?'

I think my mind decided that was it. 'Of course I'm not _fucking_ alright!'

Much to my disappointment, I can feel the tears I've been pushing back start to crap to the surface and trickle down my face currently screwed up in pain, my jaw clenched tightly. Holy – this _hurts_ and it's getting _worse_.

I sit up and press my forehead to my knees, trying to hold my breath to stop the sobbing, but after a mere three seconds I feel like my lungs would erupt in a burning flame and let out a rather choked and quiet whine of pain. Kratos regards me for a second and presses his palm to his forehead, crouching at my side and pressing a hand to the back of my head. I gather my own shaking hands around the wound to stop him getting close to it, but he tugs them away with his other and pushes his hand up against the cut.

I feel like shrieking in pain and thrashing about like a toddler in a fit.

I notice the green glow get brighter from the pool and move to turn my head to look questioningly, but his rough hand holds my head in place. I notice that the light is not from the pool, but from a rather weakly cast First Aid. Either the mana around here is draining his own or he really doesn't care that much, but I'd rather not believe the latter.

Hiccupping, I and blink back a few more tears of pain as he straightens up and wipes his hand on his cloak. I notice his glove is stained with blood from my wound. Not all that much but it's definitely noticeable, even at night. I sniffle and get awkwardly to my feet, rubbing my neck and feeling a small bruise twinge in pain when I touch it.

'Well that hurt …' I say, trying to steady my voice but only sounding like I'm about to start crying again. I feel like slapping myself and head back in the direction of the camp. 'Thanks a lot.'

Before I can even move from under the tree, I feel a hand snatch my wrist and hold me in place. I feel like opening my mouth and saying something or start swearing profusely, but I don't turn around and I keep my mouth shut. Maybe he'll just let me go if I don't answer to his silent order or his unspoken questions.

We stand for the longest time, Kratos gripping my wrist with another of his bruising forces and me glaring ahead at the camp I long to run to, run as fast as I can, burrow under those blankets and block out everything that happened in the past ten minutes.

'_Sei es nasarae_,' he says quietly, unhanding me as he would a dirtied cloth. 'Some things are better spoken but not understood.' As soon as I feel those fingers leave my flesh, I run like a bolt of lightning. Not as speedy, but I'm going pretty damn fast from an average speed to get back to the safeness of the camp.

* * *

'Are you feeling sick again, Lloyd?' 

'Professor, I'm fine … really … I just had a rough night.'

'Well, if you're sure … make sure you tell me if you start feeling faint.'

I try to ignore it when everyone speaks, but seeing as some sort of cruel fate named _nerve_ denied of a sleep they might as well be screaming into my ears. I didn't sleep yesterday night either … I seem to be having a hard time sleeping since coming to Sylvarant, since this lifestyle isn't exactly what you'd call normal, and I've lived somewhat of a sheltered life so far thanks to my overprotective mother, and this is a very big change and a lot to swallow all at once. Plus, there's always the damn mercenary who'd prefer me dead or not travelling with the group. Much joy.

Speaking of that arsehole, my head is throbbing like mad. I'm glad I didn't get brain damage or something … that'd suck more than most things that could have happened. Like … oh yeah, he could have _choked_ me and _killed_ me.

But do you know what I can be a little cheerful about? Yup, it's my birthday tomorrow. This is my last day as a 13 year old, so it had better be a good one. I doubt I'm the only one who tries to make the last day of an age memorable, but in my current condition there isn't much I can do. More than anything, I'm just hoping that we reach a House of Salvation with a _bath_ before nightfall. I'm not sleeping covered in muck and blood tomorrow, and I am _honestly_ not someone who cares about their hair that much (I think I went three days without brushing it once when I was too ill to move), but I would love to wash it. It's sticky with blood, dried dirt, grass and God know what else (and seeing as I couldn't brush it this morning, it's not as frizzy as it should have been). Probably a bit of monster gut if I'm lucky.

So, in conclusion, most wanted birthday present? A bath. I don't want anything from them; I just want a bath, dammit.

I rub my eyes and rake a hand through my tangled hair, dragging it out of my face. I'm not the only one who looks a complete wreck either. Colette's entire front is a light brown from out little incident yesterday, and she also has mud in her hair … poor thing. Raine looks relatively fine, seeing as she's been carrying things most of the journey. Hm, she should really get into fighting. Right now she just tells us that she can only heal, so it's better to do it from afar where she won't get interrupted or she won't get in our way, but I'm sure that will change when she learns Photon and other cool attacks. I'm looking forward to seeing Nurse myself. I want to see if a bunch of white clad women run around the battlefield after all. You just have to hope she doesn't use it when Zelos joins us. Oh man, he'd probably chase them until they disappear.

Lloyd tried very vainly to return his hair to its original position this morning, but he didn't get very far. Genis finally told him to shut up with his groaning and cast Lightning on him. It helped with the hair business, but Lloyd was out for around five minutes before we could actually leave. Raine had her way with him of course, and I have a feeling the boy won't be able to sit for ages.

Speaking of Genis, the poor kid was woken up by one of those phantoms Kratos mentioned last night. I think I was just about to doze off when I heard him scream. Genis isn't (much of) a wuss but this thing was scary beyond hell. It's like the ghost things in the Tower of Mana, but this … eugh, it had skin hanging from its face and hands that looked like it had been melted or burned or something else real nasty. Waking up to that is _not_ nice. Kratos had to get rid of it while Genis tried to cast Stone Blast on the phantom, but he missed and hit Kratos. I stayed under my blanket for the whole thing, so I missed most of it. I _did_ however notice that Kratos was covered in sand and small pieces of pebbles when Genis told me it was safe to come out.

'It's getting windy,' Colette says, looking at a few trees in the distance that sway to the right, looking like they'd snap at the force. Hey, those trees are green … we're almost out of the wasteland. That's a relief … it's not the most comfortable of places. Noishe and Lloyd seem to be happy to leave, too.

'I hope we don't get another storm …' Genis says, clutching his kendama tightly (he's still looking out for phantoms). 'The one yesterday was bad enough.'

'Yes, it was,' I sigh, reminding myself of the mud incident. I'm sure Colette is, too. Poor us.

'Say, do you think we'll get to the House of Salvation by the time another storm starts up?' Lloyd asks, looking up at the sky as if to determine the time the storm would begin. 'I think – Noishe!'

We look over to the dog being held back by Lloyd, suddenly acting hyperactive and jumpy. Well, this is definitely new … and Lloyd is failing, seeing as he's weak and a _lot_ smaller than Noishe.

'What's up with him?' Genis asks, taking a step back from the struggling creature.

'He likes … playing in the wind … ugh, a little hand here?'

Before anyone can even make a move to go and help the teen restrain his pet, the green and white animal wrenches himself from the grip and runs to the (finally) green fields before us. I don't think anyone actually considered this, but he has the bag with all of our pyjamas and clothes on his back, and …

Yep, another gust of air picks up and the bag falls from his back with a thump – oh ho! But that's not all; its ropes come loose and the bag opens up, a large amount of clothing spilling out onto the grass. Oh crap, please don't let there be another blast of wind, please, please, pleaaaaaase …

It seems the others think along the same wavelength, and Genis, Lloyd and Colette immediately run to the open pack before the wind picks up again. Colette's wings come out in a flash of light and pink feathers and she soars ahead of the two boys. She's close, oh so very close …

A loud yelp comes from Noishe as he runs around, suddenly deciding to chase his own tail as a blast of wind hits my face at the faces of the other two left with me. Hair goes in my face and wind pounds at my ears for a while, but I can hear the shouts from the other three children as clothing sails through the air, picked up by the strong gust. Damn, we have a _lot_ of clothes, but I guess it's pyjamas for six people, as well as socks, spare clothes, underwear, and more things.

'… Okay then,' I say after a minute of the three running (and flying in Colette's case) around, trying to grab as many pieces of clothes as they can. 'Shall we go join them or what?'

Raine drops her own bags to the floor, making sure they're tied up securely. 'Well, it'll take all day if we leave it to the children. Come on, Mr Aurion.'

We get a _humph_ from the mercenary and the Professor shoots him a long glare.

'Yeah, let's go,' I say quickly. 'Genis' pyjamas are stuck in a tree.'

Indeed, the poor mage is attempting to climb the said tree, waving around one of Lloyd's rapiers (still in its scabbard) in an attempt to untangle his clothes from a branch. Colette is giving him a hand, but she can't seem to get past the offending and rather sharp twigs that surround it. Lloyd is busy chasing after Noishe who has one of his spare shirts between his teeth, running around in circles. Well, at least the dog is having a field day.

This is going to take long, I presume.

* * *

'Hey, hey! I got one! Eww … _Lloyd_!' 

'Don't throw it back!'

'I'm not handling underwear!'

I wipe my hand on my side and make a face as Lloyd tries to grab the piece of clothing I threw back to the wind with a shout. We've been doing this for about 10 minutes and we have five pieces of clothing back, and that totally sucks. I'm trying to find that nightshirt before Kratos does and also reclaim a clean pair of socks I didn't know I had. Apparently Raine bought all of the children new socks while we were at Palmacosta (which was really nice of her), but we've destroyed Lloyd's pair when he decided it would be a good idea to pluck them from the air with his swords. Hm, not smart.

'We're getting no where like this,' Lloyd groans, shoving the underwear he caught back into the bag. 'There has to be another way!'

I nod, jumping up to grab a stray sock fluttering over my head like a fish and throw it to the swordsman. 'Yup. By the looks of things, we're going to be here all day anyway. Dammit, they're like_ fish_!'

'That's it!' Lloyd exclaims after a moment, jumping to his feet and heading towards the silver haired healer trying to whack a shirt of hers from the air. 'Professor!'

I shake my head and jump as a shirt comes soaring towards me, clinging to my face as wind pelts down on the cloth. After getting a nose-full of a scent I'm aware of as my own, I rip it from my face and turn to the bag. You think Lloyd would have the brains to do the thing back up at least seeing as the wind isn't exactly going to die down any time soon … honestly.

I quickly stuff the shirt back into the bag and tie it up securely, getting to my feet with a sigh. Just our luck to have a reckless Noishe-thing in the middle of a windy day … gah, why didn't the Professor carry the clothes or something? I'm pretty sure she wouldn't start prancing around in the wind (unless we were close to a ruin or something).

I look over at Colette and Genis. The mage seems to have successfully reclaimed his pyjamas from the tree and is being helped get back down by the Chosen. Hm, poor Genis has a load of nasty looking scratches all over his arms … damn, that isn't a good tree.

'Well this is great,' he comments sarcastically, storming over with his nightclothes in hand. He drops Lloyd's sword next to the bag (he was using it to get his clothes, remember?). Colette carefully flutters down next to him, trying not to loose her balance against the strong winds as she flies. In a quick flash of light, her sparkling pink wings disappear and she hops to the ground.

'Colette, your hand looks really …' I trail off, noting the thin red cuts around her fingers and her palm. 'Gee, you guys are crazy. Why didn't you just use wind blade or … or something?'

Genis doesn't look up from his satchel, fishing around for something I assume to be an Apple Gel. 'The spell would have cut up my clothes as soon as they touched them … what the heck? I could have sworn we had more Apple Gels!'

'Yeah, well we _did_ get chased by … those massive ladybird things …' I mumble as the two of them hand me some clothes they caught. 'And those bugs hurt … oh crap, Genis-'

Before I can even get out the words "look out", the mage is met with a face full of shirt. The wind flattens it against him (Colette is practically laughing her head off at this point) and I quickly realise it to be the piece of clothing I've spent the last 10 minutes looking for before a certain mercenary can get his hands on it. Yup, nightshirt. Oh the joy.

'Cool, I – _no_, don't throw it ba – Gee_niiis_!' I groan loudly as the mage, furious and red in the face, tugs the material from himself and tosses it to the air as he would a piece of litter. I am distraught, to say the least. Now I have to go and chase it down before he of crimson eyes gets there before me.

'Genis, that was mean!' I hiss and sprint past him as the shirt flutters around in the air like a fully retarded pigeon. Genis says something I don't hear and continues to fill the bag with clothes I dropped at his feet, Colette giving him a hand with keeping the already secured clothes inside. Someone please explain to me why the wind is dragging the shirt around almost exactly a foot higher than I am possible of reaching? I need stilts, or a pogo stick or a space hopper (which wouldn't help much, but it'd be better than just _walking_ across the fields). I'd ask Colette to help before Kratos realises I'm trying to hunt down his shirt for myself, but she seems to be tackling a few stray socks to the floor with the help of a clumsily multitasking half elf.

I'd let out a long line of swears, but I'm sure everyone in the area wouldn't appreciate it. Plus, it could attract Noishe who could eat the shirt. That would sadden me. For the rest of Sylvarant, unless Kratos decides to pluck his nightshirt from my dead, twitching corpse at the Tower of Salvation. I personally hope he won't, but y'know … possibilities are endless.

I sigh and let my aching arms drop to my sides for a rest, looking up at the grey sky. Hm, I hope another storm doesn't creep over us … we look and smell as bad as we can get, I'm sure. I'd rather like to avoid the smell of rain. I don't really like it … yes, another piece of useless information for you to nibble on. I'll stop at some point, honest.

I shiver slightly and try to reclaim the shirt that is now at least several meters above me. You could probably mistake Kratos' shirt for a kite at this point … hm. Damn, it's cold … we must be having some of those summer showers … they suck, especially during a nice game of tennis in lunch hour. I miss school … and I miss tennis, darn it. I'll have to pray that they have something resembling the sport in Sylvarant. Or I could suggest that we use some swords to hit apples back and forth. We did something like that at some point when I was in my seventh year … we took it in turns to throw an apple at the wall to see who could make it explode. My friend won, and apple pieces went _everywhere_ … we had to cover up the stain with a French poster. What's quite amusing is that it's still there, and it's been … a year now? Gee, teachers are dense …

… I want to go back to school.

In my thoughts, I didn't actually notice a navy clad arm reach over my head and grab the shirt from the wind. 'I'll be taking this.'

'Hey – aw man …'

I'd kick up a fit at the auburn haired mercenary that is now walking away, nightshirt in hand, but I have socks and shorts and other things to reclaim. I think two or three pieces of clothing have been abandoned … either that or no one has bothered to try and get the socks from that tree yonder that-a-way.

In a rather crapper mood, I return to the other two, wrestling escaped shirts and other things to the ground in fits of laughter. I pause for a moment and consider my safety and carry on, seeing Lloyd approach them also. If I somehow get hurt, at least I have someone to get hurt with.

'Hi Lloyd!' Colette gasps, clutching her side with a rather crumpled looking pair of socks in hand. 'How's clothe catching going?'

Grinning proudly, the swordsman holds out two wooden poles.

'… We're going to rebel against the clothes?' I suggest.

'No!' Lloyd insists, throwing a pole to Genis who seems to be kneeling on a number of garments (including my shorts, I've just noticed). 'We're gonna catch them out of the air! You know, like fish!'

I look at the pole Genis is holding a note that it is in fact one of Raine's battle staffs. What looks like part of a spare blanket has been torn up and used as a net, like the fishing poles for children. Looks like we'll only have two for this, but two looks like enough. Genis and Lloyd can prance around and try to catch them with makeshift fish nets, Colette can fly around and I can … stand in the background and try to jump on stray clothing that crawls along the ground.

I'd say that Kratos and Raine aren't really doing much from my point of view, but Kratos has caught more clothing by himself that we have all put together. Raine is sorting out some more bags and trying to make them more secure, strapping them to Noishe. I notice she taps his nose sharply every now and then, probably as a warning. Poor Noishe … ah well, it's his fault we're doing this in the first place.

I kick myself into gear when I hear a loud exclamation from the red-clad swordsman. 'Person with the least clothes cooks dinner tonight!'

I can't cook for the life of me unless everyone wants to live off ready-made noodles (which I highly doubt we have), so to save me comrades, I must strive my damndest to get as many freaking socks as I can!

Yes that was sarcasm, but I'm still sure they wouldn't appreciate burnt chicken. It tastes quite terrible. Almost as terrible of being dealt with a sock flying into your face. Not nice, I can tell you. I'll have to dodge the fast approaching underwear. For the last day of being 13, this is _definitely_ not how I pictured it; chasing after garments I'd rather … not chase after all together.

'Oh, you're not getting away from me, you sneaky bugger!' I exclaim, pouncing on one of the Professor's shirts that seems to be folding over itself away from me. 'Dang!'

After a struggle that lasts around ten seconds, I manage to tie up the sleeves into a huge knot so that it doesn't flutter away in the gusts of air that seem to have picked up, stronger than before. I pray that this is just a windy day and a storm doesn't ensue … lightning doesn't go well with me. I'm not afraid of it or anything; it was around a month back in school when the English Block got struck by lightning and the ceiling collapsed, flooding the entire building. The English Block is relatively small, so we had to be evacuated from there, and another two before we were led to the only safe place which happened to be the Assembly Hall. It was a fun day seeing as we got to go home after only one and a half lessons, but the lightning was really terrifying …

In short, I'm not that keen on being struck.

After a minute of running, jumping, catching and failing miserably, we are all called back by the Professor who claims we have enough clothes and we need to move on before the storm gets worse. Sad, doing this was kind of fun … you know, minus all the times we had dirty clothes fly into our faces …

* * *

'So that would be … eleven … eight … five … looks like you're cooking tonight, Charlotte.' 

'I can't cook,' I state blandly, giving a sort of pleading look to the silver haired healer kneeling by five piles of clothing, each varying in size. She lifts her head to observe me suspiciously for a moment.

'I thought you lived alone for a while. Surely you'd have been able to cook an average meal for yourself.'

I bite the inside of my lip nervously, thinking to myself and wondering if I can answer in less then five seconds and not look disbelieving. Whoa, wasting time here. 'Uh, no … I lived with my auntie Jenny in Asgard for a while … with her three kids …'

True, but not true at the same time. I _do_ actually have an auntie Jenny (not my _real_ auntie, but a close family friend) with three kids, but I hope the others don't try and push the situation further down the path of lying. It's not a nice one, and it's a very tricky road to take. Thank you, CHARIS, but I guess – to quote Mr Barret Wallace – _there ain't no getting off of this train I'm on_. I wonder if I'll eventually have to tell them the truth … I'd personally rather not doing so, but you never know what might happen. I'm not keen on finding out what their reactions would be to "oh yeah, this is all a game and none of it's real, so I'm just going to be popping back to the self-proclaimed World of the Gods that is actually the homeland of your creators and many other people including myself! Bye bye!"

I'm guessing it'd be pretty bad, especially if I hold up my claims with some sort of evidence. Sheena had proof for Tethe'alla with summon spirits and pact making and what not, but I can't exactly march around armed with machines and 21st century crap, can I? I'd probably be accused of being a witch and be fried at the stake.

After a minute or two of sorting out clothes and such, we verify that I will indeed be making dinner tonight (hopefully it'll be easier if we reach the House of Salvation first) and off we go on our way, Noishe looking just a little annoyed that we're not prancing around like idiots anymore. Thank you for respecting our lack of pride, Noishe. Appreciated muchly.

By the looks of things, there won't be a storm after all … I guess it was just some windy weather that unfortunately happened to pass by at the wrong time. Then again, Noishe probably would have gone into a frenzy at any other time some strong winds happened to sweep by. Oh the joy. I hope it doesn't happen again seeing as Raine now has our clothing bag and Noishe has the food and the healing items strapped to him.

Damn you, Sylph. Damn you and your freakishly high pitched voices.

Now the wind has passed, it's gotten a little colder. I guess that's good since Palmacosta is a really hot place and I don't go well with heat, but my senses seem to disagree with me as I shiver against another blast of wind that whips around our group. Noishe looks about ready to leap off again, but Raine gives him a very stern look. He whines softly and continues to plod on beside us.

'Well, that was an odd experience,' I say after silence claims our mouths for over five minutes. 'Never done that before.'

'Us three have once before,' Colette admits, giggling slightly. The swordsman and the mage nod, obviously trying not to grin because of the look the Professor is giving them. They must know how Noishe feels now, poor things.

'Yes, I remember,' Raine says, suddenly trying her hardest not to smile. 'It was Genis' tenth birthday.'

I make a face. 'Do we want to know, or is this going to be saved for one of those times where we're all morbid and bored?'

Colette probably didn't hear my question over the wind and has gone into a giggle fit, turning to me and Kratos – the two who are wondering just what the hell is going on. 'We found a white bed sheet on the Professor's washing line …'

'And we pretending to be ghosts,' Lloyd said, still trying not to grin. 'We fell on the washing line when Colette stepped on Genis' foot.'

Genis snorts. 'Actually, I grabbed Lloyd afterwards and he tried to grab the line for support.'

'Which then … kinda broke …' Lloyd mumbled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and finding some mountains in the distance very interesting. 'Uh, then it got really windy before we could pick the clothes up …'

'As it does …' I mumble, reminiscing over the terribly ironic moments I've had. 'I take it there we're clothes all around Iselia then?'

'Yep!' Colette proclaims with a wide smile. 'But then the Raine and the Mayor and some other people got really mad …'

'Well, Mr Harvey _did_ wind up with rather inappropriate clothing in his dinner-'

_Slap_.

'Genis, that's enough!' Raine exclaims, face red with fury and embarrassment. 'Let's not speak of this again!'

'It sounded kinda funny …' I confess, quickly finding myself with a glare from the Professor. I quickly retract my words with: 'But really, really terrible! I mean, Genis, how could you?'

'Me?' Genis says, rubbing his head. 'Lloyd was the one that broke the line!'

'Wha – you were the one that grabbed me and made me fall over, you clumsy dork!'

Genis opens his mouth to shoot out another remark, but he pauses, holds up his fingers to Lloyd's chest, and snaps them. A burst of electricity jumps from the digits and soars around the taller boy who jumps back with a yelp, holding a hand to his chest where there is probably a small burn. Genis grins smugly at the teenager trying to smooth his hair down from its sudden static condition (well, more so at least). The grin quickly fades when Raine locks him with one of those "I'm going to slap you into the next oracle" looks and starts towards him. Strangely enough, Lloyd seems to have gathered his bearings from the small and practically useless attack and has started towards the younger, who acts immediately and sprints in the other direction.

'Genis, Lloyd Irving, you boys get back here right now!' Raine yells to the two, going after them and rolling her sleeves up. Oooh, they're screwed. I exchange a quick glance with Colette who mumbles a quick: "Um … uh … bye!" and pulls our her wings, spraying feathers and sparks of pink everywhere and speeds off to help the poor half elf who is know being pinned to the ground by Lloyd. By the looks of things, I'd say he's being tickled to death. And the poor boy can't escape I'm assuming, seeing as he's thrashing and laughing and screaming for Lloyd to stop.

'Nice weather, isn't it?' I comment, brushing a soft pink feather from my shoulder and looking up at the grey sky with its thinning clouds and lack of sunlight.

'Humph. Indeed,' Kratos mumbles, probably not listening to a word I just said and starting off in the direction of the House of Salvation I can see in the distance. Hm, I should really think about what I should cook for tonight … hopefully something that'll make Kratos' insides shrivel up and make him die or something. That'd save me a lot of concern and trouble. Really.

After being tickled, slapped, yelled at and such, the other four from Iselia finally stop their playing around and we continue on our way.

Hm, you know what I've been wondering about? When … or _if_ we go to the Palmacosta Ranch, will there be those human robot things there? Will we have to fight more of them? Out of all the changes that have happened so far, this has got to be the second worse, the first one being Lloyd's random illness I _think_ has actually gone. He hasn't been acting faint or anything since when we came to Palmacosta, except for the time we reached the waste lands, but Kratos already told us that Lloyd is vulnerable or something like that … I wonder if that shot worked at all? See Lloyd! It was worth it, you big baby.

'Is that the Human Ranch?' Genis asks quietly, looking north towards a forest in the distance. I look in the same direction, my mouth falling open slightly.

Holy crap.

I remember in the game that the Palmacosta Human Ranch was what, two floors? The actual ranch and Magnius' pad, and it only just rose above the tree tops. Yes it's very memorable after seeing it get blown up and having to come back twice at least.

It. Is. _Massive_.

At least five or six floors and the ranch looks like it's half inside the mountain behind it or at least built _up_ the mountain … OH GOD, it's much bigger than I ever expected … I mean, I kind of had a gist that _something_ would change like in the Fire Seal (no stone blocks to use), but not _that_ kind of change! Oh man, I'm going to kill Charis … I'm going to give her to an annoying kid when I get back and hope that he'll get sucked into a game and annoy the hell out of her. _Please_ get sucked into _Harvest Moon_, little boy that I'm not quite sure exists.

'It … big,' I say after a minute, my voice faltering. 'Really big.'

'Well duh, it's a Human Ranch,' Lloyd says, looking over his shoulder at me. 'Haven't you seen the one in Iselia?'

'No,' I squeak. 'Is it bigger?'

'They're about that same size,' Genis says, still looking over at the ranch as though comparing it to the Iselian one. 'That one looks smaller though.'

'Oh God,' I mumble. 'I hope we don't end up going there. Y'know, I thought they were a _lot_ smaller than that …'

Genis gives me a disbelieving look. 'What? Didn't you travel around?'

'I like to think I'm in a decent enough frame of mind not to go near a Human Ranch,' I reply with a grimace. 'And I just flew from Asgard to Iselia on what's-his-face. I was … too scared I'd fall to actually focus on anything.'

Truth: I _am_ terrified of heights and flying. Lie: I'd never ride a dragon. Ever. Ever ever.

After giving the Human Ranch to the north a long look over, I continue walking with the group, trailing behind a little a bit so I don't get pulled into another conversation about Desians and things that relate to them. Must think on more positive terms … like tomorrow … yes, hopefully tomorrow will be good. But … considering where we are now, tomorrow we might be infiltrating the Ranch. I _really_ don't want to spend my birthday killing Desians and rescuing hostages and sneaking around somewhere that could very well get me killed, because it sounds really … let's just say I'd prefer charades to "infiltrate the big scary ranch".

… Okay, I know I said I would respect Kratos' decision to keep his birthday a secret, but … you know …

'Hey Lloyd, come over here for a second,' I say, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him to the back of the group so we're out of earshot.

'Alright, okay! You don't have to drag me.'

'Sorry,' I mutter, looking over at the mercenary to see if he's looking at us. Good, he's not. 'Do you know who's birthday it is tomorrow?'

'Ah, uh … it's … yours, isn't it? Or is it …'

I hold up a hand to stop him. 'Well, yes, but try again.'

Lloyd gives me a confused look, raising an eyebrow questioningly. 'Uh … is it someone I know? Can I have a clue?'

'Yes, and … he looks a little like you. You've got the same eyes … kinda.'

Lloyd takes one look towards Kratos and grimaces, turning back to me. 'Ew … first of all, no I don't, and Kratos? Really?'

'Really really.'

'… Why didn't he tell anyone?' Lloyd asks, glancing over at the mercenary again who seems to be petting Noishe who won't leave him alone. I shrug and brush some hair out of my face as another guest of air blows down on us.

'I dunno. He doesn't want anyone to know, I guess.'

Lloyd's brow furrows in though. 'That's kinda weird … wait, how do you know if he hasn't told anyone?'

'Because I win at life like that,' I say with another shrug. 'I thought I'd just tell you because you're the only person he actually likes in the group.'

'Wha …?' Lloyd shudders visibly. 'Okay, I really doubt that for some reason.'

'Lloyd, I saw what he did for you last night.'

'Oh …'

We fall silent for a few moments, looking around the landscape in random directions for while to pass a few awkward seconds. I guess Lloyd wasn't exactly planning on saying anything. It's one of those things you'll appreciate at the time, but then become very denying and embarrassed about later on. Poor boy, being comforted in such a way by a … apparently void of optimistic emotion mercenary. Screw being embarrassed, I bet he's terrified.

'Uh … nice weather, isn't it?' I repeat, looking up at the sky. Still terribly grey … I hope it passes soon.

'Are you kidding?' Lloyd replies, casting the sky an annoyed glance. 'It looks like the sea is about to rain down on us or something …'

'… I don't want to get wet again.'

'Me either …'

'Let's buy some umbrellas.'

'Didn't Genis say that was dangerous?'

'Oh yeah …'

* * *

It's been five minutes since we reached the House of Salvation, which in all respects looks a very attractive place at times like this, but I am bored out of my _mind_. One of the female priests spotted our group coming in the distance and ran to great us, armed with Apple Gels, Orange Gels, whatnot Gels and bottles of all sorts asking if we were hurt or we needed treatment (all the while bowing and praising the Chosen). We eventually convinced her that we were okay and ending up walking back with here while she chatted to Colette all the while. 

We got back fine, but Colette and the priest have been standing talking about how the journey has gone and about the Desians coming this way and that way and about how the priests are doing and it's getting really annoying really fast. It looks like everyone else thinks the same. Kratos is stood leaning slightly against a crossroad sign close to the main pathway, the sage siblings are sitting on a small mound of grassy land reading through a book together, Lloyd is draped over a fence like a rag doll mumbling every now and then "I'm starving …", and I'm sitting on the fence he's dying on. Take one look at us and you'll see we're give of the _bored stiff_ vibe.

The red clothed swordsman yawns, heaving himself up from the wood, wincing slightly. 'I think I have a splinter in my stomach …'

I freeze, still perched atop the fence. 'Alright … I won't be moving for a while.'

'Sorry,' Lloyd mutters. 'I think we should stay here for the night.'

'I agree,' I yawn. 'I'll attempt dinner and then hit the sack.'

'I'll _eat_ dinner and then hit the sack.'

'If it's edible,' I mumble, trying to stay still. 'I still don't know what to try making.'

'… Soup?' Lloyd suggests, going back to lolling all over the fence. 'Ugh, so tired …'

I shrug, trying not to yawn again. It'll just make me more tired. 'Easy enough.'

'Oh! Is everyone tired already?' Colette exclaims suddenly, looking around at the fed up group. I attempt to give her a sarcastic look but fail miserably, managing a long flat stare. She smiles nervously, looking around at us. 'Um, we can go in now …'

'Joy,' I sigh, moving to jump off the fence. 'Oh cr – OW!'

The Chosen looks over at me questioningly. 'Is something wrong?'

'No …' I squeak, getting myself to the floor. 'Let's just go on in, please.'

I'm ignored by the group who turn towards the building, picking up their bags and heading in. Lloyd snickers, glancing over at me and heading in. I quickly look around for a rock to throw at the back of his head, but I can't find one around. I give up with a sigh, wincing in pain and follow them.

* * *

A/N:

Phew, writing this was hard ... it probably looked easy enough, but I've had a big case of writers block. Blah.

Okay, answers to a few questions that might be asked:_  
_

_"Mihi nomen est _(name)" IS proper Latin, as is _puella_. The rest is Angelic, which of course isn't mentioned in the game, so a few friends of mine are giving me a hand. Like, one group are doing adjectives, one nouns, verbs, so forth. We have the basics covered, like "I", "I am", "I will" and so forth, and other things. And I managed to make sentances! Oh joy!

We WILL get deeper into the whole Angelic thing in the story as it progesses, but learning a new language is probably the last thing their minds, eh? And why aren't I giving you a translation? Hm ... since Charlotte doesn't know what they're saying ... you know? Bah, I'll probably post some translation notes later on. I'm going to get cracking on chapter 29 tomorrow (it's like ... 2 AM here).

And anyone heard of gazpacho? Yes? Good.


	29. Gazpacho for all!

Chapter 29 – Gazpacho for all!

A little bit of info for you here: the House of Salvation we've just come to for a much needed rest has a kitchen in its basement. I find that very convenient, seeing as some priests live here and people who stay must need food. I _don't_ however like that fact that I've been told to come down to the cold, cold kitchens and make everyone dinner since I lost to the clothing collecting game. I _still_ tried protesting, but that didn't work, so now I'm not allowed to come up until dinner is ready. Only for ingredients I might need.

So yeah, that sucks.

Here I stand, armed with an apron, a saucepan, and a ladle. And I have _no_ idea what I'm doing.

'This blows,' I sigh, setting down the metal objects onto the stove. I've decided to make soup like Lloyd suggested, but I have no idea what to cook. I'm not exactly trained in the arts of preparing meals, since I use packet soups. Pop it in a pan of boiling water, heat it, eat it. Simple enough. But _noooo_ … I have to be in Sylvarant, where they don't _have_ instant foods.

Okay, okay … I can try chicken noodle. I'm good at chicken noodle soup (when it's in an instant packet, but I've done it before! With the aid of an adult, but anyway).

'For this, Charlotte, you will need …chicken, noodles,' I check of a list in my head. 'Herbs … and water …'

I look around the room.

'… There IS no water.'

But aha, it is Sylvarant! There _are_ no taps, are there? Good lord, how do these people survive here? Okay, water … water … we're miles away from the nearest coast, plus I doubt I'm going to be using sea water … heck knows what's been in there. Okay, uh … there isn't a lake anywhere around here from what I know … I'd suggest Lake Umacy, but that's like … on the other side of the mountain … yeah, that's out of the question. If I had the strength and could be arsed, I'd walk back to the wastelands and get some water from the mana pools, but that would probably cause the group to go into fits or something. We don't want that. No sir-ee.

'Uh, guys?' I shout up the staircase to the group still in the lobby. Colette's praying for a while with the priests and some other people on pilgrimages, and someone might still be there that I know other than the blonde Chosen. Luckily for me, Genis seems to be hanging around but not praying.

'Oh, good!' I say as the silver head peaks through the door. 'Hey, do you know how I could get water? We, uh … we don't have any down here.'

'Well …' Genis mumbles, thinking to himself. He's probably skimming through all of the possibilities I considered, hopefully a few more that might work. I tighten the apron knot that is continuously coming loose as he thinks, still leaning on the door. 'I might be able to use Aqua Edge, but it might cause a bit of a mess …'

'That's a great idea!' I say, abandoning the double knot on the apron that I'll probably have a hard time undoing later on. 'Put it in a bucket or something …'

I notice a small broom cupboard near the corner of the room and walk over, carefully avoiding some pots and pans that lie randomly around on the floor and almost tripping at one point. _Why_ are they on the floor? Really, _why_? Is it so hard to just stack them up on the counter or whatever? Gee, priests are lazy gits when they want to be.

'So … where is everyone else?' I ask, managing to get to the cupboard without bruises or broken bones and proceed to search for a bucket. Gee, how much crap is _in_ here? These priests need a good talking to … or the cooks, but I don't see any around.

'Lloyd and Kratos are sparring outside and Raine is with Colette,' he says, sitting down on a concrete stair. 'There's a weird guy upstairs too …'

'Weird?' I mumble, not looking up as I continue to pull brooms out of the way. 'As in "Desian" weird?'

'No … he's a human. He refuses to pray with everyone else. And he has weird red and orange hair …'

I make a face as a spider scuttles over a broom I'm holding and throw it against the wall. 'Ew. Well, isn't it a little crowded with all those priests and pilgrimagers?'

'Pilgrims.'

'Same thing. Ooh, found one!' I say with a grin, straightening up and wrenching a small wooden bucket out from a corner crowded with brooms and other equipment. I throw it to the half-elf who catches it, stumbling a little at the blow. I close the door and navigate back, worming around the pots as he sets the bucket down on the floor.

'I'm just saying, he might want to wait until they're all gone or something,' I mutter, lifting myself to sit on the counter to try and redo that damn knot. 'Pretty logical, I think.'

'I suppose …' Genis answers as blue symbols begin to circle him, lighting up the dark stone floor. I watch them grow and travel faster, dancing around glowing a pale blue. The half elf finally crouches, slapping his hands to the floor. 'Aqua Edge!'

I lean back as water spurts out wildly from his hands as the symbols stop and transform into fluid, shooting towards the bucket. Luckily enough, the spell _does_ fill up the bucket with the water I needed. Sadly, Genis can't exactly aim his spells properly. He cam make it go in a certain direction, but not aim, so there is water all over the floor, gushing up next to the counter.

'Thanks …' I sigh, slowly easing myself from the counter. My feet hit the floor with a quiet _splash_, the water coming up to the lip of my shoes. Genis straightens up, looking a little worried at the mess he accidentally made as I go back to the cupboard, pushing the silver saucepans out of the way with my foot. I grab a mop from the dusty cupboard and come back over to the large puddle in the centre of the room (kicking a pot in the process).

'Go tell everyone this might take a little longer than usual,' I say, dropping the old grey mop head into the water.

'I should have used my kendama ...' Genis mumbles. 'I'll help-'

'Nah, its okay,' I assure him, picking up the bucket and placing the drenched wooden container on the counter next to the stove. 'It'll just take a minute or two. Go with Colette and set up a dining area or something … and tell Lloyd and Kratos to come back soon.'

Genis nods, leaving after a moment when I begin mopping the soaked floor. Damn, he's a good mage to bring so much water out of _nowhere_ … by the looks of things, it'll be more than a minute or two before I get dinner started … ah, woe is me. I hope priests don't come down and attack me because of the mess … trust me, it could happen.

I should have asked Genis to help … this looks harder than it is. There is so much _water_ dammit. I know I'm scared of large volumes of water, but it's a wonder I'm not having a fit or something right now. Maybe because it's not TWICE MY SIZE, five year old self. You suck, you do.

I should have brought another bucket with me … the mop is getting really heavy with the water. Charlotte, you're a moron amongst morons. Go and get a bucket, fool. And while I'm on the subject of random things, am I the only one that hums to themselves when they cook? I hope not, seeing as I just realised I'm half way through _Peanut Butter Jelly Time_, and I _don't_ know what spurred that on. I really don't.

I open the cupboard for the third time today, pushing some brooms out of the way with my foot and locate a bigger bucket near the back of the closet. I immediately regret reaching out and picking it up, because I'm quick to realise the bucket is one of the heaviest things I've ever attempted to lift. It's SUPER heavy. Heavier than a TV.

I think my words express as much that is needed. 'Holy shit!'

I give the bucket a look as though it had just grown a hand and flipped me the finger, using two hands to grip at the handle and heave it towards me. It barely budges, but it moves a few inches with a loud scrape.

'I'm going to … cast Fire Ball on you … in a minute …' I wheeze, still pulling as hard as I can on the rebellious object. It seems to refuse to act like a normal bucket and weigh a ton.

'Well, screw you,' I gasp, letting go and aiming a kick at the blasted inanimate object. Strangely enough, before my foot can connect with the wood the whole things erupts in a cloud of grey smoke, enveloping everything within a meter of it, including myself. A loud crash in the midst of the grey fog doesn't help my nerves one bit and I quickly attempt to scramble away from whatever it is that's just popped in from … heck knows where.

Without stalling, I draw a pistol and point the barrel at the centre of the smog, breathing heavily. Well, after trying to move a super duper heavy bucket and being scared out of your wits by an unexpected guest, you would be too. I try my hardest to resist the urge to sneeze since I now have dust all over me, and I'm guessing this person has too. He (well, it sounds like a he) is coughing, and I can see a dark thing through the smoke that looks a bit like a hand trying to wave it all away. I stay with my pistol until the smoke clears.

I answer to this situation quite the same as I did the previous one. '… The hell?'

Straightening himself up and dusting off his suit stands a strangely dressed man who seems to be in his early twenties. Under the layer of dust, what looks like blond hair spills out from beneath the strangest of hats you could ask for, covering his left eye completely. I still think he's a nutcase when I look at his clothes properly, wondering who the heck wears a rather official looking suit with green striped trousers and a similar cravat. Who indeed.

'Hey, this isn't Palmacosta …'

Yes, people. Only one person is capable of travelling through items, and that person is …

'… Wonder Chef?' I ask, almost dropping my pistol. The said man looks over to me, giving me what I can, for some reason, immediately class as a trademark dorky grin.

'Hey, kid! You happen to see a rather large fork?' He motions with his hands just how big it is. I don't say anything, but I _do_ notice his odd choice of an oversized fork resting against several brooms. He also seems to notice it after a second or two, snatching it from amongst the sea of wood and straightening his crooked hat.

'That was a funky ride,' he comments more to himself than me, dusting himself off with his fork with a laugh. 'I'm not so good at this, it seems!'

I open my mouth to say something, but my brain is denying me my intelligence for the moment and the self-proclaimed _Wonder Chef_ that has appeared from what probably is his mother's basement in an attempt to reach Palmacosta. I'm not offending him or anything, but … those _clothes_ dammit!

'Don't do that again,' is all I can manage, dropping my pistols back into its holster. 'Damn, I thought you were a monster …'

'Whoop,' he says, resting his fork on his shoulder and adjusting his red cape (it's getting worse as we speak!). 'Sorry 'bout that, kiddo. Didn't mean to scare ya …'

'I'm … sure you didn't,' I say, feeling a little nervous while in the presence of a rather psycho chef. 'Hey, is there a bucket in there somewhere?'

'Uhh …' he mumbles, looking over his shoulder. 'Oh yeah! Here you go.' He bends down and grabs one by the handle, throwing it over (I'm praying it isn't heavy like the last one). I catch it carefully, managing to not stumble back into a tower of pots and pans.

'Hey, are you cooking something?' he asks out of the blue, glancing over at the stove and the bucket and probably taking notice of the flooded floor.

'Well, I'm trying,' I grumble, walking back over to counter, bucket in hand. I set it down on the floor with a small _splosh_, grabbing the mop that I'd left next to the stove. 'I have to clean this up first.'

'Whoa, slippy,' he says quietly, wading his way through the water. 'This _is_ the middle of nowhere, isn't it?'

'There's a mage travelling with us,' I reply, still trying to force the water to the back of the room. 'I doubt I look the type of person to dump a gallon of water onto the floor for no reason.'

A get a shrug for my answer as he walks over (holding up his precious red cape from the water), suddenly holding what looks like a small cauldron which he hangs on the bar positioned over the stove.

'… What are you doing?' I ask, still armed with my mop which I feel the need to whack him over the head with. He's … rather annoying. More so than I expected him to be, what with popping up all over the place, but following people? What the hell?

'Well,' he starts, straightening up. 'You're cooking.'

I nod.

'It seems that you're below average in the field of cooking.' A glance is spared at the floor. 'You looked like you could use some assistance from someone with talent for making soups and other mediocre dishes.'

I pause. 'Are you insulting my cooking ability?'

He gives me a look that I decipher as "yes, but I'm not going to open my mouth and confirm it".

'Lay off my cooking ability, man,' I tell him, brandishing my mop to his face. 'I can make smashing cheese on toast.'

'Of course!' he says with another dorky grin, pushing the sopping mop from his face. 'No, let's get down to it. What are you making?'

I open my mouth to speak but stop myself for the second time today. I've confirmed to myself that I'll be making chicken noodle soup, but I guess I could make something more advanced with dear old Wonder Chef here. I am, after all, not looking forward to eating such a dish. I think I had nothing but the soup for ages since everyone had left me home alone. If I taste it one more time, I'll attack something. And it's most likely to be the blond standing next to me. Or Kratos, because I still have a few things to say to him about last night, and most of them include my foot connecting with a rather male area of his. If I had the guts, of course …

'Do you know how to make gazpacho?' I say, mop still in hand as I look over my shoulder at the chef. He makes a face at my choice.

'Well, not one of my favoured meals, but yes! I can make it, for I am-'

'The wonderful and mystically magical Wonder Chef,' I finish for him. 'So will you make it?'

'Yep.'

I try to force back a grin. 'Good. You do that and I'll mop the floor.'

'Yes indeedie, kiddo.'

I silently question the Wonder Chef's vocabulary and continue to mop the floor, looking over at him when a few thuds indicate many onions, pieces of garlic, herbs, and of course the main ingredient, springing out of nowhere and rolling all over the counter. WC quickly grabs them before they can tumble off and onto the wet floor. I smirk to myself and turn my back to him, mopping quicker. This will be worth it. Definitely.

I'm a strong believer in reprisal. Oh I am.

'We won't need water for this,' WC informs me, setting the bucket down on the floor. 'Go and tip it outside or … something …'

'Sure,' I mutter, resting the mop against the counter and picking up the bucket, which I mentally thank for being normal weight. I head up the stairs, attempting to open the door with my side while trying to turn the knob with my elbow, failing. WC is much too busy chopping up onions to notice (I wince at the smell) and I'm guessing Genis and Colette aren't there anymore. No Chosen probably means no priests or whatever … ah, joy.

As soon as I set down the bucket to open the door with my hand, the knob turns and the door swings open, luckily not towards me or I'd be down the stairs and landing on a very wet floor. Whoever it was doesn't stay to see who was attempting to open the door (myself) and walks over to the Spiritua Statue on the alter, kneeling on one knee and praying. Ah, I must have disturbed him …

'Sorry,' I mutter, picking the bucket back up. Before I can go to take it outside to empty, I stop dead at the man's appearance.

I'm guessing this is the "weird" man Genis was referring to because 1) he is praying alone and 2) he has the weird two toned hair thing going on. It's pretty cool with orange tips and such, but that isn't the point!

I summon enough courage after a minute and make no move to go nearer, but I do speak. 'Uh, 'scuse me …'

The man looks over his shoulder, and I notice he's looks around Lloyd's age. I'll ignore the turquoise coloured eyes that are totally freaking me out right about now and wait for his answer.

'What do you want?'

Polite, much? 'Do … I know you?'

'I've never seen you before,' he says, going back to his praying. Hey, I don't think he's actually praying … dammit Charlotte! Keep a one track mind!

'You just … you look awfully familiar,' I say, giving him another look over and shrug, heading towards the door. 'Probably just in my head …'

'It's a fake,' the man mumbles to himself, getting to his feet. I look over my shoulder questioningly and realise he must be talking about the Spiritua Statue. Ah, that must be why he was waiting for everyone to stop praying so he could get a good look at it.

'Does this have anything to do with a certain old man at Hakonesia Peak?' I ask, still waiting by the door. I don't get an answer from him and vaguely consider dumping the water on him instead of some innocent grass. 'What's your name?'

'Luke,' comes the quiet answer. He turns and doesn't spare me another glance, walking straight past me and out of the building. I quickly slam my foot down in front of an open door that he pushes open so I don't end up with another predicament like I just encountered, hopping out of the way before it decides to slam shut on me.

I watch this "Luke" fellow ascend the stone stairs (this House of Salvation is in a big crater like thing in the ground, by the looks of things) as I empty the water out near some barrels stacked up next to the house walls. He doesn't look like your average pilgrim … I think this might be the last I see of him, but we'll see …

… _Why_ does he look so familiar?

I shrug to myself again and renter the house, but it hits me and everything comes flooding back. I thank my friend for telling me just who he is, or at least pointing me in the right direction a few months ago.

'Tales of the Abyss …' I mumble to myself, dropping the bucket with a sharp clatter. 'Oh my God!'

Aw crap. Should I follow him? Should I attack him? Interrogate him? Kick Charis in the face? Yes to the last one for bringing him here, but what _is_ he doing here? Last time I checked, this was Tales of Symphonia … is Charis _insane_? Buh … maybe he's just travelling around. If I ignore him, it'll be okay. I probably won't see him again … stop rambling, Charlotte.

I pick the bucket up again and head back down to the kitchens, waving at WC as I hop down the stairs. As I put the bucket away I can't help but think to myself: what if Charis puts more people in? And not just from the Tales series (which I don't know much about anyway)? Like, what if Vincent Valentine pops up? Damn, that'd be sweet, but seriously! I doubt that in some ways seeing as _Final Fantasy 7_ is from the PS2, and this is a GC. But Abyss is for the PS2! I have a feeling my PS2's entity is having a hand in this.

Damn, I really hope the consoles didn't throw in Sephiroth. He'd probably work under Yggdrasill.

'How are you doing?' I ask, leaning on the counter.

'It should take a while,' he answers, still chopping away at the ingredients spread before him. I notice a few new ones have popped up while I've been gone and wonder vaguely where these things are magically coming from. I guess if he can travel through items, WC can do other things too. Quite scary, but neat at the same time. That'd be useful in battle; conjuring up potatoes from … wherever.

'Give me a shout when it's done?' I ask, straightening up. 'I'm going to go and attempt to clean myself up.'

'I was wondering about that,' WC says, not looking up from his chopped vegetables. 'You shouldn't cook when covered in … whatever it is that you're covered in.'

'Hence the apron,' I answer, untying the said clothing's knot and handing it on a peg next to the stairs.

'Ugh, my back is killing me …' I mumble when I open the door, wincing slightly as I move a hand to rub the sore area. It must have been from when Kratos attacked me last night … damn mercenary.

Speaking of the mercenary we're currently bitching about, his spawn seems to have decided to scare me out of my wits. Both front doors to the house swing open and the crimson clothed swordsman stumbles in, out of breath.

'Hi!' he pants, making a dash for the stairs. 'Don't tell Kratos where I am …!'

I watch his white ribbons flutter out of sight and note a thud on the floor boards upstairs. Hm, he must have fallen over or something … not smart, Lloyd. I wonder what he did to Kratos … Kratos doesn't really seem the type of person to hunt down –

'UWAA!'

_Thump_.

I hurt my right elbow when I hit the floor after having the navy clad mercenary collide with me from behind by accident. Gee, I'm really not that hard to miss, especially against the dull colours of the House of Salvation interior.

'That hurt,' I say, getting back to my feet and rubbing my bruised, red elbow. I really wish I had a long sleeve shirt … falling over with bare elbows is not good for the skin, I tells ya.

'Where is Lloyd?' Kratos hisses, looking around for his apprentice. I'd love to know what Lloyd did to make Kratos so mad, but I guess I'll find out what happened later. I just hope Kratos' method of punishment isn't as bad as Raine's. That won't be pretty for Lloyd.

'I'll tell you if you say sorry,' I say, dropping my arms to my side. Kratos makes a face at my conditions.

'My … apologies, Ms Harrison.'

'He's upstairs.'

'Hey, what's going on?'

The two of us look over to the open doors to see Genis, kendama in hand. It's that scary one with spikes … God knows how that works. He must have been practicing, seeing as he could easily hurt himself with it in battle.

'Lloyd did something …' I start, glancing up at the mercenary. 'And … Kratos is gonna kick him. Hard.'

'I bet he's just glad it's not Raine who's after him,' Genis says, looking around. 'Where-'

'Upstairs.'

Kratos interrupts with a small cough. 'I'll be going to sort him out.'

'Oh! Hang on a sec!' Genis butts in, grabbing the swordsman's wrist to halt him. The mage waves a hand in my direction in a "don't listen" motion. I react to that by turning around, slapping my hands over my ears and "lalala"ing away while Kratos leans down so Genis can whisper something into his ear. I wait for around ten seconds before a sharp pat on my shoulder indicates I can turn around.

'What did you say?' I ask the mage as Kratos heads to the stairs again. He opens his mouth to say something, but Kratos looks over his shoulder at Genis and interrupts him, answering my question at the same time.

'Exactly where is he ticklish?'

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

_Thud_.

_Thump, thump, bang_.

'No! Kratos, get oooff!'

_BANG_.

'Noo! Ahhh! Kratooos!'

_Scrape_.

'Gen_iiis_! Charl_oootte_! Help me!'

I shift against the wall, looking over to Genis who is seated next to me on the floor. 'We're mean.'

'He deserves it,' Genis huff, folding his arms. 'I hate being tickled.'

'Hm,' I mumble, looking up at the ceiling. 'By the sound of it-'

'KRATOOOS! AHHAH …! DAMMIT!'

'… He does too.'

Genis rolls his eyes, looking over at me. 'That's the whole point.'

'I guess,' I sigh with a shrug. 'Poor Lloyd.'

We sit in silence for a while, listening to the continuous _thuds _from upstairs which I'm assuming is Lloyd banging his fist on the floor while Kratos tickles him into oblivion or something as equally bad. It's been around … two minutes? I can't stand being tickled for five seconds, let alone 120. Kratos is ruthless in more ways than I thought …

'Two people in one day,' I say, holding two fingers to my face. 'I wonder if Lloyd is as vengeful as you.'

Genis snorts. 'I don't think anyone would have the guts to do that to Kratos.'

I shudder visibly. 'Nope. I guess it ends here. Oh, unless …'

Genis looks up questioningly. 'Unless what?'

'He knows you told Kratos to do that and he comes after you,' I finish holding a finger to my forehead. 'Common sense, really.'

The colour drains from the half-elf's face at my logic and he gives the ceiling a fearful look. A few more thuds and bangs resound through the room for another moment or two, and the terrified mage jumps to his feet, leaving his kendama and bolting to the door.

'Run, Genis!' I cry after him. 'Run for your life!'

The sounds of footsteps thump above me and I assume Lloyd has escaped from Kratos for now. My thoughts are confirmed as the said younger swordsman thunders down the stairs, hair dishevelled, red faced, panting and obviously irate. I point to the door before he can ask and Lloyd flees from the clutches of Kratos and chases after the poor half-elf.

Not soon after he left, the mercenary follows down the stairs and I point once again to the door. The chase begins.

After a moment of humming to myself, I get to my feet and leave the house, stepping out into the evening sun. Everything has its new layer of orange glow as the sun sinks behind the mountains, casting the relaxing light onto everything for miles. I look up to the purple and red sky and notice the Tower of Salvation in the north-east. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's bloody massive. It looks really pretty with the light and everything, but you have to think about the interior … all of those dead bodies. Disgusting. I don't understand why they're stored there. It seems like their purpose is to say to the next Chosen that comes along "HA YOU SUCK", but there could be a more civilized reason.

I doubt it though.

'Hey Colette, Professor,' I say, walking up the stone stairs to the two other females of the group who seem to be relaxing on the grass with some books. Studying? Really? Maybe I'll just turn around and leave …

'Hi!' Colette greets with a smile. 'Oh, do you know what Lloyd, Genis and Kratos are doing? We just saw them run by.'

'Uh, okay …' I mumble, sitting down cross-legged in front of them. 'Well, Lloyd did something to Kratos … but I'm not sure what. He went to punish him or something and Genis asked if he could tickle him to death because of earlier, and now Lloyd is going after Genis and Kratos is going after Lloyd and … I still don't know why.'

A long pause follows my explanation.

'Ah … okay!' Colette say, going back to her book. Wait for it …

'Do you think we should go and help?'

I shake my head, lying down on the grass. 'Nah, leave them to it.'

'Men …' the Professor sighs, flipping a page in her book. 'Oh yes, Charlotte?'

'Hm?' I mumble, looking up. 'Yeah?'

'I couldn't help but notice your examination results in the Palmacosta Academy test,' she says quietly, pulling out a slip of paper from within her book. I assume it's my result sheet … wait a sec, she kept those? 'As a Professor, it troubles me …'

'I got higher than Lloyd …' I say almost defensively. I'm not dumb; I just don't know anything about Sylvarant or its history or … whatever has to do with Sylvarant.

'Lloyd is … a special case,' the Professor admits with a grimace. 'I expected much more from you.'

'Oh …'

'Can you read and write?'

I don't know why, but I feel extremely insulted at this. 'Wha – of course I can read and write!'

'I was just making sure,' she says sternly, searching through her pack.

'I'm sorry,' I mutter, sitting up again. 'I'm not stupid, really … I just don't know much about history or culture.'

'That's surprising,' the Professor sighs, not looking up from the contents of her pack. Colette looks over her shoulder questioningly and finally a small brown book is pulled out from amongst the stone artefacts and God knows how many rocks that hold some sort of value. She hands it to me, along with another slip of paper. I refrain from raising and eyebrow and take them, flipping open the book. Text, text, a few diagrams, and … more text. The slip looks like a small test paper … a bit like the ones on Earth.

'I want you to fill in that assessment sheet and hand it in to me within the week,' she instructs.

'Oh … alright …' I mumble, looking over the questions on the sheet. Hm, I remember some of these from the Palmacosta Academy exam. To put it bluntly, the ones I skipped or got wrong. I'm sure the book will help me with that, but … it is a lot of text. I wonder if I'll be able to read it in the time span … probably. I read the fifth book in the Harry Potter series in two days … and a bit, if I remember correctly. I remember not sleeping though. My nephew and I had a contest to see who could read it first … I'm not a big fan of HP, but I wanted that money dammit.

'I'll try,' I sigh, opening the book to a random page and slipping the test paper inside, snapping it shut. A loud whine to the left of us grabs our attention as Noishe trots over to us, ear twitching as usual.

'Noishe!' Colette says, waving to him as he sits down next to her. 'What have you got there?'

The "dog" opens its large mouth and drops a mass of cloth to the floor, covered in saliva and dirt. I give it a disturbed look and make a face is disgust.

'Nasty. Noishe, you pick up the dirtiest things …'

_Growl_.

I almost stick my tongue out at the dog, but I stop when Colette picks up the cloth and holds it up straight. I immediately realise what it is after looking it over, noticing the design and the clips. 'Oh, this is …'

'… Kratos' cape,' I finish with my eyes possibly wide. 'I think I know why he's chasing Lloyd now.'

… The mercenary is really weird when it comes to clothing. I never noticed that; I thought it was just the nightshirt. Apparently not … poor Lloyd. I pity him and Genis …

'What do we do with it?' Colette asks, still holding it up.

'Put it down,' Raine says, giving the cape a look. A very evil, revolted look at that.

'Give it back to Noishe?' I suggest, lying back down on the soft grass.

'But …'

'Ah … Chosen one!'

The three of us look up at the person that interrupted, Colette quickly dropping Kratos' ruined cape (which Noishe claims quickly before anyone else can grab it off him). A middle aged man clad in armour that rattles around him with every step clanks his way towards us, followed by another two. My ears protest against the noise with a sharp ring and I shake my head.

Colette stands, shutting her book and setting it down on the grass after folding down the corner of her page. I notice the green and brown leather coated armour that belongs to the soldiers of Palmacosta along with the oddly shaped helmets that cover their face from the bridge of the nose upwards. I'd hate wearing a helmet … just the whole idea of looking through a barred eye section … I don't like it.

'We have a message. It's from Governor- General Dorr in relation to certain events,' the (apparent) leader says, saluting to the Chosen.

'A message?'

He nods, shifting his spear. 'He requests that you stop the Journey of Regeneration for a short period of time and lend him a hand.'

After hearing Dorr's requirements, the Professor also gets to her feet and stand beside Colette with a stern look on her face. 'Go on.'

'A tour guide leading a group of people on the Church of Martel Pilgrimage has been taken prisoner while on duty by the Desians from the Palmacosta Ranch,' the one on the left informs us. Colette's eyes widen at the news, but she stays silent and lets them continue notifying us of recent happenings. 'The Governor-General has decided to finally gather Palmacosta's soldiers and attack the human ranch in an attempt to dispose of their leader, Magnius.'

I frown, not standing to join the two and keeping parked on the grass. It's comfier. 'How do we fit into this mission?'

The leader speaks again. 'We would be grateful if you and you group would rescue the tour guide when we launch our attack, Chosen One.'

'It's Chocolat, isn't it?' I say resting my elbows on my knees with a sigh. 'She was on duty. She told us.'

'It can't be …!' Colette says, looking down at me with a worried looks spread over her features. I shrug and look back up at the group of soldiers.

'She is correct,' the soldier sighs with a grave face. 'Chosen one, please …'

Colette, all determined and such, turns to the two of us with a pleading look. 'Let's do it.'

I shrug again at the blonde Chosen, at a loss for words really. 'I can't say much. It's your choice after all.'

'She's right,' the Professor says quietly, resting a hand on Colette's shoulder to calm her down. 'It's not our place to decide the course of this journey. It's up to you, the Chosen of Mana.'

Colette casts her gaze to her feet and nods slowly. 'Yes … you're right.' She turns back to the three soldiers. 'We'll do it.'

'But tomorrow,' Raine interrupts, dropping her hand from her student's shoulder. 'We've had a tiring day.'

'Of course,' the leader acknowledges, bowing to the two of them (still on the floor, here). 'We are very grateful for your cooperation, Chosen one. Once you arrive at the ranch, Dorr's secretary should inform you of the details as well as the passage into the building.'

'Alright, thank you,' Raine says, running a hand though her hair. We watch the three soldiers start their trek back to Palmacosta the poor things swallowing apple gels endlessly. They looked pretty beaten up when we were speaking to them … the leader had a number of cuts and bruises on his arms and his face which I noticed when he spoke. Probably the work of Ladybirds and Grasshoppers that pounce on innocent travellers. Trust me, we know.

'… Okay, those guys have been at that for a really long time,' I say, looking over to the distance. You can make out three different coloured figures chasing each other and trying to avoid a certain person. They look like they're all on a high or something … ooh, Lloyd caught Genis, who is now being wrestled to the ground, though Lloyd quickly deserts him after looking over his shoulder and noticing the cape-less mercenary catch up with him. Poor boys …

'It's a wonder how they have so much energy after today,' Raine says, sitting back down and picking up her book. Colette also plops down on the grass next to the Professor and returns to her reading.

'Yeah,' I mutter, moving to lie down again. I suddenly jerk back up, springing to my feet. 'Oh crap!'

'What's wrong?' Colette asks.

'I forgot about dinner!' I whine, making a dash to the house. Damn, I hope the Wonder Chef is still there … if not, then I hope he left the food. I know you serve gazpacho cold, so if he _did_ leave it, I just have to let it chill for a while before serving. I get one or two shouts from the over two about if I burn the food then they'll help me make another meal, and it takes all of my will to not turn around and tell them what I'm making. It'd ruin the surprise.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

It's been an hour.

My feet hurt after waiting to let the soup cool because I'm now not allowed upstairs again.

I want to hug the Wonder Chef for making the dinner for me, but sadly, he has departed on his way to Palmacosta.

He left me a note though. A cute little green one with a picture of a fork in the corner, much like his own. But not freakishly life sized … anyway, it just said "Hope you guys enjoy your dinner! –Wonder Chef". Screw Tabatha, the Wonder Chef is my favourite character from now on. Hm, both of them have a thing for the colour green … I have weird choice for my favourite people. No Lloyd! You well never make it into my top three with that attire!

'Leave for around an hour …' I mumble, straightening up (my upper half was lying face down the counter, forehead pressed to the note WC left me which has now stuck itself to my skin). 'It should be ready now …'

I take the cauldron from the unlit stove - which is exceedingly heavy - and almost sink to the floor at the weight. Godammit, what is IN this soup? Rocks? Forget eating it, the Professor will take it in as research. I consider asking a priest for help in carrying it upstairs (we're eating in one of the four bedrooms up there) but decide I can manage. I've become friends with a priest and that one that came to see Colette before we arrived. The lavatory is down here, see … so I get a lot of people coming in and out. I wonder if that's actually hygienic.

'Wonder Cheeeef, I hate you,' I hiss, using two hands to drag the soup up to the door. I blame the cauldron. It is big … and made of stone anyway, so hm – we now know why my fingers SCREAM with AGONY and SUCH.

We told the three males of the group about Dorr's request when they finally calmed down and came back, all of them red in the face and worn out. We all agreed to go to the ranch tomorrow (there's that group spirit again!) and take part in rescuing Chocolat (on mine and Kratos' _birthday_, dammit). I wonder if they'll choose to infiltrate the ranch straight away or go back and sort Dorr out … hm, maybe I'll get a say in that matter.

I have another go and pushing the door knob down with my elbow again and good lord it _works_ this time! I kick the door open, trying to ignore a stern look from some random pilgrim dude praying at the Spiritua Statue (it's a fake, my good man! Don't do it!) and continue to the stairs, finding this easier since I now have a banister to help. In the words of Presea: wahoo! Loople doo!

I'll shut up now.

'Bon …' I grunt, shoving the door open with my side. 'Appétit!'

The group is sat on the floor in a kind of semi circle seeing as we have no table and the priests are unwilling to give us one to borrow (I blame the racket the boys made). I get a few weird looks and realise me mistake, deciding to not make a huge deal about it and hope they just shrug it off.

'Um …' I mumble, still standing in the doorway. I was hoping for a more "what in MARTEL'S name is that smell?" kind of reaction. The Wonder Chef did make it after all, and he is _supposed_ to be a good cook. 'Hey, uh … Colette, how do you say "_good appetite_" in Angelic?'

'Good appetite …' the Chosen repeats, rubbing her forehead. 'Um ... you should just say "_moussae_". It's more formal!'

'Ah …' I say, setting the pot down on the floor in the centre of the human semi-circle. 'Well, _moussae_, people!'

I have the weirdest urge to scream "let's MOSEY" after learning that. Maybe I will later on. You never know.

'I'm staaarving,' Lloyd whines, clutching his stomach. I raise an eyebrow after sitting down in front of the pot, taking a ladle from my belt (where did you expect me to carry it?).

'Lloyd, _why_ do you think I just made food?' I say, grabbing a bowl and tipping a large portion of the soup into it, giving the red coloured food to the swordsman. 'See? Matches your clothes.'

'Gah! First the Desians, and now you! _What_ is wrong with the colour red?'

I ignore him (so does everyone in the room, turning away when he gives everyone a severe questioning glance) and continue to fill the bowls, assuming we'll have a bunch left unless everyone is up for second helpings. Heeey, I think Genis like it! Yay for Wonder Chef!

I sit in silence for around ten seconds (longer than I expected) and wait for _the_ question to come up. Of course, the who asks it is indeed LLOYD. How _did_ you guess?

'Charlotte, did you forget to cook this?'

Genis rolls his eyes. 'It's gazpacho, Lloyd. It's _supposed_ to be cold.'

The brunette defends himself with his usual "I-I knew that! I forgot, that's all!" and go to my own meal, leaning against one of the two beds in the room. Yaaay, beds! I don't like sleeping on solid ground … no-sir-ee-do.

'I've never come across this dish before,' the Professor says, stirring the soup with her spoon. 'What's in it?'

'Ah … it's not that popular …' I say sheepishly, playing with a strand of hair. I should have asked them if they were allergic to anything before cooking … kind of like the time when we gave my nephew fish. His face BLEW UP, man. T'was amusing, but then they had to take him to hospital. Yup, another story from my life. 'Um, it's … garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cucum-'

I honestly have to stop there to avoid pissing myself with laughter. The LOOK on Kratos and Lloyd's faces … they've both frozen in place, spoons in mouths. Quite comical, really …

'Say again?' Lloyd says, face void of colour.

'Gar-lic, pep-pers, to-ma-toes, cu-cum-beeerrr …' I say slowly, breaking up the syllables and taking in a spoonful of the Wonder Chef's stew. 'And a few other things.'

'There are tomatoes in this,' Kratos mutters, his voice eerily monotone.

'Yup. Something wrong with that?'

I'm cruel. I'm a very cruel girl.

'Is … there a …' Lloyd swallows with a grimace. '… Bathroom in this house?'

'In the kitchens, turn to your right-'

'Out of my way, boy,' Kratos says quickly, practically jumping over the younger swordsman's crossed legs. Lloyd quickly grabs for his ankle, missing him completely and stumbling as he gets to his feet.

'I don't believe in "respect your elders", old man!' he shouts, rocketing out the door and following a nauseated looking mercenary. The things we hear after that go as followed: _Thump, thump thumpthumpthump_ –

'Will you _please_ stop running up and down those stairs like bunch of elephants!' a priest screeches, making me and the remaining three wince a little. Lloyd shouts back something, but to respect the young and faint of heart, I'll not relay it. Lloyd needs a slap for his foul mouth, and judging by the look on Raine's face, I'd say he's going to get one.

'Well, the rest of you can dig in,' I say after noticing they've been staring at the doorway for the longest time.

'Wow …' Genis mumbles, going back to his soup. 'I never though I'd see someone else with an overdramatic dislike for tomatoes.'

I shrug, slurping at my own cold dinner. 'If they want something else, I'm not cooking again. Oh yeah, about the rooms for tonight …'

Raine nods, speaking after swallowing a mouthful of the soup. Damn, Wonder Chef is a good cook … really … it's a wonder Lloyd and Kratos didn't like it even if it _does_ have tomatoes in it. 'Yes, we're splitting into single gender rooms, but it's only two beds per room. Genis and I don't mind sharing. You'll be with Colette.'

'That's a relief,' I say stirring the soup idly with my spoon. 'At least I'll have someone to talk to. Hey, any idea who's in the spare room?'

Genis shakes his head. Whoa, he's almost finished his dinner already. Wait, is this dinner or supper? 'Nope. They've been locked in there all day though. I wonder what they're doing.'

'I'm sure I'd rather not know …' I yawn, rubbing my itching eyes. 'Whoa, I hope my hayfever doesn't come along …'

'Maybe you're just tired!' Colette says, obviously not touching her soup. I'd say something, but I'm not a dummy like Lloyd; I can keep my worrying to myself.

'Perhaps,' I mumble with another yawn. 'I might turn in early.'

'It's almost eight o'clock.'

'Oh … then I'll turn in anyway. Damn, my eyes …'

'Go to bed,' the Professor says. 'It's amazing that the Genis and the others aren't tired before you.'

'Yeah, I haven't slept in a _really_ long time …' I mumble getting to my feet. 'Um, give that to the priest downstairs that we pissed off-' I point to the soup '- Tell Lloyd I'm sorry, and tell Kratos he's an arsehole.'

'We'll do the first two,' Genis says as I stumble out of the room, realising that I have pins and needles in my foot. Ahh, burn, burn, burn …

'Which one is our room, Colette?' I ask, looking over my shoulder and clinging to the doorframe for dear life. She points to the room directly opposite from this one and I quickly make a break for it, trying not to collapse because of the condition of my feet. It's happened on numerous occasions at school, an NO it is not funny.

'I'm alive,' I hiss, pushing the door open and leaping onto a bed after slamming it shut. Gazpacho is worse than I thought … my stomach feels funny and .. just plain weird. Whoa, these beds are comfy … screw the journey; I'm staying here until they defeat that schizophrenic Martel fanboy and pop Derris Kharlan out of the sky.

I hear footsteps outside and guess that Kratos and Lloyd are finished throwing up/spitting out/condemning me for eternity. Bloodline carries all sort of weird things … I wonder if Anna was afraid of needles.

My door creeks open and someone steps in, closing it quietly behind them. I quickly feign sleep, back to whoever it is.

'A word, Harrison.'

Three guesses who that was and the first two don't count.

'M'tired, talk tomorrow …' I mumble, burying half my face deeper into the pillow. I think Kratos made it quite clear that he needs to settle something serious with me which must be discussed now when the tip of his sword is thrust down onto the mattress in front of me, barely and inch from my throat.

'Or we could just … talk now, I guess … whatever works …' I say, trying my best to avoid the cold steel of his blade that lingers close to my neck as I sit up. 'You were saying …?'

'I want to know what you know about me,' he whispers, voice cold and calm. 'Everything. Now.'

I pause, trying to gather all of the excuses I've used in the past and meld them up into something believable. 'Okay, uh … you had a wife and a son,' I start, not looking him in the bit focusing on his cape-less shoulder. 'That's … Lloyd … uh, you don't like me, Raine, tomatoes … you like-'

'Spare minor details,' he hisses harshly, making me flinch a little. 'About my background, girl. Lloyd has enlightened me that you seem to know my date of birth.'

… Shit.

'Yeah, uh …' I say quickly as to not look suspicious. Damn the freaking diary. 'When … I looked at those files … that told me about you, Anna and Lloyd … I noticed your birthday and remembered it … it was the same as mine, so-'

There's a small ripping sound as Kratos pulls his sword from my mattress, sheathing it once again and giving me a disbelieving look. 'Is that all?'

No, I read your diary and I know you're one of the four seraphim and that you're secretly deceiving us and planning to kill us when we get to the Tower of Salvation – I said it now please don't hurt meee! 'Yep … that's it.'

'Alright then,' he says, turning to open the door. 'Wake up early tomorrow. We're not leaving until 9 o'clock, but I would like your festivities to be quick and short.'

'O … kay …' I mumble as he leaves. Hm, this isn't going to be the best birthday I've had, I'm sure. With any luck, I'll get something from someone other than Colette and the half-elves. Lloyd is probably annoyed at me because of the whole tomato thing. He doesn't seem the type of person to hold a grudge, but after witnessing his and Genis' actions today … I'm guessing the worst.

Tomorrow is going to be a long, _long_ day.


	30. Birthday Bonus

Chapter 30 – Birthday Bonus 

_I'm gonna be sick_.

Those are my thoughts as my eyes snap open and I shoot upright in my bed, suddenly very awake. I don't know if it's because of the gazpacho or because of nerves that seem to be bouncing off each other in my head and my stomach, but I can feel an all too familiar burn twisting around inside of me. I sit deadly still for a few moments, taking a few deep breaths. Maybe it'll just go away … if I don't move … and keep breathing …

_Not working_.

I jump out of bed when the burn grows stronger, spreading rapidly. Immediately, a wave of dizziness hits me and I repress the urge to topple back onto the bed, pushing myself to stumble out of the door. The sensation in my stomach weakens for a few moments, but I continue down the hallway, one hand on the wall to steady myself.

_Come on, Charlotte_, I urge myself, reaching the stairs. _Get to the bathroom and stay there … _

I grab the railing, almost slipping on the first step as I attempt to make my way down. My unsteady leg turns to jelly and I sink to my knees on the steps. Keep going, keep going … you're almost there …

After another few deep breaths, I feel the nausea return and go back to stumbling down the stairs like a blind animal, reaching the bottom after half falling down the last three. I manage to maintain balance and stagger to the opposite side of the room, clutching my stomach all the while and throw the door open. The kitchen is deserted, dark and eerily quiet. I somehow seem to be able to successfully get down the next set of stairs as the nausea fades for another few moments. I practically launch myself at the bathroom door and tumble in, kicking it shut and pulling myself over the toilet.

I'd just like to comment that it's bloody dark and I can't see a thing. I _am_ underground here.

_Please don't, please don't, please don't … _

I beg myself, clutching my knuckles so tightly they're probably turning white with the strain. I feel my fingernails, horribly blunt and chipped because of so many battles dig into my palms as I try to ease down the burn rising in my throat. Please don't do it … not now, or I won't be able to sleep …

And because fate hates me to some overly extent tonight, I do it. But oh no, I have to go into a big _coughing fit_ after, don't I? When I find out who controls fate, I'm going to kick them. Hard. We'll just pretend it's Charis for now, that's a lot more satisfying.

My coughing fit subsides and I slump down onto my knees, grabbing for some toilet paper to wipe my mouth with. I didn't eat much … only a few spoonfuls … it shouldn't happen again … there's barely anything down there. Just incase, I lean back over a wait for a few moments to see is another acidic feeling arrives to bite at my throat, but luckily, nothing happens.

I take another deep breath and jump a little when I feel a hand on my back, rubbing it comfortably. I appreciate the sentiment, but since it's dark I don't know who it is … and, well if someone you don't know is touching you, you'd like to know who it is (not that way, you perverted people).

I still have no idea who this person is and I don't really want to turn my head and try to make out their figure. I wish they'd just go away, seeing as this is _really_ embarrassing … damn, I totally wish I was alone right now … I get humiliated _really_ easily, for those of you that don't know.

I finally pull away from the toilet, almost bumping into the person behind me. I feel an arm wind around my shoulders, holding me in a small albeit very soothing half embrace. I haven't really guessed who it is, but I can take a few shots when I feel a chin length fringe tickling my forehead.

'Are you okay?'

I take another breath before allowing myself to speak, afraid of another wave of queasiness washing over me. '… Colette?'

'Yeah, it's me … do you still fell sick?'

I shake my head, leaning against the older girl for a moment before I try to stand. My legs feel like water … they're shaking a lot too. 'I'm okay,' I answer thickly, trying to steady myself. 'I didn't hear you come in …'

'I heard you leave our room, and then I heard some bangs so I thought you were in trouble …'

'Thanks …' I whisper, grabbing her upper arm when my legs decide they don't like me anymore. 'I fell over a few times coming down … d'you think you could help me back upstairs? My, uh … my legs, they-'

'Yeah, no problem!'

She takes my arm gently and wraps it around her own shoulders, supporting me as I take an unsteady step forward. I wobble a little bit and try not to collapse against her, putting a hand against the wall once again to help.

'I know I'm not a morning person, I didn't actually think there'd be such a thing as a middle-of-the-night person,' I say with a small laugh. 'I can't feel the lower part of my body anymore …'

'I'm sure it'll come back!' Colette chirps as we enter the main room. It was actually quite easy to get up the stairs, but I think I'll keep a hold on the Chosen for now. I'm not sure when I might collapse in the next five minutes, but hopefully it'll be on my bed. It sucks being waken up from one of the best nights of sleep I've had for a while to go and hurl … and I'm sure it's happened to most of you before. Not nice, is it?

The journey up the next set of stairs isn't as easy. I trip on the fifth step from the top and refuse to move for a few moments before Colette insists that I can't sleep on the stairs and that my bed is much comfier. I agree with that and we continue on our way down the hall, trying not to wake anyone up. Kratos might be awake because of his super hearing and such, but he seems to be making no effort to come out and see if we're okay. Screw him; I like Colette a whole lot more now.

We finally reach our room which isn't as dark now we have some moonlight coming in from the open window. Hey, Colette is wearing those strawberry pyjamas again. Didn't I really like those or something? Can't really remember …

'You okay now?' she asks, sitting down next to me when I managed to lower myself onto the mattress that squeaks at our combined weight. I notice the sword mark Kratos made earlier and hope Colette doesn't realise it, or ask questions or anything.

'Yeah … I feel a lot better …' I mumble, burying my face in my hands. Augh, my eyes are itching again … stupid hayfever. _Why_ is Sylvarant not cities and streets and cars and such? It'd be a lot easier for me! 'I guess I'm just nervous about tomorrow and the whole ranch thing …' I admit, dropping my hands from my face. 'It's very unnerving …'

'Yeah, I guess it is,' the blonde Chosen agrees with a small smile. 'But it'll be okay if we're all together, right?'

'I'm not sure,' I mumble, staring at the moonlit floorboards. 'Anything could happen … Magnius is really strong … and really ruthless, and I don't think he's going to treat is nicely if we just burst into his ranch and order that he kneels over and dies.'

'Probably not,' Colette sighs, tilting her head to rest it on her own shoulder. 'But as long as we rescue Chocolat and get out, Neil and his soldiers should take care of Magnius and the Desians, right?'

I shrug, still staring at the floor. 'I doubt it'll be that easy … call it a gut feeling, but I don't think things will go as smooth as that.'

'Why do you think that?'

I pause after a moment of consideration over the subject and what will happen yesterday and lift my head a little. 'Well, the Desians are you after you and Lloyd, so I just don't think it'll be as easy as walking in, picking up Chocolat and strolling back out. They're bound to be out to find you guys when they know we're in the ranch.'

'I know it'll be scary,' Colette says with another smile. 'But we have Kratos and Genis and the Professor to protect us! And I don't think those Desians stand a chance against the Professor!'

I chuckle a little, sitting up fully. 'You've got that right … I've seen enough of her to know her punishment isn't a nice one.'

'Hehe … yup! So any Desian that comes near us will have to try and survive the Professor first!'

'She'd probably be able to take out Magnius alone in five seconds flat with her temper,' I laugh, rubbing my eyes. 'We won't need the Palmacosta militia … we'll just tell her that Magnius has a precious Balacruf relic or something.'

We both giggle a little at that and Colette quickly realises the time. I _seriously_ don't know how she knows, but apparently it's almost two in the morning and we're going to be very tired in the morning. After a good night and another weird hug (that I initiated by wrapping my arms around her own left arm, giving it a quick squeeze if that counts as a hug at all), Colette goes back to her own bed.

Hm … it's the Fire Seal where she looses her need to eat and her taste, so I guess at the Seal of Water Remiel will be taking away the need to sleep. At least she can sleep tonight, seeing as we have a long and dangerous day ahead of us in the morning.

It takes me a while to fall asleep, longer than the Chosen, but I doze off after quarter of an hour or less with my arms wound around my pillow and knees pulled to my chest. It's cold … really cold.

I want a heater, darn it.

…-…-…-…-…-…-…

'Happy birthday to you …'

'Bed …'

'Happy birthday to you …'

'Ge' off ma ankles …'

'Happy birthday, lazy Charloootte …'

'Shut up!'

_THUMP_,

'Happy birthday to you!'

That was me hitting the pillow lined floor at the side of my bed. What a lovely present, stopping me from cracking my head open on the floorboards. Can I go back to bed now? Yes, I DID sleep a decent amount, but I need more, darn it. I've slept an hour or two in the past two days, and I want my beeed. It's nice and fluffy and white with a big sword mark next to my head space (which no one has noticed, thank gods).

I rub my eyes and adjust my clothes (yes, I slept in my clothes) more comfortably, looking around and running a hand through my hair to smooth it out of my face. Note to self: cut hair. Later. There is too much of it on my head. Lloyd and Colette pulled me from the soft refuge of the bed and onto the floor (I think Genis had a hand in that too) and are now sitting in front of me, Genis is perched on my vacant bed and Kratos is standing by the doorway and leaning on its frame. He gives me a "hurry up" look and takes interest in the opposite frame.

Blah to him. Blah I say.

'I'm fourteen,' I whine, slumping forward on the pillows. 'I'm getting ooold …'

'Quit whining and open your presents,' Lloyd says, throwing three brown parcels at me. Two of then are fairly small, but there's a big heavy one that decided to hit me in the chest. I "oomph" and fall onto my back, grabbing my blanket quickly from the mattress above me.

'Beeed …'

'Nope!' Genis protests, pulling the covers out of my hands. 'You have to get up!'

'Fine …' I mumble sitting up reluctantly and taking the large parcel that winded me momentarily. 'This is from …?'

'Me and the Professor!' Colette says, raising a hand with a large smile. I must thank her for last night later on. 'We think you'll like it!'

'Okay then – hey, where is the Professor anyway?'

Lloyd grabs a pillow from under my feet and throws it at Genis who has decided to take my bed for himself, curling up on the blanket he took back from me. 'She's making breakfast downstairs.'

'I've never tried the Professor's cooking …' I say quietly, ripping the brown paper apart. Lloyd winces just thinking about it and shakes his head.

'Just run while you can and don't look back.'

'She's not that bad!' Colette protests with a small frown.

'Colette, your birthday cake had onions in it!' Genis says, throwing the pillow at the blonde Chosen. She throws it back skilfully after getting a mouthful of cotton, hitting him directly in the face. Yay for chakram users and their cool, cool skills. I can't shoot with pillows, therefore I suck.

'It was nice!' she says, brushing some hair out of her face. 'The Professor worked really hard on it!'

I try to ignore the three Iselian's little spat on weather or not the breakfast will kill us all or not and finish opening Colette's present. It is, of course seeing as it's from the Professor also, a BIG BOOK. Feel my joy. Feel it burn. I open to a random page and look over the old writing, not understanding a WORD I'm being faced with. The opposite page seems to have an English translation … wait, this is …

'Colette, is this Angelic?' I ask, running a hand down the worn page filled with words I've never come across and small symbols. The paper is old … really old.

'Yep!' she exclaims, sitting on the pillow that was previously a weapon so no one can get to it. Lloyd tries to grab for another one, but I'm sitting on the last one. 'We were talking about it last night and thought you might like it!'

'Colette, this … don't you need it? You and the Professor?'

'Have you _seen_ how many books she carries around with her?' Lloyd says with a small laugh. I think about the Professor's bulging backpack and wonder just _how many_ books can be carried in that thing. It's can't be that much … but if you're Ms Raine Sage, you could fit 40 in, regardless of size. 'I think she can spare one.'

'Thanks …' I mumble, turning to the front page where some letters of the alphabet and translated into small symbols. 'I was thinking about learning Angelic yesterday night … this'll help a lot …'

'Glad you like it!' she says, wrapping her arms around her knees. 'I'll help if you get stuck on anything, too!'

Ahh, Colette is so nice. I'd hug her, but I'm tired and I can't move properly. I say thank you and do a quick choice on the last to presents, choosing the smallest one of the two. 'This is?'

'Mine,' Lloyd says, leaning on the side of Colette's bed. 'I was kinda in a hurry, so I couldn't really …'

'I'm sure I'll like it …' I say, peeling off the thin wrapper. A small wooden object drops to the floor with a small _thunk_. I pick it up quickly, hoping I didn't break it and turn it over, looking at it properly. It's a small, wooden charm like thing with a tiny silver hook on the top (I'm guessing I could use it as a necklace if I had some string or a chain). The charm itself is … kind of hard to explain … it's like two small wings (apparently absent of a body) with three small halo type things … wait, isn't this the design on Martel/Mana's staff … thing? Y'know, the pattern thing at the top? I swear it is …

'Did you buy this in Palmacosta?' I say, looking it over again. Waah, it's so pretty …

'I, uh … I bought the wood in Palmacosta …' Lloyd says, rubbing the back of his neck. 'It's not very good, I only got the charm idea last night from one of the Professor's weird … religion … book things, and-'

'Shut up!' I say in the charm's defence. 'It's pretty!'

'Ah … you think?'

'Sure!' I say with a wide smile. 'Do we have string or something?'

'Raine has some,' Genis says, leaning over the side of the bed. 'You can ask her after breakfast.'

'Any idea what we're having?' I say, my face falling at though thought of toast and frog legs in an unappetizing mix. I push it out of my mind with difficulty and reach for the final present with a gulp. 'This is from Genis, right?'

'Yeah,' the half-elf says, looking a little worried. 'I didn't have any money and forgot to buy something, so I just thought you might like that …'

I give the present a quick squeeze, feeling the object inside and rip it open, half guessing what it is. It has to be … nothing else feels like that. And yep, sure enough a small crimson coloured wooden ball drops into my open palm, the string attaching it to its brown handle straining the tinniest bit.

'Thanks, Genis,' I say with another wide smile, looking down at his slightly scratched first weapon. 'You have to teach me though. I can't play with kendamas, and I'm pretty sure I won't use it for battle.'

'Yeah, you might not want to do that,' Lloyd says, giving the brown and red toy a glare as if it has uttered a rude word at him. 'They hurt.'

'I take it you tried before?'

'Yeah, a few years ago,' Lloyd admits, flushing a little. Embarrassing memory time? 'I kinda … hit myself with it by accident.'

'Twelve times,' the silver haired mage chirps with a positively evil grin.

'Shut up, Genis!' Lloyd shouts, throwing another pillow he grabs from Colette's bed at the half-elf. 'It's not easy to use!'

'If you're quite finished, children,' Kratos interrupts darkly from the doorway, giving us all a sharp look. He steps into the hall: 'I'd like you downstairs within five minutes.' And off he goes down the hall without another word.

'… Geez, what's up with him?' Genis mutters, staring coldly at the place where Kratos was previously standing.

'He has a pole eternally wedged up his ass,' I mumble, taking on a hillbilly accent for now reason at all. I felt like it for some reason … I blame that hillbilly from the Simpsons. He always makes me laugh … yes, I _will_ shut up now. Though I have the weirdest urge to listen to _Take Me Home, Country Roads_ now …

'He can be nice when we wants to be,' Lloyd yawns, standing up after throwing another pillow at Genis, who is now piling them up and resting on them. He gives his brunette friend a sceptical look and raises an eyebrow, sitting up again.

'Oh yeah? When?'

Lloyd shrugs, getting to his feet, grabbing two pillows (that I assume are his own) from the floor underneath him. 'You have to keep your eyes peeled. It doesn't last very long.'

With a cough that sounds distinctly like _cape_, I move to sit on my bed and throw my own pillows back into place along with the blanket that Genis hands to me after jumping off my bed. After Colette and I make our beds, the boys leave to sort out their own (they all brought their own pillows to sit on) supposedly dishevelled beds. I yawn again, trying to resist the urge to burrow back under the covers when I look at my bed all … warm and inviting and such.

'Are you coming down for breakfast?'

I look over at Colette, stood by the door. I nod, straightening out my blanket some more even though it looks the equivalent to a billiard table right now. 'Uh, yeah … I'll be down in five minutes, I'm just gonna get ready.'

'Oh, okay!' she says, waving and setting off down the hall after closing the door behind her. I wait a few moments and sigh, sitting down on my own bed. Oh this is perfect … my birthday and I don't get to spend it with my friends. I mean, those guys _are_ my friends, but y'know … the people I've known for years and years, not just for a week. I wonder how Kratos feels … maybe he'll get a present from Yuan. A long shot, but at least I'm thinking hard. I doubt Mithos would (unless it's a new spandex suit type thing, but I'll shut up now). Ah, poor Kratos. Well, he's a bastard. He doesn't deserve anything.

'Human Raaanch …' I whine, moving to stand. 'I don't wanna …'

Before I can stand fully, a loud (very, _very_ loud) bang goes of behind me. I yelp and shoot forwards, spinning around to see who or what it is that decided to attack me. Sitting on my bed are the two human figures of my game consoles, armed with used party poppers. It takes me a few moments to realise my hair is covered in that multicoloured stringy paper.

'… Thanks, I think,' I mumble, dragging it from my hair. 'Try not to deafen me next time.'

'We'll try,' Charis says, throwing the plastic popper over her shoulder. 'Well, happy birthday.'

My PS2 throws a small package to me which I manage to catch. 'Present for you!'

'Lucky day,' I say quietly, opening it. I scrunch up the brown packaging and resist throwing the item I now hold back at them, which of course, is my MP3 player from Earth. 'Wh … what are you thinking? I can't carry this around!'

'Exactly,' PS2 says with a grin (I feel the need to name him right about now). 'You can listen to one song, and then you have to go down to breakfast.'

I pause, still staring at him. 'Okay, first of all, why are you here? You're a PS2.'

'Because I can,' he answers with a shrug. 'It's boring not being played on for ages, so Charis invited me to come and play.'

'Come and _play_?' I mumble, gripping the small gadget tightly. 'I've just had the worst week of my _life_ and you guys are _playing?_'

'We're working!' Charis insists with a frown. I suddenly like the fact that they both look like seven/eight year olds and that I am now 14. Haaah … I hate kids. 'Moving on, when you choose your one song of choice, your MP3 will just disappear, and the music will just be … stuck in your head, kinda … it's complicated.'

'Of course,' I say, giving her a wry look while I quickly go through the songs I have stored in my beloved item. My nephew download over 100 crap songs onto this thing, so thins may take a while. I come across _Floating in the Air_, one of the songs from the Tales of Symphonia soundtrack that I'm quite fond of, but decide to go for a better choice. Must find something decent … last chance I'm gonna get until I leave this place.

'You're taking long,' PS2 says urgently.

'I'm _trying_,' I hiss, pounding the _skip_ button. Ooh, _Kryptonite_!

'That's it!' Charis claims, and with a quick wave of her hand the bugger sets my MP3 onto random mode. Obviously I wasn't quick _enough_. Can I kick her in the face now? No, don't you guys disappear on me! No! Get back here you little –

Yep, they're gone. As well is my gadget. What lovely people they are.

Before I can protest with loud curses, I quickly recognise some piano that has shoved itself into my brain (probably from wherever Charis and PS2 – that I will now dub William, because I miss him from Earth – are based inside my mind).

_I know there's something in the wake of your smile  
I get a notion from the look in your eyes_

It takes all of my willpower to not throw a fist into the air and scream "score", because _Roxette – Listen to your Heart_: best song ever. I don't like the new version from DHT as much … I'm fonder of the oldie version. Yaaay.

While the song continues in my head (Charis has began to hum to it, sadly), I start packing up my things. I find a chain in my pocket which quickly William claims he sent me and starts whining about how he doesn't like the name that I gave him. I tell them to shut up and slip the small silver chain through the hook on Lloyd's charm, pulling it over my head. I notice the other talisman that a bought in Palmacosta … you know the one with the black cat that brings good luck? Totally forgot about it. I untie the string from around my neck that holds the talisman and pocket it. It's kind of scary … it has a kind of Egyptian-like feel to it. I don't know what that's classed as in Sylvarant, but it's still scary.

Okay, apple gels – check. Orange gels – check. Presents from people – well duh, my bag is a lot heavier now. I'm used to having presents I don't carry around all day, sadly … what a birthday this will be. I don't get to be with any friends, family, and I have to invade a Human Ranch and do a lot of fighting today. The joy that consumes me. Feel it burn.

_Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile  
The precious moments are all lost in the tide_

Is it just me, or is this song going to fast? Seriously, why do bad things last forever and good things the opposite? I'm going to KICK whoever controls fate for this, too … along with for last night. I really, _really_ hope fate is Charis. Then I will have fun.

'Cold, cold …' I mumble to myself, heading downstairs. I'm kind of glad Kratos took his nightshirt back, since I would have probably frozen to death tonight had I kept it. Not that sleeping in my clothes is hygienic, but I don't have anything else. We lost a majority of clothes in the while wind things yesterday, and among them was my own pyjamas that I ceased to wear. Hm, bad. I am without pyjamas from now on.

'Morning, people!' I say, jumping down the last few stairs. Hopefully they're unaware of the voice singing in my head right now. The group are stood by the front doors, Lloyd with a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth while he tries to pull his gloves on. I notice a new bandage wrapped around his Exsphere for some reason and quickly pass it off as Colette hands me some toast.

'We had a small change of plan,' she says as I take a quick bite, feeling glad that the nausea is completely gone so I am free to eat.

'We're not going to the ranch?' I say hopefully.

'We're leaving earlier,' Kratos says, not looking over at me. 'It seems Neil's men are already preparing to launch their attack.'

'Joy,' I mumble, taking another bite. It isn't killing me! Amazing, Professor! I guess being in a hurry is a good thing … it's either get killed by Raine's cooking or get sliced by Magnius' axe. Concluding my knowledge of Raine's cooking ability for proper meals, I'd take the axe.

'We ready to go?' Lloyd says through his toast. Kratos mutters something about not talking with your mouth full (I'll be picky and say it _isn't_ full, because he just has it between his teeth, so hahaaa … yeah, I'll be quiet) and we prepare to leave the house.

_And there are voices that want to be heard  
So much to mention, but you can't find the words_

… Okay, I'm kind of wishing this would stop now. If a monster decides to come and rip my head off some time in the next minute, I probably wouldn't notice it. I blame Charis and Willia-

'Oh!' Lloyd suddenly says, toast still in mouth. He's having trouble with his gloves … obviously _Lloyd_ isn't a morning person either. He says something, but we don't really … understand it, seeing as he's talking through toast while trying to pull his right glove off (he has the wrong one on). I made out that it was four syllables, but other than that I'm completely stumped.

'Say again?' I try. Lloyd rolls his eyes and repeats it louder. Yeah, because _that_ will make it easier to understand, won't it? Put your goddamned gloves on correctly, Lloyd!

Kratos seems to be one the same annoyed wavelength and turns to him, ripping the toast from his mouth which now has a rather large bite mark. 'Again, boy.'

'Spiritua Statue.'

Kratos nods and shoves the toast back into his mouth (almost choking him at that), straightening up. Colette and the Professor have already returned through the doors without consulting us (are we in a mad hurry or something?) and the remaining four, including myself, follow them.

'Excuse me!' Colette says to a priest and his assistant who are knelt praying (well, trying to) by the fake statue. So this is that … Grand Priest dude, huh? He doesn't look so grand if you ask me … I expected something more like the pope from Tethe'alla, but apparently not. He looks the same as any other priest dude around here that has a dislike for the Chosen's companions. They love Colette though … we're just a bunch of elephants, apparently.

'Ah, Chosen One,' the Grand Priest says, getting to his feet. His assistant continues to pray, despite the presence of the great and almighty Chosen. I'm surprised they aren't throwing themselves at her feet. 'Back so soon?'

'Yep!' she says probably smiling (I wouldn't know, I'm behind her). 'Um, can we have that Spiritua Statue please? It's kind of urgent.'

'It's _very_ urgent,' I correct her. No one notices and Mr Grand Priest continues, giving the young blonde a suspicious look.

'This Spiritua Statue?'

'Yeah, uh …' Lloyd mumbles, toast finally eaten (thank gods). 'We know it's a lot to ask, but it _is_ kinda vital that we have it …'

'_Very_ vital,' I mumble. Again, I am ignored with my correcting ways. What? We DO need it, don't we? Let's make a big deal out of it while we're at it so we can boost our chances.

'I suppose if it will aid the Chosen on her journey,' the Priest accepts, nodding his head in Colette's direction as a quick bow. 'Then we shall indeed hand it over.'

The assistant priest at this point jumps to his feet as though he had just been electrocuted in rather sensitive areas, bowing lowly to the GRAND Priest. Who must apparently be treated like a god of sorts? Is he THAT terribly amazing? 'I … I am sorry, Father!'

'Hm? Whatever is the matter?'

The priest as actually very calm for his assistant's sudden jumpy behaviour … Lloyd on the other hand has a kind of "what the (insert word of choice here)" look on his face. I'm sure we all do.

'The statue, Father …,' he says, winding his hands against each other nervously. Poor man. 'It's not the real one. I-it's a fake …'

'A fake?' the Grand Priest repeats as if making sure he heard correctly and succeeding in unnerving his assistant even more. What, is he going to Raine him or something? Is it going to be worse? Can we watch? 'You have let our people pray to a fake instrument? For how long?'

The unfortunate priest looks like he's about to piss himself at his superior's tone. Aw, someone needs a hug. 'A … a year, Father. It was during the pilgrimage last year when I was at the Thoda Geyser …'

'Why did you have the statue with you?' Genis asks, looking about ready to go on his "you humans are so stupid" rant again, like at Palmacosta with Dorr and Neil. He's almost as bad as his sister, but verbally of course … not freakishly physically. 'If you were on a pilgrimage, why would you need to carry it around all the time?'

'Ah … the halo on the statue's head is …'

'Diamond, right?' I say, still behind the Professor and the Chosen. 'There are a lot of thieves around this area, apparently.'

I get a few weird looks from that. What? Am I not allowed to say anything just because I'm not actually supposed to be here? Do they _KNOW_ - holy Martel I'm gonna die.

Yeah, just incase the priests can randomly read minds.

'That is correct,' the Grand Priest says with a sigh. 'A lot of thieves have come this way over the past few years after an old fellow with many precious artefacts started living at the base of Hakonesia.'

'They'd steal things like that statue even when the Chosen is trying to regenerate the world?' Lloyd asks, staring at the instrument of prayer and wondering how it could be of such worth (I'm guessing).

'That's despicable,' the Professor says quietly.

'So yeah, the real one!' I interrupt. 'Where is it now? Still at Thoda?'

'Ah … y-yes, but …'

'Go on,' Kratos orders sharply. He's not the only one getting annoyed with the priest's continuous stuttering, but I think the poor guy takes one look at Kratos and the colour that remains drains from his face.

'I-It's still … in Thoda … I dropped it … in the geyser …'

'You … you did _what_?' Genis says, mouth dropping open just slightly. 'It's _in_ the geyser?'

'I'm … very sorry, I-'

'How are we going to get it now? Without it we can't-'

'Genis, be quiet,' his sister says warningly when she senses that he'll be going into one of his human-hating phases. I don't like it very much seeing as I _am_ an actual human (even though Charis had to be such a little twerp and do things to make sure it doesn't look like I come from another planet at all) and we're not actually _that _stupid (well, most of us).

Waah, bad time for stomach pains …

'So you just … dropped it into the geyser?' Lloyd says, looking a little annoyed. Let's back away from Kratos and the half-elves right about now … I feel like I'll be killed when they explode in a mass of red and anger … not pretty.

'I was very excited about seeing the geyser …' the priest mumbles, still winding his hands together and now keeping his gaze fixed firmly on them. D'aww, he's shaking a little bit … I blame Kratos. 'By the time it had erupted, I had dropped the figurine onto the rocks …'

'You're not smart,' I say rather bluntly.

'After that …' he continues, ignoring me, 'someone told me about a craftsman in Iselia, so I visited him and paid him to make a replica of the statuette …'

'Oh! It was probably Dirk!' Colette says, looking over her shoulder at the dwarf's adopted son whose eyes go wide.

'Yes, most likely …' the Professor sighs. 'You didn't notice at all, Lloyd?'

'How was I supposed to?' Lloyd splutters as though everyone had begun to accuse him of our situation. 'He never shows me what he's making until it's finished!'

'… And I was in a hurry …' the shameful priest says quietly, head still bowed. 'I'm very sorry.'

'Stop it, stop apologizing,' Lloyd says, pointing at him. 'You're reminding me of someone I know.'

I notice Colette blush a little bit and turn back to the priests. Oh come on, it's not a _bad _thing … most of the time. Other than that it's annoying … oh so very annoying … we don't need more people doing it. Don't hate Lloyd! Lloyd is just not that bright! He can't help it; I really think it was the whole falling off the cliff thing … I really do.

'I say we take the fake and give it to the old guy,' I suggest with a shrug. 'He's eyes will be so filled with tears of joy he probably won't realise it's a fake.'

'I doubt that,' Kratos says from the other side of the room to me. 'The halo is noticeably glass. It wouldn't fool him the slightest.'

'Could you kill my hope gently?'

'When you get some smarts, Harrison.'

'Stop it,' Raine snaps, making me jump a little. 'You're acting like children.'

I consider indicating my height to her, but Genis pipes in with another suggestion regarding our Spiritua Statue and geyser problem. 'We might be able to go and get it if we could control the geyser.'

'… Thoda Island is across the ocean,' Raine says, her tone a little more strict than usual. 'At any rate, we should continue to explore this region for seals before continuing through Hakonesia.'

'Yeah, I like that idea,' I say, not terribly keen on travelling in a washtub over the ocean. If it sinks, I can't swim and I'd probably have a fit and drown or something … and I have a bad past with the drowning issue, as I have had several times where I think I would have died. It's not fun, and I'm not about to go and let it happen again.

Maybe I could steal one of Nova's dragons and fly across. My fear of water/drowning can stand atop a golden pillar in comparison to my fear of riding a dragon over the ocean. Why, I'm not sure.

'And the statue seems to be on rather dangerous ground,' Raine continues. 'I don't think it'll be very easy to reclaim it.'

'We could use a lasso, or … something,' Lloyd recommends, idly rubbing his bandaged Exsphere. I give him a look that he obviously doesn't notice since he's standing in front of me.

'A lasso? What are you, a cowboy?'

I get a weird look in return from the swordsman and shut up. Say something smart and non-Earth related, Charlie. 'A-anyways, the statue is probably too far away to reach, and unless you are so magically gifted in the arts of lassoing things …'

'Which I'm not,' Lloyd groans, dropping his hands to his sides. 'We should just … head to the ranch and talk it over when we finish rescuing Chocolat.'

'That seems to best course of action for now,' Kratos says with a practically inaudible sigh.

'Yeah …' Colette agrees, bowing quickly to the two priests. 'Thank you for your time.'

'Thank you, Chosen one.'

'I'm terribly sorry …' the assistant mutters again, still staring at the floor in shame. Well, he should be.

'Right, we go …' I wave a hand at the door. 'That way now …'

'East,' Kratos corrects, leaving the house without sparing a glance to anyone. I swear, before this journey is over, my foot is going to connect with somewhere that will _make_ him show emotion, preferably pain. Even if he _is_ a super duper mercenary seraph type of guy, that still has to hurt. He can't be that strong, but if he _is_, then I will consider running for the hills.

It's taken me ages to realise my birthday song from Charis and William has stopped. How dense am I?

'It's too early …' Lloyd mumbles as we step out into the morning sun. He slaps a gloved hand down on my head, ruffling my already messy hair a little. 'It's your fault.'

'Wha – how's it my fault?' I protest as we ascend the stone steps leading to the pathway that leads to the ranch, Palmacosta and Hakonesia.

'You turned 14, and we had to be up early if we wanted to give you your presents.'

'Gee, sorry. It won't happen again,' I promise, trying to smooth down my hair. 'Dammit, where's that hairbrush?'

I don't get a reply and decide to pass it off to avoid annoying too many people. We continue for a while in almost silence, Raine searching through her bag to find a book that she will be lecturing a willing Genis and Colette with about the Balacruf dynasty and how it has effected modern times in Asgard (which I honestly don't want to learn about if I can help it). I'm invited over to listen, but I manage to refuse and claim I have a headache. Lucky for me, Colette relays last nights events to the two and I am off the hook. Woo me. I have a feeling the Professor will ask me if I'm okay later on.

Noishe, who trots with us next to Kratos and Lloyd yawns loudly, a long squeak coming from his throat as he does. It seems we're all tired - even Kratos looks a little grumpier than usual, but I'm just basing this on the faint grey bags under his eyes. Eek, maybe me and Colette did wake him up last night and he couldn't sleep again. This is my cue to feel guilty, but I set up all the memories of his constant bastard-y moments as a shield against that guilt. Once again, woo me.

No one except Lloyd (because he knows already) would probably guess its Kratos' birthday. He looks angry, cranky and worse things I don't even want to imagine. I know I look tired, but at least I'm a lot happier than usual. Get within a two meter radius of the mercenary and you'll feel like you've just joined the ranks of the dead. _How_ is Lloyd surviving as we speak? Maybe it's vibes or something … good vibes that only Lloyd can feel. I don't know how that is possible, but it's the only thing I can think of right now.

_"I mean, William is such a dodgy name! Why not 'Vincent' or … or 'Squall' or something like that_?"

_"Hey, she named me 'Charis'. You don't hear me complaining."_

_"I think Charis is a cute name, but "_William" _is just … gah, I'm naming myself. I'm … uh …"_

_"If you two don't shut up now,"_ I warn, rubbing my temple as if trying to wipe away the voices. "_I'm renaming you Cait Sith. Now shut up and … go away or something."_

_"William, Charlotte! WILLIAM!" _the PS2 protests loudly.

_"Hey, a good friend of mine is named William, and he's cool._"

_"Isn't he the one with the lisp?" _

_"So? He's still cool, and he's really nice!" _I defend him.

_"Do I have a lisp? NO! Does Vincent have a lisp? NO! CAN you PLEASE call me Vincent?"_

_"Shut up, _William_." _

_"Oh, I hate you."_

I think I have mixed feelings about going to the ranch. Let me explain: I don't actually want to invade it and kill people and fight Magnius, but I'm not keen on returning to Palmacosta if Lloyd decided we should go and sort out Dorr first either. There has to be and easier way to get back to Palmacosta … and maybe if we _do_, we won't have to go through that wasteland again. The Desians must have moved by now, right? Plus, if we _do_ end up going to Palmacosta, we'll have to come all the way back won't we? No! My legs will fall off!

The protests continue for a while and finally die down when I hear a sharp slap that I assume is Charis' hand connecting with William's head, telling him to shut up while she works and mumbles something about the butterfly effect. Hm, I remember my English teacher saying something about that, but I've completely forgotten what it is …

Bored for things to do, I reach into the satchel at my waist and pull out the book a received from the Professor last night. I want to clear up the whole Palmacosta Revolution business, because I am very confused. Since it wasn't mentioned in the game and I've only heard small portions of the events that took place, I think it'd be safe to educate myself. For future reference and … other shit.

Okay, nothing about the Palmacosta Revolution in this book. Whoopee do. Hey, maybe there's something in that Desian book Genis gave me in Iselia … the one I was reading in Izoold about that human robot thing … chimera or whatever.

After grabbing the said book from my backpack (which sadly seems to be getting heavier by the day), I flip to the contents page and search for Palmacosta. Costa, costa … found it! Now we search for revolution.

_"The Palmacosta Revolution lasted from 274 IS – 277 IS. The revolution was first initiated by Governor-General Edmund after several brutal attacks to the city, leaving a third of the population homeless and over 60 dead and severely injured. Several solders under Edmund's command travelled to the desert city of Triet and requested help. After the city's approval the Triet militia travelled to Palmacosta. _

_The revolution had officially begun after the death of the Ranch's commander, Faestus, at the hand of Edmund himself. The Desian number slowly began to drop and Palmacosta was at piece. After three years, the Desians accompanied by their new leader, Magnius, launched an unexpected attack on the city and regained their control over Palmacosta. Triet had heard of Palmacosta's failure to maintain their revolution and built a wall around their city, but the with the aid of Forcystus, the leader of the Iselian Human Ranch, Triet was taken over and soon ruled under both Magnius and Forcystus. _

_Two years after the Desian's control had begun (279 IS), Edmund had begun to form another attack with a small army after Triet had refused them their help. His son, Dorr had requested assistance from Asgard, but they held the same answer as Triet and Dorr decided to take part in the attack himself. Before anything could happen to corrupt the Desian's hold over the city, they executed Edmund to warn the people of Palmacosta and to symbolise their superiority over them. Dorr took up place as Palmacosta's new Governor-General after the passing of his wife."_

See, my head hurts a lot less now. But I _do_ still have some questions, like … the dates! What the hell is "IS", and what is up with the years? I suddenly feel very stupid for putting 1992 in the academy test now …

I'm guessing this Faestus guy was the leader of the Human Ranch before Magnius … maybe his father or something. It sounds a lot like Forcystus … or maybe his name is a variation of the Latin word _aestus_ … which I _think_ means "heat" … or "tide", or "passionate", something along those lines. Just thought I'd share some uncertain information with you … because I can.

'Professor?' I say, walking up behind her. _Yes_, she is in the middle of that lecture about the Balacruf dynasty, but I should at least try.

'If you have a question, please wait until I've finished the lecture,' she tells me, keeping her thumb on the word she was previously reading.

'Ah, it's just something … it won't take a minute …' I insist, still holding my own book.

'Alright, what is it?' she sighs. I've noticed Colette and Genis are doing some quick trivia between themselves about their lesson while they wait.

'Um … I don't really know how to put this …' I mutter, slapping the book shut. 'I don't really understand … our timeline, like … the "I" and the "S" and the numbers and … I, uh, I just don't get it …'

The Professor looks at me like I've just grown a flower out of the top of my head. I'm not stupid! Really!

'Well …' she says, trying to think of her own way to put her explanation. 'The "IS" stands for _irelle lon salutis_, which is early Angelic that translates as "after the salvation". The number after "IS" is a count of the years after the last successful world regeneration. In our case, it's now 284 IS. Do you understand?'

'Uh, yep!' I chirp, returning the book to my backpack. 'I get it now. Sorry about interrupting your lecture.'

'That's alright.'

I return to the back of the group and watch Raine chase after Genis and Colette who have wondered ahead too far. Geez, it didn't take that long did it? At least I understand the whole revolution and the year thing. Did my being here affect anything though? I wonder …

'My legs hurt …' Lloyd whines, strangely enough in earshot of myself. I consider saying something to answer to him, but Noishe pushes his head against the swordsman's back and makes him stumble forward.

'Ah! Okay, geez … can I at least ride you for a bi – ahh! Okay, okay! Quit it!' Lloyd says, trying to move out of the dog's reach as it continues to push him. Kratos just watches, looking slightly amused. Hm, I've just noticed he has his cape back … its clean now; he must have washed it and left it to dry overnight. He _does_ have a rather noticeable rip on the left section that flutters about close to his ankle. Noishe, we love you.

'Chosen One!'

The shout comes from a good way behind us from what looks like a wagon driven by two dragons is fast approaching. I quickly decide to not be the one at the back of the group and run to Noishe, who gives a low growl at my presence. Is that Nova? No … that wasn't his voice, but I _have_ heard it before … I can't put my finger on it.

As the dragon wagon finally comes to a halt (I back away from the dragons that give us a weird look) and I can finally see who it is holding the ropes that look like they'd been tied around the dragon's necks in a hurry. It must be urgent that he sees us.

'Neil?' Lloyd asks, looking up and using a hand to shield the sunlight from his eyes. Why are all the wagons so sickeningly _big_? No really, why? I don't get it. 'Aren't you supposed to be at the ranch?'

'I … have a matter to discuss with you all about this operation.'

'Sounds like bad news,' I comment, still behind Noishe (Genis has joined me behind the giant dog to avoid the dragons). Neil stays silent for a moment while jumping down from the wagon. He stumbles slightly when he hits the ground, but I have to say that's impressive. I'd have broken my neck or something as equally painful.

'I want all of you to leave the Palmacosta region immediately and head for Hakonesia,' Neil says, not in a demanding tone but more … pleading, if you understand. He sounds a little nervous, too … kind of live that assistant priest from earlier but minus the overly annoying stammer.

Genis leans up to peek over Noishe's fur (the dog is pretty damn tall), giving secretary a questioning look. 'What? Why?'

'Yeah, aren't we supposed to be helping you with your human ranch operation?' Lloyd asks, resting a hand between Noishe's ears who seems about to make a dash for it when the dragon closest to the group lets out a low growl. 'And what about Chocolat?'

'Please, just leave everything to me,' Neil says, rubbing his temple in an anxious motion. 'It is not safe here for your group anymore. Just head toward Asgard for now.'

'No, we have to save Chocolat!' Colette protests. 'We promised we would!'

Neil opens his mouth to counter our group persistent attitude, but Kratos interrupts with a small "hmph" and catches our attention.

'What?' I ask. He answers, by looking over at the blue haired man, arms folded tightly over his chest.

'So it seems your leader has resorted to working for the Desians,' he answers callously, getting a few shocked looks from our party members (I throw one in just to keep that good old suspicion low).

'Dorr is working for the Desians?' Lloyd repeats, his jaw dropping. 'How is that poss-'

'He's … right,' Neil sighs, running his hand from his temple down his face. Poor thing must be tired and stressed out after coming all the way here to warn us.

'But … why would he do that?' Colette asks quietly, her hands clasped tightly together. 'Isn't he trying to help the people of Palmacosta?'

'I don't know, Chosen One …' Neil sighs, burying his face in his hands. We leave him with his moment to think, listening to the deep rumbling snarls of the two dragons that are looking at Noishe like a starving man would a Sunday meal. Noishe whines and barks, trying to back away and almost knocking over Genis and me. I utter a low curse and am met by his rather strong tail (and big, compared to my height) thumping me in the stomach.

'The Desians are leading you into a trap,' Neil finally informs us, dropping his arms to his sides. 'That's why he sent a group of soldiers to ask for your assistance.'

'I found it strange that Dorr would ask a group made up mostly of children to do such a thing,' Raine sighs. 'That must be why the Desians did not immediately attack Palmacosta …'

This is really nothing to do with what's going on, but Charis and William are rowing again in my head and I though the Professor said "chicken" instead of "children".

"_Guys, shut up for a few minutes!"_ I hiss at them. _"I can't hear them properly!"_

I get a chorused "sorry" for an answer and the two of them quieten down, but I can still hear what sounds to me like them pushing each other off chairs. Really, I hate kids. I'm never having them, despite what I might have thought in that dream. They're evil little rot bags, and for the love of GOD –

"_SHUT UP!" _I screech into my head. Everything is silent … my head is all nice and vacant and quiet like it should be … and life is good again. You know, minus that fact that we're about to go and kill things and blow things up, but you know what I mean.

'Dorr was always so passionate about following in his father's footsteps and fighting the Desians,' Neil says quietly. 'I don't know what has come over him lately …'

'Maybe we could-' Genis starts, but is quickly cut off by the secretary shaking his head.

'Please, leave everything to me,' he requests. 'I will rescue Chocolat in your place. Continue with your journey and forget that this ever happened.'

'No!' the Chosen insists with a frown (whoa, Colette is frowning again). 'We can't let this go!'

'The Seals are more important than an operation we have no hand in,' Kratos growls, giving the blonde a cold glance. 'We should leave the matter be and continue the journey.'

Genis decides to side with his childhood friend and stand up against the mercenary. 'But what about the city? When the Desians don't get their hands on Colette, they might destroy it just like Iselia!'

'The reason for Iselia's destruction differs from this situation,' the mercenary continues, still with a small snarling tone in his voice. It's like he's turning into another Noishe or something. 'It was initiated by contact with the Desian ranch.'

'I know how you feel, Genis,' Raine says softly with a small nod. 'But he is right. We should avoid the Desians to at least ensure the safety of Palmacosta.'

'Professor!' Colette cries. 'That's not …'

'I personally think we should just forget about the ranch,' I mumble. I think after that I get the glare of glares from Genis for siding with Kratos and Raine. I'd like to say something in my own defence, but the Professor answers to Colette before I can say anything at all.

'Do you remember what I said at the House of Salvation last night?' she asks as the Chosen directs her gaze to her feet. 'It's not our place to decide the course of this journey. It's yours.'

'Professor …' Colette mutters. 'I-'

'It's alright,' she assures gently and turns to us five and Noishe. 'Now everyone, we have two options. One is to infiltrate the ranch immediately and rescue the captives as well as Chocolat like we promised. Palmacosta could very well be destroyed if we abandon the situation.'

'And our next option?' Lloyd asks, obviously trying to decide whose side he should take. I think the one with the most votes will succeed, sadly.

'Our next option is to return to Palmacosta,' – everyone's faces fall at this '- and speak with Dorr in regards to his trap as well as the ranch's layout. He could be of use to us.'

Neil looks a little worried about the second option we have and looks around at us as if to say something.

'I would prefer to speak with Dorr first,' Kratos says quietly, moving to place a hand on Noishe's back who has become afraid of the dragons again. 'If he has knowledge of the ranch's layout, it would be wise to obtain information before breaking in.'

'Okay!' I say loudly, clapping my hands together to get everyone's attention. 'Everyone who wants to infiltrate the ranch now, raise your hand.'

The only hands that shoot up into the air belong to the Chosen and the mage, who then give their third childhood friend surprised looks. Genis actually looks hurt at his friend's choice. 'Lloyd!'

'I'm sorry, Genis …' he mumbles. 'I agree with Kratos. We should really-'

'But what about Chocolat and the other captives?' Genis continues, turning from hurt to angry as Colette starts to look upset. 'What about the-'

I wince as Raine reaches over Noishe and delivers a sharp slap to her brother's head. 'Genis, that's enough!'

Everyone falls silent for a minute as Genis nurses his head. I take it we'll be going back to Palmacosta to sort out Dorr and Kilia before infiltrating the ranch. I'm not sure if we'll get around to the ranch today, maybe tomorrow, but I'm kind of glad we're not going there. I don't actually want to kill people while I'm here, even though I know it'll be inevitable later on, what with Remiel and others.

'If you are going back to Palmacosta, I would like to come with you …' Neil says. 'Or at least let me take you back.'

'Thanks. I don't want to walk all the way back to Palmacosta again …' Lloyd mutters, stretching his arms over his head. 'It's too far …'

'Come on, burn those calories …' I joke. 'But really, it's getting tiring …'

'Yeah, especially after going back and forth, and back and forth, and … back again.'

I nod. 'And forth to the ranch.'

'Are you two getting in or are we just going to leave you here?' Genis asks, the last one to climb the ladder up to the wagon's inside. 'Come on!'

'Ah … yeah!' Lloyd shouts his answer, quickly turning to Noishe who gives a low whine. 'Noishe, you follow behind, okay?'

Another whine rumbles from the dog's throat as he pushes his head against Lloyd's stomach in a "pet me" motion. Lloyd grins and scratches behind its massive ear, telling it goodbye and heading for the ladder.

I have cats that do that … I miss my cats. Oliveeer …

'Bye, Noishe,' I say reaching out to pet him. The dog expresses its incessant and unyielding dislike for me and actually takes a snap at my hand with a growl. I pull it back just in time and back away to the ladder as it continues growling. I consider giving it the finger, but I notice Lloyd is watching and quickly climb the ladder.

'Lloyd, your dog doesn't like me,' I sigh, setting myself down on the floor. 'What'd I do?'

The brunette swordsman shrugs as a jerk indicated the wagon beginning to move. 'Don't take it personally. He doesn't like strangers.'

'Joy,' I mumble, pressing my forehead to my knees. I'm still tired from waking up in the middle of the night …

'Don't worry, he'll warm up to you eventually.'

'How long is eventually?' I ask, looking up.

'Uh …' he mumbles, scratching the back of his neck nervously. 'Give it three months … or maybe more.'

I give him a look and drop my head back to my knees with a small groan. 'I think the journey will be over by then.'

'… Hey, what are you two going to do when this journey's over?'

I look up again and notice the question was also directed at the auburn haired mercenary who is seated in the corner of the wagon on the other side of Lloyd. He gives the brunette a small glance with an unreadable emotion as if to say "don't ask". Lloyd obviously doesn't bother to acknowledge it or he is suddenly very persistent and they continue their staring contest for a good while. Kratos finally succumbs to defeat with a small sigh that once again goes unnoticed.

'I will be looking for a new job in Palmacosta,' he says quietly, turning away from Lloyd and taking a quick interest the wall.

'What about you?'

I pause for a moment and shrug for my answer. At the end of everything, I'd like to go back home, and I'm sure Charis and William will ensure that when Mithos finally shuts his goddamned trap and pops his clogs. But _they_ can't know that can they?

'I'll probably just go back to Asgard … bask in the fact the world has its dose of mana …' I say, leaning back against the wall. I honestly don't know how, but I've chosen Asgard as the place I apparently come from. Why? Because I'm a bigger retard than Remiel himself. I hope I can pass up on the amount of explaining I might have to do when we get there. Hopefully Asgard will be like Palmacosta and actually be MUCH MUUUCH bigger than in the game. Then I could just be all: "oh yeah, my house is a good few miles that-a-way" and whatnot.

There is of course the chance that I am asked why I don't just skip off home instead of staying in an inn for the night in Asgard. Oh joyous occasion.

After a while of the wagon jutting sharply whenever it hit uneven ground, or the six of us being thrown back slightly whenever the dragons set of at a run when a monster was spotted, Neil muttered a small 'oh no …'

'What's wrong?' Colette asks, moving to stand and look over the cerulean haired man's shoulder as he tugged the dragons to indicate that they should stop.

'Bandits …' Neil murmured, looking straight ahead at a approaching group.

'Again?' I groan, grabbing for a pistol. 'The ones in Triet were bad enough …'

'We can't fight them,' Raine says as I move to get to my feet with my weapon in hand. 'There are too many of them.'

I take a quick look at the group heading towards us that is becoming more perceptible by the second and go about counting how many beige garbed figures I can see.

I stop counting when I reach sixteen and plonk myself back down on the floor, receiving a nod from the Professor.

'We're going to have to make a break for it,' Neil tells us, looking over his shoulder when Colette also sits back down next to Genis. 'Hold onto something if you can.'

I consider asking why, but say nothing and fumble for something to grip when the sharp crack of a whip hitting the dragon's sides meets my ears. They let out loud, shrieking roars which makes me (and several other people) abandon the thought of holding something and cover my ears with my hands. Sweet Jesus, that noise is piercing.

I regret the sensitivity of my ears when they set of at a run and I'm thrown back against the floor. Ouch.

The others seem to have landed rather safer than myself. Genis fell into Colette, who then fell into Raine who is leaning against the wall, so they seem to be all okay (despite the fact Raine might have a few broken ribs here and there). Kratos barely moved at all seeing his he was in a corner, but the impact might have caused him to hurt his shoulder against the wall seeing as he's nursing the said body part. Lloyd was also thrown to the floor, telling me that he could _also_ have sensitive ears. Poor Lloyd.

'Son of a bitch, that hurt …' I hiss, rubbing my head. I swear - if that wound opens back up I'm going to take that Angelic book and shove it down Kratos' throat. Plus, I finally got to WASH my hair last night, so I'd rather it wasn't stained with blood again. It's hard to clean.

Now the dragons are running (I've noticed we've just passed those bandits), the jutting of the wagon has become stronger and it seems to be shaking quite a lot as we move. It's quite hard to sit still, especially when the wagon actually manages to _leave_ the ground for a second or two and slam back down, sending a sharp jolt through the wood. Colette and I squealed when that happened, because we're girls, you see. We're sickeningly wussy in these situations, despite the fact we're (almost) willing to stride into a Desian infested base. Hm, we're a very strange kind. Like, I can attempt to kick the shit out of big ol' Ktugach but I'm terrified of spiders. YES Martel Temple was overly scary.

'I can't feel my insides …' I say, trying to fumble for something to hold as the wagon continues to shudder and jolt.

'I'm very aware of my insides,' Lloyd answers, grabbing for the wagon's door handle.

'If you vomit on me, boy, I'll take your suspenders and choke you with them,' Kratos – who is next to Lloyd - says dangerously, one hand on the windowsill to keep himself steady. I shuffle over to the other side of the wagon, previously on the other side of Lloyd and take refuge next to Colette.

'Good luck with that, old man,' Lloyd mutters, pressing his forehead to the cold wood of the walls.

'Should I fail, I'll make you eat them as well as your _ribbons_,' the mercenary growls. I ignore them and turn to Dorr's (former?) secretary, who seems to be completely fine despite all of the banging around and continuous juddering we're doing.

'How long until we get to-'

A sharp jolt.

'-PALMA … costa …?'

'We're almost there,' Neil says, bringing the whip down with another sharp crack against the dragon's thick skin. It shrieks again and I mumble a curse to myself, slapping my hands over my ears.

'That was fast,' Lloyd comments, still clutching the door handle for dear life.

'We're not walking around the mountains this time, are we?' I reply, Colette, the Professor and I all holding on to each other when we realise there is _nothing_ we can hold onto. Genis has his arms wrapped around his sister's waist with his face buried into her hip, the poor thing. I swear I WILL hug him by the end of this journey even if I have to run up behind him while he's studying to do so. He reminds me of my nephew, Sam … who is the most huggable thing I've ever come across.

'We're here,' Neil declares, but most of us don't hear him as the abrupt stop causes the wagon to lurch, causing six people to land flat on their faces/on top of each other/all over the place. Colette, bless her little Chosen socks, is being crushed be the two half-elven siblings while I seem to be fine, despite the fact my ankle is under Colette's leg and is having a lot of weight put onto it. Ahh, owie ouch.

Kratos quickly picks himself up and rubs his nose, muttering something under his breath about wagons. Lloyd does the same, but in a louder manner of course. You know, he IS Lloyd.

'That was fun!' Colette says with another smile, wincing as she goes to sit up. '… Ow.'

'Okay, so it wasn't _that_ fun,' I mumble, rubbing my ankle. 'I'm not getting in one of these things again. Never.'

'You lot should become used to it,' Neil says, throwing the dragons one 'effing big piece of meat from a bag (that I've just noticed) next to his stool. Seeing as there's only one piece, the dragons decide to get into a bitch fight about it and start thrashing around and swiping at each other. Remind me to walk far away from them when I get out. I'd like to keep my head. It has its uses sometimes.

Do you know what the first thing I notice when I hop out of the wagon, despite the taste of grass when I land face-first on the ground after deciding to try and be dudey and jump off the last four ladder steps?

The bridge. That DAMNDED bridge. I've been over it four times, and it is not nice to walk over. Really. Its narrow, its long (I know what you're thinking, and stop it) it's surrounded by sea water, and … I just don't like it. I'm going to kill whoever built Palmacosta – unless they're already dead – for not building it on land. Damn you, or Martel damn you, or … whatever gods there are damn you … I'm not sure.

'Does anyone happen to know the time?' I ask, wiping some grass from my face that Raine kindly points out to me. Several people shield their eyes and look up at the sun. Seriously, how do they DO that? Tell the time from the position of the sun, I mean.

'I'd say around eleven-ish,' Lloyd determines, dropping his head when he hovers a hand close to his eyes and begins to blink rapidly. 'Ow …'

'You'll damage your eyes if you do that all the time,' Kratos says quietly from behind him, arms still folded. The others had enough sense to do it quickly.

HMM. Is that Kratos showing _concern_ again? I must say, Lloyd, bravo. Being a complete dweeb has paid off somewhat. Either that or Kratos could just be all pissy about whether his apprentice is blind or not, especially when he's teaching sword fighting. Something to ponder on.

'That … bridge,' I accuse, waving a hand in its direction. 'It's annoying.'

'I doubt a boat would be safer,' Genis mumbles with a small sigh. I guess he doesn't like it either …

Do you know what? When I get out of here, I'm going to take Charis and William, tie them up and fasten them to a pole, throw sharp objects at them along with a few frying pans, burn their feet, tip honey all over them and make sure there's an ant's nest near by, make them spend several nights in my freezer and kick them. Hard and repeatedly.

If I can get them in their human forms of course. If not, then I'll sell them to that weird guy who lives down my street … the one who has a lot of dogs and whose house smells like cigarettes. Yeah, that guy.

I officially hate bridges


	31. Kilia

I seriously can't believe Steve Irwin was killed by a freakin' stingray. Dammit, I'm gonna miss him so much.

Okay, uh … in brighter news, I've downloaded a free trial of MW, but it won't last very long … so I'm still working on that. At least the chapters get posted, huh? I had a lot of trouble with this one, seeing as I had to rewrite half of it, and that's always a bitch. So yeah. Hm.

Okay, the votes?  
Lloyd: 1  
Colette: 2  
Kratos: 6

… I don't get it. Do you WANT Charlotte to die before they even get to Asgard? I thought Colette would get more votes with the little bonding in the previous chapter, but meh … whatever floats your boat. Or your washtub. Oh, and Genis and Raine are disappointed in you all D:

I listened to several songs while writing this chapter … especially Black Water from the Advent Children Soundtrack. Actually, a lot of FF7 music was listen to. Aeris' Theme, Flowers Blooming in the Church, Tifa's Theme … dammit Charlotte, get back into the IX loop. If you haven't guessed, I saw Advent Children. I was supposed to say that last chapter, but I guess I forgot … eheh …

RIGHT. Also started watching _Gankutsuou_. You didn't need to know that. I'm sure you don't care.

ONWARDS.

(I apologize in advance for any mistakes. I'll do a check in the morning).

(Is this keeps popping up in your inbox for you alert people out there, I REALLY AM SORRY. REALLY.)

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Chapter 31 - Kilia

I swear I _will_ find out just how many people in Sylvarant have quiffs.

As we go through the city, I notice the streets are a lot less crowded than usual. I wonder vaguely if it's because it's now the weekend (Saturday today) and people probably have no work and the stalls are closed. Hm … I don't quite understand why Sylvarant has the day of rest (which has been converted to a weekend apparently) since there are reasons why we have it on Earth … but I guess they need _one_ day off at least. They might have just chose Saturday. And I could be rambling again. Shut up, Charlotte.

Hm, no one seems to realise a Desian (or group, if there were changes) is with Dorr at the moment. I'm sure they must have seen him walking around in his purple suit, but apparently not. It makes you think about the little things in the game, these predicaments. Like, when he was talking to Dorr, where the hell did he disappear to? He just went off screen, and the whole basement is underwater, so the only exit is the stairway. It's CONFUSING and SCARY.

'So …' I mutter as we pass Cacao's shop which now has a rather large wooden sign labelled "CLOSED" hanging from a nail on the door. 'How do you think the talk with Dorr will go?'

'Dorr is an unpredictable man,' Kratos answers quietly, fingers curled tightly around the hilt of his blade. I notice a few people who seem to be walking about are giving us weird looks at the sight of a rugged looking group armed with various weapons and a kendama. No Genis, it isn't threatening. Really. 'I'm sure when we speak with him, his objectives will become clear and everything will fall into place.'

'Okay, Kratos?' I say, raising an eyebrow while glancing at the weapon in his grip. 'I get that Dorr is an unpredictable man, but I doubt he's the kind of guy to leap out of a barrel and attack us.'

'_Desians_,' he corrects coldly, not sparing me an equally bitter look. 'If Dorr is indeed working alongside them, they would come to Palmacosta to converse.'

The Professor nods in agreement with the mercenary's logic. 'That's true. The people would become suspicious if Dorr began leaving the city frequently, so it's likely that they would come here.'

'… Right,' I mumble.

'Wait, wouldn't people notice if Desians just kept coming in and out of the city all the time?' Lloyd asks, voicing the question I've been wondering about myself.

'They're probably in disguise,' Genis replies thoughtfully. 'The people would have done something by now if they noticed.'

'The militia would be prowling around,' I say, saying the words very fast while bringing my hands to cup over my mouth as I hold back a sneeze. Hayfever, you suck. Lots. I'll be sneezing for hours now and probably though combat if we fight Kilia, which won't go well at all. I don't think my concentration will be top notch and I might sneeze halfway through casting First Aid and start sprouting greenery from my wounds. Shut up, it could happen.

I get a few looks from the group after the seventh sneeze, grumbling and rubbing my watery eyes. No, this will NOT help in combat.

'Allergy season?' I sniff, getting a nod from the Professor. I pinch my itching nose between my thumb and my index finger tightly and sniff again. 'Yeah.'

Ugh, my eyes are burning from rubbing them too much now, and my nose feels all stuffy and horrible … I want to go and lie down for a while until it wears off. But alas, I must aid the others in kicking the crap out of a little girl monster instead. Whoa, this is a great birthday, huh?

'So, what are you guys allergic to?' I inquire with a wry smile. 'Come on, I feel left out.'

The Professor chuckles quietly. 'If you must know, I have an allergy to nuts. I remember on my twentieth birthday, Colette and Lloyd made a fruit cake and insisted on putting nuts into it.'

I giggle slightly and press a hand to my forehead, glancing at the guilty two. 'Oh God. Did you eat it?'

'No, luckily,' Raine sighs, turning to the culprits who quickly avoid their eyes from everyone and concentrate on the floor, the sky, or the guy over there with a quiff. I really should start counting the number of people with quiffs. There are too many, really. 'Genis ate a piece before I did and warned me while Colette and Lloyd made their escape.'

'You poor thing,' I say, still giggling a little. The others have finally begun to see the humorous side of things except Kratos, who is ignoring us completely. Maybe he's embarrassed to be seen with us, laughing away. We should glue a sign to his front that reads "Property of the Chosen's Group", we really should.

'Hey, can I ask you something?' Colette says, turning to me after our laughter dies down. I nod after another sneeze reigns over my ability to speak, hayfever making a comeback.

'Yeah, sure,' I say with another sniff, digging around in my satchel for something that could be used as a tissue. I consider the magic cloth, but I soon remember selling it to that guy for the water-defence bracelet. Charlotte, you fail at life.

'You keep referring to a God …' she says a little quieter, staring at me with a look I can't quite decipher. 'Do you … believe in Martel?'

I must have said it a second ago without realising it … my reaction? _Oh shit on a sky dive_.

'Uh …' I mutter after a second of consideration for a lie I could dig up for this predicament. 'Uh, no …'

'Oh …' she says, looking a little … sad? Well … being the Chosen, a proclaimed "child of Martel and the angels", I guess it'd be a little strange to have a non-believer travelling among you on the journey of regeneration. I'm not sure about everyone else's views on Martel, but I'm guessing the other three Iselians believe in Martel and all the Cruxis crap if they grew up _with_ the Chosen. Not to mention their village is the "Village of Oracles", so … yeah, this is a little weird. We'll ignore the mercenary, because we _all_ know what he is. And no, the answer isn't jackass this time. 'Do you believe in any other deity?'

'No,' I say with a small grimace. 'I never liked the whole religion thing … and I thought Martel was the only one. There are more?'

'The gods and goddesses of Earth that I told you about in the Fire Seal aren't accepted as holy beings,' the Professor says, turning from "Desian-cautious" mode to "teacher" mode quite fast. Right, concentrate Charlie. 'Since their existence was never clarified and made public, not many people know of them. Priests and members of the church are far too busy praying to Martel for the Chosen's safety to consider the chance of other gods and goddesses.'

'…Ah,' I say, trying to take it in. 'So … wait, how can they prove Martel exists? That sounds a bit …'

'The proof is standing just a little to your left,' Lloyd informs me, indicating the blonde Chosen. She nods as Raine starts up her brain again and begins another explanation.

'Because the journey of regeneration results in reviving the goddess Martel, there is proof when the land begins to revive and plants begin to grow again,' she clarifies, folding her arms tightly over her chest. 'The existence of angels also shoulders this theory, even though they are only seen by the Chosen and their few companions.'

'… Well, that shut me up,' I say with another sneeze. 'Geez …'

Okay, this sucks. I hate Charis. She brings in _guns_ (with the exception of having them made so they act like rheairds), she brings in _pain killers_, but no piriton to _help_ with the hayfever? _Why_? That must mean there isn't anything in Sylvarant to get the allergic reactions to die down. Oh lucky, lucky day. Looks like I'll be sprouting greenery after all.

'Do you think we should equip ourselves and everything before we go in?' I say after another (goddamned) sneeze. 'If there are Desians in there and all … and Dorr probably has a weapon or something for a sit … situ …'

'Situation like this?' Colette asks as Charis practically shoves the fact that I have no piriton down my throat. Damn you, bitch.

'Yeah, that.'

I make sure I have everything; guns, random bangle … wait, this is my only protection? What the hell? Didn't everyone in the game have things like … like chain mail … and helms … and robes and cloaks and guards and whatever? I get a freaking purple bracelet that has some defence against water? Charlotte, suckage. You fail at life once again.

'Hey, ah … does everyone have like … armour … or something?' I ask, fiddling with the handle of my guns.

'I'm wearing a guard under my clothes,' Colette says, pressing against her white tunic to show there is something leather under there. 'And this little bracelet thing, but I don't get what it does …'

I notice the silver bangle around her wrist when she pulls up her sleeve slightly to show me. Hm, that's just your average bracelet … it raises defence I think … I can't really remember.

'Eh … remind me to buy a guard or something …' I mumble, drawing one pistol. You know, just in case someone or something is waiting for us in the hallway or the main room. If Neil knows, it's likely that someone else found out too and went to give the Governor-General a good telling off and something could have happened with the monster. And on the topic of the monster, where the hell does it go after everything? Like the Desian dude? I really want to find out; it's annoying.

Raine leads the group, pushing the doors open and starting down the hallway with her staff in her hands. Genis follows, close by her side with the Chosen who leaves her weapons at her sides. The two swordsmen also have their weapons sheathed for unknown reasons (Desians? Anyone?), and I'm once again at the back of the group because I'm probably the biggest wimp to ever accompany a Chosen on their journey.

'I can hear something …' Colette says when we reach Dorr's office, knocking once before entering and looking around.

'What?' Genis asks, glancing around the room as if someone would jump out from behind a desk or a plant. 'I can't hear anything …'

'There are people talking down there …' the blonde mumbles, glancing towards the stairs that lead to the basement. 'And there's something else …'

She must be referring to the monster down there … does it make noises? I always thought they were silent … well, they never made any noises in the game, so I just assume that they're quiet … plus they don't have mouths … I think … okay, I'm not helping myself at all.

'Do you think we should check it out?' Lloyd asks, gripping the hilt of his blade.

'Everyone be quiet,' Raine warns before peering down into the darkness of the staircase and taking the first few slowly as to not make any noise that should attract the attention of people downstairs. Damn, I'm getting nervous … I really don't want to fight a _servant of Pronyma_, because it'd probably hurt. A lot. Plus, that thing can use Dark Sphere, right? That's one of the spells I hoped I'd never have to come into contact with … it's pretty strong and looks like it'd be painful.

When we reach the second set of stairs, the occupants of the room come into view, Dorr and his "daughter" standing by the curtain covered prison cell and a Desian clothed in travelling garbs, metal battle staff in hand. Lloyd goes to say something, but the Professor claps a hand over his mouth before he can do anything and drags him behind a wall of crates to the right of the staircase. The four of us quickly join them before we are noticed by the other three of the room. Ugh … it's pretty crowded … and – ow! Dammit, my foot!

I bite my lip to stop shouting out and shake a fist in Genis' direction, who accidentally crushed my foot under his. Not literally, but it hurts a lot …

'My wife, Clara …' Dorr says to the Desian sat on a nearby crate. 'When will she … return to her original form?'

'We still haven't received enough Gald from you, _Governor-General_,' the Desian answers him, saying his political title in a somewhat sarcastic tone. He sounds a little like Remiel … just a thought, but it defiantly isn't him. I can't see him properly, seeing as he's wearing one of those dodgy hats that travellers wear, but I'd know. 'Your payment sums are dropping every time we come and see you.'

'There's nothing more I can do!' Dorr exclaims with what sounds like a snarl, making me frown a little bit. I join Genis in peering through a crack in the crate wall to observe the scene. 'I've resorted to taking money from the Church of Martel, and the priests are becoming suspicious … the taxes are being raised, and people have begun to prote-'

'That's not an excuse,' the Desian says, standing from the crate. He points his weapon directly between Dorr's eyes to add to add effect to his threatening words. 'This payment will be enough for this week, though I expect more out of you next time I pay a visit.'

I notice a cruel smirk under the shadow on his hat. 'Or it'll be your little girl next.'

'Leave Kilia out of this!' Dorr growls, hand moving toward a small dagger in his belt. 'She has nothing to do with you!'

'That can be changed,' the Desian warns as Dorr moves slightly closer to the monster in his daughter's skin. 'You're next payment had best be higher than one-thousand, Governor-General.'

He removes the hat that hid his face and returns his battle staff to a case on his back, much like the one the Professor has. When I see just what is under the leather cap he wore, my mouth drops open and I stare for a long time.

"_Charis, what is it with you and cameos the past few days?_" I hiss to her and William in my head. "_Stop it; you're getting me into a lot of trouble_!"

"_Hey, just think of it as a birthday present again_," William answers, still sounding a little moody at his decided name.

"_B-birthday present?_ _Are you two out of your minds_?" I sputter as RUFUS freaking SHINRA walks past the crate wall and disappears up the stairs, traveller's cloak fluttering after him. Oh no, not good … not good at all … and he's a Desian! Oh great, just what I need … dammit, dammit! I hope we don't see him while we're in the Palmacosta Human Ranch … that will not be good.

Someone nudges me in the side as if to ask if I'm alright (I've been staring wide-eyed at the staircase for a while now). I turn to them (Colette, apparently) and try to answer, but an all too familiar tingling feeling erupts in my nose and my throat.

… Oh shit.

I get wild hand motions from Genis and Lloyd, signalling for me to hold the sneeze in. I nod, hands clutched over my mouth and nose and bury my face into my knees. This is one of those moments I wish I wasn't here, but thanks to my two beloved game consoles, I don't have a say in this. I don't have piriton either, which I kind of hate when I sneeze quite loudly after all.

Collective groan.

'What … whose there?' Dorr questions cautiously, the metallic hiss of the dagger being drawn making me jump a little. 'Show yourself!'

My apologetic look is ignored by everyone as Kratos steps out first, hand still on his blade's hilt. The Professor motions for us to stay behind the wall hiding us and follows him out, but apparently Colette and Lloyd aren't having any of that! The jump up and leave the hiding place, earning a stern look from the Raine and the mercenary.

Genis turns to me with a small shrug and moves to leave the secluded area, but Raine makes sure he's kept behind her. I take my place with a small groan at having to do this after all and keep my distance, staying behind the Professor with her younger sibling.

'Chosen One!' Dorr exclaims, looking stunned at her totally random appearance. 'You heard everything?'

'Yes …' she admits quietly, clutching her hands together tightly.

'H-how did you get in here?' he demands, still clutching the small weapon in his hand. I hope he doesn't come at us with it … it looks pretty damn sharp. 'You … where is Neil?'

'Neil isn't here,' Raine answers, using her staff to stop Lloyd stepping forwards (which he's been attempting to do since we came out). 'He's outside Palmacosta waiting for us.'

Dorr's brow furrows in anger and his dagger is raised a little, as if he were to come at the Professor. She clutches her own weapon firmly, reminding him he's terribly outmatched if he tries to make a move. 'So that's how it is. I knew he'd betray me sooner or later.'

'That's a bit hypocritical,' I say with a small frown. 'You're the that's been working with the De-'

'Be quiet!' he interrupts loudly, shaking his silver weapon in my direction. I step back a little just to be safe and keep my hands securely on my pistols. 'You don't know anything!'

'That's why we've come here,' Kratos tells him in a cold tone, fingering the hilt of his own sword, which I can happily say is a lot larger and threatening than Dorr's (you can probably get thousands of dirty, dirty little jokes out of that sentence, but we will move on VERY quickly). 'We'll be taking any maps you have of the Palmacosta Ranch and be on our way.'

'I will not cave so easily,' Dorr snarls, motioning for Kilia to move to the corner of the room as he advances a few steps toward the auburn haired man. 'They would harm my wife and my daughter. I won't allow it!'

'Then make your decision,' Kratos orders, a screech of steel ringing around the large basement. Dorr holds his ground even when the tip of Kratos' sword meets the trembling lump in the man's throat. The dagger in his hand is clutched tighter, and I have a terrible feeling he's about to use it.

'Listen carefully, brute,' Dorr hisses, glaring at Kratos with his beady blue eyes. I notice the mercenary's brow twitch at the name he's been dubbed with, but the governor continues even at Kratos' blatant display of anger. 'My wife has already been victimized by those scums, and I will not allow my daughter the same torture she has endured.'

'So you would sell out the safety and trust of your people?' Kratos answers sharply, raising his sword a little. Dorr swallows carefully and continues, locking the other man with his piercing stare.

'You have no right to judge me by these actions,' he snaps. 'You don't know anything of our suffering …!'

'You think I'm not _aware-_' Kratos starts, moving to press his sword closer to the man's throat only to be stopped when a pair of hands grab his arm and stop him.

'Don't!' Genis protests, fingers gripping tightly at his sleeve. Whoa, he's standing up to Kratos when he's at his scariest. I might as well kick in … I have a few things I want to voice too.

'Yeah, I want to leave without anyone getting hurt,' I say, despite the fact I'm still clutching my guns to use them when the time should come. Our little joined complaining has given Lloyd enough time to chance the subject before Kratos and Dorr start on each other again.

'Is something wrong with your wife?' he asks, still sounding a little irritated at the scene we witnessed with Dorr and Rufus (again, _why_?). 'Is she at the ranch?'

'We're going there now,' Colette joins in, trying to sound reassuring to the governor. 'If she's a hostage, then maybe we could help her and the other captives.'

'_Hostage_?' Dorr hisses with another glare. 'If she were a hostage, I would have gone to save her myself without this trouble! _My wife-_'

At those words, a low growl emits from the covered cage to the left of the general. Both Kilia and Dorr look up in slight surprise at the sounds coming from the creature inside, but step away when another louder snarl rumbles from its throat.

'Take the girl and get her away from that thing,' Raine mutters to me, seeing as I'm the closest to her from this side of the room, and I wouldn't put it against Genis and the other two to do something drastic. I nod, feeling slightly uneasy at going to save the monster we'll soon be fighting, but do it anyone as to not arouse suspicion for my own secrets.

'Kilia … come on,' I say gently, moving forward with my arm outstretched to offer a hand to her. Unluckily for me, I hate children, so I have no idea how to be comforting or reassuring towards them. I tend to stay away and let them get on with whatever they're doing, but this is the best I can do for now. 'It's okay, we're here to help.'

'Stay away from her,' Dorr tells me, his voice threatening. I straighten up and try to equal the stern look he's giving me and fail, deciding to use words instead.

'Look, I'm just trying to help your kid, so if you just let me take her to a safe place-'

'She's perfectly safe with me!' he spits, raising his dagger and moving to strike my collar bone. Before the hit can come, I feel something shove roughly at my shoulder, pushing me out of the way of the blow before I can do anything myself. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have jumped out of the way, so I'm very grateful that Raine helped by swinging her staff at the dagger and getting me away from the blow. She gives a powerful push with her weapon, causing Dorr to stagger back slightly, blade still in hand.

'You would go to extreme lengths to protect your daughter, but you'd kill any other child in the process?' Raine exclaims, looking absolutely disgusted at the man. I notice her weapon now has a noticeable chip in the sleek wood and remind myself to apologize later on, as well as thank her repeatedly for saving me from what would be a painful wound.

'If I must fight you to ensure her safety, then I will!' he says, once again pushing Kilia out of my reach and towards the cell. I immediately go to move her out of the way of the monster's grip, still quite aware of the fact that this could be the _real_ Kilia and not a monster from Cruxis, but Dorr shakes his weapon at me again as a warning.

'Stay away from my child and get out of my house. All of you!'

'We're trying to be reasonable here!' Lloyd exclaims, finally pushing past Kratos who tries to keep him and the other two behind him. 'Look, we can help your wife and we can keep your daughter safe if we can defeat the Desians. But we need your help-'

'Be silent, boy!' the stressed governor yells, pointing his dagger at Lloyd. 'You cannot help me at all. Only the Desians …'

'Kilia,' I whisper as her father turns to the brunet swordsman. 'Come on, we can get you to a safe place away from the monster-'

'_Don't_ _call her that_!' screeches a livid Dorr, turning back to me and taking another slice at me. I manage to jump back this time, but Raine actually resorts to slamming her battle staff into his arm, causing him to stiffen for a few good moments to deal with the pain.

'I'm sure you are worried for your child,' Raine says, holding the spiked head to his arm. 'But surely you do not wish to commit bloodshed before her eyes, as well as to the other children here.'

'I am _protecting _her from-!'

Dorr's protest is cut short as another groaning cry comes from behind the curtain, causing a tremor to shoot up my spine like a cold needle. Is it in pain or something …? I never understood what happened when someone turns into one of these things … but I somehow remember it being painful for them? I'm not so sure …

'You might want to protect her from that thing for now,' I say, motioning to the barred cubicle. 'At least th-'

'Stop referring to her as a _thing_,' Dorr whispers sourly, nursing his arm wound.

'Or what?' I cry, getting pretty exasperated at his stubborn attitude. 'Listen, we can talk later or whatever, but do you really think a kid needs to see this? We'll leave her with the soldiers or something, but can you _just_-'

'This is nothing new,' Dorr spits. I can see his desire to reach for the dagger and slice my gut, but the wound on his arm is preventing him from doing so. 'Thanks to the Desians, my daughter has witnessed more than most people; the townspeople, the militia, and even discourteous mercenaries like _him_.'

Another sharp cry comes from the cell and some movement finally confirms the presence of something inside. Silver claws rip at the curtain concealing it's identity as if trying to reach out for the people whose voices it recognises. It continues tearing away at the drape, screeching and groaning becoming so much for my ears (which, need I remind you are sickeningly delicate) that I have to press my palms firmly to them. I'm causing myself a lot of pain right now, but my head is ringing and spinning.

The last of the damaged drape flutters to the ground, revealing the monster behind the bars. Its rubbery skin is stretched, bruised – a deep shade of purple and navy that ripples at every groaning breathe it takes, dripping with perspiration. Bulging orange eyes and pulsing white veins that run up its arms and legs, over its face a chest pulsate violently every few seconds, trembling whenever it cries out and screeches. It's garbed in a ripped dress that looks like it had been stretched at its wearer's sudden change in form, obviously of a high-class make … but it's covered in blood and white liquid I can only imagine has burst from on of those terribly … pulsing … veins …

This doesn't stop be hastily backing away with a scream at all. My back collides with a tower of boxes the wobble on contact but remain upright to my relief.

'_This_, boy, is my _wife_ …' Dorr says to Lloyd, his voice trembling slightly. 'Help her if you can … save her like you promised.'

Lloyd doesn't answer for a long while. He just stares wide-eyed at the beast in the cage that pushes its body up against the bars with another intense shriek.

'It's alright, Clara …' the governor whispers reassuringly, running a hand down the steel bars that keep his monster wife from escaping. 'Soon, it will all be over soon … just hang on a little while …'

'You … your wife …' Lloyd croaks, voice shaking.

'The Desians are the only ones that can save her now,' Dorr whispers as the claws clatter against the bars again, reaching for the blond man. It screeches again and most people in the room flinch at the sound, but they're more stunned at the thing inside the cage. I'm pretty sure Raine and myself are staring at it in a kind of sympathetic disgust (if that's possible at all), Colette and Genis look hurt, understanding of the pain the family is feeling and both seem on the verge of tears. I could probably cry now, but only out of fear for my own safety. Lloyd is still stunned into a silence, memories of Iselia most likely overcrowding his mind for now, and all existing colour has drained from Kratos' face.

'She's in pain …' Colette murmurs softly. 'She's crying …'

Dorr reaches inside the cage and trails his fingers over a sleeve of the dress that once fitted this person, looking completely broken and defeated. 'Then understand my reasons. I want to save my wife and prevent anything like this happening to my daughter.'

'That is your excuse?' Kratos says, regaining his cold and uncaring tone. His face says otherwise at the sight of the beast that would likely trigger some best forgotten memories, but he continues. 'Are you blind to the fact that any of the hostages could have turned out the exact same way?'

'_Shut up_,' comes the whispering hiss. 'I will not make the same mistakes as my father. I will do anything to ensure my family's safety, even if it means working with the Desians behind the backs of the people.'

'What about all those people you made promises to?' Genis exclaims, trying to get past Kratos who is holding him back with an unyielding grip on his upper arm. 'You promised you'd stand up to the Desians and get their families back!'

'Yeah, anyone of those people could be monsters now!' I add, still trying to get to Kilia. 'If you weren't full of your own pain and a little considerate to others feelings, then maybe you'd all be able to stand up against the Desians together.'

The knife flies towards me again. 'It will never work!'

I draw a pistol and point it at Dorr's hand, trying to resist the urge to shout "screw this" and pull my finger down on the trigger. I really didn't expect it to miss, but I can't put much against Dorr. He was a fighter, and he was in the revolution, so I doubt a little shot of mana would be hard to dodge. The white bullet soars over his arm and bounces off a steel bar, clattering to the floor before dissolving into thin air.

Kilia grabs my arm using the weapon, and my first instinct is to shake her off in fear of her actually being the monster I believe she is, but she's actually crying. Is this really the beast sent by Pronyma? Or is it actually Dorr's daughter? It's hard to tell, but I don't think the monster would cry … or it's just a very good actor …

'Stop fighting!' she cries, pulling my arm down away from her father. 'Stop hurting people …'

I pause for a long moment, feeling rather beaten at the possibility I could be scaring a small girl senseless and drop my arm to my side with a small sigh. '… Alright.'

'It _will_ work,' Colette guarantees, picking up where we left off before the small spat (self-defence, dammit).

'This city will never be free of the Desians,' Dorr declares grimly. 'The last revolution affirmed that.'

'So you're letting them believe they have another chance?' Lloyd advances on the general a little, Kratos almost grabbing the ribbons hanging from his collar to stop him. 'You could have given up your political status and asked the people to help you find a cure instead of sinking so low-'

'Shut up!' Dorr chooses this moment to put his knife to use once again and takes a strike at Lloyd. It caught the swordsman off-guard, but he's trained enough to be able to see it coming, even if his body doesn't react as quickly. He throws his arms up for defence in the last seconds before the dagger would have drawn a long, deep cut over his front, but his left arm takes the blow instead.

I'm sure the strike was meant to penetrate something much larger, so the strength of the hit as well as Lloyd's last-minute instincts to jump back sends the swordsman stumbling into Genis who stands behind him. I don't know how strong the half-elf is physically, but he manages to help Lloyd maintain his balance (when I expected him to fall flat on his back).

'Lloyd! Lloyd, are you alright?'

'… I'm fine.' The swordsman straightens up, cradling his wounded arm that is now dripping with blood. I quickly place a hand on Kilia's shoulder and force her to turn to the wall. I really think she's not the monster right now, so I'll go with whatever I would have done with any other child.

'It's okay,' I reassure, holding her wrist gently when I see her shaking a little. 'It's gonna be okay, your daddy is just-'

_Shing_.

'Dammit!' I shout, looking over my shoulder while still keeping my hold on the little girl. '_Kratos_!'

The mercenary seems to have taken a swipe at Dorr with his own sword, effectively knocking the small knife from his hands that comes soaring towards Kilia and myself. I grab both her arms and pull her out of the way as the dagger embeds itself in a wooden crate that was in front of us with a dull thud.

'What are you _doing_?' I shout, holding the blonde girl in place when she tries to turn around with questions of "What's happening? Are they hurting eachother? Is my father okay? Make them stop."

'It's alright,' I whisper to her before turning back to the navy clothed man. 'Are you fucking stupid? There's a _kid_ here!'

'You're telling that to the wrong man,' Kratos seethes, blade once again at Dorr's throat. He cocks his head in Lloyd direction who is being helped with a good few spells of First Aid from the Professor.

'We're trying to tone down on the whole violence thing right now,' I say, still trying to cope with the struggling Kilia. 'So for the love of-'

'Everyone stop!' Colette finally cries over the shouting, succeeding in claiming everyone's attention. 'Please.'

Everything goes silent for a few moments and the Chosen breathes a small sigh of relief, turning to the blonde general. 'Dorr, I understand how you feel about the Desians …' She pauses. 'But we can help, really we can. We're going to the ranch, and we can get the medicine to save you wife. Then you could come clean to the people and stop working with the Desians!'

'… You're … forgiving me?' Dorr asks, looking a little shaken at the numerous attempts on his life in the past few minutes and now the abrupt mercy that Colette has shown him. Yeah, I'd be pretty freaked to; maybe wonder what the hell she had for breakfast or if she's been sniffing something funny.

'Your forgiveness shouldn't come from us …' Colette tells him softly. 'It should come from the people of Palmacosta, from Neil … and from Martel.'

'Martel would … for what I've done …?'

'Half-elf …'

I blink and look down at the girl I'm holding while Dorr rambles incoherently for the next few seconds. Half-elf …? How did she –

'Shit …' I whisper as the blue in her eyes turns darker, swirling into a dark crimson colour. She grins up at me - an evil look - and I realise I'm not holding her wrists anymore. One of her small hands has clenched my arm tightly and the other is pointing at her father's side. Before I can say anything, struggle, warn people or scream again, a long dark yellow claw erupts out of her index finger and pierces the man's middle with and the sickening sound of tearing flesh fills the air.

For the moment, I manage to wrench myself from her grip, totally unsuited for her appearance and stumble back a good few steps as a second claw punctures Dorr's middle, and the a third. The man gags with pain and drops to his knees, clutching the three wounds the shot straight through his torso.

'Martel would never help an inferior being!' Kilia states harshly, withdrawing the claws back to her fingers.

'What … what did you-?' Genis starts, but is cut off when Kilia suddenly turns limp, eyes slipping in and out of focus. Her body twitches violently and Kratos holds his sword to her cautiously. Her skin begins to crawl and bubble and starts changing colours at a quick rate, turning from grey, to blue, and finally to a light shade of purple that envelops her whole body.

She throws her head back, her still human mouth letting out a startling high-pitched scream as her body begins to change shape completely. Her bones get bigger and become visible under the purple flesh, her ribcage and her shoulder blades jutting out. The skin and muscles of her new body clamp tightly over her arm and leg bones, and yellowing claws sprout from her fingers and her toes as well as two … whatever-the-shit-those-things-are pooping out of the sides of her head.

Gross, gross, gross. Really gross.

'Dude.' Charlotte, there's a freaking monster in front of you and THAT is all you can say? Dammit woman, get some sleep tonight – please.

'I work for Pronyma, the leader of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals.' Monster Kilia straightens up, still wearing that malevolent smirk on her face as she flexes her fingers and other stiff body parts that emit low cracks. 'I was assigned to the job of surveying Magnius' human cultivation technique and play the role of daughter to this pathetic human.'

Colette backs away a little, one hand on her chakram. '…How could you do that …?'

'Look at him!' she snickers, one foot slamming down on Dorr's arm. He convulses in pain with a dry gasp when the claws dig bloody holes into his flesh. 'We had him so busy trying to buy a non-existent cure from us that he didn't even realise his _real_ daughter was _dead_.'

'Kilia … is …?'

'Don't speak.' A quick swipe from Lloyd sends Kilia stumbling back off Dorr as Raine shushes him, helping to move him to a safe corner of the room with the aid of Colette. Damn, I hope she comes back after Dorr's not in danger … she can use all light spells and stuff, and that's apparently useful against this monster. I think … I hope I'm not confusing her with someone else. That'd suck.

Alright, I have a feeling I should focus right now.

Kilia decides to deal with the strongest of the group first and heads toward Kratos, extending her claws with a quick (yet frighteningly disturbing) giggle of sorts. Kratos uses his small shield (which I can say I don't think I've seen him use before) to deflect some of the blows that would probably cut straight through that spandex shirt and into his skin. That would hurt.

You know the sound of raking a cat's claws down a chalkboard? Yeah, Kratos using his sword to throw off Kilia's offending claws is the exact same sound … sweet _lord_ it burns my ears … I literally have to stand still and clench my teeth together for a few moments before shakily powering up Shockwave, watching Genis out of the corner of my eye. He's halfway through what looks like Aqua Edge, but I notice he's murmuring some words I can really hear from this side of the room. I catch "drown" and "crush" and something about "water of the land", but that's pretty much it until we get the actual spell.

'Spread!'

The circle of runes around the half-elf's feet grow and shine brighter as a puddle forms below Kilia's clawed feet. A comment is made on Genis' spell's failure by the purple skinned monster, but the pool of water grows at an astonishing rate and encircles the beast, crashing down on it with such a force that another of those screams echoes around the room. Water sprays almost everywhere, but a rather large portion of it comes my way, roaring through the air.

'P … Protection!' I cry, trying to hold up my arms like I was taught at the Fire Seal. I don't know if my lack of using this particular technique has affected its ability at all, but some of the water breaks through the shield and sends me hurtling against the wall. Damn, I must remind myself to get _better_ at fighting.

'Do NOT …' I shout over the monster's screaming, spitting out some water a pushing my soaked hair behind my ears, '… do that with water. Fire, lighting, whatever …'

'Sorry!' Genis apologizes, powering up another spell. Hey, wait a sec … I remember Genis teaching me that thing in the Martel Temple … you know, so that your spells wouldn't hit your party members? Why didn't it work now? I'll have to ask him about it after the battle. Given that we get out alive, of course. Lloyd and Genis are already getting pretty beat up. Yay me, for staying all the way over here like the cowardly twit that I am.

Okay, let's try attacking again.

'Take this, you freaky horned bitch,' I mumble under my breath, pointing my guns at the floor and willing as much mana as I can to go into this attack. 'Shockwave!'

My attack spreads around the floor towards her, burning deep welts in her ankles and my apparently successful mana overload. The big problem is, I feel all week and tired and such now. Ah well, uh … what's the saying … ah forget it, I had it coming anyway.

'Okay, orange gel …' I mumble, clutching a hand to my head. Headache … I think I broke my brain. 'Genis, do you have an orange gel?'

Over the stones that have decided to crunch and crash and do all kinds of shit to Kilia at a Stone Blast from the mercenary, a small bottle is throw over the rising dust. I catch it before it can shatter on the ground, quickly uncorking the bottle and gulping it down.

'Don't use too many; it'll make your headache worse!' Genis advises over the loud scrapes of stones over the floor that flies to the monster like small magnets. I refrain from asking how that works and take his instructions to mind for now. At loss for what to do with the bottle, I throw it at Kilia and watch as it bounces off her shiny head before picking my guns up from the crate I left them on. Hey, Dorr's dagger is still in h – shut up, Charlotte. You pay too much attention to things.

Okay, I really hope Kilia doesn't come over here anytime soon. She has a rather nasty looking attack where she holds her hands up against her target and loads of electric sparks shoot out and surround them. Needless to say, it looks rather painful, and judging by the reddening marks on Genis' arms and the slight burns in his clothes … I don't want to get into close range any time soon. What the hell was Genis doing up close to her anyway? Use spells, darn it!

I cough a little at the dust left behind by Kratos' spell (and sneeze a lot, to my dismay). I wonder if it can be controlled … if so, I'd love to learn how. This isn't good for my chest … especially with the coughing. My throat is on fiiirrreee …

When I hear the other two boys over the sounds of blades scraping against claws, I realise I'm not the only one who has problems with the dust. Water and earth? A big no-no for battles down here. Fire would probably _start_ one with all of this wood, so … ice, wind and lighting, anyone?

Okay, wind I can do. Sadly, it will probably do as much as I did when I threw that bottle at her head. Let's stick with Mana Beam and Shockwave. Mana Beam should work for now … it'll do well with damage, but I'll have to stop using orange gels now I'm aware of Genis' warnings. Ah well.

"_Hey, you ready for a new tech?"_ comes William's voice. He's becoming more apparent lately. He probably feels left out after joining the random vacant area in my mind at Izoold. It sounds like he's happy to get into the loop of things now. Good for him!

"_Am I ever_?" I think, stopping Mana Beam.

"_No, keep going!_" he urges. "_This is a more powerful level of attack from its main form, Mana Beam_."

"… _Say what_?" I inquire, starting up the spell again.

"_Uh … think Demon Fang, and then Double Demon Fang, or Fierce_ …_ like a level up spell or something_."

"_Oh … oh, okay! I got it!_"

"_Alright then … this one is called Mana Blast, just in case you were wondering_."

And off they go, back to their room in my head where they likely have popcorn and drinks while watching me suffer and struggle and SNEEZE, dammit.

'Okay, I have it!' I mutter to myself, pointing the two barrels of my gun at Kilia who is advancing towards Colette, who seems to have joined the fray at some point while I was conversing with my PS2. Yay, now we can use light attacks to bring her down quicker!

After a bit more powering up, I finally declare my new spell (which I don't think counts when I add "awesome" right before it at my excitement) _Mana Blast_ and wait for some grand burst of energy to rip Kilia limb from limb. Yes, I'm exaggerating, but I learned something new and I'm excited. Leave me alone.

… Well, the blast comes alright in a big mass of white and red and blue … I just really didn't expect it to be on myself. I can feel the pain, as though the mana that's been put into form around me is sucking at the mana inside of me, draining me of it. This is worse than Mana Beam. It hurts a lot more, I can tell you that. Before, I'd just get dizzy at the lack of mana in my body, but this feels like it's physically beating me down.

I don't like it. Remind me to kick William when I see him next.

The white mist around me becomes intensely hot for a few seconds and as quick as a flash, heads towards Kilia. It clings to her and blasts on her body in a mess of sparks. I notice a small, faint green light surround my comrades within a fifteen foot radius or so and decide to consult my game consoles.

"_No really, what the HELL was that? You guys need to spend more time on thinking up my techs. That looked really tacky_."

"_Shut up!"_ Charis protests angrily. "_I'm proud of that one!_"

"_It takes away your tech-related mana as usual,"_ William explains while a muffled 'get off!' shouts in the background. He's probably pushing Charis back or something. "_It just took away half of your, err … well, lets just call them hit points to avoid confusion._"

"_It took half of my health?_" I shout at them, searching my satchel for an apple gel. "_Why? What was the point in _that"

"_Well, you just kinda … sorta … healed a few others in the process,"_ he says, explaining what the green glow must have been. "_I'd advise not using it unless you need to?_"

"_I hate you,"_ I tell him, upending the bottle containing an apple gel and swallowing it. It'll probably take a while to kick in fully since I have next to no mana in my body to speed it up. Ah, I fail once again. When you remind me to kick William, remind to kick him were it _hurts_ for allowing me to use such a dangerous spell.

Before I can decide on my next method of attack, several large blades of ice burst up from the ground and encase the bruised and bleeding monster as Genis cries 'Icicle!', and I can't help but shiver even looking at it. The sound of ice scraping against ice? Yeah, I can't cope with that. I can't even go through my own freezer. Waves of steam roll off the pillars of ice before they finally crack, freeing the monster from its frosty grip.

I don't quite know what caused this to happen, but Kilia curls up into a small ball on the floor, shaking slightly. Before any of us can make another move, the skin on her back splits with a terrible ripping sound, blood streaming down her flesh and her spine grows more bones. She screams and writhes at the feeling, and I have to look away at the wall to stop that toast coming up.

'What the-'

Despite what I just said, Lloyd's exclamation causes me to throw a look over my shoulder. Six bloodied claw like things have sprouted from her small spine along with a rather threatening looking tail made of bone, tipped with a bright red stinger-looking thing. It's like she turned into a half-scorpion _thing_ … and I don't like the way those claws and that tail are forever clicking and twitching at every movement.

So what do I do?

I throw the bottle at her again. Why, I'm not sure. I'm still waiting for those gels to kick in, so it's my only form of offence. Hey, I don't want to be completely useless, do I?

'Dark Sphere!'

Oh, crap. Whose it directed at?

A large purple sphere that quickly envelops Kratos before he can even think about getting away answers my question. A small charm I can't get a good enough look at to describe properly is spinning around on its surface, and Kratos is swiping at his makeshift prison with his sword. It doesn't look like it's about to break …

I seriously can't remember jack about this spell, I only recall it causing a lot of damage. Ten, fifty … hundreds of needle sharp blades of charcoal black mana surround the bubble our poor mercenary is secured in and all shoot towards their target, slipping past the wall as if it were water. I think I've only ever heard Kratos grunt quietly when in pain … it's very new to hear him shout. Anyway, completely irreverent. Moving on.

Oh, but it doesn't end there. Colette and Genis move in to help him, but it's _now_ that I remember the spell explodes after the first load of damage is dealt. I don't know how far it travels exactly, but it was apparently strong enough to send the two Iselians hurtling backwards. That … must have _really _hurt if Kratos was in the centre of it all.

Someone remind me why I'm worried? That _thing_ is coming towards me! Time to shriek and flail while shooting in random directions, gal. Which I _do_ for a few seconds before getting my mind back together and aiming, shooting as fast as I can with both pistols. No usable mana means no spells that I can use, so I'm stuck with this for a while. Damn.

I hear a load of 'Kratos, are you okay?' from the other side of the room and resist the urge to scream for help when I notice a lot of blood running down the mercenary's body. That thing must be very dangerous with its needles … I guess I doubted the power of Pronyma's minion. We're all going down very quickly.

"_I can't use anything, can I_?" I ask when Kilia glides close. What, it can _float_ now?

"_Ah, nope. Sorry,"_ William replies over the sound of shuffling papers. "_Oh! Wait, do you have a holy bottle with you?_"

Holy bottle? Isn't that the thing that wards off enemies for a while and makes you heels glow and shoot sparks and something probably crack induced like that?

"_Yep_," I say, pulling one out of my bag. Huh … must have picked it up in Palmacosta last time I was here or in a battle or something. "_Why? I swear, I'm not throwing more bottles at her! She'll kill me!_"

"_Yeah, that's nice – just throw it at her. You'll see_."

I shrug and wonder what I have to loose and chuck the holy bottle in Kilia's direction. It shatters on her ribcage and the pearly white liquid stains her front. To my ultimate surprise and an "I told you so!" from the PS2 inhabiting my brain, she screeches and writes for a few seconds before trying her best to wipe it off.

Whoa.

Hey, maybe it's because she's a dark-type and the bottle is all … holy and such. I'll have to remember that when we fight Yggdrasill for the first time and just run around the battle field throwing dark bottles at him. Hm, I wonder if that would actually work …

I feel like jumping up and dancing when I hear a cry of 'Angel Feathers!' from Colette, glad that we finally have some light attacks to bring Kilia down. I'd love Raine to be here and heal us, but she's too busy making sure Dorr survives. I know I never really liked him, but I hope the Professor can do something …

Kratos is up and running again (despite the numerous protests for him to sit down and let himself heal) and starts casting what looks like Wind Blade from over here. I could be way off, but I'll go with it. Colette starts up another Angel Feathers again and it looks like Lloyd is the only one who can take on the job of a close-range attack for now. Poor thing … especially with his wounded arm and such. It'd probably be great and useful if I could use a sword, but sadly I can barely lift one. Heck, it'd probably take me three years at least to learn how to use them. I know it only takes around two years maximum, but I'm a slow leaner. Shut up.

Alright, this is getting annoying. I should really use a magic lens to see how much more ass-kicking we have to do, but I do not _have_ one. I _sold_ them all. Dammit Charlotte! Never touch another RPG again! You will undoubtedly DIE from stupid and failure.

I decide to observe this as much wanted revenge when green blades swipe at Kilia's scorpion-monster-body (which seriously sounds ridiculous now) as Kratos casts Wind Blade. I don't know if it's because Kratos could be a whole lot stronger than Genis in the spell casting area or that he's totally bent on making Kilia feel pain, but the attack is truly brutal, even for a basic spell. I've never seen so many blood and cuts at the cause of wind in my life. Gross.

Kilia finally crumples to the ground after a nasty looking Double Demon Fang from Lloyd, shrieking and thrashing pain as her spine's extra appendages clack and spasm while sinking back into her. I seriously don't know if this is genetically possible, but apparently it is. But still, ew. I'm just really glad I got out of that battle (almost) unscathed. The fact I'm covered in water doesn't count, just so you know.

'Impossible …' Kilia chokes, bloody dripping from her mouth as she shivers. 'Lady Pronyma … forgive me …'

Lloyd steps a little closer, resting the tip of his rapier of Kilia's shoulder who hisses in pain at the contact. She must be badly bruised. 'How do we heal Dorr?'

Kilia moves to kneel, grabbing the bars that conceal Clara in front of her for support. The clawed thumb that slips into the keyhole goes unnoticed by the others. I really want to stop her, but I really can't … I'm too uptight about messing with the course of everything, even though some pretty big changes have been made already.

'I'll tell you …' she hisses, thumb working at the lock. 'I'll _show_ you …'

'What are …' Genis starts, trailing off when a loud click indicated the lock being destroyed. Kilia flashes a fanged grin, withdrawing her now clawless thumb.

'Let the man have his _monster_ wife … she'll kill you all!' she shrieks, shaking with laughter. 'That will make him … happy …'

'You …!'

Lloyd takes no time in thrusting his sword throw the quickly pulsing muscle that is her heart. She chokes on her own blood, hacking and withering as it splatters all over the floor in front of her. I seriously have to look away and keep my eyes fixed on the wall to stop my breakfast churning around my stomach and shooting up my throat. I already hurled in the early hours of the morning. I don't want to do it again.

I hear the horrendous scraping creak of the heavy metal door opening, probably the first time it's been used in years as the monster staggers out with a groan. I look over again despite what my stomach says and notice Genis has backed away to the refuge of his sister with a small yell, and Lloyd looks positively torn at the decision he's being faced with. Aw shit.

'Not again …' Lloyd whispers, the hands holding his weapons shaking violently, as well as his voice. I don't know if anything different happened in Iselia when he killed Marble, but just the look on his face and in his eyes is enough to make me want to cry on the spot, or hug him, or something as equally comforting. I've not seen him like this except for when he saw those dead people in the wasteland, and that was just terrible to watch his defences being kicked down one by one.

Clara groans loudly, her swollen eyes flicking towards the shaking Lloyd. She raises a heavy arm awkwardly, ready to take a lumbering swipe at him that would probably hurt him severely if the attack succeeded. Colette jumps in at the last second when she noticed Lloyd was far too overcome to do anything and shouted at it to stop, her already pulled out wings shining brightly. Clara falls still and watches Colette for a few seconds, studying the Chosen who is wearing a brave, determined look.

After almost a minute of the intent staring contest, another murmuring groan sounds from the monster's throat as it staggers past the blonde toward the staircase. Colette and Genis immediately get up to run after it, but Raine orders loudly for them to stay put while she treats Dorr's wounds.

I realise I've been holding my breath for a long while and let it out in a long sigh, falling back to sit on the crate. Dorr's dagger clatters to the floor when my leg brushes against it, so I decide to kick it to one side for now. I'm just glad all of the fighting is over … but dammit, there's blood everywhere …

I remember Regal saying something about how woman are more suited for combat because we aren't afraid of blood, but I don't think that's true. I mean, we _do_ see blood a lot more than men, so it either _could_ be true or I could be a very, very spineless person. I'd go with the latter, personally.

'Are you alright?'

I look up at Lloyd's question that seems to be directed towards the mercenary.

'I'm fine,' he whispers thickly, pale faced and looking the slightest bit emotionally defeated. No one would probably notice, but … I suppose this has been a very bad memory-triggering hour.

'You don't look-'

'I'm alright,' Kratos snaps, looking away from the other members of the group who seem to be getting treated very quickly by Raine and a large number of gels. 'Let me see your arm.'

Lloyd furrows his brow in confusion. 'Huh?'

'Your wounded arm,' Kratos repeats, sounding a little irritated. 'Let me see it.'

'Oh … right,' Lloyd mutters, pulling his glove off so Kratos can inspect the wound.

'Sit down,' the older swordsman orders. 'You're shaking.'

Wordlessly, the brunet carefully lowers himself to the floor and leans against the crate wall, resting his now bare arm on his knees. Damn, that cut looks really bad … I'm sure it won't take long to heal up with a few doses of First Aid and an apple gel or two, but still … ugh …

Why does Lloyd still wear that bandage over his Exsphere? Just a thought …

Anyway … what do I do now? Everyone looks fairly okay, they're getting healed, and … well, Dorr doesn't look okay. I'd say this is going to take a turn for the worse. I shuffle around on the crate for a bit while watching as everyone does their things; Lloyd's arm is still being healed by Kratos who is constantly being asked if he is alright by the brunet. He says he's fine, but that's very doubtful when you consider the amount of blood on his outfit. Note to self: never get hit with Dark Sphere. Or Photon. You _will_ regret it, Charlie.

Raine is still attempting to heal the Governor-General, but the look on her face is telling me he doesn't have much of a chance. Oh man, I don't want to watch him die … I'm not good at those things. Monsters I don't mind, but people … argh, I just can't. I can't do it.

'Is everyone okay?' I ask after five minutes of silence, swinging my legs slightly as I remain seated on the crate.

'We're okay,' Lloyd says, rubbing his now bandaged arm slightly with a wince. He gets a small scolding from the mercenary about how he should just leave it alone. 'What about you guys?'

'It doesn't look good …' Raine replies quietly, still casting First Aid as much as she can. 'I don't think …'

'My daughter …' Dorr hisses through gritted teeth. 'Is she …'

'Kilia is okay …' Lloyd lies before anyone can give Dorr the heart wrenching news. Genis and Colette quietly disapprove with looks and hushed questions of what he thinks he's doing. Kratos also looks like he's about to say something, but quickly dismisses it and helps Lloyd to his feet.

The Professor finally straightens, looking sick and white-faced as well as worn out. With a few deep breathes to rid the dizzying feeling of mana exhaustion, she shakes her head and blinks back some forming tears. 'It's useless …'

'Sis …!' Genis protests as Colette buries her face in her hands. Oh … geez, if Charis and William want to start changing things, they could at least save us a lot of emotional torment. They're going to let him die?

When I look at Dorr teetering on the brink of death with his bloodied coughs and his pale face, I decided to give this part a skip and stand, heading for the stair case that looks so terribly inviting.

'What are you doing?' Lloyd asks as I walk past.

'I can't watch this,' I answer, feeling my throat swell, my eyes burn and begin to feel heavy and too many other things I don't much care to list. 'I'll be upstairs.'

'… Okay.'

I'm glad I'm being let off and quickly make my way up the flight of stone stairs before I feel a ton on guilt from an unknown origin settle in my stomach and force me to stay and witness the scene as my comrades. I can't deal with the death of other people. I start thinking to much and then I get all miserable and start crying, which I don't like doing. I'm sure I've mentioned I hate crying in front of people, and I really do … I don't know why, I just do.

I take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds, heading towards Dorr's desk as I let it out. I'll just sit down for a while … that will help. Plus, I need to dry myself off … I can't walk around Palmacosta while soaked to the bone.

I start with twisting my hair tightly to rid most of the water and move on to my clothes, taking time on my hood.

So yeah, this birthday sucked. Despite the fact I have presents, but other than that … not an event I would have liked to take part in.

I sit still for a few minutes, looking around the neat and tidy room for my interest's sake. I notice a picture frame with a drawing of Dorr, Kilia, Clara and another man I assume is Edmund, Dorr's father. He looks a lot like Dorr if you shove on twenty, thirty years or so …

A loud click makes me jump when the door's bronze handle is turned, indicating either a guard or one of the people have come to see the Governor-General. If it's a guard, we'll most likely be killed upon suspicion for Dorr's murder. If it's a person, they'll probably tell a guard and we'll be killed anyway. My first instinct in response to this situation? Hide under the desk.

And I do just that, peering through the small gap where the brim of the desk's wall leaves the floor.

Oh crappers, its Rufus.

The Desian quietly closes the door behind him, glancing around to see if anyone else is in the room. I immediately try to slow my breathing to the point where it's inaudible and continue observing while hidden from the blonde haired man. To my surprise, he doesn't do much; he just strides over to the desk, picks up some papers and that's about it. Damn, I hope he didn't notice me. I'm still semi-suffering from mana exhaustion and that headache is reigning supreme over my brain once more. I doubt I'm in a good position to fight.

Rufus pauses for a moment at the desk which makes my heart thud loudly in my chest at the possibility he might have spotted me after all. My breathing volume hasn't become my point of concern anymore – my heart is thumping so hard he could probably hear it.

I hold back a sigh of relief when he turns on his heal, heading back to the door. I watch him pull it open and wait.

'When you feel the urge to hide from your opponent, it would be best if you didn't leave water all over the floor,' he says, not looking over at me. I do all I can to not gasp when he speaks and bite my lip. 'Lord Magnius is looking forward to Lloyd coming to see him. Please make sure you relay the message.'

At the last sarcastic comment, he leaves, closing the door behind him with a loud click. I breathe out in relief and topple face first onto the floor, trying to gather what just happened. He probably has orders not to kill anyone until we get to the ranch with the Chosen and Lloyd's Exsphere, which must suck for him.

I climb back up onto my chair and rub my face, feeling terribly hot all of a sudden. Nerves are funny things … making us hot and cold at the same time.

At the sound of footsteps from the basement, I jump up out of the chair as if I'd been pricked by a needle down in that area and wait. Raine comes up first followed by her red-faced brother and the Chosen who look like they've been crying. The two adults as well as Lloyd look terribly pale … gee, I hope this doesn't last long … I like the old group better.

'I can guess,' I mutter, walking over. Raine seems to be clutching several sheets of parchment in her hand I'll immediately assume are the ranch maps instead of asking about it. No one looks ready to talk just yet, so I decide to join in and keep my mouth shut. When Neil comes back, I'm sure he'll explain to the people of Palmacosta in full what happened. We don't really need to …

'We're going to the ranch,' Colette whispers, voice cracking the slightest.

'Okay,' I mutter, following the distraught group out of the building. When we step out into the streets, we are met with the shocked and terrified faces of the people who saw the monster of Clara run by, small children screaming and crying and adolescents talking among themselves about what could have been going on in there and wondering if Dorr and Neil were okay.

It's times like this I hate having to know what happens. And it's usually the times I want to go home the most.


	32. The Dead and The Ranch

HOW many freaking skits about the ranch? I've been standing there for a while and they're like "oh, we're in a ranch D:" over and over. WE GET IT. SHUSH.

Okay, I promised myself I wouldn't do this when I started this fic, but here goes. As my reviewers, you like my story (I hope XD). Hm. That's all good and well, but if you don't tell me what you think, how do I know if it's good or if I'm getting worse? I mean, I really love you guys so much for taking an interest in my story, but how do I know you're actually interested? D:

Anyway, I'm glad you guys rock so much. My poor friend has two different reviewers who are constantly fighting with eachother whenever she updates. Much love goes to her.

Alright, gore in this chapter. And a little angst. But you know ... it IS the RANCHomg. Finally.

Onwards.

* * *

Chapter 32 - The Dead and The Ranch

'_How did it feel?'_

'_How did what feel?'_

'_Watching Dorr … pass away, I mean.'_

'… _I'm not sure. I was sad, but I was still a little angry when he asked us to save his wife … y'know, after what he put the people through and all …'_

'_Ha. Always putting other people's welfare first. You surprise me.'_

'… _Was that a compliment or something?'_

'_Eh … kinda.'_

'_Pfft … you nerd.'_

'_I thought "dork" was your word.'_

'_Hm … I don't know you well enough to call you a dork yet.'_

'… _I have to earn that title?'_

'_Yup.'_

'_You're so bizarre … huh, we were supposed to be talking about Dorr, weren't we?'_

'_Oh … right.'_

* * *

The trip to the Human Ranch was silent at best. We had a few short, quiet conversations here and there as well as a few with Neil, seeing as the Professor assumed it would be best to keep him in good spirits for the ranch (or however good they can get). After giving him the news about Dorr being murdered by a Desian monster who had taken shape of his daughter, he was … well, sad. He probably saw something like this coming, what with Dorr working with a dangerous (and not to mention untrustworthy) group, but I guess it still hit him hard. I don't know how long he'd been working under the man, but it always hurts when people pass on. 

I've had three or four very short chats with Colette, Genis and Lloyd, and most have been rather boring and dull. Colette questioned me and my oh so terribly atheist self in the subject of Martel. She said she didn't mean to annoy me or pressure me into her faith, but she asked for a reason – which I find completely reasonable. I gave a terribly half-assed answer of "I just don't", and she muttered a quiet approval and left me be. Maybe I'll cook up a more believable and meaningful answer for her benefit. She only wants to help.

Genis on the other hand was terribly quiet and obviously a bad choice for conversation making. He's been sitting close to Raine for a while, constantly mumbling to her. Being on the other side of the wagon, we don't hear what they're talking about. I'm giving a wild guess it's about the happenings in Palmacosta, but I could be totally off. Like, the reason why the grass is green, or why Neil's hair is blue, or something completely irrelevant.

'Are we almost there?' I ask, my voice a little quiet from its lack of use. Neil nods wordlessly and goes back to controlling the dragons that drag the wagon along.

Silence reigns for a few long moments before Raine shifts against her brother, picking up the six rolls of parchment at her side I assume are the ranch maps. I'm not keen on breaking into a place so big it needs six freaking maps for the layout, but I have no choice in that matter still.

'It would be best to sort out some kind of strategy before infiltrating the ranch,' she says, spreading each map out on the space between us. 'Our goal is to get to Magnius …'

'And kill him,' Kratos finishes from over in the corner. Raine gives him a small glare for his bluntness in the matter, but discards it and nods.

'Yes,' she confirms, spreading out the last of the six maps. I notice that one isn't a map at all, but a large scroll of writing … instructions, maybe? As well as the password for the …

'A twenty lettered password?' I say, grabbing the parchment and double checking after a minute of counting. 'Gee …'

'Moving along,' the Professor says, indicating the map closest to Lloyd. 'This is the first floor. For every floor, there are three locks that unlock a lift mechanism to lift people to the next floor.'

'A warp,' I say.

'Most likely so, given their level of technology,' she says, motioning for us to all crowd around the first map. I end up having to lean over Genis' shoulder to get a good look, but it's all fine and dandy. 'That means there are twelve locks in all, so it may take a while.'

'Is there anything we can do to make things faster?' I ask, looking up at the professor. 'The Desians will probably notice we've been in there after a while.'

Raine nods, taking the instruction sheet that possibly has a nice long description on the locks' locations. I somehow doubt they'll be in the same room, so this might make me want to jump headfirst out the wagon's window and hope I hit a rock or something. Just a heads up.

'Alright, there is one in this room,' Raine says after a moment of scanning through the information sheet. She points to a small corner room which looks like an "L" shape, and consults the sheet once again. 'That's a living area, so it should be quite easy to gain access to.'

'And the other two?' Lloyd asks with an inquisitive Colette peering over his shoulder for a look.

'Here.' She points to a small room I'm guessing is storage or something like that. 'And here. It's another living room …'

'Wow, they're really lazy,' I comment, thumping Genis lightly on the shoulder when he tries to push me off. 'So what's that, two living rooms a floor?'

'Yes, it would seem so.'

After a lot more planning, talking, thumping and interrupting, we go through every floor and locate the locks. It takes a while, but we're all taking down mental notes as the Professor explains it to us so kindly. Kratos isn't really listening because he … well, he probably already knows the ranch's layout and how it works and whatnot, but he's making an effort … nodding every few seconds and everything.

The fifth floor is just Magnius' little base thing, so no switches are needed for that, thank god. If the ranch suddenly has the whole switch thing, it makes you wonder … like, what about that warp maze, or those cards you needed to collect? Has Charis just … shoved them out or something? Not that I'm annoyed … I wasn't really looking forward to the maze thing anyway, but how many things are going to change? And be made _harder_?

I would really like to go home now.

'It's possible that the Desians may notice our presence early on in this operation, so it would be best to devise a strategy,' the Professor says after informing us of our instructions for the last floor, which is technically just kick the crap out of Magnius and run fast. Okay, my wording, but it's really all the same. 'The best option would be to split up into three teams and work on each lock separately. That would save more time.'

'So, two a team?' I ask, straightening up (note Genis sighs in relief at this point). 'What about Neil?'

'Since there are only two adults in our group, I would like Neil to accompany the team without. Is that alright?'

We get a small monotone "yes" from the blue haired man at the front of the wagon. Poor thing must still be deep in thought about Dorr and Kilia. Maybe I'll give him a hug later … y'know, when we're away from a Desian infested base and he's not extremely miserable about it, which he is right now. Hugs DO make everything better, I swear.

'Okay, youngest picks first,' Lloyd says, glancing at his silver-haired friend. 'Genis?'

'I want to be with you,' the half-elf answers. I don't know if this is for strategy or because he feels safe with the brunet, but I'm thinking it's probably a bit of both. They got all the way to Triet alone, so they're pretty good at fighting with each other. And I _must_ say they are a great team to be put together.

'Alright. Neil will be going with the two of you,' Raine says as she begins to pick up the maps strewn messily over the floor. 'For safety, I would like Colette to accompany me.'

Strangely enough, it takes around five seconds for realization to sink in and kick my brain with a shout of annoyance. Raine is completely logical about this, seeing as Colette is the Great and Wonderful Chosen of Mana and if she gets severely hurt, Raine is there to heal her with those superior spells of hers. Surely they notice Kratos wants my head on a plate? SURELY?

I answer to this with a sound that distinctly resembles: 'Phhtwa?'

I think I promised I would try not to be a whiny little bitch in this journey, but I feel the need to make my opinion known. 'No.'

I get a look from the Professor at my sudden refusal to her plans. I shake my head before she can say something and resist pointing accusingly to the mercenary, who I might add looks equally annoyed. He's being reasonable about it and being quiet, but I'm younger and more fearful for my life and most likely PMSing. We're completely different on that perspective.

'I'm not, I'm not being paired up with him,' I say, doing my best not to look over at Kratos while I say this. 'Can't I be with someone else?'

Everyone glances to Kratos to silently ask for his opinion on the subject. They probably notice he's also bothered about being paired up with me and would probably like to go with Lloyd, but oh yeah! Kratos is a kiddie-fiddler, and therefore cannot be paired up with Lloyd where they will be alone, or Genis. Raine, I really don't think Kratos is either a paedophile or gay. Unless Charis did something, but I hope she didn't. I'm sure the Professor probably sees this by now … she could just be making sure.

'I'm sorry, but I'm sure you'll be able to manage for a few hours.'

'I really, really doubt that,' I hiss under my breath. 'He'll kill me, and it won't be pretty.'

'Charlotte,' Raine finally says firmly in a tone that makes me shut up in a second. 'Regardless of your grudge with Kratos, there are people's lives on the line in this operation, including Chocolat's. It would be best for you to put your resentment to the side for a while and cooperate.'

It's those kinds of speeches that make guilt force its way into my stomach and set up camp, all the while telling me I suck. I hate this, but I can't really take it out on the Professor when she only has the poor captives' welfare in mind before my own wants. I should really shut up and live with it for now.

'… Fine,' I mutter after a moment.

'Then it's settled.'

_Sadly_, I think to myself. One of the worst things that could have happened today and it does. And it's my _birthday_. It doesn't _feel_ like a birthday, and I'm sure Kratos is thinking to exact same thing to himself. Of course, I don't know if Kratos has had his birthday celebrated in the past fourteen years (unless it was by Mithos, Yuan, the Five Grand Cardinals and a bunch of Desians and lifeless angels all getting together to party down, but it's very, very unlikely). I however _have_ had my fourteen years of birth celebrated (even if this one is weird enough), so I know what it should feel like. And it isn't this.

If things couldn't get worse, we've been told to get together and formulate a kind of fighting method for the ranch. I can imagine Genis and Lloyd's is quite simple: Lloyd attacks upfront and Genis stays back while casting Icicle in … places … anyway, I'm sure the same goes for Raine and Colette. Colette could probably use Angel Feathers and use her chakram to deal some good damage while Raine heals her if needed, and uses Sharpness and Barrier … other things I forget. Shut up.

In short, we're totally screwed over.

Kratos can use both magic and upfront attacks, all of which are quite powerful, but I fail hard in magic and mana bullets don't do much. I have my techniques (all of them now should be Fire Shot, Shockwave, Mana Beam and Mana Blast), but my most powerful one half knocks me out and the others take long to power up. Hm, I haven't used Fire Shot in a while …

'Use your long range skills and stay back,' Kratos orders curtly.

'Oh, you say it like I'm a bad thing,' I answer sarcastically, sitting with my back against the wall. 'Don't worry; I won't get in your way.'

That's pretty much it. Everyone continues discussing in their pairs while Kratos and I sit at the back of the wagon, not talking to or looking at each other. The worst thing ever about being sucked into a game? Kratos. Has to be. Strange, I actually kind of _liked_ him when I played the game. You know, when it was just "oh look, a mercenary who is secretly working with the Cruxis, hm", not "oh look, a mercenary who is secretly working with the Cruxis who I have blackmailed and it now seems to be turning the other way around, hm".

Really though, with the blackmail business. My orders were that if I couldn't come on this journey, I'd tell Lloyd that Kratos was his father, but now if I _do_, Kratos will kill me (and Noishe would probably eat my face). So we're going around in a kind of circle, and it either ends up with me dead or everything getting screwed up, or continuing this eternal grudge with Kratos.

I was hoping to kind of get along with everyone to stave off those feelings of homesickness and the fact that I'm really scared silly about being inside a game, or being planted on another world or whatever this is. Sadly this is like real life, and I can't choose who likes me or who hates me. So that didn't really help, and I'm still homesick about things. I hate being like this … I keep getting sick, I can't sleep, and it's all just very horrible.

Again, I would really like to go home now.

That'd be my daily whining, unless something else happens. Which it probably will. So you're all screwed. Ha._  
_

* * *

It takes around an hour or more to get to the ranch from Palmacosta, and it's a great relief when we arrive. It isn't very comfortable in the wagon, so I'm happy to jump out (didn't fall this time) and get some fresh air. But then we have the whole facing a five floored ranch, so we'll just … turn around … away from it. Yeah.

I finish breathing my fresh air and look around for any Desians on patrol. Neil parked the caravan outside the forest the ranch is surrounded by and throws the dragons the last of the meat to keep them occupied, as well as alive. He needs to get back to Palmacosta somehow, and I swear, if those dragons die on us we are NOT walking him back. He can be eaten by rabid grasshoppers or ladybirds. No. Big no.

'No Desians on the premises!' I confirm with one hand over my eyes to block out the glare of the sun. Gee, it's getting late … I hope we don't have to stay in overnight. 'We're safe.'

'Hey, you-'

_Dump._

_Thud_.

I look over my shoulder at the sudden cry and find a Desian, crumpled on the floor. I'm guessing Kratos thumped a pressure point with the hilt of his sword, seeing as the guy is now unconscious. Okay, maybe the Desian patrol is here … or is coming; I don't think their patrol consists of some poor, unfortunate Desian all on his lonesome. ANYWAY, we should totally start moving on before more come. It's logical, people. I'm actually a genius.

'… 'Cept … that one …' I mutter sheepishly as the last of our group hop out of the caravan. This time it's Genis who stumbles on the last step and falls on his backside, so I'm left to bask in the fact I'm not a complete retard and giggle at his misfortune. Raine proceeds to help him up and Lloyd takes out the large parchment with our instructions. The one with our big, bad twenty letter password.

I fine it quite believable that they would have a longer password … I mean, some poor righteous twat bent on defeating the Desians could sit right outside, banging on the numbers in a four-digit manner until he reaches 3341 or whatever it was, stride right on in and start killing. Yes, this is also logical. Harrison logic: the best kind of logic.

'Before we infiltrate, we should decide on what each team shall be doing,' Raine suggests, pulling out the first floor map and laying it on the grassy floor. I seriously hate the fact this place is so freaking big … I wish we could go straight to the Water Seal and let Neil rescue everyone and blow up the ranch, but that's mean and unlikely to happen. With our Super Group of Honourable People and Whatnot.

'Hang on, there are three groups and only one map,' Lloyd says after a few seconds. Oh crap, I didn't realise that.

'When we choose who's going where, I'll write down some directions for the two groups without the map,' Raine says, already jotting down notes. 'After we disengage the three locks on each floor, we'll meet up at the warp and do the same thing.'

'We should divide our supplies, too,' Genis advises, emptying his pack onto the floor. Lloyd, Colette and myself follow suit and upend our packs/satchels until a large number of glass bottles of varying liquids, random accessories and other items are strewn all over the floor. I seem to be carrying apple gels (and a lot of apples I quickly shove back into my own bag), quartz, and a beast fang. I seriously can't remember yanking some poor bugger's tooth out after killing it, but hey. I'm not complaining.

We have many apple gels and orange gels between us and begin sorting them out. Lloyd comes up with a theory that his group should get more because they have Neil with them, we end up having a little spat between us (except Colette who continues to sort things out). Raine hits Lloyd over the head, Neil tells him that he already came prepared, Lloyd shuts up, I start giggling again – it's all very dorky.

After packing up our newly sorted supplies, Raine hands Neil and Kratos their list of directions. She and Colette are taking the lock furthest from the totally secret entrance, and they're keeping the map with them so they don't get lost easily. Seems fair enough … Lloyd, Genis and Neil have the lock closest to the entrance (the storeroom lock), and Team Harrison (I'm a doofus today, shut up) have the lock in a living room somewhere in-between.

I have _just _noticed Noishe curled up under the wagon. Poor thing must be tired from running around all day, to and from Palmacosta. He deserves some rest.

We continue with our plans and begin searching for the secret entrance, which _really_ isn't that hard to miss when we notice the _massive_ blue control panel that I assume we're supposed to insert the code into. Seriously though … it's glowing and everything, though I guess it doesn't matter unless whoever finds it doesn't know the password. But we do! So we laugh in your faces, Desians. Laugh we do.

Raine takes the instructions and rests them on a large panel, lifting a small metal lid to reveal a number pad which looks much like those on phones. 'I'll handle this.'

And so begins the long, long minutes of the Professor carefully jabbing in the password, running a finger over the numbers one by one when she inserts them. By the time she gets to the tenth one, I've taken out a pistol and begun polishing the barrel with the rim of my shirt. How the hell did I get dirt on it? I don't recall dragging them over the floor, and they practically live in my holsters. Hm. And why am I cleaning them? They're just going to get dirty again. I do some pointless things every now and then …

By the time it's taken me to observe my own inanity, the lock in the door clicks and opens with a loud _shiin_ kind of noise. Like metal grating against a rougher kind of material. Augh, I do not like the sound. Do not like!

'Wow, no mistakes in the first try,' I comment, dropping my gun back into its holster. 'Impressive.'

'Colette and I will go in first,' Raine says, shutting off the machine's power and taking out her staff. 'It's possible that we'll be less evident if we refrain from going in together.'

'Maybe,' Lloyd mumbles. 'Well, good luck you guys!'

'You too!' Colette chirps with a wide smile, following her silver-haired tutor inside. 'And be careful!'

I give a small wave as the two of them disappear down the long stairway, listening to the clang of shoes against the metal as they head down. Hm … we'll give it two minutes and then Kratos and myself will head in … Lloyd's group's goal is nearer the entrance, so it's easier if they enter last. And it will probably take no time at all for them to find and disengage the lock. I'm just do not like the fact that this procedure will have to be completed _four_ times until we get to Magnius.

'Well, we should go too,' I say, feeling like electric butterflies have decided to inhabit my stomach. 'You guys wait just a little, okay?'

Lloyd nods. 'Sure. You two be careful too.'

'Don't worry, we will!' I say brightly. Kratos just gives a small "humph" and goes in before me, so I'm left bidding each of them good luck and chasing after him afterwards, calling for him to slow down.

This is going to be a very, _very_ bad day.

'Hey!' I exclaim, still jogging to catch up with him. I slow down when I reach his side and clutch my chest, trying to urge my lungs to work again. Asthma, you suck. 'Gee, you didn't have to go so far …'

He doesn't answer me and continues walking with his hand resting on his blade's hilt, ready to strike down anything that comes to kill us. I have to say, even though I hate Kratos more than I thought I could actually hate anyone, I'm not as annoyed at being paired up with him now that we're here. If any Desians _do_ come along, I'm just glad I have to strongest out of the whole group to take care of them while I panic and flail in the background. I'm not as scared as I thought I'd be …

Those electric butterflies are still there though. No chance in getting rid of those.

We carry on through the cold white and grey hallways, and it's … pretty much not what I expected, I think. It feels more like a hospital than a ranch … all clean and white and everything. It even has a clean smell! I don't know how that works. Wow, I didn't know the Desians had a big thing on cleanliness … it's kind of unnerving, in a weird sort of way.

After a few minutes of walking down the same (super clean) pathway, we finally come to our first fork. Both pathways look pretty much the same … but I'm sure one of them leads to the lock, while the other one leads to a bloody and gory death. We could get the gory death on the way to the lock anyway, but I'm trying to keep a light mood here. Ah, well, as a wise person once said "it doesn't matter what you do, it's what happens at the end". I'm not about to admit that wise person was me. Nope. Shush, its Harrison logic!

'Left or r-' I start, but the unresponsive Kratos ignores my inquiry ands takes the left passage. I consider letting a snide remark slip just to get some sort of reaction out of him, but I ignore it and follow him, trailing a few steps behind. If some Desians come along, at least I won't be first to be attacked. Unless they're coming from behind.

I take this moment to shoot a quick glance over my shoulder and feel slightly miserable at the fact that I'll be doing this all day.

… I know it's only been a few minutes, but I'm already, dare I say, bored. I should be jumpy and nervous and everything, but I think those emotions will begin to kick in as soon as we actually start facing danger. For now though …

'Kuuuuratos,' I whine, the only straightforward reason being that I can.

A moment. Another moment. Almost half a minute and …

The reluctant answer comes; 'Yes?'

Something within my brain jumped up and set of fireworks that read "victory" over my mind. I'll ignore it and attempt to answer him, which is actually proving to be kind of hard. I didn't really expect him to answer, so I didn't really have a topic in mind to discuss. Nothing that he'd find interesting anyway … but then again, nothing I do is interesting really.

'Did you go to school?' I ask randomly. Hey, I'm trying to make conversation. I can see you judging me; stoppit. I wait a while for his answer, and give up after a whole minute of silence with a loud sigh, dropping my arms noisily to my sides as if it would somehow make him respond. He doesn't, and I dismiss the entire thing continue walking.

Anti-social bastard mercenary.

Yes, everyone will get their own nicknames throughout this journey. And if there is some magical, extraordinary chance that I _ever_ meet Anna, I will indeed ask her what the hell she was thinking. _Who_, under the many, many moons would even _think_ of marrying that thing? Or having a BABY with it for that matter?

Lloyd's nickname is "Demon Child". It's inevitable.

At the next fork we come to, we turn right and a small door at the end of the corridor comes into view. It's unlikely, but if that is the room with the lock, I will be a very happy girl. Very happy.

'No.'

… Huh?

I look up, a little surprised. 'Eh?'

'I didn't go to school,' Kratos mutters quietly, not stopping or turning. I was actually expecting the _other_ answer to that question so I could, if a possibility, talk to him about it and find out what schooling was _like_ 4000 years ago, but apparently not.

'I don't know how that works out,' I say, stretching my arms behind my back. 'I mean, you know a lot about magic and fighting and stuff.'

'I had a personal tutor,' comes the abrupt reply, indicating tedium the slightest bit. Now I have him talking, I really don't care – I'm going to get as much out of this conversation as I can before I decide to either hate him again or go insane from lack of hearing another voice.

'I had to go to a public school,' I clarify, ignoring the fact that he's paying absolutely no attention to me. 'I'd have liked to be home-taught, but we're kinda poor and we don't get enough money, so it's completely out of the ques-'

'Harrison.'

I stop quickly, clamping my mouth shut at the irritated tone in his voice. '… Uh, yeah?'

'Be quiet.'

Even though I'm a cross between shocked, sad, embarrassed and wanting to rip his hair out at his sudden and overall rude interruption, I fall silent with my mouth moving on it's own as though I'm about to snap at him or continue my story. I give up the gold-fish act, wide eyed, and drop my hands once again to my sides.

'… 'Kay …' I mumble, barely moving my lips. I don't think he heard it, but I won't hold the angelic hearing he might posses against him. Regardless of whether my word was acknowledged by the auburn haired man, he makes a small "hn" sound and doesn't bother looking over his shoulder. I finally fold my arms over my chest and frown, trailing behind a little further away from him. He'll probably get annoyed at some point and have to tell me to hurry up, but until then I'll just be the awkward little brat that I can be.

After a little while, I turn my stare to the overly polished floor that squeaks under the leather of our shoes. Hm … just because Kratos wants silence, does that mean I have to be quiet? I mean, I want someone to talk to (why didn't they put me with Raine, darn it), so why should he get his way? Because he's a lot older? It's not fair …

Alright. Screw the fact that we hate each other, and screw the fact that he wants his precious silence. I'll get him speaking over three words in a sentence by the end of five minutes, I swear it. It's time to bring out my last line of defence. I feel my heart pound in my chest in slight giddy anticipation, make sure he isn't looking at me and bring out the final attack I have with a deep breath.

'… _III'm_ sticking with you … 'cause _III'm_ made out of glue …'

I look for any sign on him that he noticed me, but all I manage is a small pause before he begins walking again. I quicken my pace when I notice he's speeding up and clasp my hands, raising the pitch of my voice.

'Anything that you might do … _III'm_ gonna do too …'

I feel myself grin wildly when I hear a small grunt from the navy-clad mercenary, probably indicating stress or irritation. It takes me a few moments to remember the next few lines of the song, but I manage to gather them back quick enough.

'You held up a stage coach in the rain … and _III_'_m_ doin' the same …'

A small hissing sigh.

'Saw you hangin' from a tree … and made believe it was me …'

'Harrison-'

'Oh _III'm _sticking with _you_,' I chant, adding my own little dance. ''Cause _III'm_ made out of glu-'

I stop abruptly when Kratos cuffs the lobe of my ear, twisting it harshly. I gasp sharply in pain and bite my lower lip, neglecting the urge to smack his arm away; it'll probably only hurt me even more.

'You are putting both our lives at risk,' he snaps, twisting it harder and earning a small howl of pain from myself. 'Refrain from singing or the Desians will hear you.'

I wince at the stinging needles shooting around my ear and gesture wildly with my hands, curling them into fists at the pain. 'Fine … fine!'

The seraph releases his hold on my (now possibly red) flesh and drops his hand back to his side, continuing down the corridor as I cradle my sore earlobe. My thumbnail catches a drop of blood from where his nail must have dug in and I scowl, furrowing my brow with a flinch when I brush the small wound. I quickly follow him at a jog, now very aware of the fact I may have caught the attention of the Desians nearby.

We finally reach the door at the end of the long, seemingly endless corridor. I notice by now I've begun to drag my feet, becoming quickly bored at our plain surroundings. Though I would honestly prefer to keep the empty atmosphere we have throughout our time here; I don't really want to fight the Desians if I can help it. I'd feel more confident with everyone here, but it's just me and Kratos. And that's not calming one bit.

The sharp hiss of steel indicates the mercenary drawing his sword as he reaches forward for the door handle. I keep a hand on a pistol when I realise he's preparing for any kind of attack and suck in a deep breath as the door swings open.

* * *

'_Hey, what … what did it feel like to watch Dorr die?'_

'_I …'_

'_Oh … uh, I'm sorry … I didn't mean to-'_

'_No … no, it's okay. I was really sad for all of them.'_

'_You mean Kilia and Clara too?'_

'_Yeah … before he … Lloyd told him that Kilia was still alive.'_

'… _Why?'_

'_Maybe he didn't want Dorr to feel guilty … because he was helping the Desians so much, he didn't realise she was already …'_

'_That's so sad …'_

'_But …'_

'_But what?'_

'_I think he was happy … I'm sure Martel would have forgiven him for betraying the people of Palmacosta … and Neil.'_

'_Martel … well, maybe. You told him yourself he'd be saved, so I think he'd have believed you, Great and Almighty Chosen of Mana.'_

'_I'm … going to pray for him. I know you're an atheist, but …'_

'_No, it's okay. Go ahead. Praying might help. If Martel is real … I think she would have forgiven him. I hope so, at least.'_

'_I'm sure she did …'_

* * *

I'm pretty sure when we entered the room, I would have been ready for some action. You know, our usual fighting style: slash, slash, bang, bang, knock 'em unconscious. I would have been okay with that … a little scared that the worst could have happened to us in the fray, but I would have been fine. I had another person with me, so it wouldn't have been like the Sylvarant Base. Back then, I didn't know how badly things could have changed, so I wasn't as scared. But now, I have permission to be scared completely shitless from the fact things have changed and they are different.

I'm away from the battle, back against the cold wall, and for the second time today, on the verge of tears.

I was fine. We came in and a few Desians were sitting around with mugs of coffee, and drew their weapons upon our arrival. We did the same, launched ourselves into the fray and assaulted them. I shot a few times … nothing severe, just firing a few bullets at their helmets to make them unable to concentrate. It seemed good enough …

But I distinctly remember dropping my pistols and screaming when Kratos drove his sword through a man's throat.

That is one of those scenes that will be plastered in my mind forever. It's too gross and terrifying to forget … and not just that; it's repeating over in my head like a broken cassette – just the look on the man's face, the way he just crumpled to the floor –

I slip down the wall, watching the blood splattered all over the floor and the lifeless man motionless in its centre. Out of all the things I've ever seen in my now exact fourteen years of living, I've never seen anything as barbaric as this. I've seen someone beaten with their face covered in blood, seen someone smash a bottle another person's head, but nothing like this. Not in real life.

I have to hide my face in my knees when I hear another strangled scream come from one of the men as Kratos already bloody sword, glinting a sickening crimson, pierces his chest. I'm urging myself to pick up my guns and fight with Kratos and stop being such a wimp, but I really can't. I keep telling myself over and over again that this happens in the game and everyone is fine when dealing with this … but that's all it was. Just a game. What about now?

Its times like this I start to wonder … how would this man's family, assuming he has one, react to being told he was killed today? Gone, just like that? I remember when someone close to me died … it felt terrible; to know I'd never see this person again, never hear them speak again. Certainly they would feel the same? Surely …

Another scream, another loud splatter, another thud.

How can Kratos do this? How can he kill them with no hesitance or … or anything? Isn't he aware of the things going through my head? Just a little? What about when Anna died? What if these people have wives too?

'Stop it!' I finally shout, looking up. 'Goddammit!'

There are several bodies sprawled on the floor and only one still alive, speared on the end of Kratos' blade. He's hit no vital organs … so the man is just practically waiting around on a steel stick for death to come. His eyes are screwed shut and his jaw is clenched tightly, fingers gripping at the blade to hold himself steady.

'Let him go,' I ask quietly, shakily bringing myself to my feet. 'Just let him go …'

Kratos pays no regards to my words and wrenches his blade upwards, cutting a deep hole in the man's middle. The scream I hear is terrible and actually makes me shriek a little myself, turning back to the wall. I hear the thud accompanied by a small splash as the man falls to the puddle of blood around his comrades. That's all of them dead. How many is that … seven people? Kratos has just killed seven people. _Seven_. And he doesn't give a damn.

'Harrison.'

I don't answer, not trusting myself to speak without hurling, sobbing, or screaming something rather uncouth at him. I stay against the wall and return to the floor, feeling slightly weak at the knees. I can hear the splatter of blood when Kratos leaves the small scene of brutal massacre, sheathing his sword with another hiss of steel.

'You're sick,' I manage, not looking up. 'Disgusting.'

'Kill …' Kratos says quietly, coming to a stop, 'or be killed. You would rather be lying in that blood instead of those men?'

I choke. 'You didn't have to kill them! You could have knocked them unconscious like we did with the bandits in the Triet Desert! You didn't have to go so fa-'

'I am doing my job,' he says coldly, grabbing my wrist and tugging me to my feet. I put all my weight into pulling myself back down to the floor with a wail of 'I can't …'

'Pull yourself together,' he snaps, becoming evidently impatient with my stalling. 'Backup is most likely on its way.'

'I'm not … _killing_ people for you!' I yell, trying to wrench myself away from him. Kratos' strong grip however somehow manages to bring me awkwardly to my feet with a sharp jerk, making me stumble slightly. I lean back against the wall when he unhands my wrist and wait, feeling my stomach tighten. I can see bodies behind Kratos, blood staining dark patches into their purple and black uniforms. One man's helmet seems to have come off during the battle and his face is a picture of sheer terror – eyes wide, mouth open as if to scream, blood … everywhere.

The stomach continues to tighten uncomfortably.

'Then stay here,' Kratos orders, voice impatient and bitter. 'Grieve for these men who wouldn't have had a second thought on your own death and follow when you realise the seriousness of the situation we are in.'

'You're not leaving me alone,' I snap, reaching for my guns still on the floor. 'Sure, I'm sickened out by what you just did, but I'm not gonna let you get rid of me.' It takes all I can muster to not add "you arrogant prick".

Kratos says nothing and heads to the door with a small "humph", hand on his blade as if one of the dead Desians were about to jump up and come at him in a vengeful rage. I drop my pistols back into their holsters and follow, casting a final glance at the scene behind me. I don't think Kratos noticed my eyes getting all watery, but I'm sure it doesn't matter. I push down the lump in my throat and run to catch up with him.

When we leave the room, we are greeted with another long, long hallway. Joy. As we make our way down it, I keep my eyes firmly fixed on the floor and soon notice a small drop of blood fall to the floor. I look up slightly and notice a lot (and I mean a _lot_) of blood is smeared over Kratos' outfit, and I can't really tell if it's his own or from the soldiers back there. I'd go with the latter for logical reasons, but I spent most of that battle hiding and doing jack shit, so I don't think I would have noticed if he was caught in the middle of a slash-happy moment.

'How much further is the switch?' I ask quietly, still staring at the floor. What? Someone could have waxed the floors and we'd slip and get some nasty head injuries. The damn surface is so shiny that I wouldn't put it against them to clean it ten times a day. Of course, we wouldn't warn Kratos. That would just be too damn funny.

I hear a small crumple of paper as Kratos checks our directions. 'We pass two more rooms.'

'And a lot of hallways.'

'Yes.'

I hate this ranch. Not because it's infested with Desians and a scary ass dreadlocked fellow with a rather large axe of sorts, but because it's so freaking _big_. And I have a feeling Rufus is probably in here somewhere, but we have yet to meet up with him. Or on the other view of things, one of the other two teams could have already found him. Friggin' hell, what if they killed him? I mean sure, he's a Desian, but it still feels a bit weird, y'know? Though I think it's kind of inevitable. We're gonna blow this ranch to the next millennium or so and he'll probably get caught in the explosion (wouldn't be the first time, ha). Right, quiet Charlotte.

After a few minutes of walking, pondering the inevitable, doing other things (including telling William to shut up when he begins suggesting names for himself again), we come to a small stairway that leads down to a door with a rather large sign on it that I can't read. Not because my eleven years of education decided to flip me the finger and leave, but because it's in another language. I'm not sure what it could be … Angelic, Elven, Dwarven … I wonder how many languages there are in the two worlds … probably only four to fit the races. I'm not sure. Not that I'm expecting someone to jump up and claim they speak Asgardian (shut up), but I can't be sure. They have all of those scrolls and weird names in Mizuho, don't they? Hm …

Right, there is a door. I cannot read the sign. That's about it.

'What's it say?' I ask, following the mercenary down the small stairway. When I get closer, I see the English (or Human, general, or whatever) printed in a smaller font underneath the strange language and resist the urge to reel back, running as far away as I can from the room.

'Torture chamber … I'm not going in a freakin' torture chamber,' I say, giving the door a look of disgust. 'No way.'

'Then go. Find a way around yourself, but I assure you, there is none.'

I scowl at him, giving a wary look to the door again. Judging from what I just saw, this has to be like a hundred times worse, right? Those seven guys were taken care of quickly and easily, but these people would have been tortured to their limits. It certainly won't be pretty.

'I don't want to see people like that,' I admit, making a face. 'I don't like-'

'Then keep your eyes closed,' Kratos orders, becoming irritated once again at my constant whining. I frown again but close my eyes tightly when Kratos pushes open the door, grabbing my wrist and dragging me along.

The first thing I notice about this place is the smell.

It takes all I can not to wither to the floor and hurl again, and I'm sure Kratos feels the same. He pauses when we first enter and shivers a little. He can see what is causing the smell, and if that's what it takes to make the mercenary _shiver_ … then I'm so glad my eyes are closed.

I attempt to match the pace of his steps and follow, trying to block out the strong scent of rotting flesh and the bitter smell of coppery blood that fills the air. I can smell burning skin, too. As we walk, Kratos still leading me while I have my eyes screwed shut, I notice him slow down a little and come to a stop. I hear a small mutter of "my god" and accidentally open my eyes, just a little. I see what caused his reaction, proceed to scream, feel that lump return to my throat, and grab Kratos' wrist when I shut my eyes again.

Half a man. Fucking _half of a man_.

A fleeting image of the robot-human we fought in Izoold comes back, and I have to wonder if this is how they make them. Even if it means killing the Desians … I'll be somewhat glad that these things won't be created again. It's just … wrong.

After a few moments, Kratos finally continues through the chambers with me hanging onto his wrist. As we walk, I notice the smell get stronger … it now smells like vomit. If I would have had to stare at the deformed bodies in this place while being tortured myself … I'm sure I'd be a little queasy too. I really dread to think what would go through my head if my eyes weren't closed.

'How much longer?' I whisper, feeling my voice crack in my throat.

'… Three more sections.'

I bite my lip. 'Is it bad …?'

'Don't open your eyes.'

I have a feeling if Colette was here, she'd be praying non-stop for these people. I'm sure I would be too if I was a believer of Martel, but I am not and neither is Kratos. We just walk silently, me with my eyes closed and shaking a little, and the occasional brief tensing up from the mercenary at the things he can see. Every time he stiffens, I close my eyes a little tighter to make sure I won't accidentally open them again.

After another minute of walking, I stumble on something and grab Kratos' wrist tighter for support. He shakes me off with a hiss of pain when my nails dig into him through the thin material of his gloves, and I am left standing in the middle of a room, eyes screwed shut. I'm not sure what I tripped on, but it defiantly felt … fleshy.

'Don't open your eyes,' Kratos repeats. I notice a different kind of tone in his voice that I perceive as disgust for something, most likely whatever it is on the floor. 'Take one step back.'

I nervously move to walk backwards, scraping my foot against the floor to search for something I might step on.

'Go to your left. Three steps.'

I shuffle in the direction he told me. The floor becomes a little slippery as I come to a stop.

'Oh God … its blood, isn't it?' I hiss, feeling the thick liquid pool around the lips of my boots.

'Come forward.'

I take one step and listen to a small splash echo around the room that makes me tense up for a moment. I continue quickly until I feel a hand snatch at my wrist, dragging me in the right direction.

'What was it?' I demand.

'A leg,' comes the blunt answer from in front.

'Sweet … holy crap,' I reply, not blaming him for wanting to get away so quickly. I want to get out of here … as soon as possible. 'Are we nearly there?'

'We're in the last room.'

'Thank the lord …' I whisper, clenching my free hand hard enough until the pain erupting over my palm makes me stop. The smell around us grows to its strongest point yet, and I feel myself gag, throwing my now sore palm over my mouth. I assume Kratos does the same when I hear a muffled grunt as he walks faster through the final area. I try to keep a similar pace without falling this time but almost crash into him from behind when he stops abruptly.

'We're here …' he says with what sounds like the smallest sigh of relief. I open my eyes and look straight ahead, noticing another stairway leading upwards to a second door. I resist the urge to even glance over my shoulder to discover what that smell was and follow Kratos, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand.

* * *

'_How are you feeling?'_

'_I am … alright. Thank you.'_

'_Nah, its okay … I'm just a little worried about everyone.'_

'_We'll be alright after a while. It's not every day such a thing is witnessed, even if we _are_ on this perilous journey.' _

'_Well, then I guess it's a good thing we have a healer with us, right?'_

'_Hm …'_

'_Ah … you okay?'_

'… _Yes, I'm fine.'_

'… _Is this about Dorr?'_

'_It's nothing for you to worry about. I'll be fine.'_

'… _Agh, this is supposed to be the other way around.'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_The teacher usually worries about the student, not the student worrying about the teacher.'_

'_I'm just a little shaken, but it will pass. Don't worry about me.'_

'_Professor …'_

'_Yes?'_

'_The way you're putting it … it's like we're supposed to expect more of this kind of stuff.'_

'_Weren't you aware of that when you came with us?'_

'_Ha, you sound like Kratos … but I don't think I really thought it through. I knew it would be dangerous, I just didn't think it would be this nerve wracking.'_

'_It's all very new to us all … so a little trauma can be expected.'_

'… _How did it feel to watch him die?'_

'_Terrible … to know that we couldn't do anything …'_

* * *

We finally reach the living room after walking through a storeroom and another few hallways, but I'm very saddened at the fact we can't get in. It's locked, see; there's a little machine to the side of the door that looks a pit like a credit card check point which I'm assuming needs some sort of proof before we can enter and disengage that damned lock. 

Kratos presses the "enter" button which emits a small _"beep"_, and after a few seconds a monotone voice comes from a small speaker inserted into the side.

_Identification required_.

I'm just glad it didn't blurt out "_will now self-destruct_".

'Well, we're screwed now,' I sigh, staring angrily at the door. 'Backup probably already came and it searching for us, and now we can't hide or rest up anywhere or _disengage the damn lock_. Oh, this is the worst birthday ev-'

_Beepbeepbeep._

_Access approved_.

The door I'm currently scowling at swings open to reveal a rather tidy room complete with beds, sofas, a small kitchen and is seemingly deserted. I blink and look up at the mercenary who pockets a small card I'm assuming is the identification he used to fool the unaware machine into letting us in.

'You _stole_ from their dead bodies?' I say furiously. 'Oh, you are _sick_.'

'Would you rather avoid the Desians' wrath and rest?' he replies, striding into the room. 'You can sleep outside if you want.'

'Fuck you,' I mumble, entering the overly clean room and listening to the door snap shut behind me as the computer tells us to have a nice day. How very polite of the Desians … it's kind of unnerving at their random courteousness, but polite all the same.

Kratos takes his satchel from his waist and drops it onto a glass table surrounded by brown leather sofas (I hope its fake leather), unhooking his sword's sheath from his belt and resting it against the small bag. I follow suit and undo my belt, pulling it off (which proves kind of difficult, seeing as the holsters are attached and I have to pull it backwards to unhook it from my trousers) and walking over to the table, throwing it with the pile of things. I do the same with my satchel and feel suddenly very relieved to have all of the extra weight taken off my hips. I resist the urge to topple over on the sofa and make my way to a small dining table on the other side of the room in the small kitchen area.

'Are we staying here tonight then?' I ask, lowering myself into the uncomfortable seat. Kratos has gone to the corner of the room to a small machine I'm guessing is the lock and answers with a small "hn", that sounds mildly affirmative. Goodie.

_Lock two of three disengaged._

'Lloyd and the others must have already done theirs,' I say quietly, resting my elbows on the table. 'I wonder if they're alright.'

'They will be fine,' Kratos affirms, coming over to the kitchen and taking the seat opposite me. He says nothing more than that and we sit in silence for a while, not speaking or making any eye contact. I stare intently at a small spot on the table for a good few minutes before letting my thoughts wonder by themselves.

They do of course, wonder to what has happened today in the negative sense.

I watched a dying man today, a man _die_ today, and half of a man hanging from the ceiling, supported by chains. I didn't look for long … but it was terrible. I could see all of those veins, muscles, bones … bloody sockets empty and wide where there should have eyes, mouth hung open to show rotting, yellow and black teeth … no _fucking_ _tongue_ …

My mind wonders to Kilia – the real one. Was she brought here and killed? She hadn't actually done anything … Dorr had just been a very desperate man who probably blamed his father for everything that happened. But Kilia had nothing to do with it … she didn't need to die, did she? It was just because Dorr … no, because of Magnius. It was his fault in the first place.

I wonder … when Clara returns, we'll have to tell her that both Dorr and Kilia are dead. How will she react? There's a possibility she has more family than them alone, but still … it's her husband and her child. Will she feel how Kratos felt when he thought he lost both Anna and Lloyd? That won't be nice …

I've never really thought about things in _ToS_ so deeply. I always just thought of everything that happened in Palmacosta was just shoved in as a plot point, but it really is terrible … the things that happen to the people at the ranch, Dorr, Kilia and Clara …

I feel my eyes begin to water and that lump return to my throat. I keep my eyes fixed on the spot on the table and begin to chew my lip. Whenever I try to stop myself crying, I chew on things. It's a bit weird … when I went to a funeral for the first time, I started gnawing on the spare "reserved" sighs for the seats … I think I get through five. I kept them with me for the whole day … I still don't know why.

Sadly, there are no pieces of cardboard here that I can chew on, so I will continue to gnaw at my lower lip until it is sore and bloody. I don't want to cry. I hate crying.

I feel my lip begin to quiver violently under the strong grip of my teeth, so I lean forward a little onto the table and suck in a deep breath to try and help. Okay … think happy thoughts. Happy happy happy … no happy thoughts. Just thoughts of Kilia, Dorr, Clara, that half a man, and those Desians.

I finally bury my face deep in my arms, trying to avoid thinking about Kratos and how he is right in front of me, and start sobbing on the poor table.

Okay, we're done. Pull yourself together Charlotte, you're embarrassing yourself greatly. Snap to it, woman.

Actually … you know what? Fuck you, conscience. Now I've started, I'm just going to let it all out. In my head, I'll just go through everything I've wanted to cry about in the past week and snivel for all I'm worth, regardless of whether Kratos is watching me or not.

The sobs come harder and I realise my hands have somehow wound themselves into my hair and are tugging furiously at it for some unknown reason. Hm … crying makes you do funny thi – ow, ow … okay, I'll stop now. Damn, is it possible for your hair to hurt?

A loud scrape of a chair moving across the floor indicates Kratos standing and, by the sound of it, walking over to the counter on the other side of the room. I look up and see him with his back to me, doing something with the available appliances. Seeing as he's in the way, I can't really see what he's doing … I can hear a few clicks and scrapes and a quiet incantation when he sets something alight with a small fireball, but other than that I have to idea what he's doing.

Ah, he's boiling something. I am so smart.

I let my head drop back onto my arms and continue sniffling for a while, letting out another heaving sob every now and then while Kratos has fun with the appliances at the counter. I do eventually calm down, but I stay with my head in my folded arms for a while. My eyes are probably all puffy and red, as well as my face. Hm … I'll find a tissue when I get up.

I listen to the sounds while staring at the black shadow over the table I'm laying on, picking up the sounds of something being poured and a few more clinks and scrapes. What the hell is he _doing_?

I look to the side at the sound of something being placed beside me in all my dishevelled glory, and see that I have been made a cup of tea. Kratos doesn't say anything; he just takes his own cup and walks back over to the living area. When he leaves, I give the cup a long look with a furrowed brow and peek over the brim as if to see something floating in it. What? I wouldn't really put it against Kratos to poison me or something …

This may be a serious moment, but that doesn't stop me acting like a complete idiot and reaching out for the cup, snapping my hand back with a small "son of a-" when I burn myself. Yes, I _am_ so smart.

'It's hot,' Kratos says in a monotone voice when he hears me cursing.

'… I knew that,' I mutter defensively through my fingers in an attempt to cool them down. 'I'm just thirsty.'

'Hn …'

I sigh exasperatedly, straightening up in my chair and throwing a cold glance to the mercenary and complain, 'You know, I don't get you.'

He says nothing, so I carry on, 'I mean, you're always such an asshole, but then you're acting relatively human for the span of five seconds, and then you switch back again. You're a freaking yo-yo, for the lov – OWW, dammit!'

'Give it longer to cool.'

'Agh, shut up.'

I nurse my burnt hand again, glaring at the cup in front of me and consider upending it over Kratos' head. Nah … I wouldn't get out of that stunt alive. Maybe left with a leg or an arm, but he'd kill me for sure. Oh well – it'd be something to do. It's very boring here … you know, now that I'm feeling better everything is just … dull. If I'd been paired up with Lloyd, or Genis, or Colette, hell even Raine or Neil, I'd probably have someone to talk to. But nooo. I have to get the living BRICK WALL.

'_III'm_ sticking with-'

'Stop it.'

I frown, flopping down onto the table with a groan, careful not to spill the cup of scolding tea. 'But I'm _bored_.'

'Well then-'

The sound of the door opposite the one we came through being pummelled repeatedly by a fist alerts us, and I actually shoot up out of my chair. Oh crap, what if the Desians are back? And they have more people? The pummelling stops for a few seconds as Kratos stands and draws his bloodied sword to prepare for the battle that awaits us, and I mimic him by drawing my pistols. I'll make sure he just knocks them out this time … tie them up and store them in a cupboard somewhere.

A sword from the other side of the door is shoved through the small nook at the side and forces it open a little, and the first thing I see is red. Wait, don't they wear purple here? Is it blood maybe …?

I step back when the door is completely thrown open and the lock that held it shut sizzles, either shutting down or blowing up (I'd say blowing up, seeing as it just burst like a small firework). A figure staggers in and falls to his knees, panting heavily. It doesn't take me long to realise it is a rather tired and worn out Lloyd with an unconscious and blood-covered Genis on his back.

Sweet lord.

'Shit! Are you two okay?' I ask, dropping my guns to the table and rushing over. Kratos does the same, but he keeps his sword with him. Desians could have been chasing them after all. Upon that thought, I reach for the broken door and awkwardly pull it shut.

'You guys … know healing spells … right?' he gasps as Kratos takes Genis from him and carries him over to the large sofa while I pass him a few apple gels. Lloyd takes them with a small thanks and I consider what he just said.

'Kratos does,' I say, grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet. He wobbles a little bit and almost falls back down, but I (somehow) manage to keep him upright … which is weird, since I'm probably under a head shorter than him. 'What happened?'

'Robot …' he says, and I notice he has a lot of blood on him when I wind my bare arm around his middle and feel the dampness against his clothes. Blood is hard to spot against red. 'One of those robot things attacked us … like in Izoold …'

'Oh m – wait, where's Neil? Is he-'

'He's taking care of some hostages on this floor …' Lloyd tells us, sitting down carefully on the sofa on the other side of the table to the one Genis is laying on. 'He said he'd meet up with us when the locks are all disengaged.'

'Good …' I say, walking over to my satchel and rummaging through it for another apple gel. 'Did you get your lock done?'

'Yeah … and then we started looking for Colette and the Professor, but-'

'You were ambushed,' I say, cursing lightly when I realise I used all of the gels up just now … wait, all but one. Yay! 'Lloyd, seriously … there's a bed over there; go to sleep or something. You look a complete wreck.'

'You're one to talk,' he counters, gesturing to my face. I straighten up and glare at him, medication in hand that is almost forcing itself to strike his spiky little head with.

'You saying I'm ugly?' I ask, taking a swipe at him. I miss when he sinks lower in the chair, gesturing wildly with his hands.

'No! No, it just looks like you've been crying, that's all,' he explains, trying to scramble over to the other side of the sofa. 'Ow! Don't slap me, I'm already in pain!'

* * *

'_Hey … you really don't look good.'_

'_N-no, I'm fine! Really!'_

'_You sound just like your sister …'_

'_Oh … you talked to her?'_

'_Yeah, just about … some stuff. You know … with Dorr and everything.'_

'… _What did she say?'_

'_Aw, are you worried about her?'_

'_W … well of course! She's my older sister!'_

'_Yeah, I guess. Well, why don't you just ask her yourself?'_

'_Um …'_

'_What? I didn't hear you.'_

'_Sh … a … me.'_

'… _What?'_

'_She'll slap me!'_

'… _Oh … pfft-'_

'_Hey, don't laugh!'_

'_Sorry, really … sorry. Just … I really expect Lloyd to come out with the wrong kind of thing, not you.'_

'_I wouldn't put it against him to mention something completely irrelevant.'_

'_And get slapped.'_

'_Oh, there he is now.'_

'_Talking to the Professor.'_

'_If we manage to rescue Chocolat and the other captives and defeat Magnius, Raine will be cooking tonight. He's probably asking her about it.'_

'_Ah … Genis?'_

'_Yeah?'_

'_Does Lloyd usually run away when he's about to get slapped?'_

'_He doesn't see it comi-'_

'_OH! Oh, that had to hurt …'_

'_That has to be one of the worst ones yet!'_

'_Why are you smiling? You're mean.'_

'_Hey, you're laughing too!'_

'… _Ha … she's probably just in a bad mood. Uh … hey, Genis?'_

'_Hm? What is it?'_

'… _How did it feel when you watched Dorr die? I mean, are you still …'_

'_I'm still sad … and I'm mad at Lloyd for lying to Dorr, but …'_

'_But you knew he was happy?'_

'_That's why I don't know if it was right or wrong … what Lloyd said to him.'_

'_Well … maybe it's a little of both.'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_Well, in lying to him, Dorr died happy. But if he had told him Kilia was dead, it's like … someone telling you Raine had been killed while you were on your deathbed. Is that really the last thing you want to be thinking about before you die?'_

'… _I suppose you could be right.'_

'_Ha … I don't think so. It's just what I think. Maybe it would have been better if he did know.'_

* * *

It's almost midnight.

No really.

After a lot of talking, healing, slapping, yawning, and moving Genis over to the bed (which strictly speaking is the lower bunk on a bunk bed fitted into a niche in the wall), we've all gone to bed. Our little injured half elf is still sleeping/unconscious, but his wounds have been cleaned and healed and he has been left to rest for a while. Lloyd wasn't as severely hurt, but he _did_ have some nasty cuts and bruises on him, so Kratos healed him up also. We're all A-OKAY. For now, anyways.

I'm on the top bunk (because it's easier is Genis gets the lower one), once again faking sleep because Kratos threatened to knock me out with the hilt of his sword if I didn't stop with the glue song. His reasons (as well as his fury) escalated when Lloyd caught on and starting singing it himself. Lloyd was within Kratos' reach, so therefore he now has a small bonk on the head.

The two of them aren't asleep yet. Probably because they're worried about something, or because they have no beds. We're all worried; that's why no one is sleeping (except for Genis, but he doesn't have a say in that right now), but I don't think I'd be able to sleep on a sofa. I know loads of people do it, but … I like beds, darn it.

Okay, I'm going to sum up this day, and I'm sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again: this birthday sucked balls. It sucked _Vidarr's_ balls. And that ain't pretty.

'Oh, right!'

I look over my shoulder and through the thin wooden bars that stop me falling from the bed when I hear Lloyd's voice. Kratos is sat with his back against the sofa next to him, arms folded over his chest as usual, and Lloyd is poking around his own satchel, most likely looking for something. 'I can't believe I forgot …'

'What are you doing?' Kratos asks, not sounding very interested but paying attention all the same. How nice … I think. Well, nice for Kratos.

'Hang on … just let me – aha!'

Lloyd straightens, holding up a small package about the size of his palm with a grin I can see through the dim light filtering into the room. Kratos raises an eyebrow, eyes going from the concealed object in the brunet's hand to his face. I count five seconds in my head before –

'What?'

'Geez, you could be a little more enthusiastic, y'know,' Lloyd mutters with a small frown, unknown object still resting there in his hand. Kratos ignores the somewhat annoyed comment and leans back against the sofa, arms still folded.

'Did you take it from a Desian?' he asks, not looking over. Lloyd groans loudly, practically shoving the small parcel in front of the man's face, who flinches a little.

'Agh! It's your _birthday present_, moron.' And with that, the present is dropped into Kratos' lap. I have to shove my fist into my mouth when the completely dumbfounded look on Kratos' face sets of my giggles, but I quickly make it look like I just coughed in my sleep. But seriously … Kratos looks like Lloyd just told him that his face was on fire or something.

'… Lloyd, what-'

'Just … open it already!' Lloyd moans. 'C'mon. It won't bite, I swear.'

Still looking quite stunned, Kratos picks up the parcel from his lap and slowly tears the paper away from his present. I have to squint to see what it is exactly when the brown wrapping falls away from it. It looks like a small statuette … like a little figurine or something made out of wood. It looks like a man … wearing a robe of some sort and holding a large staff in one hand and a short sword in the other, crossing them against his chest. Yay for the dim lighting in this place that lets me pick out most of the details. Yay.

'This is …'

'Aha … yeah … that time you told me about how the different designs of figurines cam have sig … er … important meanings, it got me thinking.'

… Okay, I now officially hate that unlike a game player, I cannot see _everything_ that happens. I'm now overly confused at what Lloyd is talking about.

'That's the one that means good luck … or was it happiness …?' Lloyd mumbles absent-mindedly to himself while Kratos looks over the small figure in his hands, not really listening to what he's saying. 'No wait … yeah, it was happiness … I think …'

When Kratos doesn't say anything for a while, Lloyd shifts uncomfortably at the long silence. 'Uh … I know you said you didn't want anyone to do anything, but … just think of it as a "thank you" … for that night in the wasteland.'

'… Lloyd, why did you-'

'Gah, I don't need a reason, do I?' the younger swordsman argues. 'It's your birthday, and … and you're my friend, alright? So just … accept it!'

'… Thank you.'

'… Whoa.'

Kratos looks up inquisitively. 'Is something wrong?'

'You just smiled,' Lloyd says, staring at the mercenary wide eyed. 'That's scary.'

'I don't think I seem that cold.'

'Oh, you do,' Lloyd snorts, resting his head against the face of the sofa. 'All the time.'

I hear a small chuckle from the two of them and realise I'm grinning like a maniac into my pillow. I'm not sure why … this is all very new to my current knowledge of _ToS_, and I know it's been AGES since I last played, but I defiantly don't remember this happening. It's kind of fun now that the characters have their own personalities to follow … not that I'm saying they didn't already have personalities, but they can say and do what they want instead of some little machine. Yep, I'm still grinning. Stop it, Charlotte.

'Kratos?' Lloyd asks quietly, sounding a little more serious then before. When the mercenary looks up, he continues. 'I hope you don't mind me asking, but … when was the last time you celebrated on your birthday?'

'… You're smarter than you seem.'

'Hey, th – wait, was that a compliment or an insult?'

Kratos falls silent for a few moments and then chooses to ignore the last question and answer the first. 'It's been over ten years, at least.'

Lloyd's eyes widen once again. 'Ten … years?'

The auburn haired man doesn't say anything for a while and stares at the wooden figure in his hands, running his thumb across the sword over the man's chest. Lloyd still stares at him wide eyed as if what Kratos just said was completely unbelievable. In some ways, it probably is hard to believe, but still …

'I'm sorry,' the brunet mutters to break the silence. 'If I'd known, I-'

'It's alright, Lloyd,' Kratos whispers. 'Thank you …'

* * *

'… _In the basement … how did it feel?'_

'_It doesn't matter now. What's done is done.'_

'_Well, yeah … but it'd be good to talk and let out some feelings, you know? Everyone else has.'_

'_Humph …'_

'… _Can't you even speak about Dorr with me?' _

'_Ms Harrison-'_

'_No really, are you _that_ cold? I'm sure he'd want to be remembered-'_

'_As a traitor? As a man who sold out his people for a non-existent cure? A man who would turn on anyone who defied him, even if it was Neil?'_

'… _He was a dad too, you know. He had a wife just like yours, and I'm sure he-'_

'_Ms Harrison, go and help the Chosen pack her things.'_

'_Hey, listen to me-'_

'_Now. I want to be left alone.'_

'_You-! Agh, I hate you.'_

'… _Just leave me be for a while.'_

'… _Ugh.'_

* * *

... :D Yep, hardest chapter. Well, one of them. Next chapter explains a little about what is going on and of course, the second part of the ranch. And Kratos' birthday. Oho, we're not done yet. 


	33. Ignorance

* * *

Chapter 33 - Ignorance

I'm bored. Again.

I know I shouldn't be, seeing as we're in a ranch and under very dire situations, but I've been standing in the same room with the other three I'm with for around an hour, and there is _nothing to do_.

Let me fill you in. We woke up bright and early (six in the morning, dammit) so we could continue with the ranch and catch up to Colette and Raine. Their lock might have been the furthest from the entrance, but it was the closest to the warp. Instead, we got their first, so now we're waiting for them to come along so we can finish the next floor. I have a feeling they also slept in a living area; their lock was in the second living area on this floor, if I remember correctly.

Genis is all better now after being healed up and having eaten (he said he wasn't hungry and refused to eat, so that resulted in Lloyd pinning him to the floor while we tried to shove some toast down his throat), so the other three of us are relieved. He really had us worried for a while there … I thought we'd have to carry him around the whole ranch.

Speaking of how the party members are managing, not a word has been said about Kratos and Lloyd's little scene last night. Poor Genis is the only one out of us that doesn't know it was Kratos' birthday last night … except for Colette and Raine, but they aren't here right now. So they don't count – it's all very simple. Y'know, it would have saved a lot of trouble if Kratos just came out and told everyone that it was his birthday. The Chosen and two half-elves don't seem the type to chase after him with pitchforks and burning clubs because he turned … four-thousand and … err … twenty-eight? Or would he be twenty nine …?

"_Twenty eight," _Charis chirps, quickly going back to what sounds like typing. William is in the background somewhere, and it honestly sounds like he's spinning around in an office chair or something.

"Hey, I have a question_,"_ I think at them both. Typing and squeaking of the office chair that apparently is able to live inside my brain stop abruptly, and everything goes silent in the brain of mine. Wow, I'm a little relieved … it feels nice to have an empty head again. "Uh, yeah … Charis, you said you'd be away for about six months or something. Why are you still here?"

"_Well, I can't do two things at once,"_ she says, and the clicking sound of her typing fills my ears for a few seconds before she adds, "_so, I got William-"_

"_Vincent."_

"_-WILLIAM to help. So now I can work."_

I think about that for a few seconds and shift against the wall I'm leaning on. "_Well, okay … but what are these two things that you have to do?"_

"_Well, one: change anything that might need changing-"_

"Yeah, like those painkillers. Are people in Sylvarant SUPPOSED to have painkillers? You're screwing with the technology system_!"_

"_Yes, I am a bit," _she admits as William goes back to spinning on his chair. "_But I've sorted some things out regarding … stuff. So it's fine, really. Would you rather have had to cope with the pain or just take some painkillers?"_

I frown a little. "Good point._"_

"_Two: We need to kind of observe what happens with you here. Like … if you do something, we need to calculate exactly what it will change."_

"Hm …" I but in. "So, you guys can like … see what happens? You know everything that's gonna happen?"

William stops spinning on his chair for a moment and answers, "_Well, kinda … I mean, anything that could happen could like … change everything as we know it."_

"But you know what'll happen?" I persist, folding my arms while I lean against the cold wall.

"_Yes_."

"Am I going to die?"

Instead of being answered with "oh no, not at all, we wouldn't allow that", or "nope, we'll zap you out of Symphonia if something like that happens", I am answered by a long, long silence that makes my stomach and my chest tighten considerably. A small squeak indicates William shifting uncomfortably on his chair, and all tapping of Charis' keyboard ceases.

"_Well_," William starts, seemingly the more caring of the two children. "_We won't lie to you. From what we can see, something will defiantly happen-"_

"When?" I ask, feeling a lot more frightened than before. "I'm gonna die?"

"_Listen, you have a lot of time for other things to happen? Y'know, it might not turn out that way. Besides, we'll keep you updated … kinda …_"

"But I could die, like … any day now?" I ask, rubbing my nose a little. "Gee, you guys sure know how to cheer me up, don'tcha?"

Before the two of them can respond with a witty comment of sorts, I hear all buzzing of any computers Charis might have set up in my head stop suddenly, and I realise they've cut themselves off from me. Hm, the little brats … when they sum up the courage to start talking again, I am going to give them such an earful. Plus, I want some questions answering. Like, if they can see how I might die (if I keep up whatever I'm doing to make it happen), how would it happen? I can easily imagine some random dragon just walking past and swallowing me up (and Genis, because he's small), but I highly doubt it'd happen. Maybe someone instead of something? But of course, as soon as I think that, my mind swings to Kratos. I don't know why; he's just got this air about him that says "I'm going to kill you". Or maybe it's just me being paranoid.

Other than Kratos, I could see Yggdrasill doing something. When they first fought him in the Tower of Salvation, I seriously had to wonder how they could withstand such a person (I think I died with the controller in my hands when I used a magic lens). I might survive the battle with him, but notice how I say "might". Maybe I could … y'know, bugger off before the Tower and go to the Sylvarant Base … get myself caught, break myself out, jump on a Rheaird and fly over to Tethe'alla. I could meet up with them in Meltokio or something …

It's possible. Shut up.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the door slides open and we are finally reunited with the two other females of the group, who honestly don't look that battered and bruised. Hm, out of all three of our groups, I expected their trip around the ranch to be the most difficult. Shows what I know.

'Hey!' Colette greets with a grin and a small wave. 'Are you okay?'

I pat Genis on the head to indicate the small half-elf, covered in blood and small bruises that have almost disappeared. Raine reacts to this by immediately whipping out her staff and running over to him with a cry of 'What _happened_ to you?'. Genis gently tries to push her away.

'Sis, it's okay! Really, I'm fine! Kratos healed all of my wounds,' he says quickly, trying to struggle from her grip. The professor answers to this with a frown, not letting him go and looking up at the mercenary, resting against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

'Thank you for healing him,' she says quietly, straightening up and returning her staff to its casing. Kratos answers with a small "hn", making no reaction otherwise to show he heard her. She brushes it off quickly, turning to the rest of us.

'Alright. Last night, Colette and I wrote out the directions each of you would be taking for the next floors-'

'Are we staying in our pairs?' I interrupt quickly.

'Yes.'

She continues after I show my opinion on the matter, kicking the wall harshly. Ow, my foot. 'Lloyd, Genis, you two will be taking the lock closest again.'

Hm, that seems okay. Genis isn't really that good at fighting upfront, but his magic skills are good. Since they take a while to cast, it'd be best if they didn't get into so many battles.

'Colette and I will be taking the lock located inside the warp room, so we will wait for you there,' she explains while handing Kratos a rolled up piece of parchment I'm assuming is a map. 'You two will be taking the lock furthest from this warp.'

'Where is it?' I ask as my partner unrolls the map and consults it briefly.

'In a storage room,' Raine says. 'It isn't so hard to fine with the map.'

Hm, well that's kind of a relief. I don't think many Desians would go to a storage room often, so that's okay. As long as there aren't any more torture chambers … I'd probably just turn around and storm right back to this warp. I lean up to see our course (that has been indicated with an ink line) and look around for anything we might pass. Hm … surprisingly, it's nothing. Just a LOT of hallways. The joy.

* * *

'_You never did tell me how you felt when you saw Dorr die.'_

'_Harrison, this is not the time.'_

'_With you, there is no time. C'mon I'm just curious.'_

'_Hmph.'_

'_Did you even _care_?'_

'_Not particularly.'_

'_Wha-! You-!'_

'_You are in no place to judge me.'_

'_Oh yes I bloody am! He _died_!'_

'_You fled the scene. If you cared, you would have stayed and watched his last moments.'_

'_I-!'_

'_You are weak.'_

'_Hey! I am not weak!'_

'_You cannot stand to watch people die or be killed. If that is something that can touch your emotions with such force, than you are not fit for this journey.'_

'_I … wait, what?'_

'_Hmph.'_

'_Argh, whatever! Just lead that way!'_

* * *

Weirdly, the second floor seems to be a lot easier than the first, even though we have to disengage the lock furthest away. Maybe it's because of the lack of torture chambers and ambushes, but I'd honestly rather do this than the last small journey through the ranch. Never, never again am I doing that. On the way out, we'll just take another route … there has to be one; the others got to the warp without going through a place like that.

Hey, I just had a thought. When (if) we defeat Magnius, Raine will set the self-destruct system to ten minutes, if I remember correctly. Will we get out in time? There will be Desians still prowling around, and we'd have to make our way back through each floor and find the warps. Hm … well, we have markings on each map … I don't think it'll be too hard. Though I have another thing to worry about. Ah, shut up Charlotte. It'll be fine.

'My legs hurt,' I say before I can stop myself. I swear, it just slipped out. Kratos throws me an irritated glance over his shoulder.

'Stop complaining. Just walk.'

'Geez, who put nettles in your underwear this morning?' I grumble quietly, proceeding to follow behind him silently. Seriously, why must I face another floor with no conversing? If I had _anyone_ else I could be halfway through a very insightful discussion about … something, but I'm sure it'd be better than nothing. Next floor, I am swapping partners. I don't care what Raine says; I'm not exploring one more floor with this guy. Someone else can suffer.

'Can we please _talk_?' I groan after a minute of undisturbed silence. Well, undisturbed up until now. 'I am bored. Out of my mind.'

'I have nothing to say to you.'

'Yeah, yeah, that's great. I have a question!'

I think I hear Kratos grumble something, but he turns his head and answers with a reluctant 'Yes?'

'If I hadn't blackmailed you in Iselia, would you be as cold as you are now?'

I'm answered with a long silence that I half expect to turn into an answer of something like "piss off" in Kratos-language, but it continues as Kratos and I walk down the long hallways. Hm, that must mean he's purposely ignoring me, which is greatly annoying. The answer is most likely yes, because I don't need to be told to know I can be overly annoying and hard to put up with.

After five minutes of walking up cold plain hallways, I consider bursting into song once again with the glue tune roaring to go in my head. I feel if I do, Kratos will use his sword to pin me to the wall and leave me there.

'How big are these hallways?' I hiss under my breath, mostly to myself. I really didn't expect Kratos to hear my uttered complaint, but apparently he did. Now, judging from my encounters with Kratos before, I fully expected him to either tell me to be quiet, give me another annoyed look, or maybe mumble a small insult under his breath.

I never expected him to shout at me.

'Be _quiet_!' he snaps loudly. I am, in all, very stunned. I've been shouted at before by loads of people; my parents, my teachers, heck even my friends - though I still feel a little uneasy that I've broken probably one of his most basic limitations. I seriously hope stabbing people isn't his next one.

After literally two seconds of staring at each other, he turns without a word and continues down the hall. I stand still for a while, still in a little shock and wonder if it's actually safe to follow him. After a moment, I take a few steps and jog to catch up with him. I make sure to stay behind him where he can't see me and trail behind wordlessly.

As expected, nothing is said after that for a long, long while. We pass a few doors and hallways that I think we were supposed to take, but Kratos doesn't correct me when I take a few steps towards these things and continues in his own direction. I couldn't read the writing on one of the doors we passed, but it reeked with the thick stench of coppery blood and decay. I made sure to inhale sharply after running away from that door, almost tripping on my own ankles once again.

Hm … I wonder if Neil is okay. He's gone to rescue the hostages on the first floor, so I guess they would have gotten out by now. I wonder if there are any more prisoners around … Chocolat is here somewhere, but I don't know if she's with the others downstairs. I guess rescuing her is one of our main priorities, but with a ranch this big … I wonder how the hell we'll find her if she isn't with them.

Charis and William will probably keep me updated if anything goes wrong. Well, I hope they will.

After another ten minutes or so, I start to feel a small numbing ache on my outer left thigh. When I woke up, I realised I had slept on my side and the charm I pocketed was digging into my leg. Y'know, the one I bought in Palmacosta and replaced with Lloyd's one. Yeah, that one.

I nip my lower lip to stop a small groan of frustration and reach into my pocket, closing my fingers around the cat shaped charm and pulling out of its place in my trousers. Y'know, I still don't get how a black cat charm can mean good luck … I'm sure they _could_ be very lucky, and I'm not exactly superstitious, but it still seems a bit … weird.

I'd like to throw it away (it actually looks very scary right now with its damn Egyptian style), but it seems such a waste. It wasn't at all expensive, but it still cost money, darn it.

… Hey, on second thought.

'Oi, asshole,' I call, still behind the mercenary. He looks around, his expression practically ready to kill. It quickly turns into a mask of brief confusion, which is rapidly replaced by his dreary expression when I hand him the small charm that he doesn't take.

'Harrison, what are you doing?' he asks, eyeing it suspiciously as though it would suddenly come to life and snap at him.

'I hate you,' I say, shoving that feline shaped charm into his hand. 'Happy birthday.'

'… What-'

'Hey you!'

I jump at the unfamiliar rugged voice that comes from in front and Kratos whips his head around to inspect, shoving the charm into his satchel without another word. At the end of the hallway are seven Desians clad in their black and purple uniforms, knives out. I spot two mages with them already casting their spells aimed at the two of us while the soldiers charge at once.

In short, of crap.

Kratos immediately draws his own blood encrusted sword, taking up a battle stance. Before the lot can get to the two of us, he turns his head to me and nods in the direction of a door. Wait, he wants me to hide?

'I can fight …!' I say loudly in protest. 'Just as long as you don't ki-'

'I have no time to put up with you requirements,' he snarls, turning back to the mob. I take one last look at our enemies heading towards us and notice a fireball flying directly at me. I yelp as it ripples through the air, shooting straight past my head and burning the wall. Without another hesitation or objection, I practically throw myself towards the door and rip it open, watching Kratos launch into the fray alone.

Ah, he'll be fine.

I sprint inside, throwing the heavy door shut behind me and leaning against the cold metal that stings my back for a second. The door isn't forced open by anyone outside and I assume it's safe to step away and hide somewhere. Kratos seems to be keeping them busy for now, so I'll be fine to just hide -

'Agh!'

… No, that wasn't anyone outside, it was actually me. I'm not sure why though; I suddenly got a shooting pain in my right temple as though a cold needle had pierced my flesh. Sure, that would have been a lot more painful, but it still felt like something relevant-

'Ngh!'

It's getting _worse_! What's happening?

"_Charis_ …" I hiss, hoping for a response. Instead, I don't get any comments from my Gamecube or my PS2, but another thing all together. I start seeing … images … I don't think I'm going crazy, but that's what happens. I can see that ruin … the Balacruf Mausoleum we'll have to visit later on, but … we're already _there_. I can see Lloyd and Colette and … Sheena? They must be fighting her.

Hang on - I'm not there. So this mustn't be our journey … maybe a different one where I wasn't here. Oh, wait! There's someone else!

… It's a boy?

… And he's fighting Kratos alone?

… Is he crazy?

Okay, I definitely don't remember him. He looks around Lloyd's age … but I can't recall anything. Hey, is he working with Sheena? I think so … if he's fighting Kratos and all … and plus, Lloyd and Genis are both closing in and it's starting to look really, _really_ bad. Ahh, he has a big bloody wound on his arm! Kratos, you ass!

Hey … our mercenary is backing off him! Yay-

My personal festivities are cut short however, as he yelps sharply when a pillar of water erupts from under his feet, cast by our dear Genis. Poor thing. I wonder who he is … well, whoever it is, he seems to be very unconscious now. Sheena muttered something under her breath … K-something? Kaor-

"_You okay?"_ Charis mutters from inside my brain. I snap back to reality and jolt in shock, straighten up sharply.

"No …" I hiss back. "Agh, my head … what was that?"

"_I'm showing you that you could be doing a lot worse!_" she snaps suddenly. "_So stop whining about where you are!_"

"Ow, Christ … okay …" I mumble, rubbing my sore head. It's throbbing … badly. "Who was that?"

"_Don't worry about it,_" she insists. "_You err … you might want to draw your pistols or hide right about now."_

'Oh right …' I mumble aloud, taking a pistol from it's holster and pulling my finger over the trigger, ready to shoot the next thing that comes along. I'm glad I have these guns, because … well, they won't actually kill anyone. They'll just knock them out for a while and I won't be feeling very guilty about taking someone's life. I haven't killed anyone before, so I don't know if how I'm acting now is unbelievably wimpy or quite normal.

And I don't know if the feeling sets off side effects, but I have this constant feel that I'm not alone.

I look over my shoulder and hold my pistol tighter, making sure not to pull too hard on the trigger and accidentally shoot myself in the foot. Hm, this room is empty … but I can feel someone's eyes on me. A Desian, a team mate in hiding, hell even Magnius through his little cameras … it could be anyone, but they're defiantly here.

'Don't move,' says a voice from behind as something cold presses to the back of my head. 'On your knees.'

I don't say anything, but I think I'm very close to having a heart attack. Without another thought, I sink down slowly to a kneeling position and realise the thing pressed to my head is actually a shotgun … which is weird, because they don't have shotguns in Tales of - oh wait, it must be a mana gun then. Like mine.

But it's still a shotgun shape. So I'm scared.

Something clicks behind my head and I reel around thinking that it was the trigger being pulled and almost topple over when I jolt, stumbling to the right as I face my attacker.

Sweet looord, it is Rufus.

When his mana-shotgun meets my forehead and another click resounds around the cold room, almost threateningly, I can only answer to the situation with an uttered "oh shit" while resisting the urge to back away. No maybes; I will be shot, and it will hurt. I have to stay put.

'One of the Chosen's group,' he mutters in an almost bored tone, eyeing me suspiciously as if I were to pull Colette out of my pocket and confirm it. 'Where is the one in purple?'

'… No comment,' I answer, reaching for my pistol.

'Touch that and I'll break your wrist,' he warns dully, shotgun still pressed against my forehead. I grimace and slowly drop my hand to my side, vaguely wondering why I haven't taken a chance and ran for the door yet. It really isn't that far, but the cold circular metal pressed against my head is making itself very noticeable right now when a finger reaches around for the trigger. It seems he noticed me looking at the door.

'Think about running away, and I'll break your legs, too.'

'Gee, all that with a gun?' I ask, my right finger twitching slightly as if it were about to reach for my pistol and shoot him in the face without my own consent. I clench it against my palm tightly and ignore my nails biting into the flesh. 'Must be handy.'

I'm answered by a sharp tap to the head with said weapon. 'Ow!'

'Keep that mouth of yours shut,' he says. 'It's annoying.'

I watch him take the gun away from my head and turn his back, giving me a warning glimpse over his shoulder. 'I'll just have to wait for your partner to come. Don't try anything funny.'

'Yes_sir_,' I say, considering a mock salute for good measure. When he begins to walk to the other side of the room with his back still turned to me, my "must-survive" instincts decide to kick in and I reach for a pistol. Before I can even aim, let alone _point_ it at him, a black gloved hand shoots out in my direction and he mutters a small incantation.

'_Ice Prison_.'

The ground beneath me immediately crunches under my weight as ice spreads from my feet, crawling and spreading over the floor around. Before I can even think of moving, sharp white pillars reach up over my head from all angles and encase me in a frosty prison with a loud clang, and when I look up I see the icy claws meet above my head.

Oh, this can't be good.

I immediately run to a wall with (oblivious of my constant screaming of "COLD!") and thrust my fist against it before this attack chooses to continue. I don't succeed in much; my hand now hurts and is now covered in frost while the wall remains completely intact. Through the almost clear wall, I can see Rufus with another smirk on his face. This can't be the end of his attack unless he's only using this to keep me in one place.

My thoughts are answered when small blades of ice, probably no larger than my finger nail, begin pelting me relentlessly from … well, everywhere from what I can see for the split second my eyes are open. I shut them in fear for getting a shard wedged into my eyeball (ouch) and throw my arms up to defend myself. It doesn't help; I have no protection on my arms at all, and pretty soon I have small ice blades piercing my exposed flesh, and it is _freaking_ painful, not to mention cold. Come on Charlie … just a little longer. Kratos will be here, you'll get free, you can choke yourself with apple gels and all will be fine.

I quickly make a choice I wouldn't usually do (not that I'm constantly being trapped in little ice cages) and throw my fists at the wall repeatedly, hoping they might crack (the wall, not my poor fists). I notice the back of my neck is fine because I have my hair protecting it (now fairly frizzed up - thank you, random storm), but my arms now have small beads of blood running down them. It's not terribly bad; I only count seven or eight and continue giving the wall a piece of my mind.

The ice storm inside the cage finally stops and the prison itself crumbles around me, shattering and falling to the floor in small chunks. I take a few deep breaths to compose myself and rub my arms frantically, trying to rid myself of the small shards jutting out of my arms as well as the cold still biting at my skin. I run a hand over my face with a scowl when I notice a rather large cut on my cheek and reach for a pistol. I'm taking this guys ass down, locking him in the first random closet I find and leaving him there. If I were in any other circumstance, I'd probably go to a corner and hide, but Kratos isn't here to kick some Desian booty. So I'm stuck doing this alone, and I'm in _much_ fear for my life right now. Might as well take a chance, huh?

Rufus sees this coming and raises his hand again. '_Earth Prison_.'

Because I'm (fairly) smart, I have the sense now to jump out of the way and towards our blonde Desian and, seeing as I'm shorter than him by a lot, crash into his chest. He doesn't fall to the floor exactly at the impact, but he does stumble and sink to one knee. I on the other hand was totally expecting him to topple over, so I'm also on the floor. I jump up quite quickly when he attempts to take a swing at my face with his shotgun and scramble away.

Rufus grunts slightly as he gets to his feet and utters another spell, something I recognise this time. 'Grave.'

Grave? _Seriously_?

With some kind of luck, I manage to jump out of the way of the attack and end up with a scratch on the outer thigh from a stray stalagmite. Oho, but it doesn't end there. Before I can think about getting away, the barrel of his shotgun connects painfully and forcefully to my head. Stars erupt in front of my vision and I stagger forward with a small groan of pain, blinking furiously.

The door I can see in the corner of my eye is thrown open and the blood covered mercenary bursts in, sword in hand and hair slightly dishevelled. Finally, but a little too late for my liking.

'There are five of you …' I say, pointing a finger accusingly at the Kratos to the far left before toppling over and landing with a small thud on the cold floor.

…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-

'_What did you mean earlier, _"I'm not fit for this journey"_?'_

'_I meant exactly what I said.'_

'… _Explanation? No?'_

'_This isn't the time.'_

'_I know, I know, I've had that already. Come _on_, I'm sure you can spare five seconds.'_

'_Hmm.'_

'_Was that Kratos-language for "_please go and die now"_?'_

'_You do not have the ability to accept things in front of you, and with that you become a nuisance.'_

'… _Uh … what?'_

'_When I killed those men earlier, you were so intent on their loss and the lack of reason behind my actions. You failed to notice that had they not been killed it would have been us with our throats slit, and my actions were not because I am a cold-blooded murderer, but because I was trying to save us both. You did not realise that, and held your grudge against me for a good part of the day.'_

'… _Sheesh, when you put it like that-'_

'_Forget I said anything. The Desians are probably on our trail. We must hurry.'_

'_Uh … yeah.'_

…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-

After what I can only imagine is a long while, I open my eyes with a small grumble of protest when light hits. It takes a few moments for me to realise my head is in a lot of pain and my vision is blurred, so I wait a while for it to snap back into focus before attempting to get up, speak, and if I can help it, think. I look at my hand to see if my vision is back, seeing as it's difficult to tell against the dull colours of grey, black and white around me and wait.

I blink a few times when I can see and look around with confusion. I notice I've been propped up against a wall and try to pull myself to my feet, regretting it when my vision begins to swim again and almost tumble back to the floor in dizziness. I manage to grab onto something to keep myself upright and bring a hand up to rub my head, groaning again.

'I see you're finally awake.'

'Ugh … Rufus …?' I mumble, looking around in a daze. Nope, just Kratos who seems to be standing in front of a rather … blood covered door.

'Uh, Kratos?' I say, looking at the crimson stains. 'What-'

'That man who was here with you,' the mercenary says, giving the knob of the door a quick turn to lock it. I can only imagine it's a locker or a random closet that hides the body of Rufus Shinra. Sweet, sweet lord of crap.

'You … you killed him?' I ask quietly, still staring at the door as if the blonde Desian would Ice Prison his way out of there. Kratos gives me a "don't start this again" look and turns to the second door that leads to the hallway.

'Yes. And if you don't mind, I would like to continue.'

I say nothing from there on and focus on getting over to the other door without falling flat on my face, for I figure it would be rather painful. As I walk (awkwardly), I begin to think, and while I'm at it I try to contact Charis or William via brain. So, Kratos killed Rufus? Not that I'm painfully distraught or anything, but still … it was _Rufus_. I imagine someone who didn't _know_ who he was to not pay much attention and just pass it off as another Desian, but if you _do_ know him then it still feels weird. I wonder what'll happen now.

"_Hey William, Kratos killed her birthday present,"_ Charis says, still tapping away at the computer inside my head (that will always sound weird).

"_Phooey. Who do we bring in ne-"_

"_NO, no more people from other games!"_ I protest loudly, wondering if repeatedly banging my head against a wall would affect them in any way. "_Geez, I'm trying to sort enough out with the general weirdness going on."_

"_General?"_ William inquires, spinning on his chair. Does he ever get tired of that? It's a wonder Charis hasn't punched him in the face yet. "_Care to sum them up?_"

"_Okay,"_ I mumble, going through a checklist in my head. "_Uh, we have the dream thing that Lloyd and Kratos had in Triet-"_

"_Oh yeah, that,_" Charis interrupts, halting her typing. "_Well, you can just leave that for a while. Nothing will actually happen concerning it until later on in your journey._"

"… _Wonderful,"_ I utter sarcastically. "_Well, then we have the Lloyd illness thing …"_

"_Oh yeah, we got that under control … for most of the part … don't worry about it; it's not concerning you anyway."_

"_Well …_" I say quietly. "_Just because I'm totally bent on getting out of here, it doesn't mean I don't _worry_ about them or anything-"_

_"Charlotte?"_ William interrupts.

_"Uh, yeah?"_

_"If you had to choose between one of these guy's lives and the chance to go home, what would you pick?"_

_"Well, that's easy,"_ I answer, giving a small glare to the mercenary in front of me.

_"No, like … what if it was Colette, or Genis or someone else? Think about it."_

That question is enough to stun me into silence for a good few seconds. What _would_ I pick? If some magical Desian came along now and held a knife to Kratos' throat, telling me that he'd send me home if Kratos was killed, I'd choose home any day. But if it was Colette, or Genis or any of the others … I don't know what I'd do. Panic, maybe? I'd probably choose home, though … as I see it, as long as I go home, I'll never see them again. So it won't matter. I know it sounds terrible, but I'd love to go back to Earth. This place is too frightening and overwhelming, and let's face it: I'm terribly homesick. I miss school, and that is something no one should ever say in their lives.

I make sure to cover my eyes and use the wall for support when we step out into the hallway when the first thing I notice is a large crimson blood stain smeared on the wall. The floor beneath me is sticky with blood and I make sure to hold my breath while I walk.

'Hate you …' I croak after holding my breath for what feels like five minutes. 'So much.'

Kratos doesn't say anything to reply and I quickly assume that it's okay to open my eyes. I do so and see the empty hallways in front of me, realizing that we're going the same way we came. I assume that the room I almost froze to death in had the switch (I guess this floor is smaller than the one below) and Kratos must have activated it when I was out cold. In more ways than one. Cold … still cold …

'I'm freezing,' I say bluntly after a second. 'So freezing.'

'Damn …' Kratos hisses, seemingly at random.

'Uh …' I look up at him. 'Wha-'

Before I can finish my sentence, Kratos grabs my wrist again and drags me to one side. I go against protesting loudly unless his sword takes part in this (once again, seemingly random) act and try and pull away. Instead, he throws open the door to what looks like a fairly small storage cupboard with brooms and buckets (much like the one in the House of Salvation, but I hope the Wonder Chef doesn't pop up this time). He drags me forward and pushes me in towards the back of the room, closing the door and joining me in the small, darkish room.

'That was random, and my wrist hurts-'

'Be quiet,' he snarls, looking out through a small crack in the door.

'What is it?' I whisper.

'A robot … the half human, half machine.'

Oh shite, this is not good. I didn't like fighting the first one, but this is going to be worse. Last time we had five fighters and a healer, but now we have … two half fighters and half healers. We obviously wouldn't win, so that must be why we're hiding out in this … totally random broom cupboard. Hm, this brings back memories. In school, when I was in year six (age ten going on eleven), there was a cupboard in our classroom that could only be opened from the outside, so if you got stuck in … well, you're screwed until someone came and let you out. Damn, we loved that thing. I got locked in with my friends Emily and William (the real person, not the PS2), so we all linked arms and started ramming into the door. Good times …

Yes, I still miss home here.

'I hate this,' I say quietly, still aware of the monster outside. 'I can't believe there's another three floors of this.'

'And then we face Magnius,' Kratos adds after a moment, moving away from the door. I groan in frustration and tug my hair.

'I will be _so_ happy when we get out of here. Water Seal next, and that'll be less stressful.'

At my quickly realized mistake, I bite the corner of my lower lip and Kratos gives me a suspicious glance. I wasn't supposed to _know_ about the Water Seal! Sweet LORD Charlotte, you are so _stupid_! How are you going to explain this now? Charis? Willi_aaaam_? Help? _Please_?

'What was that?' the mercenary asks. I reply to this with a completely and utterly idiotic method that has been used by myself before _many, many_ times, and is ALSO based of truth here (meaning I'm half making it up). I clutch my stomach and double over, gritting my teeth in non-existent pain.

'O-owww …'

Kratos expression doesn't really change except for a small tick of the eyebrows, but he does voice his thoughts on the matter. 'What?'

'It's, uh …' I mumble, sinking down to sit against the wall. 'It's _that_ time of the month …'

By the look on his face, I'd say Kratos' brain just went "OHSH-" _bang_.

'I'll be okay in a sec …' I say, waving a hand. I don't like him, but I wouldn't want him to feel _terribly, mind wrenchingly _uncomfortable. Well … I _would_, but not if I was the source of that uncomfortable … ness. 'Go and keep yourself busy. I just hope that thing can't sense blo-'

'Harrison, stop,' the mercenary says stiffly. 'Now.'

'Eehh … sorry,' I mutter, wrapping my arms around my stomach. After a second, Kratos leaves the door area and leans against the wall next to me, running a hand through his auburn fringe. I notice his hair is matted with dry blood, as well as fresh that still glints the slightest. I look away at press my face to my knees, ignoring the boniness that hurts my chin.

'Tired?' I ask after a small sigh from the mercenary.

'A little,' he responds, folding his arms. I notice after that that he's covered in blood … everywhere. Really. It's all over his outfit and up the visible flesh of his arms, along with a few cuts and scrapes here and there.

'You should really wash when we get out of here,' I say, rubbing the back of my head. 'Blood shows up easily on auburn hair.'

'Speak for yourself,' he mutters. I'm covered in blood from the knees downwards, and it really irks me that none of it is mine. Its from stepping puddles of blood that somehow managed to splash around and travel up my trousers.

'I'll be glad to get out of here,' I say, choosing my next words very carefully after a few moments of thought. 'Most Chosens … went to the Seal of Water after the Seal of Fire … so I just hope we get somewhere that won't have many Desians …'

Bingo. Previous problem solved. No suspicion now.

Kratos shifts against the wall. 'I see.'

'Oh yeah …' I mutter, looking up and attempting to ignore the horrendous amount of blood splattered over him. 'If you don't want that charm, I'll be having it back. I'm going to need all the good luck I can get in this place.'

'I think I will hang onto it for now.'

'Psh. Fine. Like you could get any luckier,' I answer, leaning back against the cold wall. Kratos looks down and gives me an undecipherable glance, one eyebrow raised and disappearing behind his fringe.

'Care to explain?'

'Not really …' I mumble, feeling myself scowl at the opposite wall. 'But look at yourself. You've found Lloyd after god knows how many years and now have a … err … fairly good relationship with him as of far. You're teaching him how to be a good swordsman, and in return-' I poke the satchel on his waist that carries the small statuette, '-he gave you that. I think it was pretty nice of him. And … well, I think you're happier.'

After a few moments, Kratos looks away and plants his gaze on the wall across from us, not saying anything. I shrug to myself and rest my chin on my knees again, waiting for the monster to pass by so we can continue and hopefully get out of this place faster. Kratos is probably used to this stuff … all the blood and the killing. After living four thousand years, I guess these things happen. You'd see more than what you would in a normal lifetime, so he probably got used to it and even started participating in these acts himself. I don't think I'll be able to kill someone without any remorse, but when Kratos kills … it just seems normal. Feral.

'Even if Lloyd is here,' the mercenary says after a few minutes of thinking. 'Not everything can return.'

'Right,' I say, still staring at the wall. 'But I would have thought with your cold, stern attitude that you'd be able to shrug something like that off.'

'Things that pierce the heart cannot be _shrugged off_,' he hisses lowly. 'My family was everything.'

'And I'm sure some people expected different from you,' I say, secretly referring to Mithos. 'They might have expected you to stay strong and cold, like before you met your wife.'

'And just _who_ exactly are _some people_?' he snarls, becoming short tempered.

'Old friends?' I suggest. 'Other family? Change in a person is hard to accept, you know.'

'… Just what are you trying to prove?'

I shrug to myself for the second time, using the wall to balance as I get to my feet. If this is going to turn into a nasty verbal fight, I'd rather not be sitting down and made to look inferior. 'That you should be happy you have Lloyd back. I know it's hard because he doesn't _know_ and you don't have Anna-'

'You know nothing!' he snaps, making me flinch a little. I consider my real reason for doing this, and as always, it lands into the selfish fact that it's for my own benefit. I don't want to fight Kratos later on at the Tower of Salvation in fear for my life, so I'm hoping I can get Lloyd to make him change his mind, or at least make him more aware to the fact that his current situation is not a nice one. I don't really care about how he feels, or how Lloyd feels much, I just don't want to get killed later on.

'Stop shouting at me,' I say, half shocked that I'm actually standing up to him again. 'It's really pissing me off-'

'Then stop meddling in my personal affairs, Harrison,' he growls. 'You know nothing.'

I swear, my brain just snapped there and then at his arrogance. I hate the way he's always like that with me, I hate the way he's always so bitter and cold, I hate the way he's constantly putting me down, I hate the way he doesn't listen to me or respect me, and I hate _everything_ about him.

'I hate _you_ …' I hiss, curling my hand into a tight fist and pulling my arm back. '… So FUCKING MUCH!'

Kratos easily catches the fist that flies towards his face, so I curl up my other one and aim it at his chest. He can see it coming and wraps his hand around my fist in the nick of time, protecting himself from my attacks that astonish my common sense, which seems to be tied up and hidden beneath a rock by my apparently violent and momentary instinct.

He continues to block and dodge while I keep throwing punches and try to land at least one hit on him with the constant yelling of "I hate you, I hate you, I hope you die" and other things I wouldn't like to mention ever came out of my innocent little vocabulary. Sadly, as I mentioned earlier, Kratos has had four thousand years of experience in many things, so it's not a great surprise that he is able to catch my (apparently) final punch.

Before I can finish another sentence of profanities and name calling, a fist sinks into my stomach with such force I thought I might snap in two. It wasn't hard … and I had a feeling it wasn't supposed to hurt, because I'm aware of the fact that even though he hates me, he just wouldn't hit a girl.

When I double over with a gag, I notice something strange on the floor. Through the small lighting in the room, I can see small wisps of smoke coming from under the doorway and slowly filling the room. Sleeping gas? Poison gas?

Waaait a sec. That robot … the one outside, it had that attack back in Izoold that made Colette go psycho and start attacking us. Maybe this one heard me screaming and let some smoke in … and that must be why Kratos hit me! It's the smoke affecting his mind!

I'll have to do what I did last time and … bonk him over the head with something.

I grab a broom from the left and spin it around, aiming at his head with a quick swing, but he grabs the slim wooden pole and wrenches it from my grip without difficulty, tossing it to the other side of the dark room. It lands with a dull clatter that echoes through my head, far from my reach.

_Oh shit. He's going to kill me._

Now aware of that gruesome possibility, I kick his shin with all the strength I can muster. To my satisfying surprise, he clenches his teeth in pain and flinches, giving me a split second to dart out from in front of him and against the wall, heading for the broom previously cast aside. He quickly regains his composure and starts toward me, hand on the hilt of his blade as I pick up the wooden pole. I have a feeling this won't end well at all.

I take another mighty swing at him, but this time the bloodied steel of his sword stops the blow dead, embedding itself in the wood. I take this opportunity and wrench the broom towards myself in an attempt to disarm him, but it simply causes the weak wood to snap under the force. The broken wood falls to the floor with a _thuk_ and I try escaping again. This time, the pole is tugged away from my hands and lands on my throat, pushing me up against the wall. I feel like choking, but I try to maintain a regular breathing pattern to not kill myself.

Kratos raises his sword as though he were about to clout me over the face with the hilt, but I quickly swing my legs up and plant them on his chest, forcing him away with a shove. He stumbles back with his sword in hand as I grab the broom he dropped, raising it over my head to strike him with and hopefully return him to his senses.

Before I can, his fist is thrown against my stomach again. The air is forced out of my lungs and I choke, heaving a breath before crumpling to the floor, holding my abused abdomen. He sits up and brings a hand to one of the places on his chest where I kicked him and casts a quick healing spell before looking up. I grit my teeth and try to cast my own First Aid spell, which I'm glad to notice isn't as difficult as before, and heal myself up.

'Have you calmed down?' Kratos hisses, giving me a small glare.

'Me?' I say in irritated protest. 'You were the one whose mind got screwed up with that … freaky smoke stuff! I was trying to knock you back to your senses!'

Kratos looks like he's about to snap something back, but he halts suddenly as if trying to remember something.

'I'm pretty damn sure you got affected!' I continue, pulling myself to my feet with a wince. 'I have bruises and pain to prove it! Jackass freak!'

Kratos ignores my insults and my continuous whining and glances over his shoulder at the small wisps of smoke curling around themselves and crawling higher into the air as the room becomes clearer. He leans closer to the smoke and waves his hand against it, making it travel higher towards his face.

'Hey, don't do that!' I shriek, getting ready to snap the remainders of the broom over his head. 'I'm not going through that again!'

'This is normal smoke …' Kratos murmurs, straightening up and running a hand through his fringe again, getting some damp blood on his fingers. 'It didn't affect us.'

'So … wait, what?' I say, still clutching my stomach in pain and knitting my brow together in thought. How can that be? He _attacked_ me for the love of gods! Notice how I cradle my battered and bruised abdomen? Notice it?

'I assumed it had gotten to your head when you lashed out in fury,' he mutters, looking over his shoulder. 'I was trying to bring you back to your senses.'

'Hang on, I though it had got to _your_ head, and I was trying to bring _you_ back to your senses …' I admit, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. 'So, it tricked us?'

'It made us turn on each other by playing with our minds.'

'No shit …' I say, rubbing my stomach. 'Augh, punch me again and I'll shove that sword of yours where it shouldn't be.'

'We must hurry,' Kratos confirms, ignoring me again. 'It could be notifying some Desians on this floor of our location.'

I give him a withered look. 'Oh yeah, like it's _really_ going to tell them where we are. It probably has no mouth. _I saaaw two peeeople down the haaallwaaay_ …'

'Though it may be half a mutated human,' Kratos says snidely, pulling the heavy door open with a loud metallic creak that makes me wince as the sound vibrates through my body. 'It is also half machine. It could be storing data.'

'… Well, shit,' I say, running the back of my thumb over the corner of my lip that has begun to bleed. It's probably because I bite it so much when I get anxious. 'Let's go then.'

'Do you sincerely believe …' the mercenary says before we leave, his tone low and quiet. 'That simply because I am cold, I have been maintaining this attitude for more years than you've been on this land?'

'I guess,' I reply with a small shrug. 'Your attitude doesn't seem like it was something you decided to take on one day. And some people could look up to you because of that … and what is the point of this conversation? It makes no sense and it has no meaning.'

'If I changed, I doubt it would affect the way you feel. You should keep your nose out of other people's business.'

'… I'm going to kick you one day. Harder than before, you ignorant git.'

With that final insult, we step out into the hallway and look up both paths for enemies or robots. When I see the small figures of dead bodies from earlier, walls and floor a deep bloodied red I close my eyes and look away, running my hands over my face which quickly heats up and feels like rubber beneath my hands. I try to ignore it and follow Kratos in the opposite direction, keeping my gaze on the corner where the floor meets the wall. I decided I wasn't going to cry after that one time last night. I've let everything out now, so there isn't a reason to cry. Kratos would probably tell me to shut up and snap to it if I started again, so I'll try my best not to.

The hallways don't become interesting at all; they keep their empty feeling and their cold colours which I hope should change at some point. I still feel like I'm in a hospital instead of a ranch with the way everything is so clean and … it's just unnerving. I try to start a game of naming a fruit or vegetable with each letter of the alphabet. Apple, banana, cucumber, d … d …

That's where I stop. God, I suck.

Nothing interesting happens for a long, long while and I begin to wonder if we're actually going in the right way. It's been a while since we've been on this floor, but it must only seem long because of the few events that happened to stall us. Rufus, the robot, and me being unconscious for a while. It feels like it's been hours up here …

I have the most overwhelming urge to hum the birdie song. Don't worry, I won't. Kratos would kill me without a second thought.

'Durian!' I say, snapping my fingers with a small grin. 'That's a fruit!'

The mercenary gives me a look over his shoulder that reads "double-you tee eff, Harrison?".

'Playing a game …' I say quickly. 'Naming … fruit and stuff.'

Kratos just turns away, probably wondering why the hell he agreed to bring me along. I know your SECRETS, Aurion. That's why.

'Hey, is eggplant a fruit …?' I ask, remembering the name from somewhere before.

'Yes.'

'Oh, awesome.'

'Figs,' Kratos mutters, still keeping his stare straight ahead.

'G …'

'Grapefruit.'

I scowl at how he's suddenly beating me at this game. 'Honeydew, iceberg lettuce, j … jalapeño peppers?'

'Yes. Hm … kiwi.'

'Lemon, mango … err …'

'Nectarine.'

'I hate you,' I mumble. 'Orange, potato, quince …'

'Raddish.'

'Star fruit …' I utter after a second of thought. I still think that's a weird name for a food.

'… Tomatoes.'

'And you still hate me for that. Ugli fruit? Voavanga?'

'Watermelon. Have you done this before?'

'At school,' I say with a small smirk. 'We could never get the last few though. Yellow watermelon, yams, but that was as far as we got.'

'Desians.'

'Hey, that isn't a frui-'

'They're coming.'

I look down the hallway, and sure enough, several of the soldiers in black come out from behind the corner. Kratos must have heard something before they came into view; either that or he is very good at guessing. Anyway, I can take a wild guess that more killing will ensure … and it's not something I want to see, but I can't really leave Kratos to fight all of these battles by himself, can I? I've not done a thing since coming here other than cry and stay behind him. I'll just … not focus on when they scream for all they're worth and drop dead.

'Harrison, stay ba-'

'No,' I say quickly, pulling Charis' real pistols out from my satchel. If I'm fighting for my life, I might want to use these. You know … "kill or be killed" as he put it. 'No, I'm fine. Really.'

'Hmph,' he grunts, pulling out his own sword which now seems completely red; not one steel shine visible to me. 'Don't get in the way.'

'Whatever,' I mutter, aiming at a Desian's chest where his heart should be. I pull the trigger and listen to the loud gun shut that cracks through the air (I'm used to my other guns, so it makes me jump a little bit). The distant thud of the bullet sinking into flesh makes me wince a little bit, but I manage to avert my attention to the next guy when he drops to the floor, gasping and clawing at his bleeding chest.

Kratos has taken care of most of them, seeing as he uses a short range weapon he's very good with while I should keep at the back and shoot away at the enemy. When I first came here, I honestly though I'd have a short range weapon, but Charis probably made me a weapon to suit me. In games, I'd always be someone with upfront attacks instead of the people who stand at the back and are honestly quite slow, but I guess I now _am_ one of those people. At least Raine and Genis are kinda the same, so people won't have a reason to get overly annoyed at me … though if I was a character being played by someone else, I'd probably get "MOVE BITCH, MOVE" every now and then. Hm, I'll get better in time.

Anyway, Desian killing.

I take out another with a few shots to the chest (and several to the head that just ping right off his helmet) and quickly dodge something metal that comes flying at me. I look over my shoulder and notice a large knife has embedded itself in the wall behind me and is now quivering where it landed. Oh, that could have hurt if it hit me. Badly.

The last Desian goes down with a few gunshots from myself and slumps against the wall, breathing heavily. I have a feeling we're just going to leave him to have a long think about how being a Desian is bad before he dies, so that we will do.

'Three people,' I say, turning to the mercenary who seems to be tugging his sword from a man's chest. I grimace, but continue. 'I just killed three people for you.'

'For _you_,' he corrects dryly, sheathing his sword. 'They would have killed you, and by the looks of it-' he gestures to the knife in the wall, '-they almost did.'

'Yeah, well … I didn't _want_ to kill them,' I mutter defensively. 'And I still don't.'

Kratos turns and steps over the body of the last man he killed, continuing down the hallway without me. 'No one does.'

'Well, _you_ don't seem to mind,' I say, stepping carefully around several limp and lifeless bodies before jogging to catch up with him. I stand by what I say; he really doesn't seem to mind killing random people, even if it is for a purpose.

'I've simply learned to accept it,' he says quietly, letting his blood stained hand rest on the handle of his blade. 'I like to think they would have died anyway.'

'Did you ever wonder that _that_ might be the reason people don't like you?' I wonder aloud. 'I'm taking mental notes to keep as far away from you as I can when we get out of here because I now know you can kill people and not care.'

The swordsman raises an eyebrow slightly. 'It wouldn't make much of a difference.'

'… Yeah. But what if Lloyd thought like that and started distancing himself from you?' I ask, taking interest in the sickeningly plain wall next to me. 'He may thing of you as stronger, but that could freak him out. You wouldn't like that.'

Kratos is silent for a few long moments before answering in a quiet and forced even tone; 'If that is his choice, then I will not pry or force anything upon him.'

I'm honestly still doing this to try and get Lloyd and him a little closer, this time by trying to make him see what could scare Lloyd off. This is probably fates way of telling me to shut the hell up and deal with these consequences as I would in real life. I guess I can't force them to become closer; I'll probably end up fighting Kratos with the others anyway, so it wouldn't really matter. Still, I'd like to keep the leg I'm expected to lose in said fight.

I still have to think about what we just said to each other. If most people think like me and distance themselves from Kratos because he had four-thousand years to build up a remarkably strong backbone, wouldn't that make him a terribly lonely man? I guess because Anna accepted him even because of what he is, and what he is _capable_ of … well, that's pretty sad. I don't know what it feels like to lose possibly the only person in the world who accepted you, _loved_ you, and bore your demon child, but it has to be pretty damn harsh. Whoa, is this me feeling pity for Kratos? Charlotte, get some sleep.

'… The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is inevitably that which makes you lonely, I guess,' I mutter, chewing on the corner of my lip again. 'I've always liked that phrase.'

For what can possibly be the hundredth time since this journey began, Kratos forces himself to ignore me.


	34. Watch out Bob Marley!

Hey hey, I'm an author's note! Read me!

Okay, this chapter has a rather abrupt ending. Buut, I'm halfway through the next chapter with the battle with Magnius, and uh, some things I won't spoil for you. Right, this covers the last part of the ranch up until before the battle with Magnius, and I've covered the last three floors. So that's all very good. I hope.

Okay, another thing! I have a MOBILE omg. Like, new and such. I'm so happy ... and I've been re-obsessed with FFVIII again. Especially the soundtrack. I, uh, blame a friend. Yes I do.

I can't think of anything I was supposed to mention because my sister is screaming at me, so I will update this in ... an hour? Yeah, maybe mention something I forgot. Right, read on and don't forget to review!

* * *

Chapter 34 - Watch out Bob Marley, here comes Magnius!

I'm glad to finally be moving up a floor; my legs are beginning to hurt really badly and I'm getting tired awfully quickly. It was probably because all of the actions from today, with the Desians, Rufus, and the accidental fight between Kratos and I (I'm starting to think he actually _knew_ it was fake smoke from the beginning). I'm okay mental wise still, luckily. I just hope my brain doesn't decide to shut itself down without warning and I end up falling asleep or collapsing. My money is on falling asleep for now.

We're all here now, and Raine is going through some maps of the next floor for us. We've been informed by Raine that Neil is rescuing some hostages on the second floor alone for now; he told us that we should go and deal with Magnius while he rescues everyone. Raine agreed and let him do his thing, but I'm sure she's a little worried about him, as we all are.

Besides Neil, everyone seems to be okay for now. The others were a little freaked out at the amount of blood on Kratos' outfit (as I thought, strangely), but it was quickly dismissed when Raine started talking us through what's going to happen.

'Lloyd, Genis, you two will be taking the lock furthest from the warp,' she orders, handing them the maps. The nod and quickly scan through their route, probably to check for any areas they might need to take extra caution. I'd recommend random corners, but I'm sure they could be aware of that already.

'What about you and Colette?' I ask, picking at some dried blood on my shirt. It must be from when Rufus used Ice Prison … and I'm just glad I won't have to face that again … or any of his other attacks. I'm pretty sure Earth Prison would have hurt like a bitch.

'We'll be taking the lock a few rooms left of the warp room,' she explains shortly. 'You two will be disengaging the one closest to this room, so just wait here for us when you've done.'

'Ah … okay,' I mumble as she hands Kratos the directions we'll be taking. I'm glad this floor won't take as long as the last two, and we can just sit around here and relax a little until the others finish. I'm sure Kratos will get less stressed too; I'm not that entertaining to be around, so he can let off some steam and try to diminish his urge to strangle me. Which I'm sure he's getting close to doing.

'This looks simple,' I say after looking at our course. 'Lucky us.'

'Hn.'

'I will give you one hundred Gald if you say one positive thing right now,' I say, reaching into my satchel. 'Do it.'

'Your lip is bleeding,' he mutters, still looking through our directions with a jaded expression on his face.

'Oh.' I reach up to touch the corner of my lip and wince a little at the sting that throbs through the cut. I really must stop biting my lip; it'll probably get infected and I'll look like a fish. Whoa, weird images just entered my head. I won't be thinking about that again. 'Ow.'

'You shouldn't bite it,' he says casually, flipping through the several sheets of directions. I make a face and glare a little when I notice Raine going through the information for the next floor with Colette, so she won't come over and slap us both into next week for snapping at each other. When she asked why I had blood running down my chin (probably from when Kratos punched me _twice_ … and _forcefully_), I just said I got into a fight with a Desian. If I had said a morbid, jackass bastard who needs to be kicked repeatedly in his unmentionables, it could have meant both things. But I'd probably get a scolding for rudeness. Whey.

'Well sorry for _biting_ it …' I say a little colder than I should. 'I bite it when I'm _nervous_, and this place isn't really a pack of magic and laughs. When Desians begin vomiting rainbows and bunnies, maybe I'll consider stopping.'

'I can't see that happening, Harrison,' he says with what sounds like a sigh of frustration, folding the papers up. I raise an eyebrow after checking Raine for her teacher senses a-tingling.

'Pissed off?' I ask. 'Am I that bad?'

'My fatigue is making a return …' he mutters, running a hand through his hair. I notice the dried blood again and grimace at the image. Blood in hair isn't a nice thing. 'And yes.'

'I'd just like to announce,' I say, taking a spot against the cold white wall and leaning against it, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. 'That you are so screwed next time I cook.'

Kratos says nothing, but I do notice a less than perceptible shiver run through him. I feel like grinning to myself with my personal success, but the Professor calls us over. It looks like Genis and Lloyd are being zapped up first, seeing as their lock is far away. Poor things … I hope they'll be okay. This place just gets harder and harder the deeper we travel.

'No getting yourselves jacked up with knives, you hear?' I say as they step into the circular grey machine.

'Yeah, you two be careful!' Colette adds with one of her soul-warming smiles. Lloyd just flashes us both a dorky grin before the two of them are swallowed up by the green light of the warp and sent to the next floor to start their task. I hope those two can take care of themselves without an adult around … I'm not saying Lloyd and Genis aren't perfectly capable of protecting themselves with their current skills, but Genis _is_ just a small twelve year old boy, and it's possible Lloyd's illness-that-we-have-no-idea-what-the-shit-it-is could kick in again and he could fall unconscious. Genis would be pretty screwed over.

'I wonder if they'll be alright …' I say, biting the corner of my lip again. I feel a sting shoot through the flesh as my canine pierces the already open cut and hiss in pain. I should really carry tissues around or something to dab up the blood. Where's the Kleenex power when you need it?

'Stop that,' Kratos says quietly, probably referring to the gnawing of my lower lip. I feel I should snap at him, maybe throw something, but the Professor is _right_ there with Colette. And I'm sure Colette is against most things that dwell in my vocabulary.

I settle with: 'It's a habit, shut up.'

'We should be going now!' Colette announces, turning to the two of us. 'I'm sure Lloyd and Genis have had a good head start!'

I nod a little at that. 'Uh … yeah. We should just get this over with, huh?'

'You're right,' the Chosen says with a small smile. 'The captives are all waiting for us. And I'm sure Neil is having a hard time all by himself.'

'Poor guy …' I mutter, flicking away a bead of blood from the corner of my mouth. 'Well … you two be careful.'

'Yeah! We will.'

And so, the Chosen and the Professor step into the large mechanism of sorts and are soon pulled up in a beam of light with the flip of a switch. We see them off with a wave and a small nod (you can guess what came from who) and everything goes silent once again as if we'd gone deaf in the span of two seconds. Which might as well have happened; Mr Mercenary here and I don't talk unless needed, we're snapping at each other, or we're playing fruit induced alphabetical games. I still wish I could have been stuck with someone else so I could talk with them, but I guess not. Colette needs Raine's mad healing skills because she is The Almighty Chosen, and Genis and Lloyd just go well together. They got from Iselia to Triet, didn't they? They probably could have gotten further, but y'know … Yuan is a sneaky, merciless bastard and all.

'Think we should head up?' I suggest, jerking a thumb in the direction of the warp.

'Give them a little more time.'

I make a face and walk over to the small machine, getting ready for when His Supremacy would like to get up to the next floor and kick some ass. I'll admit, yes, I am still iffy about killing people, but I'm trying to not dwell on it too much. I'll dwell on it when this place goes ka-boom and we're on our merry way to the Seal of Water. I doubt I'll have time to dwell though, what with going over the ocean in a _bloody washtub._

… A _washtub_.

This is apparently capable of corrupting my brain and sending it into a spasm of "do not want".

I'm seriously stuck in a lose-lose situation here. I could stay here and get caught in the path on some Desian in a slash-happy moment, or I could sail over the seas in a sad excuse for a vessel and risk having a fit halfway there, drowning and … yeah, it ain't a pretty thought. Then again, I can think about Raine and how she feels about water and … well, she got through, didn't she? It's kind of the same. Raine had a scary childhood experience that resulted in her fear of water, and I had several drowning incidents through the first seven or eight years of my life that resulted in my fear. The boat ride was fine, because … well, I slept though most of it, and it was a _boat_. Safe and stuff, but this …

… A. _Wash_. _Tub_.

'We go now,' I say, feeling slightly irritated, reaching for the small switch. The small silver bar snaps down with a quick tap of the fingers and the warp powers up for the third time, glowing just the slightest hint of green. Kratos doesn't protest this time and steps into the circle before I do. I notice the warp immediately accept his presence and begin to beam him up, but I managed to jump in at the last second so I don't get left behind. Not that I'd put it against him to leave me here alone to fend for myself.

When the horrible feeling of being sucked through something far too small for you body subsides, I stumble out of the warp and immediately grab for something so I don't fall over flat on my face. The thing that I grab onto however seems to be warm, not to mention covered in a white outfit. Not a Desian. Desians wear black.

'Colette?' I ask, looking up at the blonde girl I'm currently clinging to. 'What are you still doing here?'

When I look up, I notice that this room is a lot smaller than the others with only two doors (one to the left, another to the right), and a small machine on the wall opposite the wall. Said machine is being crowded by two rather confused looking boys dressed in red and blue, and an excited looking Professor.

'… Why is everyone still here?' I ask, straightening up and unhanding Colette's poor arm. The professor notices our presence (after being deep in ruin-mode about the machine, that's kinda lucky) and looks over her shoulder, hands still on either side of the cold looking metal slab. I assume it's some sort of mini computer screen … like the ones in Magnius' room. Or like a bigger version of the zenta, which I've decided I like an awful lot.

'It seems this is a lock for the next warp,' she tells me, motioning to another circular mechanism just behind the small machine. Whoa, this is terribly easy. Something must be up, so I decide to voice my opinion. But of course, Mr I-Have-An-Eternal-Stick-Wedged-Up-My-Ass gets there before I do.

'This is too easy. There must be a catch to this.'

'Well, duh,' I say in an effort to reclaim my lost glory of saying something smart. It didn't work at all, by the way.

'It's asking for a password,' Genis says, leaning over to see the screen (poor midget). 'We've tried everything we can think of, but it won't take any of them.'

'… That ain't good,' I say bluntly. 'Maybe it's one you haven't thought of yet?'

'We've tried _everything_!' Lloyd groans, obviously resisting the urge to bash on the computer screen, and bash it hard. I know I would. 'We've tried Desians, Magnius, red-'

'Red?'

'You _did_ notice Magnius' hair, right?' Lloyd says, tapping in something else on a keyboard of sorts. 'Dammit …'

'You've tried "dreadlock"?' I ask, walking over to the computer. It may or may not be a computer, but that's the easiest thing to call it from now on.

'Just now,' he says, bashing the keyboard with his palm.

'Don't _break_ it, geez!' I hiss, waving his hand away. 'You'll set of an alarm or something!'

'… Sorry.'

'Just …' I start, turning to the computer and letting my hands hover over the keyboard. 'Just let me try, okay? I'm good with computers.'

Luckily, they listen to me and walk away to continue with their own little things, probably talking through some suggestions. Seriously though, I'm probably better with computers than most of the people in this room (with the exception of Kratos and maybe Raine), but I do also know more about … things in general than they do. I can probably spend the next five minutes bashing in random words and hoping they work.

Alright, let's give this a go. _Half-elf_?

_Password Incorrect._

Okay, maybe not. _Cruxis_? It _does_ seem a little straightforward, but I'll try anyway.

_Password Incorrect._

'Okay, I got nothing,' I sigh, looking over at the others. 'Any suggestions? Magnius' second name? No one?'

'Heathcoat.'

Kratos gets many weird looks at his (apparent) sudden knowledge concerning that of a crimson haired crazy man. Magnius' _has_ a second name? And it's _Heathcoat_? Wow, I expecting something a little more … not of the English variety, seeing as no one who is on the fair side of sane would name their child Magnius. Or Kvar. Or Forcystus. I swear, their parents were all nutjobs. Hippie nutjobs. With _crack_.

'Okaaay …' I mumble, turning back to the screen and jabbing down the word. '_Heathcoat_, aaand … nope.'

I know now how Lloyd feels and consider bashing the computer up. Repeatedly. This is so _hard_! How do spies and super secret people manage things like this, like plucking a random word out of midair and hoping it works?

'Y'know, Magnius Heathcoat sounds kinda weird …' Lloyd says quietly as I continue to stab at the keyboard with my fingers. Accept my passwords! Stupid computer!

_The Coming Age of Half Elves_?

_Password Incorrect._

Dammit. _Palmacosta_.

_Password Incorrect._

Hate this computer. So much. _Lord Yggdrasill_.

…… _Access Approved._

'Oh! Oh, it worked!' I exclaim as the two big green words slap themselves over the screen. 'Finally!'

'Wow, what was it?' Lloyd asks, coming over to check the computer for himself.

'Um, it was … Palmacosta.'

'Huh … I could have sworn we tried that one.'

'Yeah, well …' I say with a small shrug. 'You probably spelt it wrong or something. Whoa, what's …?'

Before we can all bask in the glory that the password was accepted thanks to our super spy skills (of sorts), a window on the computer screen springs up, asking for another password. No … no, we just _gave_ you the password, you stupid computer.

'Okaaay …' I mutter, bashing in _Lord Yggdrasill_ again rather quickly before a certain someone notices just what the password is exactly. Everyone seems to be crowded behind me looking at the screen, so I'd assume they're looking at what I type in. I am so screwed if Kratos just noticed.

_Password Incorrect._

'No, no it isn't,' I mutter, prodding the _enter_ key relentlessly. 'You _just_ accepted it …'

'What happened?' Genis asks, trying to look over my shoulder. The poor kid really needs to grow a few inches …

I try the ones that Lloyd claimed they had tried before, but no avail. The red sign of _Password Incorrect_ in large letters flashes red for a few moments with a single warning beep before disappearing and repeating over and over each time I type something in. 'It's asking for another password …'

'Look at that.' Raine presses her finger against a small sign on the title bar of the box. It reads: _Insert Password - 2/3_

'Two out of three?' I ask, looking up at her over my shoulder. 'So it's asking for three passwords before the warp will work?'

'It would seem so,' Kratos mutters, giving the screen a small glare. Well, it's not directed at me … that's new, and kinda freaky.

'Okay, okay, so …' I start, thinking over some things linked to Yggdrasill that could be the second password. 'Can you guys think of anything to do with the Desians that we haven't tried yet?'

Blank looks from all around, even Kratos. Well, almost Kratos. Still, we have nothing that could help … unless I decide to think, think, and think some more about EVERYTHING Yggdrasill and the Desians have said through the game. Which won't be easy, seeing as I haven't _played_ it in ages. This comes back to the "why can't I have picked another game" thing.

'Hey, a question before we move on,' I say quickly, turning to the silver haired professor again. 'Those maps … do they have any information on them?'

Lloyd, who I had forgotten has been given the maps, pulls them out of his bag of sorts and unrolls them. When they others crowd around the younger swordsman of the group, I hastily type in a few things like _Martel_ and _Mithos_ again. Nope, nothing.

'It doesn't say anything about a password …' Colette says, stretching to look over Lloyd's shoulder. 'Oh, this map must be old!'

'Agh, again?' I groan in frustration. 'What about Dorr's new maps? I'm sure the Desians must have left him so-'

Waaaait a sec. When Dorr was dying in the basement, I went upstairs and saw Rufus taking some papers. Maybe they were the recent maps? They certainly _looked_ new … and if Dorr is dead, he won't be using them, so it'd be dangerous if they were left lying around. But now Rufus is _dead_, so … we can't really ask him where he put the maps. Dammit.

I look over my shoulder. 'Hey, Kratos, did you happen to steal from Rufus' dead body?'

'No,' comes the cold reply. Geez, that stick isn't coming out anytime soon.

'Alright, does anyone have any books or stuff on Desians that might help?'

'Uh … you do,' Genis informs me, raising an eyebrow. Hey, I _do_, don't I?

'Ah … my other bags are in the wagon,' I mutter guiltily. 'So we aren't getting those anytime soon.'

The only thing I could probably do is think about the things I've read about so far in those books and see if I can muster up a certain word that could help. I try _Edmund_, as in the previous Governor General, but I didn't really think it would be accepted. And nope, it wasn't taken. Aw man, what was that guy's name? Y'know, the previous owner of the ranch? Oh geez … it reminded me of Forcystus … ah, uh, _Faestus_! That was it!

I also thought of "foetus" just now. Let's not go there.

Alright then, _Faestus_.

…… _Access Approved._

'Wow, you _are_ good with computers,' Lloyd mutters as the third and last, message box pops up. Final password, so this'll be tricky.

'Eeh … just think of it as "at least she's good for something", m'kay?' I say, typing in all of our previous suggestions. This doesn't actually mean I'm good with computers, it just means I know more about things in general and … well, I read that book. So that's cheating a little bit … but hey, lets not sweat the minor details.

'Alright, I have nothing,' I sigh after squeezing all the possible passwords I can out of my brain. 'Anyone else wanna try?'

I don't get an answer, but Kratos does step forward to indicate he will be the one bashing in random words for the next ten minutes. I step to one side to let him in front of the keyboard, attempting to watch what he types in. Sadly, he has super fast fingers, so I don't catch anything from his first attempt.

_Password Incorrect._

After a moment of thought, the typing continues.

_Password Incorrect._

'Wow, this sucks …' I mumble as the third password goes in.

…… _Access Approved._

'So it doesn't suck _that _much,' Lloyd finishes quietly as the green words flash for a few seconds before disappearing as the screen shuts off. Kratos steps back when the machine beeps loudly and a loud click from underneath it fills the room. After a few seconds, the small computer jolts as though something had just jerked up to smash into it, and then it is slowly dragged down into a hole. The click must have been something opening up.

'_Locks disengaged_,' says a quite, monotone voice from the computer being gradually taken down into the hole. '_Access permitted._'

Another click, and the computer is sealed with a metal slab. I'm assuming that was to prevent people from using it afterwards … y'know, incase of intruders. It'll probably come back up when we've used the warp to make someone _else's_ life a little harder.

'I suggest we go up together this time,' Lloyd says as the warp begins to power up. 'We don't know what could be up there.'

'You're right,' Raine sighs, pocketing her and Colette's directions. 'If these maps are useless, we should be more careful.'

'As long as it isn't one of those freaky-ass machine things, I'm cool with it,' I mutter, stepping towards the warp. Seeing as the circular thing is quite _small_, we go up in threes, and even if it is for a millisecond or two, I am _so_ glad to go up with Colette and Raine. No more … batshit mercenary after my head for a few seconds.

Alrighty, this room looks fairly normal. Big, white floor and ceiling, a computer and another warp. And about, I dunno, TWENTY BLOODY Raybits. For those of you with bad memories … they're those little bastard machines that shoot things at you … and fighting _two_ of them is hard enough, so … difficulty multiplied by ten. Whoa.

'… Dammit,' comes a whisper from behind me. It's Lloyd and the other two, and I'm not that happy. Lloyd just caught the attention of the five closest to us, and _boy_ do they look freaky. Their lights flash bright red before the beams come shooting at us non-stop, alerting the rest of the room. Think fast, Charlie.

'Protection!' I practically scream, not bothering to get into the appropriate position for this attack; I'm fine just throwing my arms up to my face, thank you.

Strangely, it _does_ work, but not for long. A good amount of beams are deflected back at them, but my shield caves in on itself like shattering glass, letting a few through. Colette and I get hit since we're at the front, and _yes_ it hurts, but … a lot less than I'd expect. Still, I have to imagine that pain ten times over. Not nice.

Another shield is set up by the two swordsmen who rush in front of the four of us with a simultaneous cry of 'Guardian!' (and despite the situation, I try not to laugh at the sheer dorkiness of it). It lasts for a long while longer, deflecting the beams that are coming at us so fast I'm having trouble seeing them properly. While we're being shielded, Genis casts a quick spell of Lightning at a small section of Raybits to the left.

'Two of us can shield at a time while the other four attack!' Raine shouts over the sound of beams being shot and deflected and flying into the hordes of small machines.

'Are you two ready?' Lloyd asks after another moment, looking over his shoulder at the two siblings who seem to be up next. 'Three, two … _go_!'

'Barrier!'

In the three seconds it takes for Lloyd and Kratos to get behind the other two, they get hit with beams around … seven times? Oi, this doesn't look good … but still, they're up and running and Demon Fanging away. Chakrams and Pow Hammers go flying from Colette, and a lot of shooting and Shockwave casting comes from my side. According to the two children in my head, Shockwave is good against these things. Hm, I'll see if Lloyd and I can shove in a Shockblade somewhere … that'd be useful.

'We can't hold on much longer …' Raine says softly, sounding a little worn out. She turns to Colette and me. 'Will you two be okay?'

'Sure thing,' I say, giving the hand positioning a quick test. Alright I think I go it …

Genis and Raine jump back rather quickly after two shouts of "Damage Guard" and "Protection", and I hear a yelp of pain from Genis when a good amount of lasers collide with his arm. Poor kid. This really isn't his day … well, his two days.

While the four behind us are attacking, I begin to feel the affects of mana being drained from your body at one hell of a speed. I mean, I realized that Protection and the other shield techs used up a lot of mana, but this is just … ouch. And since we have to hold it up for a long while, this doesn't look pretty.

After a few more moments of protecting away, my knees buckle and I almost stumble to the floor. My arms are shaking too, and I have to blink rapidly when the corners of my vision go slightly blurry. Wow, this is taking a worse turn for what I expected. I look over at Colette to see if she's feeling the affects of this, and the poor girl is in the same state as myself, if not a little more upright. I try to straighten up, but it feels like a sack of bricks has been tied to my neck. Cannot move. Not good.

'I think we should, uh, go back now,' I say, turning to Colette again. She nods a little bit and gets ready to step back. I look over my shoulder at the two swordsmen and notice my legs are shaking a little bit when I almost topple over. After a nod from both of them, Colette and I let our shields down and hightail it to the back of the group. I get hit a couple of times, but like last time, it isn't that bad. I _do_ almost get knocked over when my legs wobble a little, but we'll totally ignore that.

I cast an immediate Shockwave, but lack of mana does seem to take its blow when you attempt to use it. I stumble a bit, but manage to pick myself up and shoot away and a Raybit zooming towards me. The reflecting from our shields is doing a lot, and so are Genis' Lightning spells. I think Kratos used a few, but I'm not too sure. We've gotten rid of about half of them so far, so after this round of reflecting I think we should be able to just jump into the fray.

'Do we start attacking after this?' I holler over clanging, buzzing, crackling, and any other sound you can think of that is going on around us. I get many nods as people seem to be halfway through chanting their spells. Alright, I might want to swallow an orange gel or two … I'm going to be Shockwaving like I'm on a high rave or something.

I manage to gulp down two of the tangy treatments (say that ten times fast) and begin to cast my quickly-becoming-favourite technique on the crowd of Raybits that seems to be getting smaller. I'm quite sure we can start slashing and shooting things up now.

Lloyd's shield flickers for a few moments before disappearing when I assume his mana has been pretty much all sucked up, and he narrowly dodges a number of beams flying towards him. Kratos keeps his up and running for about ten more seconds before letting it down and taking a slash at a group of the robot-machines slowly closing in on us.

Genis seems to be casting Spread over and over again while Raine is healing us all up, and it's making things go a lot faster. Spread seems to be doing a lot to them, like screwing their circuits up. Yay for scientific measures. Try Thunder Blade, anyone?

While shooting, I didn't notice a Raybit from behind me until it decided to shoot lasers into my back. Since it was a surprise attack, it strangely hurts more than it should (and my back is _sensitive_, dammit) and I end falling over on my behind. But here comes that bad part! I kind of shot randomly when I was hit because … well, I tense up, and I'm sure most people do. Though it was an accident, I swear … and I kind of busted the overhead light, so the party and the remaining … six Raybits are enveloped in darkness, save for the small red lights on the machines and the computer screen's glow. In other words, hoshit.

'Crud. Uh, sorry!' I say quickly, taking down a Raybit slowly approaching. Its small red light slowly flickers and dies and it collapses to the floor with a loud clang, along with a few others from around me. How we can fight in the dark, I do not know, but we seem to be doing a swell job with it. Spread is easy in the dark, seeing as it's a wide attack, but we'll have to be careful not to end up near it and get attacked ourselves. That won't be nice.

After taking out the persistent buggers left and right, the battleground goes silent. I think we're safe from them now … I can't see anymore red lights floating around anywhere.

'Is that all of them?' Lloyd asks, sheathing his swords. Well, that's what it _sounds_ like. Still can't see here.

'I think so …' Genis mutters, probably looking around for a red light. I think we all are, actually. 'Ow, my foot!'

'Ah, I'm sorry Genis!' Colette apologizes, stepping away from him. 'Um, we need to …'

'To the computer light!' I command sarcastically, marching my way over there. Everyone does the same (minus the marching) and we're all crowded around the small screen. It's a tight fit again, but hey, it's not exactly hurting anyone … y'know, despite the fact my ribs are being crushed into the corner of the computer.

'Is it asking for a password again?' Lloyd asks, looking over the professor's shoulder (who seems to be playing around with it for the moment).

'It's a riddle …' comes the slightly puzzled answer from the half-elven woman. 'It wants an answer.'

Silence reigns for a good ten seconds before: … 'I _really_ don't like this ranch's mechanism.'

'Me either, Lloyd …' I mutter, reaching over to pat his shoulder with a sigh. 'Me either. Right, the riddle?'

'Alright.' Raine peers closer at the small screen. '… "_I am the closest person to you … I know all of your secrets … I am always with you … so what am I?"_ …'

Silence all around again. I was never good with riddles, so unless anyone else can cook up an answer for this, we're stuck here. For a very long time.

'Um …' Colette mumbles quietly, fiddling with her sleeves. 'Is it a friend?'

'Yeah, that makes sense!' Lloyd replies as the professor types our answer in. 'Nice going, Colette!'

'Eeh, I wouldn't be so sure of that …' I utter as the words "_Answer incorrect_" flash up on the screen when Raine hits the enter key. Though I have to admit, it _did_ make sense … so all of my ideas just flew straight out the window. I should really consult Charis and William to see what they think, but it'd be a waste of time. They're probably working on some serious stuff (if watching us _SUFFER_ counts as serious business), so I'll ask them when one of us has a mental breakdown. I feel like I'm getting rather close with all of these damn passwords and riddles.

'Oh no …' Raine says faintly, hands moving away from the keys.

'What's wrong?' Genis asks, looking up at his sister. She reaches for the keys again, almost nervously.

'We have three tries. If we fail all of them, a siren will go off throughout the ranch and we'll be trapped,' she says gravely, rubbing her brow slowly. 'We'd best be careful with our choices. Let's think for a while before jumping straight into it.'

We all nod and start thinking to ourselves. I, for one, cannot think of _anything_. At all … I _said_ I was bad at riddles, therefore I am bad at riddles … there has to be an easier way. Maybe one of us has heard it before, or …

"_Okay, screw this_," I sigh, turning to the two inside my brain for help. "_Any ideas?_"

"_Can't help you there_," William says in a sing song voice, spinning on his chair again.

"_Yeah, and busting up the light?_" Charis unnecessarily adds. "_Way to be a moron_."

"_Ah, shut it,"_ I reply, a little annoyed. It wasn't _my_ fault, it was the damn Raybit. Blame the poor dead (or just malfunctioning) sod.

'I have nothing,' I finally say after two minutes of silence in the room. 'Anyone else?'

'Nope.

'Nothing.'

'Zilch.'

Raine sighs again in a patient kind of irritation, putting her hands flat on each side of the keyboard. 'We must keep thinking …'

'Uh … a pet?' Lloyd suggests, scratching his neck. Hm, he probably though of Noishe … well, he _does_ talk to the thing a lot, doesn't he? You'd think he's crazy … but Kratos talks to him too. Oh well, he's not exactly leaning on the right side of sane.

'Somehow, I don't think so,' I answer. 'This is probably referring to everyone who comes across it, including Desians. Some people don't have pets, so it wouldn't be a good answer …'

'Right, right …'

'Your shadow?' Genis tries, leaning on one side of the computer. 'That can be the closest thing to you, right?'

'Yeah, and it's always with you!' Colette adds.

'And if it's always with you, it should know all of your secrets!' Lloyd finishes. Wow, Team Dork has entered the building, and it doesn't look like there's an exit.

'Alright then, we'll try Genis' idea. Does anyone have any objections?'

When no one says anything for a while, Raine slowly types the answer in. Even if it's spelt wrong, that's another chance knocked off the three we started with. If this isn't right, we only have one guess left, and my nerves are cranking up to their highest. I can already _hear_ the damned sirens going off.

_Answer incorrect._

'Dammit!' Lloyd groans, palming his face. 'Only one chance left …'

'We're screwed …' I sigh, rubbing my head. 'Okay, there has to be an answer …'

Lloyd doesn't seem happy. 'This stupid riddle … it's worse than …'

'… Yourself,' Kratos murmurs from the back of the group, arms still folded over his chest. I was assuming Lloyd was going to say the password crap we had to deal with downstairs, but that was just cold.

'Gee, thanks …' the younger snaps, glaring.

'The _answer_,' Kratos replies icily, glaring straight back at him.

'Ow …' I grumble, holding a hand to my head. Sudden pain just flashed through it … oh no, it can't be Cha- 'Oww!'

'Is something wrong?' Lloyd asks, looking my way.

'Head hurts …' I hiss as my vision begins to blur. Shit, can't Charis find an _eaiser_ way of contacting me? You know, when I'm NOT busy?

"_Not now!_" I snap at the two of them. "_Later!_"

"_This is important-_"

"_Hear that? It's the sound of a damn not being given! Sit tight until after the ranch!"_

"_Oh fine_."

'Ah, I'm okay now!' I claim, straightening back up. I have a feeling I'm in for a long talk after the battle with Magnius and the blowing up of the ranch. About what, I have no idea … I think we've gone through everything that needs to be said, like what I should and shouldn't do and all of that crap. Or maybe it's a helpful premonition of something to happen? Like, oh I don't know, some crazy ass dragon coming and eating us on our merry way to Asgard. Sadly, I can see it happened.

'What if it doesn't work?' Genis asks. I assume we've moved back onto the riddle business, and Raine is still thinking about if she should put Kratos' answer in judging by the look on her face.

'Then we panic and run like hell,' I say dully. 'I don't see anyone else coming up with anything, so we should just take it. If it doesn't work, we can try to bust up the computer and hope it makes the warp zap us up.'

'That won't work,' Kratos mutters snidely.

'It _might_ work,' I correct, giving him a look. 'What do you think we should do, kneel over and get our necks sliced?'

'Alright, we'll try it,' Raine sighs, still sounding a little reluctant. She types down our answer taps the enter key, and I cross my fingers for good measure. Seriously, I can _hear_ the warning sirens going off in the back of my pessimistic little mind.

…… _Access Approved._

Collective sigh of relief.

'Wow, that had me scared for a second there …' Lloyd says as the warp begins to power up and Mr Computer begins to sink into the ground again. Maybe there's a button down there that makes the warp work, or an electric circuit. I don't know.

We go up in threes again when the warp is running properly, but the boys go first this time. I have no idea why, they just insist … maybe the old "boys protect girls" thing is coming into play here. Excuse me, we can kick ass too. I remember stabbing Yuan. Y'know, with help from Charis, but we can still kick major booty. Especially the professor … but she's a weird case. Speaking of the professor, didn't she give me an essay to complete like, two days ago? I might want to get started on that when we get out of here.

Right, I'll stop now.

The next room looks a little more familiar to me, and when I realise exactly why, I feel like kicking something hard. D'you know why? Go on, take a guess. Take a wild guess. It's the part that made me rip my hair out back on Earth.

_Warp_ rooms. Goddamn _warp rooms_.

For those of you who don't know or have bad memory, the warp rooms are quite (far from) simple. The whole room is just a platform in the shape of a cross over a big … um, pit of sorts, and at each end is a warp. You choose the right warp, and you go on. You choose the wrong warp, you get lost pretty damn easily, and it's hard to retrace your steps because each room is exactly the same. I was hoping this wouldn't come up, because if we get lost, I _will_ take out my rage on someone. And it will hurt. I have four guns.

'Wow, this room looks weird,' I say, feigning surprise through clenched teeth. To make matters worse, I just attracted the attention of some Desian walking around with a whip in hand. He spots us immediately.

'Hey, you!' he shouts, pointing at us. Yeah, because that will make us kneel over dead. These guys make me wonder sometimes …

'Hey to you, too!' Lloyd replies, drawing his sword and casting Demon Fang on the poor bugger who seems to be sprinting towards us. I kind of expected us to all get our weapons out and beat this guy to a pulp, but Lloyd's attack makes him trip over his own feet and … well, he falls down one of the four holes in the room with a loud yell. We wait a few seconds before hearing a thump from below. I don't think he's dead … maybe unconscious or in pain.

When we hear a lot of shouting and swear words from down there, I assume he's alive and very conscious. Damn, it's dark. I can't even see him.

'Loud, isn't he?' I mumble, still peering down the hole. I look over at Lloyd and notice him fiddling with his satchel, trying to get something out. 'Uh, what are you doing?'

'Wait a sec …' he says, a moment after holding up what I think is a dark bottle. A bit like the holy one I used against Kilia back in Palmacosta, but … uh, dark. He inches closer to the edge of the hole and listens to the swearing, holding it over where I'm guessing the poor guy should be.

'You're mean.' I try not to grin at this and keep a serious face. Lloyd drops the bottle, but after a loud _thunk_ of bottle meeting the metal helmet and another round of loud profanities, I find it hard to keep my face straight.

'Let's move on. We shouldn't be wasting time,' Kratos utters darkly, looking just a little about ready to strangle someone.

'Care to tell us which warp we'll be taking?' Raine asks, looking around. 'There are three, and I'd assume only one of them leads to where Magnius is.'

'Well, there are three,' I say, pointing to the three at each other corner of the room. I guess we're ignoring the one we just came through. 'And that one in the middle should lead us to where these things began.'

This must mean we've been zapped up some half way there. I don't remember the layout of the floors, but I remember what the starting point looked like. I had to return there God knows how many times.

'Where'd you find that out?' Lloyd asks, giving me a confused glance. It could probably pass off as suspicious, but it looks more confused to me.

'Does it matter?' I reply a little too quickly. 'Let's just get this whole thing over with; I'm tired and my legs hurt.'

'Right ...'

We split up briefly to inspect each warp to see if anything can help us, and decide to use this as an opportunity to talk to Charis. I want some quick explaining.

"_How come this is only, like … half of what we're supposed to do?_" I ask, pretending to look over a warp with Colette.

"_Well, these past two days have been pretty hard for you, so William screwed with the warps a little bit_. _But if you have to use the centre warp, you'll have to do all of it."_

"_Gee, thanks …"_ I mutter. She huffs loudly and rants quietly to herself about me being ungrateful, or something along those lines. I'd snap something back at her, but a shout from the opposite side of the room makes both Colette and I spin around.

The warp the two half-elf siblings were looking at seems to have sent down three figures, two being Desians, and the last one a hostage they're probably taking downstairs. Well, as Desians, I don't think they'd be very happy to find six intruders prowling about. When they pull out their whips and shove the prisoner back, I decide they aren't happy.

When we decide to go and, uh, beat them up, the guy from down the hole starts shouting again, this time for help. He's calling for someone called Paul, so I guess he knows these guys. Eeh, we'll throw them down there. That'll please him.

While the hostage cowers near a wall, Genis proceeds to set one of them on fire. It goes pretty well; the poor bloke is now screaming for some water and scampering around dangerously close to the edge.

'Stop, drop and roll!' I shout before shooting at the back of his friend's helmet. The Desian does just that (seeing as they don't have the aid of a spell caster), and plummets over the edge into the same hole as the last one. Whoa, go me. With any luck, he landed on the other guy.

More swearing and shouting from below as we continue, something about us and our inferiorness. Anyways, the last one is putting up quite a fight and has gone up against a Kratos-come-to-the-rescue kinda guy. Lloyd goes over to help the hostage and the two siblings are … well, beating the crap out of him from behind. I kid you not. Raine has gone smashy-smashy with her staff and is now crippling the poor dude, and everyone keep in mind - Genis' weapon? A stone ball on string. With _spikes_. Ouchie.

After receiving a chakram to the face, he also falls from the narrow pathway and down the large gaping hole (fell, also got pushed by Genis, meh). This one lands with a crunch and we wince at the possibilities. Ew, bad images … _bad_ images.

Anyway, moving on, we all run over to the (apparently female) prisoner. And guess who it is? Why, it's none other than our pony-tailed tour guide, Chocolat! I kind of already guessed … and y'know, she looks a bit different from last time I saw her. Paler, greyer under the eyes … I guess being in a place like this really takes it's toll after a while. Yep, shut up Charlotte. Rambling.

'Chosen!' she exclaims, pulling herself up with the aid of the wall. 'Everyone!'

'Yo,' comes a quiet response from me. It goes ignored.

'Did they hurt you?' Colette asks, probably getting ready to choke the poor girl with apple gels. Chocolat shakes her head, looking over us all briefly before smiling widely.

'Thank you … all of you, really.'

'You don't have to thank us,' Genis replies with a grin of his own. 'We weren't going to leave you here!'

'Pfft, no chance,' I add. To be honest, I would have liked to let Neil take care of this whole ordeal with the Palmacosta militia (they should be in the ranch about now … it's been two days since the orders were issued). We had no reason to get wound up in this other than to drive Colette into a trap, and maybe Lloyd; I'm still not sure about him. But anyway, I'd rather be at the Water Seal than here … I think. Main word there: _water_. Agh.

'We have to get moving,' Kratos interrupts, killing off our chance for a celebration. 'Magnius must still be taken care of before we can-'

'Yes, yes,' I cut in loudly. Y'know, because I can. And he's getting on my nerves really badly now … maybe I can shoot him and make it look like an accident.

'Why are you all here?' Chocolat asks finally, dusting the ugly grey dress off. Seriously, those things do _not_ look hygienic. You think Desians would take care of the humans more if they wanted to turn them into Exspheres, not infect them.

'We've been ordered to ensure the safe escape of the other captives and defeat Magnius,' Raine explains shortly, inspecting the warp over Chocolat's shoulder. Yeah, I'm guessing that goes up if the Desians just came down from there. 'And also to rescue you.'

'Oh … so that means Dorr is finally putting his plans into action?'

Silence.

'Uh …' Lloyd mutters, probably trying to find the right words other than "a scary ass purple freak stabbed him three times and he's now dead". 'He's, um …'

'Yeah, he asked us to help,' I intercept quickly, partly because Lloyd is about to say something he shouldn't, and because he's starting to look like a right doofus. But that's nothing new, really. 'And, uh, here we are. Helping. Yeah.'

'That's great!' she exclaims with another wide smile. Gee, I hope Magnius doesn't break it to her that Dorr's gone … seriously, if you saw how happy she looks right now, you'd be thinking the same thing. All we can do is hope the Desians take her away before "your leader is dead like whoa" and … well, hope some more. We can't really throw her at them and scream "TAKE HER AWAY", because … well, we can't.

'So, we should be on our merry way to, uh, kick some booty,' I inform her. 'What are you gonna-'

She doesn't give me a chance to explain and turns to Colette, eyes slightly (and freakishly) wide. 'As thanks for saving me, I could show you the way to where Magnius is!'

Kratos and Raine, being the two adults of the group, exchange uncertain looks about letting her come with us. It's gonna be dangerous sure, but she should be gone by the time we fight Magnius … I can't really remember, so I'll stick with staying silent and letting the others crack this one.

'Are you sure?' Lloyd asks, looking a little worried. 'We'd appreciate your help and all, but it's gonna be dangerous.'

'You fought those Desians to save me, so it's the least I can do for the Chosen.' Uh, we have other purposes other than to save your hide. You can stop any time, y'know.

'I suppose we could use your help …' Raine admits after a moment of consideration. 'Thank you.'

'I'll lead the way!' she says with another smile, turning back to the warp. 'Um, it's this one …'

'Yeah, kinda guessed that already,' I say quietly. The bad thing about this? I've been warped around … four times during my time in this ranch, and sweet _lord_ it does not feel nice. Like I said earlier, it's like being sucked through something too small for your body …

And so we step into the warp (of horror and doom) and zap ourselves up in twos again. I try to ignore the horrible sensation, but it somehow makes me feeling like barfing a whole lot more. I don't know how that works, but I manage to keep my composure until I stumble out of the warp again. I really need opposing magnets on my heels so my feet can stay far apart … I trip over myself too much it's not even funny when you count the bruises on my elbows and whatnot.

'Pain …' I whine to myself when we're all warped up, and we all shuffle across the narrow pathways. I wouldn't like to fall down that hole … it'd hurt, and I'm too tired to be hurt. Actually I probably wouldn't notice, but still … heights are a big no-no for me. Not as bad as the Aquaphobia, but still a bitch to deal with. Good lord, theme parks are not my thing because of that fear. "Hey Charlie, wanna go on the-" "NAH, I'M GOOD THANKS."

'It's … left, I'm sure …' Chocolat ponders aloud, starting off in the direction of our next warp. I whine to myself again and follow behind Raine as we approach the glowing yellow ring of pain and proceed to zap ourselves up once again. I yawn when I step into the warp, and I feel like my lungs emptied themselves of air when it swallowed me up in mid-yawn. Agh, will these unwanted sensations never end?

'I hate this,' I hiss, not expecting a reply. And of course, I don't get one. We just carry on as Chocolat leads us here and there, to different warps.

After a few minutes (or possibly more; it feels like it's been an hour since we started this whole thing), we come to the final warp room. Well, I think it is. Either the warp straight ahead just looks terribly fancy, or Magnius is up there twiddling his thumbs while we trudge on. And I go by the fact that it _does_ look terribly fancy. Instead of being a horribly green-brown colour, it's all silver and shiny like with an angelic inscription.

'This is it then …' I mutter, mostly to myself.

'Is everyone ready?' Raine asks, looking around. She gets a lot of nods in return and a few "all set", "as ready as I'm gonna get". Oh god, we're going to fight Magnius. MAGNIUS. The Magnius who wields a fucking massive axe and has a good deal of fire spells to throw here and there. Oh lord, oh lord oh lord, I do not want to do this. I want to turn around and run and run really fast-

'Hey, hurry up,' Lloyd says, nudging me out of my thoughts. Most of the group has already gone up, so …

'Ah, yeah …' I mumble. 'Just going through a checklist in my head.'

Lloyd doesn't reply and warps himself up, and I manage to jump in as he does. I wince when I stumble out after three seconds and hope that's the last time I'll have to do that in a while.

I look around the room and notice it's very different from the others below. Computers lining the walls everywhere, random green screens with data enlisted on them about captives and (from the look of it) the status of the ranch itself. It should read "pretty damn screwed up" after what we (and William) have done so far. The warp we stepped out of and another a few yards away seem to be the only form of escape here, so I guess there are two possibilities here if I decide to high-tail it out of here screaming. Not that I will … hopefully.

'So is this the control room?' Lloyd asks, taking a good look around at the machines (I'm starting to wonder just how we can fight here). I have a weird urge to scream "well, DUH", but I settle with "no shit". Don't really want to attract the attention of any Desians prowling around behind the computers or anything. Ah, but of course, that doesn't work when the voice belonging to a certain SOMEONE fills the room.

'So!' it booms, seemingly bodiless. 'The forsaken Chosen of Mana and her group of useless _vermin_ have decided to invade.'

Vermin, vermin, vermin. Also, the "well, DUH" thing is boiling to the surface again … "oh no Mag, we've just popped in for a spot of tea, ignore the unconscious Desians behind us. We're totally not in your base, jacking up your dudes."

'What was …' Lloyd starts, but is cut off by the loud buzz of a machine running loudly. And aha, a floating sofa/chair thing comes down from a hole in the ceiling (yes, I know this sentence is weird) and spins around to reveal Mr Dreadlock and an evil smirk that he has plastered to his face. Regardless of our situation, I'd like to point out that the chair kicks ass. Ignore the homosexual way Magnius decides to sit in it, but … the _chair_! Mein Gott.

While I'm rather take aback by the floating chair and the sheer awesome it radiates, Lloyd decides to speak up, loud and proud. 'You've got it all wrong, Magnius. The forsaken one is you.'

'I doubt _you're_ in such a position to talk like that, Lloyd Irving,' Magnius retorts with his smug grin still apparent despite the sour mood. Well, if someone busted up all my machinery, I would be too … and, I'd probably call a bunch of Desians to kick the culprits sky high, and … well, that's what he's doing.

Several Desians swarm out from the warp I mentioned earlier and one on the other side of the room I seem to have missed. Needless to say, we're surrounded quite quickly by the angry looking fellows with whips and spandex outfits. If I had read that sentence under different circumstances, I'd be running for the hills at quite a speed right now.

Kratos and Lloyd draw their weapons almost automatically and Raine commands Chocolat to back up again the wall away from the enemies. Colette decides to reply to this situation with a cry of "oh no, we're surrounded!"

… How many times must the "well, DUH" urge come to haunt me in the next ten minutes? Regardless of our panicking and drawing of weapons and fumbling for other weapons (that'd be me, trying to grab the right pistols), Magnius continues his insult fest with a loud, dry laugh.

'Just like the bunch of stupid vermin that you are!'

Vermin, vermin, vermin.

'I know your every move,' he continues, shifting to lean back casually against his seat. 'And I'm also aware of your futile plan to help those inferior beings escape.'

'Ah, shit,' I mumble as a screen behind us lights up. I notice the glare of light when it reflects off the dull grey floor and look over my shoulder, hands still near my guns for … well, logical reasons. On the screen is an image of a room filled with tired looking people and everyone's favourite blue-haired man, armed with his sword. I recognize that place from the first floor, and it hits me like a rock that they were _so_ close to getting out. A door Neil is THIS close to stepping out of with the others following him snaps shut, almost on his foot. Well, they're screwed.

'Neil's … trapped in that thing?' Colette asks, just a little confused. After living in Iselia for her whole life, a village with nothing like this whatsoever, I guess she'd be a bit worried. Genis and Lloyd share the same expression as the blonde and seem about ready to go and smash the thing up in hopes of getting Neil and the captives out. Let's hope they don't.

'Nah, it's some … magitechnology … things …' I explain lamely. Kratos takes up the responsibility of explaining to the three confused ones and tells them how it is a projector, and what it does. I'm far too busy looking back at the enemy to pay attention to things I already know, and call it a hunch, but I feel something bad is going to happen. It's probably just me, but …

That fucking _smirk_.

Magnius has an ace hidden up his non-existent sleeve, and I can only pray to a non-existent Martel that it doesn't include the words "half" and "person".

'You and your little friend's labours seem to have resulted in failure,' Magnius says, the grin growing wider to show off yellowing teeth (I start to wonder if they smoke in Sylvarant, cause I swear I can spot a tobacco stain). That smirk, that _fucking smirk_ is really starting to psyche me out. Let's take action.

'Untrue!' I reply loudly, waving a finger. 'We're gonna grind your ass into the ground.'

'And then we can rescue everyone when you're out of our way!' Lloyd adds, whipping around to glare at the red-headed man. Still his passionate self, I see.

Magnius ignores him for most of the part and relaxes back into his chair, scratching his chin almost thoughtfully while giving Lloyd a haughty look. 'You sound tough, but I remember a little birdie telling me about how you and your deeds-' he sits up at this point with his smug expression '-caused the tragedy at Iselia.'

I'm guessing that little birdie had an eye patch and a gun arm. I sneak at sideways look at Lloyd, taking my eyes off Magnius for just a moment, and the brunette looks about ready to rush at him with his swords, even though he looks a little pained at the memories. He sounds a little uncertain and maybe self-doubting when he replies quietly, '… That … that was an accident, I-'

'I can show you those memories again and again,' Magnius says as if he was doing Lloyd a favour. 'Those vermin are practically begging for the same fate as your little friend back then.'

Lloyd and Genis catch on quickly and look at him in utter horror at those plans. The Grand Cardinal seems to be only more amused at their immediate fright of what he's capable of and he continues with another of his throaty laughs. 'I'd wager your friend there wouldn't last five seconds in a room full of monsters.'

'You … rotten jerk!' Genis shouts, fists clenched and eyes blazing. 'You'd better not-'

The half-elf is quickly silenced when a fist meets his stomach. A Desians seems to have come over while we were watching for Magnius' next move and decided to shut Genis up himself. He sinks to the floor with a gag, clutching his stomach. When I notice a small trickle of blood trail down his chin, I have to resist all urges to run over there. Lloyd and Raine seem worried enough and have gone to him.

It takes all I can to hold back a long barrage of swearing at Magnius now that I know he can get his cronies to beat us all up while we're not aware. I've been beaten up too much already to bother, so I settle with some glaring. I wonder vaguely why no Desians have gone to kick the living crap out of Lloyd for his attitude as of far, and then it hits me: Magnius is trying to fuck with his head, making threats to have him relive an experience he'd rather not.

'Oh come on, I'm sure you'd be able to handle it,' Magnius cracks another grin as he says this. 'The old lady that was done in at Iselia was probably the least of your worries at the time.'

Insert confusion here. Something must have happened that differed from the events in the game, but this isn't the time to ask.

'What was that old crow's name again?' he mutters snidely, glancing over at Chocolat. I'm in front of her (protection and all; I _do_ have weapons), and I manage to mouth "_don't"_ to him. He notices, he ignores, and he carries on.

'_Marble_, wasn't it?'

Commence panic. Shiiit.

But … honestly, if you had seen Chocolat's face right now … agh, I don't even want to explain. You'd think her sanity had snapped into tiny pieces, and for all we know, it could have. She looks doubting at first, but then it just sinks in … slowly. She doesn't say anything for a long while, but her expression says enough. Man, I think I just died a little inside. I won't be able to play this game ever again after this is all over.

'You …' Lloyd hisses, looking about ready to kill again. Magnius cuts him off as a Desian inches closer, ready to clobber him at any given moment.

'Forcystus told me …' he starts, glancing over to Chocolat again. 'That your granny was _begging_ Lloyd for mercy, about how she said it hurt and that she couldn't take anymore of the pain, but Lloyd here was ruthless. Sounds pitiful, doesn't it?'

'That's a _lie_!' Lloyd snarls, reaching for his blades. The Desian I mentioned earlier rushes forward, placing a knife to his throat as a warning. Lloyd tries to smack the hand away, but the man pushes the sharp knife up against his flesh. When I notice a bead of blood slip down Lloyd's neck, I feel like kicking him for his hot headed manner. If he doesn't shut up, he is seriously going to get killed here.

Chocolat seems to have found her voice and turns to Lloyd, her eyes still wide in horror. 'You … you killed my grandma …'

It's more of a statement than a question, and I'd honestly rather she screamed it. The tone in her voice is dead serious and irate, and it actually makes Lloyd wince a little.

'It was an accident …' he says quietly, trying not to move his neck against the knife. 'You have to believe me-'

'You … my grandma is dead …?'

'Oh god,' I sigh, pressing my palm to my face. I wish the ground would just swallow me up, and I'm sure Lloyd feels the same when a sneak a peek at the look she's giving him. Genis tries to put in a word for Lloyd at this point, but is interrupted when two Desians come over, one snatching her wrists and holding them behind her back, and the other with his knife at the ready if she tries anything. I doubt she will though; she's made no evidence that she noticed them at all and is still staring at Lloyd in a pained and furious way.

I'm sure Lloyd would be happy to go over there and kick ass, but he's rather busy having a knife in his throat. He settles with, 'Get away from her.'

'You … just shut up!' she screams, eyes watering and face red. You do not know how much she looks in need of a hug or two right now. I'd go over there and try to get rid of the Desians, but she'd, uh, probably attack me. So I won't.

'I won't be saved by _you_, you … you murderer!' she shrieks as the Desians drag her away. 'I'd rather die in this rotten place!'

Lloyd's face when she called him a murderer … just … agh, these people need hugs when this is over. I feel like saying something at this point, but it's Raine who tries to snap some sense into her.

'Stop being ridiculous,' she orders rather firmly. 'We-'

'Just leave me alone!' Chocolat snaps, tears now rolling down her face. 'Dorr will come and rescue everyone!'

'Dorr is-!' I reply, but I'm cut off by one of Magnius' laughs again. Many glares go in his direction.

'Right, Dorr. He'll save you, will he?' he snickers as the two Desians push Chocolat into the warp. 'You just keep telling yourself that.'

Chocolat gives is another cold, hard stare before she disappears through the machine, and when the light fades I notice something brown on the floor … a piece of rolled up parchment I can only assume is one of those road passes. I'll snatch it up later and hope it doesn't get burnt in battle.

In an attempt to pursue them, Lloyd finally pushes the Desian holding a blade to his throat away. The other seven around us (four on each side, I've noticed) take this as a sign finally come at us with their weapons, along with an order from Magnius to "destroy them". When I realise I'm the closest to the left side, I find four Desians rushing at me at once, and response is a rather loud "ah, crap".

I manage to whip out my guns and shoot one repeatedly in the face (using the mana guns here), but that doesn't help when I have three others coming at me.

'Use Protection!' Genis shouts from the other side of the room. I don't ask why, I just cast it anyway after wondering why the ground under me is wet. Before I can even think on that, a large pillar of water shoots up from around my feet, knocking the four Desians away. Protection is keeping me safe though, so … gah, _thank you_ Genis. Thank you, thank you, _thank you_ for saving my hide.

These guys go down quite easily with slash, slash, bang, Fire Ball'd, uh … the professor's Super-Cripple-Attack … a good few of them actually retreat back down the warps. After that, there are only … what, three left? Magnius' foremost guards are pansies? What the hell, Cruxis mate? Magnius seems to think along the same lines here and … well, he looks pretty pissed to me.

'You _idiots_!' he snarls, slamming his fist on a button that seems to make his chair move and drop him off … damn close to me. Let's back away … better yet, let's run and seek refuge behind Genis, and that is exactly what I do.

Magnius hops off his chair after reaching behind it and pulling something free without taken his eyes of us. Whatever it was comes out with a click, and … yep it's his axe. That bloody axe, that thing I did _not_ want to see. I'll give you a brief explanation: it's big. I mean _really_ big … twice his size in height, and … well, Mag here is one tall bastard. The blade itself? Jagged. Probably half the size of your average bed. Do you now know why the urge to hightail it to a warp is so high now?

So, here I am, ready to go up against Mr Redlocks who is armed with his axe, a big ass shield (which I can honestly say I didn't notice) and … a hell of a lot of fire spells at his command.

Today couldn't be worse.

* * *

I want to shoot thing. Y'know, constantly. Next chapter coming up soon! Any questions or anything just mention in your review. If you DO review. Uh, yeah. Till next time! 


	35. I’ll Hell Hound You in a Minute

I've been reading a lot of Kratos/Anna lately (super awesome, btw), and now I want to get back into the Tidus/Yuna loop. Gah, I love that pairing. Anyway ...

Wow it's been … only a few days since I last updated? Well, my friends aren't putting much effort into enjoying the last few days of the holiday, so I've had some free time. This chapter is shorter than the last few, but y'know … ranch, big event. And of course, the Magnius battle is here! Yep, yep, yeppers.

Okay, two things … one, is just a thank you to all of you that review. I don't think I've done this, so I'll do it now. I had a really bad day after I last updated. My mum and my sister were shouting at me and I was getting called a bitch left and right, so I felt really crappy after that. Writing always cheers me up, so I decided to get on with chapter 35, and I found … about four or five reviews waiting for me. It just made me feel really, really happy after all the bad things that happened to me. Man, I almost cried because I felt so happy something had made me cheer up. So … thank you. All of you, so much.

Okay, uh, that was a little … anyway, just a thought: I've been working on getting the characters to come soon to be IC, but I'm worried about some of them being OOC, mostly the ones I'm using already. I just keep thinking "gah, would that really happen? Would s/he really say that?", so it's all made me worry a little bit. I'll keep working on it though. I'm sure I'll get there.

I might actually bring this chapter up again and change a few things … they'll probably only be small things you won't notice, like "blink and you'll miss it" stuff, so don't worry.

One last thing; the small conversations between scene changes? Yeah, this'll be the last one. It was only supposed to last for the Dorr thing, but I used this one to show some small conversation previous to the ranch between Lloyd and Charlie. But if you want to see them again, just say something in a review. I might ... they're actually kinda fun.

Right, onwards!

* * *

Chapter 35 - I'll Hell Hound _You_ in a Minute

Hm. The Magnius fight doesn't start well. I guess you'll want some explaining.

Okay, the remaining Desians seem to have either been beaten up by our swordsmen (and our badass professor) or escaped through one of the three warps around us, so now it's just Magnius and us six up against each other. The notion that I have another five people here with me is enough to make me think "yeah, we're gonna get through this fine", but I have a feeling I'm wrong.

Magnius got zapped by a thunder spell from Genis before we could even think of attacking, and … well, it made his hair do funny things. I'll leave it at that. But anyway, he didn't seem so happy about that and immediately went for Genis with his axe in hand, and when you have a big, burly, dreadlocked man wielding an axe about three times your size, that's going to freak you out. We freak out for Genis and start pummelling him like whoa (except me … I just stand a ways away and shoot).

Magnius wasn't too happy about that, so he got his weapon and … swung it. It hit Lloyd, who was sent reeling back a good few yards, and me, who went flying into a wall. Why do I always go flying into walls? I blame Charis because … I feel like it.

And that's where I am now, slouched against a computer in a daze and in a lot of pain. Back hurts … legs hurt … I hurt.

'Are you alright?' Kratos asks, throwing me an apple gel (I'm short of healing items here).

'Pain, Kratos,' I tell him, gulping down the gel. 'Pain.'

He "hmph"s at me and goes to aid Lloyd in getting rid of our crimson haired enemy. With the help of the nearby computer, I manage to pull myself up and rub my head, taking out my guns. The real ones, at that. I leave my mana guns on the keyboard and decide Shockwave wouldn't hurt. Well, it'd wouldn't hurt me, but it'd definitely hurt Magnius. Well, it should. I know, shut up Charlotte and use the damn thing.

I get warily within distance now that I'm aware of how far his weapon can reach and point my guns at the floor when I notice the head of his axe flying at me. Well, I scream "Shockwave" and throw myself on the floor to avoid getting my head cut off, because that'd kinda hurt. The jagged blade goes soaring over my head and I quickly pull myself up so I don't get crushed by a vertical swing from the axe (which I come very close to doing).

I back away a good few paces and try to aim at a vital place and pull the trigger. My bullet simply bounces off with a dull _ping_ and falls to the floor. I'd take a guess, but I'm pretty sure he's wearing some armour under there. Or his muscles are frighteningly powerful. Maybe both. Anyway, these things seem just about useless for this. So not good.

I should really panic, but I'm too busy trying to think up a solution while avoiding the, uh, Flame Lance that comes flying my way. I manage to cast Protection, but my shield and I skid back a yard or two from the Big Stick 'o Fire and Doom smashing into us. Damn, that was hot … well duh, it was a fire spell, but really … I think my outfit got singed somewhere.

'Do we have anything to stop the spells?' I ask the professor as she heals Lloyd up good from across the battlefield with First Aid. She shakes her head, turning to me.

'No, I'm afraid not. We'll have to use our defence techs to avoid them, or at least whittle down some of the damage.'

'Yeah, no kidding,' I say, patting my trouser leg furiously when I realise it's on fire. Protection, you are now unreliable. I hate you like I hate … uh … water plus heights plus Kratos plus Charis. That's a whole lot of hate from me. 'Hey, where's Genis?'

At the mention of her little brother gone missing, Raine halts the spell she was casting (Sharpness, if anyone wanted to know) and looks around the room. Ah, our little mage is behind Magnius sneakily casting a spell that looks a tad like Stone Blast … or maybe Stalagmite … it is taken a while longer than usual. Anyway, he seems to be unnoticed as of now. Solid Genis, anyone?

Sure enough, when I'm deciding on what tech to use next, large pillars of stone come shooting out of the ground under Magnius' feet and he starts yelling a bit. Gee, what is it with the Palmacosta Desians and their foul language? I mean, really … can't they just say "ow"?

Apparently not, and they also hold grudges. Magnius sets off towards Genis again, muttering a spell as he goes. Lloyd attempts to go after him and divert him (and I try shooting, but it doesn't work), but Magnius just swings his arm and our poor little mage in bombarded with fire and … well, more fire. I guess its Eruption or something along those lines; I'm just guessing.

Raine immediately sprints over there while Lloyd decides to go a little crazy with his swords and starts hacking away at Mr Mag. It takes me second to locate the others and I notice Kratos starting up a Wind Blade, and Colette casting … uh, some angel spell. Oh, it's probably Angel Feathers … it's the only one she knows right now anyway …

As I predicted, Magnius is smacked in the face with two glowing chakrams (and crap loads of pink feathers), and, um, some wind. Which does more than you'd think.

'You … little vermin!' he screeches (vermin, vermin, vermin), gripping his axe in both hands and turning to Lloyd. 'Hell Axe!'

Oh ass, that move hurts. Lloyd is clobbered with the flat of the Grand Cardinals axe, but OH NO, when he hits the floor all these … flame thingies just decide to crawl all over his body and explode on him. Oi, that ain't pretty. Our poor spiky headed friend is probably in a lot of pain right now. Ah well, Raine to the rescue! Poor lady has to save everyone around here.

'Any advice on this?' I ask, turning to Kratos after using Fire Shot, which … doesn't do much. Bloody fire.

'Yeah,' Colette adds. 'Please?'

Okay, we're all very stuck here. Let's turn to Kratos, who is looking a bit "kill-me-now" as he's trapped between two girls asking for his help. Colette is just … hovering up and down … and it's starting to freak me out for a reason I'm not aware of.

'Magnius depends mostly on brute force,' he tells us. 'It'd be best if you used techs from the sidelines.'

'Oh … um, sure!' Colette says, floating off to cast Angel Feathers again. I just raise an eyebrow as he turns back to the redhead now beating on Lloyd. Shockwave should serve me well here.

I use my tech, and Magnius immediately reacts with a good dose of Eruption under my feet. I'm sure I've had this cast on me before, but I will sum it up: bloody hot. And, ah, very painful. Yeah, my arm hurts quite a lot now after it was hit with a burning rock from the attack. I honestly have to wonder where those rocks come from, but then again it's possible to conjure them from out of no where with Stone Blast. Yeah, I'll stop now. I must learn not to ramble in between fights, unless it's of the verbal kind.

Anyone notice I'm standing around doing practically nothing while everyone is … beating the scheiße into Magnius? Yeah, time to get cracking Charlie. And speaking of cracking, when I aim at Magnius and fire, I get a click in response.

Hm, I seem to have run out of bullets. Oh noes. This won't go well.

I avoid another assault of Flame Lance which hits Colette instead, but I'm attacked twice. And it hurts - I just thought I'd mention that. This all happens on my way to the computer where I left my other pistols, and I'm kind of stumbling when I get there. Ow, I hurt.

I put the two real guns in my holsters pick up the other two lying on the keyboard where I left them, looking around to see if Magnius is sneaking up on me or something. Luckily, Kratos and Genis seem to have him busy while Raine heals up Colette's nasty wounds (she got hit by Flame Lance, remember?) and Lloyd … wait, where is Lloyd? Agh, why do people keep pulling these disappearing acts?

Lloyd is actually behind me, healing up a rather nasty looking wound which seems to be oozing blood at a rather fast rate. I wince a little and turn away, trying to spot somewhere where Magnius isn't wearing secret armour. No such look, because he's taken swings at Kratos and Genis with such a speed that I have almost no chance of getting a shot in. Really, how can he _lift_ that thing?

I manage to shoot an area just between his shoulder blades that makes him tense up for a few seconds before whirling around; sending both Kratos and Genis flying back a good few ways with his axe. Wow … I kinda expected Genis, but _Kratos_? Gee, someone needs to brush up on his fighting when he gets out of here.

When the rabid cardinal stomps towards us, I seem to realise just who it is over this side. A professor, a Chosen, and a me. Sure, pick on the girls. Meanie.

Oho, but Lloyd seems to be in his "must protect Chosen and such" phase and jumps forward gallantly to our rescue, striking down the big evil man. Yeah, I sugar-coated that up; Lloyd just stumbles over here and catches his attention when he almost hacks off a good few of those dreadlocks. And well, Magnius is pretty pissy about that apparently, so he casts an eruption under the brunet's feet and carries on towards us. Uh oh.

While Lloyd jumps around trying to avoid it (I see this over Magnius' shoulder), I see this … weird glow. I don't think I've finally cracked and gone insane yet, but seriously, behind Mr Mag there is a weird black glow …

'Genis?' Raine asks. Darn her, she's tall. I back away from the redhead so I can see what it is exactly, and sure enough it is our favourite little mage … glowing black. Hang on, if it's black, does it count as glowing? Yeah, just a though. Anyway, our little friend is emitting all these black fumes and shit, and it's started to creep me out.

"_Finally!"_ comes a sigh from inside my brain. William, I'd guess. "_Someone finally has their over limit. Now I can see how this works and everything_."

Ah, poor PS2. He doesn't know ToS. SOO, Genis has his, uh … over limit thing? People unfamiliar with this should know that when someone takes a big amount of damage, you start glowing black for a small period of time. It's affected in other ways, but this is the only one I'm familiar with … and partly because I forgot. But anyway, Genis seems about ready to mosey (see, I told you I'd use that word after the gazpacho incident).

I think (_think_) Genis' over limit allows him to cast spells quicker. I'm not too sure, but a Stalagmite _does_ shoot out of the ground under Magnius and throw him up into the air before he can attack Genis. Which I don't think would help, because I remember over limit makes you able to withstand attacks. So, you won't get knocked down, or something like that.

'Ow! Dammit, Genis!' Lloyd yells as a small rock smacks into the back of his head. Aw, poor guy. He'd have a hug from me if we weren't so occupied with a certain … creepy man.

When Magnius hits the floor again (miraculously landing on his _feet_), he takes a mighty swing at Genis with his axe, and … well, now that the over limit is gone and everything, he is knocked out. Poor kid … that axe is _huge_, and it's a wonder no one had taken a blow to the head before now. We'd all be very dead if that happened.

'I have a feeling we're not going to win,' I say quietly as Raine rushes over to where her unconscious brother is lying. Colette is casting her angel spells again, so she doesn't answer. She gives me a small glance as if to say "we _will_ win", and I give her another look back as if to say "with pink fluffy feathers?"

'This doesn't look too good …' Lloyd agrees, wiping some blood from his mouth.

'Aw shit, don't you do this,' I say while shooting away at the back of Magnius' head when he tries to attack Raine and the already defeated Genis. 'You're the optimistic one, dammit.'

'Heh, sorry,' he mumbles, taking up his swords again and going after Magnius with Kratos after he throws Raine a life bottle. Alright, I should do something … I hope my mana doesn't run out anytime soon.

I use Shockwave twice before fishing out an orange gel from my bag and swallowing it to keep my mana up. While I do this, I notice a new tech from Colette which seems to be Ray Satellite. With any luck, that will help us win faster. Go Colette, satellite that bastard up.

I grab a magic lens I found while searching for the orange gel and hold it up to Magnius, seeing it could help at all. Okay, we're about half way there … that should be a good thing if we just carry on as normal.

Upon getting lost in my own little thoughts, I'm hit with a rather large dose of Fire Ball. Ouch.

I quickly First Aid myself up and keep using Shockwave before considering using Mana Beam … nah, I'd like to keep my mana up for this battle. I don't know how many orange gels we have left after all, and if we run out … well, I'm very screwed.

After our continuous onslaught to the Grand Cardinal, he decides to go just a little of his rocker and start attacking in a frenzy with shouts that I can't hear over the sound of his axe crashing to the ground when he misses. I get "inferior" and "vermin", but that was about it. Once again, vermin, vermin, vermin. He loves that word too much.

'I suggest we panic,' I say to Lloyd when he avoids a broken leg, jumping away from the axe being swung around. A second member of our party goes down, and that doesn't surprise me at all. What _does_ surprise me however is that it was Kratos. I mean, I expected him to be the last one standing, really … being all superior and such. But apparently not; he collapses and makes a rather large wound in his side visible. I'd say he's got a very deep gash there, with it bleeding and … such. Ew. I wonder if he'll be okay.

Since Raine is busy trying to help Genis (who refuses to wake up), I throw Lloyd a life bottle and tell him to go and wake Kratos up. He nods, narrowly misses a Fire Ball flying his way, and goes to heal up the mercenary. Man, I really hope he'll be able to fight. Things aren't really looking top notch around here as it is.

Hey, Colette and I are fighting alone now. Ah, crap.

Well, Colette is dishing out a bunch of Ray Satellites on Magnius who seems to have picked us to face his wrath. I think about using Mana Blast to heal everyone up and attack Mr Mag at the same time, but decide against it. If everyone gets up fighting again, I might, but right now using it on only three people would be a waste of energy and mana.

'Yo, Krat-man!' I yell as the mercenary gets shakily to his feet. 'You okay?'

'Just get on with the battle,' he hisses, holding his side. He probably noticed I've been slacking off for a while. But sheesh, what an ass.

Y'know, coming here has made me realise just how much of an ass Kratos actually is. I'm starting to wonder why he has these screaming, raving fangirls back on Earth, because lets face facts: Kratos is a dick. Sure, he's had a tough life as of far, but he doesn't have to be all cold and bitter about it (okay, not really his fault, but still). Makes me worry about my friend at school who said Kratos is "molestable". Sorry, but I'd like to keep the group of people _I_ might be attracted to within at least three years older than myself at my age, not almost in his friggin' thirties. Paedophilia, much? Christ, his SON IS OLDER THAN YOU. He is almost old enough to be your _dad_. You freaky friend of mine, Ms Taylor.

Oh man, images. Fangirls scare me these days. Moving straight along …

Kratos proves himself good for something in my eyes and stabs Magnius in his lower leg. The cardinal crumples to the ground with a groan, a hand immediately flying to the wound. Hm, I don't think he knows any healing spells, so we should be fine here.

Well, if fine means he turns to the closest person with his teeth clenched in pain and fury. Yeah, that person would be me. Uh oh, run Charlie, run!

'Hell Hound!' he roars, slamming his axe down on the floor in front of me. I'm glad that _that_ missed, but his attack does continue - I have to say, out of all the pain I've experienced here so far, this has to be one of the worst. Something big, red and fiery just rushes at me and everything just feels terribly hot, and then painful, and then just … it feels like something is ripping me apart, and from the yell of pain behind me, I'd say it got Lloyd too.

When the brunet picks himself up and rushes at Magnius, I simply don't find the strength. I just feel so worn out, drained and damn tired. I just want to lay down and rest like back at the Martel Temple … they don't really need my help for this, do they? I mean, they beat him in the game … I should be able to nod off for a while.

Before I can even consider straightening up to say something, I topple over when my knees buckle, and everything goes drastically blurry. It's nighty-night for me … for now, at least.

* * *

'_Hey … Lloyd?'_

'_Hm? What's up?'_

'_You have a really serious face. It's kinda creeping me out.'_

'_Oh … it's nothing. Just thinking.'_

''_Bout what?'_

'_It's something Kratos said … something about taking the lives of others.'_

'_Oh … well, uh, what about it?'_

'_Something like … if you kill something, even if they're bad like Magnius, you still have to live with the burden of taking someone's life.'_

'_Hm … makes sense, I see, but …'_

'_But what?'_

'_I can kind of understand the pressure of taking a person's life if they're evil, but what about the people who aren't?'_

'_Huh?'_

'_Like at Iselia … they didn't do anything to deserve death. Does it feel different?'_

'… _I'll … never forgive myself for what happened that day. Knowing it could have been prevented was enough.' _

'_It felt worse?'_

'_Of course it did! They were people I knew, and when I think about how it might have been Genis or Colette or the professor, I-'_

'_Then don't think about it.'_

'… _That's easier said than done, you know.'_

'_Yeah, but … what I do is think about something different. Just think about something that happened after the incident. Like, a nice thing. Even if it's just sitting around with Colette or Genis, just to remember that they're still there.'_

'… _I can't. When I think about that, it makes me wonder … the people who lost their families will never be able to feel like that again.'_

'… _Guilt?'_

'_Yeah. I took away things that can't be replaced with any amount of apologizing or regret.'_

'_Then I can't help you. I never experienced something like that. But if you want to talk or something-'_

'_Thanks, but … its okay. Really.'_

'… _We're here for you, 'kay? Just remember that if nothing else.'_

'_Yeah …'_

* * *

Pain. Everything is painful when I wake up, and my first instinct is to grab my nose. Why? Because it hit the floor, and I think it's bleeding. Like, a lot. I can taste the sharp flavour of blood on my upper lip as I slowly bring myself to my knees. What the heck happened while I was out? Things seem okay … there are a lot more people unconscious than before (I notice Raine in a heap next to a motionless Genis). Screw what happened; how long have I been unconscious for? 

'Hey, are you alright?'

'Nose hurts,' I declare, getting warily to my feet. I stumble a bit, but manage to keep myself upright. I look over at Lloyd who seems to be the one who spoke. 'How long was I out for?'

'About ten minutes …'

'Ten minutes?' I ask, glancing over at Magnius, currently battling it out with Kratos a good way over there. Colette's helping out with Angel Feathers, and Mr Mag does actually look a whole lot weaker now. 'This guy still isn't going down?'

'No …' Lloyd hisses, holding a wound on his arm. Ouch, it looks pretty bad. 'Go and wake up those two and we'll try to take him down …'

'Uh, yeah …' I mumble, rubbing my head as he goes to help out Colette and Kratos. I crawl over to the two unconscious siblings and notice Genis is slowly starting to wake up. He stirs with a small groan, trying to sit up.

'Hey, wakey wakey,' I say, giving him a sharp pat on the shoulder. He blinks dazedly for a few seconds before his eyes come into focus and he looks over at me.

'Wh …' he looks around at the room. 'What happened? Is Lloyd-?'

'Lloyd's okay,' I tell him, pushing a life bottle into his hands. 'Here, wake you sister up.'

He blinks again before looking at the unconscious lump of Raine that I point to. 'Wh - ah, sis!'

'Yeah, good luck with that,' I say, straightening up. 'Pistols … pistols - ah, there …'

I pick the two weapons up from the floor and look around. Magnius and the other three are on the other side of the room, and … well, it doesn't look good. Colette looks fine, but she has a small wound on her side. She's still smacking Magnius in the face with her chakrams, so it's all good. Kratos and Lloyd are attacking from both sides, so they kind of have him trapped. Still, they're both badly injured …

As Raine slowly starts to wake up, I make my way over to the others. Hey, my leg hurts; trying running in my condition. I'm not keen on falling face first into the cold floor again. My nose and my left cheek bone hurt enough as it is.

When I get within range, I use Shockwave twice before narrowly missing a blow to the face with the side of the axe. That would have hurt. But Magnius doesn't end there; he uses Hell Axe again and the attack sends Kratos, Colette and me flying backwards. I've been awake for what, one minute? I'm considering just knocking myself out.

I land on my back with a thud and am almost crushed by Colette, but I manage to roll out of the way. Magnius doesn't take a moment to see the damage he caused and turns to the lone swordsman about to attack him from the side.

'And _you_!' he snarls, holding his axe with both hands again. I get all these horrible, gory images when the blade of the axe goes flying towards Lloyd's neck, and I have to look away for the moment.

'Lloyd!' Colette cries, and a second later I hear a thud. Oh crap, please say it isn't bad.

I look back, and Lloyd is pinned to the wall by the axe. I thank whatever gods are up there that Magnius' weapon has a curved indent on the blade, so it isn't touching Lloyd's neck. But by the looks of things, he isn't escaping anytime soon. To make matters worse, Lloyd's two swords have skidded off to the side when he dropped them.

'You brats put up a good fight,' Magnius sneers, that devil of a grin coming back. 'But when I hand that Exsphere of yours over to Lord Yggdrasill, _I'll_ become leader of the Five Grand Cardinals!'

'You're not getting this thing,' Lloyd croaks, moving his hand embedded with an Exsphere away from Magnius.

The cardinal just smirks again. 'We'll see about that.' And he grabs Lloyd's hand, still pinning him to the wall with the axe.

'No - get_ off-_!'

Colette grabs a chakram from the floor, getting to her feet. 'Hang on, Lloyd-!'

'Chosen!' Kratos growls, snatching her wrist before she can get away. He pulls her back down to the floor next to me with a small thump, and she looks at him disbelievingly. Seriously, I am too. What, we're going to _leave_ Lloyd to get beheaded? That won't go well with the other two over there who seem to slowly be coming over.

'Kratos, we-' Colette protests, but Kratos gives her a look and her mouth snaps shut.

'My job is to protect you,' he says quietly, grabbing his sword before standing. 'Let me handle this.'

'… Be careful,' is all Colette says before getting to her feet again. I also manage to pull myself up (with the Chosens help) and look over at the mercenary. What is he planning to do exactly? If he goes over there, Magnius will probably take the initiative to slice Lloyd's head from his shoulders and make a break for it with the Exsphere, and that isn't what I'm planning to let happen myself. If Lloyd dies, everything gets screwed up and I don't go home.

'I don't think so,' Magnius says when he notices Kratos coming to help Lloyd. 'Try anything,' he pushes the axe into the wall, closer to Lloyd's throat. 'Then your little friend is mincemeat.'

While this all happens, I'm slowly making my way to the computer where I left my other pistols. If luck has blessed me today (which it hasn't so far), there might be one bullet left in the other gun. I don't think people on Sylvarant are familiar with _real_ guns (though if they can make mana pistols, it's only a matter of time), so I'll try to avoid explaining if this kills Magnius with one shot.

I check my gun, and sure enough, there are bullets. Two to be precise, but as long as they're there, it doesn't matter. I pick the gun up and turn back to the group, and … Genis is gone again. What the hell?

When I look around, I notice he's behind Magnius. He must have gone around when Kratos made that diversion, and it looks like it's worked; Lloyd is still pinned to the wall and alive, and that's always a good sign. Kratos seems to be aware of this, but he doesn't take his eyes off Magnius' face.

'The Chosen has been accepted by Cruxis,' Kratos says quietly, and it's actually a wonder that I hear him. 'You didn't understand that.'

The look on Magnius' face chances to slight confusion, but it's quickly replaced by his usual rage-like self. 'Wh-!?'

'Stalagmite!'

Magnius is interrupted by the crunch of rocks crashing against each other and against him, and he drops the axe with a yell. The weapon dislodges itself from the wall, freeing Lloyd who makes a break for his swords. The cardinal manages to land on his feet again, and he takes one final swing at Genis who manages to duck just in time.

'You … ver - ack!'

Yes, he _was_ supposed to say vermin (big surprise there), but I doubt it's easy when you have a sword lodged in your chest. Not that I speak from experience, still. Lloyd, in an attempt to protect his little silver haired friend from the big bad cardinal dude, stabs him. The sound of ripping flesh and the crunch of bone makes me wince, and I manage to avert my eyes for a few moments. My guns should feel a bit left out right now, but I'm just so happy that this is over. I proceed to slump down next to the computer and Magnius himself crumples to the floor again, grasping his chest wound.

'I was … deceived …' he manages, coughing up a _lot_ of blood. It doesn't take long for him to finally fall motionless. I think he's dead -_think_- but I'm not sure. I remember a scene with one of the Grand Cardinals when he was still alive after the battle, but the memory has totally skipped my mind. I don't think it should matter.

'Wow, that hurt,' is all I can say, referring to the battle. Colette and Genis immediately run over to the brunet as Raine wonders over to a random computer. We finally get to leave this place, and you do not know how _happy_ that makes me. Two days have been spent in here, and I feel all horrible from the lack of fresh air and the blood still all over my clothes. I need a bath.

'Lloyd, are you okay?' Genis asks. The swordsman just nods, rubbing his neck a little.

'Yeah, I'm fine. What about you? You were unconscious for a while …'

I leave the three to their talking and pull myself up using the machine, trying to ignore the unmoving figure lying on the floor, surrounded by blood. I go over to the professor after a second of thought to see what she's playing around with. Hopefully it won't cause this place to explode in the matter of ten seconds. Totally possible, I'd bet.

When the professor calls everyone over, she begins to explain everything.

'I'll roll through the cameras to see if there are any other victims still imprisoned. We can send a message to Neil if we find any,' she says, tapping in a few words via keyboard. Small images of the cells flicker on and off on the large screen before us, slightly grainy. Not that I expected Sylvarant to have good technology, but just thought I'd point that out.

'I don't see any …' Lloyd says after swallowing an apple gel. I swear, we're running out fast. 'I think Neil managed to rescue them all.'

'Yeah, and he had the militia helping him,' I add. 'Two floors should be easy to get through.'

The camera pops up an image of Neil and the captives in their dinky little locked up room. Neil is trying to separate the doors using his sword, but it doesn't seem to be working that well. He's bound to break it soon if we don't help him unlock it, which is exactly what Raine does. She types in a few things, and the door swings open, as well as the other three in the room. A small kid immediately latches onto Neil's wrist, and a girl around Lloyd's age grabs his other arm. I think some girl in Palmacosta said Neil was attractive, but I didn't think they'd keep it up under the direst situations.

We watch as they leave to room to make sure they're safe leaving, and continue to … whatever Raine was doing.

'So, they should be able to leave now?' Genis asks.

'Yes. The militia should transport them back to Palmacosta,' Kratos replies.

'Well, that's good,' I say with a small sigh. 'Wait, we don't have to go back, do we?'

Raine shakes her head. 'No. We'll talk with Neil and explain what happened. He should be able to relay it to the people.'

'Oh, okay,' I mumble. 'Uh, try the camera for the exterior.'

The onscreen image turns to the entrance of the ranch, where I really expected to see Chocolat coming out with those two Desians. But instead, it's just empty; there's nothing and no one. I don't know if I should be worried or relieved. But still … this battle _did_ take long. They've probably left already.

'Chocolat has probably been transported to another ranch already …' I mutter when Lloyd gives me a confused glance. Thankfully, no one asks me how come I knew that, but I do hear an uttered 'dammit' from our leader man. 'We'll have to tell Neil about that, too.'

'We have to ask him about the Exsphere also,' Kratos adds.

'Do the what now?' I ask, genuinely confused.

'Oh right … it won't take them long to go out of control,' Genis mumbles. 'Why can't we just take the Exspheres off the captives?'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'We won't be able to. It's dangerous, like the way Marble's Exsphere was. The captives don't have Key Crests to control them.'

'Ah,' I admit. 'We have a problem there.'

'Can't we ask Dirk to do it?' Colette asks, turning to the said dwarf's adopted child. 'Dwafs can handle it!'

'Yeah, that'd work,' Lloyd says while Raine types away at something. 'I'll ask Neil to send him a letter when we get out of this place.'

I groan quietly. 'If we _ever_ do.'

'When we do, we can sort everything out with Neil,' Raine assures, turning away from the screen that she previously had her eyes glued to. 'But for now, I'm setting a program to have this place self-destructed. Are you all ready?'

You should see the faces on our comrades. I guess mine is a little to calm, so I just settle with widening my eyes and muttering a small 'seriously?' which goes unheard.

'But … Raine-' Genis tries to protest gently, but the professor cuts him off with a small explanation of what our actions would achieve.

'We'll loosen the Desians hold on this region, and the people of Palmacosta will be able live without fear, if only for a little while.'

'Hm … kinda like the next revolution,' I mutter to myself. Wow, wouldn't this like, go down in history or something as the Chosen who bought about the second revolution of Palmacosta? 'Kind of exciting.'

'Wh … how can you say that?' Genis snaps as though I'd just suggested by shove kittens into a bag and drown them. I'd do no such thing, but I've done or said something as bad apparently. The mage's outburst makes me jump a little (a good foot into the air). 'They're the same!'

If he's referring to the half-elf thing, I'd like to give him a good clonk on the noggin. For one, I'm not actually a half-elf, but we won't tell them that, and two, I already told him in Triet about how they're not the same as him and Raine, and three, I want to see the goddamn explosion.

'So?' I say with a shrug. 'Last time I checked, I didn't go around killing humans left and right.'

'But it's still-'

'Genis,' Raine says in a firm yet calm tone, putting a hand on her brother's shoulder. 'Remember that we're different. We're …'

She closes her mouth and just smiles at him after a moment, shaking her head. She straightens up and looks around at us. 'Are you all ready? I'm going to set the program now.'

'I have butterflies in my stomach …' Colette whispers quietly to me. I nod, biting my lip again.

'Yeah, me too. But we'll be okay … kinda scary, isn't it?' I reply with a small laugh before I can help myself. She nods and the five of us wait for the professor to set up the program.

It actually takes longer than I thought. From what I see on the screen, she has to enter certain numbers every now and then (probably to prove she isn't a rebel program) and choose the locations of the bombs. There are a lot around, actually; there's one in the cells, one in the torture chambers, a _lot_ in the hallways, and … well, they're everywhere. There's even one in this room. I look around for it, but give up when nothing catches my eye.

You know, I don't really blame Colette. My stomach is doing the salsa while I think about if something could go wrong … like, what if the warps broke or something? Or they don't let us back down without _more_ passwords? Oh man, that's a horrible thought.

And also, you know what I just realised? When the system is set to self-destruct this place, won't a warning siren go off? The Desians will probably make a break for it when they hear it, so … it just seems a little weird.

'You might want to put the alarm on silent,' I say when Raine is going through the settings of the program. She just nods and looks for something to work the warning siren while we go back to waiting.

After five minutes of typing, clicking, and pretty much everything you can do with a computer about to implode on itself, the whole thing shuts down completely. It probably stops people being able to disable the program. A single red light from above flashes for a few seconds, no siren included, and stops. That's probably our signal to run like fuck.

And run we do. After I grab my remaining pistol, of course, and snatch up the mountain pass the Chocolat dropped, shoving it into my satchel.

'Ten minutes,' Raine confirms as we skid to a halt in front of the warp. 'Let's hurry and evacuate in twos; we'll only slow ourselves down if we try to do things all at once.'

Without a word, I grab Colette's wrist. 'I wanna be with you.'

'Oh … sure!' she says with a smile.

Lloyd and the professor go down first, followed by Colette and myself. I try to ignore that warp feeling and hope the nerves in my stomach don't egg on my stomach's urge to shoot up it's contents. When we reach the lower floor, I'm overly happy that my stomach has decided to calm down.

When the remaining two are zapped down, we decide to use to centre warp to leave this labyrinth of sorts as a short cut. I don't remember quite clearly, but I think after returning to the first room, you use one more warp to get to the entrance hallway. Not the one we came through, as that was supposed to be all stealthy and such, but the proper one. Yeah.

'Where now?' Lloyd asks, looking around when we're all in the first room, confused and in a hurry. Okay, okay, no panicking. The warp to go up … is blue. I remember that (because I had to return so many times, but let's not go there), and then there are two rooms left and right, so …

'That way,' I declare, pointing to the warp opposite the blue one I spotted.

'Are you sure?' Lloyd asks.

'Damn sure,' I reply. 'That blue one goes up.'

'How do you-'

'I read it somewhere,' I say quickly. 'Come on, we're running out of time.'

'Right …' Lloyd says, going with the professor to the warp I indicated. I think I should start thinking up more excuses for dire situations like these. If they haven't noticed, I don't read a lot here. I don't really have time. Right, moving on!

Sure enough, we're all transported to the entrance room. After a second or two of looking around to confirm where we are exactly, Lloyd asks the obvious of obvious questions. 'Hey, why didn't we just use that thing to go up?'

Good question, Lloyd. Good question. Sadly, I do not know the answer, so I tap the warp sharply with my foot. Sure enough, it doesn't respond the slightest, and I sure as hell don't spot any machines around here. 'This one doesn't let you go up,' I say, pointing. 'We would have been able to get there.'

'Oh, I see.'

'Come on!' Genis urges loudly, making me jump again. The doors are already open, and our blue haired friend, apparently shaken off both people latched to his arms, stands all alone outside waiting for us.

'I see a little silhouetto of a man …' I whisper as we leave, trying to resist the urge to scream the rest of the lyrics to the Bohemian Rhapsody (scaramouche, scaramouche will you do the fandangooo!). Neil notices the six of us and comes running, sword still in hand. I notice a few unconscious Desians a way off to his right, but do my best to ignore them and focus on what's going on.

'Chosen, thank goodness you're alright,' he says with a large sigh of relief. He has a few bruises here and there and a cut or two on his hands, so a big deal of sympathy goes to him right now. The poor guy had to fight on his own … and sure, maybe a few captives helped him, but really. Poor man. 'I had feared the worst.'

'Yeah, people tend to do that,' I say, idly tapping my thigh with the barrel of my gun. 'And yeah, we might want to run. Like, real fast.'

Half of us don't give him a chance to answer and make a break for the wagon through the small leaf littered pathway, but Colette quickly explains what's going on and they too begin to run. I'd say we only have about seven or six minutes left to jump on the wagon and ride that-a-way for a long while until we're sure we won't get caught in the explosion or nailed with random pieces of the building. That'd be terribly painful. Lloyd can be my human shield for the next five minutes.

We all climb into the wagon after Neil throws some meat to the dragons, because they haven't been fed in … ages, and Noishe, who is resting behind the wagon near the window I'm looking out of, seems to be chewing on something black and …

Ew. Just ew, ew, why is Noishe eating a Giant Bug? Those things must taste terrible! Geez!

'Dude, put that down,' I say from the window, only to be answered with a low growl. Gah, I give up with Noishe. Lloyd quickly tells him to follow behind (and he understands, apparently) and then clambers up into the wagon and Neil hops into the driver's seat.

'How did it go with Magnius?' he asks, cracking the whip against the dragon's skin. You know when we were being approached by bandits and Neil had to go super fast? Remember how sick that made me feel? Yeah, we're doing the same thing here to get out of the explosion range, and I manage to avoid smacking my head off the wall (and falling out the window).

'Dead as a doorknob,' I say, grabbing the windowsill for support.

'And Chocolat has been transported to another ranch,' Raine says, holding onto the other side of the windowsill with a Genis dangling from her waist. Poor Genis.

'I see,' Neil says quietly, whipping the dragons a few times when they begin to slow down. 'The militia have transported the captives back to Palmacosta. Will you be going back?'

'No,' Raine replies, almost loosing her hold on the window. 'We'll continue to look for the next Seal.'

'Ah, I see.'

After a few minutes of bumpy and nauseating riding, the dragons slow down and eventually come to a stop. Neil throws them some meat (which looks a little off, but they eat it anyway) and turns to us. 'Do you think we're out of range?'

Raine and I peer out of the window and try to ignore Noishe scratching at the wheel. Poor thing must want to see Lloyd; he hasn't seen him for ages. Aw, I want a dog that cares about me like that. I have five ungrateful cats that do their business all over my school books, so a dog would be nice. Anyway, back to Neil's question and away from the subject of pets.

'I think so,' Raine affirms, sitting back down. 'We might feel something of the explosion, but it won't be dangerous.'

'How long until it goes off?' Lloyd asks, leaning against the wall.

'I'm not sure. Maybe two minutes …' Raine guesses, folding her arms.

'We sit tight until then, I guess,' I mutter, sitting against the wall too. 'I'm just glad to be out of that place.'

'Me too,' Genis agrees. 'It was horrible … being in that place.'

'The prisoners must be happy too!' Colette says optimistically with a smile. 'To finally leave and go home.'

I nod. Being cooped up and a prison cell and being forced to push large blocks for … no benefit I can comprehend, and … well, what I saw in the torture chambers … I'm sure they're happy to be out. Sure, it was scary being in there myself, but they had to sit and wonder everyday if something like … _that_ might happen to them at any given time. I kinda makes me less iffy about the ranch going boom and … well, about the people I killed. Y'know, if it stops things like that happening, I guess I'm okay with it.

'I'm gonna hop out and get some fresh air,' I say, standing. 'Being stuck in that place for ages made me feel all clammy.'

'Okay,' Lloyd replies. 'Don't get hit by a stray computer.'

'I'll try,' I say, climbing down the ladder. The others disappear out of sight and I hop down the last few steps, managing to keep my balance. Noishe is resting against the wagon again now that we've stopped, but I ignore him. Because he _will_ bite me. Hm, it's still light out here. I wonder what time it is … I thought it must have been at least six o'clock with everything that happened today.

"_Actually, it's only half eight in the morning,"_ Charis tells me. _"You guys got up real early, remember?"_

Oh, right. Goddamn six in the morning they woke me up, the bastards. So what, that was only two and a half hours? Weird, it felt much longer. And I'm tired … when it's still early. I don't like that. It makes me feel lazy.

"_You are lazy."_

"_Shut your face, you. I'll talk to you tonight, or whatever. Where's William?"_

"_Bathroom."_

I blink. _"There's a bathroom in my brain?"_

"_Yep, showers too. He's in there right now."_

"_Lovely …" _I mutter with a wince. "_Well, you have fun with that …"_

Hey, hasn't it been about two minutes? Shouldn't the ranch be -?

'AAAHHOHCRAP!'

Yeah, that was me when the ranch exploded. It's pretty weird seeing it in person … in the game it was what, three lousy bangs with a little fire and smoke? This is practically colossal compared to that. Seriously, the noise is enough to make me slam my hands over my ears. It looks a bit like the mushroom type explosions, but … well, not as mushroom-y. Most of it is black smoke that rises … at least a mile into the air. Well, that's what it looks like … it could be more; I was never good with the mile business. Plus, the whole forest around the ranch has caught fire and is now going up in flames. Everything is just red and black - kinda cool, despite the situation.

I low whistle from the wagon makes me look up, and I notice Lloyd leaning out of the door looking over at the remains. Or what we can see of them, at least. 'Scary.'

'Yeah,' I say, looking back over. 'Not something you see everyday. I wonder if you could see that smoke from Palmacosta.'

'Maybe,' Neil says quietly, joining Lloyd in looking out of the door. 'If so, they'll be rejoicing. I must get back and tell them what happened.'

'Oh, right!' Lloyd says, pulling himself back in. 'There are these little things called Exspheres embedded into the captives hands …'

While Lloyd explains that to Neil, including everything about Dirk and the letter that should be sent in his name (I notice he leaves out the part about the monster business and tells him it's just dangerous), I look over to the ranch. Hey, shouldn't this be bad for the ozone layer? Something to think on, maybe … well, anyway, I should really say something about the next seal. We'll end up going back to either Palmacosta or Hakonesia Peak, and that's something I don't want to do. Or wait, we could just use the Spiritua Statue reason … yeah, we'll stick with that.

After deciding I've had enough fresh air, I climb back up into the wagon and plop down next to a crate. Actually, screw this - I'll sit on it.

'Where are you going now, Chosen?' Neil asks, taking up the reigns again. 'I could offer you a ride.'

'Oh … thank you! That'd be great!' Colette says with a smile. 'But … where are we going?'

'Thoda Geyser, right?' I say, folding my arms over my knees. 'For the Spiritua Statue that the priest dropped?'

'Oh, yeah!' Lloyd agrees. 'We should settle that before leaving this region.'

'Ah … y-yes, of course …' Raine mumbles, going a little pale. Seriously, I can't blame her; I'd hate to go in those damn washtubs, but … I really wanna go home, so … I'll have to put up with it.

'Is something wrong, professor?' Colette asks, looking up at her teacher. Raine shakes her head, offering her an uneasy smile.

'I'm fine, dear. Just an upset stomach,' she lies. Well, she could be telling the truth … I get a bad stomach when I'm nervous, too.

'It will take about ten minutes to get there,' Neil says, rising the reigns. I immediately grab for something, but the dragons go at a slower pace. I guess we're not in a rush for anything, so we can go slowly. I swear, one more bumpy ride in this thing and I'm gonna hurl. Seriously, and I thought riding a horse was bad. Not that I've ridden one, but I've ridden a … whatever Noishe is. And that's kinda the same. I think.

Anyway, to the Water Seal! Or the … Thoda Geyser … okay, just that-a-way. But as we go, and even if I'm slightly comforted by the leisurely pace we're taking with the wagon and the nice silence the fills the small place, even Charis clicking away at her computer in my brain, there is that thought, that goddamn _thought_ that stays there, lingers in my brain, and haunts me to this very moment. I bite my lip and pull my knees to my chest, trying to think about something else. It doesn't work, and I bury my face into my knees.

_Washtubs, washtubs, washtubs …_

* * *

Whoa … that _was_ short. Oh well, next chapter is on its way! With its washtubs and water and … geyser things. Yep. Review, please? I'd like to know what you think:D 


	36. Mission Spiritua Statue

Okay, chapter 36. Yep. Lengthy. Gah.

Update on my life and why you may or may not see some more writing from me: my doctors have decided to put me on medication because I have reactive depression (again), but I'm refusing like whoa. Everyone keeps telling me not to take them (even my teachers), so I'm settling with some V-B ... somethings. School is sucking, home is sucking (I'm sure the details are on the last chapter's AU), and I'm still loving you all for taking the time to review :D Boosts confidence, y'know? You guys are all awesome.

This chapter covers the Spiritua Statue sidequest and the washtubs (gah), so we have all of that now sorted and I can stop worrying about how to write the damn scene. I'm having trouble with writing the Water Seal though, because ... well, not much happens there. Really.

I might have to go over this again because it was written in OpenOffice, and I'm really only used to MicrosoftWord ... oh well.

Anyway, read on and don't forget to review :D

* * *

Chapter 36 - Mission Spiritua Statue

After Neil dropped us off at Thoda Docks, we said goodbye and promised to tell him if we found Chocolat or not before he left. When he did leave, we headed straight for the House of Salvation (or where we buy rights to use the wash tubs) so we can rest up and … well, just heal ourselves and relax before we leave for the Water Seal. Which I'm still not looking forward to, by the way.

Seriously, I'm downright terrified. I'd bet anything all of you are going: "Be a man! It's only water!", but seriously, phobias are not a fun thing. When we had swimming at school, the teachers told me to try just going in, and I had to leave and go home I was that worked up afterwards. It was horrible … I just felt like I wouldn't be able to get back up and I'd keep sinking and sinking until I suffocated.

Yeah, that's my moment over for now. I take one look at the ocean and my knees weaken.

"_I'm not doing it, screw this, I'm not doing it,_" I say loudly to the Gamecube in my brain. "_Get me out of here now. Take me home."_

"_No can do-"_

"_YES you bloody CAN! I'm not getting in that wash tub and I'm not going near the ocean."_

After my little outburst, Charis just ignores me. Cold-hearted bitch.

We walk in, and the place looks like your average House of Salvation (new being referred to as a HoS). A small alter for praying, the little statue (why can't we just nab that one?), some stairs for the bedroom on the second floor … oh, and a girl with a brown bob-haircut is standing behind a small desk with a pen and … some paddles.

'Hi!' she greets in a high-pitched voice with a wave (I swear I just jumped out of my skin there). 'Welcome to our sightseeing dock!'

'Uh …' Lloyd starts, obviously lost for words. I don't blame him; the only words that could possibly come out of my mouth right now are "kill it with FIRE", so I'll just stay silent.

'Hello!' Colette chirps, unaffected. 'We'd like to go to the Thoda Geyser to sightsee!'

And more things that will remain unmentioned apparently.

'Oh, of course!' the girl replies, beaming. 'Our way is the _only_ way to get to the Thoda Geyser and enjoy the sights! Are all of you going?'

'Uh, yeah …' Lloyd says. 'All six of us.'

'Well then, that will be … two-hundred and forty Gald for the trip there and back. Would you still like to use the boats?'

'_Boats_,' I say, finally decided to interject. 'They _are_ boats, hm?'

'Yep!' she chirps as Raine hands her five 50-pieces of Gald. She takes them and drops them into a small metal box with a clatter. 'They're not exactly top-notch, but it's still the only way.'

Unless we have dragons, of course. But we don't, so we're kind of screwed over there.

The girl introduces herself as Candy and tells us we can leave whenever we like, and we're free to stick around for a bit (I notice how she doesn't comment on how we're covered almost head to toe in blood). We choose to do just that, and heal up a little bit too before leaving. I don't know about the others, but I'm not too keen on walking around caked in dry blood … I guess I'll have to live with it for now.

I decide to go outside to heal myself up (I still crave fresh air here) and everyone just goes their own way. I think Lloyd went up stairs, but most people have the same idea as me and leave the house. It's very nice out here … wide green hills that go for miles, clear blue skies (ignore the smoke from the ranch to the north), big blue sea, nice ocean breeze …

And then there's the sense of impending doom, but we'll try to ignore that for now.

'Oh God …' I mutter to myself when I see the wash tubs No, just no. They can't make me get in those things, and I sure as hell won't. Raine looks queasy too, but she's easily swayed … I'm just too stubborn for my own good when it comes to these things.

I start by healing up my cheek from the battle and a few other cuts and bruises (hey, my healing magic is getting better). When I'm satisfied, I take a seat on the small fence surrounding the house and stare out at the ocean with a frown. Why - no seriously, _why_? I don't _care_ if we need water to survive, there is no way in hell I will appreciate it being around me. Agh, maybe they can knock me out and then take me over the ocean … I'll have to ask them.

'Are you ready yet?'

I look over at Genis, the one who asked and nod. 'Yeah … as ready as I'm gonna get, I suppose …'

'We're just waiting for Lloyd then …'

'Oh, good …' I mutter to myself, happy at the way Lloyd is holding us all up. Please, continue with whatever you're doing Lloyd, take your time, make sure we _never_ go on those damned wash tubs. Please.

I spot the other three over by the doors, Kratos healing his side wounds up properly and Raine curing Colette's injuries. Poor Raine, she has to do everyone around here. And that sounded kinda wrong. Shut up, Charlotte. You and your dirty little mind.

'Where's Lloyd?' our silver haired professor asks, coming over Genis looks up at the upstairs window and Raine catches on quite quickly.

'Uh, maybe he fell unconscious again?' I suggest, still trying to put off going to the Water Seal. If Lloyd _is_ ill again, they'll have to let him rest and I can drag this on for longer. 'Why don't you go and check?'

Raine nods and heads towards the door, but before she can even touch the handle, it is thrown open and our swordsman jumps out, fit and healthy as ever … if you ignore the fact he's covered in blood, but hey.

'Uh, sorry about that …' he apologizes quickly, clasping the buttons on his left glove where his Exsphere is fixed. 'Are we all set?'

'Not until your wounds are healed,' Raine answers sternly, dragging him away from the door with her rod in hand.

'But Professor-'

'Stop complaining,' Genis adds, now also seated fence and swinging his legs. 'It won't kill you.'

'But it _tickles_-'

'Lloyd, sit still!'

While the lot of them have their small discussion/row/spat/thing, I decide to consult my dear Gamecube before we leave. I'm curious about what will happen and if anything is different at the Thoda Geyser, so I'm practically asking for a heads up. If she's nice enough to give me one. And I want to know if there is any other way at all I can get to the Thoda Geyser … like, with a Rheaird or something.

"_Hell no. You're not allowed Rheairds yet," _she replies.

"_I hate you. Why do I have to do this?" _I whine. "_You KNOW I'm terrified of water."_

Charis sighs in frustration. _"Look, you'll be fine, I swear. If something happens, I'll … well, I'll do what I can. That's all I can say."_

"_Ugh … you'd better."_

I look over and notice Lloyd is almost done being healed up by our very own doc, and I jump of the fence. I still don't want to go in those totally-not-boats, but if I know Charis might help me if something goes wrong, then I feel a bit better about it. Not that I won't be scared at all; I'll probably kick up a fuss and whine the whole way there.

While my stomach is twisting and turning inside me, we walk over to our ride. Sweet _lord_, this dock is rickety … it only ADDS to my PANIC. Damn, today sure is a swell one. Getting beat up by Rufus, then Raybits, then Magnius, and now I have to _go on a bloody wash tub._ There is no _god._ I suppose Raine must feel the same … maybe we can bond over this on dry land when this all blows over. I bonded with Colette via hurling halfway through the night, so why can't I bond with Raine while having a fit?

'These are …' Lloyd mutters, giving the three means of transportation bobbing up and down on the surface of the water a long stare. 'Wash tubs? We're going over the ocean in wash tubs?'

'They don't look very safe,' Genis comments, leaning over the side of the dock to peer into a tub. 'They're filling up with water …'

'Yeah, boat my ass,' I say, backing away from the edge and away from the BUCKETS. 'I'm not going. I'm staying right here.'

Raine joins me in edging away from the side, looking slightly pale and shaky. It doesn't surprise me; my legs are like jelly. 'I … I'd also like to remain behind.'

We get odd looks from all around, but Lloyd and co seem mostly concerned with their professor. Maybe because they've known her for … well, years, and I've only been known for a week. It must be a little surprising to see her so hesitant about such a thing as water.

'Professor, you too?' Lloyd asks, glancing down at the floating vehicle (of sorts). 'Don't worry, they look perfectly safe.'

The red one lies. I no longer trust him.

'I'm not riding that thing …' Raine says as steadily as she can, giving the wash tubs a disapproving look. 'You all go on ahead. I'll stay and look after Noishe.'

'Raine, you're the healer!' Genis complains sternly, grabbing her hand as if to force her onto one of them. 'What if Colette gets hurt or something?'

'K … Kratos can heal!' she protests shrilly, eyes wide and frightened. Wow, I'm so glad to hear they're worried about me also. 'You … don't need me!'

Colette holds her other hand to pull her along, but in a more comforting manner than Genis. She also tries to help with words, 'Come on Professor Sage, it'll be fun! Let's go!'

I take one look at the sheer force they're using to persuade the professor and back away slowly, closer to the land. Noishe is settling near the docks, and I don't _care_ if he growls or tries to eat me, I am _not_ going. Even if they _do_ knock me out and take me, I've made up my mind.

"_C-Charis, I really don't want to do this …"_ I say, even my _inner_ voice shaking. "_Just take me home, please, I'm begging you here …_"

"_I'm sorry, I can't,"_ she sighs, sounding genuinely apologetic. That doesn't really help me much though, and I go back to begging for a while.

"_Charis, I can't, I really can't … I can't do this, I-"_

"_Look, I'll try my best to help if something happens, okay? But I can't do much._"

I sigh out loud in frustration when I see Raine has now been won over and is slowly getting into one of the wash tubs "_Look, they're gonna come and get me, just. Do. Something. Anything, just … get me out of here, I-"_

'Are you ready to go?'

I look up at Lloyd who has come over to get me and shake my head furiously at the question. Charis has gone, so I have no help whatsoever and am forced to face the music. Which I'm not yielding to, not matter how hard they try.

'No, I'm not going …' I say in a certain tone. 'I'm just … I don't want to, that's all.'

He takes my wrist and pulls me back over to the group and away from my sought after dry land. 'Come on, the Professor is coming with us, and you have nothing to worry abou-'

I attempt to tug away. 'Lloyd, I'm not-'

'It's completely safe, I swear-'

'Lloyd-'

'And it's going to be fun-'

'Lloyd, dammit!' I object loudly, sitting down on the floor so I can't be moved. 'I'm not going!'

'Harrison, get up,' Kratos orders coldly.

'You, you shut up here,' I reply with a glare, pointing at him accusingly. '_You_ get Aquaphobia, and then _you_ try and do this-'

'Aqua-what?' Lloyd asks me, dropping my wrist from his grip. I'd open my mouth and explain to him, but Kratos gets there before me.

'Aquaphobia is an anxiety disorder, much like yours,' he clarifies shortly, seeing as Lloyd is kinda slow. He isn't as dumb as a post, but he's not exactly Einstein either. 'People affected with it have a fear of water, and won't go near any source if they can help it.'

'In short,' I finish, nodding towards the wash tubs 'No.'

'Oh … well, if you're scared, why don't you ride with K-'

'Colette,' I say immediately, shuffling towards the blonde. 'Colette is perfectly capable of making me feel safe.'

'Uh … sure, okay.'

* * *

'I hate you, I hate you, I hate you all …' I mutter to no one in particular (just all of them as group) while I sit in the corner of the little wash tub. Colette has the paddle in hand and is very merrily taking us over the ocean while singing to calm my nerves. I'll tell you now; the girl is a decent singer, but it is not helping me one bit. Well, maybe a little bit, but there is still water under me, and it's coming in through the small cracks. Oh god, we're all going to die. 

'Lloyd, how's the Professor doing?' Colette calls over to another wash tub. I try to ignore them and think thoughts about dry land.

'We're doing fine!' he calls back. 'Ahh-! Professor, get off my leg! I'm gonna fall!'

Yes, because _that_ helps. Colette just giggles and goes back to singing and paddling away. I think it's a nursery rhyme of sorts, but I can't really remember. I just bury my eyes into my knees and try to ignore the sounds of water lapping up against the wash tub.

'You're doing great!' Colette says, looking down at me with a comforting smile. 'We're almost there!'

'Thank _God_ …' I mutter. To try and get my mind off this whole ordeal by talking, I ask, 'How are the other two doing …?'

'Oh, um …' Colette leans over the side of the wash tub, tipping it a little (I respond to his with 'Ohshit!) and calling to the other two boys that are a good way ahead. Since both of them are rowing, they can probably go faster … I guess I feel a little guilty now.

'Genis! Kratos! Charlotte wants to know how you're doing!' she calls, cupping a hand to the side of her mouth.

'We're doing fine, Chosen,' Kratos replies over the sound of the waves. 'How are …'

'Lloyd says the Professor is doing great!'

I hear a small 'hang in there, sis!' from Genis and manage a small smile. I'd half expect Raine to reply, but she's probably too busy clinging to Lloyd's leg.

'Charlotte is … uh …'

She turns to me again. 'How are you doing?'

'I'm shaking, I feel terrible, nauseous, and I want to go back.'

'Um … not good!' Colette shouts back nervously. Genis tells me to hang in there, and I'd say thanks, but I'm not getting up, so he probably wouldn't hear it. I'd expected Kratos to tell me to pull myself together, but he doesn't say anything. Nice, isn't he?

'I'll be okay when we get there …' I say, rubbing my face a little. I keep going between hot and cold, and its annoying me and scaring me at the same time. 'I'm sure the Professor will be too … let's just get over there.'

'Yeah …' Colette mumbles, going back to rowing. I'm just glad we're almost there … I hate this, and I want some comforting words from the Gamecube, but I don't get anything. I guess she's too busy. Cold-hearted bitch. I wish William would get out of my brain-shower; he's say something to help. Not that having voices in your head talking to you is a _good_ thing, but right now it should be.

I pull my knees closer to my chest and listen to the singing Colette has started again. I'm getting used to the tune now and consider humming it, but I suddenly feel all sick and everything. Must be my nerves running rampant in my stomach. Not very nice, I can tell you.

'How much longer?' I whisper, wondering if it was heard.

'Not far … five more minutes?'

'… Alright.'

We continue on our way, Colette starting singing again (I think she'd forgetting the words, because she keep stopping every now and then). I _do_ recognise the song, I just can't pinpoint it. Probably some nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to us when we were little. Not that my mother can sing, but at least they try. It kept me awake more than sent me to sleep.

This is probably the second worst I've felt on this trip … or third, maybe. The worst time I've had so far was in the ranch with … well, _you_ know. If _this_ is the third, the second most awful time must have been the time in the wastelands when I was threatened. Before that Kratos never really _scared_ me. He always pissed me off or made me feel miserable, but that night I was terrified of him. For no reason whatsoever, the fourth worst must have been that horrible, horrible dream. I'd rather not explain it, but you know what it was about …

This is taking long. Far too long. We should be _there_ by now … we've been out on the ocean for ages, or what feels like ages. Maybe time's dragging along because I feel depressed and sick.

Colette's singing stops again. 'Hey, what's that?'

I look up and get up onto my knees to peer over the edge of the wash tub. I almost recoil at the sight of water lapping up dangerously close to the brim of our _boat_, but look around, getting shakily to my feet.

'What's what?'

'There's something in the water …'

I look down closer, somewhere near Genis and Kratos' wash tub (it seems they've spotted it too) and notice a small shadow under the water. At first I think it's a fish or something, except it looks much bigger than your average sea fish … but I don't think it looks much like a _fish_ as much as a crab and stingray merged together … and that is just ew.

'A sea monster?' I ask, my voice unsteady.

'Genis! Kratos!' Colette calls, grabbing a chakram. 'Look out; it's monster!'

They seem to have noticed already that it meant to do harm and Genis begins casting spells. Icicle seemed to get rid of it, but another shadow comes up … and another … and some more … Christ, there must be about seven. And they're kinda big … _very_ big …

… And coming towards our wash tub. Oh shit.

I make sure to scream and grab onto something when our tub is rammed into by about three of the bastard fishies. Raine, who seems to have also gotten to her feet, is helping Lloyd move their 'boat' over to Genis' and ours while using her staff as a paddle. She still looks a bit pale and quickly kneels down when their wash tub gets attacked a few less monster fish with a shriek. I see this won't end too well …

'Colette, hang on!' Lloyd calls. Gee, thanks Lloyd. I know she's your childhood friend and all, but would it kill you to notice I'm on the verge of falling in?

Oh, speak of the devil. At a rather powerful attack dealt to the side of our tub, it tips. A lot more than I would have expected a fish was capable of doing. Colette manages to grab the edge before she can plunge into the water, but before I know it, I'm staring up at the surface from underneath the waves.

Oh. Shit.

"_Charis, Charis-"_

I don't think I get an answer, or I don't hear it. The rush of water against my ears is enough to drown out any noise, and that doesn't help any of my nerves that seem to have gone haywire. My heart is racing, I feel cold, I'm shaking, my chest hurts and _oh my God I'm going to die_.

I'm going to _die_.

I can see blood. There's blood everywhere. Curling all in front of me, coming out of my mouth, and there is that_ gaping hole in my stomach and oh God I'm going to die._ I can't focus, think straight, everything is all blurry and messy and fuzzy - _I'm going to die_ - and the surface above me is moving further away - _I'm going to die - _everything is getting darker and I feel hot and exhausted. I think I'm going crazy. There can't be blood … but there _is_ blood, I can see it, it's everywhere, it's all over me and there is that hole in my stomach, the hole, _that_ hole - _I'm going to die_.

I'm not sure of what happens after that. I can hear rushing again, I can feel something against my wrist, grabbing it tightly and dragging me (down, up?) and if it's down then oh God this is bad so bad -

Everything is just a mess of sounds and colours. I can see blue and black, and the red blood, I can hear water against my ears, I can hear myself screaming inside my head, I can hear Charis, I can hear too many things -

I'm not sure of what happens after that; time may have gone slower or faster or it may have stopped completely - I'm not sure. But I choke, and I realise I'm not underwater anymore, and I'm gagging and gasping for air with all I'm worth. The blood - it's gone - what …

'Get her up,' an annoyed voice says from behind my head. I feel someone grab at my hands and pull me up into one of those God forsaken wash tubs and realize its Colette. I scramble up as fast as I can, away from the water and fall with a thump into the tub. It bobs up and down a little bit from the force of someone grabbing it and getting me in, but I'm too busy trying to regain my senses.

I'm … NOT dead. Thank _Charis_ I'm not dead.

But I'm hyperventilating. That ain't good. Colette takes me through a small round of "match your breathing with mine" to get me to calm down, still holding one of my hands. After a few minutes of that, I quieten down a little bit. I'm still shaking and jumpy, but it's not as bad as earlier.

'Are you okay?' Colette asks. I nod and bite my lip, rubbing my face. My hair is dripping (and now curling drastically, dammit), and I manage to tuck it behind my ears and grab the sides of my face. I have water in my ears, and it doesn't feel nice.

'Y-yeah …' I reply shakily, immediately feeling nauseous. 'I'm okay now … I just … don't let that happen again.'

'Don't worry, I won't,' Colette assures with a small and awkward hug around the shoulders. I look around when she lets go and see the other two teams close to our wash tub. Raine has gone back to clinging Lloyd's leg and Genis is standing next to a rather dripping wet Kratos. Serves him right. I hope he gets an _afro_.

'Are you two okay?' Lloyd asks, looking over at Colette and me after attempting to shake off the professor again. 'We took care of those monsters, so don't worry about being tipped again.'

'Thanks, Lloyd,' Colette says with another smile. 'And you two.'

Genis and Kratos just shrug off the compliment, Kratos himself looking a bit pissed off. I bet he thought he could get rid of me by letting me drown, but that wouldn't go without questions and accusations. It's a hard life, isn't it Krat-man? You bastardly thing, you.

I nod at Lloyd's previous question, not really trusting myself to speak. I think Raine is feeling the same way from the looks of things. She's shaking all over and her eyes a squeezed shut as if trying to block out the surroundings ... but I don't think it's working that well. Poor Lloyd must have bruises in his leg after this is over. I'll just stick to holding Colette's hand extremely tightly, thank you very much.

After a minute of Lloyd inquiring if Genis and Kratos are in top shape (added with a few "you sure?"s), we continue on our way and I notice how Raine doesn't utter a word the whole way there (Genis and Lloyd decided it would be safer to keep the wash tubs closer to eachother). Kratos is wringing his hair dry, or as close as it's gonna get, as Genis continues to paddle away, aided with one hand from the mercenary. Y'know, Genis may be a small little thing, but he's quite strong. I guess it's the Exsphere and stuff.

'What happened to everyone else?' I ask quietly, still a little shaky. Colette doesn't turn, but she does answer.

'The professor almost fell in after you ... and Lloyd get really worried about her because she looked really-'

'Panic attack-like?' I suggest.

'Yeah ... she was shaking, and she couldn't breathe ... so he tried to help her.'

I pause for a long moment. 'I thought I was gonna die. The professor probably felt a hundred times worse ...'

It's true. She _does_ look worse than I do, and she didn't even fall in. Some people's fear is stronger than others, so Raine must be pure terrified of water. I feel kinda glad it wasn't her who fell in, really ... it would have ended up a lot worse than my little episode. But I'm still trying to figure out why I saw all that blood. I put a hand over my stomach just to make sure I don't have a hole in there (I know I'm stupid, shut up), and I don't of course.

I _think_ it had something to do with that weird dream. Y'know, the "let's punch a hole in Charlotte and send her off the cliff" one. I blame Charis for this ... I don't know why, it just feels like I should. I feel like telling her some rather crude things right now, but my head hurts.

"_Hey, I did do _something."

"_Like WHAT?_" I snap back, thoroughly pissed off.

"_I kept your bag dry."_

"_I hate you."_

But sure enough, all of my belongings and bone dry. All the books and papers and everything ... so I guess I have to thank her a little for that.

"_No need to thank me,"_ Charis replies, and I can hear a door opening in the background. Must be William. "_And Raine will expect that test paper in pretty soon – agh! Put some goddamn clothes on!"_

"_I'm wearing a towel-"_

"_DUH!"_

I grin a little bit at the two people living inside my head and lean back against the wall of the tub (shaking the house in my head apparently). "_Did anyone think I was overreacting?"_

"_Well, Kratos probably did,"_ William says, ignoring the protesting Charis from at her computer. _"But you _did_ see all that freaky blood crap. And that's his fault, really, so just ignore him_."

"_Yeah, I guess_ ..." I mutter, glancing over at the mercenary who seems to have given up on getting his hair dry. _"He got me out, didn't he?"_

"_Actually, Genis saw Raine about to fall in and asked Kratos for help. Lloyd helped her instead, you fell in, and well, it goes on from there."_

"_I bet he thought he could get rid of me with that little drowning incident."_

"_Wow, you're a good guesser."_

I saw it coming, but I'm still a little shocked. Knowing that someone hates you enough to let you drown is kinda ... well, not nice. I have to admit while I'm on the subject, that if _Kratos_ was drowning, I'd be thanking fate over and over for it. So wait, I don't really have the right to moan. Agh, shut up Charlotte and just continue soaking from afar.

... But I _will_ kick him one day. Again.

It takes longer than I thought to get to the docks, about another ten minutes after the incident. Nothing much happened on the way ... Colette and Genis got talking about some ... random things in Iselia, and Lloyd was far too busy trying to calm down the professor whenever water began to seep in through the cracks. She keeps thinking we're going to drown ... I'd like to go over and say something, but my knees don't work right now. I'm still shaking a little, too ...

I want to get off this thing. _Now_.

When we _do_ reach the docks, Colette parks our tub up to the side and hops of with a smile, looking around at the geyser.

'Wow, this place is so small!'

'Colette ...?' I say, trying to get to my feet. I almost fall, but I manage to grab the side of the dock. 'Little help?'

'Oh right! Sorry!'

She helps me pull myself up to the rickety platform and I have to lean against her for a moment before straightening up. I look down at the blasted washtub currently sitting there innocently on the surface of the ocean with a water flooding up in the corners. I swear that thing could have sunk at any time ... ugh, just thinking about it makes me shiver again.

'You still look a little shaken up ...' Colette observes with a worried look. 'Maybe you and the professor should go sit down for a few minutes ...'

I look over to Lloyd who is currently helping a pale and trembling Raine up onto the dock and nod. 'Yeah ... that'd be great.'

Without another word, Colette helps me to limp up the small slope (my legs hurts ... I must have hit it on the side of the washtub when I fell in) and to some flat land. The shore area is packed with small, sharp stones that crunch under your feet, so it'd probably hurt to sit down there.

We walk past the soaking Kratos who gives me a small glare, but I manage to return one despite my situation. I felt like I was going to die back there ... I've felt like that a lot in this journey so far, but those times never included my preferably-secret phobia of water or the horrible reliving of that dream. When I woke up and realised it was just a dream, it was fine, but I _saw_ that blood, and my mind was in such a state that I thought it was real. I seriously thought my time was up at that moment, and I was just so goddamn _scared_ ...

Colette finally leads me rest against the sign directing us towards the geyser, but I manage to fell rather than sit. My legs just give way underneath me, yet I manage to support myself slightly. The post above me reads "Thoda Geyser – Up ahead", and I have to think 'well, duh ...'. If the only way you're getting here is via washtub, i.e. – the Scary Thoda Geyser Tourism People, then there's a slight chance you're going to know. Right, that's my little nitpick over for now.

It's not long until Raine comes to sit beside me, still pale and jumpy. Lloyd sticks around for a few seconds longer to see if she's okay, and it takes all my resolve to not ask "hey, who FELL IN?". I feel for the professor and all, but it wouldn't hurt for some, y'know, "dude, you okay after that?". It wouldn't kill them or anything, geez.

'So, how did _you_ find that ride?' I ask, looking up at her. 'You okay?'

'Never again,' is all she mutters, rubbing her forehead.

'Tough shit, for us ...' I sigh, looking over at the other four. 'We have to go back after all of this.'

She doesn't say anything and just buries her forehead deeper into her hand. I try to dry myself with my bag, the only thing that didn't get soaked, but it doesn't work. I give up after a second and lean back against the smooth rock, attempting to listen to the two people in my brain. William is saying something about banana custard, and Charis says it tastes like horse crap. I don't like custard myself, but gee Charis, that's a bit harsh.

Yes people, my PS2 and my Gamecube's views on banana custard. I've officially lost all will to become fully sane again. I'm still on the sane side, but I've been talking to two supposedly inanimate objects the past week. Maybe this is all just a terrible dream and I'll be awakened by a nice Chinese man knocking on my door with my food. That'd be really, really nice right about now. Hey Charis, notice that keyword: NOW. I want out of here and off this bloody island ... rock, whatever it is.

'I hate this ...' I mutter, after thudding my head back against the rock. The others finally come over, deciding to go and see the geyser. They ask if we're ready to get up and continue, but Raine is the only one that really responds. She says okay and Genis helps her to her feet, and I just shake my head a little. I feel sick again, so I'll go over later.

I make sure to groan in frustration when they're out of earshot and try to stop the churning in my stomach so I can continue. I hate waiting around, because if I miss something vital, then that's going to screw up something.

I think that's been my biggest fear here. If something changes, then that could affect the course of ... well, pretty much everything. I've been okay so far because I _know_ what's coming, and I know how to deal with it. All these situations aren't anything new, but ... if something changes, I _won't_ know how to deal with it. I'll be stuck. I fear that I won't be able to leave if something like that happens.

Maybe I'm just being stupid. In real life, people have to make decisions everyday, and those little things could change the course of their lives. Here is the same, isn't it? But I don't _want_ to look at this logically and believe that, because it's so much easier to believe that everything has been plotted out already, and I just have to follow it so I can get home. That isn't so bad, right?

... Yeah, I'm just being stupid.

I slowly get to my feet and make my way over to the group that seem to be heading to the platform where the oracle stone is located. I jog to catch up, but almost stumble on a stray rock and curse it. I curse it good. Anyway, I notice that a _lot_ of people are here. If Lloyd goes down to get the Spiritua Statue, there's a good chance they're going to be staring and shouting things, whether it be "yeah, skid that shit!" or "get off the geyser you fucking retard!". We're going to be attracting some attention.

'You've found the statue?' I ask, coming to a halt at the stairs to the small platform. Lloyd just points to a small niche where a small object lies, and sure enough, it's the statue. I can see the diamond halo glinting away. A burst of water and vapour erupt from the geyser, hiding it from view and making me jump a little. If Lloyd gets hit with that, it's going to hurt like hell.

'You're not actually _going,_ are you?' I ask, giving him a sceptical look. 'It doesn't look safe.'

'I agree,' Raine says from behind him, seeming to have gotten her usual attitude back. 'It's far too dangerous.'

Lloyd gives the boiling geyser a look-over and turns to us doubtful ones. 'Don't worry, I'll be fine. Genis is going to freeze the boiling parts so I can go over the rocky area there.' He points to the rocks surrounding the geyser.

'And if that doesn't work?' I say, my pessimistic side kicking in again. 'What then?'

'Then I'll just jump back out and wait for Genis to freeze it again.'

'... You're an idiot.'

Colette seems to have joined the gathering of apprehensive people. I knew she'd snap after a while. 'But Lloyd ... what if you loose your footing and fall?'

'I'll be okay, Colette!' Lloyd assures with a cocky grin. 'Stop worrying so much!'

'Lloyd, we care about you,' Raine tells him. 'Its our job to worry.'

'Look ...' Lloyd sighs after a moment. 'We need the statue for that old loon, right?'

'No,' I say bluntly. 'We could just guess where the seals are.'

Genis just gives me a long, flat look. 'That won't work.'

'Besides,' Lloyd says, looking down at the rocks jutting out around the sides of the boiling water. 'I've done this kind of thing before.'

'When?' Genis asks.

'Remember that time when a bunch of your pots and pans went missing?' Lloyd says, trying not to grin. 'Me and Mr Harvey's son were playing that stepping stones game.'

I assume he is one of the boys from the village. I was about to ask, but I don't think it's very vital ... there _are_ other people in this world other than the people I know already. Anyway, the Professor ... well, she doesn't look that happy.

'That was you!?' she accuses angrily. Screw not looking happy, she's probably about to push him into the geyser herself. I wince as a loud slap sounds through the air over the geyser erupting and take a step back for safety measures, not really wanting to get hit myself. I assume that was it, but the slapping continues relentlessly.

'I – couldn't – cook – for – a – week!' the Professor shouts, delivering a blow to the back of Lloyd's head with each word. 'Genis – and – I – were – starving!'

'M-mercy ...' Lloyd whines, trying to scramble away.

'I'm telling Dirk about this when you get home!' Raine finishes with a final blow at the word _home_. I try to look sympathetic, but I'm overly amused right now. Genis is sniggering to himself, turned away from Lloyd so that he doesn't see, and Colette is looking between the two boys with a confused expression. She probably wasn't aware of this certain event. Kratos just looks bored as usual. Gee, I'm so sorry we're not that amusing. It's gonna take all I can not to push _him_ into the geyser instead.

'L-Lloyd ...' Genis says, still trying to pull himself together slightly. Lloyd just gives him a glare and rubs the back of his head. 'The ice around the geyser won't last long, so don't mess up, okay?'

'Got it,' Lloyd affirms, looking over at the water vapour that bursts up from within the geyser. 'Don't mess up, nab the statue, get back here. Easy peasy.'

'I think you should practice for a while,' the Professor says, grabbing Lloyd's upper arm when he almost stumbles off the corner of the platform and into the boiling geyser through the chains. 'We'll make sure we have enough gels and first aid appliances if you're hurt.'

'Ah ... yeah ...'

'And if you slip on some ice, you're screwed,' I warn. 'And I doubt we'd be up for jumping in to get you.'

* * *

For the past quarter of an hour, Genis has been casting Icicle on some planks of wood to make them slippery while Lloyd has been attempting to jump from piece to piece for practice. He's getting better at it, I'll have to admit, but I still think it's dangerous to be jumping across and icy geyser. Maybe we should cast eruption on him or something for good measure ... 

I've just been walking around the geyser while they've been sorting everything out with gels and things, enjoying the view. Also, I'm listening to the two people in my head bicker about what other games I could have been sucked into.

"_Harvest Moon?"_ William asks, spinning on his chair. "_That farming game. That'd have been easy."_

"_Farming?" _I answer, wrinkling my nose. "_I'd pass on that. No way am I spending my days cleaning out animals."_

"_Fair enough ..." _Charis mutters_. "How about ... Zelda or something?"_

"_Go away."_

"_Fine. Will, you try."_

"_Alrighty," _'Will' replies. "_Maybe ... nah, I'm still tied to her Dark Chronicle game. Kingdom Hearts, maybe."_

"_Gummi ship," I protest. "No."_

I decide to let them talk among themselves when another small eruption catches my attention. A lot of people have noticed what Lloyd is going to do and instead of making their opinions known, they're all waiting around the geyser, getting ready to watch. What nice people, prepared to watch a teenager fall to a boiling, horrible death instead of doing anything to stop him.

And Kratos! Your son is about to do something very dangerous! You could at least say something to stop him ... "Lloyd, this is very dangerous", "I'll get it instead", "Get your ass back in that washtub right now", y'know, _anything_. Raine also! She should know this stuff ... like, getting hit by boiling water would probably, oh I don't know, HURT. LOADS. I don't think logic exists in Sylvarant.

'I still don't think it's safe to let him do this,' I say, walking over to the other three (Raine, Kratos and Colette) still on the platform. 'He could slip really easily down there.'

'If Lloyd says he'll be fine, then he'll be fine!' Colette says brightly. I just give her a long look.

'If Lloyd says he'll be fine, it means he's going to crack his head open on that rock,' I answer, pointing to a random jagged rock.

'I'm worried about him also ...' Raine murmurs, holding her weapon tightly. 'But if it is to help us, I doubt he will be swayed.'

I'd answer to that, but my two game consoles are kind of distracting me with their own strangled-cat version of Nickelback's _Hero,_ and it's giving me a headache. I guess they have to do _something_ when they're bored ... I wonder if pushing a game of Monopoly through my ear would help at all. It's stop the singing at least.

"_Guys, seriously, headache. Stop. Now."_

"_Oh, NOW you want a favour,"_ Charis snaps while William screeches the chorus by himself. "_Maybe if you apologize, I might consider it."_

"_Fat chance_-"

"_AND THEY SAY THAT A HE-"_

"_I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"_

The singing stops, and I'm rewarded with my silence. Though I still don't think Charis deserved that apology ... she didn't really help _me_ as much as my things from getting wet. I'm really okay with water ... it's just when I'm completely engulfed, I feel like I won't be able to get back up again. I've had nightmares about it where I hold my breath without realising it thinking I'm trapped underwater, and I wake up gasping and wheezing. It's horrible ... I just hope they don't start again after this.

Uh ... just a little insight on my mind. Yeah, I should carry on ...

I yawn and lean on the chain railing around the geyser, staring down into hot water. If Lloyd gets trapped down there, he's beyond screwed. That stuff has got to be scalding ... I'm still not sure why we're _letting_ him to it. I mean, there's a ledge right over there ... if he's careful, he could maybe shuffle across that ...

No. Bad Charlotte. Do not interrupt with current story line. Shut up.

'You know, I am _really_ tired ...' I say after another yawn forced itself from my throat.

'We've been through a lot in the past few hours,' Kratos answers, leaning motionlessly against another part of the railing. 'Though I don't expect any less of you in combat.'

'... Professor?' I ask, looking over my shoulder at the healer. She looks up. 'Would you judge or punish me at all if I pushed Kratos into the geyser?'

'A little,' she answers with a small smile. 'But Phaidra would still be paying him even if he were dead. We wouldn't be able to inform her of his loss.'

'Oh, rats,' I answer in a disappointed tone. Kratos just glares at the two of us, straightens up, and walks away. Well, _someone_ can't take a joke ... man, what a killjoy. I glance over at Raine and she just shrugs, walking over to the Chosen who seems to be wondering around near some buckets. Yes, that sentence sounds a bit random ...

I look around at everyone and go back to staring at the geyser for a while. Lloyd is managing to jump successfully from ice-coated plank to ice-coated plank with the aid of Genis, Kratos is resting somewhere near the information board while watching them, and Raine has joined Colette, who seems to have found a dog sniffing around by the buckets. She has just named it Bob I think, by the way she keeps telling it to sit. Poor thing.

Yeah, I'm definitely more of a cat person ... maybe I should go around and name all of the cats in Sylvarant. Poor sods, I'd probably call them things like "Meatloaf" ... yeah, I will _not_ be doing that.

I yawn _again_. I swear, it's just making me even more tired ... I want sleep, dammit. Long, undisturbed, dreamless sleep. I think while I've been here from day one, Genis has shook me awake, I've woken from nightmares, been pulled out of bed, and ... probably a lot of other things too.

I look up when I hear footsteps and see Lloyd and Genis coming back over, several wooden planks left by a rock for some poor man to tidy away later. Oh God, don't tell me he's actually going _through_ with this? Please?

'We're ready.'

Oh hell no. When everyone notices, they skip over (not really, don't worry) and consult eachother about what is about to happen.

'You're all idiots,' I say accusingly as Lloyd swings his leg over the chained railing, staring down at the steaming water. If he falls now, that's going to goddamn hurt so bad it's not even funny. Seriously, they are all _mad_, letting Lloyd do this. I'd personally rather it was Kratos risking life and limb down there to get that statue, but Lloyd is just so bloody _Lloyd_ that he'd insist on getting it himself.

Screw Kratos; I should be getting paid for this. It's hard work to worry.

'When I cast Icicle, you just jump down and get the statue, right?' Genis asks, kendama in hand. Lloyd nods, holding onto the chains from the other side of the railing so that he doesn't fall. I have the most overwhelming urge to just push him and prove to them all that I'm right about not letting him do this.

'No problem,' Lloyd assures with a small salute to the mage, glancing down at the boiling geyser.

'The ice probably won't last very long against the heat,' Genis warns, looking a little worried. 'So ... just be really quick, okay?'

'I'll be fine! Stop worrying so much.'

I make a hand gesture and stalk off in the opposite direction, slamming my hands over my ears. 'You're not listening to me, so I won't listen or watch!'

'Uh ...' Lloyd mutters at my attitude, shaking it off rather quickly. 'Well ... everyone else wish me luck!'

'Try not to be too reckless,' Raine says with a small smile. 'I won't be able to heal most serious injuries you might get, but do your best.'

Kratos nods, looking the slightest bit worried for Lloyd's safety. I have to say, _finally_, Kratos is WORRYING about his son who is on his merry way to a hot, roasting death. 'Be careful.'

... That's it? Oh, I give up completely. I've lost all hope for this group and the way their brains work ... maybe I should just go and sit in a corner somewhere ... reflect on my recent thoughts on how the damn I managed to get this far without going loco. I'm proud of myself for not flipping out and shooting something as of yet, but I'm sure the time will come. Soon.

'That water looks really hot ...' Lloyd observes, leaning over to avoid a small burst of vapour. I spin around and remove my hands from the sides of my face, scowling.

'It's a freaking, _geyser_! Of course it's hot, which is more of a reason why you SHOULDN'T GO!'

'Hey, I'll be fine. I swear,' Lloyd assures giving the group a thumbs up. I palm my face and stalk away again, just in earshot of the group. Can they not see this is dangerous? And that Lloyd could, like ... kind of, oh I don't know, BURN BADLY. He's not ill anymore (I think) and he _is_ fairly fast, but this isn't your run-of-the-mill task. Plus, no disrespect to Genis, but I doubt his Icicle spell could hold up for that long through the heat.

I take one look at the burst of water a steam shoot out a good few meters high and consider storming over there and wrenching Lloyd back over the chains myself. I _do_ try to look on the good side of this, I really do. There are a good number of deep niches that Lloyd could jump into if the ice started to melt, but those rocks he plans on jumping on look slippery. And I don't think ice would help at keeping your balance at all.

Genis begins his incantation and I seriously can't ... _not_ watch. From over by the notice board with a few of the bystanders, I look over the railings as Lloyd lowers himself carefully to the lower patch of rocks gathered at their end. He almost slips on one and it falls into the water with a small _plunk_, and my nerves begin going haywire. Again.

'Icicle!'

I have to say, I'm impressed. The whole geyser freezes over after almost ten seconds, but Genis looks terribly worn out. He must have put a lot of mana into that spell I think, as he staggers back, almost tripping over. Lloyd doesn't wait and jumps down the rest of the way, landing on the small beach of rocks at the edge.

'Lloyd, hurry!' Colette calls, leaning over the chains.

The brunet nods and sets off. 'Right!'

'Up, dammit!' I shout over the gasps of the crowd as he almost slips off the rock he's currently perched on. Lloyd nods again and leaps over to the second ice-coated lump, slumping onto one knee when he skids slightly. A burst of steaming vapour shoots up from behind him and I swear my heart stopped for a second or two. I can't see him through the thick white steam, but I do hear a yell. Of shock or pain – I don't know, but I'm assuming the worst.

Long sighs of relief ripple through the observers as Lloyd leaps onto another rock in view, hopefully unharmed.

'Idiot!' I shout.

Lloyd ignores me and tries to see through the smoke. 'Which way now?'

'Go left!' Genis demands loudly over the sound of steam bursting out from under his sheet of ice. 'Quick!'

Our daredevil narrowly misses another pillar of vapour and boiling water shooting towards the sky, but he stumbles on the rock he lands on. Luckily, this particular rock is closest to the stony wall, so Lloyd maintains his balance. After landing flat against the wall on his back of course, and to make matters extremely worse, the ice is cracking below his feet.

'Lloyd!' Colette cries, noticing how the deep thin lines creep through the white surface. 'Look out!'

'Move!' I add when the brunet realises what is happening. He makes a quick spring towards the next rock still caked in a now melting ice, but the water catches his foot and his face twists in pain. I notice a hole in his shoe ... and ow, that must freaking _hurt_.

'Are you okay?' I call, pushing past some people who have gathered around the barrier to watch so I can get closer.

'I'm fine ...' Lloyd assures, getting carefully to his feet. 'Ouch.'

'You're such a moron ...' I say, digging through my supplies for an apple gel to throw him. 'Here – just get back up.'

'I almost have it!' Lloyd insists, catching the bottle I offer.

'But y – shit, watch it!'

The ice is steadily melting again and he slips from his rock onto the iced water which almost cracks under the force. I look over at the others to see what they're doing, and I notice Genis holding his kendama to the geyser, preparing another spell. Colette and Raine are practically leaning over the edge in worry. A loud crack catches my attention and I notice the thick layer of ice over the geyser has begun to split in the centre into big chunks of ice. Okay, not good.

'Icicle!'

Before a new layer can override our current melting mess, another burst of vapour springs up dangerously close to Lloyd, and this time he's actually hit. He manages to get away pretty fast, but it really doesn't look good ... that burst of water went up pretty damn high, so I'm assuming it was very powerful.

Well, shit.

'Lloyd, move!' I shout, chucking down another apple gel. Steam is beginning to cloud the pit of the geyser and I'm having trouble seeing, and I'm sure the others over by the Oracle Stone can't see a damned thing either, including Lloyd. Who, I have realised, is not responding to mine or Colette's shouting. I can barely see him now, and I think the colour drains from my face when I hear the bottle of gel I threw down clink noisily off a rock.

Lloyd isn't moving.

'Damn ...' I hiss, peering through the steam. I can see the small outline of his body behind the white smoke, and I'm glad to see he's on the beach of stones directly underneath me. I don't think he has any trouble of getting burnt by the scalding water, but the melting ice could increase the volume of the water ... I think.

'Can you see anything?' Raine calls over, one hand on a distressed Colette's shoulder. 'Is he hurt?'

'He isn't moving!' I shout back, hearing the panic seeping into my voice. I'm practically being shoved against the chains by the number of tourists trying to get a good look in. 'I think he's-'

'I'm ... fine!' comes an answer from below the steam. 'I'm okay.'

'Bull!' I reply loudly. 'You've hurt your legs or something!'

Whatever I was about to say after that is cut off with a cry of pain from the swordsman. A loud, panicked mutter goes through the crowd behind me, and I have to push my way over to another area to get a better look down there. Shit, there must be something to clear the steam with ... _something_ ...

"_Look in your pocket and consider it a present. I shouldn't be helping you like this,"_ Charis mutters, sounding a little worried herself for Lloyd's safety.

'Right ...' I mutter, shoving a hand into the freakishly small pocket on my shirt and pulling out some small green and black stones. 'Wait ... what the hell?'

"_Throw them down there_."

"_And hit Lloyd in the head?"_ I reply. "_Are you crazy?"_

"_They're green quartz, and trust me; it'll work_."

My Gamecube is no longer trustworthy in my point of view, but I'll try anything right now. I grab my handful of the sharp stones and throw the into the geyser, waiting for ... well,_ something. _And hell, do I get a something.

The small stones burst into short gusts of wind. Shot, but powerful enough to get rid of most of the smoke and give us all a good view of the statue, where it is perched, and Lloyd in his current position. The steam quickly returns, but I keep those two things in my head so I might be of some use.

'Kratos!'

I whirl around (the best I can against the number of people) to see what the sudden exclamation from over there is about, and see that the older swordsman has swung over the chained railing to land on the rocks beside the wall. I give up, I seriously give up. All swordsmen are retarded ... well, all swordsmen that I know so far. But still, it's like they _want_ to die, or be burnt or ... whatever.

'What's happening?' Lloyd whines, cradling his burnt leg and slowly getting to his feet. I quickly order him to sit the hell back down, but he doesn't listen and attempts to move around to the edge of the geyser, hissing in pain.

'Lloyd!' Colette shouts over the bubbling water. Steam streams from the boiling pool and another burst reaches to the skies, inches from Lloyd and spraying water everywhere. It's going to hit him, it's bound to hit h-

'Agh!'

I throw my upper body over the chains to check the damage and find that Lloyd is no longer below where I'm standing. Kratos jumps at him, throwing the two of them away from the menacing pillars of steam before they are injured and landing with a loud thump on the stony sides. The group of tourists gasp at all the events and lean to see the two crazy swordsmen stuck in the geyser. I notice a girl clad in purple quite close by, watching the whole ordeal with wide eyes and a slack face, her black hair windswept and hiding her eyes.

'Kratos ...' Lloyd hisses, the sounds of several rocks slipping into the water after movement mingling with the roar of the steam. 'You're heavy.'

'Shut up,' the mercenary growls as more rocks go skidding into the water. 'And sit up.'

'Ack ... my legs are killing me ...'

I lean down and pull myself through the chains so I can get closer to the edge to toss some apple gels down, but several hands grab my collar and yank me back. So they'll allow Lloyd and Kratos to jump down there, but not me? I guess it is kind of fair, seeing as I'm not exactly strongly built or anything, but really ...

'Does anyone have an apple gel?' I ask, turning to the crowd behind me. A man with a pointed hat hands me three of the small bottles out of a backpack and I thank him quickly, edging closer to the edge. I check on the other three of our group for a second and see that Genis is throwing an orange gel down his throat and Colette is trying to get a better view of everything. I turn back to the two below me and hold up a gel.

'Kratos, catch!'

Luckily, the bottle meets flesh instead of boiling rock and Lloyd mutters in disapproval when the cork comes off.

'Drink it,' the older man demands sharply.

'I can almost reach it ...'

Kratos sucks in a deep breath. 'You're getting light-headed. We're going back.'

'No! Just – the statue – it-'

'For the love of-' Kratos groans, moving to stand. 'Don't move.'

'You think I'm capable of that right now?'

I lean over the chains again. 'Lloyd, 'nother gel.'

'I feel sick-'

'Shut up and drink it!' I snap, tossing it down there.

'Ow! Dammit!'

I curse myself for hitting him in the head and try to get over the chains again, but the responsible hands of the onlookers pull me back. I spot the statue glinting slightly behind the smoke, and it takes me a good few seconds to notice that it's heading straight towards.

'Aghcrap!' I yell to myself, catching the airborne statue in my hands and immediately dropping it to the dusty ground. 'Hot, hot, hot ...'

'Did you get it?' Lloyd asks, trying to move again despite his previous warnings from Kratos.

'Got it ...' I say, trying to find some magic cloth or something to hold it with. 'Don't _throw_ it at me, asshole!'

Kratos ignores me and jumps back down to the wounded Lloyd, stones crunching against eachother under his feet. I stumble away from the throng of tourists and head for the platform where the others are waiting, cloth draped statue in hand.

'Have it, have it ...' I mutter, tossing it to the professor. 'Stupid thing.'

'There's another ...' Genis mutters, looking over at where Lloyd and Kratos should be. 'Look out!'

As Genis claims, another explosion of water and vapour fills the air and splashes around dangerously enveloping the two down in the geyser.

'Guardian!'

From what I gather, the spell doesn't do much. I make out the figure of Kratos crouched over an immobile Lloyd as a human shield, but the protective green sphere doesn't protect the mercenary as well as it should have. He hisses in pain and is immediately bombarded with "are you okay?" from Lloyd. I don't hear the rest of their words over the ferocious splash of the geyser's water.

* * *

'Idiots!' I accuse again after five minutes when Kratos returns with an injured Lloyd in his arms. The tourists have begun to come over to check up on him, but Kratos just shoos them away with glares that make them scamper back to the open areas. Lloyd leans against the noticeboard, moaning about the pain, and Kratos just walks away with his injuries like the stubborn man that he is. 

'Colette, go and get him,' Raine orders quietly, tending to Lloyd's burnt legs and arm from what I can see. She nods hesitantly, probably not wanting to approach him when he's in such a sour mood.

'Um ... Kratos-'

'Leave it, Chosen,' the man replies gruffly, casting First Aid on his chest and arm. 'I am capable of healing myself.'

'Geez, she was just asking,' I snap in Colette's defence. 'Don't be such a git.'

'You stay out of this,' he growls, glaring at me.

'Um, please stop fighting ...' the blonde mutters, wringing her hands nervously. I just shake my head and lean against the chains, worn out from all the worrying I've been doing. Genis is currently shouting at Lloyd because he was worried and that he failed at the whole plan, thinking it's his fault he was hurt. Lloyd just assures him no and grumbles in pain when Raine touches his now reddening legs. Colette has gone over to inspect the damage also, and I decide to ask about it later. I'm sure Lloyd has a headache or something.

I look around at the tourists again to see what they're doing, but Kratos catches my eye again. He has a rip and a burn on the front of his outfit, leaving a strip of the left side of his shirt destroyed and exposing injured skin and a bandage underneath his clothing.

It's the bandage that catches my attention, mostly. I remember he was wearing it that night in Palmacosta, but I assumed it was a battle injury or something. Why is he still wearing it? Shouldn't whatever it is have healed by now with the aid of his Exsphere _and_ his healing magic?

'What's wrong with your chest?' I ask out of curiosity. He notices what I mean and quickly draws an arm over the bandage to hide it from view, telling me something is definitely up. 'Wha-'

'Leave it,' he orders under his breath. I open my mouth to reply, but shut it again when I realise I'm not the best person at cracking others for their secrets.

I shrug it off and turn back to the geyser that growls and bubbles, throwing up water and vapour and pulling an unaware shiver from Lloyd.

We are _not_. _Ever_. Coming near this thing again.

* * *

Bandage of _doom_. Next chapter on it's way :D This was so hard to write ... 


	37. Goo, Assassins, and Conversations

Hiii

Okay, if you got an email alert, I am so very sorry about that. It was a note that I took down pretty soon after putting it up for ... well, reasons. I think only four people saw it, so to those people: please, pay no heed to it. An LJ friend slapped me to my senses. To those of you who don't know, I was seriously considering giving up TWC, but like I said, my friend gave me a good telling off over a LJ and ... well, here I am. I've decided I won't be giving this up, and it'd probably only make me more depressed if I did.

Okay, about this chapter - VATER SEAL AGH SMASH WUT. I _hate_ this place with a passion, so it was difficult to write. It's only half of the Seal as of far, and a few other things that I won't be spoiling for you.

And two more things, because I love your opinions. COSTUMES, YAY. Everyone has their formal costumes, beach costumes, and their PERSONAL costumes. What do you think Charlotte's personal should be? I have an overwhelming urge to DOUBLE PIRATE POWAH, but she should have something of her own. Suggestions, pls? I need help D:

Another thing - we're on 478 reviews as of far:D I _really_ want to draw/write/whatever something for when I reach 500 reviews to THANK YOU ALL CUZ YOU'RE ALL AWESOME, so how about it? Help me reach 500 (cause I know at least over 22 have this on their alert list, so it could happen :D). Come on people, lend a hand... :O

AGH. I used the skit breaks again for scene changes. I WILL STOP THEM I SWEAR.

And I reaaaally don't like OpenOffice that much.

EDIT: Omg I forgot. The awesome Zalein (here and over at deviantart) has been drawing TWC!Charlotte, SO GO GIVE HER YOUR LOVE FOR ME PLZ (gee, I never thought this fic would get fanart XD)

* * *

Chapter 37 - Goo, Assassins, and Conversations

This place is cold. Super cold. I'll get to that in a minute, but you probably want to know what happened after the whole Spiritua Statue business ... well, we noticed Kratos' weird bandage that probably hides some ... battle scar or something, but it can't be that important right now. Uh, anyway ...

After the terrible and frightening events to do with the geyser and the House of Salvation's precious Spiritua Statue, we had prepared to leave now that Lloyd had healed up for most of the part. His legs and arm are still red and sore and he stumbles a bit when he walks, and he keeps muttering curses to himself, but he's fine other than that. Kratos has declared that he's all right, and we leave him to himself ... for now.

We were just about to leave, but Colette called us over after noticing something, and of course, it is the Oracle Stone. I can honestly say it completely slipped my mind after all of the events in the past fifteen minutes.

Well, Colette did her Chosen business and popped a giant hole in the face of the rock above the geyser. Yes, I'm kidding ... kind of. There was a huge explosion that sent rocks flying into the geyser, as well as at us and the tourists. We weren't hurt, but a few of the others were hit by rocks ... they aren't badly injured ... barely at all, I'd say. But they still got hit, and that's a little our fault.

Anyhow, it took about five minutes for us to actually _enter_ the seal, because Raine was busy scrutinizing the "odd and distinctive kind of mana somehow able to keep the bridge solid" before we could walk over it. We eventually dragged her in, but I'll admit to myself that I _could_ have been a little bit more fussy about the whole bridge thing. I didn't like the looks of it; it was all ... transparent and rail-less and ... over a geyser. I decided to just shut up and hurry over; I've probably pissed off a few people with the washtub thing already.

Aaaand, here we are now.

'It's cold,' I say bluntly, rubbing my sleeveless arms. Shouldn't it be ... kinda warm in here, with the geyser stuff outside and all? I'm not too sure. 'And should it be at least mild in here? There is a geyser _right there_, so-'

'Harrison,' Kratos interrupts quietly, turning to me. 'If we must suffer your consistent babble throughout this trial ...'

'I know, I know, you'll cut me up into iddy-biddy pieces,' I groan, holding back that urge to punch him. 'I get it.'

He does his "hmph" and walks away when Lloyd calls him over, probably to talk or something. I shrug off his threat and continue whining in my own head to the two people currently occupying it, rubbing my arms. I'd grab a blanket from the bags, but soon remember that one) Noishe has them back on the other continent, and if a fish-monster were to come over and ... blow bubbles, it'd be quite a hassle.

'What in Martel's name is _that_!?'

I look up at Genis' exclamation and bask in the slight irony of my earlier claim for a moment or two. Monsters are indeed coming, but I have to ... decide to either laugh in amusement or scream at the pure ... icky of it.

A big ... pillar of ... goo ... is making it's was towards us.

'It looks a bit like jelly ...' Colette muses, stepping a little closer to it. 'It's really wobbly ...'

'Good heavens, Colette, don't touch it!' Raine snaps, giving the yellow goo-fiend a look of disgust. 'It could hurt you!'

'Professor, it's not doing anything dangerous ...' Lloyd observes, looking the monster up and down.

'Maybe it's just out for a walk!' the Chosen adds, smiling. 'We could just let it be.'

'Those tentacles it stores inside it's body are poisonous,' Kratos warns, drawing his sword with a scrape of steel. 'They will kill you.'

I draw my pistols and shake out some water from the barrel. I must have water in my holsters ... I must remember to empty them later. '... Blunt, much?'

Colette and Lloyd step back when it emits a loud, straining hiss from ... well, I'll let you guess, because I sure as hell don't know. I take a shot at the thing, being the only long-range attacking person with their weapon out, and it just sinks into the jello-bastard with a small dunking sound. It slips down inside it's semi-transparent body among the thin green tentacles before dissolving.

'... Yeah, this will be an easy kill,' I say sarcastically, going through a mental list of my techs while Lloyd hacks away at it ruthlessly and Genis starts up a Wind Blade spell. Of course, the hacking isn't doing anything to help our situation, but he is cutting up a lot of those tentacles. As long as we don't get poisoned, I'm happy. I'll pass on that, thank you very much.

'Hey, wouldn't it be weird if the Chosen's downfall was at the ... hand of some freaky-ass glob of goo?' I comment, preparing Fire Bullet.

'Hardly,' Kratos drawls after Demon Fanging the "glob".

'Geez, it was a _joke_ ...' I mutter bitterly. 'Keep your bloody spandex on ...'

'What was that?' the mercenary snaps, giving me a lethal glare. I just ignore him and use Fire Bullet, watching the small red balls sink into the gooey flesh of the monster. Hey, they actually did _something_. I'm guessing elemental magic is the way to go here.

'Hey, elemental magic can hurt i-'

'Yeah, we gathered,' Genis replies quickly, casting Lightning. I pause for a second at the interruption and think about my spells. Wow, this is a bad time to have spells that do practically nothing.

"_Does this mean my abilities are moving onto the 'strike' type?" _I ask, mildly curious.

"_Yep,"_ Charis replies. "_Since you've been lacking in your magic except for First Aid, you bad girl."_

"_Shaddup."_

'Okaaay ...' I mutter to myself, choosing Lightning. "_Hey, what spells do I know again?"_

"_Agh ... Fire Ball, Wind Blade, Stone Blast and almost Lightning_."

"_Oh, oka – hang on, I thought I knew Aqua Edge ..."_

"_Well, when William got here, we sorted out all of your techs so they would be okay, and we got rid of a few I had designed for you, as well as some others."_

"_Oh ... so wait, I don't get it."_

"_That's nice. There's a tentacle heading your way, just so you know."_

'Wha ...?' I mumble, looking around. A sharp crunch on the ground below me makes me look down, and there is a slimy, green, goo dripping tentacle in the floor, right between my feet. Damn, those things must be powerful; it's gone straight through the floor which now has a few small cracks in it. Hm, I should really step away.

'What are you doing!?' Kratos demands, giving me another cold glare. 'Stop standing around in such a daze and focus!'

'Oh, shut up, you old git ...' I mutter, kicking the tentacle away. It flops around for a bit before slowly withdrawing back it it's ... goo. I think I should focus on the fight; Kratos looks about ready to strangle me or something. Can't really blame him; I _have_ insulted him twice in the past few minutes. I think.

'Agh, this is no use ...' Lloyd groans, jumping away from a few tentacles heading his way. 'Genis is the only one that can hurt it ...'

'Hi, I'm Charlotte,' I say, grabbing his gloved hand in a handshake. 'I'm currently using up all my mana to save your hide.'

'Well, you haven't been doing mu -'

I squeeze his hand tightly.

'- Oww, ack, okay!'

I swear, I have to force appreciation out of him. Not that it worked, but at least I tried. Anyway, big goo thing still at large, currently attacking things and missing miserably. For a stubborn monster, it sure is dopey.

I ignore it's blatant stupidity and start powering up Lightning, feeling my mana straining. And I will tell you now – it is not a nice feeling. You feel groggy and dizzy in the matter of a few seconds. I can still stand upright and focus, kind of ... it just makes your brain feel like cotton wool.

My spell powers up and strikes the monster, definitely more powerful than back at the Ossa Trail. It must be the First Aid spells I keep using ... the attack isn't great, but seeing how it's weakness should be lightning, it looks like it does enough. Kratos' spell, also Lightning, strikes it a few seconds after mine while Lloyd boldly attempts to divert it's attention from us. His looks a lot more powerful though, because Kratos is so smart and knows everything and anything about leveling out your abilities. He also needs to be shot.

I can happily say that his magic is weaker than his techs, though. Yay.

Anyway, glob thing. It's currently attacking Kratos because of the previous spell, which must have hurt it a _lot_, because it is going batshit insane to land one on Kratos. Let me rephrase that: it's trying to rape the poor man. It keeps jumping at him as if to absorb him into his ... slime. I should help, but this is too amusing. Plus, Genis has it covered, so I'll just watch as Kratos tries to wrench his arm out of the ... goo.

As soon as Kratos frees himself from the grip of _it_, Genis casts his spell and the monster proceeds to ... melt into a big puddle on the floor with tentacles flapping around aimlessly and pathetically. Kind of sad, really.

'That was weird,' Lloyd mutters, sheathing his slime-coated sword. 'Kratos, are you okay?'

Kratos just rubs what looks like a nasty Chinese burn on his forearm and nods, muttering, 'Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.'

'Eh?'

'It means if you're really violent, you get treated the same in return,' I explain shortly, dropping my guns back into the soggy holsters. 'Hence those evil looking Chinese burns.'

'What-burns?' Lloyd asks, and the others also look ... confused at my choice of wording. Damn Earth reference.

'Ah, nothing,' I mutter. 'Can we go further in now? The puddle is spreading.'

'Eww ...'

We continue while Kratos casts a quick spell on his injury, going deeper into the seal. It gets more detailed the more we progress; I've noticed some inscriptions on the wall in Angelic that Raine drags Colette over to, studying them for a good few minutes while I entertain myself by attempting to juggle my guns. It doesn't work, and I almost shoot myself in the face. Not smart, Charlie.

Though I do continue and hope to "accidentally" shoot Kratos. Because I'm bored and pissed off at him for shouting at me and being an ass in general.

'Radiance of the Goddess ...' Colette translates slowly from a few feet away. '... Water of ... um ... I'm sorry Professor, it's too worn ...'

Damn, we'll be here for a while. I take my belt off and empty the holsters of water that splashes noisily onto the floor, and try to dry my pistols with my shirt. It doesn't work that well.

Fucking washtubs.

* * *

_'Hey, Kratos?'_

_'What is it?'_

_'I want to know what you meant earlier today, when you said I wasn't fit for this journey. What exactly is it that I'm doing wrong, because I'm trying my be-'_

_'Your arrogance and your petulance makes you a weaker person, and by that, you are becoming useless.'_

_'... Look, if this about the fight we had in the ranch, that was because I thought you were possessed-'_

_'That has nothing to do with it. You told me you would not get in my way, and your end of our deal is tipping.'_

_'W-what? How the hell am I getting in your way? I'm trying to _avoid_ you the best I can!'_

_'Though your behavior in the ranch was an annoyance.'_

_'Care to explain?'_

_'You refused to fight, simply because of what you had seen fit, what you thought was the right thing. You didn't realize your life, as well as Neil, the others, and the captives lives were at risk and refused to progress. To see a man die is not something most people will endure, but they will carry on, even if they knew that person as a relative, a close friend. You held back for the people who would not have thought for a second you had a chance to live, and slit your throat as easily as they could have done mine. You are endangering yourself, and the rest of this group because of your selfishness.'_

_'... I ... don't really know what to say to that. But I'm trying my best, and I was trying my best there, so-'_

_'Then try harder.'_

_'I CAN'T! That was the best I could do! You saw me break down, dammit! Do you think I could have done anything more in that state!?'_

_'Do not shout at me.'_

_'You won't LISTEN to me! How else am I supposed to get you to-'_

_'Start making sense in your claims, and think about how your actions effect the people around you. Then, I will lend you my ear.'_

_'I hate you. So much.'_

* * *

Okay, Charlotte's evaluation on the Water Seal: cold, damp, and _boring_. So very _boring_. There is nothing to do here other than get caught in conversations that I find I tend to weasel out of, because I feel I might let a word on Earth slip again. I have a feeling someone might get a bit suspicious, namely Raine or Kratos. Raine because she could have studied Earth and learned about things like our countries and stuff (China reference is beating hard on my nerves now), and Kratos because ... well, he has close connections to Yggdrasill, and Yggdrasill knows everything, scarily enough. 

So yeah, I'm a bit edgy. Maybe I'll make like Colette and lose my voice ... or at least pretend to. I'll be safe then.

'The Professor isn't bothered about the water at all now, is she?' Colette observes as Raine walks around this pillar she's been looking at for a good while, taking down notes and jotting diagrams of all the particular markings she finds. We just nod as a response.

'Oh, question!' I say, raising my hand. Raine looks over her shoulder, pencil and notebook still being used.

'Yes?'

'Can we rest for a bit?' I ask. 'We've been working all day and my feet hurt.'

I'm not whining – this is so very true. I was shaken awake at six in the morning, I've been going through a ranch, been beaten up by Rufus, Kratos and Magnius, been over the ocean in a washtub, fought GOO, and have been walking for a long while now. My legs really hurt. On an average day, I should just be in a lesson right now after boring-morning routines and a bus ride to school, but when you think about all we've done today ... yeah, my legs hurt.

'I suppose we could rest for a while,' Raine affirms, not really paying attention and going back to the old, crumbling pillar. Thank GOD.

"_Hey, what time is it now?" _I ask. It has to be late evening by now – I'm so _tired_ ...

"_Ten ... twenty six."_

It's not even afternoon yet ... sweet lord, I hate this. I feel so groggy and lazy.

"_We could sing to keep you awake,"_ William suggests, flicking what sounds like rubber bands across the room in my head. "_I feel a Taylor Dane urge coming on._"

"_Start singing _Tell it to My Heart_ and I'm beating you. Hard," _I reply, shivering outwardly. "_Plus, that talk you two wanted. Let's have it tonight – I can't be randomly passing out everywhere."_

"_Yeah, I suppose. You might want to wear something warm though."_

I furrow my brow in confusion. "_Why?"_

"_Well, we're going to be talking while you sleep so we can kind of ... get you into your own head. If you let something slip while we talk like this, you're screwed."_

"_... That doesn't explain why I need to wear something warm."_

"_The heater is broken, so it's a bit chilly."_

"_... There's a heater in my head too?"_ I ask. "_What _else_ have you got in there?"_

"_Just our own personal space,"_ William says. "_Not that much."_

"_You have a shower in there. How's that 'not that much'? Agh, get your stuff out of my head!"_

I ignore them and take a seat next to Colette on the floor, shuffling closer. Body warmth is currently needed, and I sure as hell am not planning to go near the guys. I feel my teeth chatter slightly. Man, if _this_ is bad, I'll die when we go and get Celsius ... another thing I'm not looking forward too, apparently ... and I thought my mind would be stuck on the Tower of Salvation.

Which it kind of is, really. I can imagine Kratos won't be holding back when we fight him ... well, against me. He'll probably just push me off the edge to save time. Either that or we'll all die via Yggdrasill. Hm, that won't be nice ... I'll pass on getting Judgmented.

Though I've realized, as much as I used to not like Colette, she's probably a good friend on mine here. It'll be sad to see her go, I think ... I'm not sure. Hm, remember in Palmacosta when we had to look after Cacao's shop while she was a the doctor's with Chocolat and I went though a list of these guys to see how my relationships had been so far? I think we should go over it again ... I need to sort out things anyway, so I might as well do it while we're not killing things or walking around.

Okay, let's start with the obvious: Lloyd. As much of a dork he is, he's fun to be around, and I think, over the past few days, our friendship has been going up the slightest. I'm glad it isn't going down – Lloyd isn't the kind of person I'd like to hate me. I think we're on good terms so far ... but y'know, he could secretly loathe me or something. It's possible.

And I'd like to add I really like the necklace he made me on my birthday. It's very pretty and such. He's probably working on Colette's after it broke at Triet ... wait, _did_ it break at Triet? Gah, confused ... I don't really want to ask, so I'll let everything play out normally. At least she gets her special necklace, Key Crest and all, at Sybak.

Okay, moving straight along. Genis ... I can't really say. We don't really talk that much, so I'm guessing it's pretty average. To him, I'm probably just _there_, and I can honestly say I don't really mind. We'll converse every now and then, and it's nice to talk with Genis, but I get the feeling we just aren't good friends yet.

Raine. Now Raine is a toughie. I wouldn't say we're _friends_ ... we have a more student-teacher kind of thing, and I totally blame that on the assignment she gave me (which I really should get to work on). I dunno, really ... she's someone I can ask about things I'm unsure of (Palmacosta Revolution, the timeline, ect), and I'm comfortable with that. She's nice, too ... when she's not hitting or spanking people. Eheh ...

Coleeeeette. We just went over Colette, didn't we? Ah well ... she's really nice. Really really nice. She's always comforting and encouraging, and I kind of see her as a big sister kind of person ... and probably the person I'll talk to about problems I face. I've gotta remember to cut the uncouth language though ... I blame growing up with three older brothers and swearing parents. Hm.

Kratos. Do you really need an explanation? Really? You do? Alright then. I hope he gets eaten by a grasshopper. Happy?

But seriously, I never thought I could hate someone so much, and I never thought I'd want him to _die_. I know he's vital for everything playing out normally, like ... well, everything. He's needed for most things in the future, but that doesn't mean I can't _not_ want him to kick the bucket. He just pisses me off.

So, if I could consult the fortune teller about all of this, I'd take a wild guess that the best people as of far are either Colette or Lloyd. Hm.

'Do you think this water is good for washing?' I ask, looking over at the shallow pools somewhere to the right. 'We're still covered in blood and such.'

'Yeah, especially you guys,' Lloyd says, looking over both Kratos and I. Kratos just "hm"s and ignores the fact he's practically coated in blood, and I go back to rubbing my pistols dry with my shirt and nod.

'Yep.'

'So, what happened?' Genis asks, looking a bit squicked at the amount of blood. 'Did you get into a lot of fights?'

'Well, he did,' I say, waving my gun in Kratos' direction before going back to cleaning it.

'Yeah ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'It's like that thing ... what was that saying you mentioned earlier? The one about violence?'

Kratos looks up. 'Those who live by the sword-'

'Get shot by those who don't,' I interrupt, still rubbing my guns clean with my shirt.

* * *

"_Hey, Colette?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_...Uh, this is gonna sound strange, but ... do you mind having me around? Like, do I bother you at all?"_

"_What? Of course not! We're friends, right?"_

"_Y ... yeah. But a certain _someone_ keeps putting me down and telling me I'm getting in the way, so I thought I should ask someone else just to be sure."_

"_Oh ... well, I don't think you're getting in the way."_

"_Thanks ... I was just a little worried, that's all. And, uh ..."_

"_Hm? Is something wrong?"_

"_If ... well, if Kratos leaves the group or something, is it okay if I stay?"_

"_Ah ... sure! But ... why would you have to leave if Kratos left?"_

"_Well, I AM here under his supervision. Kinda."_

"_Sure, you can stay! The more the merrier!"_

"_Uh, okay ... thanks."_

* * *

'This place ...' Lloyd mutters, running a hand through the brown mess of his hair. 'Is too wet.' 

'Lloyd?' Genis asks from beside him, kendama in hand as he circles minute Fire Balls the size of a thumbnail around the stone ball out of boredom.

'Yeah?'

'It's the _Water_ Seal.'

The older boy just shoves his friend's head playfully, causing him to stagger into his older sister who groans when in ink splodge trickles down her paper. The poor kid is rewarded with another slap over the head and complains that Lloyd is at fault. The Professor shoves her papers into Colette's hand and chases after the brunet who makes a break for it at the mad glint in her eyes. Kratos just rubs his brow in frustration and Colette's wings shoot out in a flurry of light and pink feathers, landing a few of them in the mercenary's hair before flying off after Lloyd, Genis and the Professor.

'You do realize how utterly stupid you look,' I comment as Kratos flicks a single feather from his fringe. I catch it as it flutters to the floor, holding it between my palms. It's warm ... and my hands are freezing, so I'll hang onto it. Kratos continues to pluck them from his hair and gives me a flat look. I just raise an eyebrow and rub the feather in my hands.

When the mercenary has a handful of still glowing pink fluff, he looks over my shoulder. 'Harrison, there is a cave bat behind you.'

'Ack!' I shriek, spinning around with a hand on my holster. My eyes meet nothing but the dank, grey-blue walls of the sanctum. '... What? I don't see anyth-'

Numerous feathers are promptly dumped onto my head as Kratos continues on in the direction the others went. I pick one out of the top of my hair, and turn to the mercenary's back.

'... KraTOOOOS!'

I sneeze at the amount of fluff and curse Charis for my lack of piriton, chasing after the man while pulling the feathers out of my hair. If I start sneezing again like yesterday at Palmacosta, I am shooting him. Repeatedly.

When I reach him, I notice we're all crowded around a small ledge-wall type thing ... it kinda looks like we're in that room ... y'know, the one with the scales and everything? But I _think_ it's the bottom floor ... I'm not so sure. Well, we _are_ surrounded by water, so I'm guessing it is.

'Lloyd Irving, you come down here right now!' Raine demands, looking up. Sure enough, Lloyd is perched atop the higher platform, probably in fear of his life. I know I'd scramble my way up there if she was looking at me like that ...

'Nu uh, not until you've calmed down,' Lloyd calls, still crouched by the edge of the platform and clutching the worn remains of a wall with his other hand to balance.

'I am calm!' the Professor insists shrilly. Yeah, she's calm alright, and kinda scary. I'm thinking about joining Lloyd up there ... she could flip out and kill us all. Which, I fear to admit, is very possible.

'You're not very convincing ...' I whisper, pulling some stray feathers out of my hair. They're still warm ... wow, I'd like these things a lot more if they didn't cause me to sneeze. The Professor turns to me, eyes still mad with rage. Crap, I should really make a break for it ... though I don't think she hits girls ... only Lloyd, Genis and Zelos as far as I know.

'Um ... throw something?' I suggest meekly, still with a handful of warmth. 'Bribe? I dunno ...'

'Not coming down!' Lloyd hollers, disappearing behind the edge as he pulls himself up.

'Lloyd,' Kratos calls, and the brunet's head pops into view from over the short, worn wall. 'Do you know what your proximal phalanges are?'

'Uh ... no.'

'I'm breaking all of them if you don't stop playing around. And trust me, boy, it will hurt.'

I wince, rubbing my fingers together to try and rid the tingle those words sent through them. It's like if someone tells you they dropped a heavy weight on their hand, you feel a small shoot of something. Eeh, I don't get how the body works.

Lloyd just disappears rather quickly behind the edge again, and Raine groans in frustration. 'Lloyd!'

'Uh-huh?'

'Get down here n-'

'Huh?'

Raine stops in confusion at Lloyd's sudden interruption and gazes uncertainly at the raised platform. Now, I may not have the mad hearing skills that some people around here posses, but I can hear footsteps, and they aren't Lloyd's. Lloyd's shoes don't make that kinda noise, and I know that because I've been listening to nothing but footsteps since we entered this place and the occasional "marvelous!" from the Professor.

'It's you!'

'Lloyd, what's going on up there?' I shout as everyone exchanges confused glances. I don't get an answer, but I do hear the all to familiar scream of "Pyre Seal!" and a scrape of metal.

'It's that assassin that's trying to kill Colette!' Genis says. Well duuh, we kinda got that, Genis. But still, I thought Sheena didn't get in here – oh wait, Noishe wasn't outside to stop her. Oh ... fudge.

'I suggest we get up there?' I say, motioning to the wall. It has a bunch of rocky indents, so it should be easy to climb ... a little like mountain climbing, but ... extremely vertical mountain climbing.

And I'll say it now, I'm not the best at climbing. When everyone is up there, proceeding to kick ass, I'm still about halfway up muttering "don't look down" to myself over and over again. Hm, not good ... I should really have trained for this kind of thing beforehand, but I doubt Charis would have come to me three weeks prior to this whole thing and told me to build up my survival skills. I doubt I would have listened to her anyway.

Right, Sheena.

And sure enough, when I heave myself up over the edge, Sheena is already in close combat with Lloyd, still donning her usual purple ... thing, whatever it is. It's a little bloody right now, though ... I assume she's had her share of monsters, too. She's on her own, too, aided only by Corrine, or whatever it's name is.

RIGHT, SHEENA.

I pull out my guns (still wet, dammit) and ponder on a spell to use. Or a tech – Sheena isn't randomly unaffected by techs like Mr SlimeStick back that-a-way, so Shockwave will be nice to use here.

... Y'know, if I can _hit _her. She's damn fast ... stupid ninja.

Even Lloyd is having trouble getting a hit on her, even though he's trying really hard. She keeps ducking and moving out of the way, finally rewarding his efforts with a Pyre Seal to the face, to which he goes skidding back a good few feet. He almost crashes into me, but I move out of the way just in time and watch him fall to the floor. Why do I always do that?

'Pain ...' he mutters, pulling himself up as Kratos helps Colette in beating on Sheena. I summon up enough mana and tap him on the head, watching a faint green light surround him.

'First Aid for _you_!' I claim. 'Now go and kick some ass.'

'You could make an effort too, y'know,' Lloyd grumbles, grabbing his swords from the floor. I glare, holding up my guns.

'If you haven't noticed, I'm a long-range fighter, so you won't be seeing a lot of me. These little things, look, they shoot -' I demonstrate, aiming at Sheena and missing when she dodges '-just like that.'

'Uh ...'

'Lloyd. There is a ninja currently attacking people; why are you still here?'

The brunet flails slightly, swords in hand, and runs over to help out Genis who looks like he's being pummeled by paper-slapping. I just go over a mental list of techs in my head again, picking my neglected Fire Shot for a change. Shockwave gets far too much love.

I don't know if Fire Bullet is homing or anything like that, but it zooms straight towards Sheena even why she tries to dodge it by darting to the left. I doubt it did much, but at least it hit. Everyone is having a lot of trouble hitting her ... I guess the king of Tethe'alla sent Sheena for a reason after all ... not that I wouldn't expect him to send someone incompetent ... like, he could easily have chosen Regal or something (that'd be weird).

Sheena seems to have noticed me (well duh, I did just attack her, self) and practically ZOOMS towards, cards circling her as she advances.

Uh oh.

'Life Seal!'

If it can send Lloyd flying backwards a good few feet ... well, I'm just gonna say this. I'm in a lot of pain right now, and it gets worse when my back crashes to the floor. I attempt to sit up with a groan, but I only manage a small hiss and no movement, courtesy of my aching back. I do notice however, that something is tickling the skin over my collarbones and feel around for ... whatever it is. Under my shirt, one of her paper cards has attached itself onto my skin and seems to be ... stuck there. I can't get a decent grip on it to rip it away.

I suddenly feel an ache deep in my chest, like heartburn but ten times worse. This must be the effect of Life Seal; she takes away my energy and stores it as her own, so this must be slowly draining me of mana.

Hang on. This is only supposed to take away a bit of energy. Why does it keep getting worse, and why the hell isn't it coming off?

"_Duh, this isn't the game anymore,"_ Charis says, still tapping away as she speaks. "_It's slowly draining you of your energy until you either find a cure, or ... well, fall unconscious."_

"_I've already BEEN unconscious today,"_ I whine. "_I don't wanna have it happen again."_

"_Well, find a cure."_

"_What IS the cure?"_

"_I can't possibly tell you that."_

I pause. "_You are so dead tonight."_

I ignore her witty comment and try to think of something. Cure for pain, cure for pain ... Raine should know! She specializes in this kinda stuff, right?

'Professor!' I call running over before another flurry of cards can head my way.She looks up immediately (in great panic here) to see me running towards her, one hand still over the seal as if to stop the pain. It fails miserably, but at least I'm trying here. 'There's this ... _thing_-'I tug down my shirt collar to reveal the rectangular brown paper '_-_on my neck. And it won't go away.'

'Such intricate design-'

'Professor!'

She snaps out of her 'Raine' trance and presses her staff against the seal, using a spell to hopefully get it off. I feel the warmth of her mana wash over the paper, but it doesn't budge.

'S'not ... coming ... off,' I mutter, still trying to get a decent grip on it. Another wave of dizziness hits me and the seal pulsates, dragging away my energy and sending it to Sheena. I stagger a bit when I try to turn to the battlefield at another cry of "Life Seal" to see who else will be in this kind of pain.

Well, seeing as Genis is now clawing at his shirt to see what it is, I'd guess it's him.

'What is this kind of spell?' Raine ponders aloud, waving Genis over. He comes running, kendama still in hand. We've left half the group to fight alone, so we should really think fast.

'Raine, there's-'

'Yeah, I won one too,' I say sarcastically, tugging my collar down again. 'Painful, yes?'

'Y ... yeah.'

Shit, while Genis and I are stuck with this, Sheena is getting stronger. We're dropping out of battle one by one, so it won't be long until we're defeated. If she keeps casting Life Seal on us, we're as good as dead. Or unconscious, but she'll kill Colette.

Another lot of energy is taken, and it looks like Genis is feeling the effects too. He struggles to keep his balance and puts one hand on his sister's arm to steady himself.

'This is not ... good ...' I say, holding my head when everything becomes blurry. I don't know if it's because Genis is weaker from being in battle longer, but he falls to the floor with an incoherent mumble. Raine is immediately at his side while I try to stay upright myself. Which isn't working, by the way ...

What _feels_ like my final round of energy to offer sets to world into double vision, then triple, then a giant ugly blur of moving colour. The last thing I feel before I also crumple to the cold stone floor under lack on strength is the seal dissolving into my skin with a burn. I'm gone before I hit the stone, and for now, I will sleep.

* * *

'Wakey wakey, rise and shine!' 

'Mmn.'

'Hell_oooooo_ ...'

'Pffft ...'

'Up and at 'em!'

'It's _atom_, you moron.'

'Shut up, I've lived inside a Playstation for the past few years.'

_That_ wakes me up. Everything looks blurry when I open my eyes, but that's probably normal, seeing as Sheena has drained me of my strength a few minutes prior. Or what _feels_ like a few minutes. What happened? How long have I been out? Is everyone okay?

... Where the _hell_ am I?

'Charis ...?' I ask groggily, attempting to sit up. It doesn't take very long, because I quickly notice that I'm already sat up, after being placed in a less then comfortable chair, of course. And less than comfortable it is; it feels like a very old and worn armchair, and I can only hope it isn't host to a nest of spiders or other creepy crawlies.

'Yo yo, and welcome to the house inside your head.'

I jolt to attention at the mention of this house and look around, trying to clear the ... fuzz that seems to line everything. I blink a couple of times and notice I'm in the 'computer room' of sorts that Charis always seems to be in. It isn't much; it's like one of the giant ones in Magnius' room ... big screen that almost vertically measures the whole wall, a large keyboard, and a small mouse. In front of all this, is of course, Charis. She looks different from last time I saw her. She has her hair down and is wearing a plain red shirt with a single cloud smack bang in the middle, and a small blue skirt. I look around for William and notice him by his own smaller computer, playing what looks like Space Invaders ... Tales of Symphonia style, for the occasion I'm guessing. Lloyd is riding around on a small pixel Noishe and Demon Fanging little Yggdrasills that slowly make their way down the screen.

'Hang on, I'm inside my head?' I ask. 'How does that work?'

'It's complicated,' William says, swinging around on his chair when a big red "GAME OVER" flashes up on his screen. 'Just go with the flow.'

'Flowing,' I say, looking over at Charis. 'What happened to everyone?'

'Well, you're unconscious as of now in Symphonia-world, and when you wake up, you'll be going back. For now though, I think we should have a little chat.'

'No, chat tonight,' I protest, pointing at her accusingly. 'I need to help those guys-'

'Yeah, well, you ain't getting up anytime soon,' Charis says, motioning to the overly large computer screen. An image pops up of the battlefield I was previously in to show the remaining three still in combat with Sheena, and Raine tending to Genis, as well as my motionless body next to his. I wonder if they ever experience anything like this when they're unconscious ... meh, something to think on.

'Wait, can't she just use a life bottle?' I ask. 'We'd both be up and running in about five minutes.'

'The seal repels that use,' Charis says, leaning back against her office chair. 'Sheena can effectively draw out the energy of the person the seal is attached to, but it also makes sure they stay unconscious after it's use so it can stop them getting back up and attacking her. Life bottles won't work for about ... ten minutes, so you're stuck with us for a while.'

'Oh,' I say. 'Joy.'

'Well, let's go to the living room and chat. It's warmer there.'

'Hang on.' I stand up and glare at her a little. 'You have a computer, a bathroom, _and_ a living room inside my head? What else do you have?'

'Bedroom, kitche-'

'Agh.'

William jumps up from his chair after shutting down his computer, following Charis to a heavy looking wooden door on the other side of the room. I follow, looking around and feeling slightly uncomfortable for some reason. I have a feeling the things we'll be talking about won't go well, and I don't know why. It must be the vibes from that tacky old chair. Yeah, that's it.

When I enter the living room, I notice it's a very dark room. There's a fireplace (heeey, it's like my one at home ... at least they're making an effort), a long, right-angle couch and another armchair that seems to be left for me, as Charis and William have taken their seats on the freaky red sofa pushed up against a non-existent wall. Seriously, it's black everywhere except for the space the fire is illuminating, as well as the seats and the door. A bit weird ...

I slowly sink into my chair and notice it's a lot more comfortable than the last, and I wait for them to say something.

'Okay, before we start,' Charis begins, leaning back on her sofa with her legs crossed. 'I need to tell you something. There's more bad news than good, so be prepared.'

'Oh, um ...' I mumble. 'Okay ...'

'Right, first things first,' William says, leaning against the arm of their sofa. 'How are things.'

'... Very painful,' I admit. 'And ... I'm a little scared.'

'Scared?' Charis asks, raising an eyebrow. 'Of what?'

'It rhymes with Prat-os,' I snap sarcastically. 'Geez, you guys should know that by know.'

The two of them give each other a short glance before turning back to me. William is the one that speaks. 'Well, we knew he pisses you off, we didn't know you were scared of him.'

'Not right now, of course,' I explain. 'But the Tower of Salvation is starting to bug me. I don't really ... y'know.'

'Well, we can't have you _not_ do it,' Charis says, giving me a stern look. 'Unless of course you want to stay in Sylvarant for the rest of your life.'

I make a face at her option. 'Do not want.'

'Good.'

'But that still doesn't mean I can't not want to do it.'

'Shut up, Charlotte,' Charis says, repeating a phrase I say to myself almost daily.

'Okay, can I start asking questions now?' I ask, looking over both of them. William nods, looking down at the floor and Charis just fiddles with the rim of her shirt after giving another nod. I'm guessing they're not going to be able to answer everything I ask, so I'll try to go with the things that I think I should be able to know, but are also vital.

'Alright,' I say quietly, mulling over my options for a moment. 'What's happening to Lloyd? With all this freaky-ill shit?'

'We can't answer that,' Charis says quickly. 'You'll find out ... not soon, but later. Plus, he hasn't been ill in a while, so you're okay. Trust us.'

'Uh ... huh,' I mumble, jumping straight to my next option. 'There was another thing I wanted to ask; something about my techs.'

William nods. 'Shoot.'

'Well ... what am I going to be learning?' I ask. 'I'm not trying out something like that "_Mana Blast"_, or whatever it was called again.'

'We can't tell you _that_, either,' Charis says with a grin. 'It takes away all the surprise.'

'Rats,' I mutter. 'Oh, oh ... there was this one thing, and if you don't answer it, I will hurt you both.'

They nod again, and I continue.

'"_Choose your saviour, Irving."_'

That actually causes a long, long while of silence in the room. The two of them look at each other again, and then they decide to gaze at something else, refusing to meet my eyes. William seems to hold deep interest in the fireplace, and Charis is still pulling at stay strings on her shirt. Uh oh, this is bad, isn't it? This might mean they can tell me, but I'm not sure I want to know now.

'Well ... I'll give you this,' Charis mumbles, getting as far as looking at my lap. 'It's got nothing to do with you, so you don't have to worry about that.'

'Oh, good ...' I say, a little relieved. 'But then ... who does it involve?'

'Lloyd, Kratos, and a person who will be left nameless here.'

'Yggdrasill,' I choose bluntly.

William leans over to the other and whispers, 'She's good.'

'Okay, yes, it has something to do with Yggdrasill,' Charis says, glaring a little. 'But stop this; I don't want you getting into more trouble than you're already in.'

'_Already_ _in_?' I ask, feeling a little nervous and uneasy all of a sudden. 'What kind of trouble?'

'Yggdrasill has spies watching the Chosen, as well as observing how Kratos is taking things,' William tells me, leaning on his knees and linking his fingers. 'Yuan, Pronyma, and of course, Remiel.'

I furrow my brow at the thought that these two have been observing while we've been outside the seals, and nod. 'Ah ... okay.'

'And they've told Yggdrasill about the people traveling with them, too,' Charis says, picking up where William left off. 'Which includes Lloyd, and how he's Kratos' son, Genis and Raine, and how they're half-elves that could become rather acceptable angels of Cruxis, and you, and how you seem to know Lloyd is Kratos' son. And they know you're lying about your family here.'

My face falls. 'How?'

'They can't find any traces of a Desian doing what you claimed your father did, so they're guessing you're just lying to try and get on the journey. Plus, they probably only think it's the Desian father you're lying about. The other things I'm not too sure.'

'... And about the me-knowing-things?'

William makes a face. 'Well, if you cross Yggdrasill, or any of the other two, they're likely to kill you on the spot.'

'... Oh,' I manage. Seriously, what else can I say? They'll probably kill Lloyd on the spot too, seeing as Kratos is obviously upping his relationship with him (not by his own doing, but hey). Yggdrasill probably wouldn't like to be betrayed again, so I'd assume he's taking all of these things into account.

'Well ...' I say quietly, thinking over ... many things. 'It won't be for a while, so I guess I could ... work on something ...'

'Sure,' William assures with a smile. 'You'll think something up.'

'Yeah ...' I mumble, still feeling a bit edgy. 'Maybe ...'

So, I'm in Sylvarant. I have Kratos hating on me, the others at average on the friendship scale, Cruxis after practically the whole of our group, and most of us are under death threats for later on. If any of you wish you were me, I highly suggest you consult your doctor or a professional counselor as soon as you are able.

* * *

THERE YOU GOOOO. Thanks for reading! Would you like to spare a review? Button right down there to you left, click it, mmmyes. 


	38. Dismissal

Mm, feeling better now.

I still hate this place with a passion though. It's so hard to write about. Anyway, this chapter is shorter than I hoped it would be, but it covers some of the main things that needed to come across.

Okay, they're still not out of the Water Seal yet. This chapter covers the rest of the conversation with Charis and William, the rest of the Sheena battle, and some other things that I won't be telling you about :D You're supposed to read to find out, silly.

And 497? D: Aww, we were so close, guys ...but still, a big fat THANK YOU to all of you that reviewed, all of your comforting words and just knowing you _enjoyed_ reading it was enough. Speaking of which, I have _no_ idea what I can do for 500 reviews. I know I said I was thinking about drawing or writing something, but I seriously don't know what to do. Hm, suggestions?

Oh yeah, and before I forget - I can understand if you're uncomfortable with this, so I'm not expecting you to do it, but I'm sending out Christmas cards to people on my LJ, so I thought, why not do it for reviewers? If you want a card, just tell me. And don't forget to ask your parents first :O Or whoever runs your household. Yeah. And please don't put your address in a review. I don't want other people knowing where you live :O

On with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 38 - Dismissal

For the past while, I've been sitting and mulling over things to discuss with my two game consoles so things around here might finally be able to make some sense. So far, the only thing they've achieved is curing their boredom while I think with changing the room around. The fireplace is now a glowing _brighter_, and it begins to outline some other things I notice amongst the thick darkness that coats the walls. I notice something from my actual room at home, which would be my dressing table.

I try to push out this wave of homesickness again, and though it may not be that strong, it still gets me a bit emotional, y'know? I think this place is probably a cross between my bedroom and my living room ... maybe they're creating their rooms out of things in my memories? Fully possible.

Right, I should start thinking of questions again. I don't think I have very long until Raine heals up Genis and me.

'Alright, I'm ready to start again,' I say a little impatiently as Charis finishes conjuring a rug in the shape of a peace sign between all the furniture. They nod and let me continue with my questions.

'How are things at home?' I ask, half dreading my answer. 'Like ... what's going on? Has the school tried to contact me at all?'

'Well ...' Charis mumbles, resting her head in a hand. 'As you've noticed, this is gonna be one heck of a journey, and it'll take a while.'

I frown at her mention of how long this will take and nod.

'Well, time has completely stopped. When you get back, it should start up again and it'll be just like before you went in.'

'... Oh ...' I reply. 'Well, are you sure? You're not really on Earth right now, so how are you sure?'

Charis just smirks. 'Oh, my plans always work.'

I give her a wary look and just nod. 'Uh-huh, anyone, more questions ...'

I pause, thinking up my next words. 'Well, has anything changed _drastically_? Like, with Zelos, Presea and Regal? Nothing is wrong with anything so far, right?'

It takes me five seconds, _five seconds_, to realize something is already up. William and Charis fall into silence again, studying the peace-rug intently. William is nervously tugging on two rubber wristbands (hey, they belong to the real William ...), and Charis is picking at the tacky plastic cloud on her shirt. You could seriously cut the rapid building tension with a knife, or probably a paper fan. Something is wrong.

'... Alright, spit it out,' I sigh, flopping back on my chair (now a nasty plastic blow-up chair, courtesy of William) and preparing for the worst. 'What happened?'

William just looks over at Charis, who slowly meets his eyes. No, they are _not_ debating on this while I'm here.

'Look, just tell me,' I say, standing up rather quickly. 'I'm sick of everything being hidden from me, so just say it.'

Charis is the one that finally decides to let me in on the problems and if the first to speak, leaning forward slightly. 'When you were at the Palmacosta Ranch ...'

Oh man, not _there_. Anything but that sickening place. I couldn't possibly have done something _already_ through that place, could I? 'Yeah ...'

'What did you notice?' William continues. I see they're against spitting this out coherently, so they're leaving me to think up the answer for myself. Okay team, let's think this all over in detail, alrighty? I spent a majority of my time at the ranch with Kratos, so that resulted in a big fat nothing. We didn't really discuss anything vital (that I doubt went beyond us, anyhow), so I fail to see how Cruxis could have picked something up or something along those lines.

What I did ... shouldn't really have effected anything, in my opinion. Nothing new happened except for the death of Rufus, but I doubt someone who was never meant to exist in this world could have such an impact. I don't think it had anything to do with him.

'Think harder,' Charis urges. 'Something you had to make an assumption about ... this shouldn't be hard.'

I nod and keep thinking. The fight with Magnius was average, save for that small threat on Lloyd's life in front of Kratos. Nothing exceedingly _bad_ could have come out of that, so I'll leave that for now ... I'll come back to it if I don't get anything else.

Okay, the Professor unlocked everything, Neil escaped, Chocolat was transported to the Iselia Ranch, all the captives were sent to Palmacosta, Dirk is coming to help their Exsphere problem, and ... I have nothing other than that.

'... I don't know,' I say. 'Everything went how it should have.'

William just rubs his left temple, looking up at me from behind a thin fringe. 'You never saw Chocolat leave.'

I shrug. 'She left before we had a chance to observe. The Magnius battle took a ... while ...'

I trail off, getting quieter. Chocolat _didn't_ leave before we had a chance to observe; that was an assumption I made because I wanted to leave so badly. But she had to have gotten out – she comes into play later on in the game, so Charis and William wouldn't really ...

My mind swings to Triet. Though that was never used as a valuable plot point later on ... it was still a loss that could have been prevented, wasn't it? So if the fate of even just a small, desert city is easily tampered by the changes all of these new actions have created, then a girl's life could easily have been ...

'She's dead, isn't she?' I say after a minute, and they both finally look up. 'She never got out.'

Charis just sighs and slumps back against her chair. 'Yeah ... sorry.'

'No, it's okay ...' I assure quietly, staring at my lap. 'I just ... well, I didn't really expect something like that to happen, y'know?'

The two of them just nod, and they don't say anything for a while. I can't really blame them; they aren't the only ones lost for words, because I really can't think of anything to say. I think I feel a crap-load of guilt piling up in my stomach right now – I feel for Cacao, because she lost both Marble, and now her daughter. Of course, she doesn't _know_. She's probably been told by Neil that the Chosen's group are looking for her at every chance they get, and for all I know, that's what we'll do.

I can't _tell_ them that Chocolat got caught in the explosion. I'd get some questions and suspicions, and Cruxis could be observing. If I start spurting out random crap that is apparently true, it wouldn't surprise me if they pulled an Ozette and zapped me from above. Plus, I already mentioned that she most likely got out alive, so if I suddenly go back on that ...

Well, the problems just keep rolling in.

I seriously thought Tales of Symphonia would be easier than this. Given I know most things about the game, I thought it'd just be straight sailing from Iselia, but it's not. There are so many things I have to be scared of, consider for the future, things that confuse me, things I never knew about coming into play, and of course, all of these non-stop problems. Sure, I've had my share of good things happening since I've been here, but because problems take time and effort to tackle, they're things you think about most. Or maybe I'm just morbid.

'Uh ...' I say, finding my voice again. 'I think ... that's all ...'

'Okay ...' Charis says, staring at the rug in the middle of the floor. 'If you want, we can send you back now. You just have to be in your unconscious body for a while ...'

I nod. 'Yeah ... I'm okay with that ...'

'Just close your eyes and pretend you're sleeping,' William says, giving me a small smile. 'And don't worry about anything.'

'I'll try ...' I say with a yawn, slipping further down into my tacky plastic chair. It doesn't take long for whatever it is they've done to kick in, and the next thing I know is pain. A lot of pain in my chest. It must be them chucking me back into my own body or whatever. Life Seal's effects must still be in play.

That's pretty much it until everything starts to quieten down, all the noises go and lights beyond my eyelids disappear, and I'm gone for the while.

-------------

Water ... I can hear running water ...

And shouting.

My eyes snap open and I try sitting up, but my brain is against that and sends the world into a spinning mess of colour and sound ... and headaches. I flop back down onto the cold stone floor with a groan and try to distinguish the shouts through the ringing in my head, as well as a sigh of my name. I realise it's the Professor's voice and struggle to open my eyes without feeling pain at the back of my head.

I'm gonna kill Charis.

'Professor ... does there happen to be a stalagmite wedged in the back of my head?' I ask quietly, trying to sit up again. I notice Genis at my other side, stirring from his unconscious state with a mutter of pain, and Raine turns to him, staff in hand as I rub my head.

'Is the assassin still here?' I ask, looking around. Of course, I find the answer myself when I notice Sheena getting walloped by Angel Feathers. No sign of a Guardian anywhere ... I wonder why. Maybe she's used them all? Oh, that can't be helpful ... don't we need them for later on?

Right, the other three are being viciously attacked. Attempt to snap to it, Charlie.

I manage to pull myself up with a lot of struggle and the aid of that broken wall, barrier, whatever it is ... but the main thing is, my lower body feels like jelly, so I'm gonna have to stay clinging onto it if I don't want to be forced to my knees. And try to _aim,_ dammit ... Sheena is really fast.

Makes me sad that I'm a long range fighter. Real sad. Short range must be easier for fast enemies.

"_I hate you two ..."_ I hiss, managing to stand straight and think coherently for the time being. All I get is a "_meh"_ from Charis and a "_goddammit Lloyd, kill those bitches!"_ from William. I assume he's playing Symphonia-Space Invaders, so I'll leave him to it. Though of course, he could be doing something completely irrelevant, and I would then have a reason to be scared. I think I already am.

Seriously, I don't know how they do it. Jumping right back into battle after being healed up from unconsciousness, I mean. It doesn't feel nice at all ... I'd probably go into a coma if I jumped up and starting fighting right after my small mental ordeal with Charis and William. I'll let all of that guilt and grief roll onto me when night comes, but for now ...

'Sheena!'

About a split second before I try to look over my shoulder at the voice's bearer, I'm shoved to the floor in a rather ungraceful fashion, landing on my stomach with a painful _thwomp_. Whatever it was is now perched right between my shoulder blades, clawed paws digging into the back of my neck. Good grief, my guns have skidded away from me at the impact. Not good.

Sheena delivers a Pyre Seal to the face of a not-so-inconspicuous swordsman trying to sneak up behind her and turns to the ... _thing_ on my back, as Lloyd once again goes flying, this time into an unsuspecting Kratos instead of me. Whey.

'Those monsters are coming again! We have to get out of here quickly!'

Yep, it's Corrine, in all of his high-pitched voice glory. Lord above, strike me where I ... lay, I guess.

'Damn ...' Sheena whispers to herself, and it's a wonder I heard it from all the way over here. Everything seems to have gone silent at the arrival of our new and strangely cute enemy, who finally decides to jump from my back and head towards the assassin. Sheena clutches her cards tightly in one hand, turning and pointing to Colette with an irate look on her face.

'Next time, I'll kill you all – I swear it!' she shouts, disappearing in her usual blast of smoke as Corrine leaps up to her shoulder, leaving with her.

While everyone gets themselves together, I'm left wondering: what were those monsters Corrine talked about? I doubt they'd run from any old group of average goo-bastards ... makes you wonder if there's something more in here, like an ... unwanted monster of sorts that could eat you.

"_It's not really important right now,"_ Charis tells me. "_Well, not to you, anyhow. You worry about things that don't concern you too much_."

"_I worry about things that could concern my safety at all,"_ I grumble back. "_If you haven't noticed, I'm very prone to being attacked here."_

"_Ah, you'll be fine."_

"_Hn ..."_

I grab my pistols from where they were thrown to and return them to my holsters, looking around at the others. Lloyd has gone over to see if Colette is okay after that unwanted encounter, but luckily she got out with just a bruise on her shoulder. Kratos is pressing that weird bandage I noticed outside firmly onto his skin and pulling a shred of tattered and bloodied clothing over it to hide the white from view. I look away before he can notice me catching a glimpse and notice Genis managed to get to his feet with the help of Raine. At least we're all okay for now.

'I just got owned by a rat,' I hiss, rubbing my forehead. 'A _rat_.'

'I didn't know they could have such colourful tails ...' Colette says as the only three that actually _fought_ come over, healing wounds with apple gels.

'Eeh ...' I mutter. 'Really though, she's popping up everywhere ...'

'Well, she _is_ following us,' Genis remarks. I choose to say nothing at that comment and just rub my eyes. Today's events have really worn me out ... I wonder what time it is now.

"_About half-past eleven. If you haven't noticed, this place will take a while – it's very big._"

I just frown at my newly obtained information and consider asking Charis to knock me out so I can just sleep. I'm seriously knackered, and sleeping sounds very, very appealing right now.

'So, how is everyone else?' Lloyd asks, obviously ignoring a bleeding wound on his arm. I'm annoyed, but I won't say anything.

'Well, I'm currently experiencing rather uncomfortable pains in the lower abdominal region ...' I mutter, fishing around my satchel for a gel.

Lloyd just stares at me.

'Bellyache,' I tell him.

'Ah. So, uh, what now?'

'We move on,' Kratos orders, sheathing his newly blood-coated sword, ridden with red lines and stains. Much pity goes to Sheena right now, even if she did just kick my ass. I'm just glad he's on our side for now.

... Kinda.

Sorta.

Shut up, Charlotte.

* * *

_'You're an atheist, right?'_

_'Uh ... kinda. I'm not really sure of religion as a whole. And I think your dog has flees, I have bites everywhere ...'_

_'Uh oh ... I'd better wash him when we get out of here. Hey, wanna help?'_

_'I'd love to say no.'_

_'That's too bad. Oh, right ... so, you're not sure?'_

_'About the religion stuff? No. There are too many gods and goddesses and crap, so how are you supposed to know which is the right one?'_

_'Hm ... I guess you have a point.'_

_'... Why'd you ask, anyway? The last person I expected to ask was you. Something up?'_

_'Ah, no ... I was just thinking, it's kinda weird that you're on this journey if you don't believe in Martel.'_

_'I dunno; I don't think Kratos has high hopes for her either.'_

_'Yeah, I guess so ... but he was hired by Phaidra to protect us, so I don't think it's too weird.'_

_'Good point. I dunno really – I just thought coming on this journey would be ... fun?'_

_'... It's still kinda weird.'_

_'Do you believe in Martel?'_

_'Uhh ... kinda. I mean, I know she's respected and all, but you have to wonder if she actually exists.'_

_'... Hypocrisy, Lloyd. Hypocrisy.'_

_'I'm just saying, no one actually sees her. Maybe it's symbolic, or something ... I've only seen angels, after all.'_

_'... That was ... kinda insightful. You just gave me something to think about.'_

_'Eh?'_

_'Y'know, no one has ever seen Martel, so it could just be the angels supplying us with mana. Martel could be ... I dunno – something that doesn't actually exist. Or it could just be like a massive lump of mana at the bottom of the Tower of Salvation where they store it. You never know.'_

_'I ... don't really get what you mean, but I think you have a point.'_

_'You make absolutely no sense, but it's nice to know I'm being agreed with.'_

* * *

Six hours. 

_Six hours_.

We have been walking around aimlessly for SIX HOURS.

Not that I doubted Charis when she said this place was big, but holy hell, this is _too _big. That's one quarter of a whole day we've been walking around, listening to the Professor swoon over the next amazing piece of history and Colette translating scriptures over the wall into English. Well, since they don't have English here ... human? I've already asked about the timeline – I'm not going to ask about the language. If anything, it'd be more suspicious if I did.

I hate Sylvarant.

'This place is so ...' Lloyd mutters, his final words being cut off by a yawn.

'Boring?' I finish, looking over at the Professor as she fawns over a new scripture on the wall, dragging Colette over to aid her with the translation of the Angelic words carved into the slab upon the wall. 'She'll be the death of you one day.'

'I've gotten used to it,' Lloyd insists, settling back against the cold wall.

'I doubt Iselia had as much historical crap that we're going to face on this journey,' I mutter, taking a seat on a rock at my waist level with a quick heave. 'You might want some form of defence.'

Lloyd just snorts. 'I have sleep; that's good enough.'

'I'd ask, but I can already kinda guess,' I say with a yawn of my own, resting against a smaller scripture in hopes of concealing it from the Professor's view. 'You sleep in class much?'

'All the time,' Lloyd answers, idly rubbing his Exsphere. 'Except in PE ...'

'You don't really have a choice there ...' I reply, wondering what sports they have in Sylvarant ... they must have some, really – if they do PE, then they should. It's common sense. Oh geez, if they don't have tennis, I'm gonna cry.

'Hey, Lloyd?' I ask, trying to think of the right way to put this without sending suspicion out on it's ever threatening rampage when he looks over. 'You ever played tennis before?'

The swordsman just gives me a blank look. 'Tennis?'

Ah, crap. 'It's a game,' I explain shortly. 'Like, uh ... you have a ball, and these racket type things, and you hit the ball to each other over a net, and you're not taking a word of this in, are you?'

'No, I'm listening ...' Lloyd assures. 'I just ... don't get it.'

'I'll try to explain later ...' I say, staring at the dank, dripping ceiling as the Professor scribbles down notes of Colette's translated words. It makes you wonder how many more times we're going to have to stop and wait for her to fill in anything and everything about the Water Seal in that little book of hers. We've stopped about eight times now so Raine can study the worn, Angelic scriptures with aid of a book and Colette.

'Call me crazy, but I'm hearing things,' I say after a while as Raine shoves her book into her backpack as we prepare to move on. No one looks over, but I get an answer from Kratos.

'It may be echoes from the monsters around here. Some of them have very peculiar cries.'

'... I was kinda hoping there weren't any around here,' Lloyd mutters, still rubbing his Exsphere as we walk on. 'That giant goo thing was bad enough.'

'True, so very true,' I add, still worried about facing another one of those things. If echoes I'm hearing are from a swarm of those things following us, I'm running straight for that entrance a good ways back, and if it's something else, then it's probably as equally bad.

I look over my shoulder when I hear another chain of noises ringing off the walls to try and spot it's owner, or worse, it's owner_s_. The only thing I can see are shadows flicking around the walls of the small corridor and the sound of steadily dripping water. I can only hope these monsters don't have the ability to become invisible to the human eyes. That wouldn't rest well with me.

I wonder if Cruxis are watching Kratos right now ... I don't know how they'd be able to get into the Water Seal, and I don't know if they'd even bother. Hm, it makes you think. I doubt they'd watch often ... I have a feeling Yggdrasill thinks he can trust Kratos right now. As far as I know, he only had spies watching Kratos after he found out he was giving Lloyd information late in the game. I think ... I forget easily, but anyway ...

I don't really like the thought of Cruxis watching Kratos, because one) if he knows, he would keep his relationship with Lloyd at a low, so there would be no chance in getting him _not_ to fight us at the Tower of Salvation, and two) they'd kinda notice I know things about him that I shouldn't. I'm sure they won't pay too much attention – for all they know, I'm from Luin and know Anna's parents or something like that. Perfectly possible, but I don't think it's that easy, self.

I'd love to proclaim I have a headache, but I think I've whined enough today.

'Oh, this ...'

I look up at Colette's utter of surprise and notice we've come to a new room. It's fairly large, but the object that catches my eye is a rather large fountain smack bang in the centre of the area, and I must say, it's pretty impressive. It's circular and quite big with a statue of a woman standing in the water. The statue itself is old and worn after being here for hundreds of years for all I know, but I can make out intricate design – probably a tattoo – carved into her face amongst the cracks and missing pieces.

The statue of the woman seems to be holding a oddly shaped stone jar, and if it's symbolic, then I have no idea what it's implying.

'And this is?' I ask as Raine drags Colette over to a stone plaque on the fountain's edge. The writing is all in Angelic, and very hard to make out at that, but Colette gets most of what is written. Lloyd walks over to inspect the fountain's water before being told to not touch it by the Professor who is watching him out of the corner of her eye and she jots down notes of what Colette is saying as she reads from the stone.

'Is that Martel?' I ask, looking over at Genis. He's the main person I'd be asking, with Raine in ruin-mode, Colette currently being held captive, and Lloyd and Kratos at a safe distance away from them.

'I don't think so ...' Genis whispers as the other two converse. 'Something just seems a little off.'

'Yeah, what's up with the jug?' Lloyd asks, staring at the stone woman.

'Symbolic,' I say.

'... For _what_?'

'I dunno.'

'The water flowing from the jar symbolizes the flow of life in the world,' Kratos tells him, leaning against a random stone pillar in the corner. 'She is a goddess from before the time of Martel and Mithos the hero.'

'Then why is it in a seal the holds such high respect for the age or Martel?' Genis asks, still looking the statue over.

'Yeah, that _is_ a bit weird ...' Lloyd mutters, leaning against the other side of the pillar next to Kratos.

'Before the religion of Martel was brought about, people had believed in these gods as people now do Martel,' Kratos explains, watching the Chosen translate the Angelic scriptures without interest. 'They still had respect for them, and it would take firm holders of the faith a while to pass on their belief to a new goddess in such haste.'

'But now world regeneration has become such an issue, people have just forgot about them, right?' Lloyd asks, looking up over his shoulder at the mercenary.

'Exactly.'

'I wonder if anyone still believes in all of these old gods and goddesses ...' Genis broods aloud. Kratos just shifts against the pillar in discomfort.

'My family refused to believe in the ways of Martel and forced upon me the lost religions,' Kratos says quietly, and I have to wonder if it's a lie or not. I doubt Kratos is one to share with us things about his family, for the reason he either doesn't want to, he forgot, or it could be quite painful to recall the people who died as you stayed young and have done so for the past four-thousand years. Either way, I won't be the one to pry. Lloyd will, though.

'Well, what did you think about Martel?'

'I find the teachings nothing but sophistry,' he mutters with distaste. 'Though I would not try to convert anyone to the old ways. They believe in their goddess as I believe in my gods.'

'Don't you get a lot of hostility because of that?' Lloyd asks. 'People can get pretty sharp with you if you don't have any respect for Martel.'

'I've had my share of trouble in the past,' Kratos says. 'Especially with a certain priest who I suspect now lives in Palmacosta's House of Salvation.'

'Oh ... was it that guy who dropped the statue?' I ask, looking over my shoulder for a second to see how the others are doing. 'He looked pretty scared of you.'

'I'm sure.'

'What did you do?' Lloyd asks.

'I took my sword to his throat and told him to be quiet.'

'Sounds very "Kratos" of you,' I say sarcastically. 'Well done. You probably scarred the poor thing for life.'

'Priests of that nature should think more before they try to convert people who don't share their beliefs.'

As much as I hate to say, he's got a point. I've had my share of people trying to convert our religions, but most of them were arrogant little sods that needed shooting. I vividly remember someone who claimed they were Christian to tell us to believe in God or we're all going to hell. Now, I'm not a Christian, but I have a lot of respect for them, and that person just made me squirm. No one should act like that when it comes to such a touchy subject. If I see a man praying to Martel while I'm here, I'm not going to tell him to get up and that he's praying for false hope, I'm going to let him be – I don't really want to get caught in something like that.

I'm sure Kratos feels like that, somehow. But I'm quite sure I'm nod going to hold a gun to a man's head if he tells me to believe in Martel. Only Kratos would do something like that.

'So ... who is that, anyway?' I ask, jerking a thumb in the statue's direction. 'Do you know?'

'She is named Marmes, the Goddess of Healing. The healing water she produced was said to have healed the good people that touched it, and burnt the evil.'

'... And your views on _that_?' Lloyd asks. Wow, he's more interested than I expected in this.

'To me, it sounds kinda forced,' I intercept before the mercenary can answer. 'Don't hold your sword to my throat just yet, but I think the immediate grouping of good people and bad people is kinda ... well, _forced_.'

Kratos just nods. Whoa, he's agreeing with me. This is kinda scary.

'Good people will do bad, and bad people will do good,' he says. 'Following that, there is no justification to a good thing or a bad thing. What seems good to one person can seem bad to another.'

At his words, I have to think of Yggdrasill. He seriously has to be a victim of that kind of thing. In his eyes, and possibly the eyes of many half-elves, all these lifeless beings he's creating seem good, but to the people who have lost family, friends, and their own lives to his ideals obviously think otherwise.

'We're done here!' Colette says from behind as Raine packs up her books again. 'Sorry we took so long.'

'Oh, don't worry,' I assure. 'We've been entertained by Kratos' views on religion for a good part of the time.'

'Oh ...' Colette mumbles. Being who she is, I'm guessing our lack of faith in Martel is becoming a problem. I wouldn't expect her to try and convert someone, but you never know. Raine herself looks a little miffed with good lot of us not believing in Martel but ignores it, probably not planning to hold a grudge. When I say the good lot of us, I mean Kratos and me, really. Genis probably believes in her ... I'm not sure about him, but I think he does. Lloyd, as I've seen so far, is kind of on the edge of not believing. I don't know if Kratos' faith, as well as mine are rubbing off on him, but he's a tricky case.

We say nothing after that and continue on our way down the long hallways, the Professor eventually muttering something about no paintings on the walls and Lloyd starts asking Kratos about his faith again. I don't really know, but Kratos seems a lot calmer now he's talking. Maybe it's because he's getting some pent up things off his chest, maybe it's because it's _Lloyd_ he's talking to. Maybe it's both. I don't know.

Though this is very interesting stuff, it only makes me worry more. I don't know why, but something is telling me to worry.

* * *

_'Ack ... I stepped in a puddle again.'_

_'Y'know ...'_

_'I know, I know, it the _Water Seal_. I'm not as stupid as some people.'_

_'No, I was going to say, about the Sorcerer's Ring ...'_

_'Oh ... what about it?'_

_'It produces water here because of it's surroundings.'_

_'Yeah, the geyser. What about it?'_

_'If the effects of the ring change at every seal, do you think they'd react to the surroundings of other seals?'_

_'Uh ... probably. But what if the Seal of something-or-other is like, in a cave or something? What do you think it'd produce?'_

_'Maybe a source of light? It's complicated when you think about it.'_

_'I guess so. I never thought about it much; I just thought of it as something to help us along the way, but you try to get all deep into the workings of it. Then again, you live with Raine, so I can't except any less.'_

_'I guess so. It must run in the blood.'_

_'Haha, maybe ... hey, now we're talking, can I ask you something?'_

_'Uh, sure. Go ahead.'_

_'Do you mind me being here?'_

_'... What kind of question is that?'_

_'One that needs an answer, and trust me, it's not as weird as it sounds. Really.'_

_'Uh ... no, I don't mind. Why?'_

_'Eeh ... just wondering. I'm getting vibes that someone thinks otherwise.'_

_'Just ignore him, he's being arrogant.'_

_'Yeah, but I notice that though he's arrogant, he's always right.'_

_'Not _always_ right.'_

_'Most of the time, then. But it makes me worry sometimes.'_

_'Do you know what makes me worry?'_

_'What?'_

_'When you give Lloyd the Sorcerer's Ring to play with.'_

_'Ah ...'_

* * *

Sleep is good. 

Other than that, you'll probably want some information on what has happened the past god knows how many hours until we actually decided to settle down for the night. We found nothing in the place we had wondered into and began searching again, but we got lost and ended up back in the room where we had fought Sheena. With half the group thoroughly pissed off, we started searching around again, but the Professor caught sight of some scripture that could actually prove _useful_ for this seal and spent hell knows how long jotting down notes and stuff for reference.

We got into another fight too, this time with – wait for it – _giant starfish_. I kid you not. And this thing that looked like the bastard child of an octopus and turtle. Please don't ask me how that works – I'm still trying to figure it out for myself.

Anyway, main point – Water Seal inhabitants? SCARY and DEFORMED.

After those battles, it was Genis' turn to start complaining that his feet were hurting. I seriously couldn't blame him – we've been walking around non-stop _all day_. When our tunnels and corridors led us back to the room where we fought Sheena _again_, we decided to give up for today and finally settle down for sleep. And that we did, after Genis cooked us the amazing meal that is rice. Why? Because it's easy to cook, we're all too _tired _to cook, and we have a lot of rice for some reason.

After that was all done and well, I considered doing that essay for Raine, y'know, the one I haven't even started yet. But sadly, I was too tired, and quickly fell asleep.

For about an hour or two, from what I can judge, before waking up at the sound of footsteps echoing around the large, cold hall we've taken refuge in for the night. I'm a light sleeper, sadly, so I stir to my senses just as they fade. Now, normally I'd just go back to sleep and ignore it, but we're in the Water Seal, there are monsters here, and whoever it was that left was probably also doing night watch. That's a big no-no, because I now have the fear of being eaten while I sleep.

And since Kratos is the only one that does night-watch, I'm going to find out where he's gone, kick him in the groin, come back and _then_ sleep, hopefully.

In a minute, though. My legs don't work after I've just woken up.

"_I suggest you follow him,"_ William yawns from inside my head, Charis apparently gone to bed or something. "_He's usually doing something suspicious_."

"_Y'know what, I'm just gonna stay here,"_ I reply. "_I want to sleep, and I'm not going to let him keep me up and then scold me about it in the morning."_

I don't listen to William's answer and just try to sleep again, dragging the covers tighter around me. This place is so cold. I thought the entrance halls were cold, but they're warmer compared to how it is deeper inside the Seal. I make sure to keep close to Colette and Raine for the body-warmth while they sleep, and the other two boys seem to be doing the same. Genis is practically hanging off Lloyd's arm with his pillow angled on his shoulder so he can sleep, and Lloyd is just stealing Genis' blankets. In his sleep, of course. He isn't that mean. Well, he is ... just ignore me. I speak nonsense when I'm tired.

"_I'm going to bed_," William mutters, and a loud squeak sounds around the room in my head as he gets up from his office chair. "_Holler if something comes up."_

"_Will do_," I reply as he goes to the bedroom in my brain. Seriously, that will always sound weird.

Hm ... if I could be bothered to get up and search for a painkiller, I would. I have some rather bad pains in my stomach that are making me have to shift around to stop it. I get this constantly, and it's never nice. I was hoping it would stop in Sylvarant, but apparently not.

Again, I hate Sylvarant.

When I'm just about to fall back to sleep after a long while of shuffling around on the hard ground, I feel a foot prod my arm. At first, I think it's someone in their sleep and ignore it, but it happens again along with a gruff sounding "get up".

'Kick me again and I'll throw something at you, and it will be heavy and painful,' I say, sitting up with a grumble. I didn't hear him come back in ... because I was about to SLEEP. I'm very annoyed at that ... I'll never be able to turn in for the night at this rate. 'What do you want.'

'We're having a talk,' Kratos answers quietly, heading towards the small hallway that leads to ... well, I seriously don't know. It leads somewhere.

'Fine, fine ...' I groan, untangling myself from my sheets and attempting to stand. 'Give me a minute to get myself together ...'

Kratos answers to this by grabbing my wrist and dragging me away from the others in a none-too-gentle manner, and I manage to keep in a shout of profanities so I don't wake the others up. I just wrench my hand out of his grip and carry on behind him as he leads me down a series of short corridors. Ooh, maybe he's taking me to some empty place so he can finally kill me and get it over with. I go against that strongly – maybe I should just head back.

'Don't even think about it,' he snarls as he catches me turning back the way we came. I just keep my mouth shut and follow him, rubbing my eyes. So tired ... why couldn't we talk in the morning or something? Why do we always have these discussions at night? And why do I almost always end up getting hurt in some way? Seriously, I'm wanting to go back now. I'm too tired to be hurt. And after all the crap I've done today, I think I need a good night's sleep. But nooo ...

'So, how are you this lovely evening?' I say sarcastically. 'Weather's nice, isn't it?'

'Just be quiet and follow.'

'... Geez,' I mumble, deciding to keep silent until we reach where we are apparently headed. When Kratos comes to a halt, I notice we're in that room ... y'know, the one with the scales ... well, I think it is ... I'm not sure. I _do_ however know that we're surrounded by water, which gives me the weirdest thought that he's going to drown me. Hm, think positive, Charlie.

'Okay, what?' I say, leaning against the cold stone wall. 'I'm very tired, and if you don't mind-'

'You've been lying to me.'

I stop. Those words could mean so many different things, but I think it's okay for me to assume the worst. It _is_ Kratos, after all. Anyway, my stomach has decided to tie itself up with the help of my nerves, and that isn't really helping when I attempt to keep my cool. 'Uh ... excuse me?'

'Your father wasn't a Desian,' Kratos snaps, looking _very_ pissed off. Wow, this won't end well. 'You've been lying.'

'No ... no I haven't,' I defend myself, hoping stubbornness can get me out of this mess. He isn't supposed to know about these Desians in an attempt to hide his true identity, so I don't think he'll go too far to get his point across incase of suspicion. 'My father was a Desian, and he worked under this dude named Kvar, or something or other ...'

'How do I know that isn't a lie?'

'How do you know that _could_ be a lie?' I counter, now worried that Cruxis could definitely be watching this scene play out. 'What are you trying to get at?'

'You're father's surname was Harrison, was it not?' he snaps, hand dangerously close to the hilt of his blade. I decide to try answering quickly without slipping up and saying something I shouldn't.

'Y-Yeah, it was ... but what's that got to do with anything?'

'You said he was in the search party hunting down my family,' Kratos recalls, his voice slipping more and more into a tone of pure anger, and a kind of hate I've never seen or heard. I makes me _shiver_, the way he looks at me as thought he's about to slit my throat and not have a second thought. It makes me want to go home, and it makes me want to scream into my pillows until all of the built up fear and anger fades away.

'... So what?' I manage.

'There was never a man by your name within that group.'

I feel my hand twitch slightly. '... And how would you know that?'

'Because,' Kratos says, his voice surly and quiet. 'I found out the identities of all seven men in that group, and I memorized their names.' I feel my stomach sink at this. 'I made sure that should I ever cross their paths, they would feel a kind of pain that would leave them screaming, for my wife and for my son.'

I bite my lip.

'And Harrison was not on that list, girl.'

I don't say anything and stare at his feet, stomach churning and stirring up nerves like there is no merciful being that could get me out of this mess. And what makes that churning painful is that I know there is no way of getting out of this, and I feel like he would strike me down if so inclined. For all I know, he will.

'I will give you a chance to answer,' Kratos says, hand now wrapped around the long hilt of his blade. 'But don't feel that you should.'

'If I don't answer, you'll slit my throat,' I say, still avoiding his face.

'I'm glad we're both clear on that,' he replies. 'Now explain everything.'

I don't, I just stay silent. Really, what _can_ I say? I can't make something up on the spot and hope it'll stick – Kratos will find something to pick at and make me go through this again, and to be honest, my voice isn't working that good.

When the scrape of steel resounds around the area, I throw my hands up to stop him. 'Okay, okay!'

The blade goes back, and I make sure to step back. Even though he's about four meters away from me, his sword is pretty damn long, and he's pretty damn fast. It won't take long for him to catch and cut me if I try to make a break for it.

'Okay, I was just ... _told_ that he was on that search party,' I say quickly. 'I don't know, maybe his friend was or something, or ... or something like that, I don't know. H-he had those files anyhow, and I don't know if they were his or not, but they said stuff about you and Anna and ... and everything.'

I said all of that very fast. I wonder if he got any of it. I just wait as he takes in this new information, probably trying to fit everything I've said before into place so he can see if I'm lying or not. If he can find out I'm lying now, I swear I'll start screaming for Charis and William. They won't seriously leave me to _die_ here, will they? They can't – well, I guess they _can_, but still ...

'How do I know this isn't another lie?' Kratos says, hand still on his blade. I just sigh with a shrug, giving up.

'I don't know. Believe what you want – I don't care anymore. This is the truth, and if you don't believe that, then fine.'

'So you're admitting you lied before.'

I finally look up, probably seeming very pissed off, worn out, and shattered. 'Yes, I lied. So what; you have the truth now, can't you just leave me alone?'

'No,' Kratos snaps, glaring at me with that kind of hate again. 'You lied, and I have no reason or will to trust you any longer.'

I shrug. 'It's not like you trusted me before.'

'Indeed. But now there is a possibility you are lying about other things you have told me, and therefore, all sense of trust I could have had in you has been erased.'

I just stare at him, hoping for the best that could come out of this situation.

'If I can no longer hope to trust you, our journey ends here.'

Those words hit my stomach like an arrow. He's being blunter than he's letting off, and I don't like the sound of where this conversation is heading, because I think I know where we'll be ending up. I consider calling out for Charis and William so they can hear this and maybe _help_ me, but I'm far too taken aback by what he could be implying. After all of this, he can't ...

'We will reach Asgard in a few days,' he says, walking straight past me and only stopping after we finally maintain eye-contact. 'You will stay there, and you will hinder us no longer.'

'You're ...' I manage, but he ignores me and turns to the hallway we came through to get here, heading off alone.

'You are dismissed from the journey, Harrison.'

With that, I'm left alone with my thoughts, the two inside my head who are currently muttering to each other after being there the whole time, and this mix of emotion. Hate, pain, fear, anger, negativity – all of it is just moulding into something that makes me want to scream, hurt him, maybe even kill him. My stomach has long been in it's sinking feeling, and I myself sink to my knees, holding my head in one hand with a loud groan of frustration.

Charlotte, you're so stupid.


	39. The Leviathan

Hiii again.

Whoa, 500 ... and I still don't know what to do D: Suggestions? (I have one idea that I might not go through with, but if worst comes to worst, then I'll try. I need to know your favourite scene in TWC though ... I might attempt some art at it ... even though my art isn't really good, it's one thing I can try).

Okay, bad things happen in this chapter ... baaaad things. It's a little different to what happens in the game, but I hope that'll be okay. I'm sure you'd rather just read it than have me tell you everything, so I'll just ... stop here. Oh, and since I last updated, this has happened:

Friend: Hey, have you listened to_ Rewrite_ by Asian Kung-Fu Generation?  
Me: No ...  
Friend: (-Send-)  
Me: (-Listen-) ... (-Fall in love like whoa-)

I'm listening to it as I write ...XD (-Brick'd-)

And we're taking another step on the "kick Charlie out of the group" thing in this chapter ... so yeah, just a summary of what's to come.

Have fun reaaaading.

* * *

Chapter 39 - The Leviathan

I don't know if I'm giving off bad vibes or anything, but it's awfully silent when I wake up.

It could still be the middle of the night or something ... there isn't any sunlight to tell, and I didn't really expect to get a good night's sleep after the events with a certain mercenary. My mind was practically spinning after our talk, and Charis had tried to calm me down with William's aid. They didn't really help, and the only thing I could do was think of a way to set things straight. Which failed, so I just went back to where everyone was sleeping. Kratos glanced at me when I returned, but resumed his night watch rather fast.

I did fall asleep eventually, but it's kinda hard when the only thing you want to do is stride over to the mercenary and strangle him.

So, let's get to the point. I've just woken up, it's very quiet, and ... I'm not in the Water Seal.

I'm seated in front of a rather tired looking Charis, back in my brain-room. The living room to be precise ... and it's a lot darker than usual. The fireplace is back to normal, and so is the furniture from what I can see. The weird peace-sign rug is still there though. No getting rid of that.

'Um ... yo,' I say, shifting around slightly. The chair I've been magically placed in is the same one as last time, though it's now turned back into the nice, comfortable armchair instead of the tacky plastic one. Charis is just sitting on the sofa opposite me, draped in a large pink dressing gown and wearing a sober expression.

'We're going to have to have a talk about this,' she tells me, sitting up slightly. 'Obviously things haven't gone as they planned.'

'_Obviously_,' I snap sarcastically. 'I thought you could control this stuff.'

Charis just answers by rubbing her head, messing up her already tangled brown hair. 'I'm tired. I've been working all day, so this is going to be hard.'

'I don't _care_,' I say, gripping the arms of the chair tightly, my fingers turning white and shaky. 'You got me into this mess, so you can get me out of it. At this rate, I'm screwed.'

'Isn't this what you wanted?' Charis says angrily, glaring. 'You're always whining about this journey, saying you're scared and you don't want to do this.'

'I whine a lot, yes, but I never said I wanted to _leave_ them,' I reply, leaning back in my chair. 'If I leave, I'm stuck here for the rest of my _life_. There won't be any going back, and Kratos will probably kill me if I start kicking up a fuss about staying.'

Charis just folds one leg over the other, joining the tips of her fingers in an evil kind of stance. Seriously, that's the vibe I'm getting from her, even if she does look only seven or so. She can be quite the scary person when she wants to be, even if this is most likely her thinking pose of sorts. Or getting-ready-to-throw-me-to-some-godforsaken-creature pose, but it could go either way, I guess.

I hold my head in my hands and stare at the floor, not quite ready to say something yet. Charis also seems lost for words and continues to sit silently, entwining her fingers.

'Where's William?' I ask, voice not very even. I'm straying from the things going on in my head; I couldn't really give a damn about where William is right now.

'Sleeping,' Charis answers in a quick, blunt tone. She obviously wants me to get to the point and tell her what I'm thinking about, but I'm going through a small war in my head. Half of me wants to just let it all out and cry some more, even though I don't want to – though if crying is supposed to help your emotions, I think it's a golden choice here. The other half just wants to go back to the Water Seal and attempt sleeping again, even though I doubt that would work either.

But that war in my head? There are more wars alongside it with topics I'd rather not get into, but they're bound to come around some time. One is currently raging about if I should actually try to kill Kratos, and it's other side is telling me not to be stupid. Kratos is vital if I want everything to go the way it will go, meaning if I want to go home then he'll have to be alive for that to work.

And even though that side is stuffed full of logic, the other side is getting close to winning. I never thought I could hate someone enough to kill them, but still ... I'm only human, after all.

'Why can't I ever to anything right?' I ask a little louder than I was supposed to, snapping my head back up and clenching my fists. 'I'm sick of all of this going wrong – Triet, Chocolat, Lloyd, those robot ... _things_, and everything! All of it is just-!'

'Stupid, I know,' Charis interrupts, resting back against her chair again. 'Most things aren't going as planned-'

'Duh!' I snap. 'People are _dead_! I'm not used to people dying because of something _I_ did-'

Charis hold up a hand. 'Let me finish. Most of it wasn't your fault, so you don't have to blame yourself. If you're going to blame anyone, blame Yggdrasill – he's the one to blame for Triet, as well as all the things happening to Lloyd right now. All of your problems are coming from the same source, and that's Cruxis and the Desians. The same goes for everyone else's problems, so don't worry about it.'

I just stare at the floor again, taking in what she's saying.

'And if you want my advice about Kratos...'

I look up at this.

'Just talk to him,' she finishes with a shrug. 'Even though you guys have a rather ... unique kind of hatred, I'm sure you can come to an understanding.'

'Talk to him,' I repeat dully, giving her a sarcastic look. '_That's_ the best advice you're giving me. Talk to him.'

'Well, what do _you_ want to do?' she replies heatedly. 'Tell him you're from Earth and you know everything about him and Cruxis, using that as more blackmail? That won't work, and you know it.'

'_You're_ the one that told me to blackmail him in the first place!' I shout, pointing to her and jumping to my feet. 'It's all your fault!'

'And if you _hadn't_, you still be in Iselia, probably _dead_ at the Desians' hands. That attack killed more people than you could have guessed.'

After a moment of staring, I slink back down into my chair and stare at the floor again, grabbing my head. She's right, and yes, I do know it. If I hadn't done the things I had, I'd probably be dead ... or still wondering around in the Triet desert, dead from exhaustion. I should have thought out my background story more, and maybe consider everything before blurting out crap that probably doesn't fit together. God knows what mistakes I've made already ... but I know I've made some, when you consider the situation I'm in now.

'... There's got to be more,' I say, talking to the floor more than Charis. 'More to this. It can't just be constant worrying, fear of Kratos ... you brought me here because I was having a bad day, and you wanted to make it better ... maybe make me appreciate what I already had.'

Charis stares at me.

'I've screwed up enough,' I say, moving to sink back into my chair. 'There has to be something I can do to make him let me stay.'

'Glad to see you're thinking on the positive side for once,' Charis sighs with a nod. 'Well, I could help, but I'd only make you screw up again. You should do it yourself this time.'

'Um ... yeah ...' I comply with a small smile. 'I'll try.'

'Well ...' Charis mutters, not giving me a warning before the world becomes a dizzying blur. I slump down against the pillows in a half daze as though I'd just been winded, and squint through the darkening mess that is the smaller girl opposite me. I had one question I forgot about, and I should really ask about it ...

I quickly decide not to and my eyes fall shut, head ringing.

'Good luck.'

* * *

I wake up like I would any other day; lying in a tired daze for a good five minutes before sitting, yawning and stretching. I take a good look around and notice everyone is still asleep, except for our night watchman. I slowly crawl out from under my thin blanket, trying not to wake the others and decide to look around before consulting my target. I can't tell what time it should be ... there isn't any sunlight, or moonlight or anything ... it must be approaching midnight though. Well, that's what it feels like. 

'Go to sleep.'

I make no indication that I acknowledged his command, but I look over at him.

'When your dreams die, everything goes with it,' I tell him.

He just stares.

'Come on, I need to talk to you,' I say, getting to my feet. I feel quite awake, even though I should probably be toppling over in fatigue. I've had a long day, and not the best of nights in the past hours. I head towards a different area to the left of our little camping area, through a small stone arch with Angelic words inscribed around the upper curve. I ignore them and continue to the small cave like area, that houses a small pool of water with steam crawling up the air and dampening the oxygen I take in.

Footsteps echo off the dripping walls as the mercenary approaches, and I make sure to face him in fear of getting stabbed in the back.

'What is it?' he asks, glaring and looking just a little worn out. Hm ... I know seraphim can sleep and taste and other things, unlike the lower angels and the Chosen, but I'm sure they can go longer without those things. I think Kratos has been neglecting his sleep far too long ... maybe someone else should take up night-watch ... he's always doing it.

Right, off topic.

'Well, I'm not going to deny that I hate you,' I say with a small shrug. 'And you hate me a hell of a lot, so this could go more than one way.'

'Your point,' he orders gruffly. 'I don't have time to deal with your incoherent ramblings; my client and her companions need protecting while the are unaware.'

I just raise an eyebrow. 'And what does that make me?'

'An intolerable wrench under my supervision,' he snaps. 'Up until now. You have no place here.'

'Hm ...' I say, pursing my lips and staring at his bandage that seems to catch my eye. I won't look him directly in the face for this, as it'll unnerve me a whole lot more. 'You won't have a place here when Lloyd finds out you're his father, either. I'm still liable to tell him that.'

'You'll find that difficult when you have no throat to speak with,' he threatens, hand on his blade. ' The Chosen just needs to know that a stray monster came along in the night and disposed of you.'

I shrug again. 'Eeh. I remember our deal being that if you let me stay, I wouldn't tell him. And since you're dismissing me ...'

I meet his eyes and take a deep breath.

'LLOYD!'

Kratos eyes widen and he slaps a hand over my mouth, the other going to my throat and holding it tightly. He listens for any kind of movement or voices in the camp, but the best we get is the sound of water sloshing around. He turns back to me, eyes ablaze with anger and tightens his hold on my throat. I grab his wrists and try shouting again, this time for my freedom, but I don't get as far as a strained squeak.

'Do that again ...' Kratos warns, thumb pressing uncomfortably on my jugular vein. 'And Gods above help you, this night will be your last.'

I just became aware of an advantage I could have in this kind of predicament, but probably not. I haven't cut my nails in ages, and ... they're not long, but good enough to maybe draw some blood. I slip my fingers under his gloves and feel around for the back of his wrists, still trying to not choke. I clench his flesh hard and and feel him jerk slightly, but he doesn't release my throat. I continue to press down until I feel blood under my fingertips when I pierce his skin, but he doesn't let go.

Death by strangulation?

I think not.

I tear at his flesh the best I can under the tightness of his gloves and draw out a hiss of pain from the man, before he tightens his grip momentarily from the pain and pushes my away. I manage to get away with just a stumble and not hurting my head like last time.

I clutch my own throat and wheeze as he arranges his gloves to hide the small scars.

'I ... don't want ... to fight ... you ...' I gasp, coughing a little. 'I just ... want a se ... a second chance ...'

Kratos drops his hands to his sides, one going almost instinctively to the hilt of his sword before I start attacking him with my nails again. Geez, he should know this already – we girls don't punch and kick most of the time, we scratch and bite and aim for the family jewels when we wear stilettos. Luckily, I'm not wearing any now, or he would get such a kicking.

Kratos just glares. 'Give me one logical reason why I should let you stay after your actions.'

Still holding my throat and swallowing, I look up. 'Well ... I doubt I could give you a good reason ... but the only thing I can do is ask.'

'Then you are wasting your time,' Kratos says, turning on his heel and heading toward the arch. 'Any chagrin you may display tomorrow will not be tolerated, and you will fight to protect yourself.'

'When your dreams die, everything goes with it,' I repeat, waiting for him to look back over before I start again. 'I want to travel with the Chosen, and that's the only thing I want to do. You could call it my dream if I'm so set on it, yes – but I have nothing to do other than this.'

Kratos doesn't say anything, so I continue.

'I don't want to go back to Asgard and wait for the regeneration, I want to stay here and help,' I lie. 'I don't know about you, but I think I've made some new friends, and I want to help them.'

Lies, all of it. But what else can I do?

Kratos' hand moves to his temple and he rubs it slightly in irritation while I wait for an answer, picking the blood out of my nails in a kind of nervous state. He's almost killed me again, so it won't take long to just push him over the edge at this point in time.

'You are chasing the illusions you believe are your dreams,' he answers finally. 'This journey will result in your death – of that, I am certain. These are not dreams – they are foolish delusions you wish to participate in, completely oblivious to how thin the thread holding you life is.'

I just shake my head with yet another shrug, lying once again through my teeth. 'I don't care ...'

'You are too young to fully appreciate what you can create with a full life,' Kratos argues. 'If you know what is good for you, you will stay in Asgard.'

I sigh in exasperation, glaring a little. I'm trying to get on his good side for a few minutes so I can sort this all out, but he's really starting to piss me off. 'Look, I just want one more chance, and I swear it'll be different.'

He simply gives me an unbelieving look. I grit my teeth.

'I swear, no more blackmail, no more threats, nothing. Just a final chance, I'll be good, I won't get in your way, and I'll just ... _be_ there, I promise.'

I don't get an answer for a long while – just a long, flat stare with that constant hint of hostility. I clench my fists, seriously not wanting to let the word on the tip of my tongue slip. But seriously, at the look I'm getting as well as the fact I'm being denied my answer, it's about to come tumbling out.

I sigh, saying that word like it has a bad taste. '_Please_.'

Once again, my answer never comes. Kratos just turns without a word and heads under the arch, back to the sleeping group who could be awake by now and wondering where we are. I doubt it though ... it still feels late, which probably means I'll be up worrying all night. Ack, why again? Why can't I just sleep without being kept awake by concern about being stabbed as I rest?

I let my shoulders slack and give up, making my own way back to the group. It looks like I couldn't do anything after all, even after telling Charis I'd try to make this work myself.

I reach our pile of people and ignore Kratos, crawling back down into my bedding between the Professor and my bags. I drag the blanket over myself and bury my face in my pillow, determined to catch some z's before morning hits. I lie in silence for a while and listen to the even breathing of the others, inwardly wishing the best for Colette's sleep. This will be her last in a while, so it had better be a good one for her sake, really.

I'll admit now – I'm worried about tomorrow. I'm sure we'll have the battle with the ... weird ... water-fish-human-monster thing, but there isn't really a guarantee on what could happen, and if things will stay the same. Ah, I should stop worrying. I'm sure it'll be fine.

After assuring myself, it takes a few minutes for me to finally drift off to sleep before my brain can kick up anything else that needs worrying about.

* * *

I wake up, strangely enough, to the sound of shouting. 

I sit up and go through the routine of stretching and yawning debating if I should have toast or not, and look around for the source of the noise. I don't see anything right away, just Colette and the Professor sitting around a small fire and Genis still sleeping, curled up in his blankets like a little caterpillar. The urge to ruffle his hair right now is overwhelming, but I'll let him sleep.

'Morning,' I say, ignoring the fact I'm just about ready to collapse back down onto my stomach when I crawl over, seating myself next to Colette. 'Where's the rest of the crew?'

Colette finishes munching on her toast before answering, 'Oh, they've been playing all morning.'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Playing?'

'Yeah! Like, sword fighting ... and training and stuff.'

'Ah, that makes more sense,' I say, shifting into a cross-legged position and grabbing some buttered toast. Ah, food of the gods ... how I adore thee. I finish off my first piece in four quick bites and go for my next in the span of about ten seconds.

'Kratos! That _hurt_, dammit!'

'You left yourself wide open.'

'I was _trying_ to avoid falling in the water!'

I listen to the shouts and quickly go back to my toast, inhaling my next piece. I think that'll do me for now ... though I should really keep my energy up. Something is bound to change, really ... like, last time we had the Ktugach with its barrier of sorts that stopped us attacking, so maybe the monster we're going to face has something like that? Hm ...

'Are we all set for the seal guardian?' I ask, sneaking my third peace of toast. 'I mean, do we have enough gels and such?'

'We have a fair amount,' the Professor confirms, giving the pile of bags a quick pat. 'And I can heal if we run out.'

'True,' I yawn, ripping my toast in half. 'We'll be fine. Are you up for it, Colette?'

'Yep!' the Chosen says with a smile, a plate of uneaten toast on her lap. 'I'll do my best.'

I manage a small smile after glancing towards the food she holding and go back to tearing up my breakfast. I don't really want to know what it feels like to be Colette right now. She's stronger than me in an emotional sense, but if it were me as Chosen, I'd be terrified. After the Fire Seal, I'd be okay with not eating for the first night. I'd just pass it off as nerves, but I'd get worried after that. I'd just continue in constant worry about what I could loose next and try to make anything I do worth while, for it could have been the last time I do that thing. Ever.

I wonder if any Chosens have ever thought "well, fuck this" and ... _not _participated in the journey? Judging from what Raine told me about the timeline, it should be ... 284 IS, meaning 284 years since the last salvation. If Colette is the seventh Chosen, that's ... what, one Chosen every 40 years or so? I'm sure they could have just sat around and waited for the next Chosen if they didn't want to do it ... wait, can you have two Chosens in one world at once? Maybe Yggdrasill killed them off or something ... or maybe the people of whatever-world-it-was got angry and did something. Like, back in Iselia after they killed Forcystus, the people got all pissy with Colette because she didn't regenerate the world.

... Whoa, that was a random topic. Moving on ...

'Kratos, get off my ribbons!'

'You shouldn't wear such clothing if you could be attacked like this.'

'Eck ... choking ...!'

Raine makes a face at the fact her student could slowly be being strangled to death by the scary mercenary, but goes back to buttering her own toast.

'It's your own fault.'

'Hello, Mr Cape-'

'Touch it and you die, boy.'

'Aha!'

'_Lloyd!_'

I go back to eating, mental images of Lloyd trying to run away from Kratos, navy cape in hand like at the House of Salvation. Luckily for the mercenary, there isn't a Noishe in sight to chew on his clothing when Lloyd runs out of breath to run around with it.

'Ow! Owow, okay, you can have it back! I give! Mercy, mercy!'

I just shrug when Colette exchanges worried glances with us and finish off my toast, looking over at the sleeping mage. Still not awake ... I wonder if _he's_ ill too. Nah, that can't be it. Charis said the things happening had something to do with Yggdrasill, so I'm guessing he just smacked this random illness down on Lloyd. Well, that's what I think could have happened ... though my best bet is that he caught it off someone in Triet or something.

Oh well, he's not ill anymore. And I'm sure Genis is just tired after yesterday – he _did_ use a lot of mana up to help Lloyd.

'I will never understand boys,' I say with another yawn, referring to the two swordsmen currently training ... or killing each other, but it's the same thing really. Training is just a more understanding way of killing someone.

'I will never understand Lloyd,' the Professor adds, setting down the butter knife on the small rock makeshift table. 'Fourteen years may be a long time since Lloyd came to the village, but I have yet to decipher how his mind works sometimes.'

'Well, I guess I don't have a chance in hell,' I say, sneaking away some of Colette's toast for her when she offers it to me. 'I'll just go along with it.'

... I just thought, maybe I should tell them what Kratos said last night? Has he already said I'd be being dropped off at Asgard? Maybe I should just stay silent for now ... it feels like the right thing to do at this time. I also feel like consulting Charis about this when I'm not tired and cranky should be a first, but I'll leave it. I'll talk to her when we get out of here, maybe.

'Morning, everyone ...' comes a yawn from behind. I look over my shoulder to see Genis sitting up and stretching his arms over his head.

'Waaaaait a sec ...' I say, trying to think back to when I read that book Colette and Raine gave me yesterday for my birthday. I only looked at it once in the ranch when we were getting ready for bed, so I probably won't get this right.

'Uhh ...' I look over at Colette for some kind of help. 'Uh ... Sa ... natae?'

'That's "good afternoon" ...' she corrects. 'But you were really close!'

I grimace. 'I guess I should practice some more. Uhh ... Ko'thulla?'

Colette shakes her head. 'Ko'thulle.'

'So close ...' I hiss to myself, palming my forehead. 'Well, _Ko'thulle_, Genis.'

'_Ko'thullea_ to you, too ...' the silver haired mage mumbles, plucking some toast from his sister's plate when she looks over her shoulder toward the arch to see Lloyd being dragged by his ribbons to the other side of it, and a few more shouts and curses.

'I'm not even gonna ask,' Genis says quietly, munching on his toast. I hope the other two have had something to eat, because I swear I'm going to eat any remaining food here. Speaking of food, I wonder how Noishe is doing back at the House of Salvation. I think that Candy girl should be looking after him ... maybe he caught himself some fish or something. Man, I could go for some prawns right now ...

'How did everyone else sleep?' I ask, taking the last of Colette's food when she places it in front of me with an 'I slept fine!'. I give her a thankful smile and wait for an answer from everyone.

'It was a little crowded ...' Genis mutters. 'But I guess if it was to maintain warmth, then I didn't mind it that much.'

'I felt the same ...' Raine says, looking over at both Colette and I. 'The two of you are rather ... _clingy_ in your sleep.'

I just blink. 'Clingy?'

'When I awoke, the two of you were latched on my arms. It took quite a while to get you off, but Lloyd gave me a hand.'

'Ah ...' Colette mumbles. 'Sorry ...'

'It's alright, dear.'

This is kinda new to me, seeing as I've never slept next to anyone, except my parents when I was little. I clung a lot to them, but I thought it was just normal because of the whole parent-child thing. Hm, apparently I cling ... or maybe it's just because it was cold. Geez, I hope so.

'Oh, you jerk!'

'Watch where you wave that thing, boy!'

I listen to their shouting as they train, but everything goes dead silent after the sound of rock crunching against something. Or something crunching against rock, but I'm sure it isn't good either way.

'Uh oh ...'

A snort from the mercenary sends the younger into a hissy fit of sorts. 'Hey, don't do that! Just ... help me with this ...'

I look over at Genis. 'I'll bet you five Gald that Lloyd come back with half of at least one of his swords.'

'Five that they're both still in one piece,' the mage agrees, reaching into his small bag and pulling out five small Gald pieces. I do the same and wait for the two to make their way back, nicking the remains of Genis' toast as we do so.

'You know, there's so many fish around here, and we haven't eaten any ...' I mutter, voicing just a thought. Seriously, coming here, I expected to eat at least one kind of fish. But apparently not ... maybe they're poisonous or something ... or maybe it's because most fish here attack us and want our brains for eating.

'I'm not particularly fond of fish ...' Raine says, giving the a small pool of water a distasteful look.

'Really?' I ask, trying to sneak away some more of Genis' toast before he slaps my hand away. 'Ow. I love most fish ... but I can't have it often because someone I used to live with is allergic to it.'

'That's a bit like Lloyd, but he's not allergic; he just doesn't like it,' Genis says, eating his toast before I can try to steal it again. 'I had to start putting tomatoes in my lunch at school so Lloyd wouldn't eat it.'

'That's a very good idea.' I settle with the last piece of toast Raine leaves after saying she's full. 'I should do that ... I think Lloyd has a knack for stealing other people's food.'

I remember the time in Palmacosta he tried to steal my breakfast and my orange juice. Maybe I should take a leaf out of Genis' book and start putting tomatoes in everything ... though I doubt tomatorange juice would taste nice ... maybe I could just _say_ it's in everything. He won't think I'm crazy. Nope.

We clean everything up when we're done and call the two swordsmen over so we can pack up and move on. While I'm halfway through folding up my blanket and putting it in the bottom of the blanket-bag, Lloyd and Kratos finally stop figh-_training_, the younger with a sour look on his face. His swords though, are still quite intact.

Genis gives me a smug look and I grudgingly hand over the five Gald I promised him.

* * *

I grit my teeth when we reach a lower part of the sanctum, the smell of rotting fish hanging in the air. Most of the group complain loudly about the stench, but some only respond with a heaving noise before clamping a hand over their mouth. I admit I did that and tried to leave, but Genis dragged me back. 

'Why does it smell so ...' Lloyd mumbles, quickly covering his mouth again. 'Ugh ... Colette, how can you stand this?'

The blonde Chosen, obviously oblivious to the stench in the air just looks over her shoulder at the rest of us (my God, even Kratos is gagging). 'Oh, um ... just pretend it isn't there!'

Genis just stares at her, his voice muffled by his hand. '... What?'

'Um ... pretend you're in a field full of nice smelling plants!' Colette suggests awkwardly. 'That's what I do.'

'I think I'll just ... keep my hand here,' Lloyd mutters. 'Let's keep going ...'

I hate this, and I kinda wish I was Colette right now. Her sense of taste is gone, so she probably can't smell anything either ... she doesn't notice the foul odour in this place. And by the look of it, this place is a dead end, so there isn't really a reason to stay here. But then again, I guess there could be something here ... like a switch or whatever. I forget things, shut up.

'I don't think there's anything here ...' I mumble through my hand when we pass a few more broken pillars. The Professor looks like she's about to go and examine them on instinct, but she keeps her mouth covered and continues with us. Seriously, this place looks really empty, save for a few rocks and pools of water here and there .. we only came down here because we haven't taken this passage before, and sweet _lord_ it isn't a nice place. If I could remember everything, I'd just tell them what it is we need to do rather than endure this horrible smell. I'd just use the best excuse: "I read it in a book."

'There could be anything anywhere,' Colette says, still looking around for something. 'We just have to keep looking!'

I sigh. '... Ack.'

Colette gasps. 'Oh, I think I found something!'

The Professor jumps for the opportunity at this point and heads straight for the thing Colette is pointing to, which looks a little bit like an Oracle Stone, but ... there's something a little off about it. It doesn't look like one of the stones outside each seal ... maybe it's just a plaque like the rest of the ones inside this seal.

'Angelic again?' I ask. Colette nods and the Professor practically rips her items out of her bag, including the small book she makes notes with. I guess the rest of us are just waiting around, trying to endure the smell. Greatness – at least the Professor has something to keep her busy. She probably doesn't even notice the odour now.

'Seriously, dead fish,' I declare, pointing at an innocent puddle of water. 'This is going to put me off those little buggers forever, and I _like_ prawns, dammit. I'm never looking at another fish again.'

'I hate fish ...' Lloyd mutters. 'They're too slimy, and Genis made me eat a fish eye once ...'

'Oh Genis, that's disgusting,' I scold, looking over to the mage. Seeing as he isn't using his voice right now, he just makes wild one-handed gestures. I shake my head and wince when the smell crawls through my fingers and into my nose. Oh God, the horror that my nostrils are currently experiencing ...

'I'd never eat octopus or shark or oysters or anything slimy like that ...' I say, making a face. 'Only regular fish ...'

Lloyd's eyes widen. 'People _eat_ octopus? Seriously?'

'Seriously,' I say, wrinkling my nose. 'It's gross, in my opinion. But what surprises me is shark. People say it tastes like chicken.'

'... Okay, I don't understand how shark can taste like chicken,' Lloyd mumbles, coughing against the stench. 'Ack ...'

'I don't know; I don't have the guts to try it for myself.'

The swordsman shakes his head. 'Me either.'

'You tend to like what young people would consider disturbing when you grow older,' Kratos mutters, hand away from his mouth. 'Though it's common to dislike fish.'

'Well, I'm never gonna eat it, so I'll never know,' I say. 'Colette, are you doing okay with that thing?'

The Chosen looks over her shoulder and nods with a small smile. The Professor just scribbles down notes, notes, and more notes while Colette translates for her. The scripture looks old and worn like the others in this seal, but Colette is having an easier time translating than the previous times. Maybe it's in a language she understands properly? Kratos _did_ say there was more than one form of Angelic, so maybe she only knows one.

After a few more minutes, the Professor snaps her book shut and turns to us, pocketing it. 'We've gotten all we can from this scripture. We should move on.'

'Finally,' I whisper into my fingers. 'So, what was it about this time?'

'Strange ...' Colette mutters. 'It said something about "Envy", and the "Leviathan" ...'

I purse my lips, and think back to my English classes. We were doing studies on Dr Faustus and the seven deadly sins not too long ago ... those old stories about how Faustus sells his soul to the devil for power for a limited amount of time, until his soul would belong to the devil. I wasn't actually interested in it, but we were all assigned a sin to look into, and I got Envy with a few other people. I think I remember the demon that represented Envy was the Leviathan while looking up the punishment in hell for the sin of Envy. A Leviathan is supposed to be a biblical creature in the form of a giant sea snake ... and I seriously don't know why I'm explaining this. It's just a way the two could be connected.

'Ah well, I suggest we uh, leave,' I say, pointing to the staircase that leads back up to relativity fresh air.

"_Any thoughts on this?_" I ask as we ascend the stairs and continue through the chambers that should hopefully lead to the warp. "_You're not throwing in Faustus crap now, are you? My God, have you been talking to my English teacher or something?"_

"_Hey, I don't like Faustus,"_ Charis defends angrily. "_You'll find out for yourself soon."_

Somehow, I really don't like that promise.

* * *

After another good hour of searching, going through the same pathways over and over again, walking over narrow bridges and slippery moss, fighting off starfish, big fat jelly things, octopus like creatures, rocks that somehow harness the power of water (and don't mind drenching us with it), stopping so Raine can take notes, translating Angelic, and pretty much everything you can think of ... 

We have reached the _warp room_.

'I am going to be soooo glad to leave this place ...' I mutter, wringing my hair as we approach the fairly large warp. On the glass disk that sends us up is the Chosen's crest revolving around in an ... odd kind of way. And I swear, it glows too much ... I've become accustomed to the darkness of this place that my eyes kind of hurt when I stare at it.

Which brings me to my question, why does everything holy and religious in this world have to glow? No, really?

'Are we all ready?' Genis asks, spiked kendama in hand. 'There's probably another monster like at the Fire Seal.'

'Sadly,' I mutter, pulling out my pistols. 'There is seriously no point in having these monsters here.'

'They are to test the Chosen and her followers,' Kratos says in a matter-of-factly tone. I just frown and consider giving him the finger, but I know better not to.

'Ah, we'll be fine,' Lloyd says, tapping his swords together. 'We'll take whatever those angels throw at us.'

I'm glad we have an optimist like Lloyd in the group ... there's no doubt he's farfetched at times, but he really boosts your spirits, y'know? At least _someone_ thinks happy thoughts around here, unlike some people I know. Eeh ... but even though he's very encouraging, I still don't want to face whatever is is down there. It won't be nice, and I have a feeling something is gonna go wrong. I don't know; so much has already, so I wouldn't hold it against Charis to fuck with things this time.

'We should get moving then,' the Professor says, clutching her staff tightly as she steps upon the warp with Colette. I notice when Colette stands on it, it begins to glow with a soft blue light. Ah, it's probably reacting to her mana signature ... or something ... maybe it will stay active for a while after the Chosen has touched it? And why am I thinking about this? It's useless, but it's nice to know things. Right, shut up Charlotte.

When the two of them are zapped down into ... wherever it is the seal is, the four of us follow, and I _still_ hate the feeling of being sucked down a warp. Seriously, not good. Very uncomfortable. Agh, I hate this ...

We land with a small _thump_ when we reach the ground, and it takes me around five seconds to notice I collapsed to my knees on impact. Ow, I'll have bruises later ... I guarantee it.

I straighten up and look around this warp room. Well ... not really a room as much as a large ... _very_ large chamber full of water. The roof must reach about fifty meters high, and the water ... I don't want to know how deep the water is. I really don't. I shudder and look around at what it is we're standing on exactly. It looks a little bit like a mini-Parthenon ... but obviously in better shape than the one in Greece. It looks like the seal is close to a waterfall in the back of the chamber, leaving behind us a very, _very_ open space filled with water. It must be a big number of yards wide ...

'Whoa, how much water do they want?' I mutter, shuddering. It's _so_ cold in here ... I wonder if it will affect our performance in combat ...

... Did I just think like Kratos? Charlotte, slap yourself. Now.

After giving myself a quick clout across the face, I turn back to the seal where Colette approaches. So far, no sign of any bad-ass water monsters ... so that's a very good sign.

... Yeah, I speak too soon most of the time.

Just as Colette brings out her wings, sparkling pink and the such, the ground begins to tremor. Only slightly at first, but then it gets more powerful every few seconds. Genis has trouble keeping his balance and stumbles onto one knee, and Colette is unaffected since she's floating in the air. I place one hand on a nearby pillar for support and look around.

'You don't think the chamber is collapsing, do you?' Lloyd asks, looking around frantically. Kratos just shakes his head, sword at the ready for anything that might jump out.

'Oh no ... do you think I did something?' Colette asks worriedly, wringing her hands together. Before anyone can answer, the seal explodes with a deep blue light that travels up and ... right through the roof of the small Parthenon-type place we're in. I grip my guns tighter and ready myself for anything that could jump out of the seal.

And y'know, being in _ToS_, I expected it to be the monster that you always face here. Apparently not.

From the seal, a _giant snake_ that could probably _just_ fit through the hole of the seal comes shooting up, screeching and twisting it's way out. It does this for a good while, which I then assume this means it a very big monster.

And hell, is it big.

It's long turquoise coloured body twists and writhes for a while, and Colette quickly flies back with a small scream when she's almost hit by it's tail. It looks about the width of your average house, and that makes me worried ... very worried. It gnashes it's yellowing teeth at us for a few seconds before screeching again, the putrid smell of blood and dead fish (_again_) washing over us as it does so. I gag and hold my breath for a few seconds, inching behind the pillar. I notice a word carved into its side ... it takes me a while to read, but I think it says "_invidia_". Hm ... not sure about that one.

It blinks before settling down on the floor, slipping over the edge and into the deep water surrounding the platform before any of us can get towards it to attack. It's tail flicks almost mockingly as it sinks into the pool.

... Leviathan.

Oh, this is _just_ my day.

'It's probably going to pull a surprise attack,' Lloyd says, glancing around the water. It could seriously be anywhere ... and that really doesn't help my nerves. Not the slightest. 'We need to think of something before it can trap us.'

'Well ...' I mutter. 'Colette and I have long-range weapons, Genis and Kratos can use magic, the Professor can heal and boost our abilities somewhat ... you can't really do much here, Lloyd.'

'Not necessarily,' Genis says, holding up has kendama. 'I could cast Icicle on the water again, and Lloyd could attack it upfront.'

I pause for a second, considering his suggestion and nod. The others seem alright with this, too ... but when I say others, you have to understand that I don't mean Kratos. Why? Because he immediately declines this idea.

'It isn't safe.'

'Nor is Mr Snake here,' I reply. 'But you don't see us running away.'

'I'll be fine,' Lloyd says with a grin. 'Don't worry about me.'

The Professor just shakes her head with a small, knowing smile. 'With all the crazy stunts you pull, it's difficult not to. But do your best.'

While Genis gets to casting Icicle, I start my inner panicking. I agree with Kratos on some levels; this isn't really a safe thing to let Lloyd do, seeing as the geyser had walls that he could crash into, and this place ... doesn't. He'll fall right into the water, and I'm just glad he can swim. I'd panic and flail and ... everything. But I want to kill this thing as quickly as possible, so I'll go with it for now.

The low, rumbling growl of the Leviathan echoes around the chamber, and the water around us bubbles slightly. Without warning, it shoots up from the water with such force that we're hit by a lot of it that comes flying our way. Soaked again, but that's the least of my worries.

The monster glares at us, long slimy barbels twitching on either side of it's face. It sorta reminds me of a catfish, but that's very besides the point right now. After a few moments of glaring and hurried casting from Genis, Colette takes no hesitation in throwing her chakram at the monster. It flinches slightly when it bounces off it's long, slippery body with a squelch and travels back to Colette. Mr Leviathan is not amused and growls lowly, the sound turning into an ear-splitting shriek when it takes a dive towards us.

Luckily, the six of us jump to either side of the platform and the sea monster lands with a crunch on the pale white stone, shards and dust flying everywhere. I peek out from behind the pillar I'm hiding behind and notice it's eyes are closed and it's breathing heavily. Half of it's body that's out of the water is shuddering with each breath.

'... We attack now?' I suggest.

Our swordsmen are the first to jump at the thing before it can come to its senses and take a snap at us, cutting deep welts into it's skin. Genis powers up Lightning quickly before it can get up and I decide a Shockwave is in order. I power it up and send it flying towards the spent monster, causing it to jerk violently.

It twists and shrieks when Genis' spell hits its body, almost knocking half the group off the platform. It pulls itself up and almost destroys the roof above our heads in the process, collapsing back into the water before we can get to it again.

Genis quickly prepares Icicle again for Lloyd's makeshift platform, and casts it on the large expanse of water. Almost immediately, the surface turns to white ice, but Genis keeps casting to keep it powerful.

While this happens, I get closer to the edge of the platform and look around for the shadow of the monster swimming around below. When I spot it, I aim and shoot into the water in hopes to maybe injure it before it comes back up. I think I hit it a few times, but that only makes it come back up faster.

The head emerges again from the surface of the water and its tongue flicks around, clicking and spitting. What is it doing ...?

It takes me a while to realise that Genis isn't moving from his current position, and his eyes are dead wide.

'I can't move my body ...' he mutters, barely able to move his mouth so he can speak. 'I think ... it's doing something ...'

While Raine rushes over to him and casts various spells, I notice the Leviathan's head just above the water, staring intently at Genis. Maybe it's a spell or something? Or maybe it did something to its eyes so it could somehow do this?

'Lloyd, try to break its concentration,' Raine demands as Genis struggles against the invisible force holding his body in place. 'That might be able to free Genis.'

Without protest or any consideration for his own safety, Lloyd grips his swords and heads off to the bridge of ice leading towards the Leviathan. 'Right!'

While the swordsman attempts to keep his balance as he skids toward the monster, Colette and I take care of long-range attacks while Kratos powers up what looks like Wind Blade, green runes flying around the stone below him. I should really cast something ... but I'm at a loss for anything that could be effective besides Lightning. And if I use that and Lloyd falls in the water, he's very screwed. I wouldn't like to take chances.

Lloyd comes to a halt by grabbing onto one of the Leviathan's barbels and skidding to a halt on the ice, taking a powerful slash at the beast's head. The wound measures from just above its left eye to the corner of it's mouth, and it begins to write as blood seeps into it's eye. I notice Genis slowly start moving again as the beast's hold on him breaks and it screeches again, the sharp sound bouncing off the walls around us. I flinch as the sound rings in my ears, but try to shoot its other eye. It doesn't work, and the Leviathan dives back into the water.

It's tail makes sure to take a swipe at Lloyd, but it misses and cracks the ice under his feet. Lloyd narrowly misses slipping into the freezing water with a shout of surprise and quickly makes his way back to us, almost slipping and landing flat on his face when he gets back to us.

'This isn't good ...' the Professor sighs in frustration, holding a hand to the side of her face. 'At this rate ...'

'Maybe if we ...' I say, trying to think up an idea before it can come back up and start attacking again. 'If Colette and I attack it from afar, it might come over and try to attack _us_ like before ...'

Genis raises an eyebrow at my words. '_That's_ your idea?'

'I'm not _finished_ yet,' I say hotly. 'Maybe if it attacks and we dodge like before, it might get dizzy again ... so, the rest of you guys could attack it while it's dazed.'

'... That's a good idea,' Kratos mutters, looking back at the wat – wait a sec, _Kratos_?!

'Dude, are you ill?' I ask. 'You just agreed with me.'

'It looks like you can be logical at times,' Genis remarks with a small smirk.

I just shoot him a glare. 'And I wish that Leviathan came back and froze your mouth up.'

'Coincidence!' Lloyd shouts as a loud splash fills the air ... as well as a lot of water. Yep, drenched again. My lord, this is getting annoying.

I just spit out some water (crap, I just spat on holy ground) and wipe some water away from my face. I look over at Colette, who hasn't said anything in a while, and see that she's already half-way through casting Angel Feathers. Hm, this had better help ... if not, I'll have to cast Fire Bullet or something, but I doubt that'd work ... and I don't think Mana Beam would reach ... Mana Blast is out of the question. I'm never using that thing ever again.

'You guys ready?' I ask as Colette throws her weapons into the air. The chakram sails towards the beast's head and hit it square between the eyes. I make sure to try shooting it's eyes again as it dives towards us, but Genis grabs my arm and drags me to one side of the platform before I get crushed.

I almost get pelted by a rather sharp piece of tile that comes bolting towards me, but I lean to the left before it can take out an eye. The Leviathan's eyes roll to the back of its head and it shudders in pain, blood dribbling from the corner of its mouth. Maybe it broke a tooth on impact or something ... ow, that can't feel nice.

Regardless, every attacks as soon as it makes no attempt at sudden movements. Genis casts Lightning now that it's out of the water and Kratos follows suite and powers up his own spell. Lloyd uses a new tech I haven't seen yet, which seems to be Hurricane Thrust. Well, that's what it looks like to me ... I could be completely off, but at least it did some damage.

When the second round of Lightning falls upon it's head, it brings itself up and blinks the blood out of its eyes the best it can, writhing a little. This time, it doesn't sink back into the water, but it starts snapping at us.

'Get down!' Kratos orders as the monster goes towards Lloyd. He ducks just in time as the sharp teeth close just above him. I have a feeling if he didn't move in that second, we'd have a very headless Lloyd. That wouldn't be nice.

The beast, now dripping blood, turns its head and smashes into the pillars on our (Genis, Raine and I) side of the platform. The whole place shakes and I almost fall in, but I manage to grab onto the Professor's arm just in time. The pillars seem to be intact, but they're a little cracked at the force of the attack. Damn, if that had hit us, we'd go flying.

'It's going crazy!' Lloyd shouts over the roars of pain from the Leviathan as it thrashes. Colette and the other two have moved closer to seal, out of its reach. I think it's gone blind ... but I can't really be sure. I don't really want to take a chance of moving over to a safer area, but ...

'Now!' the Professor exclaims.

Ah, too late.

I just throw caution the wind and follow close behind the Professor and Genis, but I didn't notice a chunk of a floor tile jutting up from the floor ... until I tipped over it. My right foot catches it and I land hard on my side with a squeal. My God, I just squealed. If I survive this, I'm punching myself for that.

I hit the side of my head when I fell, so everything is a bit ... double vision. Or triple, I can't really tell. I do notice several Lloyds running over when I try to blink myself back to good vision. When I can see properly, I notice the Leviathan glaring at him with its one good eye and try to pull myself up before it can attack us.

Lloyd grabs me by the arm and practically wrenches me up from the floor (sweet lord, dislocate my arm why don't you?). I blink a little bit and stumble over to the others, still a little dazed. Oh man, my head ... it throbs like whoa, and I think the shock is making tears burn behind my eyes. They won't come out, but _lord_ it stings ...

'Agh!'

I look over my shoulder at the cry of pain and notice Lloyd slumped against the damaged pillar, looking hurt and a little dazed. I'm guessing the Leviathan took a thrash at him and sent him flying ... I'm just kinda glad there's a pillar there to stop him soaring across the room. But he looks bad ... shit, this thing is lethal.

'We need to kill it fast,' I say, looking over at them. 'We're all screwed if we don't do something.'

I don't actually get an answer, but I do get four people rushing towards the sea-snake to kick its ass. Or its head to be more specific, but whatever ...

Colette starts up Angel Feathers (which is proving very useful in this battle) and Raine casts Sharpness on her to help her strength. Oh well, as long as we kill it quickly. While preparing Mana Beam, I notice Kratos has gone over to the injured swordsman to ward of attacks coming in from that direction ... I don't think it will be very hard. The beast looks almost dead and is giving us all that it has left.

'I'll try Lightning ...' Genis mutters, purple mana already spinning around below him. I don't know if the Leviathan heard him or what, but it immediately shoves its head in his direction, knocking both him and Raine back a few yards. Colette seems undamaged and continues her Angel Feathers spell before the monster can notice.

... Which doesn't really work.

The Leviathan tries to take a bite at her, but she stumbles back and falls over the edge of the platform, using her wings to keep herself steady. She doesn't fall in, but she looks a little wounded ...

'Colette!'

I turn to Lloyd to tell him to sit this one out for now, but the Leviathan practically tells him for me. It screeches louder than I've heard yet, and I have to clamp my hands over my ears, watching as the monster turns to the two swordsman and goes for them, teeth bared and gnashing.

I seriously can't watch.

I close my eyes and turn away when I hear blood splatter to the floor and a pained sound from ... someone. I don't know who. I don't trust myself to open my eyes, but everything has gone deadly silent, save for the ragged breathing of the Leviathan. Someone is injured, someone could probably be _dead_ and crap, crap, this isn't how it's supposed to go.

I look up finally, ready to see the emotionless body of either swordsman slumped on the floor.

I see Lloyd slouched against the pillar, staring up with wide, shocked eyes, the Leviathan with blood dripping down its chin, and Kratos ... with one arm caught between the Leviathan's teeth.

I drop my guns with a loud clatter.

Blood is running down Kratos' arm, and judging from the way he's standing, he tried to protect Lloyd from being attacked, and ... there's too much blood. I don't hear a word from the others, not even Lloyd. The Leviathan just continues to breath in laboured breaths, fangs digging deep into the flesh of the mercenary's arm, and at this rate, its going to snap it into two.

So I do the first thing that comes to my head.

I use freaking Mana Blast.

Mana explodes around me and sucks at my strength, and probably what feels like the remains of my energy, and slams into Leviathan. The monster lets go of the wounded man's arm and jerks back with another screech of pain, flailing wildly in the water. I support myself by holding my shaking knees and watch as the Leviathan, covered in shining crimson blood, sinks slowly into the water, spent and with any luck, dead. It disappears with a loud splash, sending water flying everywhere once again.

Instead of seeing if everyone is alright after that, I just collapse. I'm not about to fall unconscious, but my body hurts after that ... I just want to lie down.

'M'okay ...' I mutter, lifting an arm to signal my consciousness. 'Go help the asshole ...'

The asshole I'm referring to is being pushed to sit down against the pillar after he claims he's alright. I think Lloyd just flipped and starts calling him a stupid jerk and scolds him for not sitting. He's just turned into a male version of Raine ... dear Gods above, no.

I bring a hand up to wipe some blood away from just behind my right ear. I must have scratched it when I fell. Ah well ... at least I'm okay physically ... I'm just very tired. I look around and see Raine casting First Aid like there's no tomorrow, Genis and Lloyd searching for orange gels to give Raine (she's used enough mana this battle) and apple gels that Kratos refuses. Colette is over by the seal, hands clasped together in prayer, and ... well, she looks like she's about to cry.

I don't blame her. After everything with Lloyd and Kratos, this battle ...

I take one look at Kratos' mangled arm and turn my head the other way.

I hate this place.

* * *

...Ah, yeah. After going over Dr Faustus over and over and OVER in class, I had to do something XD. Review and tell me what you think :D 


	40. Wasp Overload!

Okay, this chapter is short. And nothing much happens. It's the camping night, and the way back from the geyser.

Anyway ... sorry this chapter took long. I've just started watching Naruto, and man, I'm hooked. I'm on episode 102 already ... and my favourite character? LEEEE. LEEEEEEEEEE. Yes.

Right, we are on 543, and I still don't know what to do. This is getting annoying. At this rate, I'll have to do it for 600 reviews, it will take me THAT long to come up with something. Ack ...

ALSO, I'm a sad, sad Charlie. Because I'm 14 in 11 days, and dammit, I don't want to be 14 D: I like my age now ... it's normal and average. Ah well, can't be helped. I don't know if the next chapter will be up soon, but I hope you all have a happy Christmas:D And I hope you've all chosen what you want, because I don't have _anything_ on my list yet. My mother is getting annoyed XD

Happy holidays, happy reading, happy everything!

* * *

Chapter 40 - Wasp Overload!

I have had a _bad_ few hours, a _bad_ night, and ... oh wait, I should explain this before I go on. Okay, here's what happened ...

After we defeated the Leviathan, Remiel appeared and Colette did her angel stuff ... and all the while the others were tending to Kratos and his wounded arm. I was the only one really listening, despite how Raine and the others probably wanted to observe. Well, Remiel was all high and proud and important as per usual, Colette gained her new angel powers as another part of her humanity was whittled away. She won't be sleeping for a long while, now. I wanted to hug her, but I didn't. Remiel would get confused.

Anyway, we decided to leave pretty damn quickly after that to avoid any more odd sea creatures that want to eat the seraph. Kratos insisted he was fine, but I seriously doubt the others believed him. Obviously he has his own angelic powers, so he could probably heal that wound up fast ... but not in front of us. He'll probably do it tonight when we're all sleeping or something.

It didn't take long for us to get out, seeing as Colette an Raine managed to remember the way via all the Angelic scriptures they found. That's quite useful ... I guess they do have a better reason to be there other than so our Professor can go off her rocker. Anyhow ...

When we _did_ finally get out, Colette collapsed from her newly dubbed "Angel Toxicosis" (I find it amazing how she just pulled that name out of thin air) and we set up camp in a small area behind the geyser. Apparently, our sense of time got screwed up in there. We must have slept for ... hours, probably. I blame the ranch business ... we have used a lot of energy in there the past two days.

And guess what? I slept _good_. No dreams, no invading other people's dreams, no being shaken awake by people ... it was _great_.

... Until I am _shaken awake_. _Again_.

'What do you WANT!?' I snap loudly, sitting up abruptly. 'For the love of man, I'm trying to SLEEP!'

The person blinks owlishly at me sudden outburst. Whey, it's Genis. I wonder what he is currently in need of so terribly urgently to wake me up.

'Uh ... it's your turn to do the night watch,' he says, pointing at a small grey blanket laid out next to our small and steadily dying camp-fire.

I just give it a look of distaste and glance back at my comfortable and inviting pillow like I have a choice.

'Uhh ... why – what – why can't anyone else do it ... what?' I ramble, rubbing my eyes vigorously. Keep in mind I've just come to my senses, so most things I say may or may not be coherent. He just gives me a strangle look and heads over to his own blanket that seems to have been lying in neglect for an hour. Or maybe more ... I take long to wake up, so he could have spent like, half an hour shaking me or something.

'If you want some coffee, there's some ground up in that tin.' He points to a small metal container next to the grey blanket. 'The water's already boiled, so help yourself.'

I rub my head and get to my feet, stumbling over to the think blanket while Genis settles down for bed next to his sister, and promptly collapse on top of it by my own free will. I didn't just trip over that stone. Nope. Not me.

'Totally meant to do that,' I say through a mouthful of cloth covered ground, before I pick myself up and cough, jumping into a cross-legged position. 'Seriously.'

I doubt anyone heard me. Everyone is asleep, and Colette is probably just pretending ... I'll just let her be for now. I'm sure she's worried enough already about why she suddenly can't sleep ... well, I know I would be. I just look over at her and avert my gaze to the coffee tin, wondering if I should make a cup. I'm nodding off as I think, so I might as well.

I grab a small cup from the side of the jug filled with boiling water and pour in some of the powder, spilling quite a load onto the floor with an uttered "shit". Oh well ... I'll just ... sweep it under the blanket here. They won't notice. No one's awake. 'Cept ... ah, shut up Charlotte. No use crying over spilt ... coffee, I guess.

I pour in some water (careful not to spill _that_ too) and leave my newly made drink that should keep me awake to cool for a while. Damn, I hope we have sugar somewhere ... or milk, else this coffee will be awfully bitter. I doubt we have either, so ... I'll have to put up with it for tonight.

Stupid travelling circumstances.

Someone shifts. 'Harrison, arrange yourself in a quieter fashion.'

'Aurion, be injured in less of an asshole fashion,' I twitter back in a sarcastic tone. The mercenary just gives me an unimpressed look from his bedding and turns his head away from me. Seriously, you don't know how long it took him to actually lie down and to admit he's in pain. Wrestling him to the ground was out of the question (sadly), so demanding orders had to be used instead. Raine was very firm with him as the only responsible adult of the group other than himself. She even whacked him over the head with her staff. Twice.

He lay down after that. She's a scary lady.

Anyway, his arm has been all bandaged up (after we discovered how the hell to take his shirt off), but the weird bandage covering his collar and breastbones remains in it's place. When he was asked about it, he said it was a battle scar that he didn't want to ... display to us. I'm guessing it might not be, but it could be something from when Anna was ... yeah, that.

I touch the cup with my knuckles and leave it for another while. Still hot.

I throw a small log onto the fire. Still flickering.

I cast a glance over at the group. Still sleeping.

... I give up with a sigh. Still worried. 'How's your arm?'

Kratos doesn't answer immediately, but I do eventually get: 'It's fine.'

'It looks broken.'

'It's fine.'

'I think it's still bleeding.'

'It's fine.'

'Does it hurt?'

'... It's fine.'

I fall silent after that and watch the fire slowly burning out. It'll be completely dark soon ... it isn't like my city at all, with street lamps and stuff ... it's just complete darkness. It's kinda spooky, when you think about it. All you can hear is the ocean, and all night Raine has been telling us ghost stories about a maiden who threw herself into the ocean when her lover had committed suicide after jumping off a cliff. She followed him, screaming his name as she fell, and the Professor says that sometimes on really misty nights, sailors can hear her screaming the man's name.

I thought it was a load of crap, but when Lloyd and Genis kept whispering "_Jonathan ..._" in high-pitched voices when I was almost asleep, they really sent my nerves sky-high. Meanies.

I managed to sleep after throwing my boot at Lloyd's head, which missed. But I think he got the message.

I sigh again and look around in a "someone talk to me if your name isn't Kratos" motion. It doesn't work, and my response is a bunch of light snoring from the group. Maybe I should just ignore everyone and actually _do_ my job, so we don't get killed in the night. Yeah, I think I'll do that.

I take a sip of my coffee and wince at the bitterness of the drink, quickly settling it back down so I don't burn my hand. There are currently three people awake in this camp, and I don't plan on conversing with the two that aren't me. Colette is still pretending, and I don't really want to talk to Kratos. He's not the best person to have a decent conversation with.

'I'm about to fall asleep on my watch,' I say, turning to him. 'So do you notice any monsters around here I could maybe take care of?'

Kratos pauses. 'No, Harrison. Just resume your watch.'

'_You_ are probably the most boring person on the face of the planet,' I say, tapping my knee with one finger. I've lost all feeling in it and am now suffering pins and needles. Wonderful. 'Say something interesting.'

'The fire is going out.'

'... Why, sweet lord, why ...?' I mutter to myself, casting Fire Ball on the wood. It soon sparks up again, brighter and thankfully warmer. Raine and Genis shift about slightly, but quickly settle back down again. Seriously, self: must learn to control magic to some extent. You're retarded.

'Perhaps if you wanted to do something to pass the time, you could get to work on the Professor's homework she set you,' Kratos says, staring at the sky. 'I doubt anyone would try to intercept when her wrath is unleashed upon you.'

'... You have a point,' I mutter, reaching for my satchel. The sheet I'm supposed to fill out should be in here, along with the book I should be using to help me. Sure enough, I find the small brown book with my test paper still inside, the edges now creased and a little ripped. Uh-oh ... I don't think that will matter.

'Fifteen questions,' I sigh, grabbing a pencil. 'Okay, one ...'

I lie on my stomach, hand flat on the paper. It's quite windy here, and if it blows away, I'm sure "Noishe ate it" isn't going to be a good excuse.

'Okay, "_There are (space) mana points within the upper body"_ ...' I mumble, thinking it over long and hard. Well, hard. 'Kratos?'

'A mana point is a small area in your system that controls the mana flow within each part of your body,' the mercenary explains without aid of my question. 'There are seven in your upper body.'

'Alright, there are _seven_, number two ... _"There are (space) mana points within the lower body"_ ...' I pause. 'Kra-'

'Four.'

'Alrighty ...' I jot down the answer. 'Next ... "_Name the date on which the end of the Palmacosta revolution took place"_ ... hey, this was in the test. Uh ... the answer was in that book ... 277 IS?'

Kratos doesn't answer, and keeps staring at the stars.

'Asshole, help meee ...'

'Yes, Harrison, it is 277 IS.'

I scribble the answer onto the paper. 'I'm pissing you off, aren't I?'

'Greatly.'

'Okay, I'll shut up,' I mutter. I'm not going to be able to finish this without help, so I'll leave it until the morning. Or maybe until the day before she expects it in, but it'll get done eventually, I swear. I have a feeling this grudge is gonna go on longer than I expected, but I don't really care anymore. Before coming here, I thought he was quite a decent character, but he's an asshole. I don't like him anymore.

Man, I sound like a five year old.

'If anyone is awake, please tell me,' I say, turning away from the bastard mercenary. 'I'm a very bored person.'

I don't get an answer, but Lloyd mutters something I don't quite hear. Oh well, I'm guessing he's asleep also. Or he was telling me to shut up, but same and same. He doesn't care that much about my entertainment. Not that I mind. If Lloyd was up here instead of me demanding attention, I would probably give him the finger.

Which reminds me that I'm tired.

Also, have you ever fallen asleep sitting up? Yeah, I do that shortly after my plea for conversation. Nighty-night.

---------------------------------

I don't wake up properly at first, because I think I'm still dreaming. I had this really odd dream about the Leviathan coming out of the water seal with human arms for legs, and demanding that he wants Kratos' arm. It was quite weird, but I then realise that it would never happen and snap to attention. Well, the best I can while I'm half-asleep. I push the Leviathan/centipede-esque thoughts out of my head and look around blearily.

'Three, two ...' I mutter to myself, rubbing my head. 'And ... I'm awake.'

Seriously, my back is killing me. I blame my choice of sleeping positions. Right, enough of that ... by the looks of it, it's morning. The sun is fairly high, there are seagulls screeching, and my head hurts. It _must_ be morning.

And ... everyone is asleep. Man ...

I grab the (now empty) metal pot over our dead fire and pull apart the metal hook it was hanging on. I get to my feet, both objects in hand, and beat them together noisily. I actually wince at the horrible ringing it delivers to my ears myself, but continue. Several people groan loudly and curl up in their blankets, namely Lloyd and Genis. I stumble carefully over to them, apologize to Raine beforehand, and continue my clanging.

'Come on, rise and shine, we have journeying to do!' I shout over the clanging. Lloyd pulls his covers over his head, with another groan that sounds remarkably like "piss off". Oh, we have a cranky bugger here.

'Come ooooon, people!' I shout, grabbing a pile of clothes. 'If you're not up in five, your clothes are going on the fiiire! One!'

I look over my shoulder and see that Colette is already up and smiling, Kratos looks fairly cranky, and the other three are dead to the world.

'Two!'

Raine stirs under her blanket with a mutter, sitting up and yawning. Okay, three down, two to go.

'Three, people! Come on, we're almost there! Up, up, u-'

I'm cut off when a black vest is thrown into my face, from the direction of Lloyd. I pull it off my head and throw it back at him with a scowl, dropping the clothes to the floor and fishing out Lloyd's shirt. He looks up at this and observes warily.

'What are you-'

I've already found the two white _ribbon-_things attached to the collar of his shirt and proceed to tie them into various knots. Lloyd doesn't seem too fond at my idea and makes a lunge for his shirt before my knots can get too complex. Ha, he's screwed now ... I'm good at knots, so it might take him a while to untie those things.

'I am _so_ getting you back for this,' Lloyd huffs, making a start on untying the knots. I notice that Genis is up, thankfully.

After a long while of getting dressed, eating breakfast (which is _fish_, believe it or not), packing things up, and Raine checking Kratos' arm wound, we're ready to set off again. Raine looks a bit confused and the slightest part suspicious when she notices Kratos' wounds seem to have '_magically_' healed up all by themselves. Yeah. Obviously it's because of his seraph-type abilities and whatnot, but they don't know that, so I won't say anything. I'll just act amazed like the rest of the group.

'My back hurts ...' I mutter mostly to myself as we take the pathway back to the front of the geyser. No one says anything, so I proceed to feel slightly miffed and continue behind the group. You're all assholes.

------------------------------

'_Colette, are you okay? You have bags under your eyes ...'_

_'Oh, no, I'm fine. I just had a little trouble sleeping last night.'_

_'Right ... sorry to hear about that.'_

_'It's okay, really! I don't ... feel tired at all, so I'm okay. You don't have to worry.'_

_'... Alright, but ... try, tonight, okay? Even if you can't, just try.'_

_'Yeah ... I will. And, um ...'_

_'Hm?'_

_'Don't ... tell Lloyd or Genis about this. I don't want them to worry.'_

_'... Yeah, okay.'_

-----------------------------------------

Okay, I have much hate for the world's supply of seawater right now. Much, much hate, that I feel the whole world should just be _rock_, and that there should be no bastard mercenaries on that rock, and ... and ... yeah!

I should really explain this ...

We rode the washtubs back like we're supposed to, and Raine was paired up with Lloyd again. Mostly because she demanded it, but because if anything were to happen again on the way back, Lloyd could easily sort that out. He can _swim_, see. That's a useful thing.

And also, my fear of water has become very clear to the group also. Meaning, instead of pairing me off with Colette like last time, they decide it's better to put me with someone who can provide an air of security, and obviously wouldn't let me fall in. Problem here: they don't really know how bad the relationship between Kratos and I is, so they saw this as fine.

I had a hissy fit or two about that, but I really had no choice after Lloyd and the other three had already shoved off from shore, singing "the owl and the pussy cat went to sea," or something along those lines. Edward Lear comes to mind, but I'll ignore it for now. Agh, English lesson memories ... I hate English.

Anyway, completely irrelevant to the horror that was Kratos' company on the way back to the continent. He was _rocking the washtub_, and he was _doing it on purpose_, I swear it! This comes to mind from earlier:

'Augh! You're doing it again! Stop it!'

'I don't know what you mean, Harrison.'

'STOP ROCKING THE – AAH, OH MY GOD! You ASSHOLE, stop it!'

'A stray wave is approaching.'

'LIAR! AHHH!'

Seriously, he has a sick, sarcastic sense of humour. But mostly sick ... I was sooo scared I was gonna fall in again, and that was just _mean_, what he did back there. Even Raine had a stern word with him, but he paid no regard to her (as usual) and just continued in the direction of the House of Salvation. We planned to get everything sorted out there about the trip to Asgard, and the way back to the peak. We have the statue for Koton, the pass, and ... that seems alright for now. I don't think we need anything else to take care of here ... at least for now, anyway.

And ... here we are now. Sorting this out. Like the good little Chosen group we are.

'Why can't we just, like ... go in a straight line?' I ask, dragging my finger from the dot that says "Thoda Docks" on out map to the one that says "Hakonesia Peak". 'I don't get why we can't.'

'There are forests around these parts,' Raine says, motioning to the darkened areas on the fields. 'We'll be an easy catch for monsters if we try to navigate through a forest.'

'Yeah, we could get lost, too ...' Colette says from the chair beside me. 'And I don't want to sleep in a forest ...'

'Nah, me either ...' I mutter. 'Sleeping on hard rock floor is bad enough ...'

Colette looks up. '... Oh, where's Lloyd?'

I lean back on my chair to glance out of the window as Raine folds the map back up. 'He was, uh, very happy to see Lloyd. And is probably still sitting on him.'

'Poor Noishe ... he must have been really lonely ...,' Colette says, getting to her feet. 'Let's go and cheer him up!'

I just give her a look and rise up from my chair. 'Sure, why not. He's probably _eat_ me, but let's go.'

We leave the other three to pack up our maps and compasses and such and exit the house (attempting to ignore a screeching "Goodbye!" from Candy on the other side of the desk. I swear, she keeps winking suggestively at Kratos, and it's starting to piss me off). Sure enough, Noishe is lying down on a half-heartedly struggling Lloyd, watching him try to wriggle away with his head in his paws. He whines lowly.

'Noiiiiishe ...' Lloyd hisses, trying to drag himself away. 'Get oooff ...'

Whine.

'Having fun?' I ask. Lloyd looks up and gives me a sarcastic glare.

'Yeah, sure, having my lungs crushed is great pastime of mine.'

'I'm sure it is,' I mutter, walking over to Noishe. 'Heey, big guy.'

He growls again when I try to reach out for him, and I just frown and straighten back up, sticking my tongue out childishly. Stupid dog still hates me. Hey, I saved your former master's ass yesterday! Appreciation, no?

'He'll be fine once he gets to know you,' Lloyd says as Colette goes to pat his head, to which the dog answers lovingly to with another whine. I just make a face and turn back to the currently-being-crushed Lloyd.

'Yeah, I doubt that somehow.'

"_HEEEEEEEY!"_

I actually jump at the sound of William screaming in my head and gasp a little, getting curious glances from the two people, and one from the dog.

'I, uh ... just had the feeling of ... falling,' I say lamely. 'I'm okay now ... I, uh ... I'm gonna go _that_ way for a while ...'

I ignore the constant strange looks from the three of them and walk quickly around the house, so that I'm fairly out of view. I almost trip up on a rake (trust me, it's not the first time) and into a bunch of upright barrels, but manage to just grab onto the lid of one before falling. I pause for a few seconds just to make sure Lloyd and Colette aren't about to come and see if I've impaled my face via rake, and start this hopefully short conversation.

"_Yeah, what's up, oh mighty one?"_ I ask. "_You just made me look a complete twat. I hope you're happy."_

"_Very happy," _William replies. "_Anyway, I _do_ believe you have your SAT exams this year back on Earth."_

I pause. _"You're telling me this ... because?"_

"_Well, Charis would feel very bad about herself if you were to get low grades-"_ He ignores my snort. "_-so she suggests that you practice the subjects you're taking."_

"_Charis can also be a retard sometimes,"_ I reply hotly. "_My French and Japanese exams aren't until two months before school term finishes, and maths, science and ... whatever else I take will be easy. It's just the languages I have trouble with."_

I ignore the 'you suck at hiiiistoryyy' from Charis and continue._ "Plus, how suspicious do you think the others will get if I start blurting out 'BONJOUR' while practising?"_

William waits for a long moment, and I can hear whispers between him and Charis. He finally speaks up with: "_Yeah, we were kind of hoping you were smart enough to _not _practice in front of them."_

I wrinkle my nose. "_Well ... yeah, but they do tend to sneak up on me a lot."_ The scary thing is, they do. I wonder why. I'll have to ask about it when I get the time.

"_I'm not even taking French for my GCSEs," _I mumble. "_Would it really matter?"_

"_Hell yes,"_ Charis snaps. "_Plus, if you suck on your SATs because of this, I'm not taking the blame because you didn't revise."_

"_I'll revise _you_ in a minute_," I mutter. "_Fine, fine, I'll work on some maths and science, but PLEASE keep in mind that I will burn you slowly if I fail at science. It's not my fault if I answer some crap about mana ..."_

"_Yeah, yeah."_ And with that, they are gone. Ooo, mysterious.

No sooner than they disappear to work endlessly on computers and play ToS inspired Space-Invaders games, am I called over my the familiar voice of Colette. I stumble out of the mass of barrels and almost trip over that rake again, so I pick it up and throw it as hard as I can to one side. However cliched it may sound, I hear a cat screech. A little ginger bundle of fluff jumps down from a fence the rake bounced off and settles back down on a barrell. It takes all my willpower to not go over there and kill it via hugging-suffocation, and I go back over to Colette and Lloyd.

'Yo yo,' I say, looking around and watching Lloyd brush green and white hairs from the arms of his shirt. 'I see Noishe is gone. And _you_ are covered in dog-hair, my friend.'

'Yeah, I kinda guessed.'

'Wow, you are _not_ in a good mood today,' I say, folding my arms. 'Look, if it's about the ribbon thing, I was very cranky and-'

'It's not that,' Lloyd assures, still trying to rid his outfit of Noishe-hair. 'Sorry, I've just got a bit of a headache.'

'Well, I don't blame you,' I say. 'Yesterday wasn't really a barrel of laughs.'

'No, it wasn't,' Lloyd mutters. 'Plus, breakfast was ...'

I pause and consider what he means, and then it comes to me. 'Oh yeah, you don't like fish, do you?'

Lloyd just grimaces as an answer and gives up with the hair-business. While we're on that subject, Noishe is plodding around near the dock, looking very pleased with himself.

After about five minutes of talking, attempting to make friends with Noishe (and failing miserably), the other three of the group finally leave the house. Genis and Raine look slightly amused, and Kratos just looks ... like a less-friendly Kratos. If that's possible.

When they close the doors behind them, I consider what could have caused this terrible irritation upon Kratos. Let's ask him, shall we? Better yet, let's assume and presume we're right!

'Candy, huh?' I ask with a grin. 'I guess she's hard to shake off?'

'The woman is a leach,' Kratos hisses with a look of distaste.

'She asked him about ... twenty questions about his taste in women,' Genis says, stifling a laugh. 'He didn't answer one.'

'I honestly don't judge him for that,' I say, trying not to laugh myself. 'If she asked me about my tastes in women, I ...'

I pause at my wording, and get a few weird looks from the other five. I cough quite loudly and continue.

'If she asked me about my tastes in MEN,' I say the word loudly also, 'I'd probably tell her to do various things with a flail. One probably including swallow it and choke.' I say this with the sweetest smile I can muster.

'Or you could just ignore her like Kratos did,' Colette says, obviously not to keen on my idea. 'I don't think you would have to resort to violence ...'

I almost retort with 'it was a JOKE', but stop myself and just shrug. Instead, I turn to Lloyd and give him a small glare. 'Seriously, any jokes on that women comment, and I'll probably start hurting you.'

Lloyd just nods, but I notice a sly grin when I turn away. Genis just looks with very intent interest at a stone on the floor, and the Professor seems to be trying to not laugh herself. Kratos' face just reads 'make her disappear', and I frown. Gee, I'm sooo sorry I disturbed you with my 'hidden sexuality'.

For the record, I don't swing that way. Just so there aren't any mix ups here in Sylvarant ...

'We should set off now,' Raine says, cutting the long silence with a short cough. 'We should reach a fairly safe area by nightfall.'

What, we're leaving now? Whaaat? I wanted to sleep in a bed for a change, but I guess not ... it'll probably be grassy fields for me again. Aw, shitsticks. I miss my bed. Regardless, we set of silently, Noishe obviously not liking the fact that we've resorted to dumping all of our luggage on his back again. Does he not realise that's one of the only reasons he is here? Poor thing ...

After a long while of walking and admiring the view of green fields and the ocean (insert shudder here), we actually come across some monsters! And they don't involve weird, mutated fish or Leviathans with human arms! Do you realise how _ecstatic_ that makes me!?

Not very, but I'm just glad they aren't fish. They _are_ however, insects. Like, big massive wasps. But they're blue and green instead of their normal colours. But I guess I can't really call them normal, seeing as they are ... very big.

But really, I have this terrible, terrible dislike to wasps and bees. Ever since I saw this thing on '_Tales Of The Unexpected_' called Royal Jelly. Seriously, it gives me the shivers still ... ack, the memory ... the _images_.

I aim and deliver a few good shots to one of the two bugs buzzing around our heads. I'm getting quite good at aiming these things ... though if I shoot Kratos in the head, that is _totally_ an accident. _Totally_.

'So, ah ...' I say, watching Genis duck as a stinger goes shooting over his head. 'Can those things kill?'

'Probably,' Raine answers, giving the one that almost impaled Genis a firm whack with her staff. It crumples to the ground with an odd noise, and I raise an eyebrow. I don't know much about bugs, but I didn't know they made that kind of sound. Sounds a bit like a kitten being trodden on. Aww, I feel sorry for the cat in the mental image I just had ...

Yes, I'm a cat-lover. They're just too ... huggable, agh.

Right, giant wasps! One down, one to go!

I watch as Genis and Lloyd pull off a combination attack, which I _think_ is Lightning Tiger Blade. Well, that's what it looks like ... I can't really remember ... anyway, the bugger still isn't dead. I use Fire Bullet, and the thing screeches like the last one, falling to the ground with a twitch.

Unlike the game, we don't have victory dances, because it would like terribly lame if we just started dancing and posing whenever we killed something. I _do_ however do a small jig on the spot, glad that I killed something. I don't get to kill things often ... it's always someone else. Can you imagine how happy I was when the Leviathan died? Well, I was too tired and worried to be happy, but the joy was still there.

Right, moving on.

'If a bunch of those things chase us like the Ladybirds did ...' Lloyd mutters, rubbing a small prick on his arm. I have to wonder how he got such a small wound, because those stingers were massive. Anyway ...

'If they do, I'm running again,' I say. 'Seriously, bugs, wasps, can't stand 'em.'

'Right ...' Lloyd mutters. 'Uh, poison cure, anyone? I'm starting to feel queasy ...'

Raine heals him up quite quickly with a spell, and we continue on our way. It isn't long before we come across some more monsters; just about half a minute actually. Which I find greatly annoying. If this keeps happening on and off until we get there, I'm not going to be a very happy person.

Okay, here we have four monsters. Two wasp-things like before, and two ... uh ... I seriously don't know what to call them. They look a bit like a caterpillar, but ... their legs are like, really thin, and their bodies are ... kinda bulgy. It's like the deformed child of a spider and a maggot, but it looks more to me like an oversized caterpillar to me. Who knows, it could be.

'... That thing looks disgusting,' Lloyd declares, looking Mr Caterpillar over. I agree with him ... and I swear, if it has some random attack where it uses a cocoon to bind its enemy or something, I am turning around and heading straight back to that house. No way is that thing touching me.

'Can we just ... kill it?' I ask. 'They're not very fun to look at ...'

Kratos, as if testing my answer, pokes the thing warily with his sword as if it were about to latch onto his face. I don't know what he _did _to the thing, but almost as soon as the tip of his blade touches it ... a small part of it collapses on itself and all this horrible, brown coloured pus comes out. Oh man, ew.

'... So, I'm just gonna take the wasps out,' Lloyd says, cocking his head in the direction of the two insects hovering around as if looking for something. 'You have fun with that thing there.'

'Gladly ...' Kratos replies grimly. I look between the two of them and immediately choose the wasps over the big, pus-leaking bug now trying to ... do things to Kratos' sword. I won't go into detail, but it looks kind of odd.

Genis and Colette seem to have taken Kratos' side with the two caterpillars, and the our mage-man is trying to burn them with Fire Ball. Colette is also making a huge effort, but all she and Kratos seem to be doing is making it leak more pus. I wonder where the other one ran off to ... ah well, I have wasps to kill. And it looks like Raine is giving us a hand, as she is currently beating the living crap out of some poor, and now mutilated insect with repeated swings of her staff. Her staff has spikes. Keep that in your head, aaand ... yeah, it isn't a pretty image, is it?

I have the greatest urge to tell Lloyd to stop pissing around trying to hack off the stinger and go for the wings instead, but I just manage a small shriek when I'm almost attacked right on the forehead by the wasp that seems to have escaped from Lloyd. I crouch so that it misses, but shoot at the monster from underneath while slowly moving away from it. If it lands on me, I'll do more than throw a fit.

'These things are annoying ...' Lloyd grumbles, trying to Sonic Thrust it. It doesn't work – even though the wasp is wounded, it's still a fast little bugger.

'Well, no duh,' I mutter angrily. 'They're freakin' ... wasps, man.'

I want to see how the others are holding up, but these _things_ need to be taken care of first. If I get back-attacked by a giant blue wasp, I will not be happy at all. I'll probably just have a fit and fall to the floor, but I do that most of the time in battle. Right, moving on ...

In an attempt to wave off the monster, it actually manages to sting me on my arm. Strangely enough, it hurts less than I expected, but I still have to keep in mind that I'm poisoned here. And it's really starting to sting.

'Professor? Help?' I ask quietly, as she is still pounding on that wasp she got hold of. When she decides it's dead, she comes over and heals me. And I'll just say this now, poison healing feels weird. It's like air goes into your bloodstream and numbs it for a few seconds before disappearing completely. Quite nifty.

I look over at Lloyd and have to consider if he was watching me when I first landed here. I remember when I first fought something big and ... insect-like, I ripped off it's wings and stamped on it. Lloyd seems to have covered the ripping part, but he's now stabbing it repeatedly. Hm. Two wasps down, and now we go and help the other three.

One of the giant caterpillars is dead, but the other one, that seems to have collapsed on its legs, is squirming around and covered in pus. Someone chuck me a bucket, please ... this thing is gross.

'Can't you just cut it in half?' Genis asks, giving the mercenary a small glare. Said mercenary holds up his sword, which is practically coated in the fowl brown substance, and it doesn't look very pretty

'My whole blade will become damaged,' he snaps, wiping it on the grass. 'I'm not keen on the corrosion of my sword.'

'Genis, just cast a spell or something,' Lloyd says. 'That should work.'

Genis grumbles something about how he has to do everything around here and prepares Wind Blade. Hm, yeah, you do EVERYTHING. He might have killed off that last one, but we've been beating up wasps for our share. I mean, that's just a caterpillar that can't even move properly, geez.

Colette goes Pow Hammer-happy on the thing for a while until Genis casts his spell, which successfully slices up the monster from all directions. It _does_ die after that, but seriously ... more pus is spilling out, and I'm starting to feel very sick.

'Augh, gross,' Lloyd mutters, looking away. 'Let's just ... go that way.'

I suggest searching the carcass for items or something, but take one look at it and run after the others. I hate giant bugs ... giant bugs are _not_ nice to fight. Ladybirds hit you from behind and chase after you in armies, Grasshoppers petrify, blind, and stun you, wasps poison you and fly around your head so you can't concentrate, and caterpillars explode their pus all over you and your weapons.

Charis, are you taking all of this down? I'd _kinda_ like to go home right now. You know, get away from the oversized bugs ...

... Pretty please?

* * *

... 

... LEEEE. Also, Asgard soon. Yaay. Spare a review:D


	41. The Quiet City Asgard

... I hate this chapter. I hate this chapter sooo much. A good first lot of it is in past tense, and that BURNT.

Since my last update, I have: turned 14 / celebrated Christmas / played FFVII DoC, MMM'YES. And Twilight Princess, but VINCENT! VINCENT! GUNS...:D

Right, I hope you all had a veeery meeerry Christmas, or whatever holiday you might have celebrated. I had a good Christmas, but my family spent a good first few hours of the day playing the Trivial Pursuit DVD game. Ah well, it was fun enough My birthday was fine too. I did the 'aahhgh, I'm old' thing I do every year, but quickly got over that. I miss being 13 though. Yes, already.

Right, there were a few things I wanted to ask about. You know how they have their special attacks in the game, like Falcon's Crest, Holy Judgment, Shining Bind (I MIGHT use that in the fic - I'm still considering). I was wondering if Charlotte should have one later on (assuming she survives). I'm constantly checking, double checking, and triple checking to hope she isn't becoming a Sue, so I'm having mixed feelings about giving her a special tech. Even if she did get one, I wouldn't have a clue what it would be. Ideas, anyone? D:

More Angelic in this chapter, but only a small amount. Don't worry. And some more bitchiness between Kratos and Char, but hey, they hate eachother. It comes.

AND GUESS WHO'S SEEN THE TRAILER FOR THE ToS ANIME :DDD It's so freaking awesome. I can't wait.

Plus, I have a microphone now! Maybe I could RECORD an author note? Hah, that would be a laugh. I talk way too quickly.

Enjoy this chapter, which I will once again mention that I hate. (Anyone notice that this is the first chapter I posted as a 14 year old? And if you reverse the chapter number, you get 14 ... :O)

... Onwards!

* * *

Chapter 41 - The Quiet City Asgard

You know, in the past two days that it has taken to get to Asgard, I've learned two things. One – Koton is a dick, and a perverted dick at that. And two – I am so dead that it's quite unbelievable. No, seriously. Because ... well, I should explain what happened on the way here first. I always rush ahead of myself these days.

Well, after the fantastic four were killed off, bug squishing and pus spurting caterpillars and all, we kept going without stopping. I already guessed that we wanted to reach Hakonesia Peak by nightfall, because these area don't seem that safe, and I'd rather spend my night outside Koton's house than in a wasp infested field any day. Hakonesia was ... seriously over a day's walk away, though. And yes, things didn't go as planned.

What we thought was just a few trees dotted around, was actually the forest we had tried to avoid. But we didn't know that at the time, and ... we got lost in the forest. And however mean Noishe has been to me since this journey started, I seriously felt sorry for the poor thing when we entered the forest. He was shaking so much, and even Lloyd's attempts to calm him down didn't work.

'This place is so creepy ...' Colette mumbled after a good half an hour of walking around. I couldn't blame her. I had been getting tired myself, and things look weirder when you're sick of seeing the same trees and swamps over and over again.

'It used to be quite a beautiful place,' Raine said after she had been inspecting a small plant. 'It was called Bifröst Forest, but now-'

'The Dead Forest,' Kratos finished, wiping a small drip of blood from his cheek. The trees around there were quite low down, so it was easy to get scratched. Even now, I'm still trying to clean my arms and face up and heal all the scratches and some unfortunate deeps cuts. A bad experience, and I will kick whoever led us into this place. Uh ... right, back to Bifröst. Er, I mean, The Dead Forest.

'That's a bit morbid,' Lloyd said, narrowly avoiding a thorny plant level with his face. 'But at least the forest is living up to its name.'

'You can say that again,' Genis groaned.

While the four of them had been talking, Colette and I were quite silent throughout the whole ordeal. Colette was probably still a bit worried about her new angel abilities, and what I like to call 'levelling out her humanity'. She can't eat or sleep anymore, and next time, it will be ... the ability to feel? I forget.

I was silent because ... well that forest was freaking me out big time, and I was trying to keep a song in my head to calm me down. Namely "We Didn't Start the Fire", but I'm quite sure it didn't matter. Anything that could have taken my mind off the forest would have been good enough.

When we left the forest after a good hour or two (I couldn't keep track of time), it was already getting dark. The three oldest people of the group decided that it would be safer if we kept walking for a while, just to get away from this danger-zone and closer to the peak. After a while, they finally let us sleep. And strangely enough, it was probably one of the only nights where it was a _normal_ sleep. Seriously; Kratos was doing his watch as usual, and probably wouldn't wake anyone up for their turn (also as usual), we had food, and ... just went to sleep. It was awesome, I didn't wake up in the middle of the night, there were no death threats or weird dreams, or anything.

The next morning, we headed straight for Hakonesia in a better mood than usual. Even though Noishe was so scared the day before, he was happier too. It was weird.

Okay, here's the part where I can firmly claim that Koton is a perverted old man. We reached the peak, gave Koton the statue, and the bugger _changed his mind_. Why, you ask? Because there was a few small chips in the statue and the diamond halo, and it wasn't good enough. Kratos soon sorted that out. I won't go into detail, but there was shouting. Not from either of the two men, but from Raine. So, the greasy old git was cowering in his corner while Kratos and Raine ranted about how it had almost cost one of our friend's life to get that statue back. Lloyd got very embarrassed at this point, but hey, he'll live with it.

Eventually, we _did_ get him to accept it (Kratos and Raine going against someone _as a team_ is twice as frightening), but only under the conditions that Kratos left the house, and only the women could see it. Obviously that meant Colette and Raine, but I didn't really ... well, I didn't want to see it. But I quickly changed my mind after Koton starting looking me up and down. Seriously, pervert.

After around ... five minutes of looking over the worn text, and turning countless pages of undecipherable nonsense, we gathered all the information we could and decided to leave. Before we were about to leave, Koton did the apparently unforgivable and strictly taboo action of trying cop a feel on Raine.

Genis and Lloyd just flipped there and then, in a kinda "you will burn slowly" way. They went on at him for a while about how he keeps flirting the the Professor and Colette too, and I just left the house, not really wanting to get involved. I was feeling a little insulted that no one said anything to defend me. I mean, I know they know Raine and Colette a _whoooole_ lot more, but gee ...

Anyway, it took another looong while to get to Asgard. Like, really long. By the time we arrived, it was nightfall again ... and I'm still hating the fact the world is much bigger than I expected. For instance, I thought that everything up to the Tower of Salvation was eight days at least, but now it's been ... thirteen days? Geez, I've been here almost two weeks ... and when I landed here, I thought I wouldn't survive a day! Hey, I'm pretty proud of myself ...

... Y'know, despite the fact I'm being kicked off the group now, but yeah.

Okay, NOW we're back where I am now. Which would be standing around the entrance of Asgard with my group, panicking like hell inside.

Seriously – I told everyone that I _come_ from Asgard, and that I have _family_ in Asgard, so this isn't going to go well when they realise I've been lying. And I'll probably be stripped of all my other secrets, so I'm in deep panic.

'... I'm cold,' I say, out of the blue. 'Maybe we should find an inn or something.'

'We don't have much money,' Lloyd says as we pass a small stall that seems to be closing down early. I look up at the sky and notice that it's a soft pinkish colour, but I can't really tell how late it is from that. Maybe about ... six? If so, we'll need to make some money fast, or sleep at the worst inn to stay at. I don't know about them, but I sure as hell ain't sleeping on the floor while there are beds around. I will fight for a bed if I have to, and it will involving biting and scratching.

As we walk around Asgard, I notice how ... hm, how should I put it ... _nice_ it feels around here. For those who don't know or just forget, Asgard is a windy city built next to a mountain. Most of the stone houses and stores are actually built into small niches in said mountain, which is quite appropriate, as weird as it may sound. On the other side of the town, there is a massive chasm in the land, and it drops ... very deep. You would likely die if you fell. The land probably wears away over time, so Asgard will probably have to be moved or something.

There's an air of fear around here, but at least the place is nice. The people here, if you ignore that fear I mentioned earlier, seem quite nice too. All these old couples wave at us when we walk by, and working adults give us smiles when we briefly observe what they're doing. They're nice people, despite the fact we probably look a mess, covered in blood and ripped clothes, and bandages in Kratos' case. Maybe that's why they're being so nice.

'Okay, so where are we gonna get some money?' I ask. 'I don't think we can sell much around here, and all of the stalls are closing.'

'We should explore this town a little more,' Raine says, looking around. I notice she's been eyeing up the small cave ruins for a while, and I feel we should just leave her to do what she wants. I look over at Lloyd, and he just nods.

'Then we'll split up, and meet back at the town entrance in ... twenty minutes?' Lloyd suggests. Everyone agrees, and soon goes their own way. Raine heads straight for the cave ruins, Genis and Lloyd head up some stairs that I think lead to the higher areas of Asgard, Colette immediately runs over to a ground of small dogs playing, and I don't stick around long enough to see what Kratos does. I'm going to avoid him the best I can for now because of the whole "kicking-me-out-the-group" thing.

Luckily, he doesn't follow me when I head down a pathway to the lower area of town. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I just walk around to try and think of something that could help me. There aren't many people around here. Just an elderly lady sitting on a bench, and some kids playing what sounds like hide-and seek. The little girl is crying, but I'm not sure why. I can't really ask people ... so this won't help.

Right, the plan is this: sort out what I'm going to do about the whole Asgard story I made up. Obviously my family won't be here, so I need to think something up quick in twenty minutes or so. Obviously the question "hey, why don't you just sleep at your house?" will come up soon, and I can't answer that without looking retarded and suspicious. But mostly retarded.

I'm struck out of my thoughts when the girl I mentioned earlier screams "PEEEEETE" right next to me. I jump right into the air at her shouting, and consider if my eardrums are still there. If they are, they're ringing.

'S'cuse me,' she asks before I can get away, clinging to the rim of my shirt. 'D'you know where Pete is?'

Obviously I don't, and it takes all my willpower to say that. You have to be nice to children, or they'll make it the sole purpose of their remaining childhood to make your life a living hell. Seriously, the number of times I've found underwear nicked from the washing line in my school bag. And people wonder WHY I hate kids.

'Uh ... no, sorry,' I say as nicely as I can, hoping she'll unhand me and let me go.

'Aww ... okay,' she mumbles, sniffing and walking off to look around some more. I bite my upper lip and walk off, trying to get away from the kids. I don't think they'll be of much help, but I doubt I could ask an adult either.

As I walk further into the town, I notice it gets quieter. I guess it _is_ getting late, so I don't have much time. Ack, by this time tomorrow, the others will probably be heading for Balacruf, and I'll be stuck here. Not good. My only option is to either sort things out with Kratos fast _while_ sorting out my Asgard plan, or sneak into a backpack in the dead of night. But I'm sure the last one wouldn't work as well. Plus, one plan at a time; I don't want to screw anything up by accident with too many thoughts in my head.

Alright, for the non-existent family of mine that seem to live here ... I'll just say they all went on a pilgrimage or something. No questions should come up about _that_ ... I mean, it's fairly simple, right? There doesn't have to be a _reason_ why they've gone. Pilgrimages are quite popular. Hm ... I'll have to forge a note or something for the others to make it look convincing. Like; "Dear Charlotte, we've buggered off for a while, live by yourself". This won't be easy, seeing as I can't write convincingly.

Or wait, I could just say that the neighbours were told to make sure I don't get into any trouble while they're gone. That's what's currently happening on Earth, so that should make it easier.

Asgard plan sorted out! Now, for the hardest one ... which will probably include conversing with Kratos, and that's never easy. Plus, I don't know if it's possible, but the tension is rising like hell. It'll probably end up something like: "Hey, Kratos-" SLASH SLASH STAB.

Sad thing, I can see that happening.

----------------------

An hour later or so, after some searching around for money or an open shop to sell our crappy valuables at, we've scraped up enough money to get us into the second cheapest inn, the Fresco. Raine didn't want us staying at the cheapest inn, because it only has one room and four beds. I'll let you do the maths for that. Anyway, the Fresco is a pretty cool inn. The only thing that puts me off is the frightening amount of plants, but that will be ignored. Until I walk into one of the green buggers.

Right, Fresco: three rooms, four beds in two of the rooms, and one in the last. And to our mad luck, we're the only ones here tonight. It doesn't take very long to sort out the room arrangements, and Raine's single gender rule is still firmly in place. Not that I mind; if I was to share a room with one of the boys again (Triet, remember?), I will shout and scream and throw some fits. And sleep outside. I could NOT sleep that night, because – and yes, I have shared rooms with boys before – but that was just ... eerugh, never again please.

Anyway, the arrangements were: Raine, Colette and I in one room, the boys in another, and someone could have the single room if they wanted. I was about to ask for it, seeing as I really don't like sharing rooms with people (they probably noticed this in Triet, because I remember being put in a single room at the Palmacosta inn). Sadly, Kratos asked first. Well, he didn't really ask, he just said he'd be using it as soon as I opened my mouth. I'm in a foul mood now, because I'm pretty sure he's here to make my life ... a serious living hell. Now, even the smallest things he could do piss me off. My lord, I even hate it when he sharpens his sword. It's like "this will go through your ABDOMINAL ORGANS". Yeah.

So, I've shoved all my belongings under my bed after leaping onto it with a shout of "bagsy", and Raine and Colette have taken the two on the other side of the wall.

'Okay, it's still kinda early ...' I say after making sure my bag aren't visible. 'I'm gonna maybe ... go walk around town for a bit to see if I can get any more information?'

Raine looks up. 'I don't think we should be walking around the town in our current state.'

I look down at my clothes and notice I'm covered in blood and dirt. 'Ah ... right.'

'There's a bathroom down the hall,' Colette says, slipping her gloves off. 'Do you think we can use it?'

'I guess so ...' I mutter, picking at some dirt on my shirt (really didn't mean to rhyme there). 'I should go wash before going out.'

I gather together some towels and leave the room, heading towards the bathroom, wherever it may be. The inn-keeper's wife directs me towards the room I'm looking for when she sees me wondering around the second floor, three towels in my hand. I didn't notice it before, but it's a room with the letters "BR" carved into the old wood of the door. I'd assume that means bathroom, but who cares! There has to be a bath in there, and I haven't had a proper wash since before the ranch.

I make sure to lock the door before I get into the bath, which is actually quite small. Not that I care. If it can hold warm, bubbly water, then I seriously wouldn't mind if it was a freaking wicker basket.

Warmth is something I haven't felt in quite a while. The Water Seal was freezing, sleeping on a goddamn rock in the middle of the ocean was freezing, sleeping in the middle of nowhere was freezing, and the weather in Asgard is just cold and windy. So you can imagine how happy I am now that I have a nice, warm, comforting bath.

After hoping in, I make sure to check up all of my wounds while I'm hear, and clean them too. The one across my back seems to have healed up nicely thanks to those elven pills the doc gave me back at Palmacosta, and all the others seem to be doing good. I'll be up and running like normal in no time, except there's always going to be the small grudge that as soon as I step out of my bath and dry myself up, we have frizz, frizz, and more frizz. Did I mention I hate my hair?

I spend a good fifteen minutes in the bath, and only jump out to try myself when I hear someone's fist hammering on the door.

'C'mon Charlotte, you've been in there for ages!'

'Well, _excuse_ me, Lloyd,' I say angrily through the door. 'I have something called a feminine side, believe it or not, and it's very controlling.'

'Yeah, yeah, just hurry up,' he mumbles. 'I have to go out soon ...'

'Lloyd has to go ouuut,' I say in a sing-song voice, wrapping my big white fluffy towel around my currently dripping self. 'Lloyd has a daaate ...'

'Lloyd has a traaaaining session,' he corrects, probably blushing behind the secrecy of the heavy wooden door. 'Geez ...'

'I'm just messing with you, man ...' I groan, wrapping my second towel around my sopping wet hair. 'Don't got your boxers in a twist.'

'Will you stop making weird references!?' Lloyd demands. 'Just ...'

'Yeah, I'm drying myself now,' I answer, laying the third and final towel down on the floor so it doesn't get soaked as I dry. I hear a small groan of frustration from behind the door and a soft thud as Lloyd probably leans against it. I think I mentioned that door looked old, so if it collapses away from its squeaking hinges now, I'll ... I'll ... be very angry! Yeah.

I wrap my towel around my hair and look for a robe of some sort. There has to be _something_ sitting around here other than my dirty, bloody clothes, and I'm not going all the way back to my room in a towel. I know it's only our group here tonight, but keep in mind our group includes three males, one of which is standing right outside the door and waiting for a bath. Eeugh ... not good.

'... Are you done in there yet?' Lloyd gives a frustrated sigh, pounding on the door another three times.

'I'm done, I'm done!' I answer quickly before another barrage of complaints come my way. Looks like I'm wondering around the hall wearing nothing but a towel until I reach my room. Great.

I pick up my dirtied clothes in one hand and tuck them under my arm, gripping the knot holding up my towel in my other hand, because I don't trust it to stay up. I have bad luck like that.

I open the door to see Lloyd stumble slightly as he was leaning on it, and he straightens up quickly as if such an embarrassing thing never happened.

'W-'

'I'm gonna go that way now,' I say, pointing down the hallway (with difficulty; I'm using both my hands here). 'You're gonna go have your bath, and we're both going to ignore the fact I'm wearing nothing but a towel.'

'I like that idea,' Lloyd says, quickly rushing into the bathroom and locking the door behind him.

'Happy washing!' I call, power walking down the hallway and to the room I'm sharing with the other two girls of the group. Hopefully I won't walk into any more males on my way, but who knows. I wouldn't really put it against Charis to have some poor bastard crash through the ceiling and land at my feet.

"_...What?"_ I hear William say in my head, though I have a feeling I'm not the one he's talking to. _"Why are you looking at me like that?"_

"_Charis, if my PS2 comes through the ceiling, I will hurt you. I'm not sure when I'll decide to stop doing so."_

Both of my consoles shut up, but I hear soft whispering in the back of my head. I'll just leave them to it and ... continue with drying myself. I push open the door of our room and notice that there isn't a Professor or a Chosen in sight. Well, I guess that's useful ... I wouldn't really want to kick them out to get changed, but now I'm wondering where they went off to. I dunno ... maybe they're making dinner or something.

... Raine could be making dinner. Oh, sweet lord.

I shiver in spite of myself and walk over to my bed, and then a thought occurs to me. Other than the bloodied, ripped and filthy mess that is my clothing, what else do I have to wear? I don't travel around with a magic wardrobe packed full of outfits, so I'm a bit stumped on this one.

"_... Guys?" _I try. _"Any help on this one?"_

"_Well ..."_ Charis mumbles, leaning back in her chair (by the sound of it). "_We could just clean them up, or send another outfit down there, but that would be leaning on the suspicious side, don't you think?"_

"_... I guess,"_ I sigh. "_I don't want to be changing clothes too much, either ... I like these, and they're easy to move about in."_

"_Well, we could get rid of the dirt and blood and make them clean, but we can't do anything about the rips,"_ Charis tells me. "_Or people WILL get questioning. How does that sound?"_

"_Dangerous, kinda," _I say, staring at the clothes under my arm before dropping them down onto my bed. "_But whatever, just clean them up."_

I don't know if Charis has some random abilities that could compress time and space itself in this world, but before my clothing even hits the bed, they're rid of any nasty stains and dried dirt. I raise my eyebrows an inch or so and look around, just to check if the room really is empty. Not that I expect certain members of the group to be hidden under the beds, but I like to be careful.

I dry, dress, brush my hair again (frizzy, dammit) and leave, heading down the stairs. I jump the last three stairs and look around. I might want to get used to the number of plants around here, because I don't know how many days we're staying here. According to the Professor, it could be a while.

I say good bye to Colette and Raine, who seem to be sitting around and playing what looks like a game of chess. I don't know how to play chess, so I'll just leave them to it.

Stepping out into the emptying streets, I notice the sky is getting darker. I know, obviously it's darker because it's getting late, but the pinky sky is turning purple, and well ... it's pretty.

Right, I'll stop admiring the sky and its array of colours now. Onwards to where I am heading, and I'll see if you can guess. No? Keep trying. I'll give you a clue: I haven't mentioned it around the group yet for safety reasons, which mainly involve the demanding attitude of the Professor, and her dragging us over to said location for lessons, lessons ... and more lessons.

Yup, the infamous Asgard ruin. Oo la la.

First of all, I'm going because I want to confirm something. I never quite understood the whole Summon Spirit, monsters, and everything else with this, and it would look quite odd if I said I wasn't familiar with it ... y'know, saying I'm from Asgard and all. I should know these things. I'm not certain of my current knowledge on the subject, but I know the people of Asgard are confusing the monster demanding sacrifices with the Summon Spirit of Wind, Sylph. That's as much as I know. Seriously, I should have paid attention more.

So, the plan is, find out just what is going on.

It doesn't take long to find the Asgard ruin (after asking several people still wondering around for directions), only about five minutes. It apparently sits atop the highest point in Asgard, which seems to have been named "Cleo's Hill". I'm guessing it was a hill named after some guy named Cleo. Hmm ...

I make my merry way over there and my face falls at the number of stairs I'm suddenly facing. I know it looked average and normal in the game, but I _swear_, that is a lot of stairs. About double the amount as usual ... really, that hill is big. This Cleo person must have been important.

I make my grudging way up there, and notice something odd as I near the peak. I can see the dais (and hell, is it big), but it seems to be ... glowing, just slightly. You probably wouldn't notice it at first glance, but it's illuminating a few of the top stairs with a faint light. This is a bit ... odd, wouldn't you say? I don't remember anything of the sort happening in the game.

Now, I'm pretty sure I've mentioned NUMEROUS times how everything in this world is more intricate in detail, or larger, or whatever than in the game I'm used to. However, the Asgard ruin is ... well, I kinda thought it would be ... _small_, in height I mean. I knew it was very wide, but I didn't expect it to be very tall.

I'm probably about ... half its size? THAT is a big ruin, my friends. I have to wonder how the hell I'm going to clamber up onto this thing when we have to fight that monster.

I let out a low whistle as I look the ruin over. Sure enough, it's still glowing. Maybe this is something to do with the whole ... evaporating mana, where it emits light and a 'unique aroma', as our Professor put it. To be honest, I have no idea. It could be about to explode for all I know.

I don't really like ruins and stuff that much, but this thing really is something. I don't know if it's the size that got me, but it's got four statues at each corner of the stage of little ... sylph people, as far as I can put it. It's really something ... how they're still in perfect form and all. Ack, I just sounded like Raine a little there, didn't I? I'll stop now.

I wonder around the ruins a little, wondering just how I'm gonna find out what I need to know. This place was either built to conceal a monster, or was just the place where sacrifices were originally held, or ... something. I'm not even sure there _were_ sacrifices before all of this. It could have been something Yggdrasill made up, but I'm not too sure ... I mean, this really has no connections to Martel and Mithos the Hero, but more of Asgard's actual history.

... I think.

While looking up at one of the tall, green and age worn statues, I almost loose my footing at the edge of the hill. The only way up to this area is via the stairway, unless you want to climb some unsafe, jagged rocks. This also means falling down would probably result in a cracked head, mucho blood, and most likely certain death served with a slice of Oh Lord the Pain. I'm not really looking forward to that.

I quickly move away from the side of the area, and notice some movement other than myself. Seriously, I thought this place would be deserted, being off-limits and all. And I swear, I just remembered I'm not allowed up here. I'm screwed if anyone finds me. Right, back to the other person who seems to be here.

Whoever it is has taken a (not so) stealthy approach to what he or she is doing and hidden around the back of the ruin, but I can hear rustling, footsteps, and muttering, so I doubt they're doing a good job at keeping a low profile. I peak around the corner to see who it is, but I don't think it's anyone I recognise ... this person, whoever they are, are clothed in brown, green and white (which I'm beginning to feel are custom clothing colours around here), dark blue hair, and small glasses I can see reflecting the soft glow of the dais. Oh, man, what was his name? Harley? No, wait, that was the red haired guy with the bandanna. Linar! That was it!

... Back the the point, what is Linar doing here? And at this time, anyway? It's not exactly dark, but this place _is_ off limits. Note my hypocrisy, but ignore me all together.

You know what? I'm _that_ curious, I might just ask him myself. 'What are you doing?'

Linar shoots up, straight as a ruler and his back stiffens. He was a bit ... edgy, wasn't he? I have trouble telling him and Harley apart, because the scenes with them didn't really take so long, and I'm sad to say I didn't really care.

Paper clutched in hand, he looks over his shoulder. His eyes widen considerably when he spots me, and his askew glasses almost fall from the bridge of his nose. It takes all I can not to raise an eyebrow at this, so I continue. 'Isn't this place like, off limits or something?'

What surprises me is that he doesn't counter with 'then what are YOU doing here?', but he launches into a babbling explanation which I take I'm not supposed to believe. 'I ... I was just inspecting the, the dais, because the s-sacrifice is soon and th ... things could go wrong is something ... is wrong ... with t-the ... ruin ...'

Shock aftermath, much? I just nod slowly as he mumbles on about something. 'Look, dude, if it's private, just say. I'm not going to beat it out of you or anything ...'

He nods, adjusting his glasses before they fall and picks up his papers that seem to have been dropped. 'I know this place is off limits, but I'm ... researching something ...'

'Oh?' I say in the most convincing interested tone I can muster without coming off sarcastic. 'Is this about the sacrifices or something?'

'Yes, exactly ...' he says, grabbing the last of his papers. 'Well, it's getting late, and the mayor will ... I mean, I have to go, so ...'

Before I can get a word in (or a mutter, for that matter), he has dashed around the corner of the glowing stone dais, and disappeared from view. A single abandoned paper flutters behind as he runs, but is carried off in the breeze and over the edge of the cliff before I can make a move towards it. I don't think it could have been any use, but it might have had some info on the ruins, which is the whole reason I'm here right now.

... Wait a second.

We have _loads_ of books back at the inn owned by the Professor, all of which should have something about the Asgard ruin. My God, I am so stupid. I've come all this way for nothing, and probably just screwed another thing up with the short meeting between Linar and myself (seeing as the smallest thing I do can screw things up).

"_... I hate my life," _I whine to the two in my head. "_Can I go home yet?"_

"_Noooope,"_ Charis answers. "_And by the look of it, you won't be going for a long, long time. You suck at fighting."_

"_... That was random and mean," _I say.

William just sighs, and it's beginning to scare me that he sometimes has the most common sense when it comes to us three. "_Well, since Kratos is giving you the boot and all, you might have to make it on your own for a while until you can come up with something, or just chase after them. Maybe you should train or something?"_

"_Train,_" I say dully. "_Train with what? If you haven't noticed, I use guns. Unless there is something moving about, I can't train much."_

"_Well ... just do target practice on some trees or something. Chances are you're waving a white hankie goodbye to the Chosen-Ship tomorrow, so you should do _something_ just for morale. Even practising on your own could give you a small sense of self-confidence."_

I pause. "_You're starting to scare me. But sure, why not ... they still don't know what I'm out here for."_

There's a small squeak of Charis' computer chair. "_If you want, we could warp you to the nearest deserted location with trees."_

I mull over her offer for a second. Cleaning the clothes of blood and dirt was one thing, but a sudden disappearance to somewhere that-a-way? Isn't that going to raise a few questions if Cruxis is watching the Chosen group? I mean, Cruxis knows pretty much everything after controlling the church for a good thousand years or so, but people aren't supposed to disappear into mid-air.

"_Don't worry,"_ William assures._ "Cruxis probably have their eyes on Colette, Kratos and Lloyd."_

"_Lloyd?" _I think, furrowing my brow. "_Because of Kratos?"_

I presume Charis slams something down onto her desk to get our occupied attention, and I'm assuming it's Charis' doing because William just screamed. My heart stopped for a second there too, so I won't make fun of the sudden femininity raping his vocal cords.

"_Random transportation of the pillock in 3, 2 -"_

"_Wait-!"_ I try, but before I can even finish my sentence (which should have ended in a rather vulgar round of name-calling), I'm experiencing that horrible feeling of being warped, the horrible squeezing sensation that I've encountered a lot this week. I dare not open my eyes to see how things around me look; I'd probably get motion sickness or something.

After five seconds or so (it feels longer, trust me), I'm dumped without warning in a dark clearing. Sure enough, there isn't anyone here, and I can see Asgard from where I'm sitting (landed on my ass, dammit). At least they put some thought into this stunt, I'll give them that. There aren't even monsters around here.

'... Ow,' I mutter to myself, standing up. I feel something cold press against my thigh and jump a little, but I find out what it is when I grab for it. It's a small blade, probably the size of a pocket knife. I now have to question the logic of the two living inside my head, because William told me to target practice with guns, not become a night-time tree surgeon.

"_It's for the targets_," Charis mutters, not failing to finish with an uttered _dumbass_. I will destroy her one day. _One day_.

I assume I'm just carving the little buggers into the trees. The joyous, joyous line of events that is my life in Sylvarant. I failed Wood-Work in school, I probably still suck at it here.

------------------------

Half an hour later, there are ten small circular targets carved into the wood of some trees around me. There're quite crappily carved, and I converted to carving small squares instead circles, seeing as it was easier. I don't think it matters, as long as I have a target to shoot at ... I don't claim to be a master at preparing targets, but I think it's fine.

I draw both mana-guns and consider some things to make fighting easier. I usually shoot left, right, left, right, and so on, or just right constantly if it's a weak enemy. I'd ask someone for advice on this, but the only people who use these are the Desians. They _do_ produce them, after all – I'm just glad Charis gave me a weapon suited for this world that I could also feel comfortable with. Swords and crap won't do me well. I'd probably still be in the Triet Desert trying to drag it along.

Right, moving on.

"_Should I go from one end to the other, or just do it randomly?_" I ask. Not surprisingly, I don't get an answer. They must have packed off to bed or something. The _knaves_.

'Randomly it is, then,' I say aloud, aiming at the centre target in front of me. There's three in front, three behind me, and two at each side. As you can probably tell, I went deeper into the small forest for two reasons: better targets, and it's starting to rain a little bit. Not terribly, but I have a feeling it'll get worse.

I do a countdown in my head and pretend the trees are long, wooden Yggdrasills (oh man, that sounded slightly odd) and shoot, firing one at each target I face. I have to admit, my heart thuds in my chest for some odd reason while I shoot, but I pass it off as a spur of the moment thing. My hair whips my face as I turn quickly to mark a target to my left, the right, left again, behind me, right, in front ... and I try to do this all without falling over. My knees feel week, because I _know_ I'll face Yggdrasill one day, and _know _I want handle it like this. I'll panic, I'll scream, I'll most likely plead for my life over the other's.

I'm definitely not ready for this yet.

I mark the last target and pause for a few seconds, straightening up and looking around with a deep breath.

I didn't hit one. Not _one_. I grazed the edge of the first one, but other than that ...

I'm just assuring myself it'll be easier to hit Yggdrasill, or any other monster.

'Panic will only assure failure. You need to keep your nerves under control.'

I stiffen.

'If you are capable of such a thing.'

I takes all I can – _ALL OF IT_ – to not turn around and shoot the bastard mercenary right between the eyes. Seriously – it's like he's come out here just to insult me, and he probably has. He's kicking me off the team, so there isn't any reason to boost my morale anymore; he can put me down as much as he wants.

'You can stop insulting my abilities now,' I say, biting the side of my tongue to stop a rather loud and crude name slip out. 'Go away.'

'I'm waiting here for Lloyd,' he says, brushing away a drop of rain from his cheek. 'He wants to train.'

'Whoop-de-do,' I say sarcastically, dropping my guns back into my holsters. I'm not going to win this argument, so I might as well stop now. 'Sorry to interrupt your training with my own.'

Kratos snorts at my words, that doubtful and sarcastic tone really getting to me. I feel my hand twitch slightly.

'I have seen the limitation of your abilities, Harrison,' he says. 'It is pointless.'

I decide to _not _insult his mother. 'And yet I see you training Lloyd all the time ... fucking hypocrite.'

'Lloyd has potential to improve himself,' Kratos answers, and I notice that ever apparent annoyance in his voice. 'He has a strength that he doesn't realise, and he seeks to reach that.'

I look away and focus on one of the small indents on the tree, a good three feet north of its target point. 'And who are you to say I won't get better? If I train hard enough, I could. That's why you train.'

'I know my limits,' he says quietly, and I can feel his glare. 'You are pushing yourself against your own.'

I bite my lip. Everything he's saying makes less sense because my mind is building up too much anger, and I'm not entirety listening. I just know he's insulting me, and he's right. 'That's why people train, so they can surpass those limits.'

A stray, damp leaf glides down to the floor in front of my face and settles on the floor. The rain has started coming down harder now, and the cold air is biting my arms. I shiver, but I'm not sure if it's because of the cold or the long silence that seems to have settled between us. It isn't a complete silence. It's a silence that rings noisily in my ears and makes me feel like my heartbeat is too loud. For all I know, it probably is.

'We are only human.'

I raise my head slightly when Kratos speaks.

'We cannot achieve anything beyond our physical limits. Pushing against those limits is futile.'

I bite my lip harder. 'You can't achieve _anything_ if you don't try first.'

'If you strain yourself, you will become weak.'

I feel a drop of blood escape the cut on my lip. I stop biting it and clench my teeth. He makes sense, and that's why I _hate_ him _so much_. He's an asshole, he obviously doesn't want me to feel good about myself, he's _insulting _me, and _everything he's saying is true_.

'You are weak.'

'Shut up.' I wipe away the blood and take a deep breath before I shout. 'Just shut up.'

'If you don't accept the truth, Harrison,' he says, and I look at him when he says this, as much as it angers me. 'You are as good as blind.'

'You ...' I mutter, feeling my voice strain. I want to shout at him like I did back at the ranch, but we all know how _that_ ended up. 'Can't you ... just say _something_ supportive for once!? Just _once_!'

Crap, I've starting shouting; I doubt I'll be able to stop now. Kratos doesn't say anything; he just stares at me flatly as though he doesn't _care_, and dammit, he doesn't.

'... Y'know, I've been trying really, _really_ hard to survive here, and you just keep putting me down every day. Not even a "well done", or "good work", or anything. Just "you suck at life".' I pause to catch my breath. 'And you know what? I probably _do_ suck, but you don't have to remind me all of the time. You could even LIE just to give me a little dose of morale. But never.'

Silence falls over us again. Kratos stares, I'm probably red in the face, and he's most likely about to stab me or something. He has that horrible glint in his eyes that doesn't even look _human_. 'Lying will get you nowhere. I speak the truth for your own benefit, and if you do not realise that, you will never improve.'

'Oh, but I _can't_ improve, can I?' I say sarcastically, glaring through the grey shroud of heavy rain. 'I'm pushing against my limit, which is apparently staring me in the face it's so freaking close.'

Kratos, arms folded over his chest and glowing as usual, just raises an eyebrow doubtfully. 'Hmph. If that is what you choose to believe, then continue in that path. I have no interest in what you do after you are dismissed.'

My eyes widen. 'What – you just said I was pushing – you _just_ – _limi_ – AAGH!'

I clench my hair tightly before I grab a gun and shoot him. Not a mana-gun, a _real_ one that has a single bullet or two left. I'm gripping with such force to vent my anger that I don't feel the pain at all through the rush. Take the amount of hate I have for Kratos and _triple_ it: that's what I'm stuck with now. My throat feels thick, and I just want to scream a pool of insults at him.

'... You ... _just_ told me I was pushing against limits, and _now_ you're telling me that's what I choose to believe?' I shout – well, not exactly shout. I say it loudly enough to vent my anger slowly and carefully. 'You ... you make no sense! You might as well just TELL me I'm useless instead of coming out with all of this crap!'

'Harrison,' he says sharply, stopping me. I ignore the blood and the obvious pain now that I've calmed down, and bite my lip again. Nothing is said for the longest while. I stare at the soaking grass and ignore the hair now plastered to my face, Kratos is still staring as if waiting for a confirming sign that I won't lash out. I unclench my fists, but suddenly feel like I need something to hold onto. I stop biting my lip, but I feel as though gravity is pushing at me from all sides. I want to curl up and just get away from here before he can insult me again, because dammit, I'm about to snap. Not as in lash out and harm, but as in ... just give up.

I squeeze my eyes shut when I hear the small inhalation of breath as he is about to speak. 'You are, truthfully, useless.'

I don't care anymore. I'm going back to Asgard, and I'm going to bed.

I storm past him with a mutter of 'fucking prat', but he grabs my wrist. I get a sudden sense of déjà vu, and remember the events at the wasteland. I remember how he threatened to kill me, actually hurt me, and I remember how scared I was. I shiver again and tug against the grip. He lets go, and I pause for whatever it is he has to say.

'_Sou ve, ire derliane _Leviathan. _Oredais ioren_,' he says, not looking back. 'Now get out of my sight.'

I don't object. I run, and I run pretty damn fast.

* * *

... Still don't like it. 

Anyway, I was thinking, because I never really get to fit in everything I want to ... well, since it's in Charlotte's POV, she never gets to see what happens with the others, does she? I was thinking about doing some TWC-side stories, just to clear some things up, and actually WRITE what I wanted to. If I DO these, they will. SO. TOTALLY. NOT. Include Charlotte at all. AT ALL. If, god forbid, I ever do a small ficlet of something I didn't get to include concerning Charlotte, it will never be hosted on this site.

... Anyway, just considering. Anyone read '_Sin_'? Yeah, that is ... KINDA ... in the TWC timeline. 'Kinda' is used lightly. In TWC, Kratos wasn't as much as a dick to toddler!Lloyd as he is in '_Sin'_. ...

Um ... spare a review? And Happy New Year, everyone!


	42. A Series of “WTF” Events

...Oi.

Okay, I also hate this chapter. This isn't what I was planning, but this is more of a ... filler? I need to sort out some things with the Asgard scene, and that could take a while. I while ago I found a notebook of some notes for TWC I'd written a while ago ... some things that didn't really get around to happening. I worked with that, and ... well, this came out. As the title says, it's a series of odd events that string together with the storyline, but you don't really have to worry about them.

... I have such a headache right now. I've been ill for a while, missed my first two days back at school, and I've been drawing and taking notes from Asgard. And because we do this all the time, here's my list of reccomended songs I've found since last updating - "How to Save a Life" - _The Fray_. I really like this one, but it makes me kinda sad ... but I was watching Scrubs while listening to it, and THAT was sad. Love that show. Right, another - "Happy Birthday" - _The Birthday Massacre_. This song scares me, but I like it. And one more that I don't expect you to listen to, but "Inner Universe" is really ... ack, what's the word? Calming? Maybe. It's not English, though...

Okay, thanks for all of your suggestions on Charlotte's special tech if she should have one. Really helpful, you guys are. You all deserve medals, and DAMMIT. I need to finish my "Thank you for 500 reviews" thing. Which I haven't really ... started. I'll get there, I promise.

Note to NiffStral: Wow ... just, wow. Thanks so much. It's reviews like that ... they really make all this work worth it. I try to make everything realistic, and to what one would feel if they actually faced these things. I'm sure it wouldn't be happy times all the time ... so I try to work with that. And your Naruto comment made me laugh XD Don't worry, we can be losers together!

Okay, here we go - I'm still annoyed that the email alerts are screwed up and all, but hey.

EDIT: Altered dream scene after talking to a friend about it. It's better to clear up some confusion, I hope.

* * *

Chapter 42 – A Series of "WTF" Events

I'm falling.

I'm dreaming, but it feels so ...

"_You are weak."_

'Oh, shut up ...' I whisper, holding my head. I don't know anything about what it's LIKE to fall a good thousand feet or more, but my head is _throbbing_. My chest feels tight as though there is no air in this place, and my throat feels thick ... like I want to scream, but I can't.

"_We are only human_._"_

'Just shut _up_,' I hiss. I can't even hear myself over the air whizzing past. My ears feel like they're going to burst, and _dammit my head_ is _killing me_. I can't even see straight anymore; everything keeps fuzzing in and out of focus, my arms feel like lead, and I've practically started falling like a limp rag-doll. I can't feel my muscles anymore, just a heavy, sharp pain.

"_You are, truthfully, useless_._"_

I squeeze my eyes shut and I bite my lip, feeling nothing - not even when it begins to bleed. 'Shut up, shut up, _shut up_.'

Air, lights, throbbing, black – those are the only things whizzing around my brain like persistent flies, buzzing until my head is throbbing so much that I feel I just might explode. My throat feels like it's being tightened, and I _want_ to scream, but I can't. Nothing will come out.

"_Oredais ioren."_

'Charis, make him _stop_,' I demand, clenching my teeth as the heaviness of my limbs, as well as the pain now coursing through them begins to become unbearable.

"_Oredais ioren_._"_

Everything stops. The lights snap into place, my hair falls around my face again, and my arms drop limply to my sides.

"_Oredais ioren."_

And I wake up.

'SHUT UP!' I scream, bolting upright. My whole body convulses and I stare at my knees as I sit upright, covers flying somewhere from around my shoulders to my mid-thigh. It doesn't take me long to realize my knees, as well as the hands tangled in my hair (I'm guessing the dream is to blame) are shaking like mad.

Okaaay, calm down, dear. It was just a dream, and though it was a freaky-ass make-you-want-to-shit-yourself-silly dream, it was still a dream. It didn't happen, you aren't falling, there aren't any mad lights around (except for a candle on the bedside table, but I don't see _that_ shooting upwards), and you're safe. It may be dark, but you're sitting in a bed, not falling down a ... pipe thing.

I pull my hands away from my hair, slap my knees that seem to be knocking together, and flop back down onto the bed. I grimace and wipe away a small bead of perspiration that seems to have produced near my temple, reminding myself to have another bath in the morning. If I _can_, and if I remember. I think I'll be trying to forget a lot of things that happened tonight, especially things outside the bedroom.

... God, that sounded wrong.

I am, in fact, referring to Kratos' bastard-fest earlier this evening. He said stuff, I said stuff, he said more stuff, I screamed some more stuff and stormed off, he said some angelic stuff, and it was all very sad. I know that's a crappy explanation, but it really hit me hard, y'know? I _have_ been trying really hard to get better; I even used Mana Blast again. And that stupid thing hurts like hell. I went out to do _target practice_ for goodness sake, and he still calls me useless and weak.

It's just ... I actually put my heart into believing I could get better. I know I'm constantly saying I'm a bad fighter, but I'm a bad fighter compared to the people who have been doing this for ages. I only started about two weeks ago, and I think I've come a long way for myself. But then again, even if it's personal, it's not good enough for Kratos. I'm being kicked off the group, I've told everyone that my family is out on a pilgrimage (and added that the house is being rented out so they don't ask about that – and don't you ask either, it was an on-the-spot thing), and ... that's it. I'm staying in the inn with them until they've finished up in this city, and them I'm stuck here.

'... "_Oredais ioren_" ...' I mutter to myself, staring at the ceiling. 'Pfft, whatever.' I roll over. 'Bastard mercenary.'

If Colette or Raine were here, I'd ask them for translation help, but they're not. I went to bed quite early, and I don't know how long I've been sleeping. From the look of the sky outside, I'd say it's ... around nine, half nine? I've been sleeping for an hour, at least. Everyone else is downstairs, and I don't know (or particularly care) if Lloyd and Kratos have come back yet. I don't think they would have been out long, seeing as it's raining.

... Hang on.

Colette and Raine gave me an Angelic book for my birthday! That should have translation help!

I throw myself over the side of my bed and reach underneath, feeling for my bag. I close my fingers around the straps and tug it out from under the low bed, untying it quickly and feeling around for a book. I have the one book that the Professor gave me for homework (hah, I won't have to do that anymore), the one that Genis gave me back in Iselia, and ... aha, the Angelic book!

As I pull it out, something else comes with it. Whatever it is, it thuds to the floor noisily, and I flinch when I realize people downstairs could be getting annoyed. I'm sure they heard that, and I doubt my scream went unnoticed.

'... Oh,' I mutter as I look over the edge of the bed to spot Genis' kendama. I reach over and pick it up, looking it over. I remember I asked Genis to teach me how to work this thing, but I guess we'll never get around to doing that.

It's weird. I have everyone's presents here, and ... it's making me a little emotional. I have the kendama, the book, and the necklace from Lloyd on the side of my bed, and ... well, I was kinda hoping I'd be around long enough to have Genis teach me kendama, or Colette and Raine help me learn Angelic. But Kratos is taking that all away from me because I made the stupid choice of blackmailing him in Iselia. I'm overly annoying to him, he's getting quite suspicious of my background now, and ... well, everything is kinda falling apart.

I didn't want to do this in the first place: I'd love to be at home with some vanilla yoghurt right now, doing maths homework or something. I didn't want this to happen, but ... I didn't want to be kicked off the group, either. Maybe Charis and William will send me back ...

"_No can do,"_ William replies, and I can hear the small sounds of the buttons on a controller being tapped rapidly. Is he playing Symphonia-Invaders again? "_You can't go home until Yggy-boy has popped his clogs. You're gonna be stuck for a while."_

"_Gee, thanks for cheering me up,"_ I say sarcastically. "_Besides, what are you doing up? Isn't Charis in bed? Should you be sleeping too?"_

The tapping continues. "_Playing a game."_

"_Symphonia-Invaders?"_

"_Dirge of Cerberus,"_ he answers. "_PLEASE call me Vincent."_

"_For the last time, no, dammit,"_ I reply angrily, flipping through the pages of the book. This is just a big book of text ... like a story or something. Obviously it's non-fiction, but I doubt this would help.

"_I mean, look at him ... he's so awesome, with his cape and all ... look at it when he jumps-"_

"_William, stop making poor Vincent jump around," _I say, still looking for some kind of hope in the worn pages. "_He probably looks like he's had one too many hash brownies."_

"_I could go for some browni-"_

"_Stop it now."_

I ignore some more whining from William about his name and continue to look through the book, which is proving quite useless. The page on the left hand side is in English (or human, general ... or whatever they call it around here), and the right in Angelic. Much like a version of the Qur'an we have in the RE department at school. Like, one side is English, the other side is Arabic ... but regardless, I can't read a word of this Angelic text, so how am I gonna find the word I'm looking for?

I jump and snap the book shut when there's a knock at the door, and William's game-controller frenzy ceases. I shove the book under my pillow and straighten up (the best I can while sitting cross-legged). 'Uh, yeah?'

The door opens with a creek and spills some light into the dark room. It takes me a few seconds to notice it's actually Lloyd who peeks in. 'Hey, you feeling okay?'

I consider what I should say, seeing as I could tell him I feel like crap on a stick and he'd maybe leave so I could sleep, or I could tell him I'm fine and have the risk of explaining the oddness of my dreams that include odd lights and the ever annoying presence of Kratos' voice. 'Yep, bright and breezy. Uh, why?'

'Nothing, it's just ...' he says, stepping in and closing the door behind him. It's too dark to see properly now, my sight only aided by the candles on the wall and on the table beside my bed. 'We heard you scream. Did that guy come back?'

I blink, genuinely confused. 'Guy?'

'Yeah ... this creep seems to be following us around. Kratos chased him off in Triet, and Colette managed to beat him off when we were back in Palmacosta,' Lloyd explains, scratching the back of his neck. 'We were thinking he came back.'

I nod slowly. He must be talking about Yuan. Well, I always assumed it was Yuan ... it could have been someone else, but ... ah, it doesn't matter. Harrison logic is confusing anyway, so I won't bother explaining. I do answer Lloyd though. 'Riiight. But don't worry, I'm fine. I'll keep a look out for that guy, though.'

'Yeah, it's best to keep safe,' Lloyd says, looking towards the window closed tight. There was a cold breeze coming through when I came here (stormed in, almost broke the door off it's hinges, same thing), so I closed it the best I could. Candles don't offer as much warmth as they do light, and the continuous dull thudding of rain on the window panes and dripping down from the roof makes me shiver. It looks like there might be a storm.

Lloyd consults me again when a groaning wind tries to creep in through the creeks of the window. 'Besides, it might be that assassin trying to come after Colette.'

I shrug, fiddling with the thin bedspread while I shiver at the sound of the stormy rains and howling winds outside. No wonder this is the city of wind; it's certainly living up to it's name. 'Maybe. He seems to be escaping too fast if you can't give a good description.'

'It's not my fault,' Lloyd defends himself with a small frown. 'Kratos is the one chasing him away.'

'Yeah, well, Kratos is a prat,' I say, glaring at the edge of bedding between my fingers and twisting it tightly. Yes, I _am_ pretending it's Kratos' throat, but we won't get into that.

'Do you ...' Lloyd asks curiously. 'Have some sort of grudge with Kratos, or something? You guys always seem ...'

I let go of the bedding and give him a sarcastic look. 'Well, putting aside the fact he's a complete and utter twat when it comes to yours truly, yes, I have a grudge with said pillock.'

'Ah,' Lloyd mumbles. 'I won't ask about it.'

'Don't,' I say. 'Where is he, anyway?'

'Uh ... after we finished training, he went to see Noishe. Noishe is acting really ...'

'Weird?' I suggest. 'Well, Kratos doesn't like animals, and Noishe doesn't like strangers. I guess opposites attract?'

'I guess that's one way to put it,' Lloyd mumbles, sitting on the edge of the bed. 'But I still find it a bit ...'

'Weird,' I say again. I seriously have to start letting Lloyd finish his sentences. 'When you consider how he treats me, and how he treats Kratos, it's enough to make you scratch your head and think.'

Lloyd laughs nervously. 'I told you already ... he'll get used to you soon.'

'Soon, right ...' I mutter. There won't _be_ a soon, because I'll be stuck here while the others are off in that Balacruf place, releasing seals and fighting off assassins. I wonder when they'll leave ... I guess I'll have to tell them sooner or later, unless Kratos does it first. Seeing as I _am_ under his supervision here, the others don't really have a say in this ...

'Well ...' Lloyd sighs, standing. 'You sure you feel okay? Raine and Colette are making some dinner, so if you're feeling-'

'I'll come down in a minute,' I say, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. 'Besides, I need to talk to everyone about something.'

'Sure,' Lloyd says, pulling open the door. 'We'll wait for you.'

'Nah, just eat,' I mutter. 'And don't worry about Noishe. Kratos probably went to cheer him up. Have you _seen_ the weather?'

I wait until he leaves, closing the door behind him again before I reach for the book I previously shoved under my pillow. I take a look at the worn brown cover embedded with Angelic words that I can't make out, or even _read_ for that matter. I guess I'll have to leave this for another day ... or maybe ask Colette about it. But if I ask her in front of Kratos, it's very likely I'll have a fork sticking out of my jugular vein. If I ask her on her own, she'll probably ask about the words. I don't know what Kratos said, and if it's something that might concern Lloyd and their relationship, then I'm not going to take any chances.

Well, shit.

'Who cares, dinnertime,' I yawn to myself, getting up from the bed after sticking the book back under my pillow. I make sure nothing is around that might cause a suspicion in any way, but the only thing I can think of is the zenta camera, which is now tucked into the small hip pocket of my shirt. Nothing to worry about here.

When I leave my room, I jump as something rubs against my legs. I look down to see a fairly fat ginger cat rubbing itself against my shins and purring loudly.

I don't care if this bugger scratches; it's a cat.

I reach down and scoop him up, scratching behind his ears. 'Aww, who's the cutest wittle kitty ever?'

My cat Oliver is cutest in my mind, but he's currently home. This thing is on Sylvarant, so Oliver doesn't count right now.

'I bet Mrs Inn Owner is looking for you, you naughty ...' I check. 'Boy. I don't think you're allowed up here; someone could be allergic to you.'

'Mrrow,' it replies.

I take the cat with me and make sure I'm careful as I walk down the stairs., so I don't fall and hurt the cat. Yep, when it comes to cats, I don't care about people as much as I do these cute little buggers. Unless they scratch and bite, but this one just seems to be looking around inquisitively.

'I'm going to be around for a while, so you should get used to me,' I say, reaching the bottom of the stairs and scratching behind his ears again. 'There's some other people and a guy who doesn't like animals, but you should just ignore him. Or scratch him.'

I consider that for a second while the cat sits in my arms. 'Actually, just scratch him.'

'Mrrow.'

'So cute,' I mutter, slinging him over my shoulder. 'C'mon, let's go fine the Inn Lady.'

'Mrroow.'

I wonder if there are any more cats around here, though I doubt it. An inn isn't really a place for pets, in my opinion. Like I said, someone staying could have an allergy of some sort and be forced away. Luckily I'm not allergic to anything with fur, so I'll just ... huggle him until he can't breathe. I look awkwardly for a collar when I consider the cat's name, and find a small red one. It doesn't have a tag though ... hm, odd.

I think one of either owners of the inn should be at the desk in the lobby, but I'm not entirely sure. I'll go and check anyway, but I think they've closed up the inn already. They might be ... uh, somewhere other than the lobby? I don't know – I've only stayed at an inn twice, one of which the owner was up in the dead of night chopping vegetables.

I open the lobby door with difficulty seeing as I have an armful of cat, and am quite happy to see the lady is standing at the desk, writing something.

'Uh, excuse me ...' I say, walking over. 'Is this cat yours?'

She looks up. 'Oh, yes! He hasn't been wondering around upstairs, has he?'

I pull him away from my shoulder (he's clinging, ow) and let her take him over the desk. 'Yeah, just around the hallways.'

'Poker, you naughty boy,' she scolds to the animal in her arms that seems to be looking up at her lazily. 'You know you're not allowed to annoy the customers.'

'Mrrow.'

'Is its name Poker?' I ask out of curiosity. I couldn't see a tag on it's collar, so I couldn't really find out what he was called.

'Yes,' she says, scratching the cat's head fondly. 'He has such a convincing poker face, so we decided to name him Poker.'

I nod. Seriously, what can I say to that? If I had named my cat after it's personality, I'd be screaming for Retard to come and get it's breakfast every morning.

'Oh, he wasn't bothering anyone,' I say quickly, just so she doesn't punish him or anything. I'd hate for ... Poker ... to miss his dinner. 'No one has a problem with animals, except this one guy.' I make a face. 'But he hates pretty much everything on the green earth.'

'We've had problems with him in the past,' she explains shortly. 'So we decide to keep him downstairs to benefit all customers.'

I nod again. See, if you can't think of anything to say, just nod. It's a hell of a lot easier, and you know you won't annoy anyone by saying something stupid. I think it's fine for the cat to be wondering around, but I love cats too much. Kratos would probably slice and dice it and feed it to Noishe.

... Uh, with that in mind, I think it'd be best to keep it downstairs.

'Oh! Are you okay now?'

I jump a little and look over my shoulder to see Colette coming in through the inn doors. Hm, I wonder where she's been ... but I should really just answer her question. She probably did hear me scream after all.

'Yeah, I just woke up from a nightmare of sorts,' I explain as the inn keeper takes the cat into the back room. I don't think she'll pry too much, so I'll just tell her that I had a nightmare; not that it included falling and Kratos. I take it the whole thing is Charis' doing, so I can't explain it properly myself.

Colette tells me she was out feeding Noishe, and mentions one or two things about Kratos. Apparently Lloyd isn't the only one who thinks that it's odd that Noishe loves Kratos so much. I guess everyone would find it a bit weird.

'Ack, I hate that guy,' I mutter, brushing some cat hair off my shoulder. 'Seriously, I have to be the only one here who does.'

'Um ... Genis and the Professor ...' Colette mumbles. 'They-'

'_Also _hate his guts,' I say. 'I guess I have to consider them, too.'

Colette doesn't say anything for a while and twists her sleeves. 'I ... feel sorry for him.'

I blink, and she explains. 'He always looks so uncaring and stoic. I wonder if something happened to him ...'

I shrug. 'It takes a lot to break someone's trust, but ... it could just be the way he is. Y'know, how he was brought up and all.'

Colette nods. 'Yeah ... I guess. I shouldn't make assumptions like that.'

'Besides ...' I mutter. 'Lloyd doesn't seem to have a problem with him. He's probably the only one.'

'I ...'

I raise an eyebrow at her persistence and lean against the desk. 'I know you don't have a problem with him either,' I say. 'But you have to admit, on some levels ... the way he treats others is getting to you.'

Colette just stays silent, still clinging to her sleeves and staring at the floor.

'Look, I'm going to try to not make assumptions about how you feel,' I say, using most of her wording from before. 'But it's annoying me too, especially since I'm partly at the receiving end of most abuse.'

More silence, and then ...

'Were you dreaming about Kratos?'

I pause. '... Yeah. He just kept telling me how weak I was. I know it's not much, but-'

Both Colette and I jump about a foot into the air as the inn doors open, the wind throwing them to rattle against the walls. Colette spins around, and I take refuge sitting on the desk. A rather rain-soaked Lloyd slams the door shut behind him, clutching a heap of material in his left arm.

'Hi guys!' he says, wiping some dripping hair out of his face. 'It's raining.'

'It is,' I say with another nod.

'Right ... I have to go, don't tell Kratos where I am!' he rambles, heading for the door that leads to the hall. I take it he plans to take refuge upstairs again, which I find quite pointless. There's no escape up there, unless he tries to jump out of a window.

Colette and I are silent for a few seconds, and I hold up five fingers, counting one down with each second. Two, one, aaaand ...

The door is thrown open again, this time showing a rather soaked and ... cape-less mercenary. Hm, déjà vu. Colette jumps again and moves away from the door a little bit. People seem to keep bursting through without warning.

'Where is he?' Kratos says, throwing the door shut behind him.

'Um ...' Colette mumbles, probably wondering if she should say something, or if she should keep quiet for Lloyd's sake. Kratos looks towards me, but I say nothing this time. The only thing I can think of doing right now is going over there and clouting him over the face, but I'll stay perched on the desk ... for my _own_ sake.

Colette opens her mouth to say something, but is quickly interrupted by a loud amount of banging from upstairs. A few thuds, a shout, and then one very loud _dunk_ on the floorboards. The three of us just look at the ceiling in confusion.

'Genis!' Lloyd shouts angrily.

'I've got him!' Genis yells, pounding on the floorboards. Kratos takes no time in waiting around and is gone before you can say the word "tickle". I assume this is going to be like last time, at the House of Salvation. Fun times. Poor Lloyd.

It's Colette's turn to do a small countdown, and when she reaches zero after counting off her fingers, Lloyd shrieks from upstairs. I try to hide a giggle, but when Colette's starts, I just follow on. We listen to the continuous thuds and scrambling upstairs for a while, adding with the timely shouting from Lloyd about how Kratos is an evil mercenary and going to hell.

The door leading to the hallway opens again, and Genis steps out looking quite smug. I point at him when he notices us.

'You are a mean, mean child,' I accuse. 'Can I hug you?'

'... No,' Genis says quickly, turning to Colette. 'That felt good.'

'KRATOOOS!'

He pauses. 'It still does.'

I look worryingly towards the wooden ceiling. 'Is he killing him up there, or something?'

'Tickling ... noogies ...' Genis explains, joining me in staring at the ceiling where the thuds don't seem to cease. 'Pretty much everything Lloyd's done to me in the past five years.'

'Revenge is sweet,' I say, jumping off the desk before the inn lady comes back and spots me. Colette looks a cross between worried and amused, and Genis looks ... very happy indeed. These strange people I travel with.

'Oh my God Genis, there is a DOOR behind you!' I say pointing dramatically to said piece of wood behind the mage. He furrows his brow in confusion, takes a look over his shoulder, and is then caught in a rather tight bear hug by myself. I've been waiting days to do this after being DENIED twice, so I'll do it now. Genis is no longer a happy-chappy.

'Colette ... help ...' he chokes, trying to pull my arms away. I let him go after a while, patting him on the head twice. He rubs his neck and glares up at me. I'm not that much taller than him (I actually think I've grown an inch while I've been here), but he still has to look up. I just look towards the ceiling again at another series of thuds.

'Wow, the bastard mercenary really loves his cape,' I mutter. 'Anyway ... Colette!'

She looks over, and I walk (skip, whatever) up to her. 'Hug?'

'Oh, okay!' she says, and we hug. Very randomly. I'm in a hugging mood now. Seems like it's contagious, because Genis is now failing to scramble away from Colette and she wraps her arms around him, too. I watch the scene unfold, and decide Genis deserves everything he's getting as he shouts for help from Raine. Because by the sound of it, Lloyd is cursing said mage from upstairs, along with the mercenary.

Hm, fun day.

--

After about an hour, and after Raine had received random hugs from Colette, Genis and myself, we finally have some food, despite how late it is. Raine, being in charge of the group here, says it's okay. Tomorrow we'll be staying is the city while she goes to inspect the Asgard ruin, and we'll all free to do whatever ... after she has dragged Lloyd, Genis and Colette to the ruin for a lesson. Colette is excited, Genis wishes he could walk around town for a bit, and Lloyd decides that whatever gods or goddesses there are up there hate him. I dodged this with saying I wanted to go and see some friends before we left the city, and she let me off. Woo.

Anyway, I'm overjoyed at the fact we have _decent_ food. Y'know, chicken, vegetables. I don't usually like what I'd call a Sunday Roast, but I haven't eaten a proper meal in SUCH a long time while I've been here. I'm a happy, happy person.

Though, there is one downfall. Though this super dinner was made by Colette and the inn-keeper-lady, Raine also had a hand in making it. So, the mashed potatoes are sickly sour with ... something, so I'm just pretending I don't like potatoes. Which isn't really a complete lie; I hate roast potatoes, but ... agh, the _food!_ And I was so looking forward to it.

AND, there is another downfall. Luckily, I'm more amused than annoyed at this one, because it doesn't concern me. Remember that cat, Poker? Yeah, he's fallen in love. Aww, you might say. But, he's fallen in love with the one person who would rather see him hanging from a tree by his tail.

'Kratos, it's not going to kill you,' Lloyd, says, stabbing at his chicken lazily as the cat seated next to Kratos' chair meows loudly for the twelfth time. 'He likes you, see?'

'He likes the _food_,' the mercenary argues quietly.

'Mrroow ...' Poker replies, standing on it's hind legs for a few seconds and pawing at Kratos' thigh. I watch this from the opposite side of the table and try to swallow a forkful of chicken before I choke on it from sniggering. Kratos looks so disturbed ... it's actually quite amusing. Scratch that, it's terribly amusing.

'He looooves you,' I say in a sing song voice, making sure to keep eye contact with my peas instead of Kratos' face. He _will_ kill me.

'Mrrow.'

'Persistent little bugger,' I say, dropping a small piece of chicken to the floor. The ginger cat comes over, picks it up, takes it back over to where it was sitting next to Kratos, and eats it. He then continues to look up at Kratos as though he expects the same treatment. Obviously not, cat. Fine, reject me. You ain't getting anymore chicken.

Kratos drops his fork to the table in defeat as Poker begins pawing at his thigh again. He gives the cat a irritated look before rubbing behind its ears. It purrs loudly and pushes it's head into Kratos' gloved hand, and I consider making a comment on how cute the cat is. Though I've been doing that since dinner started, so I won't.

'Are you gonna eat that?' Lloyd asks. Kratos just shakes his head, and Lloyd immediately plucks the chicken from his plate with his fork. The cat meows again, looking disgruntled. No, no more food for you! Bad cat.

'Cats are odd ...' Colette contemplates aloud, leaning over to see said kitty still looking up at Kratos. 'But they're really loving.'

'Well, this one is,' I mumble, poking my fork in it's direction. 'It's fallen in love with Kratos in the span of what, two seconds since it walked it?' I shake my head, stabbing a lonely carrot after giving said feline a long, confused look. 'I blame the hair.'

'What was that?' Kratos demands quietly. I ignore him and his mad hair, continuing to eat before Poker chooses a new victim. Since I'm sitting on the same end of the table as his current victim, I have to be extra careful.

'Oh yeah!' Lloyd says suddenly, swallowing his mouthful of food before continuing, looking over at me. Choking hazard and all – I don't really expect Lloyd to be stupid enough to not realise, but ... it's _Lloyd_. 'Didn't you want to talk to everyone about something?'

... Wow, I suddenly just lost my appetite. I place my fork down and try to ignore those butterflies doing the Macarena inside my stomach, as well as trying to ignore the four sets of eyes on me. Yes, four; Kratos is still trying to get rid of Poker, and Poker seems very intent on head-butting Kratos' ankle into the nearest oblivion; mercenary-man is not amused.

'Uh ... yeah,' I mumble. Well, it's now or never. Or fairly soon, but now is the best time. Alright, break the news Charlie; they'll be surprised at least, and if not, well screw them. 'Um ... when you guys have finished up in Asgard, I'm going to be staying here.'

_This_ is when Kratos takes some notice. He's probably expecting me to explain how he's been such a dick to me the past two weeks, and trust me, I'll be blurting out every detail I can. Wasteland, ranch, everything I can think of on the spot, unless I find a fork planted deep in my forehead while the bastard mercenary high-tails it out of the window ... probably with a distraught Poker chasing after him.

'Oh ... uh ...' Lloyd mutters, still stabbing his chicken. Colette's probably the only one who looks relatively saddened; Lloyd just looks confused, and Genis and Raine look like they respect my decision. _Forced_ decision, dammit. 'Any particular reason?'

_This._ This is were I would tell everyone how Kratos threatened me so much, how he almost cracked my head open back at the wastelands, how he beat me up in the ranch, how he puts me down, how he's such a _bastard, _and how it should be him who is being kicked off the group instead of me. I want them all to know, because I'm sick of bottling it all up for the right reasons. I try ...

... But _nothing_ comes out.

So I'm sitting there, mouth slightly open as if ready to explain, everyone is looking at me, Kratos from under his fringe, and ... good _lordie_ why can't I do this? Why are there too many thoughts buzzing through my head – as well as a word or two from Charis – that I can't think? I don't even know if I _want_ to think about this.

'Um ...' I try again, finding my voice. I notice it's gone a little squeaky, but that'd be nerves tap-dancing over my vocal cords. 'Kratos ...'

I pause again as Kratos looks up slightly, glaring. I try _again_. They so far know Kratos has something to do with it, so I just need to _finish,_ dammit. Voice box, why don't you work!?

'Kratos ...' I say again, finding that nothing comes out. Oh, bugger this. '... Said that he thought it would be safer for me to stay in Asgard. So ... I don't really think I'm cut out for this, anyway,' I add with a small, nervous laugh. 'Besides, I haven't seen everyone in a while, and I'm getting kinda homesick. I'm just gonna ... take Kratos' advice and park myself back here.'

Cue the ferocious stabbing of the carrot that I'm imagining is myself. Die, traitorous bitch, die. 'So yeah, sorry guys.'

'That's too bad ...' Colette says quietly. 'But if that's what you want.'

'Yeah ...' I mutter, standing quickly before I get anymore questions. I've noticed Raine looks a little ... suspicious. Like, she knows I was supposed to say something else ... which isn't good. The best thing I could do right now is go and pretend I'm sleeping so she can't ask me anything. By the morning, she'll be so wrapped up in looking over the Asgard ruins. She'll most likely forget. 'Well, I'm gonna hit the sack. Um, I think I need an early night.'

'Well then ...' Colette says, pausing in slight thought. '_Erielle._'

Ah, the wonder of Angelic. I'm going to miss Colette. I smile and nod, trying to think of how to say "good night" again. 'Yeah ... _eriellea.'_

When I reach the hallway, I trudge up the stairs and try to avoid smacking my head off the wall for my own stupidity. Man, why couldn't I just _tell_ them? Why couldn't I say "yes, Kratos is being so bastardistic that he's decided to give me to boot, tra la!". _Why_ did I have to lie?

"_For your own benefit_?" Charis suggests as I reach my room. "_He probably would have made things worse if you'd told everyone the truth. And there would have been loads of explaining as to why he's been such an ass to you."_

"_I guess,"_ I reply. "_I might have had to say I blackmailed him, and that would lead to a lot of bad air."_

"_Of course_," Charis says. "_At least you weren't overly stupid this time."_

"_You shush_," I scold, trying to force back a small smile. "_Go to bed; you sound tired."_

Charis makes a sound that resembles. "_Flleehph."_

I ignore her and look around my room. Nope, no freaky Chosen or Lloyd stalker people. Let's face it; Yuan wants to kill Colette, take Lloyd hostage – he has a lot to do with these guys, so the others and I might get caught up in-between. Not that I'm exactly worried; if it _is_ Yuan, well, I've already stabbed him once, didn't I? I wouldn't say I defeated him in battle – he seriously would have kicked my ass over the moon. I was just very lucky with the aid of my Gamecube. If I were anyone else, I'd be very dead.

Anyway, it's Genis I'm worried about. I'm probably stronger than him physically, and man, I'd have a hard time fighting off Yuan. Poor Genis would probably get killed or something.

... Crap, I have no pyjamas. Just realised. I'm not sleeping in my clothes again – they were cleaned earlier, and they're going to _stay_ clean, dammit.

"_Charis?"_ I try. Nope, she's gone to bed. Dammit.

BACK downstairs we go.

I leave the room again, jump around three stairs at a time on the way down, and almost fall through the door on my way to the dining room. Ouch, my arm. I have got to stop hitting my arm on things – it'll be broken by the time I get home. I straighten up, holding my bruised arm, and open the door again. Oy, everyone is cleaning up. Damn, they must all have lost their apatite. I blame Poker, who is now having the time of his life with Kratos' dinner. Bless.

'I thought you were going to bed?' Lloyd says. I nod.

'Yeah, I'm on a pyjama hunt,' I say, looking around for Raine. If there's a person to ask about pyjamas, it's Raine. I don't know why – it just is. 'It's easy for guys – you just sleep in your boxers.'

Lloyd glares. 'Hey! I wear pyjamas!'

'Lies!' I accuse, pointing. 'You wear boxers and that weird black under-shirt of yours!'

He pauses, and Genis just gives me an odd look. 'Then those are technically pyjamas.'

It's my turn to pause, and I do for a good ten seconds, considering Genis' answer while Lloyd cleans up his plate. I make a face and point at Genis. 'You ... shush. Or I'll hug you again. And make Colette do it too.'

Genis shivers and takes his own plate into the kitchen for cleaning. I don't know if we've all agreed to clean up ourselves, but that's what it appears to be. Whoa, good thing I'm going to bed. Anyway, I'm ripped from my pointless thoughts as Lloyd looks over his shoulder in confusion, raising an eyebrow. 'Hugs?'

'Yeah, it's Hug-Everyone-Day,' I say as the door leading to the kitchen opens, and Colette and Kratos return to the dining room – I'd assume that's where Raine is right now. 'Well, for me and Colette anyway.'

'Hm?' the Chosen asks, looking up.

'Hug-Everyone-Day.'

'Oh yeah!'

The look on Lloyd's face is ... priceless. Seriously. He looks at the two of us like we're complete basket-cases. Who knows, we probably are. He just looks away. 'Uh ... right.'

'C'mon!' Colette says, startling Genis who walks in as she speaks. She notices him, and grabs his wrist as well as mine. 'Let's all give Lloyd a hug!'

Lloyd's head snaps back in our direction with a horrified look, and I just frown. Seriously, why does everyone in Sylvarant hate the act of hugging? All the males, at least: Raine hugged us all back (after a few seconds of shocked confusion to why she had three children suddenly clinging to her), Colette was fine with it, but the boys are just ... weird.

'Um ...' Lloyd mutters. 'Sure, okay then?'

Colette drags us over, and the four of us share this big group hug of sorts. It's quite funny actually. Genis looks disgruntled, Lloyd still looks confused, and Colette and I don't really pay any much attention – we just go back to what we were doing before. Colette goes to help out Raine, and I watch Poker rubbing itself fondly against Kratos' shins. Aww. I think he really loves the bastard mercenary. Can't really say the same for Kratos, though; whenever he shuffles to the side, Poker just sits and stares up at him for a second or two before following him and repeating.

'So, where did ... "Hug-Everyone-Day" come from?' Lloyd asks, looking over at Genis. He just looks towards me scornfully, and I wave back. Lloyd nods knowingly. 'Thought as much.'

'I'm a very loving person,' I say, and Genis just coughs loudly in response.

'So ... you just hug everyone you know?' Lloyd asks, still looking confused.

'You hug everyone you _like_,' I correct. What? I'm making up rules as I go. 'I've hugged everyone here.'

Well, except Kratos, but I wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot pole unless the act of touching including a fist flying towards his face.

'Oh ... okay,' Lloyd mutters, probably giving up on the whole thing. I don't blame him – I've made it confusing.

... Right, I came here for pyjamas! I almost forgot. As soon as I get to the door leading to the kitchen, it opens rather forcefully and I have to jump back to avoid being hit. Colette is ushered out by a rather worn out looking Raine, who holds the doorknob tightly with a white hand and looks around at us all. Wow, something is wrong with her.

'Professor-' I manage, but I'm cut off.

'You should all get to bed,' she instructs rather sharply. 'It's getting late. Kratos?' She nods towards the now empty table. 'Could I speak with you for a moment?'

I exchange confused glances with the others, but another stern look from Raine causes us to shuffle towards the lobby doorway rather quickly. We all pile out of the room as Kratos sits down on Colette's chair, and Raine sits opposite him, still looking quite ... agh, how can I explain? She looks like she's hiding up some anger and suspicion. Uh oh ... this really can't be good.

Lloyd closes the door and heads towards the staircase, but I carefully press an ear to the door so it doesn't creak and give me away. Genis tugs firmly on my arm, and Lloyd and Colette pause on their way upstairs.

_'What are you doing_?' he mouths.

'_Listening,'_ I reply as clearly as I can. The two heading upstairs exchange short glances, and Lloyd turns and walks as quietly as he can over, joining me in eavesdropping. Genis drags a hand down his face, obviously not agreeing with our actions, but he leans under me and listens in too. The three of us crouch lower so Colette and listen also. It's quite a comical scene, actually. The four of us are all at different heights, left ears pressed to the door. I try not to laugh and listen intently though the thick wood.

'I can't hear much ...' I whisper.

'I don't know which one,' Lloyd mutters from above me. 'But one of 'em sounds really pissed.'

I frown. 'Don't swear.'

'Hypocrite.'

'Shh!' Genis scolds, pressing his ear closer to the door. I seriously can't hear much ... I can pick up a few words, but that's all I'm getting. I can't string together the phrases I'm picking up to make sense, so this isn't good ... I mean, what they're talking about could be pretty vital.

'They're talking about you,' Genis whispers, looking over to Colette. 'I keep hearing Kratos say _Chosen_.'

Colette just leans in closer, and Lloyd does the same after a second. I can hear Raine saying something, and I pick up the word _duty_. What ... I don't get it – what is this about?

As carefully as I can, I lower myself to the floor and try to listen through the crack at the bottom of the door. Soon after, Genis joins me, but the other two stay up there. They're closer to the small opening, so they can probably hear better than us. Ah, this is definitely better – I can hear almost clearly now.

'... idering the wrong things,' Raine says, and I don't catch the first few words. 'Phaidra and I are paying you to protect Colette.'

'I'm carrying out the job I've been instructed to,' Kratos replies, sounding the _teeniest_ bit annoyed. 'The Chos-'

'The _Chosen_,' Raine interrupts, standing. 'Is no longer your eye of interest, from what Genis and I can see. Your intere ...'

The three of us look towards Genis, who flinches, giving Colette and Lloyd an apologetic look. I ignore him and continue to listen.

'... ayment won't continue if you start neglecting your _duty_.'

'My duty is not being _neglected_, woman,' Kratos replies rather sourly. I can feel Genis tense in anger at the way he's talking to his sister, but I just nudge him sharply. 'I've been protecting a-'

'You've been _focusing_ on people other than Colette,' Raine says. 'Your attention to her is lacking greatly, and if you plan to continue here with your payment, you must start taking her safety into utmost concern, first and foremost.'

There's a long silence, and Lloyd just shrugs when I look up at him.

'I don't know what you are insinuating, woman,' Kratos says, standing also – I can hear his chair scrape nosily against the floor. 'Bu-'

'_Lloyd_,' Raine snaps, and I feel said person above me stiffen. 'I appreciate how you have undergone taking him in as your student, but it is not your place. You focus on him more than anyone on this group, and that-'

'Is wrong?' Kratos hisses. Oh god, he sounds so angry now ... and just at the mention of Lloyd. 'I am only human, Miss Sage – I will protect the people I care for, as well as the people I am instructed to defend.'

'It is not your _place_,' Raine repeats. 'Your place here is to protect Colette, and if you can't do that-'

It sounds like Kratos slammed his hand down on the table. Not forcefully, but it was enough to make Raine shut up, and he demands 'Then what?'

There is an awful long gap of silence after that. I wait in anticipation, because I think I know what the Professor is going to say. I think, but I'm not quite sure ... if my assumptions are correct, then -

'You leave in the morning,' Raine finishes firmly, confirming my previous thoughts. 'I will send a note to Phaidra tomorrow informing her to stop your payment.'

Almost immediately, before I even have a chance to consider what this means and how the other might react to it, Colette shoves the door open and runs in, completely ignoring how the three of us topple to the floor in a heap. Oh lord, my spine.

'Professor!'

Raine looks from Colette to our people pile, and back to Colette with a slightly irritated look. 'You were all listening?'

'I'm sorry, Professor,' Colette apologizes, clutching her hands together tightly. 'But ... don't you think we should all have a say in this? This is different from Charlotte choosing to leave by her own will, and ...'

Lloyd pulls himself up with difficulty, trying to untangle his legs from the other two pairs. He straightens up and wobbles a little bit (I think he hurt his leg), but manages to join Colette. 'I agree. We should all get a say in this.'

Raine looks over all of us, save for Kratos who has taken his seat again and is trying to ignore Poker who is curled up on the table beside him. She just sighs after a moment and rubs her temple soothingly, lowering herself to her chair. We don't get an answer for a while as she considers Colette's plea, and Genis and I take this time to straighten up and dust ourselves off.

Kratos isn't really looking at anyone. He's just focusing now on Poker who seems to be purring rather loudly. Raine is still thinking and staring at the table in thought.

'Raine ...' Genis mumbles, looking over. 'Whatever you choose, I-'

'Alright,' Raine says, leaning back in her chair and looking up at Colette and Lloyd. 'You can choose what you wish.'

She stands and looks towards Genis first, who starts fumbling with the rim of his shirt. He knows she's expecting an answer, and he's probably also aware that everyone's staring at him. I look at my feet to offer some sort of comfort, but it doesn't really help. He doesn't seem to be sure with what he wants to say.

'Genis, it doesn't matter what you pick,' Lloyd says softly after a while. 'I won't ... get mad, or anything.'

Genis just nods at his words and looks up slightly to meet his sister's eyes. '... I'm going with Raine.'

Alright, Raine: 2, Kratos: 0. Yay, I think. If Kratos gets the boot, I think I could get back on the team.

'Thank you, Genis,' Raine says, thanking him for answering more than what it is he said. 'Colette?'

The Chosen has gone back to playing with her sleeves nervously. I want to say something like "hey, it doesn't matter what you say, we'll love you all the same", but dammit, I want her to side with Raine. If our talk earlier had any effect, I'd like to thank whatever it is that controls my mind. While we wait for an answer, Genis sits down on Raine's side of the table as if to indicate his choice. I stay at the end of the table and consider my own answer. Wait, I won't be asked, will I? I'm leaving, so I just have to worry about everyone else's.

Lloyd looks very grateful when Colette shuffles past me and over to Kratos' side of the table.

'Chosen,' Kratos says, but he's quickly cut off.

'No, it's okay,' she assures. 'I don't ... mind you being here. And if it makes Lloyd happy, then ...'

Hey, what about me!? Damn, this isn't good. We all know what Lloyd's gonna say, and hot damn, it's going to be a tie.

Raine just gives Lloyd a small, knowing smile. 'Do I really have to ask?'

'... I want him here,' Lloyd says, joining Colette on the other side of the table. '... I'm sorry, but this is-'

'It's alright,' the Professor says, and then she looks over to me. I just shake my head.

'Nu-uh, I'm leaving, so I don't get a say in this,' I say, holding up my hands.

Colette shakes her head too. 'No ... you've been with us all of this time, and you should know what you think would be best for this group.'

'...Oi,' I mumble, rubbing the back of my head. 'Uh, it's really not-'

'Just pick already,' Genis groans.

So, here I am, stood between the two people, and it's very obvious who I'm going with. But hey, remember when I tried to tell everyone how Kratos was a mean, mean person and I couldn't find the words? Yeah, that's happening here; I can't move. No, no, NO. I just ... have to think about this. Really. Try to do this without Charis and William, Charlie.

... Wow, I really don't know. Because I'm leaving, I'd expect it'd be useful to give Kratos the boot because I could get back on the team, but ... I have to consider what will happen after. What about the Tower of Salvation? Kratos wouldn't betray them because he'd be up in Welgaia somewhere ... Colette wouldn't have _left_ for the tower with Kratos and assured everything that happened _should_ have.

What about Kvar? And Lloyd's whole Exsphere thing? I don't know – that should all happen, even if not for my own sake, but for everyone else. But if nothing goes as planned, I'm as good as dead ... right?

'Um ...' I mumble, placing a hand over my closed eyes. 'I don't know ...'

'We're not gonna get mad at you,' Lloyd says again. 'Don't worry.'

Yeah Lloyd, that's really the least of my worries here. I'll admit it; I'm being selfish again. I'm only focusing on how these things could affect me, because dammit, I'm _scared_. I don't want everything to screw up, because I won't know what to _do_, and I won't know how to get _home_. I wish Charis and William were here to help me ... I can't do this alone, and I need their advice.

I think Kratos is the most bewildered person in the room when he finds me on his side of the table after I choose.

Dammit, I hate you Charlotte.

--

It's been about an hour since everything happened with the choosing and stuff ... and it's really late now. Everyone has gone to bed except me, because I'm downstairs in the dining room with a big cup of tea for myself. Tea always cheers me up, and when the inn-lady pointed out a jar of biscuits before her and her husband went to bed, I really wanted to give her a hug. Biscuits help too.

William has woken up since everything happened, and he's had a small, comforting talk with me, but now he's back in bed. These guys work too hard ... they deserve their rest.

Anyway, Kratos keeps coming down every fifteen minutes or so. Poker keeps following him to bed, so he has to bring him back downstairs. But the cat just ... follows him back up. It's quite funny, actually, when a tired and pissed off looking Kratos comes down with a fat ginger cat in his arms, dropping him to the floor and going back up. Poker just sits in confusion for about ten seconds before going back up with a small "mrrow".

I hear a door creak above me, indicating that Kratos is bringing down the cat for the fifth time. I finish the biscuit I'm slowly nibbling while I listen to the sounds of the stairs squeaking, the lobby door opening, and the dining room door opening. Kratos enters, cat in arms for the fifth time, and places him on the floor before turning back to the door, completely ignoring me. I shrug to myself and reach for another biscuit.

'It's getting late,' he says.

'I'm not stupid,' I reply, looking at the window. 'I know it's late, or I wouldn't be so goddamn tired.'

'Then retire for the n-'

'Look, just shut up,' I snap, breaking a biscuit into two. 'I fucking hate you.'

Kratos doesn't say a thing to that, and I fully expect him to leave. He doesn't. 'Then why did you agree with Lloyd?'

'For his sake,' I lie, still snapping the biscuit into pieces. 'Just sod off. I want some privacy, I have a headache, and ... just go away. I don't want to be around you.'

He doesn't leave, and Poker is molesting his shins as we speak. And then he asks me a weird question – a question I never thought he'd be asking, but one I've always considered secretly. 'Do I frighten you?'

I snap the last half of my biscuit. 'Yes.'

To my surprising luck, Lloyd randomly bursts in before Kratos can say anything. Weird – Lloyd looks funny when he's been in bed. His hair is all dishevelled and falling around his face, and his black under-shirt is all askew, one sleeve hanging over his shoulder.

... Wow, is it me or has Lloyd gotten skinnier? Must just be me.

'_Why_ do you keep moving around?' Lloyd whines, looking up at Kratos. '_Why_?'

Kratos just nods down toward the cat, to which Lloyd gives a death glare. He reaches down and grabs it under its arms, hoisting it up to face level. Lloyd glares, and Poker just blinks innocently at him. 'Mrrooow ...'

'I hate you,' Lloyd declares, putting him back down on the floor. 'Hey, why is everyone up?'

'It's hardly everyone,' I correct. 'Just three people.'

'Ah,' Lloyd mumbles. 'Well, I'm gonna go back to bed, and Kratos,' he looks up pleadingly. '_Please_ do something about that cat.'

'Do you want me to kill it?' Kratos suggests, giving Poker a irritated look. Lloyd flinches.

'Uh ... don't go that far.'

'Hmph.'

'Mrrow.'

'Look,' I say, straightening up. 'It's probably about 11 o'clock, all of you just go to bed. I have a headache, and you're not making it better. You too, you ... flea-infested rug.'

Poker gives me a disapproving look and goes back to Kratos' legs. The mercenary sighs in defeat, letting it do whatever.

'Oh, so it's still "Hug-Everyone-Day?"' Lloyd asks. I consider for a moment, and nod. Lloyd fidgets on the spot. 'Uh ... Genis said you'll get a curse if you don't hug everyone you're supposed to.'

'Lloyd, that's the biggest load of ...' I say, trailing off. Think Charlotte, think. '... Info you should keep in mind. Can't be too careful.' I sip at my tea. 'You know, if you don't want your fingers to fall off in the night.'

'Whoa, that happens!?' Lloyd exclaims, looking horrified. He turns to Kratos. 'Hug me.'

'Go to bed, Lloyd,' Kratos sighs, trying to shove Poker away gently with his foot. 'Should any of your fingers fall off in the night, you may have a hug in the morning.'

'But that won't make them grow back!' Lloyd insists, clutching his hands together as though my lies were to come true, and I'd be very amused if they did. 'I like my fingers!'

'I like my personal space,' Kratos counters sternly. 'Bed.'

'Screw you!' Lloyd declares, wrapping his arms around Kratos' middle. Kratos looks like something utterly revolting has just latched onto his torso, and that makes me a sad Charlie. Poor Lloyd and the things we do to him. While Lloyd is hugging the man for all his fingers' sake, Kratos looks like he's deciding to either push him away gently or rip all Lloyd's fingers off himself.

'You're safe now,' I say, taking another sip of tea. 'You can let go of him.'

Lloyd unwinds his arms and straightens up, brushing some hair away from his face, not really noticing the look on Kratos' face. 'Phew, that was close. Well, goodnight guys!'

'Night,' I mumble, going back to my tea. Kratos stands for a second and runs a hand through his fringe, trying to ignore how Poker is head-butting his ankles again. He ruffles Lloyd's hair lightly before turning to the door and heading back upstairs. While Lloyd tries to brush some persistent strands away from his face, Poker runs after the mercenary with another meow.

'Don't stay up too late, okay?' Lloyd says. I nod and go back to my tea.

'I'll finish this and then go to bed.'

'Right ...' Lloyd mumbles. He doesn't move for a while, and I consider asking him what's wrong, but ... whenever he does this, he always seems to be about to ask an awkward question, so I'll leave him to it. It takes a long minute before ...

'Why did you agree to let Kratos stay?'

I put my cup down and shrug, falling back against the chair. 'I don't know. I hate him so much, but when I see how much Colette and you wanted him to stay by going against your own teacher, then ...' I pause, staring at my lap and wondering where this lie is going to lead it. 'Well, I did it for you guys, okay? I don't want to talk about it.'

Not true. I did it because I was scared of what would happen in the future, not for them. I wish I could tell the truth, but dammit, I have a freaky blond spandex'd man watching Lloyd, so he could obviously overhear this.

Lloyd sighs. 'I told you, we wouldn't get mad-'

'Then what?' I snap, glaring. 'Did you _want _me to kick him off the group?'

'No, I just ... I thought you hated him so much that you'd want to see him leave,' Lloyd mumbles. I sigh and rest my elbows on the table.

'... I don't know. I don't want him here, but I'm scared.'

'... I won't ... talk about it anymore, if you don't-'

'Thanks,' I mumble, sitting up again. Lloyd just nods, and turns to the door, pulling it open.

'But remember to get to bed soon-'

'Why did _you_ let him stay?'

That creates a lot of silence, save for the light shower of rain outside pattering against the closed windows. I shiver slightly and wait for Lloyd's answer, which he seems to have trouble finding. He doesn't look back at me, still gripping the door handle – I have to wonder if he's just going to leave without saying anything. But that ...

I look up when I see Lloyd has taken a seat opposite me. 'Uh ... well, it's kinda confusing.'

'I have time,' I say, snapping up another biscuit. 'Go on, I wanna know.'

Lloyd stares at his hands. 'Well, I've lived in Iselia for most of my life ... and no one has really been able to teach me how to use a sword.' Ah, I see where this is going. 'I've had to teach myself, and ... that wasn't so good.'

'Self-taught stuff is never so good,' I reply, going back to my drink. 'But now Kratos is teaching you how to fight properly, you want him to stay.'

'Yeah, exactly,' Lloyd says, looking up. 'But that's not the only reason, really!'

I snort. 'Yeah, I didn't think you'd be that shallow, keeping him here for your own needs.'

'... I know everyone says he's always cold and uncaring, but-'

'He is,' I say, putting my cup down. 'But he's opening up to you?'

Lloyd frowns a little. 'Kinda ... he always says how you shouldn't trust someone so easily, but-'

'He trusts you, Lloyd,' I mumble. 'You heard what he said when he was talking to Raine, didn't you? Though he's here to protect Colette, he said he'd protect the people he cares for. He cares about you.'

'... He is _really_ confusing,' Lloyd whines, flopping down onto the table. I reach over and pat his head.

'S'okay, Lloyd. He scares me, too.'

'No, it's just ...' Lloyd says, sitting back up. 'He always seems so distant to everything, and ... I don't know if you heard us talking that night in the ranch, but he-'

'Hasn't had anyone there for him in over ten years?' I suggest. 'Yeah, I heard.'

'So ...' Lloyd sighs, leaning back against his chair. 'Why? Why is he ... I mean, with me? It makes no sense.'

'God knows,' I mumble, grabbing my cup again.

'I think ... I remind him of someone he'd rather forget.'

I almost choke on my tea at this, but manage to drop it back to the table. 'Do the what now?'

'... When we were at the ranch, he told me about some of his past.' Oh shit. 'And he seems to be opening up since then.'

I try to keep my voice steady at this. 'So ... what has he told you exactly?'

Lloyd pauses uncertainly. '... I don't want to say. It's his business, and he hasn't chosen to share it with everyone.'

'I respect that,' I say, picking my cup up again. Seriously, I'm finishing this bitch before it gets cold. 'But tell me, dammit.'

Lloyd shakes his head, and I drink some tea for a calming effect. I'll be throwing the nearest thing at him if he doesn't say anything, because I still feel I need to know _everything_ that goes on. It's weird – I'm so used to knowing everything because it's a game, but there are so many new things going on the ... worry me, really. If I don't know what could happen as a result, how am I gonna prepare myself for it? I know this is just like real life – you never know what's going to happen – but I thought this'd be ... easier. I don't know, I should ask Chari-

'... I think I remind him of his son.'

I _do_ choke this time.

'Whoa, are you okay?' Lloyd asks as I thud my chest. I just cough a few times and nod.

'... Fine,' I squeak, my voice suddenly very high pitched. 'I'm fine. Uh, what was that?'

Lloyd stares at his hands again. '... His son died a few years ago.'

'... Oh,' I mutter. 'I, uh ... I ... didn't know that.'

Lloyd shrugs. 'I really don't know what he's thinking of most of the time. He's a, uh ... what's the word?'

'Enigma?' I try, going back to my tea before Lloyd says anything else that could almost kill me. He nods, getting to his feet. 'Lloyd ... do you look up to him as a ... fatherly figure, or something? Like, in return?'

I'm going straight to hell for this, I really am. I don't even know why I'm doing this. Lloyd shrugs again.

'I don't know what to think.'

'_I _think ...' I mumble. 'That I'm tired. I'm going to bed.'

'Alright,' Lloyd says as I stand. 'Goodnight.'

'See you in the morning,' I yawn, leaving the dining room. I make my way to the hallway, and a good few thousand thoughts run through my head. What if Lloyd finds out before he's supposed to? What _is_ Kratos thinking? What if everything falls apart? What if I don't actually get any pyjamas tonight?

Oh crap, I still need pyjamas.

When I reach our room, I notice Raine is sleeping already, and Colette is ... obviously faking it. I can't talk to Charis or William about this, because they're both obviously in bed, and ... I have no pyjamas still. Oh man, why me?

I try not to mutter a curse and collapse on my bed, face-first. I'm so tired ... so very tired. I fumble blindly for the covers, drag them over my shoulders, and just proceed to go to sleep. Today was just very confusing and painful, and I think I deserve some decent rest. You know, after walking to Asgard, going to target practice, having odd dreams, getting repeatedly pissed off at myself and others ... my mind is really worn out. This is a sick, sick reminder that I know about nothing that goes on in this group when my back is turned.

Ack ... goodnight, Sylvarant.

* * *

There you go. The first part, which is the dream, is actually something Charis did. Just in case you didn't pick up ... she's just showing Char that no matter how much she doubts it, Kratos is always telling the truth.

Right, I'm going to try and sort out my notes for the next chapter and get cracking, so ... review until then? Pretty please?


	43. The Desian Massacre

...Okay, I've been busy with my school life, home life, love life, and whatnot. I've spent the past six days or so crying, crying, and crying some more about my love life. Bit it is gone now - zlich. Zip. Nothing. No love for the Char-ster. But I'll get over it if I keep my head in my school-work, I guess. Broken hearts aren't easy to fix, but I'm sure I'll manage.

...Okay, if you're the-uber-duper-super-screaming-sheaming-Kratos fan ... the end of this chapter might hit you a little. Anyway, no more comments on that. You'll find out for yourself.

Next chapter comes the ritual. Seriously, that's all you're getting out of me. Blaaaaaah.

(-Looks at reviews-) ... Holy crap. I'm almost at 600 D: Never thought this story would get so far ... waah, I love you all so much! LOOOOVE ...

... Right, onwards. Any questions, PM me. If I don't answer, fanfiction is either playing up or something else. If so, email. If I still don't answer, feel free to biplane through my window and throw a stone at me.

Okay, it's late, I'm tired, I have school, and I'll do a look-over-check when I get home.

* * *

Chapter 43 - The Desian Massacre

In the early hours of the morning, I wake up. First ... no, not first; Colette was never sleeping to begin with, but first before anyone else physically able to sleep. I lie wrapped in my blankets for a few moments, counting down five seconds in my head before struggling to sit up. The first thing I see when I open my eyes in the sunrise glaring at me through a thick tangle of auburn frizz.

Groan.

I try to untangle myself and ignore a small, bruising pain on my arm caused by Genis' kendama that I seem to have forgotten to put away. Oh yeah, I was looking at it just after I had that weird dream ... meh, it's my own fault, I guess. I still have to ask Genis how to use it without gaining a black eye. I put it on my pillow and stand, stretching my arms above my head for a few seconds until I hear a click. I drop them to my sides and yawn, looking around. Colette is still feigning sleep, the Professor is out like a light, and I'm ... still in my clothes.

Groan.

I open the door as quietly as possible and slip out into the hallway, closing it behind me. If Raine's going to be having joyful fits at the Asgard ruin all day, she's going to need some energy. Plus, there are all of the caves dotted around town, so she's be doing a lot of walking around today ... and leave us to find out about the Seal of Wind. Joy. I could think of better things to do with my time (most of them include shopping, going to a café I saw yesterday evening, and target practice), but I feel I should stick with at least one member of the group. Kratos could randomly herd them all away while I'm unaware, and then I'm very screwed.

I have to be careful when I walk down the stairs, because not only are they narrow, they are really, _really_ creaky. I guess I didn't notice it yesterday, but I can swear most people down the hallway could probably hear it now. I wince at each loud noise of old wood protesting against weight and jump the last few stairs to the wooden floor.

The _slippery_ wooden floor. Damn the fact I'm wearing socks right now.

Groan.

I slip back and land with a thud on the last step, wincing at the noise. That's _bound_ to have woken someone up. Man, Colette's clumsiness must be rubbing off on me or something ...

I get back to my feet, now mumbling sourly to myself about the pain in my rear, and proceed to the dining room. I want some coffee, dammit – my head is killing me, and I'm very tired right now. I doubt I'll be getting back to sleep anytime soon, and everyone will be up in less than an hour (thanks to me, I guess), so I should just get myself up and running before I get nagged at.

I push open the door to the dining room, and the first thing I see is a rather relaxed looking, sleeping Lloyd with his head resting in his arms on the table, and a small, plain brown blanket draped awkwardly around his shoulders. I guess it must have slipped slightly in the night if Lloyd had shifted around at all in his sleep.

Groan.

But the main point it, there's a Lloyd here that needs waking up. Plus, why didn't he go to bed? And why did he choose to sleep down here? Does Genis _snore_ or something? Did Poker start attacking him instead of Kratos? Argh, the possibilities are endless. Just wake the thing up, Charlie.

I grab a newspaper from the counter (and notice that it's two days old), roll it up tightly and walk to Lloyd's side. He tenses slightly for a second, but relaxes again when I focus on a random headline from an odd angle. Staring at sleeping people can wake them up – seriously, I've had it done to me numerous times.

'Sleeps like an angel,' I say to myself, before drawing my right hand back and slapping Lloyd over the noggin with the paper tube. Immediately, he springs into an upright position, eyes wide.

'I wasn't sleeping Professor, I was just resting my eyes, I swear - the answer is four ...' he babbles to himself and to an apparently pissed off and armed to the brim with black-board erasers Professor. After a second or two, he flinches and rubs his head. 'Ow ...'

'Morning!' I say, dropping the paper to the table and watching it spring into it's flat, newspaper-y state again. 'Your shoulders must hurt.'

'Not as much as my head,' Lloyd mumbles, glaring. 'Ugh ... what am I doing down here?'

I shrug, reaching for a coffee tin which is luckily full. 'I dunno; I went to bed before you did, so you must have crashed out here.'

Lloyd doesn't answer for a few moments, because he's busy yawning and rubbing his eyes. I wait for him to flop down onto the table and give me a reply. 'I guess so.'

That's it for the next number of minutes; I go about making some hopefully decent coffee to drown myself in, Lloyd attempts to rid some sort of numbing pain from his shoulders ... which I have to comment, must hurt a lot. Strangely enough, I've slept in that position before, and it _does_ hurt your shoulders, as well as your back. I dunno – it depends on how long you're sleeping for in said position.

'Want some coffee or something?' I ask, glancing over. Lloyd shakes his head, and I go back to making my own. 'So, where'd the blanket come from?'

Lloyd glances over, looking genuinely and utterly confused. 'Blanket?'

'The one hanging from your shoulder,' I say, pointing with a spoon at the cloth balancing limply against his arm. He looks down and drags it out from behind him, holding it up for a short examination. I go back to my coffee as he searches for a label or something that might have a name on it.

'... I dunno,' he says finally, laying it on the table.

I shrug. 'Smell it.'

'... What?'

I steal a glance at his face, and he looks so disturbingly confused it's not even funny. Okay, it's a little funny, but that's besides the point. 'Uh ... you can find out what belongs to someone if you smell it. Everyone has their own scent, weirdly.'

'... _You're_ the one that's weird.'

I glare. 'Hey, it actually works. I borrowed a blanket from my friend years ago, and it smelt like her for months.'

He doesn't say anything to that, but to be fair, I don't think I would either. I roll my eyes and drop the spoon to the counter with a sharp clang, walking over to the table and grabbing a fistful of the blanket, bringing it up to my face.

'... Smells like cinnamon,' I say, dropping it back to the table. Lloyd gives me an odd look as I go back to my coffee. 'Well, I'm stumped, unless you know someone who smells like cinnamon.'

'... Do you go around smelling people, or something?' Lloyd asks, only to be awarded by a newspaper soaring through the air towards his face. He leans to the side quickly, and it zooms straight past his ear before landing on the floor with a short flapping sound.

'I'm a girl,' I say, stirring my freshly made cup o' joy. 'Girls have sleepovers, and swap clothing, and hug. It's easy to pick up scents of other people.'

'You don't seem very ...' Lloyd says, trailing off awkwardly.

'Girly?' I ask, walking over to sit down opposite him. 'Being a girl isn't all about make-up, clothes and the colour pink, y'know.'

'I know that ...'

'Meh,' I say, sipping some coffee. Lloyd just drags his hands down his face, rubbing his eyes. He still looks quite tired ... I wonder what time he got to sleep at last night. I'm guessing late by the look of fatigue on his face, but I _do_ know I went to sleep before he did. He was still sitting down here when I went up, so I don't know if someone else came down and had a long, insightful conversation with him like I did, or whatever. I'll place my bets on Kratos bringing Poker down another thirty times, but that could keep anyone up.

'So, what're you doing today?' I ask, leaning back on my chair.

Lloyd shrugs. 'As soon as the Professor wakes up ...'

I flinch, fingering the brim of my cup. 'Asgard Ruin ... caves ... you're gonna have a busy day.'

Lloyd makes a face at the short list of places he'll be dragged along to while we stay in Asgard. '... They're all old, aren't they?'

'Yes,' I say, grinning into my cup. 'And they're all shockingly interesting.'

'... Interesting?'

'For the Professor, I mean,' I say, placing my cup back down onto the table. 'You'll probably die within a five foot radius of anything old in this city.'

Lloyd sighs, gently thudding his forehead on the table.

'And the best thing about it all is that I don't have to go with you!' I cheer, poking to brown mess of bed-hair on the other side of the table. 'Yay.'

'... Hate you ...' comes a muffled groan from the table.

I offer another grin to raise his spirits (well, to mock him really) and pick my coffee up again. 'Most people do.'

The answer I was supposed to receive is once again muffled by a mouthful of wooden table, but I shrug it off and drink my coffee. Something tells me I'm going to need it today, and that seriously can't be a good thing. I'm telling you, it's just a feeling ... y'know those feelings you get in your stomach? Nerves? Yeah, they're like, haywire right now. Agh ... I wonder if it has something to do with the whole ... monster ... thing ... at the Asgard Ruin. I hope not.

I ignore a few footsteps from upstairs and drink my coffee, thinking about how today will go.

Damn Symphonia.

--------------------------------

_'Harrison-'_

_'Get lost.'_

_'... You can't hide from this conversation.'_

_'I can, and I will. Now get lost.'_

_'Postponing it is futile. Sit down.'_

_'Play dead.'_

_'Harrison-'_

_'Shut up. Get out. Don't speak to me.'_

_'... Harrison.'_

_'... What?'_

_'Are you that afraid?'_

_'... Shut up.'_

_'... I will find you later. Then you will speak.'_

_'... Get out.'_

----------------------------------

I'll admit now that I've spent most of the day in my room. It's only about 10 o'clock ... not that long since the Professor dragged Lloyd, Genis and Colette out to observe the great and almighty Asgard ruin. I've just stuck with the excuse that I'll be visiting some friends to catch up on things, but they don't need to ask about that too much. I think it's a good plan, really.

The inn-keepers and Kratos are the only ones that knows I've been hanging around my room all day. The inn-keepers agreed to help my cause when they saw Raine's punishment when Lloyd made a comment about how the Asgard ruin was an 'old, dusty rock with no purpose'. They're pretty sympathetic. Ignoring the fact I had to pay them a little more for the use of the room, but hey ...

In Kratos' case, he really couldn't give a flying fuck about what we do. I've talked to him once today just after the others left, but that was short and pointless. He left to do some things around town earlier, so it's just me. And Poker. Who walked around in a sulky mood when Kratos left. Hell knows what it'll do when Kratos and the others leave Asgard for sure. Poor thing will turn all suicidal.

'... I'm bored,' I mutter, scratching behind Poker's ear, who is sat quite comfortably on my stomach. 'There's nothing to do in Asgard ...'

Poker just replies with a long purr.

'...Get off,' I sigh, poking it sharply. 'I'll go out or something ... if I see Kratos, I'll just ignore him. I doubt he'll interrogate me in the middle of the streets.'

'Mrrow ...' Poker answers, sliding off the bed and plodding over to the door. Pfft ... moody cat.

Hm ... maybe I should do some target practice again? Bleah, it's too much hassle ... I don't think William and Charis are up for any kind of act in the physical world today. They've been moaning all morning about numerous things, like headaches and stuff.

"_Any suggestions?"_ I ask, stretching my arms above my head.

"_No ..."_ William sighs, spinning on his office chair. "_My stomaaaach ..."_

"_I'm not shoving painkillers into my ears for you, so shut up already,"_ I say. "_Go to bed or something."_

"_You're a mean, mean lady," _Charis complains.

"_The hypocrisy in that statement is astounding,"_ I say.

Before I can start considering where to go or what to do, there's a short, abrupt knock at my door. It startles me a little, but I call for whoever it is to enter while I tuck my guns under my pillow. The door creaks as it opens, and the inn-lady comes in, carrying a small washing basket.

'Oh, I wasn't sure if you were still here ...' she says with a small smile. 'I'm just putting some spare towels in the closets up here.'

'Ah, go ahead ...' I say, straightening out my bed's blanket before she can comment on how messy it is. 'I was about to go and walk around town anyway.'

'Alright,' she says, walking over to the wardrobe on the other side of the room. I catch a glimpse of outside from the window when she walks past it, and ... I know it sounds strange, but I could have sworn I saw something in the tree outside. I heard it rustle and saw a few birds fly from the branches, but ... ah, I guess it could be my imagination.

Note to self. Keep a lookout for anyone suspicious snooping around windows today.

Just as I turn to leave, I hear the inn-lady speaking. 'I hope you don't mind me asking a question.'

I pause, and suddenly notice she's closed to door after she came in. I know it's a small detail, but still ... something might be up. 'Sure ... go ahead.'

She straightens up, towels in arms, but she doesn't turn to me. 'What business does Kratos have with the Chosen?'

I blink. 'He's ... just been hired to protect her. Do you know him or something?'

She turns with a grim look on her face, and I wince through the glare of sunlight that hits my eyes. 'Oh, the whole of Asgard knows Kratos.'

... Okay, this is getting weird. I don't hear anything except a muffled whisper from the people inside my head, and the inn-lady doesn't say anything. She turns back to the wardrobe and continues to fold up the towels while I think over what she just said. This doesn't make sense ... well, I guess it could make complete sense, but this didn't happen in the game ...

Then again, a lot of things didn't happen in the game.

'... What?' I ask bluntly. 'The whole of ... and Kratos ... um, what?'

'I'm certain the lady with white hair knows about that ordeal some time ago,' she says, once again turning to me. 'Has she not mentioned anything at all?'

'Not a thing,' I say, sitting on the bed again. 'What happened? And when?'

She closes the wardrobe doors and walks over to the door, washing basket in arms. Maybe she's listening for footsteps ...? Seriously, what _is_ this all about? It's kinda starting to freak me out about what Kratos could have done ... something we don't know about. Could it have been that bad?

'After the Palmacosta Revolution ...' she starts, staring at the basket instead of me. 'The Desians had some control over Asgard. They began to invade the city for petty reasons every month or so ... threatens, stealing.'

'... To keep them in line?' I ask. 'But ... Asgard didn't take place in the revolution, did they?'

The inn-lady laughs shortly at this. 'Though we did not ... we were driven by Palmacosta's success. The Desians began the threatening invasions shortly after, and our drive withered over time. We simply gave in.'

I don't say anything, partly because I'm lost for words.

'Seven years ago, during an invasion of about fifteen, twenty Desians ...' she continues. 'A man came.'

'... Kratos?' I ask. She nods in reply.

'Most of the people locked themselves in their homes to avoid any harm from the Desians, but they were all watching as this man approached them. I, myself, and my husband watched from our inn. No one could hear ... but everyone saw what happened. Those who didn't were informed shortly after.'

'... Saw?' I ask, not sure if I want to know the answer any more. The lady pauses, and turns to me with an odd look in her eyes. Sympathy? Sadness? Anger ...?

Before she can even give me the answer, images flash through my mind. Mangled bodies of Desian corpses at the ranch from before, bloodstained walls and corridors from their torture, the sword where you can barely see any glint of steel ... just blood staining it's blade. And Kratos, with blood on his hands ... his arms, his body, his face -

'... He killed them all.'

I actually gulp at this, even though my mouth is dry. '...Oh.'

She turns back to the door. 'Though we do not side with the Desians ... the way he dealt with them should never be wished upon any soul.'

'... Torture?' I ask, my voice now straining. I try to moisten up my mouth again.

'Beheaded,' she says. 'Dismembered. Every single one of them.'

I don't say anything. I can't really think of anything to say, to be honest ... after hearing that. I understand now why Raine doesn't want Kratos here ... not only because of the reasons she stated last night, but because she doesn't want someone like Kratos influencing Lloyd? He _is_ training him after all. Plus, having someone like that around the Chosen? I guess if I was as uptight about the whole concept of salvation around here as the rest of the people in this world, I'd probably do the same thing.

'... I see,' I mumble.

She opens the door, and I expect her to leave and go about her other daily chores around the inn while I sit around for a while and think about what I've just learnt, and eventually leave to do things. Instead, I hear the wooden basket hit the floor with a loud thunk, and I look up to see why she dropped it.

Well, if you were face to face with a rather pissed off looking mercenary, you would have dropped whatever you were holding too.

'Out,' he demands sharply at the woman, who quickly gathers up her basket and leaves quickly, sparing me a glance before the door is slammed shut, leaving me with a livid looking man. I think all colour just drained from my face.

'... Yo,' I say, with a small wave. 'You're back early.'

Kratos doesn't find my nervous humour amusing. That doesn't really lighten my spirits, especially when I hear footsteps of the inn-lady quickly walking down the hall. Alright then, let's try a reasonable approach.

'Okay, look,' I start, standing. It'll be easier this way, because I won't feel as small. Ignore the fact he's about over a foot taller than me; it's worse if I'm sitting, really. 'You can't blame me for anything, because I was just _told_ something. Y'know ... not my fault?'

He doesn't answer, but his reply continues to be that cold stare. No, I'm not scared. I'm not shaking. I'm not about to throw something heavy at his face and launch myself out the window and hope for the best.

'Do you think I killed those men without reason?' he asks coldly, his voice quiet. 'For my own twisted entertainment?'

'... It _does_ sound like something you'd do,' I whisper, wincing. God knows where this'll lead to, and if it involves blood, I won't be happy. Instead of words, I just get another stern gaze for an answer. Instead of thinking of means of an escape, I actually begin to consider what could have been his reasons. I dunno – Asgard Desians are associated with Kvar? Revenge?

"_I made sure that should I ever cross their paths, they would feel a kind of pain that would leave them screaming, for my wife and for my son." _

"_Beheaded. Dismembered. Every single one of them."_

I gulp again, but I think it went unnoticed. '... Ah. Were some of them-'

'Yes.'

I lick my dry lips. 'Okay! Now we've sorted that all out, it'd be best if you, uh, left. I'm like ... getting changed and stuff.'

Kratos raises an eyebrow. 'You have no other clothes.'

'... Look, I'm not good at making excuses on the spot,' I say, slumping back down onto the bed. 'Can we just pretend there's a nice, neat pile of clothes next to me and I'm about to change into them, which would indeed result in your leaving of the room so I could panic inwardly before maybe going out?'

'... Very well,' Kratos replies, reaching for the doorknob. 'I will leave you for now ... but we will discuss your dismissal soon.'

'Blah,' I say in protest. 'Go on, shoo, I'm trying to get changed here.'

Kratos leaves, not looking amused. Then again, he never looks amused, so I can live with that. But man, that was way too scary. Just ... when the inn-lady opened the door and he was just _standing_ there, having listened to the whole thing ... agh, I swear my heart stopped for a second or two. I wonder if the inn-lady thinks I've been silently murdered or something. Hopefully not.

I take a few deep breaths and run my hands over my face, gulping again. My throat is terribly dry, and I think I need a drink of some sort.

Quickly, I leave the room and head downstairs, looking around for the inn-lady. Hm ... she isn't here ... I guess she left or something. I shrug it off and go to the dining room and making myself a glass of water. I don't particularly like water, but I've got no time to make tea or anything like that. I'm going to go and wait with Lloyd and the others. I don't care if I'm lectured, educated, spanked or whatever, anything is better than worrying about your life with Kratos around. Geez, if I'm this uptight, I wonder how the rest of Asgard is holding up.

'Pain in the stomach,' I hiss to myself, heading outside after finishing my water. 'Ow ...'

"_See? If we're not allowed to moan, neither are you!"_ Charis protests loudly.

"_Guys, I think I've actually shrunk after being here ..."_ I comment randomly. "_Do you guys have any way to see how tall I am now?"_

Charis grumbles about changing the subject and starts typing on her computer while I walk. I _am_ changing the subject so I don't have to argue and listen to William complain about his headache, stomach ache, foot ache, tooth ache, whatever. But also, I do think I've gotten smaller, even if it is a few centermeters. I dunno – I might have grown a little.

"_Okay, you are now ... around five foot tall. Wait ... nah, I'd say four foot and eleven inches."_

William groans. "_She's kidding, you're five foot exactly."_

I frown. "_I've shrunk ..."_

"_By about two inches!"_ William screeches. "_Stop complaining!"_

"_You stop complaining!"_ I argue.

I'm cut off from walking, arguing, and feeling sorry for myself about my height when a hand grabs my wrist, yanking me back. I yelp a little bit and try to keep my footing, spinning around to come face to face with a short, brown haired woman.

'Oh, thank Martel you're alright ...'

Ah, inn-lady. I guess she _did_ think he'd killed me. Well, it's nice to know she worried. 'Uh, yeah ...'

She lets me go and sighs shortly in relief, brushing some strands of hair away from her face. 'I'm awfully sorry ... I was terrified he would have done somethin-'

'No, it's okay, really,' I say, inching away. 'I've had my share of bad experiences with him. Anyway, I have to like ... go now, so-'

'Yes, yes, of course,' she sighs. 'I must get back to the inn. Keep safe while you're around here. And ...' she whispers, leaning a bit closer. 'If you want to know more about what Kratos has done ... you should visit a man who lives in the lower area of Asgard.'

'... Uh, a man?' I ask.

'Yes. His house has three small windmills, you can't miss it. He'll know why you're there.'

'Uh ... thanks?' I mumble as she scuttles off, back to the inn. I shrug at her over-dramatic worrying and continue on. Seriously ... I doubt I need to see a man to hear about what Kratos did in Asgard. I guess she has reason to send me to talk to this man if I want to know more, seeing as her inn doesn't need more trouble. If she has someone who the whole of Asgard fears, she's gonna want to even out the burden.

I think about it and continue on, trying to remember the way to the Asgard ruin. Maybe I should see this man ... y'know, if I get some info, I could maybe try more blackmail?

No. Bad Charlie. _Bad_. Look where blackmail has you now – doing it again will make things worse, so for the love of god, just don't.

I sigh to myself and look around. Asgard ruin ... should be just up the street or something. I should really pay attention-

'-nd a ritual was held shortly after to ease the winds, and only Cleo the Third was able to-'

'Professor, this is getting kinda confusing. Who's this Cleo geezer?'

'Lloyd! Don't speak so disrespectfully about the man who saved hundreds of lives!'

'Oww!'

... Found them, I guess. I consider my safety before joining them, and decide I'd like to keep any braincells that Raine might whack out of my head. Then again, Raine only hits the boys, so I guess I'm safe. She has her snappy moments with Sheena later on, but that's as far as she goes. Good thing, too. If she hit me, I'd probably have to resist many, many urges to hit her back. If I did, Lloyd and Genis would kick the living _shit_ out of me. Seriously. Screw the fact that I've been travelling with them for about two weeks, they've proven themselves loyal enough to Raine, even if she does hit them. I'd be killed for sure.

... Anyway. Not secretly wishing I had that kind of loyalty from someone here. Ugh, I miss home ... with all the _nice people_ ...

'Heeey, guys,' I say, waving shortly. 'S'up?'

'Ow ... hey,' Lloyd mutters, rubbing his head as Colette and Genis wave back, and the Professor continues to talk about the ruin. 'I thought you were visiting some friends?'

'Lloyd, pay attention!' Raine snaps.

'Sorry, my bad,' I say, raising a hand. 'I've come to observe.'

'Ah ... very well, then,' Raine says, scanning the page of a book she's holding for reference. 'We were just going over how the Great Storms were brought to an end by Cleo the Third after the death of his brother, James the Thirteenth, and-'

I nods along as she speaks, taking this all in. I'll probably be expected to know all of this, seeing as I 'come from Asgard' apparently. I'll have to make up another story that I never paid attention in school. Or ... wait, did I say I was home schooled? Or public school ... gah, I'm confused. I'll just panic if anything like that happens.

'-after several tries, and the storms gradually began to fade, and Cleo that Third and his wife went on to ...' Raine pauses. 'Where is Lloyd?'

I look around at her comment on Lloyd's absence and notice that he has indeed disappeared from view. Well, kinda – it's not hard to miss two white ribbons flutter out of view from around the corner of the sickeningly large ruin. Yeah, Lloyd - real stealthy. I shrug when I get a glance from the Professor, and Colette and Genis come over from their previous inspection of the ruin.

'... I have no clue,' I say, trying to resist the urge to start giggling when a gloved hand gives me a thumbs-up from the corner of the ruin. Genis looks around with a small frown.

'Augh ... he's run off again ...'

I snort. 'Again?'

'Just before we arrived here,' Genis explains shortly, still glancing around. 'He tried to escape.'

'And failed miserably, I see,' I mutter, still pretending to look around for the missing Lloyd.

'Lloyd Irving!' Raine shouts, snapping her book shut. I'm not gonna lie – I jumped about two feet into the air when she did that. I'm standing right in front of her, and after getting used to the nice quiet air around Cleo's Hill ... yeah, ow my ears. 'Come out from wherever you're hiding this instant!'

As predicted, we don't get an answer. Wow, Lloyd is really trying his luck right now ... he'll get such a beating when he comes out, or when the bomb thing is all cleared up. If I remember clearly (which I probably don't), Harley and Linar try to destroy the platform to save ... whatshername. Linar's sister or something. They do of course fail, and all is returned to normal.

... Oh shit, the bomb.

My first instinct is to scream out "there are motherfucking BOMBS on this motherfucking DAIS", but I'll resist all Samuel L. Jackson urges for two reasons. One – I'll confuse many people with the random outburst, and two – I'm not really supposed to know about the bomb, so ... agh, I'm stuck. Let's just hope it doesn't explode, because it'll probably injure someone if we stick around.

'Uh ...' I mutter, catching everyone's attention while I try to think of an excuse. 'I'm gonna check around the back of t-'

'Is that a bomb!?'

... Okay, maybe not. Lloyd made it pretty obvious what's going on.

'Loooydie?' I say, looking around. 'Wow, I think he might be BEHIND the ruin. You might want to GO AND CHECK just to be sure,' I say suggestibility, looking over at the Professor, who ... has already left. I see Genis and Colette staring up at the dais, and ... well, I also see the Professor has actually climbed up onto the platform and is running over to them the quicker way. Well, easy for her ... I'd have trouble climbing up onto it to start with. Remember how it's twice my size? Something tells me I'll have a lot of strain getting up there.

'Raine!' Genis shouts, backing up to try and catch a glimpse. I ignore the other two and make my way around to the back of the ruin, hoping they'll catch on at some point and follow.

When I reach the last corner, I skid to a halt and flinch when I hear the sound of a foot connecting painfully with someone's abdomen. That'd be one of the two manning the bomb, or poor Lloyd. Well, now I see that a boy with a bandanna is on all fours, wheezing and moving to clutch his stomach, I'd guess it was him.

I flinch again when Linar gets his side of the punishment and is ... well, I'm not explaining. Just ... ouch. Notice how Lloyd backs away rapidly. While Harley uses the the side of the ruin to help pull himself up, still gagging, he glares over at our professor as she straightens up.

'What are you _doing_!?' he demands as Linar sits up in a daze, blinking rapidly. The Professor turns to him and grabs his shoulders roughly, making him stumble.

'Do you have any _idea_ how important this piece of history is!?' she says shrilly. 'Any idea at all!?'

He roughly shoves her off, still grabbing his aching stomach. 'It's a confounded slab of _rock_, that's what it is!'

I flinch again when he gets his answer, and Harley once again crumples to the ground. Linar is still trying to figure out who he is, where he is, and who the scary white-haired lady beating the living crap out of his friend is. My sympathy goes to him. Not all of it, but ... some of it.

From the other side of the beatings, Lloyd mouths the word _help_ to me. I just shrug and nod towards Harley, who now has a nosebleed.

'Professor, you can ... stop now ...' I say over Harley's pained groans.

Raine gives Mr Bandanna enough time to sit up, holding his stomach and wiping his bloodied nose (I think he fell onto it) to say something to him. You can just _tell _that the big lecture of how wonderful and amazing the Asgard ruin is ... and we all know how _that's _going to end up.

'_Confounded_!?' the Professor repeats, sounding disgusted at his lack of respect. 'You listen here, this ruin-' she says, motioning to said ruin and in turn ... flipping the small metal bar that would be the switch. She is oblivious to the loud click as it snaps down into place, and places her hand on the slab of worn rock. 'It was first constructed soon after Cleo the Third and his-'

'What's going on?'

I look over my shoulder as Genis and Colette skid to a halt next to me, looking around. I'm sure they're a bit shocked when they notice Harley with his bloodied nose, and a still dazed Linar looking around in confusion to why the scary white-haired lady who was previously busting up his friend is now lecturing them on the giant 'confounded' rock. Or, y'know, they could be fairly neutral.

'... Bomb!' I shriek, pointing at it after a moment of learning how Cleo the Third and his three brother's planned out how to stop the storms and whatnot.

'Don't interrupt!' Raine snaps.

'Bomb, bomb, bomb!' I repeat, still waving my hand at it. 'It's ticking and making funny noises and it'll kill us all!'

Lloyd just stares, and then quickly looks back to Raine '... Uh, you turned the bomb on, Professor ...'

'Bollocks to _that_!' I say loudly, not really wanting to get blown up in an attempt to disarm said bomb that is slowly ticking towards zero. I'm not sure of how high the percentage that it'll blow up is, because it _is_ just a large, dusty crate. With wires. And a timer. So, it could reach zero and shoot out a jack-in-the-box, or a Desians for all we know. Hell, Kratos could pop out. 'How do we stop it? We have like ... three minutes.'

'... Couldn't we just throw it down the hill?' Colette suggests, looking it over as Raine begins to pound on Harley for something he said just now.

'I don't think that's an option ...' Genis mutters, looking down the hill. Wow ... I'll come back to this subject later, but all the way down the hill, there are loads and loads of graves ... it probably doesn't look like much compared to a normal graveyard on Earth, but ... yeah. I wonder why they're there.

'Lloyd, can't you disarm it?' Genis asks, looking over at his friend. Lloyd just gives the box an annoyed look, and makes a face. Genis groans. 'C'mon, if anyone can do, you can.'

Lloyd just frowns. 'Fine, I'll try.'

I look over my shoulder at Genis, and he just rolls his eyes. I guess flattery is his way of getting Lloyd's stubbornness level down. I must say, it's a useful way. Kudos to Genis, the little manipulative bastard.

Harley tries to push away the Professor from view as Lloyd gets on his knees in front of the bomb and starts fiddling around with it. 'Hey, what're you-!?'

'I'm trying to disarm it,' Lloyd says. 'Did you install a switch to turn it of or ...?'

'Of course not!' Harley exclaims, looking thoroughly pissed off that his plan isn't going well. 'We don't need one!'

He is slapped across the head by Raine again. 'Don't be stupid!'

'Would you stop _hitting_ me?' Harley demands, trying to put his bandanna back on properly with a scowl. 'I can taste blood!'

'It's your own fault!'

'Guys!' Lloyd shouts, gesturing wildly to the bomb. 'I'm trying to concentrate!'

'I didn't start this argument!' Harley snaps. 'If it weren't for you and your damn interference, we'd have – ow!'

Amazingly, it wasn't Raine who inflicted that pain though should now be throbbing through Harley's face, but it was Lloyd. Strictly speaking, it was probably when Lloyd threw his boot at his head. So now he's sitting with one shoe, still trying to disarm the bomb. 'We have two minutes left.'

'Great,' I mutter. 'Red wire. Cut it, or something.'

Lloyd looks up. 'Are you sure?'

I sigh. 'Look, I said before in the ranch, I'm good with computers, wired things, and ... anything else that may have something to do with wires. If we all die via an explosion, you can kick my ass in hell. Or heaven, wherever it is we'll go.'

'... Alright,' Lloyd says, turning back to the ... 'breaker', I think they called it in the game. Something along those lines. I watch, panicking slightly as Lloyd tugs on the switch and yanks it out of the crate, pulling several wires with it. He finds the red one and tugs it sharply, yanking it away from the main detonation system ... thingamabob. The ticker stops, but I'm not sure if that helped.

'... Has it stopped?' Genis asks, looking a little worried. Lloyd just sighs in relief, getting back to his feet.

'Yeah, it won't blow up,' he says, looking around. 'Where's my boot ...?'

Harley throws it back at him, looking quite sour. Well, I can't honestly blame him. He has a eye that is slowly becoming swollen, a bloodied nose, and his left cheek is now turning red because of the boot. Aww ... poor guy. I really liked him in the game, minus the fact he's a jerk. He has pretty hair. Yes, that's probably the only reason. Shut up.

'... We failed,' Harley mutters, turning to Linar. 'Let's go and tell Aisha before the mayor comes snooping around.'

'Um ... okay,' Linar says quietly, looking around at our group. 'I'm sor-'

'Don't apologize to them, idiot,' Harley groans, grabbing his friends hand and dragging him away out of view.

While Genis and Colette mutter something to eachother, Raine observes the unharmed ruin, and Lloyd tries to get his boot back on without falling over, I look down at the graves. I don't really want to ask about it right now, seeing as we're currently in a confusing situation and ... they probably don't even know. Plus, it'd look weird if I asked, seeing as I 'live here'. Ah well.

... Yeah, I'm thinking I should go and see that old man about Kratos now. Maybe I could learn about other things that don't make sense right now.

'... Well, what now?' Genis asks. 'Do you think we should contact the mayor?'

I shrug. 'Meh ... probably not. We don't want to be getting into any trouble around here. And I'm sure they had a reason for doing ... whatever it is they're doing.'

'... I don't see what they could get out of blowing up this dusty old rock,' Lloyd mutters, straightening up after successfully shoving his boot back on. We do, of course, know where that should lead to.

'Ow, Professor! You don't have to keep hitting me like that!'

Raine turns back to the ruin and Lloyd rubs his head. 'I have no idea what reasons could lead to such despicable acts.'

After several minutes of staring at the graveyard waaaay down the hill, considering what the graveyard is all about, wondering if I should talk to that man about the massacre from seven years ago, wondering if I should ask said guy about the graveyard, and of course, wondering why the hell no one has said anything for a while, I notice I'm being stared at by four different faces.

I look around. 'What?'

Raine frowns. 'Do you have any idea what could cause someone to decide destroying such an ancient artefact would be a good plan?'

... Oh yeah, I'm "from Asgard". Yeah. I just shrug. 'I dunno ... there's a ritual or something that's held every now and then ... to do with the stone ... thing. Y'know, I really don't know. You should ask the mayor or something.'

I just get odd looks from the same four faces.

'Hey, I haven't been here for ages! Don't blame me if I'm confused!' I say defensively. 'I don't know what's going on at all – you can either contact the mayor or go and find those guys, but I want no part of it.'

Lloyd sighs, rubbing his head. 'I guess we shouldn't drag you around if you're staying here.'

'Exactly,' I say, despite the small pang of pain in my chest as he says that. 'You guys are leaving, so I'll be stuck here to clean up your mess.'

'Forget about that,' Genis interrupts, and I try to suppress a feeling of scornfulness. 'What should we do now?'

'Meh ... do whatever,' I say, waving my hand in a dismissing, pissed off manner. Well, to me anyway. 'I'm going to go walk around town a bit.'

'Okay!' Colette says, brushing some hair out of her face. Come to think about it, the winds around here _are_ pretty strong. I'm surprised I haven't made an annoyed comment on it yet. 'We'll see you back at the inn?'

'Uh ... sure,' I say, waving goodbye to them. Colette and Lloyd are the only ones that wave back, and Raine and Genis seem to interested in the ruin or what they're going to do next to notice. I give a half-hearted smile and start walking away, trying to think up a remark for the amount of strong winds in this place.

Um ...

Damn wind.

I brush some hair out of my face, ignore the old guy walking up the stone stairs of Cleo's Hill (who I'm assuming is the mayor), and ignore his exclamation directed at me about how this place is off-limits. I think it alerted the others, but for some reason ... I don't care. I've just had this weird sense of dread wash over me.

I feel bad.

I feel depressed.

... Because I want to stay with them. Dammit, I want to _survive_ here. Not get abandoned at some random city before we even reach the Tower of Salvation. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, and I'm sure I've said this one-million times and more, but ... I'm _scared_. I'm scared of what will happen. I'm scared because I'm unaware. I'm scared because Kratos is here.

... I think I need to talk to him. And this time, I won't be the one being talked down to.

"_Oooh, brave,"_ William comments. "_Sorry if I just harshed your seriousness, but you're not that brave."_

I frown as I reach the bottom of the hill. "_Well ... I can try."_

"_Dude, this is KRATOS,"_ William says through a mouthful of food. What, they have FOOD up there now? _"Y'know, the big, scary mercenary with the big, scary sword, and the scary, scary look in his eyes 24/7."_

"_... I will hurt you,"_ I whine, having my confidence ground down to tiny, minuscule pieces. "_Repeatedly."_

"_Hey, I'm just saying stuff,"_ William mutters. "_Feel free to shoot him, or whatever."_

I laugh a little. "_You never know, maybe I will."_

_-------------------------------_

_'Professor, could I ask you a question?'_

_'Of course.'_

_'How do you do long division?'_

_'... Are you studying?'_

_'Well ... yeah. I thought I might as well finish that paper you gave me before you all leave. Y'know ... parting gift from me to you?'_

_'Don't worry about the paper. If I had known you would be leaving us once we reached Asgard, I wouldn't have asked for you to study.'_

_'Ah ... well, I'll do it anyway. If you care enough to worry about my stupidity, it's the least I can do. Along with proving I'm not on Lloyd's level in intellectual ability, but y'know.'_

_'Alright then.'_

_'... And Professor?'_

_'Yes?' _

_'Could I ask you another question?'_

_'Of course.'_

_'... Why did you really want to get rid of Kratos?'_

_'Are you against the idea?'_

_'No, no, no ... I just thought about some stuff, and ... some more stuff, and ... well, I don't think all you said was your whole reason. If ... that makes sense.'_

_'... I do not trust him. He may seem like an average thug hired to kill for his pay, but I feel there is something more to his goals the protecting the Chosen.'_

_'... Ah. Makes sense.'_

_'... Is there anything else you need to ask?'_

_'... Um, how do I do long division again?'_

_----------------------------_

'I thought I'd find you here.'

I don't bother to move when I hear Kratos' voice through the pouring rain. If he's come to get me, give me a telling off for something I may or may not have done, whatever, I don't really care any more. I'm tired, cold, wet, hungry, and most of all confused. I've been doing a lot of thinking today, so I guess it's all taken a toll on my mind.

I still don't answer, or make any attempt to move a muscle. I'd like to point out that I _am_ lying down right now, and yes, it is wet and muddy. I couldn't care right now, seeing as Charis and William could probably fix up my clothing at any point, and I'm aching for another bath back at the inn. I don't mind at all. I've been here for a while, and I'm too tired to even _try_ picking myself up.

'Get up.'

I'd like to counter with "fuck off", but decide against it. I still don't move, not even when I hear footsteps against the damp grass coming towards me. I don't hear the sound of a steel sword being drawn, or a knife being pulled out of somewhere, so I don't make any movement to signify I'm conscious.

When I feel him checking my pulse, I decide to answer sharply. 'I'm alive, dammit.'

'Get up,' he repeats, straightening up. 'You're making yourself sick.'

Whoa, didn't actually consider that. I make a face and slowly try to move. Note how I said I was tired, cold and hungry. I'm not that good at moving right now, my stomach feels like it's denied all hope and begun to eat itself, and my head in spinning. I wipe some mud off my arm and struggle to stand straight, gripping my knees for support. Kratos doesn't hang around for me and is already walking away.

'Oi, asshole,' I call, rubbing my head. 'I've been thinking.'

Kratos doesn't answer, but he does look over his shoulder.

'Y'know ... I'm just _that_ bad at fighting ... I apparently can't do anything-' I motion to the targets around me that were made last night, as well as the several bullet indents within the trees '- so I thought to myself ... "what would be the point in begging?"...'

Kratos still doesn't answer, but he looks like he's about to come over and bitch-slap me, telling me to hurry the hell up.

'So I've decided begging isn't the answer,' I say, shrugging. 'You're kicking me off because you don't trust me. I can't really help that. You can't just hand out trust on a silver platter. I wouldn't trust you with anything, so I can't go around blaming you.'

'You blame yourself?' Kratos asks, turning fully to face me.

I shrug again. 'Eeh, half and half. I'm apparently useless, and you've killed any form of self-confidence I may have had before this whole thing started. Yes, I know-' I wave a hand to indicate I get the look he's giving me '- I'm weak, blah, blah, blah, whatever. But that's not the point.'

He still doesn't say anything, which I'm taking as a signal to get to the point, shut up yapping, and get back to Asgard before I catch my death out here. I doubt he'd help me back if I collapsed, seeing as it wouldn't be the first time he's used an excuse like that to kill me off.

'I'm gonna get all corny and philosophical on you here,' I say, folding my arms. 'But before you came, there were a few rabbits over there ... so I'm guessing they live somewhere in this forest or whatever.'

'I could think of better things to do with my time that to listen to you rattle on about rabbits,' Kratos says coldly.

'Eeh ... nice,' I say, ignoring him for most of the part. 'Anyway ... there was a plant, and one of them was trying to get it. But it was really high up, so it had to climb up onto this small piece of wood to reach. It kept falling off, but it kept trying until it got the plant. The others just went and got some food closer to the ground.'

Kratos still doesn't answer, and he's probably wondering if he should introduce me to a psychiatrist before they leave. I frown at the thought, but continue. 'And then I thought, if I don't keep trying, I'm gonna get nowhere. Problem is ...'

I glare a little. 'You're the most stubborn bastard I've ever met, and trying to get acceptance isn't gonna be that easy. So instead of giving up, I guess I should keep at it, try different methods, yatta, yatta, yatta.'

'Futile,' Kratos snaps, scowling. 'It's-'

'Dude, shut up for a second,' I say, reaching towards my holster. I'm shaking like mad, so it takes a few tries for me to get a decent grip on my gun. I'm quite aware I've brought the real guns for good reason now, and aim carefully. I know, judging from the targets around me, that I'm not very good at aiming, but I guess I'll have to be super careful right now.

'... Harrison, what is the meaning-'

'I said shut up for a second,' I say, biting my lip. I'm shaking quite badly now, so I just have to focus ... just focus. 'Just shut up and don't move.'

Immediately, his hand goes to his sword, and several things happen at once.

There's a rustle of leaves.

The sound of steel being drawn.

The crack of a gun shot.

A cry of pain.

And a thud.

And I swear, to any gods that may be up there in this world, my heart has just stopped beating altogether. Everything is just so very silent, I'm standing with a now empty gun, there's a great deal of blood mixing with the rainwater from a bullet wound to the throat. I stare at the body on the floor, and it's most certainly not moving. Wide-eyed. Lifeless.

Dead.

I take a deep breath and glance at the dead body once again. 'I've killed four people, and saved you twice.'


	44. Blood on The Altar

Chapter 44 - Blood on The Altar

Kratos dead on the floor.

Dead. Not breathing. Not moving.

... That'd be the best thing that could ever happen to me right now, but instead ...

... I think my heart has started to beat again.

So here I am, standing with my guns, and I'm shaking like mad. It may be because there is a body of a dead Desian on the floor, steel knife in hand and a bullet wound to his neck, or it may be the blade pressed to my throat by a now confused Kratos. I gulp carefully against the sword at my neck and grip my gun tighter as Kratos looks over his shoulder at the Desian. He's been doing that for some time now, so I think he's very confused, and maybe a little shocked.

The sword leaves my throat as Kratos walks over to inspect the dead man.

I drop my gun to the floor and rub my arms, trying to rid myself of the goose-flesh now prickling the surface of my skin. I shiver as Kratos removes the man's helmet to show a slack, pale face. Dammit, I said I wouldn't kill again ... not for _his_ sake, at least.

I suddenly feel very, very cold.

'Dammit,' I whisper, rubbing my arms hastily. 'I hate you ...'

Kratos doesn't answer, and he turns the face of the dead man a little, observing the fatal wound. I don't know why, but the sight of it makes me grab my own neck, and I try to suppress another shudder, clenching my teeth slightly. I may not have a bullet wound, but I have a thin, red line from Kratos' sword along my neck, and I can see two or three narrow streaks of blood moving slowly down my collar-bone, but I don't wipe them away. I just bite my lip tightly.

'He's dead,' Kratos says, standing and sheathing his sword. 'Though there may be more.'

'I doubt,' I say shakily. 'He's the only one I saw today ...'

Kratos gives me a questioning glance, and I answer to it, along with a small attempt at steadying my tone. 'I saw him snooping around outside the inn when I was talking to the inn-lady ... and just before you came here.'

'Hmm,' is the only answer I get, so I decide to continue.

'He's probably been looking for you all day ...' I mutter. 'Maybe Kvar knows you're here or something.'

'Most likely,' Kratos says quietly, running his thumb up and down the handle of his sword. He isn't answering properly or giving any negative remarks, so I'll shut up for now while he thinks, or considers his situation. Well, there are Desians after him now, and that could lead the rest of us into danger, which ... would probably give Raine another reason to give him the boot, no questions asked.

When I notice the amount of blood still trickling out of the dead man's mouth, I turn away and clap my hand over my own mouth, doubling over with a gag.

'Hide the body,' I say, my voice unusually high. 'Please.'

Nothing happens for a few moments, but the sound of rustling grass through the rain soon catches my ears. The scrape of armour against the earth causes me to bite my lip again, but another rustle signifies the dumping of the body into a bush, or something else. If it's the plant those rabbits were after previously, I'll kick Kratos in the shins.

'... Is it gone?' I ask. I get an affirmative 'yes' and sigh in relief, grabbing my gun from the floor. I turn to Kratos again, and he of course, realizes I'm about to do something with the weapon in my hand. I notice his sword is at the ready for any move I might make to shoot him or whatever, but that never comes. I don't aim, I don't pull the trigger, I don't shoot.

I _do,_ however, throw the gun at his head. He dodges it by leaning to one side, letting my weapon thud against a tree and fall to the earthy ground with a splash. There are puddles forming because of the rain still beating down heavily, but that's besides the point.

'... Hate you,' I mutter again, running my hands over my face. I feel cold and shaky, and I don't know if it's because of the cold or the dead man in that bush over there. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I'll do it again. I just _killed_ someone. I just killed someone's _son_, their brother, father, husband, whatever. The point is that they're dead, and they're not coming back. I've just wrecked and utterly destroyed at least one person's life right now, but I'm sure I'll never find out who's. And all for a man I hate and want to die anyway.

'I hate you!' I shout again, throwing my other gun at him. This time, he catches it before it can plant a nice dent into his forehead. He doesn't look very amused at my behaviour, and he seems completely oblivious to the dead man lying in the bushes just a few meters away. It pisses me off at how he can be so ... so ... _carefree_ about the whole thing. Like he doesn't care. And if he doesn't care, then ... there was probably no point in me shooting that man.

'Oh my God,' I mutter to myself after a minute or two, looking over at the bloodied hand that didn't seem to get hidden very well. 'I've just-'

'Killed a man,' Kratos finishes evenly, dropping my weapon to the floor. 'We must return to Asg-'

'SHUT UP!' I scream, ripping my satchel off my belt and throwing it at him. It's the closest thing to me that could be thrown, and yes, I know I'm probably being unreasonable again like I was at the ranch. The Desian was a bad person, yes, but he was still _a_ person. Y'know ... he was just doing his job, and he was probably acting on Kvar's orders, and ... why am I realising this all now? Why not _before_ I shot him?

'Just ...' I mumble, grabbing my forehead. 'Just shut up. Please. I can't hack this right now.'

'Regardless, you are coming back,' Kratos says sternly, glaring once again. 'The Chosen will grow worried.'

'Screw this Chosen crap, what about me?' I say, trying to ignore the hand producing from the bush. 'What do you have to say?'

'I have nothing to say,' Kratos snaps, getting annoyed once again. For the love of GOD, we're back to square one. I might as well never have killed that man; we'd still be in the same situation – Kratos annoyed, and me babbling on about something that probably isn't even making sense. I've just killed someone that didn't need – or probably deserve – killing, all for an empty, pointless cause.

And you have no idea how guilty I feel right now.

'Can't you ...' I say, stopping abruptly. My voice is high, and with every word the lump in my throat gets closer to causing another tearful session of screaming. I take a deep breath, and try again. 'Can't you just ... just _care_, at least?'

Yes, I _am_ crying again, but I don't think he notices through the rain. It isn't much, anyway. 'I hate death ... I hate killing for a pointless cause ... I hate killing altogether,' I mutter, biting my lip. 'And I've just killed some innocent guy so you would ... I dunno, take _some_ notice at least ... at how ... how _hard_ I'm TRYING!'

Kratos seems unaffected by my little outburst. 'Trying.'

'Yes, trying,' I seethe. 'Ever since the Water Seal, I've been _trying_ so hard to get some positive acknowledgement from you, and each time, you just ignore me!' Yes, I am shouting again. 'I don't give a crap what you say about pushing against my limits, I've gone _beyond_ my limits for your attention, you heartless bastard!'

Kratos doesn't say anything, and that just seems to piss me off even more. I'm shouting so loud my throat is straining and my chest is becoming tighter.

'I've _killed_ four people!' I scream. 'Four! For you! And you don't CARE! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?'

'Harrison,' Kratos says sharply while I catch my breath. 'Shut up.'

That did it. '_YOU_ SHUT UP! _CARE_ ABOUT THAT MAN'S LIFE! KNOW THAT I – DID – THIS – FOR -_YOU-!_'

- I can't breathe.

... I seriously can't breathe.

I pause from my outburst and try to catch my breath, but nothing happens. I can feel my chest tightening considerably, and the best I can get is a small gasp that ... really doesn't help. I grab my throat to see if Kratos has cast any kind of spell or anything, or if there could be something trying to suffocate me, but it doesn't take me long to realise this has nothing to do with anything in this world, but more of my medical health.

I'm having an asthma attack.

And at the worst possible time – where I have no medication, and while I'm with a man who could use this as a leverage to kill me and get me out of his life. No one would ask questions if he told them I died of a medical cause, and ... he obviously won't help me.

And that makes me so very frightened.

'... Can't ...' I gasp, but that's all I can get out. I can hear William in the back of my head saying they're trying to sort this whole thing out, but they don't seem to be getting anywhere. Kratos is just ... oh, screw Kratos. Stop thinking and try to get your breathing in order, woman.

I place one hand on my chest and feel the tempo of my heartbeat, which seems to be racing right now. I try to breathe at an even pace, but I feel dizzy from the lack of air and ... well, I panic. I think I'm going to die, and I can't really seem to keep a straight line of thinking after that.

I thought my asthma would have calmed down here ... but apparently not. It wasn't best at home – everyone under my roof smokes, my hayfever effects it badly ... and well, I guess stress has been building up since I got here. This isn't going to be a good few minutes, I can assure you.

'- breathe ...' I manage, finishing my previous sentence.

Kratos ... well, he isn't doing anything.

That's probably the last thing I realise before I pass out.

* * *

... Eucalyptus.

I can smell eucalyptus from somewhere. I'm not sure _where_, but ...

Screw the eucalyptus, I'm feeling quite uncomfortable. Ow, my chest hurts ... and my head. And pretty much everything, really. I notice the tightness in my chest has loosened considerably, but I still feel a little wheezy. Hm ... I wonder how long I've been out for.

About an hour, maybe? Am I dead? Does Sylvarant's heaven smell like eucalyptus?

'... Kratos?' I ask, not opening my eyes. I don't get an answer, but I hear something move. It sounds like wood on a solid surface, but

... I'm not too sure. I _have _just woken up after all.

'He's not here,' comes an older, more gruff voice than the one I'm used to. 'But he'll be back soon.'

'... Where-' I try, but I get another shortness of breath. I pause for a moment, try to figure out how close the person talking is, try to get a grasp of my surroundings (which seems to be a rather itchy bed), and continue. 'Where is this?'

'I'm a doctor,' whoever it is tells me. 'Probably the only doctor in this city willing to help a half-elf, so consider yourself privileged.'

'I'll give you my thanks if I survive or not,' I mutter, still not opening my eyes. 'Where's Kratos?'

I hear a creak of a chair, and figure he's leaning back or something. 'He's gone to tell his comrades where you are, and where you'll be staying the night.'

'... I'm staying here?' I ask, my face probably a show of distaste. I don't really want to stay with someone I don't know for the night, and I'd much rather be at the inn with the others ... and the inn-lady. And Poker. Especially Poker.

'Depends,' the man mutters. 'If you can be bothered to stand and walk, then you could go back to them. If not, you stay.'

... Geez, he's stingy, isn't he? At this rate, I'd go back to the inn even if I _did_ fall unconscious again on the way back. I need to ask everyone what happened, too. Like ... is Raine going to do the whole altar-dance thing? Has she already _done_ it without my knowing? I could have been unconscious for two days or something, and they could all have left already without saying anything. Oh man.

I finally open my eyes after realizing the light in this room is only dim. It hurts a little, but I soon get accustomed to it. I notice I'm wearing my usual outfit, but ... I'm wearing a loose white vest instead of my normal shirt. There's also some kind of ... oil that's been rubbed over my breastbone.

'Eucalyptus oil,' the man explains, leaning back on his chair. 'It'll loosen your chest.'

'Oh,' I mumble, turning my head to get a good look at this person, whoever he is. He looks about ... fifty or so, square jaw, solidly built, greying brown hair and a weird-ass goatee. Looks like he used to be a soldier or something. Oh yeah, and he has one half of his left leg missing. Which would explain the crutch resting against the side of a table filled with bottles of ... somethings.

'If you're wondering about this,' he says, patting his left thigh. 'I lost it in the revolution.'

'... Asgard didn't take place in the revolution,' I state tiredly. The man grabs his crutch and pulls himself to his feet, walking over to another table on the other side of the room. I have to squint through the darkness to see where he's gone.

'I wasn't born in Asgard,' he says, making his way back with a glass in his hand. I listen to the soft thud of the crutch against the floor and flinch. I hate the thought of people without limbs ... I always have. It scares me, and every time I think about it ... I just consider the pain of having an arm or a leg hacked off. Yeah, it isn't nice. 'Drink this.'

I move back against the headboard a little and take a deep breath as he hands me the glass. It seems to be water ... so I guess I should just drink it. I gulp it down quickly, and notice how my throat hurts when I swallow. I make a face when I take the glass away from my mouth and gulp, trying to ease the muscles of my throat.

'Hurts,' I mumble, handing him the glass. He places it on the table and sits back down in his rickety chair, resting the crutch against the bed this time. 'So ... how do you know Kratos? Better yet, who are you exactly?'

'Walter,' he says, fiddling around with some random bottle on the table. 'Everyone knows Kratos around here.'

'... I'm sure they do,' I sigh. 'Desian massacre, eh?'

'Widely known,' Walter says, leaning his elbow on his good leg. 'Not sure why he'd decide to babysit the Chosen.'

I shrug against the pillow. 'I dunno. I'm just tagging along.'

'Quite a sight, though,' he says with a small chuckle, rubbing some stubble on his chin. 'When Kratos burst in with a kid slung over his shoulder, barely alive. My previous patient fainted.'

I snort. 'Well ... it _is_ Kratos.'

He leans back again against his squeaky chair. 'He's made quite a name for himself around these parts. Not a individual in Asgard who doesn't know what he's done. No wonder everyone is pent up.'

I shrug again. 'I'd figure they'd be more worried about why he's protecting the Chosen.'

'The priests are,' he confirms. 'The mayor himself wants to consult the Chosen and ask her about it.'

I raise my eyebrows and slink back under the covers. 'Overreacting, I'd say. Then again, I don't really care about the whole regeneration crap, so I don't have much of a say in this.'

It goes silent for a while after that, and I consider if I've said anything offensive. I only said I wasn't bothered about the Chosen stuff, but that'd be my personal opinion. I don't see how that could be offensive to anyone, and I don't think this person should be annoyed at all. He doesn't seem like the type of guy, but then again, I _have_ only known him for about ... five minutes.

'I doubt I could put my two-pennyworth in,' he says after a while, leaning a little bit closer. I can make out some scars through the dim light now, but I quickly pass it off. 'But an unbelievable amount of stress can cause someone to shift their beliefs. When I asked Kratos about what could have caused that reaction, he told me what you've been doing the past two weeks.'

I laugh dryly. 'Oh, he doesn't know the half of it. Along with killing people for his sake, watching a city get completely demolished, seeing horrible things in those places ... those _bodies_ ...'

My throat tightens again and I pause. I just shake my head and bite my lip. I'm not going to start crying again, partly because I don't like crying in front of strangers and I don't want to effect my chest in any way. I'm probably still recovering from that asthma attack.

'He's told me one half that seems to be good enough,' Walter says quietly. 'No one can force a belief upon your shoulders if it seems empty to you. If you get nothing from believing, there is no point. Not everyone can find salvation in the same place.'

I bite my lip harder, and feel the skin split. I taste blood, but ignore it. 'He doesn't care ... he doesn't care about how hard I'm trying.'

'I know,' he says, and I have to wonder about how much Kratos has told him. Probably about what happened before I lost consciousness, and maybe about how my stress has been building up from what he can see. He can't see much – I have a whole new level of stress that includes trying to cope in a world I'm not accustomed to, trying to live without my family and friends, trying to cope without the things I miss ...

'He may not care,' Walter says, standing after grabbing his crutch. 'But he does know what you're going through.'

I shake my head furiously, blinking back tears. 'He doesn't.'

'He does,' Walter assures me quietly. 'He knows how hard it is to kill for the first time, especially when you believe it is wrong. He knows the pain you're feeling.'

I doubt that. He doesn't know how hard it is to be away from the people you love, to be denied of everything you thought was real, to live a lie and be someone you aren't, he doesn't know, and I won't for a second believe he does. But then, of course, it hits me.

He _does_ know what it feels like. He doesn't have the people he loves ... the ability to live normally has been taken away from him, and he's lived a hard four-thousand years, he's living a lie and being someone he isn't _right now_ ... he'll never see his parents again, any human friends that he might have had during a childhood ... he's just had to watch the people around him grow old and die while he stayed that way. He knows what pain is, and screw it, he knows what my pain is.

I clutch fistfuls of the blanket at my sides and take a shuddering breath. '... This doesn't feel like salvation.'

Walter pauses and moves away from his chair, the wooden crutch echoing a dull thud around the room as he moves. 'I'll leave you alone for a while.'

I don't thank him. I just clutch one hand over my burning eyes and clench my teeth tightly, waiting for the sound of the door closing.

When a hollow thud confirms that, I just ... let go. I grab the sides of my face and just begin sobbing for all I'm worth. Agh, this should become a weekly thing for me. Just pile up the stress and let it out every now and then. But really, I don't think I've been given so much stress to carry in such a short space of time _ever_. I know these people put up with it, but for your average 14-year old Earth kid, it's a lot to take in.

I bite my lip and try to calm down when I feel my chest hurting again, taking a deep breath. Well, as deep as I can without shuddering with another sob. I should really thank Walter for leaving later on ... I wouldn't like to be crying around someone like this.

When I get calmer, I sit up and reach for the glass of water again. I drink a little and ignore the pain in my throat, carefully placing it back on the table when I'm done. I don't want to spill it, and the light here is still dim. I can't see very well.

I take another deep breath and rest back against my pillow. I think I should maybe get some sleep, or something ... I don't think my health will improve if I sit around and let myself get even more stressed. Though I doubt I'll be able to sleep through the stress I'm currently going through. Goddamnit, I want to go home so badly right now. So I can finally get away, and find a freaking inhaler.

I rub my throat and wince a little. It still feels sore, and it's really a wonder I'm not very dead right now.

"_Yeah, we're working on that," _William mutters. "_Stop whining. We've located you nebulizer, we just need to find some batteries for it to work. And we need to get like, ten minutes of alone time with you so no one can see it."_

"_You know how to cheer a girl up, don't you?" _I say sarcastically, but inwardly grateful they've found some form of medication. The hard part is having no one around while I'm using it. Upper technology, whatnot ...

"_Well, you might want to cheer up pretty damn fast,"_ Charis mutters, still tapping on her keyboard. "_Bastard mercenary incoming in five, four, three-"_

"_Shit,"_ I think, sitting up again and rubbing my face dry with the back of my hands. Before I can even start to calm myself down properly, there's a knock from a hall-way away. Walter obviously heard it, and quickly makes his way through the room without looking at me. I listen to the thud of his crutch get quieter until it stops, and the sound of two locks click. I can't hear what the two of them are saying from here, but I take that time to try and make myself ... not looking emotionally defeated? I dunno, my eyes are probably blood-shot and everything. Plus, I don't really want to see a certain PERSON right now.

'She's awake – just through there,' I hear from the other side of the door, and Walter seems to be moving ... further away from the room. No Mr Doctor-Man! Don't leave me with this freakin' psychopath!

The door opens, and of course, Kratos enters, looking ... pissed off. Oh shit, this is not good.

I don't say anything. I just lie back down and roll onto my side, away from him. Nothing is said, but a small rustle of a bag being placed at the end of my bed makes me glance down. I'm guessing it has anything I'll need for the night here in it, but I still don't speak. I just want him to go away.

After around ... two whole minutes of silence, I hear the chair next to my bed shift around. I'm guessing Kratos sat down, but I'm still facing the wall. Not talking, just waiting for him to go away, not keen on having another asthma attack. It takes all of my self-control to _not_ tell him to piss off, but I'm not wasting my breath.

... After another five minutes or so, there's still nothing. Kratos is still here, I'm still being moody, and Walter is still ... not here.

'Harrison-'

'Okay, look-' I snap, sitting up when I hear his voice. 'Why? Okay, why do you fucking hate me so much?'

Before Kratos can say anything, I continue. 'I'm just trying to survive here, right? I'm constantly _trying_ to avoid you, and _yes_ I'm aware that you don't trust and have almost killed me like, three times, but that doesn't mean that you have to be such a bastard all the time! _Yes_, I _do_ know you're Lloyd's dad, but who cares? I'm sure loads of people do. You don't have to constantly be trying to steer me away from the group in fear I might tell him, because I won't.'

Kratos still doesn't speak, so I rant on while I have the energy.

'I'm aware telling him would probably blow the guy off his feet, and you know what?' I snap. 'I've grown to consider him as a friend, and I wouldn't do that to a friend. So you can kick me off, you can beat me up, you can make me have fucking _asthma_ attacks, but I still think you're doing it for the wrong reasons.'

And with that, I go back to facing the wall. We're back to square one, and everything is silent. I don't know if Walter was secretly listening or something, but I hope he thinks a lot less of Kratos right now.

'May I finish what I was about to say?' Kratos says in a kind of sarcastic tone.

'Whatever,' I mumble.

'Harrison,' he repeats, standing. 'Lloyd and the Chosen will be here shortly. The Professor has agreed to take up place of the sacrifice at tomorrow's ritual, and is preparing with the previous sacrifice. Her brother is with her. They are currently aware of all that has happened, excluding the Desian's death.'

'Great,' I mutter. 'Anything else?'

'The Chosen is meeting the mayor of this city tomorrow with Genis and Raine before the ritual. Should you need either of them, that is where they shall be.'

I listen to him stand and walk the other other side of the room. The doorknob clicks as he turns it and prepares to leave. Then, he does it. He says those two words – those two words, that at any other time would have struck me senseless that they were directed towards me. Right now, I am shocked, but ... I don't seem to care.

'I'm sorry.'

And I still don't say anything when I hear him leave.

* * *

_'Hey, you okay?'_

_'Oh, Lloyd ... when did you get here?'_

_'Just now. Colette's talking to that old geezer in the back. He says you've been sleeping for hours.'_

_'I was not _sleeping_ ... I'm not that lazy.'_

_'... Pfft.'_

_'Don't laugh, you git!'_

_'No, sorry ... I wasn't laughing.'_

_'... Lies.'_

_'How are you? Kratos said you got into some trouble.'_

_'Trouble. Yeah. In short, asthma attack.'_

_'... What attack?'_

_'... Please tell me you know what asthma is.'_

_'... Nope, sorry.'_

_'Agh ... asthma is a chronic disease. It effects your lungs, and you can't breathe properly.'_

_'Oh ... that sounds pretty bad.'_

_'Duh.'_

_'Anyway ... are you coming tomorrow?'_

_'To the ritual thing with Raine? Sure ... why not.'_

_'Genis ... said he wanted everyone to be there.'_

_'... He's worried that something might happen to Raine, isn't he?'_

_'Yeah ... if anything should happen, he wants us to be there to help him fight.'_

_'... I don't blame him. Raine's gotta be that poor kid's only family.'_

_'He has us, too ... but the Professor is everything to him, and – are you crying?'_

_'No! I ... _was_ crying earlier. Just about something else, it's not about this. I'm not that emotional, geez.'_

_'Uh ... huh.'_

_'Stop doubting me, you big jerk!'_

_'Ow!'_

* * *

... Oh boy.

Okay ... I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do right now, so I'll start from the beginning.

When I was allowed to leave Walter's place, it was a bit of a shock when I first walked out onto the street. Well, what was left of it. I understood why Walter treats anyone he can – because he needs the money. He lives in the lower area of Asgard, which is ... a really depressing place. It seems almost like a slum, or a kind of shanty town down here. The giant abyss next to Asgard? I learnt that it gets bigger, and the people who live on the dangerous edge of the city are forced to live in horrible places like this when they loose their homes. Asgard seems to be a fairly poor city, compared to Palmacosta, so there seems to be a large gap between the people who earn their money and the people who ... _can't_.

And that graveyard I mentioned down the hill from the Asgard ruin? Walter told me it's for the people who lost their lives to the abyss crumbling away. Just thought I'd clear that up.

Anyway ... it scared me a little a first, having to find my way back to the higher part of Asgard. I was asked for spare change about ... five times by little children. I seriously couldn't do anything but give them some money. I'm now poor, just to say.

After that, it wasn't that hard to notice something was going on. Everyone in town seemed so ... uptight and edgy. An air of sadness, if you will. I don't see why – it's not ... whoever it is that's being sacrificed anymore. There shouldn't even be a sacrifice, but I guess they don't know that. Yet, at least.

Anyway, the whole city is depressing as of now. Great.

Since leaving, I'd visited the inn-lady to show I was okay and not dead. She was happy, Poker was happy, it was a very happy moment. She even gave me a home-made muffin. I mean, how awesome can one lady get?

After meeting with the lady who now makes me think of my mother, I just ... walked around town for a bit. The ritual is held in the evening, so I had a few hours spare. Whoopdie-doo. I didn't do much – went around a few shops, found nothing, except one thing that proved quite useful. At first, I thought it was a thin, small shin-pad, but when I looked closer, I saw it was actually a type of armour. I asked the shop-keeper about it, and he said you strap it tightly onto you lower arm, and it's like a mini-shield (or for those who can't be bothered to carry one around). Well, I bought it, but I doubt I'm gonna get a new weapon, seeing as these guns are "Desian technology". I guess the only chance of me getting another weapon is finding one in a Human Ranch. Not good.

Besides the point, everyone is all annoyed, depressed, worried, or – speaking for Kratos only here – not really giving a shit. Colette and Lloyd are concerned about Genis because he's constantly panicking, Genis is ... constantly panicking, and I haven't seen Raine today. I saw Colette and Lloyd at the inn when I went to see the inn-lady (who gave them muffins also), Genis was randomly wondering around town in a sour mood, and Kratos was ... also wondering around town. I didn't plan to speak with him.

Anyway, evening came quickly, and everyone in town continued to get all tense and worried. Not the I blame them – big sacrificing and big monster soon to go rawr ... it's gotta be pretty scary, when they know it's gonna want more sacrifices.

Sooo ... here we are now ... standing around the massive dais while Raine does her dance with like, half the freakin' town. In all seriousness, I would love to tell you about how Raine was dancing, swinging her ritual staff around with glowing lights streaming this was and that, but ... I can't really see, myself. I'm sure I mentioned earlier that the dais was quite big, and I'm still quite short there's no chance of seeing what's going on. I doubt anyone can, except Kratos. That ... bastardly tall person. Oh, and an exception goes to Genis, who can see fairly well now that he's sitting on Lloyd's shoulders. The sod.

Colette, to avoid a fuss, has gone around to the other side of the ruin and is peaking over the edge via her wings. The only people that can't see now are myself, and most likely Lloyd. He's putting up a fuss about having to carry Genis.

'Genis, would you _stop_ pulling my hair!?'

'Well, I _would_ if you didn't move around so much!'

'I'm trying to see too, y'know!'

'Stop letting go of my legs!'

Oh, they love each other really. I stand on tip-toe, but no avail. The only thing I can see is lights streaming everywhere, and the ritual staff being thrown into the air every now and then, only to be caught and swung around for the umpteenth time.

'I can't _see_, dammit,' I hiss, still dancing around on the spot and trying not to bump into anyone. It IS pretty crowded here. Kratos just shoots me a disapproving glance.

'You should go back to see Walter.'

I roll my eyes. 'I'm fine, seriously. If anything happens, I won't get in your bloody way. Shut up already.'

Kratos ignores me and turns back to the dais. Asthma wise, I feel fine. Charis and William chose to pop up in the dead of night with my nebulizer. I'm quite sure I'd never have to say this, but waking up at midnight and feeling quite groggy, then having a plastic mouth piece shoved into your face, and receiving a face-full of cold vapour ... it's not very nice.

But yeah, in short, I feel fine now. Again, asthma wise. I'm feeling quite bored and annoyed right now. Raine's been dancing for like, ten minutes, and it's starting to get dark. Wow, this has been a short day for me ...

Oh ... oh, something is happening! I think! Well, a hell of a lot more lights appeared and are now zooming around everywhere, so I think that means something. But my festivities are cut short – I may not be able to see what is now going on, but I hear this terrible _screeching_ sound that makes me recoil. Even Kratos flinched, and Lloyd almost dropped Genis again. I'm guessing it would be the monster ... and geez, I'm suddenly dreading this whole thing.

And before you know it, some people are screaming and running away down the steps of Cleo's Hill before you can say "what's that coming over the hill? IS IT A MONSTEEEER?" and the whatnot. Most people have stayed, Genis has jumped off Lloyd's shoulders (and probably broken Lloyd's neck in the process), Colette has already dashed around to this side of the dais, and Kratos looks like he wants to sit down with a nice mug of coffee right now.

'That isn't the seal guardian!' Colette exclaims. 'I'm not sure what it is ... but it isn't a servant of Cruxis!'

'Whoopdie-freakin'-do ...' I mutter, looking up at the dais and the ever-blazing lights. 'This will hurt, won't it?'

'Most likely,' Kratos murmurs as Lloyd and Genis scramble up onto the dais to aid Raine. Lloyd had to help Genis up, seeing as he's so short. Shorter than me, which makes me feel better inside. But anyway, Colette manages to get up using her wings once again (note that she had to return to the other side of the dais for this), and ... I'm kinda stuck here.

'I'm starting to wonder if we've ever had an ordinary day on this journey,' I comment, looking up at the dais. Kratos just draws his sword with a loud _shiing_, and gets a few weird looks from the people surrounding us.

'Doubtfully,' he answers shortly, gently shoving some poor man out of the way. Like I said, crowded. I take a more polite approach and squeeze past while repeated "excuse me" over and over. Of course, when I get to the edge of the dais, I have to wonder how the hell I plan on getting up there.

'You expect me to _climb_ this thing?' I shout up to the mercenary who has already gotten up there with little effort. He looks down, raises an eyebrow, and ... disappears from sight. Asshole.

'Thanks, bastard!' I yell, looking around. Dammit, how the hell am I supposed to get up there and fight? I can already hear swords clanging and spells being cast ... who knows, maybe they'll finish this without me.

"_Get your lazy ass up there,"_ Charis demands, slamming a fist on her desk. "_We're dying of boredom here."_

"_All the more reason to leave right now,"_ I mutter sarcastically.

When someone taps my shoulder, I jump a little out of surprise, but look around to see who wants to have a nice little chat while my friends are getting the hell beaten out of them by ... something.

Gasp! It's Harley!

'Heeey, you're the guy from yesterday!' I say, waving. I ignore his still-black eye. 'Hiya.'

'Need a leg up, kid?' he asks, dragging me to one side. 'Remember; I'm only helping you people to save my friend. I still have a grudge against you guys for a few things.'

'... Uh, yeah,' I say, observing his bruised face and knee. 'I'm guessing you do.'

'C'mon,' he says, linking his fingers carefully so they don't break halfway through the act of getting me up there. 'Time's a'wastin'.'

'Yes, yes it is,' I say, placing one foot on his hands. I manage to grab the edge of the dais when he pushes me up, and Colette seems to be at my aid and pulls me up the rest of the way. I admit – I winded myself a little doing that (hit my stomach on the edge, ow), but I'm fine all the same. Colette goes off to Angel Feather the bitch up, and everyone is proceeding to unleash hell and whatnot.

... Except Kratos. Who is ... glaring at me as we speak as he comes over.

'What are you doing?'

I blink a little in surprise. 'Well ... I was planning on helping you guys beat this dude up.'

Kratos just scowls. 'Get back down.'

'What!?' I exclaim, getting my guns out. 'I just injured about three abdominal organs on getting up here! I'm not about to jump back down again!'

'You are not fit to fight.'

I groan. 'Look, I'm _fine_, honestly. If I start having another asthma attack, well, that's my fault.'

Kratos just ignores me from then on with a shake of his head, going back over to kick the living crap out of mister ... Windmaster, I think it's called. I'm not sure.

Okay, let's have a look at this Windmaster dude. Well ... he's like a big purple ... dragon-lizard thing with horns, wings, and ... freakishly long, skinny arms and claws. I wince at the sight of his rubbery purple skin stretching tightly over his bones. Oh, and he can speak, apparently. And he doesn't have legs – instead, he has this massive, badass scythe that looks around the length of my whole body. I'll ... pass on getting hit by that.

While using Shockwave, I consult the two living in my head.

"_Hey, guys, when am I gonna learn a new tech?"_

William pauses. I think he was playing a video-game or something ... well, sounds like it. "_We were supposed to talk to her about that, weren't we?"_

"_Oh damn, yeah."_

I furrow my brow in worry, Fire Shot-ing the Windmaster. The fire-bullet does its weird homing thing and slams into a wing. Sadly, being a Windmaster and whatnot, he very easily puts the small flames out with some wind spell of sorts. Basta-

"_Okay, magic wise, you're gonna learn everything up to Grave, Thunder Blade, Eruption and Air Thrust. You know, given a lot of time and training."_

"_Alright ..." _I mutter, preparing Stone Blast. I think it's useful against wind monsters – I'm not too sure. "_What about my personal techs?"_

"_Again, we can't tell you about that. We CAN tell you that the next one you're going to learn might pop up in this battle."_

"_Oh, really?" _I ask, getting a little excited. "_Awesome_."

I decide to get back to fighting in hopes of leaning a new tech. I wonder if it'll be completely new, instead of an upgrade to one of my previous techs. Oh man, if it's an upgrade to Mana Blast, I'm sending it straight back to Charis and William via letter-bomb. I'll get it into my head somehow.

Ignoring the monster for the moment, loads of people are still crowded around the stone dais, gasping and muttering to eachother. Seriously – there's like, fifty people here. I recognise Harley and Linar, and the Mayor standing somewhere near the front with his two body-guard like people, and just a bunch of other people all watching us fight.

Ow, nerves.

While I power up Stone Blast again for a useful effect, I try to observe just what kind of monster we're up against. I make sure to cancel my spell and back away quickly when a gust of Wind Blade comes flying out of no where, almost sweeping me off me feet. I stumble a little at the sheer force of the attack, but for a change, it's not me who gets the worse end of it. It's actually Colette, who was floating around close to me. She goes flying into Genis, and the two of them topple to the floor in a less than graceful fashion.

The Professor seems to be healing up a small wound on her arm that she must have received before we all climbed up here to kill things, and it's the first time I notice her outfit. It's quite cool actually – I couldn't see it before because she had started dancing up on the dais before I came. But yeah, it's quite cool.

... Not sure it's too useful for fighting though.

I take another look at the monster we're fighting and gulp. Seriously, that scythe is not looking too pretty right now, and it looks freakishly sharp. I'm not sure I want to be hit with that.

But still, every little helps. Let's kick some ass.

I get as close as I can to the monster without having to face the fear of being sliced into two, and decide Shockwave won't be of much help here. Shockwave travels along the ground, and this thing seems to be constantly floating above the ground. I doubt it'd it him. My only choices are spells, Fire Shot, Mana Beam, and Mana Blast. And maybe my new tech, if I learn that this battle.

Anyway, Mr Scythe turns to me, and his eyes are seriously FREAKY, man. They're just all ... slanted, and the weirdest shade of blue.

But that should be the least of my worries – it's currently heading straight towards me.

'Oh ... shit!' I mumble, running for my life as it continues in my direction. Damn, that freak is _fast_. I shouldn't be running around so much, seeing as my asthma isn't that great right now. I take a deep breath, turn around, and shoot like crazy.

... Yeah, it's not helping.

'A little help over here?' I shout, backing up against the corner of the dais. Ho shiz, that is one long drop. 'Anyone?'

'Those who oppose the will of the Guardian of the Seal must die ...' the thing hisses. It's voice makes me shiver. It's rattly ... it reminds me of metal scraping against metal ...

... Wait, die?

'Not bloody likely,' I say, throwing a fist at its slim abdomen. To my surprise, it actually _does_ something, and the skinny prat coils over and wheezes. Running time, Charlie, before it gets back up. It's going to want revenge or something.

When I'm a safe distance away from the monster, I start some long-range attacks while the others attack, attack, and attack some more. Colette and Genis seem to be fine now after their previous ... crash landing of sorts. Raine is healing everyone, Kratos is obviously fine, and Lloyd is ... bleeding profusely from the upper arm. Ow, the scythe must have got him. Oh well, he's being healed up, so I can continue killing this ... monster-bird-lizard-dragon thing.

C'moooon, new tech.

"_Question,"_ I say to the people in my noggin, still shooting away. _"Is this new tech an upgrade of a previous one, or am I getting a new one?"_

"_Eeeh ..." _Charis murmurs. "_It's a BIT like one of your previous ones ... you'll have to wait and see."_

I frown, but continue fighting. I guess I'll have to keep working to find out. "_How come I just randomly learn techs? Like, don't I have to train every now and then for them?"_

"_To keep the complicated stuff low, we just introduce something new when we think you need it, or when we think you've worked hard enough."_

"_... Oh,"_ I mutter. "_So, like ... if I had some, uh, ultimate technique, something like Falcon's Crest or Holy Judgement, you could let me use that now?"_

"_Uh ..."_ William mumbles, while still playing his video-game. "_Well, technically, yes. But if you were to use some kind of ultimate tech, it'd probably knock you out cold for a while. You're not strong enough to use it yet."_

I pause, and shrug. "_Fair enough, I guess. Do I have a special technique like that?"_

"_Not spoiling the fuuun,"_ Wiliiam says in a sing-song voice.

"_That means yes!" _I declare, Fire Shot-ing the Windmaster. "_What's it called?"_

"_We haven't decided yet, now go away,"_ Charis orders. "_Kill that thing there."_

"_Oh fine,"_ I sigh, wondering if I should use Mana Beam. Other than those two techs that take away health and whatnot, Fire Shot is the only useful thing right now. I could wait until the thing is stunned or until it falls to the floor to use Shockwave, but other than that, I'm quite screwed. Unless I go over there and punch him again.

... Damn, it's heading at me again. I think it's taking turns attack wise to even things out, or he really doesn't like me. Not that most monsters do, seeing as I do the annoying act of attacking from afar. But yeah, it's coming towards me. I realise I'm still standing on the edge of dais, and I won't be getting away that quickly. This thing has incredible speed.

I decide it's too late when a scythe comes flying at my face, and throw my arms up in protection.

Instead of feeling my skin being sliced open and hearing to blood splatter all over the stone, I hear a sharp, screeching clang of metals scraping against eachother, and I see a few sparks stream in various directions. Oh yeah, the arm-guard I bought. I must have forgotten about that. But who cares, I'm saved!

... Do something, Charlie. He's still right there.

I decide to use Mana Beam, and ignore the draining feeling it has on my mana. I get it's left side, and it stiffens in pain for a few moments, giving me time to get away. Y'know, it's a wonder I don't fall unconscious under mana deprivation sometimes.

"_THAT we can tell you,"_ William says as I run to the other side of the dais. "_Now think – what happened to Kratos when he released all of the mana inside his body?"_

"_He got saved by Yuan,"_ I say, shooting the monster from over my shoulder.

"_Okay, if he HADN'T gotten saved."_

"_He'd have died,"_ I answer, frowning. "_Why_?"

"_Because in Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, mana can effect 100 percent of someone's body. Because you're from Earth, it only effects around 85 percent of your body. So, if you were to release ALL of your mana, you'd ... probably die, yes, but it'd take longer for you to die."_

"_... Wow, comforting,"_ I mutter. "_But I guess I'd have more time to try and save myself."_

"_Well, you'd be unconsi-"_

"_Shut up, William."_

"_The point is, mana-wise, you have a higher tolerance than others."_

"_... Interesting,"_ I murmur, shooting again. Everyone seems to be doing fine, but Lloyd looks ... pale again. Oh shit, he is _not_ falling unconsious halfway through battle. He's been doing a lot in this battle, but he's fading. Still, he's unleashing all he can on the Windbastard ... I have to wonder why he tries so hard.

... Or why I don't try as hard.

Meh, just kill the thing, Charlie.

Before I can do anything, the monster swipes the air with his long claws and creates something of a whirlwind ... small, but powerful - I can already feel the force, and I'm on the other side of the dais. Anyway, it kinda ... zooms to the centre of the dais, where the seal circle from the ritual is still glowing brightly. I wonder if it'll disappear when we kill this thing ... anyway, whirlwind. It's like, spreading.

'... Oh dear,' I mumble, when everyone begins to feel it's force. I'm considering staying near the edge, but I'm about to get blown off at this rate. If I go closer to the centre, I'm in more danger of getting attacked. Genis is clinging to Raine's arm against the wind, and Colette is holding one of the pillars at the corner of the dais. Kratos and Lloyd seem to be holding their ground quite well, and ...

... Yeah, I just got blown off the dais as the whirlwind expanded.

I pray that I don't crack my head open when falling, and instead of landing on the hard, less than comfortable-after-falling-a-long-way ground, I land on something else. Seemingly, a person. Well, they _are _all over the place right now. Me and whoever it is go crashing to the ground, as most people would at the impact of a teenager flying into them.

'Spine ... pain ... ouch ...' mutters the person underneath me. I have to crane my neck back to see who it is, and am met with a face-full of red hair.

'Hi, Harley!' I say, clambering off him. 'Sorry 'bout that.'

'It's okay, I know a chiropractor ...' Harley hisses, pulling himself up and attempting to straighten his bandanna. 'I'll need one after you guys have finished with me.'

'Right,' I say, straightening up. Damn, I need to get back up there. 'Leg-up, please?'

'I think I'll manage,' Harley mutters, getting to his feet, and rubbing his back. 'Ouch.'

Harley gives me another leg-up, and I struggle to get up this time. I _do_ manage to pull myself up to the surface of the dais, but it includes swinging my leg up as soon as Harley pushes me up. Ow, my joints ... stretching is really not my thing.

Well, everyone seems okay. Everyone except Kratos, who Mr Scythe has deemed the most threatening out of the group, and is now attacking ruthlessly. Krat-man is putting up a good fight though, guarding with his sheild cutting deep welts into the Windmaster's skin when the scythe isn't flying towards him.

I'd help, but the two of them are pretty damn fast. Even Genis is having trouble aiming his spells well. Oh man, what can I do instead of stand around?

"_That's what you do anyway."_

'Shut up,' I mumble out loud to William.

I think of a tech I could use, but before I can try, the Windmaster has decided Kratos is no fun anymore, and heads straight for Raine. It takes her a few seconds to notice there is a big scythe flying towards her, and she's caught off guard. Not good.

I hear simultaneous shouts of "Professor!" from the others and have to close my eyes at the last second to avoid any gore that would make me hurl. I hear blood splatter onto the stone alter, and resist cracking an eye open to see just what has happened. I'm getting too many visions of what _could_ have happened, and I'm being reminded of what happened to Kratos back at the Water Seal. The worst has happened, I know it. Everything is silent, except for the howl of the wind and a few rippling murmurs from the people below.

I open my eyes.

And it's not even the Professor slumped on the floor with a bloodied gash sliced into her back. It's Genis.

Lloyd, despite his weakened condition, lunges at the Windmaster. The two of them skid away from the wounded Genis and the shocked Professor, and Lloyd lands a powerful blow on the monster's ugly, slanted face.

But like I said, Lloyd isn't as strong as he usually is right now. The monster throws him off with such a raging force that Kratos has to grab him so he doesn't go flying off the edge like SOMEONE did, self. Colette zooms over to see Genis, and the Professor is healing like I've never seen her heal before. The green glow of mana around the wound is so bright, and I can't look for long without my eyes hurting.

'Look out!'

I look over at Lloyd, who shouted. 'Wha-'

Before I know it, the edge of the scythe zooms past my ear, almost taking it off. Instead, I have to settle with a gash in my shoulder. I feel blood running down my bare arm and immediately grab the wound with my other hand, trying not to shout in pain. I utter a few high-pitched swears as I sink to my knees, still keeping a firm hold on the wound.

Seeing as the Professor is too busy healing up Genis, Kratos is the one that comes to help while Lloyd goes for the Windmaster once again, and boy, is the monster pissed off. Don't get your head chopped off, Lloydie.

'Move your hand,' Kratos orders.

'It hurts ...' I hiss, still gripping hard.

'Move it,' he repeats in a darker tone, and I immediately drop my hand to my lap. Kratos has to push the strap of my shirt back to see the wound properly, and uses First Aid quickly to heal it up. I bite my lip as he does so and ignore the feel of his healing mana course through the wound. It tickles, weirdly.

'You'll be fine,' he say after a second First Aid to make sure, getting to his feet. 'Stand up.'

'Considerate bastard, aren't you?' I mutter, holding the scar. It still stings a bit ...

Kratos picks his sword up from the floor, turning to the monster currently unleashing all it can on poor Lloyd. 'Stand or die, Harrison. It's your choice.'

I scowl and get to my feet. Geez, why am I even _here_? I'm staying in Asgard, so why am I risking life and limb with stuff that doesn't concern me anymore? I'm not trying to get Kratos' acknowledgement anymore, because he's made it quite clear the I'm not getting back into the group. So why am I trying so hard?

"_New tech,"_ William interrupts. "_Blitz Bullet."_

"_Lightning based, this time?"_ I ask.

"_Think Fire Shot, but yeah, lightning. Just raise your guns above your head, and the tech will to the rest. Focus on who you're attacking."_

'Fine,' I mutter, looking over at the Windmaster, currently attacking the two swordsmen and Colette, who has decided to enter the fray. 'Blitz Bullet!'

The force actually brings me down to one knee as streams of blue lightning burst out of the barrel of my gun. They soar up into the air to get bigger, it seems, and the zoom straight towards Windmaster, lightning crackling and coursing through it's body. It's screech is terrible, and makes me hold my ears.

"_FYI,"_ Charis says. "_You have a unison attack available with Blitz Bullet." _

"_Really?"_ I ask. "_What is it?"_

"_You can only use it with Kratos, and it's called Blitz Spear. He'll need to use Light Spear."_

"_Does he know it?" _

Charis pauses. "_Well, yeah. In the game, part of the fun is training people up to learn their techs. Now it's reality, Kratos knows everything that won't be too suspicious. Like, he can't use Judgement around you guys, or anything. After a while, he'll probably start using more powerful techs and pretend he's learnt them on the journey, just to make it persuasive."_

"_So what, he knows everything?" _I ask. "_Geez_ ..."

I shoot a few times instead of wasting mana, and the Windmaster looks like he's being brought down good. I can barely see the rubbery flesh anymore, it's dripping with blood so much. Even so, Lloyd looks worse. I can see a small line of blood trailing down his chin from the corner of his mouth, and a cut close to his hairline, dripping blood down his face. He looks a complete wreck, but some people look worse. Genis still isn't fighting fit right now.

... And this Windmaster is freakishly fast. No one can touch him now.

'Bastard-mercenary!' I shout, running over. 'Unison attack? We're getting nowhere.'

Kratos gives me a look of distaste as if I certainly wouldn't strengthen his own attack (insert need to kill him here), but he glances over to Lloyd still fighting with everything he's got. It isn't working that well.

'C'mon, even _you_ know he's not going to last much longer,' I say, motioning to the younger swordsman who's been giving his all since we started. Poor thing has been working too hard, but we all love him for it. 'Let's just finish this so he can rest.'

'... Very well,' Kratos murmurs. 'Do you know what you're doing?'

'Hm ... do you know a technique called Light Spear?'

'Yes,' Kratos says. 'And you?'

'Blitz Bullet,' I say, holding up my guns. 'Blitz Spear?'

'Get ready,' Kratos says. I focus my mana into my guns, which like the last time I used a unison attack, begin to glow, getting warmer under my hands. I notice Kratos' sword doing the same. I think Kratos will be the one doing the actual attack, seeing as the light coursing over my guns is fading, and his sword is getting brighter.

I flinch and try to not back away when there's a loud spark, and suddenly Kratos' sword is surrounded by crackling lightning. He dashes at the Windmaster before it can slice Lloyd into two, and leaps, bringing his blade down on the monster's head.

'Blitz Spear!'

I regret that I watched, but the Windmaster's skull splits with a sickening _crack_, and blood spurts in all directions like a fountain of red. I can only assume Kratos is covered in it, there's THAT much. There's a loud scrape as the scythe wobbles against the stone floor, toppling over with a growl.

I take a deep breath and use my knees for support, glad that it's over. I ignore the cheering from the crowd that Colette tends to, and Raine picks up an unconsious Genis. Lloyd, after getting healed up by Kratos, goes to see his wounded friend. I wipe some blood off my arm and bite my lip at the amount of blood altogether on the dais. This has been one gory battle ...

When Kratos walks past, he stops for a moment. I wait for the usual small insult, maybe "you should concentrate more", or maybe "you should train your magic skills", something like that. It's true, I should be training my magic more. I can't have people coming over the First Aid me when I'm capable of doing it myself. I'm still waiting.

He glances over at me for a second, and I look back up.

'You did well.'

... THAT I wasn't expecting.

I cough and straighten up. 'Thanks to you, I guess. Blitz Spear and all.'

Kratos doesn't say anything more, and just continues away. The two in my head are whispering away at eachother, and I feel ... well, proud of myself, kinda. Because when you look at it from a simple view ...

Kratos just _complimented_ me.

That, for some reason my friends, scares me. Just a little bit.


	45. Father and Son

IT'S ALMOST APRIL, STOP SNOWING, FOR THE LUURVE OF GAHD.

Yo yo, homies. Three notices that I think are SO OVERWHELMING IMPORTANT that I think you should be informed.

1) I think a mentioned a few chapters back that my friend introduced me to a song called Rewrite (and I find it weird that I hadn't heard it before, seeing as it's the fourth opening to FMA D:), but seriously, I looooove it. I waited for my mother and sister to leave the house yesterday and just started dancing around like a complete lunatic while listening to it, cartwheeling around the house and whatnot. I think I ripped like, two ligaments, but I had fun :D I suggest you all do something like that at some point. It's fuuuun But I think I mentally scarred my cats. Anywaaay

2) ... With Rewrite, Inner Universe has been BURNED INTO MY BRAAAAAIN AGAAAAIN. And, uh, No Bravery by James Blunt. But I listened to Inner Universe aaaall the way back from London. And London is a far away place from my little city D: Oh! Which reminds me Y'know Lloyd's title "Peeping Tom"? I found out that phrase actually came from the city I live in :D I know it's a small, small accomplishment for me, but still. This city isn't that popular.

3) SOMETHING ODD HAPPENS AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER. VERY ODD.

Anyway, I had a Flash trail, but it kinda ran out D: I made a gazpacho flash for the lulz, and if anyone wants to see it, it's on my DevArt account. The link should be in the profile Plus, before my trail completely ran out, I just ... grabbed everything I'd made over the month and shoved it together, thew in Rewrite and ... yeah. I don't know if I should post it up or anything, but it's got some TWC things in it. Because I was bored.

Oh, and thanks for all your suggestions:D Really helped a lot! I have to say, I'm still confused about it myself, because even though I know how the story is gonna unfold, I don't really know how the relationships between Char and the others will go, be it better or worse. I guess we'll all have to wait and see.

Right, this is the last chapter for Asgard. Seriously. They've been there for five days and five chapters, it's time to LEAVE. And Char will be ALL ALONE. ALONE. ALOOOONE. Pity for the Charster.

Oh, one more thing I need help with, real quick. Obviously, Lloyd's group are gonna want to go to the Wind Seal, but after the Wind Seal is completed, Luin is destroyed like whoa. And I had like, a bazillion things to happen in Luin. I'm panicking heeere ... should they go straight to Luin and then the Wind Seal? Or should they Wind Seal, and ... I'll attempt to try some last minute plan to make it that Luin gets destroyed later on? Ahh, panic!

...Okay, this chapter focuses more on what happens between Kratos and Lloyd. When they're in Luin, it'll focus a little part on Lloyd and another unnamed individual :D And no, it won't be Char.

ONWARDS.

* * *

Chapter 45 – Father and Son

'... I can't feel my spine right now.'

'I'm sure it's still there, Lloyd.'

'Yeah, but ... I can't feel it or anything.'

'The feeling will return soon.'

I'm trying not to laugh at the conversation Kratos and Lloyd are having. It's extremely amusing. Hang on, I'll explain what happened since the fight.

Well, we think Raine has taken Genis back to the inn, but she completely disappeared before we could find her through the crowd. Instead of Raine, Colette had a short talk with the mayor and told Harley and Linar she'd come to see the Map of Balacruf they found soon. When the crowd thinned, Lloyd ... kinda lost it. I mentioned how he wasn't looking too well in battle, and it seems his illness is kicking in again after all this time. Colette and Kratos were obviously worried, but I found it strangely amusing at how dopey he was acting. Like just now, for instance, with the whole spine thing. I think he's about to fall unconscious, but I'll have my fun until then.

Colette went on ahead to tell Raine about Lloyd's problem, and Kratos has been forced to give Lloyd the piggy-back treatment because the poor lad can't walk in a straight line for more than five steps.

While everyone is doing that, I'm just being the amused person that I am while I watch Lloyd slumped over Kratos' back like a lifeless doll. But obviously he's still awake. Well, just.

'K ... hey, Kratos ...' Lloyd mumbles, fumbling with his words.

The mercenary just sighs for the umpteenth time. 'Yes, Lloyd?'

'Y'know, you have ... really weird hair.'

'I commend your power of observation, Lloyd.'

'Okay ... but it like, sticks up and everything ...'

I shove my fist into my mouth at this point. Kratos doesn't answer to him this time, and just carries on walking while I trail behind by a step or two.

'... My hair does that sometimes,' Lloyd mumbles into Kratos' cape, his voice getting quieter. 'Y'know, like ... um, sometimes.'

'I'm sure it does, Lloyd.'

'Hey ... hey Charlotte, does your hair do that ...?'

I snort and look over at Lloyd. 'No, mine just stays down.'

'Oh ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'Kratos' hair stays down a bit ... d'you think if you put me and you together ... you'd get something like Kratos ...?'

I pause for a second. 'I don't think so, Lloyd. Somehow, I just don't think so.'

'... 'Kay ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'Kratos, your hair is tickling my face ...'

'We are almost there,' Kratos sighs. 'I'm sure you can hang on until then.'

'... Sure,' Lloyd says, sounding more tired. I think he'll be asleep by the time we get to the inn at this rate. '... Kratos?'

'... Yes, Lloyd?'

'You smell like cinnamon.'

Kratos doesn't answer again.

'... I think your hair would taste like cinna-'

'Don't even think about it, boy.'

'We're _heeeere_!' I declare, pointing to the inn. 'I can finally lie down ... hey, Lloyd, you can go to bed now.'

No answer.

'Lloyd?'

Still nothing.

'Irving!'

'He appears to be asleep,' Kratos murmurs, looking up at the sky. 'The darkness must have made him tired. It's getting quite late.'

I look up. 'Oh ... right.'

I open the door for Kratos, seeing as the man has his hands full, and wait for him to enter with a now unconscious Lloyd before entering myself. I notice the inn-lady sitting at the desk, and she smiles at me, and even at Kratos. Gasp – the people are starting to like Kratos. That's a good sign, I guess. But aside from the people of Asgard, there's always that one being who will love Kratos, murderer or not ... whoever he is, that being will love him no matter what.

Poker.

Said cat comes soaring down the stairs and makes a mad dash for Kratos' shins, which he begins rubbing against in a fond, loving fashion.

I start laughing all over again.

'I will take Lloyd to his room,' Kratos says, gently shoving the cat away with his foot. Poker is taking none of that, and practically latches onto Kratos' leg. He rubs up against it, paws at it, and tries to curl up on his foot.

'... Okay, you deal with that,' I say, pointing at the ball of ginger fluff currently perched on Kratos' foot. 'And I'm gonna go make some coffee.'

I leave Kratos to deal with the cat and the motionless Lloyd on his back, and the inn-lady decides to give him a hand by tending to Poker. I make my way into the dining room, and decide I don't want coffee. I'll do that sometimes – want something, go to make it, and then not want it in the end. Gasp ... I think I'll just go to bed soon. I'm exhausted, but for now ... bleh.

I take a seat at the table and think on how _today_ has gone. Well ... everything was fine except for the battle with the Windmaster. I don't really think I gave it my all ... I was too busy talking to Charis and William constantly than actually doing much. I wasn't paying very much attention until the last few minutes.

... But oh well. I paid for that with the wound on my shoulder.

Speaking of wounds, I wonder how Genis is doing. Poor little guy must be exhausted ... and other than that, I hope Raine is okay. I know from experience, as everybody does, worrying is hard. I should go see her later ... try and cheer her up. Every will be going to see Genis and Raine, but like I said, every little helps, right?

... The two people in my head are still talking.

"_Guys, you've been nattering since we left the Asgard ruin. Will you shut up already?"_ I hiss. "_I have a headache."_

"_Sorry," _William says. "_But still ... Kratos complimenting YOU is pretty damn weird."_

"_Yeah, I guess," _I mumble. "_I don't think this is anything to get excited over though. Everything he's done to me and vice versa ... well, you can't just shrug that off with a battle."_

"_I know that," _Charis sighs. "_But even if you guys still hate each other, at least some of the murderous tension has gone down, right?"_

"_Hmm ..." _I mumble. "_I know I can't just start liking him, because ... well, everything he's done to me. I can't just let that go, and I doubt he can either. It's not going to be smooth sailing from here just because we worked together ... I mean, look at the Palmacosta Ranch. We worked together then, and it's been worse than ever."_

"_I see what you mean," _William answers, and it sounds like he's gone back to playing his video game. "_But you gotta admit ... not feeling-wise, but fear wise. You may still hate him, but you're not as scared of him as you used to be, are you?"_

I snort and lean back on my chair. "_After you guys told me he knows all this techs and everything? I'm now going to live in fear of being Light Speared in my sleep."_

William pauses. "_Well, we tried."_

"_We did," _Charis agrees. "_But hey, you'll like people, and you'll hate people. You like Lloyd, you hate Kratos. You like Colette, you're not fond of Genis. You like the Professor, you're ... not liking Sheena right now."_

"_Not after that Life Seal incident, no," _I mumble. "_Right, you guys shut up. I have a headache still."_

Without answering, they immediately quieten down. I rub my eyes and decide a cup of warm milk over coffee will do me good ... I really want to get an early night if I want to get up tomorrow. My plan? Well, it's going to be hard to say goodbye to these guys, so I'm gonna wake up before anyone else and leave first. I'll probably go and see Walter until they leave the city, and when they do ...

Well, I don't know what I'll do. Going back to Palmacosta isn't a good idea, because that'll eventually be destroyed. I'm sure when, but it will. Luin will be destroyed pretty damn soon, so I've got no chance there. I don't really like the thought of sticking around Asgard though ... I just want to go home, really.

Charlie's mood meter just went _dooooown_.

I'm not sure what happens to my mood when something makes me jump out of my skin. A cup randomly appears in front of me, the words "Cat Lover" printed on the side.

"_Feeeeel beeeetteeeer ..."_ the two in my head chant simultaneously. I peer over the brim of cup to see warm milk almost filled to the brim, and thank them silently. Might as well make the most of these small luxuries I don't get often. Being in Sylvarant and all, living with no electricity or anything.

_Dooooooooown _goes the mood meter.

I whine to myself and drink my milk for a while. Until of course, the door opens, and everybody's favourite bastard mercenary walks in, looking tired himself.

'Hey, asshole,' I say over the brim of my cup, waving. 'How's Lloyd?'

'Not looking too well,' Kratos murmurs.

'And are Raine, Colette and Genis up there?' I ask, finishing off my milk.

'Yes,' Kratos says, walking over to the counter. 'Genis' condition isn't worsening, but the Professor would like to watch over him for the night to make sure. There will be a short change in room arrangements.'

'Fair enough,' I say with a shrug. 'I take it Raine trusts you enough to let you make sure Lloyd doesn't get worse in the night?'

Kratos fills a small glass with water. 'It would seem so.'

'You still hate me, don't you?'

Kratos pauses with the glass, probably considering how to phrase his answer. I have a small idea, but I'll wait for his own answer before making assumptions on what he would say. I doubt his answer will be any different from what he would have said if I asked him this yesterday, maybe. I doubt he'll answer at all.

After a while, I just stand, not bothering to take my cup to the sink. I walk around the table and head to the door, deciding to go to bed. Lloyd's asleep, Genis is asleep, and I'm guessing Colette is with the Professor right now. I'll get to sleep before she starts getting ready for bed, and hopefully I'll wake up bef – wait, she doesn't sleep. I'll just have to be very quiet sneaking out in the morning.

When I pull the door open, I get my answer.

'I've simply learnt to tolerate your attitude,' Kratos answers, still facing the counter. 'I've learnt you have reason in your actions. Though your actions are pointless and dangerous to yourself and those around you.'

'Fair enough,' I sigh, stepping out into the hallway. 'G'night, asshole.'

I don't get an answer.

------------

_'Professor, are you okay?'_

_'Yes, I'm alright.'_

_'You sure? You look kinda pale.'_

_'It's probably stress.'_

_'... Maybe. Um, how's Genis doing?'_

_'He's improving. He's awake now, but-'_

_'Oh, can I go and see him? I want to say g – I mean, I want to talk to him.'_

_'Alright ... but don't be too long. I want to get him back to sleep soon so I can treat the wound on his back. He'll put up a fuss otherwise.' _

'_Oh ... and he's in no condition to be smacked right now, I take it. But anyway, it's a real shame you left so early. You have like, a bunch of fans now.'_

_'I ... is that so ...?'_

_'Yep! Methinks Linar has a small crush on you.'_

_'D ... don't be ridiculous ...! Besides, I'm not searching for a spouse.'_

_'... You're blushing.'_

_'... I'm not.'_

_'Riiiiiiiight. Well, I'm gonna go see Genis now.'_

_'Alright then.'_

_'... Professor and the-male-population-of-Asgard sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-'_

_'Stop that!'_

_-------------------------------------_

Geeeeeeeeenis!' I call, pushing the door of his room open. Wow, this room is sickeningly plain. I notice the smaller half-elf sitting on a bed pushed up against the wall, wearing a bandage around his middle and a sour look on his face. Oooh, I wonder if I should just turn around and leave. He doesn't look too happy to see me.

'Oh, it's you,' he says. I raise an eyebrow.

'Yes, it is me,' I reply, walking over to his bed. 'It's absolutely amazing. So, how are you?'

'Fine, before you came in,' Genis says, leaning back on the headboard of his bed and wincing slightly.

'Oh come on, I know you don't mean that,' I say in a sing-song voice. 'What's up, little guy?'

'Not much,' Genis yawns. 'I'm not allowed to leave the room until I'm better.'

I make a face and sit down on the chair beside his bed. 'Hm. Sucks for you.'

Genis doesn't answer this time, and carefully attempts to lower himself into a lying down position without causing the wound to ... open up and bleed everywhere, I guess. Poor little guy ... I don't like him that much, but hey, it's Genis. It's not like he's Kratos or anything. I hope he gets better soon, and yes, I'm quite aware my annoying presence isn't helping him that much right now. Oh well ... I'll want to tell him goodbye and then I'll go somewhere else. The reason? Well, I'm leaving in the morning, aren't I? I'm not going to see everyone again, so ... yeah. I'll just disappear, leaving nothing but a sense of confusion ... like a _ninja_.

... Damn, I wish I was a ninja.

'Well, you get better soon, you hear?' I say, standing. He probably wants to sleep. 'And Genis?'

'Hm?' he looks up. 'What?'

'... Just ...' I mumble, trying to find the words. I can't say goodbye directly, because I don't want them to know I'm leaving. One of them is bound to get up in the morning before me if I say anything. 'Just ... take care of yourself a little better, okay?'

'... Uh, okay,' Genis says slowly, raising one eyebrow. 'Well ... I'm gonna try and get to sleep now, so-'

'Get the hell out, right,' I say, backing away towards the door. 'Well, bye.'

Genis just mumbles something which I don't hear, but I leave anyway, closing the door behind me. I take a deep breath and lean back on it, looking up at the wooden ceiling. Okay ... one down, two to go. I'm not gonna say anything to the Professor, because she'll probably pick up on what I'm trying to do, and ... screw Kratos. I never liked him anyway.

... Right, find Colette, Charlie.

I walk down the hallway to the room we're sharing and knock first. She could be ... changing, or something. I don't know. The door opens, and Colette is standing there in all of her pyjama coated glory. I'm suppose she's getting ready for bed ... I guess I should wrap this up quick, go and say goodbye to Lloyd, and then hit the sack. Everyone is probably getting to sleep already, and my plan won't work if they're all awake.

'Heeey, Colette,' I say, waving. 'Going to bed?'

'Yep!' she says brightly, smiling. 'You should, too. You look exhausted.'

'Oh ...' I touch the space under my eye and wonder if I have bags there or something. Hm, unappealing. 'Yeah, I will soon. I'm just gonna go see how Lloyd's doing, then I'll come back.'

'He woke up a little while ago,' Colette says, smile fading. 'Is Genis still okay, too?'

Poor Colette. Her two best buddies are all ill and such. I nod anyway. 'Yeah, Genis is fine. Wasn't too happy to see me though.'

'He must be tired,' Colette mumbles. 'Um ... he said something about how the Professor's healing spells add more mana to his mana ... circulation passages ... and it's making his head hurt a lot ...'

She pauses.

'I think.'

I just shrug, remembering how I learnt about the mana points in the body back when we spent the night on the Thoda Geyser. Probably something to do with that ... oh well, I guess it doesn't matter. All we need to know is that it has something to do with mana, and Genis' head is in pain from a mana overload or something.

'... Don't worry, I don't get it either,' I say, waving a hand. 'Anyway ... I'll be leaving pretty early tomorrow morning to see an old friend, so if you hear me falling down the stairs and banging around, that'll be normal.'

'Oh ... okay!' Colette says, nodding. 'I don't think I've met any of your friends here ...'

'Eeeh ...' I mutter. 'They're usually busy, so I'm gonna see my friend tomorrow morning before they, uh ... go to ... work.'

'Um ... wouldn't that be really boring?' Colette asks. 'Not seeing your friends all day?'

'I'll live,' I say, shrugging. 'Well, I'm gonna go see Lloyd before he crashes out for the night, so I'll be back in a minute.'

'Okay!' Colette says, stepping back into the room. 'I'll see you in a minute.'

I just nod and turn to walk back down the hallway. Hopefully, she'll be feigning sleep by the time I get back, and then everything will be a lot easier to do. Saying goodbye to Lloyd will be hard enough, seeing as I had a lot of fun hanging around him, and ... well, I'm gonna miss him. A lot, I guess. If there's anyone in this world I had to choose to be stuck on a desert island with, it'd probably be Lloyd. He could like, keep you safe _and_ amused at the same time. That's just awesome. You know, if he isn't falling unconscious at random intervals and whatnot.

... Right, which room is it again? I think it'd be his and Genis' old room ... yeah, Genis has the private one-bed room so he can heal up all nice and good without raging headaches to get on his nerves. Raine'll be taking care of him in case something happens, I guess. Like, if Yuan jumps in through the window and Genis is unable to defend himself, Raine could kick his ass. Colette and I are sharing our room, and Kratos is making sure Lloyd will be okay during the night, too. I'm sure Raine would like to take care of both of them, but ... yeah, Genis.

... Okay, to the now all-empty-but-Lloyd bedroom. Kratos is still downstairs, I think.

I knock before entering, and I get an answer calling for me to come in. Hey, I guess Lloyd _is_ awake. Not that I doubted Colette at all, but ... y'know, he could have liked ... crashed out, or something. Or gone back to being dopey Lloyd. I hope he doesn't try to eat my hair.

I step in and look around. This room is much more appealing the the plain one Genis is stuck in. It has a wooden _duck_ on one of the cabinets. I mean, geez.

... Right, I'm here to see Lloyd, not the duck.

'Heeeey, Lloydie,' I say, waving and the swordsman seated on the bed closest to the door. He's wearing his pyjamas, so I'm guessing he'll be going to bed soon. I should really go to bed myself, but I need to make the last time I see these guys nice, at least. 'You feelin' okay?'

'Yeah,' Lloyd mutters, sitting up. 'Well, I do _now_. I can't remember much of what happened after the battle ...'

I pause. 'Trust me, Lloyd, it's a good thing you don't.'

It's Lloyd's turn to pause. 'I ... think I'll just take your word for that.'

I nod. 'Good man.'

'Well ...' Lloyd says after a second or two. 'You look exhausted. You should really hit the hay soon.'

I roll my eyes. 'Everyone keeps saying that.'

Lloyd just shrugs, running a hand through his hair. 'Well ... I guess everyone is beat. That Windmaster-guy wasn't exactly a piece of cake. We got our share of injuries, too.' He looks up. 'How's your shoulder?'

'Oh, that thing,' I say, touching the cut. 'Eeh, it's fine. Doesn't hurt or anything. Wish I could say the same thing for the others.'

'Genis?' Lloyd asks, his face falling slightly. 'How is he, anyway?'

'Annoyed,' I state shortly. 'Well, at me, anyway.'

Lloyd just grins at the mention of his friend's condition. 'He hates being smothered by Raine.'

'Well, I would too, I think,' I mumble. Right, I'm totally going off topic here, and ... my head hurts, my eyes are heavy, my kneecaps hurt (no, I don't know why), so I'm gonna patch this up real quick. I know this is the last time I'm gonna see him and all, but if I stay any longer, I'm gonna get all emotional. I left Genis early for a reason, and he would have Icicle'd me if I started sobbing into his shoulder.

'Well, I'm gonna go to bed now, so uh ...' I say slowly, trying to find the words again. I don't really know what to say this time. 'Uhh ...'

'Oh yeah, did you want something?' Lloyd asks, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. 'What's up?'

'Nothing, really, I just ...' I trail off for a few moments, and Lloyd raises an eyebrow. I don't really know what to say without making myself all upset again, so I'll keep it as ... neutral as possible.

'Is something up?' Lloyd asks, looking a little bit concerned about how I'm constantly pausing. I'm trying to decide how to say goodbye without saying it, I guess?

'Can I ...' I mumble after second, keeping my eyes fixed on a random plank of wood on the floor. I'll regret asking such a question later later on, and probably punch myself a few times for it, too. '... Can I have a hug?'

The three second of silence that follow the sentence are probably the longest few I've ever waited in my life. Lloyd raises an eyebrow again, and decides to wear a rather unappealing look roughly translating as "what the _shit_?". I almost flinch. Almost.

'What is it with you and hugging people this week?' Lloyd sighs, rubbing his left temple and getting to his feet with a short, quiet groan. 'Alright, c'mere before I loose the feelings in my legs.'

I just kind of ... walk over, wrap my arms around his middle for a few seconds and skip away, feeling slightly better, if not a little saddened. When I finished crushing his spine, Lloyd sat back down again, dragging up the covers from the middle of his bed.

'Alright then, I'm gonna try to sleep a little,' he says, lying back down. 'You should too.'

'Yeah, yeah,' I mumble, backing up towards the door.

'Goodnight,' Lloyd yawns, turning over in his bed.

'Goodbye,' I say, stepping out and closing the door.

-----------------

Morning comes quicker than I thought it would. It may have been effected by the number of nerves coiling around my stomach all night keeping me awake, or it could be the fact the mother nature has it in for me. The bitch.

I stir, lifting my head from the pillow with a small mutter of discomfort. I must have slept on my stomach again ... so now I can't feel my arms. Should I ever sleep on my stomach, my arms will somehow worm their way underneath my pillow so I'm clinging to it tightly. Sure enough, I've lost most feeling in my arms, which are now red and have welts in them from the creases in the back of my pillow. Great.

Do you know what's even worse? I look outside the window, and I can't see the sun. Just glares of sunlight shooting down through the leaves of the trees, and birds making a quiet racket outside. I soon come to realise that I can't see Colette anywhere either.

It's _fucking midday_.

'No, no, _no,' _I scold myself, shooting up (and probably snapping my spine to some extent while doing so). I double check, looking around the room for any sign of Ms Chosen, but it's highly unlikely she'll jump out of a wardrobe or anything. I flinch at the amount of cramps that are being told to snap to attention so early, but dammit, this is an emergency. Of sorts, I guess.

I feel around for my clothes that I probably threw at the end of my bed, and sure enough, I have a pile of black and mauve sitting at the foot of the blanket. I attempt to change into the at least three times, getting my shirt inside-out, my trousers back-to-front and wrong-legged. I fall over at some point, probably alerting anyone downstairs. With any luck, it won't be Lloyd or the others. Please say they've already left Asgard, pleaaaase ...

I try to put on my socks and shoes while bursting out the door, hopping around and trying not to fall over again. In my other hand, I've grabbed a hairbrush which I then drag through my hair once and leave it halfway to hang so I don't have to multi-task. I'm not good at multi-tasking.

I make sure to have gotten both socks on before attempting to thunder down the stairs, because I'd undoubtedly fall over, or do something that would result in vast amounts of pain. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I drop my shoes to the floor and step into them quickly (almost falling over again) and race to the kitchen, grabbing the doorknob. I forget to twist it, so I end up bruising my already injured shoulder when I ram into it. I pause for a second, waiting for the sudden shoots of pain to travel around my arm before pushing it open, _begging_ to any kind of god up there (okay, Charis) that there isn't anyone here.

'Morning.'

My face falls. '... Morning, Lloyd.'

'What's with the long face?' he asks, leaning back in his chair. I notice he has a cup of coffee (I think it's coffee) and there's a plate of toast in the middle of the table. I'm guessing it's cold, seeing as it's around midday.

'It's just a morning thing ...' I mumble, walking over to the opposite side of the table. He nods as I sit down. 'I just woke up.'

'Yeah, Colette said not to wake you,' he says. 'Apparently you were up all night.'

'Eeh ...' I mumble, resting my head on the table. 'So ... where's everyone else?'

'Oh, they're all out. Except Genis,' Lloyd answers, drinking some more coffee (I swear, it's coffee). 'The Professor went to Linar's house to decipher some map-thing, Colette went to see the mayor again, and ... I don't know where Kratos is.' He drinks some more. 'He'll be back.'

'Yes, I'm sure he will,' I yawn, reaching for a newspaper. Let's see if I can learn anything interesting about Asgard today. 'So, are you going to tell me what the hell happened to your face?'

Lloyd just blinks, looking very confused and a little insulted. 'Huh?'

'Dude, the right side of your face is bruised and cut,' I say, peering over the edge of the newspaper. You can't see much, but you can see a cut or two and some darkening bruises on his right cheek near his ear. 'Did you fall over or something?'

'It ... must've been from yesterday, or somethin' ...' Lloyd mumbles, touching one of the cuts.

I just shrug, going back to the paper in my hands. 'Hm. Where's Poker?'

Lloyd frowns a little at the mention of that cat's name. 'Kratos' bed. It was scratching at the door all night until Kratos let it in. Then we -'

He pauses when I give him a long, unamused look.

'Uh ...' Lloyd answers quickly, fumbling with his words. 'Uh, nothing.'

I just sigh and run a hand through my hair, glaring slightly. 'You went out training, didn't you?'

Lloyd doesn't answer and starts circling the edge of his mug with a finger in a kind of nervous manner. I keep staring at him when he averts his stare to what's left of his morning drink. 'Well ... we kinda had a little fight, but ...'

He looks up a little to notice I'm still glaring.

'Okay, fine, we went out training after that,' he sighs, drinking his coffee again. 'Happy?'

'No!' I say, throwing the newspaper at him, which he catches quickly before his drink can spill. 'You could have fallen unconscious again!'

Lloyd wrinkles his nose. 'That's what Kratos said.'

I groan, flopping forward onto the table and reaching for my newspaper that Lloyd warily hands back to me, just making sure I don't throw it at him again. I open it up at a random page and start scanning the various articles and whatnot. 'So ... what did you guys fight about?'

Lloyd pauses, placing his mug back down on the table. I consider snatching it for coffee sake, but decide not to. I'll make my own in a minute. 'Well ... he said he was going out training, so I asked if I could go along.'

I just stare at him. 'You fought about _that_?'

'No, not _that_,' Lloyd groans. 'Kratos said something about me not being well enough, and that the place he was going to could be dangerous.'

'... That's fairly logical,' I mumble, skipping a few articles on tourist information for later this week. 'Is that why you fought?'

'... Kinda,' Lloyd mumbles. 'I got a little angry, and he ... got really angry.'

I just nod slowly. 'By any chance, did he shove you up against the wall?'

Lloyd blinks. 'How did you-'

'I heard a bang in the night, and then I heard you shout something. I thought you'd just walked into a wall or something, but ... meh,' I say, reaching for Lloyd's mug. He pulls it back quickly before I can get my fingers around it. Dammit, want coffee. I never get a high from it, but it's nice to have in the morning.

'I think I would have preferred walking into the wall,' Lloyd mumbles. 'My shoulders hurt.'

'I'm sure they do,' I say, eyeing his mug over the brim of the newspaper. Hey, it's called "The Guardian". I could have sworn we have a paper called that back on Earth ... or maybe Charis is using this for a humorous sake. I dunno.

'... I said something about his son.'

I immediately drop the paper to the table with a thud. I don't know why, but I'm glaring again. '_What_?'

Lloyd glances back into his coffee cup again. 'I said ... that he probably wouldn't be as protective of me if I didn't remind him of his son.'

I just stare at him, and I think this is one of the first times I've actually been properly _angry_ at Lloyd. All of the times Kratos has been unfair and arrogant to me? Ignore all of that for now. I feel sorry for him again, just as I did when I was playing the game back on Earth. But Lloyd saying _that_ to him? My sympathy goes to that man, bastard or not.

'... You retard,' I say shortly, folding the paper over to the front page. 'Do you have _any idea-_'

'I know, I know,' Lloyd groans, tugging at his fringe. 'It was a stupid thing to say-'

'_Stupid?'_ I snap. Whoa, I'm snapping. 'Try to think about how Kratos felt after hearing you say that – you're probably the only one he cares about in this group, whether you remind him of his son or not.'

Lloyd doesn't answer.

'He sees you as a student, too,' I say, continuing. 'You're learning from him, aren't you? You should be happy to have him around, not throw insults at him because you remind him of someone he cared about! You know what?'

He looks up from his coffee, only a little bit.

'I look up to you as a brother,' I say, folding my arms. 'An older brother. Do you judge me for that? Just because you remind me of someone I would have loved to have around as I was growing up? I couldn't have that, because my brothers decided to get thrown in jail for a number of things.'

Lloyd looks away again as I say this.

'So I never had that,' I say. 'I have _something_ like that now, but I never had that. Kratos' son? He's dead.'

He flinches.

'If you told me to stop looking up to you as a brother, I'd be fine. Insulted, but fine,' I say, picking up my newspaper. 'Think about how Kratos feels.'

Lloyd doesn't say anything for a while, and I don't either. I'm a little shocked at myself for snapping at Lloyd, seeing as he's probably the only one other than Kratos I've ever done that to here. Kratos doesn't count, because he's an ass in general, but giving Lloyd a thorough telling off is something I didn't think I'd be doing here.

'Didn't you ...' Lloyd mumbles after a second. 'Say you were an only child?'

Shit.

'I was bought up without my brothers,' I lie, flipping through the newspaper while feigning calm. 'I just ignored them, and I just saw myself as an only child. I don't like talking about them, so its easier to just say I'm an only child.'

'Oh ...' Lloyd says. 'Sorry.'

'Good,' I say. 'Now go apologize to Kratos.'

Lloyd pauses again. 'I thought you didn't like Kratos?'

I just pull a face. 'I may not like him, but I still have pity for the man. I know what's right and wrong. And what you said-' I look over the end of my newspaper '- was so many flavours of wrong.'

'I ... I don't know where he is,' Lloyd mumbles. 'Noishe has gone too, so I can't use him to track him down.'

'Bless,' I say, flipping past an advertisement page. 'Animals love that guy.'

'Yeah, I guess they do,' Lloyd sighs, sucking on the brim of his cup, deciding to change the subject before I shout again, or something. 'What're you reading?'

I raise an eyebrow at a small article aimed at teenage girls and straighten out the newspaper before reading it aloud to Lloyd. '"What does your underwear say about you?"'

Lloyd doesn't say anything, but the look he's giving me is enough. I look down the list of colours and then the description of how you're supposed to feel on the particular day.

'C'mon then, what colour are your undies?' I ask, lying the paper down on the table while Lloyd glances down momentarily, tugging at the brim of his trousers.

'Uh ... they're black,' Lloyd answers slowly.

'Okay,' I say, looking for the colour black on the list. 'Ah ... "Today you're feeling quite sexy, and you should ..." ... okay, we're stopping there,' I say, looking up. 'You don't want to do what it thinks you should.'

Lloyd just nods quickly and drains the rest of his coffee cup, hopefully not considering what the colour of his underwear is compelling him to do. If he is, well dammit, I'm running straight for the hills. Fast. Anyway, ignoring our apparently-sexy-beast from the other side of the table, I check my own description for the day and look up grey. They're actually grey with multicoloured stripes on, but grey will do. Right, it says I'm feeling down today. Well, yes, yes I am. I said my kind-of-goodbyes to them all _last_ night, and by the looks of it, they'll be leaving _tonight_. Why, sweet lord, why?

'Err ...' Lloyd mumbles after a moment. I look up from the list of underwear colours and raise an eyebrow.

'What?'

'You ... have a hairbrush stuck in your hair.'

I reach for the hairbrush I left tangled in a knot of hair and wrench it away from my bed head with a small groan. 'Bloody hair.'

'You shouldn't have overslept.'

'It's not my fault I have a bed-head ...' I mumble. 'You should have woken me up. You ... mean person, you.'

Lloyd just shrugs. 'Well, I've gotta get going. The Professor wants me to talk to the doctor that treated you the other day.'

'Ah,' I mumble, browsing over a notice for a festival soon to be held in Asgard. 'The whole thing with last night?'

'Yeah,' he sighs getting to his feet and stretching his arms over his head. 'She's worried.'

'Ah well,' I yawn, ruffling my hair quickly before deciding to drag the brush through the nest that sits atop my head. 'She does all the worrying for this group. I'm sure she means well.'

Lloyd grins slightly. 'I guess so.'

'Anyway ...' I mutter, folding up the newspaper. 'Are you sure you should be seeing him? I mean, there are probably better doctors around. Living the those run-down areas of Asgard can't be very ... well, y'know.'

Lloyd just frowns a little. 'I know, but have you seen how much they charge for just a check up? That guy's probably the cheapest place in this whole city, even if he is a loon.'

'Loon?' I ask, reaching over the table and grabbing Lloyd's empty cup to make myself some coffee. 'How'd you work that out?'

'The guy has three windmills on his roof,' Lloyd says, running a hand through his hair. I find it amusing how his hair stays up, but his fringe is persistent to flop back into place. 'It looks like it's about to cave in at any second. I'm surprised you didn't hear them creaking in the night.'

'I was asleep most of the night,' I answer, getting to my feet and rinsing the cup out at the sink. 'And I though it was just the wind.'

'Well, I'll probably see you later,' Lloyd says, pushing his chair under the table. I would have answered him before he left, but I was too busy considering something he'd said previously. I'm still considering it now, even as the water from the tap is overflowing the cup I'm holding. I jerk away when the cold water drips over my skin, but what he said ...

Three windmills? Walter has three windmills on his house?

"_If you want to know more about what Kratos has done ... you should visit a man who lives in the lower area of Asgard. His house has three small windmills, you can't miss it._"

So ... Walter is the one who knows a lot about Kratos, I guess. I probably should have asked him _something_ while I was there ... I found it a little suspicious how he talked of Kratos is if he knew him ... but I guess it can't be helped. I'll talk to him tomorrow when they've left Asgard, and hopefully clear up some confusing things. The thing about Kratos that is annoying me the most right now, along with the other new things I haven't been able to figure out, is the goddamned bandage around his chest. The one I saw before the Water Seal. It still hasn't been explained, and it's starting to freak me out a little.

"_Don't worry, all will be clear soon,"_ Charis says from inside my head. I get a sudden sense of déjà vu, and the cup I'm holding gets heavier. I notice it's now full with coffee. Hm, Charis is being strangely nice ... it's scaring me.

"_What's up with you two?" _I ask, sitting back down at the table. "_You're being oddly nice the past few days."_

"_Sympathy roll," _William says. "_But don't worry about Kratos right now. He's probably the least of your troubles."_

I pause. "_Oh god, what now?"_

"_Nothing_," William says. "_But something bad is bound to happen after they leave. You'll be on your own, and I wouldn't put it against Cruxis to kill you off once the others are out of the way. Yggdrasill's determined about this Chosen, so he's going to extreme lengths to get what he wants."_

"_Because I'm TOTALLY capable of screwing up his plans,"_ I say sarcastically, drinking some coffee. "_Geez ..."_

"_Well, Yuan has it in for you, too," _Charis sighs. "_With the whole stabbing thing."_

"_Whoa, she STABBED him?"_ William exclaims from up there. "_Nice_."

"_Guys, seriously,"_ I whine. "_I regret that. I'm so screwed, and it's all Charis fault."_

"_Hey, you would have died if I didn't give you that knife."_

"_Phleh ..."_

"_Anyway, ignoring your inevitable and bloody fate,"_ William interrupts. "_We're due for another conversation. Get your ass up to bed and go to sleep."_

I frown, but stand with my coffee cup in hand. "_Fine, but make it quick. I have one more thing to do before tomorrow, and seeing as I slept in, I won't have much more time to do it."_

I ignore two groans of protest and the warning that I'm only getting myself into more trouble if I try something else. I try multi-tasking, carrying a steaming cup of coffee while dragging the brush down my hair so I look slightly presentable. I doubt there'll be any need for it – I'm going to talk to Charis and William, and then ... I don't know what I'll do. Target practice? I'll probably need it, but there might be some Desians still around. I doubt I could take a grown man with a whip by myself. Ah well.

When I reach my room, I look around again for any signs of life. The only people around here are Genis and Poker, and they're both is different rooms, so that's useful for me. If Genis comes in at some point, I'll just look like I'm asleep or something.

Before I can even _get_ to the bed, I feel a thick, warm dizziness wash over my. I blink rapidly and attempt to stumble over to the now triple-vision bed before I topple over to the hard floor, most likely alerting Genis.

I manage to grab the blanket at the bed's corner, but everything fades into a fuzzy mess. I slip to the floor, blanket in hand, and wonder if the thud awoke Genis in the other room.

----------

When I finally come to my senses, I hear the buzz of computers around me and crack an eye open to see the all too familiar screen the size of the wall. I guess I'm in Charis' computer room, but it now looks like more computers have been added. There are two on the other side of the room that don't seem to be on, Charis is sitting at the large main computer, and William is in his corner playing Symphonia-Invaders again.

'Okay, ow,' I say, sitting up. I notice I've been placed in the uncomfortable chair again, like the last time I was dumped inside my own head. I still don't know how that works, exactly. I'll try not to think about it.

'Just give me a minute,' William says, blasting little pixel-Yggdrasills off the screen with pixel-Lloyd's Demon Fangs. Charis spins around in her chair, and I notice she's wearing a short yellow dress today with a tacky sunflower slapped in the centre. William, by the look of it, is still in his pyjamas, which are ... Noishe-print. Okaaaaay then.

'Morning,' Charis says, saluting. 'Good afternoon really, but whatever.'

'... Right,' I mumble, nodding. 'Right, let's chat.'

'Hang on, I'm on level ten ...' William says, leaning in closer to the screen while tapping buttons non-stop. 'C'mooooon, Lloyd, kill it ...'

'I swear, I will blow that thing up,' Charis says, pointing at it accusingly with a distasteful look. As quick as a flash, the screen previously littered with a vast amount of Yggdrasills zips into a blank, black nothing. William spins around in his chair, grinning widely.

'Right, we talk now.'

'Yes,' Charis says finally. 'We'll be staying in here for computer reasons, but other than that, we can talk about whatever you're worried about and ... stuff.'

William nods at Charis. 'Except some things, so ask logical questions. Like, ones you know we can answer.'

'... Well, what exactly happened last night with Kratos?' I ask. I'm not really keen on messing around with stuff that actually _matters_ right now, because I need to pluck up enough courage to ask things that may or may not get me into more trouble. I'll start with some easy questions.

'Ah, with him and Lloyd?' Charis asks. She motions to the massive screen behind her, which is now showing an image of the Asgard ruin from above. 'We could show you, if you like.'

'... You can do that?' I ask, glancing from her to the computer. 'Awesome.'

'Yes, yes it is,' Charis says, spinning in her chair again. She types in a few numbers and a few phrases I don't catch, because they all seem to be fading as soon as she types them in. I quickly consider telling her to stop, because ... well, it's like an invasion of privacy, isn't it? Lloyd could have left out something that he didn't want people to know, so if I do this now ...

... Well, I don't think it'd matter, really. I can't say anything about it, because obviously I'm not supposed to _know. _If ... that makes sense at all.

'Now we just have to find out where it is,' Charis says, bashing one last button. Another image pops up, and this time I recognise it at Lloyd and Kratos' room back at the inn. Obviously it takes a few seconds for that fact to sink in, because the image is very dark. It _is_ night-time, after all. But with the aid of the candles on the walls around the room, I can make out the outline of most things after a second or two.

'This thing here will take a little while,' William says, pointing to the screen as Kratos begins to move around. 'So before the important stuff happens, you're gonna want to know a few things.'

'Um ... sure?' I says, looking from him to the screen. Charis seems a little worried too, so I'm guessing something is definitely up. I just hope it isn't as bad as other things that have happened so far.

'Well ... you'll see them have their little spat here,' my Gamecube says, pointing to the screen, where Lloyd seems to have woken up and is now talking to Kratos. Nothing too vicious right now, so that's good. 'Kratos will leave, and Lloyd will leave a few moments after.'

'After that,' William says, frowning a little. 'You ... really don't want to see the rest.'

Of course, my brain soars in several different directions at his words. Oh man, what could happen? I know from experience you _really_ don't want to get on Kratos' bad side. Sure, Lloyd is his son and all, but ... that's different than most circumstances. Kratos hasn't seen him in fourteen years, Lloyd's grown up without him, and ... well, Kratos can't really call him his _son_ anymore, can he? Would that make any difference to what would happen if someone pissed of Kratos to a staggering extent?

... And then I remember the bruises and cuts on Lloyd's face.

'Did Kratos ...?' I ask, motioning to the right side of my face. 'Did he do that to Lloyd?'

There's a pause, and William looks over at Charis. 'You know, she's smarter than you make out.'

Charis just pulls a face. 'Ignoring that, yes, Kratos did do that to Lloyd.'

'... But why?' I ask. 'I mean, I've mentioned stuff like that loads of times, and he's never really gone that far.'

'Yeah, but this is _Lloyd_,' William corrects. 'Lloyd. Lloyd the idiot. Lloyd the idiot who happens to be the spawn of Kratos. And yes, it probably did hurt the man to hear him say that.'

'And judging by what's about to happen, he didn't take it very well,' Charis says, staring at the screen. 'He's far from emotionally fragile, but I guess things built up after time and just let out.'

True ... Kratos does handle his emotions well. He could probably stay calm in a freakishly alarming situation, but I agree with the stress build up thing. One person can only endure so much, even if it is a 4000 year old bastard mercenary.

'Okay, they've started chewing out on eachother,' Charis says, leaning back on her chair. 'Observe.'

I turn back to the screen. Lloyd is standing next to the door, probably indicating that he really wants to go out training. Despite the fact I'm on Kratos' side for this one, I can kind of understand where Lloyd is coming from. He usually gets the whole "must train harder" thing after an incident like that happens, with the whole fainting, Genis being injured, and whatnot things. But still, he should know where to draw the line.

'I told you before, it isn't safe,' Kratos says, his voice stern. 'Stay here and rest.'

'I'm _fine_,' Lloyd protests. 'You can _see_ I'm fine, so why can't I come?'

'Because it isn't _safe_,' Kratos snaps, getting irritated with Lloyd's attitude. I'm still with Kratos here – if he's going where I think he's going, then there are probably Desians snooping around, trying to find out why the dead one didn't come back. If they found his body, they're not going to be happy, and seeing as Lloyd really isn't in any shape to be fighting right now ... well, you can see where I'm going with this.

'Haven't I proved I can take some measly monsters already? Geez ...' Lloyd grumbles, pouting. Kratos doesn't seem amused, and just glares.

'You've proved you can pick up a sword and swing it, and that you are indeed improving,' he says, walking over to the door and glancing down at Lloyd. Difference in height can effect an argument, and yes, Kratos is freakishly tall. 'If I believed you could take on the fiends in the area, then I would let you come. But I doubt you could, especially in your condition.'

'Fine,' Lloyd says, rolling his eyes. 'I'll just follow you alone. It worked before, didn't it?'

Kratos, probably getting _reaaally_ pissed off and annoyed right now, does the whole "shove-Lloyd-against-the-wall" thing I've been expecting from the start. He twists his arm and pushes him against the worn wood by his shoulders, and Lloyd shouts in protest. Not loudly, but ... I heard it from my room, didn't I?

'Do that,' Kratos hisses, and Lloyd scowls through the pain in his shoulders. 'And I'll knock you out and drag you back here, boy.'

And ... then it happens.

'You wouldn't be doing this if I didn't remind you of your son, would you?' Lloyd says with a glower. After that, and after seeing the look on Kratos' face ... I really don't know. I just feel so sorry for him right now, and Kratos hater or no, you would too. Ugh ... _why_ did Lloyd have to go and say that? Sure, he regrets it now, but ... _why_? Kratos really didn't deserve that ... he deserves a lot of things, including a kick to his saints when I can get the guts to do so, but ... not this.

Kratos doesn't say anything, but I notice Lloyd flinch the the grip on his shoulders tightens considerably. Kratos lets go of him, and once against turns to the door. I think he'll just leave without a word, like he does with every other conversation. Oh, but not before the final few words from Lloyd.

'I'm right, aren't I?' he mumbles. What happens next ... screw Lloyd, it makes _me_ flinch, and I'm not even there – even Charis and William jump a little. Kratos, without a word, throws his fist at the wall next to Lloyd's head. I can hear the wood crack and split noisily under the sheer strength of the blow, and see small splinters and chunks of old wood clatter to the floor. Lloyd's eyes are wide, and he doesn't look like he's about to risk moving an inch. I can even see his hands shaking, if only a little. Hell, if Kratos did that to me, I probably would have fainted. And it's Kratos. _Kratos_. The person that doesn't show emotion. For this to happen ... well, it'd freak anyone out.

When Kratos removes his fist from the now damaged wall, I note three things. One – the wall has a nice big jagged dent, two - Kratos' knuckles are bleeding, and three – I just had to put a hand on Charis' chair to make sure I don't collapse. Well ... if you saw the look on Kratos' face, you would too. I've seen people glare. I've seen Kratos glare. I've seen Kratos glare when I've broken his basic limitations and made his super pissed.

The _look_ he's giving Lloyd now makes my knees weak, and it's not even directed at me.

Without another word, Kratos leaves, and slams the door behind him. A loud click indicates that it's been locked from the outside, and Lloyd still hasn't moved from his position against the wall. After a moment or two, he glances at the crack in the wall when a thud of a plank of wood hitting the floor alerts him. I don't know if he notices the blood or not, but he walks over to Kratos bed (which would be the nearest) and sits down, running a hand through his hair with a sigh.

I really hope realisation is sinking in fast for him – I know I say mean stuff to Kratos all the time, but I know when to stop, and most of it he really doesn't acknowledge. Plus ... he doesn't mind that much. We hate eachother, so of course there's gonna be some insulting here and there. But between those two, it's different.

Lloyd notices something on the small cupboard beside Kratos' bed, but I can't get a good look at it before Lloyd picks it up. I squint to see what it is, but it's dark, and whatever he's holding is pretty damn small.

... Oh wait, it's that statue. Remember the one Lloyd gave to Kratos when we were in the ranch as a present? Yeah, that one. Y'know, I completely forgot about it.

I think ... that was the time Kratos first told Lloyd about his "son". I think – I can't quite remember. I remember not hearing, but I think Lloyd mentioned it to me at some point.

After a few moments of staring at the small statuette in his hands, Lloyd drops it to the bed and slaps two hands to his face. 'Aaaaw, man!'

With that, he jumps up, strides over to his bed, grabs his swords, and heads for the window.

... Wait, the what?

'Is he gonna jump out of that thing?' I ask, pointing and glancing over at Charis.

'Yeeup,' she says, folding her arms. 'Don't worry, this is the guy that jumped off a freakin' cliff back in Iselia.'

Lloyd swings his legs over the ledge and leaps out, while Charis sorts out the camera settings, so it'll follow him. I notice Lloyd stumbles a bit when he hits the floor with a small 'whoa ...', but he's dandy other than that.

'So ...' I mumble, as Lloyd legs it to the front of the inn. 'Can you guys see what's going on at like, any time? Anywhere?'

'... Yeah, pretty much,' William says with a nod. 'Comes in handy. No, you can't use it.'

'You suck,' I accuse, thumping his head. 'But ... have you recorded everything? Like, since I came here?'

'Yep,' Charis says, still toying with the camera settings while Lloyd is still trying to find Kratos.

'So ... if I needed to see something, or was suspicious of something, I could see it here?'

'... Yep,' Charis repeats.

'... Can I do that?'

'Only if it's urgent,' Charis says, frowning. 'We need to record everything just to see what's changed because of something that might have happened.'

'Butterflies and hurricanes,' William adds with a nod. 'One thing can change everything.'

'Dude, stop getting all philosophical on me,' I grumble. 'You're freakin' me out.'

'S'true,' Charis says with a nod. 'All you did was crash through a school roof, and look where we are now. Things you've done have effected people, that in turn has effected other people, and so on. It never ends.'

'Eeeh ...' I sigh after a second. 'I doubt it's all my fault.'

'Indeed,' Charis mumbles, bashing the enter button to confirm the settings of her invisible cameras. 'Lots of things have changed. And I mean lots. Even in Tethe'alla.'

I pause for a second. They can see what's going on in Tethe'alla? Screw that, they could probably see what's going on in the Renegade bases, or even ... that place where the angels live. I can't remember what it's called, but yeah, that place. They can seriously see _anything_, and even though I could just easily use that to some kind of advantage ... I can't. It's ... really frustrating, I guess.

'... So, what kind of things have changed in Tethe'alla?' I ask, leaning over Charis' chair. My legs are beginning to hurt. 'Can I see while Lloyd is busy?'

'It's gonna take Lloyd like ... five minutes to find Kratos, right?' William says, glancing over at his partner. 'We could show her something in that time, couldn't we?'

Charis wrinkles her nose as if she doesn't like the proposal. '... I guess.'

'So, what do you wanna see?' William asks. 'C'mon, we ain't got long.'

'... Zelos,' I say with a small grin. 'Though everything has changed, I'll bet he still wears pink.'

'... When you first saw, Zelos, you thought he was a girl, right?' Charis asks, chewing on a pencil that seems to have come from nowhere.

'Yep.'

She snorts. 'You're in for one hell of a surprise.'

'Surprise me, captain,' I say, saluting. Charis leans over the keyboard and begins typing, and I'll say now, she types freakin' fast. After a few seconds, another image pops up of what I can only imagine is Meltokio, and ... it'll probably remind me of home more than anything in Sylvarant will, save for the Renegade base. It looks so much more modern than Sylvarant ... there are just so many buildings and people. It's like Palmacosta, but bigger. Obviously, Meltokio is the capital of Tethe'alla, and ... it's pretty damn big. Seriously. Nothing like in the game.

Then, of course, I get this surprise of sorts.

Of course, there is Zelos with his long red hair and usual pink duster of sorts, with ... several women. Two of them are hanging from his arms, about three or more are just crowded around him. It's too hard to tell, because there are so many people.

... Ignoring his bitches for the moment, Zelos is ... uh ... really ...

'Handsome, isn't he?' Charis says with a grin. 'Damn, I'd like a piece of that.'

William just snorts loudly. 'He wears pink.'

'Jealous,' Charis mumbles, sounding as if she's enjoying this greatly. William explodes at her with various shouts of "I'm not jealous!" and "I'm twice the man he'll ever be!" and more "he wears PINK!"

'William!' I snap after a moment. 'Yes, he wears pink, no, you're probably half the man he is, and yes, dammit, you are jealous.'

'I'm not jealous!'

'Okay, we all need to chill!' Charis shouts. 'Chill. Have a break. Grab a KitKat, shut up, and sit the frick down.'

'Yes ma'am,' we say simultaneously, plopping into our chairs. Well, William does. I have to settle with the arm of Charis' chair.

'... He's still handsome,' Charis says with a smirk, leaning back in her chair, and William just scowls. 'I mean, look at him. Tanned, muscular, tall ... Lloyd's a bloody vegetable compared to him.'

'I think Charis has a crush on someone,' I whisper to a sulking William, but I'm then abruptly shoved off the chair. Ow, the floor.

'I've lost all feeling in my elbow,' I say, standing back up. I notice the picture of Meltokio is now gone, and we are back with a night-time Asgard. Lloyd looks a little out of breath right now, and he's probably been searching for ages, because it's begun to rain. Heavily. I think he knows where he's going ... he's just forgotten how to get there.

'How far away is he?' I ask, leaning on Charis' chair again. She just shrugs in reply, so I continue to watch Lloyd as he searches. He's probably entered the forest where all the training goes on, because it's dark and there are damn trees everywhere.

'Dammit ...' Lloyd hisses, pausing to catch his breath. 'Kratos! Where the hell are you ...?'

'Did I not make myself clear earlier?'

Lloyd jumps at the voice from behind, and I do a little, too.

Sure enough, under the shadow of a tree, Kratos stands against it with his arms folded, and looking as pissed off as he was before leaving the inn. Man, if he's still in this mood today, I'm glad I haven't seen him yet. When they leave tomorrow, I might be able to avoid him completely before they leave.

'... Right, are you _sure_ you want to watch the rest of this?' William asks. 'Sure?'

'... I'm sure,' I mumble, leaning on Charis' chair.

Back to the dark outskirts of Asgard, Lloyd has finally found Kratos, Kratos is pissed off, and we're all awaiting what happens next. Which ... shocks me a little bit, to be honest. Okay, think back to the time when Kratos punched the wall. Get all those nasty images in your head ... the blood, the splitting wood, the force, all that. Yeah. Good.

He just did that to Lloyd's stomach.

Well, needless to say, Lloyd crumples to the floor with a 'nngh' kinda noise, and I just stare.

'You wanted to train,' Kratos says, stepping over to the open area where my old targets are. 'Get up.'

Lloyd, after coughing a little, manages to get shakily to his feet. I'm surprised that he's able to stand after that, especially when you consider what it did to a wooden wall. He wipes away a small line of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth and straightens up.

'I didn't come here for that,' Lloyd says, following Kratos. I notice how he makes the wise decision of keeping a few meter distance in place, seeing as he could easily get hit again. I wouldn't put it against Kratos not to. 'I came to-'

Before the words are even spoken, it happens again. Now, I know I don't pay much attention to things, but I don't think even Lloyd saw it coming. I didn't even see Kratos move that much ... he was just there in front of Lloyd when he attacked him again. He only falls to his knees this time, but ... I don't think Kratos is holding back now. I really think ... I shouldn't watch this.

'I'm not ... leaving until I say it ...' Lloyd says, wincing as he somehow manages to stand again while clutching his amused stomach.

'You're wasting your time,' Kratos says quietly, and the hiss of a steel sword being drawn alerts the younger swordsman. Before he can fumble for his own swords, a blast of Wind Blade throws him a good few meters and into a tree. Lloyd manages to keep his footing, but he's now bleeding. A lot.

'Damn ...' he groans, drawing one sword. The other is left in it's scabbard, and Lloyd rushes at Kratos. I'm guessing he's about to use some kind of tech or something, but before he can ...

'Stone Blast.'

I watch while biting my lip, as the ground around Lloyd's feet crumbles and churns, and several rocks are pulled from the softer earth. They immediately go for him, and even though Lloyd used the smart part of his brain and tried using Guardian, the green shield practically flickered around him for three seconds before disappearing completely. Needless to say, he is battered by the rocks. Ouch.

'You're concentration is faltering,' Kratos says evenly to a now bruised and bloody boy. Lloyd just wipes away the blood from his face (I notice the cuts on his face now) and straightens up, holding his right arm. He must have injured it. Badly.

'Why won't you let me-!?'

I wince and avert my eyes for a few seconds when the next attack sends Lloyd to the floor. I hear a splash and a thud and decide to open my eyes, and I'm really not happy with what I see. Lloyd is even struggling to stand now.

'Because it is pointless,' Kratos says, wiping some blood from his knuckles. 'An apology is a simple thing that can mean nothing. What has been said and done cannot be erased with words.'

Lloyd finally finds the will to stand and flinches through the pain.

'You should know that already.'

Lloyd grips his sword tighter.

'Words cannot rebuild Iselia.'

Kratos is quick to block the blade flying towards his face with his own sword, and pushes against Lloyd. Once again, height makes a difference, and Lloyd is easily shoved back. He stumbles a little, and Kratos takes the opportunity to disarm Lloyd of his sword and strikes his hand. Lloyd is now injured, weapon-less, and bleeding like crazy. The rain is some of it away, but still ... I'm surprised I didn't notice this morning.

'Words cannot bring back the lives of those who died that day,' Kratos continues. 'And words cannot bring back my family.'

Lloyd doesn't reach for his other sword – he just holds his wounded hand and stares at the floor.

'Go back to the inn.'

'I-'

I consider telling Charis I don't want to see anymore when the hopefully final punch connects with Lloyd's already bruised stomach. Lloyd just crumples to the floor again, clutching his stomach. Seriously, I would too ... after seeing what Kratos can do with his fist against a wooden wall ... Lloyd's experienced that four times. My god, he's even started coughing up blood. Not a lot, but still ...

After a moment of watching, Lloyd doesn't move. I wonder if he's actually unconscious now ... at least he'll stop getting beaten up if he is.

'Can you stand?'

I'm actually quite surprised Lloyd can even _move_ after that. But regardless, he manages to pull himself to his feet after some struggling. He wipes the blood away from his face as he straightens himself, and looks around from his sword. When he finds it, he goes over to retrieve it while speaking to Kratos. Not really a good idea – whenever he opens his mouth, he gets clobbered.

'I don't care if you don't want to hear it ...' he says, biting his lip through the pain as he reaches for his sword and sheaths it. 'I'm gonna say it anyway.'

'It's pointle-'

'I'm sorry.'

Kratos just glares, but Lloyd continues. 'When Iselia was destroyed, a lot of people lost their families. There's a guy who used to teach us at our school before the Professor started working there, and his son was killed by Desians that day. Before Genis and me left, we saw how sad he looked.'

Lloyd averts his gaze to the floor again, not quite able to look Kratos in the face at this point. 'I've lost my parents. I know how bad it feels. But I never knew my parents. Loosing a son ... probably feels a lot worse. I don't know about you, but that guy is gonna feel that pain for the rest of his life. He was really proud of his son and what he did ...'

Lloyd pauses to catch his breath. 'And when I thought about how he'd feel if I said ... what I said to you, then ...'

'Llo-'

'I'm sorry.'

Kratos looks like he's pretty much given up on sending Lloyd back to the inn, because it's very obvious it isn't going to work.

'I'm sorry.'

Lloyd, I'd shut up now. Kratos looks like he's about to backhand you. I can see him gripping the hilt of his sword tighter, like he's about to shove it though Lloyd's head any second now. When he steps in closer, I'm silently willing Lloyd to run like hell. I notice Lloyd flinch when Kratos puts a hand on his shoulder, so I'm guessing his shoulder is wounded too.

'You are a fool,' Kratos says quietly, shaking his head. Now, I don't know if there's such a thing as "slightly hugging", but that seems to be what's going on. Kratos just winds his one arm around Lloyd's shoulders and holds him, and Lloyd ... probably doesn't have the strength to do anything.

'You're the idiot,' Lloyd mumbles into Kratos' shoulder. 'It was Hug-Everyone-Day two days ago.'

'My fingers didn't fall off,' Kratos states evenly. 'I'm fine with that.'

'... I'm sorry.'

Without warning, Charis shuts off the screen and I'm left with like ... a billion thoughts in my head. One is why the hell I made up that stupid Hug-Everyone-Day thing, but it's good to know it's coming along quite well. Maybe it should be a monthly thing. It'd give a good reason for the Genis-torture stuff I've been working on.

'Anyway, ignoring that nice little moment there,' Charis says, spinning in her chair to look at me. 'How do you feel?'

'Me?' I ask, frowning. 'What about me?'

'Thing have changed,' William says, pointing to the screen. 'Things are still changing, and things are gonna be different. Are you okay with that?'

'... No,' I mumble truthfully. 'No, I'm not. I'm scared. Because now I'm getting left behind, I'm going to have to get to Luin and then Hima by myself.'

'... Why Hima?' William asks, raising an eyebrow.

'Well ... Iselia's been destroyed, Triet's been destroyed, Palmacosta and Luin are eventually going to get destroyed ... Hima is really the only safe place.'

Charis is still chewing on her pencil. 'Why don't you just stay here?'

'Because there's a ranch near here, and the Desians come here often,' I mumble. 'I don't know if Kvar is aware of Yggdrasill's need to kill off half the group, but if I'm stuck here, there's a bigger chance of me getting killed.'

I pause while William and Charis glance at eachother, and then continue. 'You know, this would be a lot easier if I was just on Earth. Can you guys send me back yet?'

Charis shakes her head. 'Don't worry about stuff back on Earth. You still exist there, so don't panic.'

'... I do what now?' I ask , genuinely confused.

'Well ... think of it like you have two bodies for now,' William explains shortly. 'Your Earth one, and your Symphonia one. If you ever leave this world and get back to Earth, you'll be back in your old 13 year old body, with no nasty injuries or anything.'

'... Seriously?' I ask, raising my eyebrows. 'Will I remember everything?'

'Well ...' Charis mutters. 'Yeah ... but you'll have no proof it happened, I won't be able to talk to you again, and ... you'll probably just pass it off as a dream, I guess.'

... She's right. If you just wake up in your bed after fainting, you're obviously going to think something like that was a dream. It's not everyday you hear about someone getting sucked into a game, and obviously ... it's probably not happened before, from what I know. Obviously I'm gonna think it was a dream, if I have no scars or haven't aged or it's only been a few seconds since I passed out ...

And I don't know why, but that thought makes me kinda sad.

I remember the first time I had a dream like that ... I was in this different world where I could fly and cast magic, and it was all very dorky and stupid. I was only young – but when I woke up ... well, I felt disappointed. Waking up from this and thinking it was all a dream is gonna hit me pretty hard.

It's weird ... I'm ageing here, but time has stopped on Earth. When I go back, I'll be thirteen again, and I'll have to do my homework and wait for my Chinese food to be delivered like none of this ever happened. It's been ... 16 days now, since I came here. That's like ... half a month since then. Has it really been that long?

'Two worlds combined,' I mumble, staring at the screen again. '... and I have to exist in both of them, I guess.'

------------------------------

Well ... I'll keep things short. Or as short as I can.

Yesterday, Lloyd went to see Kratos like I told him to, and told him that I chewed him out about the whole fight thing. Kratos wasn't too amused, but he hasn't talked to me at all since then. He hasn't talked to me since we came back from the fight with the Windmaster, come to think of it. Not that I'm complaining. We actually went 24 hours without bitching at eachother, and that's really something.

... Um ... bastard-mercenary. I hope a Ladybird eats his face on the way to Luin.

Anyway ... Raine seemed a little upset when she came back from deciphering that code with Linar. She only finished sorting it all out in the middle of the night, but we were all up anyway. We spent like, two hours arguing on what we could have for dinner anyway. Kratos and Lloyd can't eat tomatoes, I can't eat carrots, Genis can't eat onions, and Colette will eat anything. Kratos told us all to sit the fuck down (I added the swear) and made us cream stew. Which I thought was very generous of him.

Until I found carrots in it.

To be fair, I _did_ make him eat gazpacho.

... But yeah, Raine was upset. She's just a little sad that she couldn't cure Genis properly, I guess. She has these weird turns when something like this happens, I guess ... it happened with Dorr, didn't it?

Well, we gave her some cream stew, and we all packed off to bed. Well, except me. I stayed up for a good half of the night, but I had good reason to. They're all leaving tomorrow, and I have to find out how to get to Hima without getting killed on the way, by Desians or grasshoppers. Or giant caterpillars. Anyway, my plan is to find Nova and ask him for a ride. Seriously, I'm stumped other than that. Or I could head back to Palmacosta and try to use a ship to get to Hima, but the village in in the middle of a mountain range. It's not going to be a easy walk from the nearest dock into the middle of the mountains.

... Maybe I could steal Noishe or something ...

No. Bad Charlie. He'll eat your internal organs.

Anyway, I've decided not to say goodbye to everyone, because it's only going to hurt more and make realisation crash down harder. I need to travel. On my OWN. To some place a loooong way away. From Asgard, Hima is about a four or five day's walk away, and I doubt I'll get there without getting attacked at least three times a day. Joy.

But anyway ... everyone is downstairs either getting ready or looking for their clothes. The inn-lady washed them all for us last night, but we don't know where she put them. I'll look for mine when they've left for Luin, but other than that, I've been sulking around all day in bed. Well ... I haven't really been sulking. I'm just ... having a lie-in. Yeah. And guess what? I actually have _pyjamas_ right now! Sure, it's just an old oversized shirt (and when I say oversized, I mean oversized – the brim reaches my knees), but at least they're pyjamas and concealing pyjamas at that. Just in case they aren't that concealing, I'm also wearing shorts. Yep, this is my pyjama set for Sylvarant. An oversized shirt, and some shorts.

I suddenly feel deprived. Woe is me.

But Colette woke up (or at least pretended to) first, and asked if I was coming down for breakfast. I just told her no, and that I had a stomach ache (lie) and that I won't be down until they'd left. She did the whole "goodbye", "keep safe", and the "thanks for everything" thing before leaving, and I _totally_ did not cry for five minutes after she left the room.

She probably told the others that I was still in bed, because I haven't seen them today. They've been moving around for about half an hour down there, and I've had to sit up here and listen to it all. I hope they leave soon, because I'm already starting to miss everyone. Except _some_ people, who I'll be glad to see the back of.

But the others ... like Lloyd and Colette ... I feel safe with those guys, and I've been with at least one person from this group from the start, except when I was going to the Martel Temple alone. But still ... that wasn't that bad. This is getting to Hima _alone_.

The sound of footsteps up the stairs alerts me, and I curl up in my bed, feigning sleep. Whoever it is, I don't want to say goodbye. I don't want to say anything to anyone really, if it's going to turn out like Colette's final goodbye. I can't keep crying whenever they talk to me.

Footsteps have started walking down the hall ... please go straight past my room. I'm actually dreading hearing the click my the doorknob. Whoever it is – Colette, Lloyd, even _Kratos_, I don't want to see them. C'mon people, just leave me the hell alone.

_Click_.

I frown into my pillow and turn away from the door quickly, faking my sleep again as this person, whoever it is, enters my room. Somehow, I don't have to look, I don't even have to _think_ on it – I already know who it is. And I would like to request that Kratos gets the hell out of my room, but I'm pretending to be asleep right now.

'Harrison, your breathing pattern is irregular. It's very obvious you're awake.'

'You can't leave without insulting me one last time, can you?' I say without opening my eyes or turning to face him.

'Call it what you will – I'm merely stating a fact.'

'If you don't get out of my room right now, I'm going to kick your Davids so hard you'll see stars.'

'Fascinating,' Kratos replies dryly. 'Get up.'

'No,' I mumble into my pillow. 'I've decided not to say goodbye to everyone, so I'm staying in bed all day.'

'You realise that is an unhealthy goal.'

'Not that you'd care,' I hiss spitefully.

'No, I wouldn't,' Kratos snaps back. I don't answer to that, and ignore his presence. I can feel his glare, and I swear to god, I'm gonna kick him before he leaves this inn. Why, even when he's about to leave and never see me again, does he have to come and be all ... bastard-mercenary-like to me? Why ... why can't he just leave me _alone_?

'But ...' he continues quietly. 'If you were to become unhealthy, then you would hinder our progress.'

... Do the what now?

I sit up, and give him a suspicious, confused look. 'What?'

I then notice he's holding a bunch of clothes, namely my clothes. I catch them when he throws them to me, and continue to stare at him as he reaches for the doorknob. I think my eyes are very wide right now, but ... it can't b-

'Get dressed,' he orders. 'We're leaving in ten minutes. If you're not ready by then, you can catch us up alone.'

My brain just went 'OHSHI-' bang. I'm not sure what the hell just happened, and I think my mess of a brain is denying me of all logical thought and action. After sitting in a short daze for a few seconds, I do something that is completely against all principles I may posses. Logic has gone out of the window, as well as most things rational. I never thought I'd do this – out of everything I thought I'd never ever do under any circumstances, this is one of those things that make you consider if I'm actually sane or not.

I jump out of bed, lunge at Kratos, and wrap my arms around him tightly.

I think Kratos' brain just went through the same process as mine, and he looks extremely uncomfortable. Well, I would be too if there was a _thing_ hanging onto me, but I am that thing, so I couldn't care right now.

'Harrison, if you do not unhand me in five seconds, you are staying here.'

Uncomfortable feelings aside, I let him go and point to the door. 'Out. Getting changed.'

Kratos leaves, and I notice Poker soar out of the room opposite mine and go straight for the bastard mercenary. Aww ... Poker must be distraught now that he's leaving. Don't worry little guy, we'll come back.

... _We_.

Damn, it feels so good to finally be able to say that and mean it. After worrying for seven days about this since the Water Seal, I can finally relax ... and get ready to kick some ass with these guys again.

After a minute or two of complete silence while I change, Charis and William decide to do the icing on the cake of joy and play the Tales of Symphonia victory theme in my head.

* * *

Hugged him.

HUG.

ZOMG TAKE COVER APOCALYPSE AHHHH.


	46. When Spiders Attack!

To the people who have done fanart of TWC: DID I MENTION I LOVE YOU?  
(deviantart. com/ deviation / 48112686/)-KamiKaze-no-Ryuu drew this, and don't tell me it's not the cutest thing you've ever seen D:

Okay, before I forget, I'ma need some more help. First of all, I've still haven't decided on the Flanoir scenes, because whatever happens will obviously effect the whole Kratos/Zelos/Lloyd thing in some way. I DO know what will happen with the whole Zelos-betrayal scene, and MY GOD WHAT A TWIST. Though you'll have to wait and find out. Some of you may be displeased, some of you may actually be happy I chose to do that, but hey. I'll have to wait and find out what you think.

And, because I love you all so much that my chest could burst and streams of love could come flying out and make my bedroom a mess, would you all mind helping me with Charlotte's techs? It's mentioned in the chapter that she'll learn something between 15 – 20, so ... try and think up a tech you think would be cool, and I could use it :D Because I'm spent for ideas right now.

Right, once again, song suggestions, because I've been listening to a lot lately – (_How to Save a Life – _The Fray), (_Hallelujah – _Rufus Wainwright) (_Live and Learn_ – Crush 40) (_Must be Dreaming –_ Frou Frou) (_Hysteria -_ Muse)

Charlotte feels left out of the ToS group D: She wants a theme-song. Everytime one of their themes come up on the game, the little Char living in my head starts jumping up and down and screaming.

Plus, Kratos isn't as much as a jerk in this chapter. Trust me, it won't last long.

* * *

Chapter 46 – When Spiders Attack!

'If I get drunk, well I know I'm gonna be-'

'I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to yoooou ...'

'And if I haver, hey I know I'm gonna be-'

'I'm gonna be the man who's havering to yoooou ...'

Genis looks downright freaked out and utterly confused, Colette looks about the same as her shorter friend, the Professor is rubbing her brow as if she has a throbbing headache pounding through her skull, and Kratos looks like he wishes he'd left me at Asgard.

After notifying the group that I'd decided to rejoin, they all seemed pretty okay with it. Genis probably didn't care that much if I stayed or not, but Colette and Lloyd seemed happy about it. I'm just glad the Professor isn't going to make me redo that paper she gave me ... but jokes aside, it's all been okay since then. I haven't talked to Kratos since I hugged him (I know, that sounds really weird for me to be saying), and he hasn't made an effort to notice either.

So, it's all good. I'm glad I'm back in the group, so I don't have to worry about all things death-related, and I don't have to constantly sing "I Will Survive" to get myself back on my feet. S'all good so far.

Then, of course, after an hour or two of travelling under that pleasantly cool weather of the Asgard region, boredom began to sink in rapidly. I know, from living in England, one of the things we talk about most is the weather – you can barely go a day without hearing a friend or a person passing by mumbling about the heat or the cold air we're having. The weather now is mild, foggy ... not too exciting. And how do I go about passing the boring hours that seem to drag by as we walk to another city?

Teach Lloyd a song.

Our completely off-beat duet of _The Proclaimers'_ "500 Miles" is most likely forcing the remaining shreds of sanity out of our companion's brains.

'But I would walk 500 miles-'

'And I would walk 500 more-'

'Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles-'

'To fall down at your door – ow!'

Before I can notice the slender pole of the Professor's weapon being brought down on Lloyd's head, I can feel my earlobe caught tightly between two fingers and tugged harshly. All singing ceases, the Professor returns her staff to it's casing of sorts, and Kratos unhands my ear. I have to consider if he does this whenever I attempt to sing – I remember he did it when I annoyed him with the glue song back in the ranch ... oh well.

'Not only have we had enough of your singing for one day already,' Raine says, arms folded tightly as Lloyd nurses the bonk on his head.

'You are both attracting the attention of monsters,' Kratos finishes while I scowl at him. 'The fog will make combat much more of a challenge, and if you haven't noticed, most of our party are unfit to fight at the moment.'

I look over at Genis who looks a little guilty at Kratos' claim. His wound hasn't healed up completely yet, but it's getting there. I gave him some of those elven pills the doctor back at Palmacosta gave me for my own wound, so that should be helping heal it up. But other than Genis, Colette seems fine, Lloyd seems fine (if not a little tired, but aren't we all), Raine is fine, and I'm fine too. I don't know if Kratos is indicating himself, but then ... it hits me.

Following closely behind Kratos is a depressed and rather ill looking Noishe.

The weather must be getting him down ... it's rained for the past two days, and now it's foggy everywhere ... you can barely see beyond twenty meters before you. It's really thick fog, so I'm understanding what Kratos is saying about the monsters. Noishe doesn't like them, so if they were to come from the fog without warning, he'd probably kick up a fuss. It's hard to calm Noishe down and make sure he doesn't run away, and on-top of that, we have to fight whatever it is that created the problem.

So ... boredom should slowly start to sink in soon ...

'So, any interesting history on this area?' I ask, ignoring Lloyd's wild, flapping hand-gestures at my question. Yes Lloyd, I'm bored, so I might as well get some backup info in case something drastic happens, and no, I don't care if your brain explodes from education overload.

'Well ... one historic site around this area is Thrym Hill,' Raine says, looking around. 'But through the fog, it's impossible to see.'

'Thrym hill?' I ask, folding my arms behind my head and glancing around at the walls of white fog around us. 'What's that, then?'

'It's one of the remaining places that indicates where Jotunheim once stood,' Genis explains shortly, tucking some hair behind his ear.

'Jotunheim ... Jotunheim ...' I mumble to myself. I swear, I've heard that word before somewhere on Earth, but ... I seriously can't think of where from. It's been ages, but I've definitely heard it before. '... And that is?'

'It was an old city that was destroyed over a thousand years ago, maybe even more,' Genis says. 'No one is really sure.'

'Destroyed?' I ask. 'How?'

The half-elf groans in frustration, rubbing his temple. 'Ugh ... didn't your mom teach you all this stuff? You live around here, right?'

'... Uh ... she ...' I start, fumbling with my words. 'She ... only ... taught me stuff about Martel, and ... all of that religious crap with Cruxis.'

'Well, whatever,' Genis mumbles, furrowing his brow. 'Jotunheim went to war with Asgard, but they were defeated. Their city was burnt to the ground, and their leader's body, King Thrym, was dumped in the river Iving that separates Asgard and Jotunheim.'

I nod slowly, trying to ingest all of this information before it goes in one ear and our the other. Hey, it might be useful at some point ... not too sure when, but it could be. 'Right, got it. Thanks, mini-Professor.'

Before I can admire the view of never-ending fog spread over the Asgard region, ask Genis and the Professor about something else, dive into an intellectual conversation with Colette about how to make a fruit salad, or burst into an ear-splitting chorus of My Humps with Lloyd as my right-hand man, Kratos grabs my wrist and drags me back a good meter or two. I almost fall over at the force, and that doesn't make me any less mad.

'Hey, what's the bi-'

The look on his face shuts me up so fast it's not even funny. When I realise we're out of earshot from everyone except Noishe, who I'm sure doesn't care that much, I realise this must be a serious matter that could result in a lot of pain in a short space of time.

'I remember you saying back at the ranch,' Kratos says quietly, continuing in a slow pace behind the rest of the group while they discuss something along the lines of Luin. 'That you attended a public school.'

... SHIT.

Oh my god, this is bad. This is worse than bad – this is just ... oh shit. This'll show I've been lying about most things, just when I cleared up the whole "you can trust me to some extent" thing, and especially with the whole lying revelation at the Water Seal, this is bad, I'm rambling, I ramble when I panic, oh ... oh crap.

'Um ... it was, like ... a little of both,' I say, gesturing scale movement with my hands. 'Like, uh ... the school taught me normal stuff, like maths and Eng- er, science, and my mum taught me all about religion.'

Whoa, good catch there, Charlie. Stop referring to Earth-related things, like, oh I don't know, ENGLISH. You're getting bad at this.

Kratos just gives me an unbelieving look, but he nods anyhow. Whew ... I'm getting good at getting away with things nowadays, but I still have to be careful. I can't believe I made a mistake like that without realising ... I mean, in the ranch, I was talking about how I lived on Earth, but I forgot that I made up the stuff about me being home-taught ... oh man, what if there are more things that I haven't realised I've screwed up utterly and completely?

... Charlotte, stop hyperventilating.

'Bloody ... fog,' I mumble, now stuck with walking beside Kratos and Noishe. 'Can't see a thing. Oh yeah -'

Kratos glances over when I poke his shoulder (note that I have to reach up to do that ... bloody tall bastard mercenary). 'I'd like that cat-charm back ... the one that I gave you in the ranch. I need a lot of good luck.'

'Very well,' Kratos says. 'Though it is bad luck to take back a gift.'

'... It is?' I ask, face falling. 'Argh, fine. Keep it.'

I just can't win lately, can I? Asthma attacks, big-ass wounds in the shoulder area, fog, general nausea ... I just hope a bunch of monsters don't come along while the fog is still strong, because I don't any of us would be able to see _anything_ ... it's seriously THAT thick ... but not as thick as it was. Maybe it's fading a little ... hopefully it'll be gone by midday. Want ... sunlight ...

Well ... y'know how fate like, really hates me and all that? It isn't long after trying to reclaim the present I gave to Kratos, that a monster actually comes along. Just the one, but it's still a monster. Now ... we're not too far from the Palmacosta region, so I thought we'd either encounter a giant Grasshopper, or another swarm of Ladybirds. Obviously, it seems easy enough ... we haven't really had a wide variety of monsters since the ranch, which was ... ten days ago? So yeah, it's really been Grasshoppers, Ladybirds, the occasional giant wasp and ugly fat caterpillars since then. I expected at least one out of the four.

IT'S A GIANT FUCKING SPIDER.

Now, I don't know if any of you remember, but the Martel Temple had spiders too. I didn't handle those quite well, either. This ... in size comparison to the Martel Temple's spiders, looks like Daddy Spider. Who has come out for revenge for the havoc we unleashed on all of it's Martel-worshipping bastard-child spiders.

I point at it. 'Guys, it's a giant fucking spider.'

'You don't say?' Genis groans sarcastically. No Charlie! Control your ... hand ... do not ... shoot him ... in head ... struggle ... agh ...

I settle with bonking him lightly with the butt of my gun.

While Lloyd fumbles for his swords and Colette backs away to cast ... Angel Feathers, by the look of it, I get a good look at Mr Spider as he comes closer.

Hot damn, is it ugly.

I don't have time to count the number of orange and black eyes that all blink at different times, but I do happen to take notice of the giant pincers on it's mouth. Ow, that's really gonna hurt if I get attacked by those, and not to mention if I get practically CRUSHED under it's overly large black and white body. Seriously, the thing is massive. Get an image of Kratos and his sickeningly tall self ... right, times the height by at least a half or more, and you've got Mr Spider.

Um ... it's furry, too. Just my luck.

After it has finished observing it's prey (us), it takes no time to stall in deciding who to attack first. And ... you know fate _really_ hates me?

'Oh ... SHIT!' I scream, diving behind bastard-mercenary. C'mon man, have a heart and be my human shield.

'Harrison, stop that,' he orders, shoving his sword into one of Mr Spider's eyes. It's still hard to see, but I think Colette is flying around overhead, trying to aid Kratos in the act of blinding our enemy. I'm not an expert on the way spiders work, so I don't know if blinding it will help at all ... like, it could have a lot of different senses that it could follow us with, instead of just sight.

Through the fog, I notice a flash of red light from above. It fades as quick as it came, and I'm guessing it was the Professor casting sharpness on Colette to aid with the act of blinding it. I do believe her weapon is lined with iron spikes, as is Genis', so that could ... I don't know, really help if they were to attack upfront, like Lloyd and Kratos are now doing. Lloyd backs away drastically everytime he cuts open an eyeball though. Not that I blame him – blood and a lot of pink and yellow-gooey stuff spurts out whenever one is cut, and I can only thank whatever gods there are up there that I use guns.

"_You should be thanking me, actually,"_ Charis says as I try to avoid the giant black and hairy insect. "_And, uh, I'd duck right about now."_

'Do wha-?' I ask aloud, but I don't manage to finish the sentence. Before that final letter comes out, I'm hit full on by not a pincer or a giant, hairy leg, but a big blast of ... silk, or whatever it is spiders produce. With some luck, none of it touches my hair or my face. On the other hand, my back collides painfully with a tree I wasn't aware of and ... well, I'm stuck really.

'... Well, this sucks,' I say, watching the battle (or what I can – still foggy over here). But yay! Colette has come to my rescue from the air, like my very own sky-rescue crew. Minus the crew.

'... Ew,' is all Colette manages when she lands with a small hop on the dusty ground, wings fluttering. 'It looks really sticky ...'

'Yeah, well,' I say, shrugging (well, trying to). 'I can't really move, so it must be sticky.'

'Okay ... I'll try and free you,' Colette says, leaving her chakrams on the floor for the moment. Over her shoulder, I can see Raine now unleashing hell on Mr Spider's head with her spiky weapon, and ... Lloyd and Genis seem to have retreated to a safe distance from their Professor's wrath. I ... really don't blame them. Even Kratos looks a little unnerved. When you hear the high-pitched noises the spider is making ... well, I'm pitying and slightly frightened at the same time. Screw this fighting Yggdrasill crap, we'll just send the Professor up there.

'Uh ... uh-oh,' Colette mumbles. I look to my right side to see she's not successful in the freeing of my shoulder. Her hand is now sticky from the silk keeping me firmly trapped, and she's having trouble untangling herself from the strings wound around her fingers and her wrist that seem unyielding.

'... This still sucks,' I groan, trying to move against the substance. It doesn't quite work, but at least the spider is being brought down by the other four yonder that-a-way. Lets just hope it doesn't pull off this big attack that winds up with most of us in a pickle, making the battle longer and more annoying that it should be.

... And ... fate must really have it in for me today.

Genis and Lloyd are shot down rather hastily by the dreaded SILK, and are stuck to ... things. Genis is trapped against a smooth pale rock producing from the ground (hey, at least it isn't a horrible knobbly tree like the one I'm stuck on), and Lloyd ... comes close to being stuck to Kratos, but he moves out of the way just in time. Lloyd is then just ... wound up in a lot of sticky stuff that he's having trouble getting out of. His swords have gone flying, as well as Genis' kendama. I hope they find them, because I can't see the guns I've dropped.

Yeah, I don't like this monster. And the worst thing is, we couldn't run even if we wanted to. We're kinda stuck.

'Hey, someone has to distract it!' I shout over the fog, while the Professor is trying to help Genis out of his sticky prison, and Lloyd has managed to get himself stuck to Kratos' leg. Kratos is not amused, and bonks Lloyd on the head with the hilt of his blade before helping him. Poor Lloyd just keeps getting bonked today.

'We're a bit tied up at the moment!' the Professor exclaims, and Genis is trying his best to free himself. I can see the Professor is using her staff to try and break Genis free, kinda like how you use a spatula to get off pancakes that have stuck to your frying pan. Yep, keep digging, Professor. We're getting nowhere.

Colette uses her free hand to throw a chakram at the spider quickly approaching Genis and the Professor. It thwacks it in the bloodied face before spinning back through the air to her outstretched hand, and the Professor turns from her current job of un-sticking Genis from the rock, and ... unleashes some more hell on it. I wince as Colette goes back to freeing me from the tree.

'Okay, we're getting there,' I say, with my right arm finally free. Colette wipes hands on the front of her tunic type thing, and I help her with my left arm still held against the tree by thick, sticky white silk. Genis looks like he's quickly getting free, himself. His arms are free, and he looks like he's trying to wrench himself from the rock, with the aid of the Professor's one available hand. The other is still steadily blinding Mr Spider. Lloyd and Kratos on the other hand, seem to be having a little trouble. Kratos no longer has a sticky teenager latched on his leg, but he's now trying to help Lloyd out of the silk, which Lloyd his tangled himself into drastically.

And on our hand, Colette is getting herself tangled up too, but we're getting further than those two. Oh yeah, go us.

'Would burning it help at all?' I shout over to Genis. I remember my older brothers playing around with lighters when we had a spider web in our garden, though I'm not to sure if I'm right. They like to burn stuff, so it was either the web or the spider they were setting alight.

'We're not setting fire to anything!' Lloyd exclaims, sounding a little panicky. Well, he _is_ practically covered from head to toe in the stuff.

'Dammit boy, sit still!' Kratos scolds. Well, Krat-man, Lloyd isn't really stuck to anything besides himself. He's bound to be struggling. Genis and I don't have a choice really, seeing as the spider has shockingly good aim with use of only half of it's eyes.

Well, Genis is free, and Kratos seems to have given up on Lloyd. Poor Lloyd ... he's just struggling against the silk and tripping over it constantly. Come on, man, use your swords or something.

... Hey, were is Kratos?

'Move, Chosen.'

Oh, there he is.

Colette untangles herself quickly from the silk holding my arm to the tree, and Kratos motions for her to go and give Raine and Genis a hand with the spider. It doesn't seem to be going down, so it's best to kill it, and then sort out the tangled up people. Well, that's what I think.

'Hi!' I say, waving with my free arm. 'Lovely weather, isn't it?'

'Indeed,' Kratos mumbles, reaching down the the thin belts of his right boot. I raise an eyebrow at his actions, but I could have sworn they soared right over my hairline when I see Kratos straighten up with a small knife. My god, he just ... produces knives out of nowhere! It's weird!

'Whatever I did, I swear I didn't do it!' I say defensively when I notice the knife. 'Don't stab me!'

'It is a tempting offer, Harrison,' Kratos says, slicing through the silk holding my arm to the tree. 'But I would then have to clean up the mess.'

'... Nice,' I mumble when he cuts my legs free from their sticky prison. I step away from the tree and shiver, wiping the remaining thick strands from my body and ignoring Mr Knife-producing man. I should search for my guns ... they can't be far.

'Go cut up Lloyd,' I say, pointing to the still-struggling teen. 'He looks depressed.'

'Hn,' Kratos murmurs, deciding to cut Lloyd free. Even though I said we should wait until we kill the spider first, I think we actually need everyone in the group to bring it down. Genis is casting spells from behind the safety of the rock that he was previously stuck to, Raine is still ... owning that monster HARD, Colette is helping take it down by going for it's legs, and as soon as I find my guns, I'm Blitz Bulleting that thing like there's no tomorrow. No one sticks Charlotte Elizabeth Harrison to a tree! Never!

'Guns, guns ...' I mumble, looking around. 'Gu – yay!'

I scoop up my weapons from the floor. I love my guns ... I think I'll name them.

"_Charis_, _I have a question_," I say while charging up Blitz Bullet. Lloyd is slowly being cut free from is sticky-ness, but the spider looks utterly pissed and is going after the Professor for revenge (which isn't really working – she's badass). "_You know in Luin ..."_

"_Yeah ..."_ Charis say, still typing away.

"_Will there still be joke weapons? Like Lloyd's paper fans, and Raine's broomstick?"_

"_Yep. I'm looking forward to seeing what that'll be like."_

I wince when Blitz Bullet soars over to the Spider, disabling the one leg it hit with any luck. "_Will I get a joke weapon?"_

"_Yep."._

Awesome. "_Can I choose what it is?"_

"_Nope," _ William interrupts, yawning. "_And you can't get them when you get to Luin. If you manage to survive up until the rebuilding of the city, then you'll get it."_

I frown. "_Oh. Well, what is it?"_

William does a drum roll of the desk, and Charis proudly proclaims - "_A water gun."_

"_... I hate you guys_," I mumble, getting warily closer to the spider while I prepare Shockwave. I notice two chakrams and a whole lot of pink feathers soar down to the spider from above somewhere, and it's probably Angel Feathers from Colette up that-a-way. Now Lloyd is free from his sticky mess, he's taking out his anger on Mr Spider, and is hacking away at it's legs. Of course, seeing as the spider is twitching around wildly, it's probably hard to get a good attack in. Even the Professor is having trouble now the enemy is writhing around. I think I'll manage with Shockwave.

My beloved tech does hit all eight of the giant prat's legs, but that only causes more twitching and more difficulty for my comrades.

'... Sorry!' I say, pointing the barrel of my gun to my head. 'I'm not smart today!'

'Is that _just_ today?' Genis asks, grinning over his shoulder. I wrinkle my nose and aim at him, and he quickly goes back to casting Icicle, or whatever it is he was casting. With any luck, all of the bratty remarks should go to Zelos if we get past the Tower of Salvation.

Yes, I still have my doubts.

"_Ooh, we get to see another unison attack soon, by the looks of it,"_ William says, sounding a little excited. I, on the other hand, don't agree with his enthusiasm and frown.

"_Oh geez, do I have to do it?"_

"_No, no," _Charis assures quickly. "_You'll probably get to rest, seeing as you've already done it twice."_

"_Ooh, nice," _I say, using Fire Shot on the back of the spider's body to stun it momentarily. I doubt I've mentioned, but unison attacks consume a lot of mana. The hot glow on the weapons is mana from your body, and it gets sent to the person executing the attack. Like, for instance, when Kratos used Blitz Spear, the mana I use to cast Blitz Bullet was sent to his system, so he could make the attack all ... Blitz-like. If I didn't do that, he'd just be stuck with plain old Light Spear.

... But yeah, the main point is, the sudden discharge of mana takes it's toll after around half-an-hour. I don't know if I can withstand it better (seeing as I have the whole only 85 percent of mana thing going on in there), but whatever.

'Why are most of the monsters we get giant bugs?' Lloyd asks, trying to land a blow on the ever-twitching spider. He's almost been socked in the face about five times, so I'll just be glad he's good at this.

'Perhaps we're just unlucky,' Raine answers. 'I can't say I've heard of a Chosen's group battling to the death against a swarm of oversized bugs.'

'... That would be so funny, on some levels,' I say, only to receive a glare from Genis. 'I mean, not in our case, of course, but still ...'

Genis just raises an eyebrow.

'Death by bugs, man!' I shout, flailing wildly. 'Why won't you let me _live_, Genis?'

'... Right, whatever,' the younger half-elf says with a nod, going back to ... Lightning, I think.

'Harrison, stop picking fights with Genis,' Kratos says sternly, thudding me lightly on the head on his blade's hilt. I frown and reach up to touch the CRITICALLY WOUNDED spot, scowling.

'Yes, _Dad_,' I say, suddenly realising which word just passed through my lips. I snap my head back up at him to see if I've unleashed any violent rage, but he just raises an eyebrow in a suggestive manner like Genis did earlier.

'Were you of any relation to me, Harrison,' Kratos says, glancing at the deadly spider, now attempting to pincer Genis up good. 'Then I would have had an incurable headache for the past few years.'

... Y'know, I blame this on my friends. In a second language lesson, we had to refer to our male teacher, Mr Thompson, as "dad" in the language we were learning, because ... our teacher is dorky like that. But since then, we just call him Dad whenever he tries to be all strict, which he can't do well. He's one of the scary but freakishly nice teachers and will point at you and scream "WOUNDED" for the whole Language Block to hear when you get a question wrong.

I miss school.

'... I'm not that bad, y'know,' I mumble, using Fire Shot to once against stun the beast so Lloyd can finally work.

'Perhaps,' Kratos says, beginning to cast Stone Blast. 'But the side I've seen from you is irritating enough.'

'Agh, fine, whatever,' I groan. 'Bastard mercenary.'

I watch as the ground beneath the spider swells, changing shape to rise up and crash against it relentlessly, bringing it down. It still isn't dead, but it's having trouble moving now – we're getting there, slowly but surely.

And ... I'll always be amused, every single time Colette uses Pow Hammer. Seriously. It's just ... a big red hammer that comes out of nowhere.

"_Will I ever get a weirdly entertaining move like that?" _I ask, still Fire Shot-ing away at Mr Spider. Apparently the fire is working, so yay for me! Other than my spells, which I never use, the only elemental damage I could possibly inflict is Fire and Lighting. Sucks for me.

"_Nope,"_ Charis says. "_You could always just sock one of 'em in the face with the barrel of your gun. That'd be funny, especially when they start eating your arm."_

"_You suck,"_ I say, a painful throb sounding though my head to notify my that my mana is low. I've been using Fire Shot non-stop, so ... I guess I used up a lot. "_How many techs do I have altogether?"_

"_Well, it depends,"_ Charis says, starting to type again. Maybe she's bringing up a list of everything I'll learn. "_You have your strike type techs, and then you have your technical ones. Seeing as you're leaning onto the strike-type area, you'll learn somewhere between fifteen and twenty techs altogether."_

"_Oh. Awesome. Wait, these guys have, uh ... whatd'yacallem ... secret techs, right?"_

"_Oh no, no, no, no, you're going to have to find out yours by yourself."_

"_... You suck,"_ I finish, Fire Shot-ing away again. 'Agh, headache.'

Then, without any type of warning at all (which would have probably saved me a heart-attack or two), Colette soars right over my head with a Pow Hammer in her grasp, but it's crackling with sparks of lightning all over. I look over my shoulder and see Genis pointing his kendama towards the spider, concentrating deeply. Wait, is this the unison attack Charis mentioned?

Colette stops a good safe distance from Mr Spider, raises the mana-ridden hammer over her head and throws it at the monster's face, shouting 'Mjollnir!'

The utter _force_ of the attack sends Colette flying back, I trip over backwards, Lloyd stumbles and ends up landing flat on his ass (same as me), and the others are at a smarter distance. A bolt of lighting whips down from the sky and lights up _everything_, the flash almost blinding. I can hear the crack as it hits the monster, and the loud, ear-splitting screeching and crackling. I have to slap my hands over my ears, and Lloyd is doing the same. And then, the spider ... well, it explodes, I guess. Well, there's a bang, but I'm not sure what it was – the constant flashes are annoying, and I've screwed my eyes shut.

Then, everything falls silent. I wait for the ringing in my head to stop and slowly sit up, blinking until my vision comes back. When it does, and when the dust settles, where Mr Spider was is now just ... ash. A big, pile of ash.

'... Boom,' I mumble.

'We did it, Genis!' Colette exclaims, getting to her feet. Said half-elf just sighs in relief, and then they high-five. S'all dorky, and just a bit scary. Then, they do the weirdest thing once they get their composure back, and ... cling to Kratos. Genis latches onto his left arm, and Colette on his right. Needless to say, Kratos looks ... disturbed. Very disturbed.

'Our weapons are love!' Colette exclaims, punching the air with her free hand (the one that isn't holding Kratos' arm in a death grip.

'Justice!' Genis adds, doing the same as Colette. 'And ...'

And then, they both look up at Kratos. I'm having trouble not launching into a fit of laughter, because I have a feeling I know where this is going. Lloyd is already snickering to himself, Raine looks amused, and Kratos ... looks like he wants to kill the two people on his arms and then himself. Y'know, he just keeps getting hugged today. Poor guy.

Kratos looks around at us, almost pleadingly. Almost.

Raine just laughs, quickly covering it up with a cough or two. 'You _did_ promise them, Mr Aurion.'

The mercenary glances at the two clinging to him, closes his eyes, and sighs deeply. '... And hope.'

I motion to Kratos with my hand. 'And this is Kratos Aurion, ladies and gentlemen, loosing his will to live.'

Lloyd wipes a tear from his eye and claps, while Kratos manages to shake the two of them off and chase after him, sword out.

'Irving!'

'What?' Lloyd shouts over his shoulder, looking a little worried. 'What did I do now?!'

While the two of them ... _play swords_, I turn to the other three, jerking my thumb in their direction. 'What _did_ Lloyd do, anyway?'

'He's the one that egged us on to do it in the fist place,' Genis says with a nod. 'Totally worth it.'

'Not for Lloyd,' I say, pointing to the boy now being chased by not only a pissed off mercenary with a sword, but by his pet "dog", too. Genis just shrugs, grinning proudly to himself.

'Two birds with one stone.'

I look from the smoking pile of dark grey ashes, to Lloyd now being ... tickled to death, by the look of it, as well as having his hair chewed on by Noishe, and finally to the other three, all seemingly amused. I just sigh deeply, nodding.

'I love my life.'

-----------------------------

Well ... I've recently found out from Kratos and the Professor that where we're headed is a three-day's walk, at least. Apparently we were supposed to be going straight to the Wind Seal, but the fog kinda ... screwed that up for us. Apparently we took the wrong way at a crossroad a while back, and no one could really tell what was north, south, or whatever. With no view of the sun, that's pretty hard.

Anyway, seeing as we're now closer to Luin than the Wind Seal, everyone voted on going there and ... well, prepare ourselves, really. I doubt anyone wants to take any chances, especially with what happened _last_ time we went to a seal unprepared (coughKratos'armcough). So we're gonna go to Luin, stock up like hell on gels and bottles of stuff for safety, and then we're gonna head to the Wind Seal, kick ass, and ...

Panic like hell, I guess.

We're going to face Kvar, if I remember correctly. Y'know ... KVAR. If some amazing, magical miracle has taken place and Kvar doesn't exist, then I'll be so very happy, but I'm doubting that. Plus, the ranch ... if it's anything like the Palmacosta ranch, then ...

I don't think the others saw me shiver, so that's good. But really ... I can't go through that again, and knowing Kvar will be at the end of it all ... well, I'm terrified. The thing that spurred this on is seeing Mjollnir, and what it did to that spider ... it just ... got turned into a big pile of freakin' _ash_. Kvar uses lightning based attacks, but he's one of the five Grand Cardinals. I have a feeling that he's going to be a _lot _stronger than Mjollnir. And ... again, it's KVAR. Who knows what will happen. He's the one who sorted out the Angelus Project, right? What if he gets a bunch of those monsters and makes them attack us, or something? What if Kratos goes completely out of whack and looses it?

... It's KVAR, man.

'Hey, uh ...' I say quietly, poking Kratos in the arm. He glares at me, and I can only be glad it isn't my fault. He's still annoyed at Colette and Genis, so he's taking it out on everyone with scowls and lack of conversation until he can get over it. 'What's the Asgard ranch like?'

He favours me with a suspicious look. 'You've been there before.'

I look down at my green Exsphere and frown. Yes, I said I got this from there ... oh crap, today isn't good lying-wise. 'No, I know that, I was just wondering if it had changed since then.'

'Not particularly,' Kratos mutters, a dark look in his eye now that I've brought up the subject of the ranch. I'm assuming it's where he first met Anna, so ... yeah, bad idea, Charlie. But you need to know this stuff.

I bite my lip and dread my following statement, aware it could get my into a lot of trouble if I'm completely off. Seeing as I can't ask him, I'll have to try different methods carefully. I actually wince as I ask: 'Three floors, wasn't it?'

'Two,' Kratos corrects, and I have to hold in a sigh of relief. 'It's the smallest of the ranches.'

'Well, comparing it to Magnius' pad, it's tiny,' I say, bringing about the whole scale hand-motions again.

'Apparently so,' Kratos murmurs. 'Though what it lacks in size is nothing compared to the ruthlessness within.'

'... Ah,' I mumble, suddenly high spirits plummeting down and landing with a loud splat. 'Anything compared to Magnius' methods of torture and whatnot?'

'Kvar has different ways to torture his victims,' Kratos says coldly, glaring ahead. 'He uses mental torture.'

'... Mental?' I ask worriedly. 'Like ... messing with your head, and stuff?'

'He can make you relive every tragic memory in the space of seconds,' Kratos says, voice getting quieter, but becoming darker in tone. 'He can leave you screaming with illusions and false images of things that never happened.'

... Wow. I think I'd prefer a physical beating to that. Bruises and cuts can fade, but mental torture ... well, I've had my share of traumatic incidents in my life, and reliving them _all_ in just a few seconds? Feeling all of that pain again? When my eldest sister died, the pain ... well, it hasn't really gone away, but it took ages to die down, so ... getting the full blast of _everything_? That ... must be really horrible. And I'm only fourteen ... Kratos, who has been alive for at least four thousand years ... how much pain could have been there?

'... You've been through that, haven't you?' I ask quietly, staring at the soft grass before me as I walk. 'You're talking like you've been through it already.'

Kratos doesn't say anything, but the look in his eyes when I glance over is answer enough. I wouldn't know, and I don't think I'd like to guess, but I think if we _did_ end up going to the ranch ... Kratos would probably be more against going than I am. To kill Kvar and get his revenge, then ... yeah, he probably would go, but reliving _those_ memories ... then I don't think he would.

Four thousand years worth of pain has gotta be pretty tough.

'Well, look on the bright side,' I say, shrugging. 'We'll stock up at Luin, crack the Wind Seal, and we'll be on our merry way to Hima and the next seal, right?'

'Should all go as planned, then yes,' Kratos says evenly, folding his arms. Well, Krat-man, should all go as planned, we'll all wind up dead in the Tower of Salvation, and it'll be your fault. You've killed your wife, and now you're gonna have to kill your son, too. Dammit man, you need a hug that you sure as hell ain't getting from me.

'So ... what're you up to when this is all over?' I ask, folding my arms behind my head and staring up at the evening sky. Well ... I don't know if you've ever had the chance to see a sunset in an open field, but dammit, make sure you do. The sky is several stunning shades of red and orange, and the soft glow on everything for miles – hills and mountain in the distance, a river that could be a mile away for all I know, hell even Noishe is glowing – it's all just amazing.

Right, ignoring the sunset, I'll go back to Kratos, who hasn't answered yet. I take the time to continue my question of sorts and glance towards Lloyd, who is a few yards ahead of us with Genis at his side. 'Are you going to say anything to him?'

'... No,' Kratos finally answers in a low tone. 'He has his own life, and it is not my place to make it a complication.'

I give him a look that hopefully he reads as "dude, you're his _dad_". Apparently he does, and glances at his oblivious son. After a few moments, he looks up at the sky I'd previously been admiring.

'Harrison.'

'That's me,' I say, looking up.

'Suppose we reached end of this journey and emerged the Tower of Salvation unscathed and well,' he says. 'If I had suddenly turned to you and claimed I was – heaven forbid - your biological father, think of your reaction.'

'"Sweet mother of all that is good and holy, why", I guess,' I try, shrugging. 'I dunno. But yeah, I can see where you're coming from with this.'

'Then you can somewhat imagine my predicament.'

After a moment of consideration, the only thing I manage to come out with is a strained 'Ugh ...'

Kratos doesn't answer, but I do get a look of slight confusion. I just wrinkle my nose and glare the Lloyd's back. 'It's annoying knowing I can't do anything to help.'

Not too surprisingly, I don't get an answer, but Kratos does give me a long stare for a few moments. I'm not too sure what emotion that just was, but I'm just glad it wasn't "oh good god, kill it now". Kratos looks back to the darkening skies, and ignores me for a while.

Note how I said "a while". After gazing over the rolling, orange light-tinted hills and wondering just how far we'll be walking until we set up camp, or just how far Luin is, and considering if I should go and have a long, insightful conversation with Raine about something, I get an answer.

'Harrison,' Kratos starts. 'I have known you for seventeen days, and through most of those days I have bore a heavy disliking to your company.'

'You hate my guts,' I correct, only to be ignored again, be I wrong or right.

'Yet, you are constantly troubling yourself with my own problems,' he claims, arms still folded. 'For what reason?'

'Because I can?' I attempt hopefully. I've actually been dreading this question for a while now, because I'm not to sure of how to answer. Of course, the real reason is because I don't want to _die_ at the Tower of Salvation, but since that night where he ... uh, beat Lloyd up, I've been feeling an overwhelming sense of pity for him then. It's like ... forget how big of a jerk he's been while I'm here, it's like I'm outside this world again as an observer, just ... learning more and more, and feeling more and more sorry as time passes.

'... Okay, I don't know,' I sigh, shrugging again. 'Really ... as weird as it may sound, it just feels right when it all comes down to it.'

Kratos gives me a look that reads "explain".

'Uh ...' I mutter, panicking slightly. 'Well ... I dunno, I never had a dad around while I was growing up, so I doubt I could give a decent viewpoint here. But you two just kinda ...' I trail off, trying to find the right words. 'It just kinda clicks. I'm probably dishing out a lot of bullshit that makes no sense, so just ignore me.'

'Hn.'

'... Wow,' I say after a second, dropping my arms back to my side, and I get another questioning glance. 'We just had like, a five minute conversation without insulting each other. Hey, Lloyd!'

From meters in front, Lloyd (as well as the others) glances over his shoulder when I shout at him. I wave, pointing to the mercenary. 'Kratos and me just had a civilized conversation and haven't bitched at each other for five whole minutes!'

'That's your personal best!' he shouts over the distance, waving back. I laugh a little, but Kratos looks none too amused.

'Oh, come on,' I say with a frown, lightly thumping his shoulder. 'We were doing so well, too.'

Everything returns to it's usual, boring state when I get a quiet 'hmph' as a response. I just sigh, shove my hands into my pockets, and jog forwards and away from the bastard mercenary and his bastard dog-type-thing. I don't go up to anyone, seeing as Genis and Lloyd seem to be talking to eachother about something interesting, and the Professor is giving Colette a short lesson on ... something. Well, she has one of her numerous books out, so I'm guessing that's what's going on. I just walk alone and admire the sunset.

"_So, what are you guys up to?" _I ask the pair in my head, confused by their long, long silence. Every now and then, I'm getting an annoyed groan from William and a giggle or two from Charis.

"_Why don't you ask her?" _William mutters scornfully. "_She the one with the computer."_

"_... Charis, what did you do to him?" _I ask worriedly. Before she can say anything, another giggle sounds through my head. William groans again and shifts on his chair, answering for her.

"_She's watching Zelos working out."_

It takes all I can not to burst into a small fit of laughter and confuse the current members of the party. "_Uh, okay."_

"_I mean, why?" _William snaps, and I feel a rant coming on. "_Seriously, he's just working out! What's the fun in that!? It's not THAT amusing, is it?"_

I pause, uncertain of what to say. "_... So, Charis, how's it going?"_

"_Six-pack, best ever six-pack right there," _she says, and I can only pray to god she means booze. "_You could bounce coins off those muscles."_

"_HE WEARS PINK!"_ William screams, thudding his desk with his fists, by the sound of it.

"_Not right now, he's not."_

"_Oh good lord,"_ I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "_He's shirtless, isn't he?"_

"_Yes, yes he is,"_ Charis says, and it seriously sounds like she's enjoying herself.

I decide to duck out of the conversation before another round of arguing over whether Zelos will or will not top William on the manliness scale (who is miles behind the Chosen, by the sound of it) will erupt, and admire more of the sunset goodness. My Gamecube has a crush on Zelos, my Playstation is denying the fact the he's freakishly jealous for some reason, I'm never going near another spider again, Kratos has successfully lost all will to live thanks to Genis and Colette, and ... today has been really weird so far.

I ... really don't think I want to know what the next few days have in store for us.

--------------------------------------

Y'know, camping is ... okay. I think I've gotten used to it, but ... try camping in the Asgard region. Go on, imagine it. Get all of your sleeping bags out, start up your pathetic little camp fire, heat up that dinner. Yeah? Good. Now imagine it ... imagine ... keep imagining ...

IT'S COLD, ISN'T IT?

I don't know if I'm weirdly vulnerable to the cold or something, but as we all sit around our little campfire and eat our dinner, I've dragged mine, Lloyd's, and Colette's blankets over my shoulders and am attempting to eat what has been put in front of me to warm up. Said meal is indeed some odd kind of soup, which I think is chicken or something, but at least it's warm.

Not everyone is making such a big deal out of the weather, but dammit, I'm English. It's like ... tradition to moan about the weather. Even though I'm making it more obvious that it's freakin' cold, you can tell everyone else is cold, too. Lloyd and Kratos are sitting against a warm Noishe, who is lapping up Colette's dinner when she said she wasn't hungry. Colette looses her ability to feel things at the Wind Seal, I think, so she's also cold, but she and Genis are huddled up to the Professor for body warmth. Bad choice, I'd say, because they're now having a short lesson about Lake Umacy and it's gloriousness and whatnot. Not that they seem to mind.

And here _I_ am. Alone, on the other side of the camp, with my blankets and soup. Feeling quite lonely over here, but Raine would get all annoyed again if I interrupted her lesson, and Noishe would probably eat me if I went over there.

I drop my spoon into my half-eaten soup and rest my chin on my hand, feeling quite bored. Again, there isn't really anything to do around here. It's not completely dark yet, but I don't really want to drag anyone out for a walk, because they all seem busy. But if I go on my own, well, the thing that William said to me a while back is just painfully true. If I come across Yggdrasill, Yuan, or Pronyma, I'm gonna get killed on the spot, there and then.

Oh screw it, no one is talking to me anyway. I know I'm sounding a little bit moody right now, but I get like this when no one talks to me. I hate my nature.

'I'm going for a walk,' I say, getting to my feet. I get very close to kicking something when the only person who looks up is Lloyd. Gee, thanks for the acknowledgement, guys.

'Do you want someone to come with you?'

I don't see _you_ offering. 'No.'

Lloyd blinks at my cold tone, and I notice a few of them glance up. Oh geez, I hope I don't get the whole "are you okay?" rounds. I don't really know how to answer, seeing as I don't know why I'm all grouchy tonight ... or whatever it is, I'm refusing to acknowledge it. When I walk away, I consider asking Charis and William if they have any advice. I hear a quiet "what's up with _her_?" from Genis, but do my best to ignore it. It's either ignore it, or scoop up a rock from the ground and throw it right between his eyes. Yeah, I'll stick with walking away.

And ... now I'm cold again.

I wait for Charis and William to sort out the computers and stuff before we start talking, seeing as Charis can pull up any information she wants on that thing. Where we're camping is close to a forest of some sort, so there are a couple of trees around as I get closer. Yes, I fricken' plan on taking a walk in the forest. Why? Because I can. If Pronyma or Yuan, or even Yggdrasill come down to do me in, well I'll just have to take out all of this pissed of energy on them, won't I? Believe me, I _will_ win while I'm miffed.

After walking for almost quarter of an hour, I realise that I am _ver_ydeep in the woods, and probably lost, too. I notice a small river running through the opening, meaning I can't go any further. I'm not about to attempt crossing a river, because if I fall in, I'm screwed so bad.

"_What's up?"_ Charis asks. "_Well, I know, but what do you think is up?"_

I frown and plop down on the river bank, not to sure on how to phrase my answer. "_I dunno. Everything and everyone is just annoying me since I had that talk with Kratos, but I don't think it's anything to do with that ... hey, where's William?"_

"_Oh, he's sulking. But anyway, what do you think is up?"_

"_I told you, I don't know,"_ I say, running a hand through my hair. "_Everyone is really getting on my nerves."_

"_Well, I'd say something helpful,"_ Charis says, typing away again. "_But what you're feeling now could determine YOUR outcome of this whole thing."_

I'm ... suddenly really scared. "_What?"_

"_You may not know what you're feeling, but Yggdrasill does. He's watching you guys."_

I groan. "_Oh man, when did HE come into it?"_

"_He hasn't, yet,"_ Charis says. "_But think back to Welgaia. He uses everyone's individual weaknesses to manipulate them, and when he possesses people at the seal of Origin, he manipulates them into giving in. It's all confusing, but what you're feeling now is what he'll use for that, should you get possessed. But you probably won't so don't worry about that ... but Welgaia ..."_

"_But ... what AM I feeling?"_ I ask frowning. "_If I don't know what it is ... when it comes to that point in Welgaia, I'll give in completely. I won't know how to stop feeling like that if I don't know what it is."_

"_Trust me, it'll fade,"_ Charis assures quickly. "_But like Kvar's methods of torture, Yggdrasill could bring it all back. Even if you do find out what it is and sort it out, it WILL come back."_

"_Hm_ ..." I mumble. "_I'm not looking forward to any of this if I don't know what's up."_

"_Trust me, after you guys finish the Wind Seal, you might find out."_

"_... Why then?"_ I ask.

"_What happens directly after the Wind Seal?"_ Charis says, her chair squeaking as she leans back.

"_Uh, Wind Seal ..."_ I mumble, thinking. "_Uh ... oh right! Isn't it when ... Lloyd finds out about about Colette and stuff?"_

"_Yes, exactly."_

I pause. "_What do you mean 'exactly'? I don't get how that's related ..."_

"_Oh, you will,"_ Charis assures. "_And hey, you'll probably start shouting and storm off and do all your other hissy-fit things."_

"_But why? Who does it concern?"_

"_Just Lloyd, but trust me, aaaall will be clear soon. Though it is avoidable, so keep that in mind. If nothing happens, then that's okay too. Yggdrasill might not notice, and you'll be fine."_

I sigh, frowning again. "_Well ... nothing happens to Lloyd after the seal is broken, so ... you just have me completely confused. Why will I get angry? Why AFTER the Wind Seal? I don't get it ..."_

"_Trust me, you're better off not knowing," _Charis says in a warning tone. "_It takes away all the surprise."_

"_It takes away all of my sense of security more like it," _I mutter coldly._ "It's been seventeen days, and I already feel like Yggdrasill is under my skin."_

"_Pfft. Yeah. ONLY seventeen days. It's gonna take you a lot longer to reach the Tower of Salvation alone, so if you think that's bad, then consider the length of time._

I pause. I ... seriously don't remember what happened before the Tower of Salvation, and it all seems like a jumbled blur of things that don't make sense in my head. If I knew, then ... agh, it'd make it so much eaisier.

"_Oh trust me, you have it easy now," _Charis says. "_I'm still messing around with the universe here, and as soon as I'm finished, zip. Zilch. It's out of my hands, and this becomes a real world."_

"_When will you be finished?" _I ask curiously.

"_Well, I'm so glad you asked," _Charis says, and I swear to LORDIE she's grinning or smirking or something. "_I should be finished in the next day or two, because the only thing left to do is finish off the world."_

"_... Do what?" _I ask.

"_Oh, honestly. Do you really think Palmacosta and Asgard could be a day's walk?" _she says in a mocking tone. "_This isn't a game anymore. It's gonna take at least ten days to walk from Lake Umacy to the Thoda Geyser, which you'll be doing when the summon spirit pact comes up. And then ten days to walk back ... y'know, that' almost a month in itself."_

I swear, I'm gonna cry at any given moment. "_You're kidding ... how long until the Tower of Salvation?"_

Charis' loud cough, without a doubt, resembles: "_Eighty days."_

"_E ... EIGHTY DAYS!?" _I shout, carefully not to say it out loud, because believe me, I come _this_ close to doing it. "_THAT LONG!?"_

"_Well, around that much."_

"_That's ..."_ I mumble quietly, holding my head in my hands. "_That's almost three months ..."_

"_Well, just under three months,"_ Charis corrects. "_But it's around that number. We don't know what could happen, but it'll definitely be over eighty, at a minimum." _

"_Minimum ... oh man, it could be longer?"_ I whine. "_I hate my life."_

"_Most of those days will be spent travelling anyway, so don't worry too much. You have to go back and forth from Umacy, Thoda, Hima, all that stuff."_

I groan. "_My kneecaps will fall off by the end of this journey, I swear."_

"_Don't worry, you'll be fine. It'll be about a month before Sheena joins you, and I think you two will get along quite well."_

I pull my knees up to my chest and hug them. Damn, I need a hug right about now. "_Really?"_

"_Aw hell no, you two are gonna rip eachother's throats out," _she says calmly. "_Opposites attract, so I think you two would repel like hell."_

"_... I hate you_,"I mumble, hugging my knees tighter.

"_I know,"_ Charis says, yawning. "_Well, if you don't mind, I'm gonna get to work."_

"_Expanding the world?"_

"_No, watching Zelos." _

I pause, uncertain of how to answer that without screaming. I just nod, doubtful she can see it.

"_Well, seeing as you're feeling quite crappy, here. Present from me."_

I blink, and an apple randomly drops into my lap from ... out of nowhere, really. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten an apple for a long time ... which is weird, because I eat apples every day. They're my favourite food in the whole wide world ... s. Seriously, I don't think I could survive in a world without apples. If Tethe'alla, for some random reason, doesn't have apples, I will cry. And scream. And have fits. And go back to Sylvarant.

... Anyway, I believe I have an apple. I should really eat it before someone comes along and asks where I got it from. I can't just say it fell from the sky. Well, I could, really. I think I'll do that if someone asks.

... EAT IT, WOMAN.

... Anyway, ignoring the apple for a moment ... when Charis said, about what I'm feeling could determine my outcome ... well, I'm just glad it won't effect anyone except me, because that would land everyone in a lot of trouble, probably. I'm a bad luck magnet. But then, I have to consider ... if it effects me, will that effect anyone else? Charis said it concerns Lloyd, so ... what could happen there? Something bad, probably. I hope his illness doesn't get worse or anything.

... Why does everything have to be so complicated?

'Hey, you okay?'

I jump a little, apple still in hand, and look over my shoulder. Lloyd is standing a few feet away from me, and it's a wonder I didn't hear him come. I was probably too busy talking to Charis to notice, but oh well. He's here now.

'M'fine ...' I mumble, dropping my apple into my lap. Lloyd pauses for a second.

'You don't sound fine. You've been acting weird ever since this afternoon. Is something up?'

I respond with a shrug. 'I dunno. I'm just feeling down. It'll pass soon – I'm always like this every now and then. Probably that time of the month.'

Lloyd falls silent, hopefully disturbed. Apparently not. 'What time?'

I furrow my brow and glance over my shoulder. 'Y'know ...'

'Know what?' Lloyd answers, frowning a little.

'... Lloyd, did Raine ever go through sexual education with you guys?'

'Uh ... yeah,' he answers with a short nod. 'A few years ago. She told our parents to go through it with us.'

'Aaaand ...?' I say, raising an eyebrow.

'... What?'

I slap my forehead. 'Please tell me you at least know how babies are made.'

'Uh ... they grow inside a woman's stomach?'

This is becoming increasingly difficult to get around. 'And for that to happen ...?'

Lloyd looks like he's forgotten to revise for a test or something. 'Uh ... doesn't it just grow after a while?'

I pause for the longest time, just staring at him, and Charis has gone into hysterical fits of laughter in my head. I don't think Dirk ever got around to giving him the talk after all. I try not to snort, and cough a couple of times to cover it up.

'... You're freakin' me out now,' Lloyd says, looking a little worried.

'It's nothing,' I say, coughing again. Must not laugh at the unfortunate teen. 'I think you just cheered me up.'

'Oh, well, that's good,' Lloyd says with a grin, immediately dismissing what we've just been discussing (which I won't be forgetting for a while). 'Well ... almost everyone's asleep now, and I have to head back, so ...'

'I won't stay out here too long,' I say, waving a hand. 'I just need to think about some things, or I won't be able to sleep, mm'kay?'

'Okay,' Lloyd says, nodding. 'Don't be ages – I'm on night-watch, so I won't be able to come and get you if you're eaten by a spider, or something.'

'I'm sure I'll be fine,' I sigh.

'Well, I'm gonna go have nightmares about spiders now, so ... I'll see you later,' Lloyd says, waving as he goes back to camp. I wave back, and when he's out of sight, and hopefully out of sound range, I burst out laughing. Charis is still laughing in my head, and I think she told William, because I can hear him, too. Well, at least he's not sulking anymore. I feel kinda better, too, and I'm sure this is just a good night for Charis.

"_Well ... I thought he knew,"_ I say after a while. "_I assumed after he told me not to deny him of his spawn back at the Ossa Trail, but-"_

"_Oh, he would have said anything to avoid having an icicle shoved through his-"_

"_CHARIS, DAMMIT!"_ William screeches. "_Please, I'm not feeling well!"_

I flop onto my back and stare at the sky, wondering about the next few days we have ahead of us. With any luck, they'll be as entertaining as this one was.

Poor Lloyd. I'll have to talk to Kratos and Raine tomorrow. Maybe they can ... give him a short lesson and hopefully not scar him for life.


	47. Of Luin, Doctors, and Gargoyles

17th April: Okay ... my granddad just died today. I know this is something you probably don't want to concern yourselves with, but I just thought I'd let you know. You might see less writing from me, or a lot more. I'll be going down to Devon to attend the funeral service, so I might not be around for a long while. If that isn't the case... I'll be writing a lot to get my mind off things, so you could see an increase in chapters.  
I think the most unsettling about this is that I haven't cried, and probably won't. I don't cry when people close to me die. I don't know why – I'm not emotionally strong at all, but I never seem to cry. My brother is like that too, but ... are any of you guys like that? I just want to know that I'm not so friggin' inhuman that I can't cry at the death of people close to me.

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A/N:

Okay, this chapter is longer than it should have been. I have a little timeline thing for what should happen each day, and I wanted to end it with ... the scene you will read at the end, obviously, but I didn't know so much would happen D: There are a few scene breaks, so you can pick up where you left off if you get tired?

Okay, Luin! Yay Luin! But boo, for Charlie, because bad things happen in this chapter D: We take a closer look at her 'weakness', and we get to see her brave some monsters on her own, bless her. Also, we look into her relationship with the other characters, and it doesn't end well. You'll see what I mean.

I was playing through a couple of scenes on ToS, and then I started to wonder about their costumes again. I'm still thinking about Char's own little costume, but I'm not too sure. I'll get there. Anyway, I was wondering about the beach-wear and the formal-wear. If someone waved a dress in her direction, she'd probably Mana Blast them into the nearest oblivion.

And a final thought about the four seraphim – well ... I just thought, Kratos _definitely_ has his senses, because you get small tips every now and then that show that. Maybe he, Yuan and Yggdrasill all went through the whole 'soulless' phase that Colette went through to get to where they are? If they did, it'd be very interesting to throw in. Well, that's my theory on the whole thing.

Aaaaaand ... for future use, I seriously have no idea what the world was called before it was split into two, but ... anyone think it was called Symphonia? Me and a friend were talking about it the other day when we were playing it, so ... that's what it'll be called whenever a conversation comes up about the two worlds. Like, when they talk to Yuan about it after the Tower of Salvation. Well ... I'm not to sure that scene will occur for _reasons_, technically something that will happen to Charlotte at the Tower, so I don't know if she'll be there while they're talking about it. I'll sort something out.

Now, go listen to (_Here it Goes Again_ - Ok Go). Those of you who have seen the treadmill dance on youtube will know what it is XD And a song I've recently become obsessed with again, (_Ordinary Day – _Vanessa Carlton), which I've been listening to a lot while writing, drawing ... pretty much everything, really XD I love it.

79 favs, 62 alerts ... y'know, I really love you guys. All of you. Don't think you just pass by in my weird little life, because you don't. You make this all worth it, and I'm truely thankful for that.

* * *

Chapter 47 – Of Luin, Doctors, and Gargoyles 

Well, I have two words for you: oh crap.

We've reached Luin, so that's all good, but you're gonna want to know what's happened in past two days. I should start from the beginning of the second day, seeing as that's where we left off.

I asked the Professor about ... the thing I talked to Lloyd about last night, and she said she had no idea that Dirk didn't tell him about ... the ways of life. So, she said she's going to have a long talk with Dirk when she gets back to Iselia, and hopefully get around to telling Lloyd about it herself in the next few days, and then maybe ask Kratos to give her a hand, seeing as he's the only grown man around here. No Genis, go away.

So, I'm blissfully awaiting the day they give Lloyd the talk, but for now, we have more serious issues in hand. Anyway, back to what's been going on ...

Weirdly, so very weirdly (yet kinda refreshing) I haven't talked to Kratos since we had that conversation about the ranch and whatnot the other day. Which would make it two whole days without talking to Kratos, and that ... is actually quite a good feeling. Y'know, I haven't had to worry about lies or making some big mistake for 48 hours, and my lord, it feels good. I think Kratos is actually a lot more relaxed and feeling better because of that, as insulting as it is to me. Wait, insulting? Good gosh, I'm over the moon.

And weirdly, I've been talking to the Professor more than anyone. I dunno – it's really scary. I've actually gotten around to joining in with a few classes and even a few alone, like Colette had the other day. I'm learning a lot more about Sylvarant too, so that's making me feel more confident. When we reach Tethe'alla, I'll be a lot less edgy, because these guys don't know anything about that world either. Joy for me.

I'd talked to Charis a little more, and yes, she's finished sorting out the map thing, and the universe is now completely out of her hands. Not so good, but I guess it had to happen someday. She told me Tethe'alla is finished too, and that led me to think about some things Tethe'alla wise. Like ... Sheena, Zelos, Regal and Presea – how will I get along with them? The Sylvarant team is down – Kratos and Genis hate me, Colette and Lloyd are my friends, and the Professor is ... the scary Professor, but what about the others? Sheena could well and truly want to rip my head off, but I'm only basing that on what Charis said the other day.

Now ... Zelos, I'm not too sure about. Obviously, he's gonna be the womanising Casanova we all know, and if no one has bothered to notice, I have a rack, as do another two people in this group. I have a feeling I'm gonna get the same treatment he'd give to Colette and the Professor, and no, I'm not quite looking forward to that. If that skit "Nicknames" actually manages to occur here, I'm running for the hills.

Regal ... I have no idea. Seriously. I think I'll manage to get along with him quite well. I'm polite to my elders (except Kratos, but he doesn't count), and he's a pretty nice guy himself. Y'know ... when he won't be kicking the shit out of me before Mizuho. But yeah, I think that's gonna go down quite well, so I'm not too worried about that. I don't know why Regal doesn't get enough love: he's freakin' AWESOME.

Presea. Good GOD. Now, I'm not gonna beat around the bush or hesitate, these are my views: I friggin' hate her. She's too depressing. Like, in the game, when the Tethe'alla team are deciding where they're gonna go when the worlds are split, she says she'll be alone in either world. I mean, did the friendship and and plain helpful and lovesick attitudes NOT get through to her at all? I think that's a little selfish, but that's just me.

Uh ... anyway, Luin. Here we are. Luin. After three whole days of travelling. Luiiiin. And of course, as we walk down this nice long bridge (because, believe it or not, is Luin in the middle of something called Sinoa Lake), we walk, we sigh in relief, we're all happy. And then what does Lloyd choose to do?

Fall unconscious. The prat.

So, here we are now. Lloyd is at the inn with Raine, Colette and Kratos looking after him, and Genis and me have been sent to look for a doctor. Raine is getting really worried now, because any medication isn't working, like the injection at Palmacosta. Nothing is working, nothing is improving, so we're getting a doctor to hopefully diagnose for us.

'Genis, man, calm down,' I say, slapping a hand on his head and ruffling his hair. Poor kid's been twisting his hands in panicky frustration and groaning since we left the inn. He just looks up at me and frowns as we walk across a rickety bridge.

'How can you be so calm?' he demands, looking pissed off because I'm apparently not worried about his friend. I roll my eyes, feeling a little relieved when we get onto dry land again, and not the bloody bridges. Luin: surrounded by water. Not good for the Charster.

'Hey, I'm worried too,' I snap, scowling. 'If we're all panicking and worrying, I don't think it's going to make Lloyd feel any better when he wakes up. It's probably gonna make him annoyed, if not worried, alright?'

Genis scornfully mumbles something that I don't catch, but I give his shoulder a shove.

'I am _this_ freakin' close to shoving you off one of these bridges,' I grumble. 'And trust me, I'll do it.'

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the loving relationship Genis and I have developed for each other. Doesn't it just burn? Seriously, I'm gonna kill the brat by the time this journey is over.

Alright, Luin. Well ... like I said, the city is built on top of water, much like how Palmacosta is built on the sea. But of course, Palmacosta is the biggest, richest city in Sylvarant, and ... Luin isn't. The small spaces of available land are connected by bridges, and they're not in very good condition – no railings, _extremely_ low ... I don't like walking across them. But the city itself is something like Iselia, though most of the buildings are made out of wood and stone. I think Iselia mainly focused on wood, but they have the same, friendly and calm feel to it. The people seem nice enough, if not constantly worried. Luin doesn't have a peace treaty with Kvar, so ... yeah, big problem there.

After walking around for another five minutes under the burning sun (something I haven't felt for a while), we still have no doctor, and no SIGN of one for that matter. The city isn't very crowded, and I'll blame the human ranch for that, so I wouldn't put it against the Desians to have killed one of the doctors. Or all of them, for that matter.

'I hate the heat,' I grumble, wiping my forehead. 'Gives me a headache.'

'Ugh, if we keep wondering around like this, we're never gonna find a doctor,' Genis groans, ignoring my whining. 'Maybe we should ask someone.'

'Maybe,' I mutter, looking around, trying to spot someone who looks helpful. 'Okay, uh ... see those fishermen over there?'

Genis glances over to one of the docks, crowded with seven burly men, dragging nets crammed full of silver fish from a boat and into a cart. 'You go ask those guys. I'll ask ... that lady there.'

'Why do I have to ask those guys?' Genis inquires, furrowing his brow. Obviously he's displeased about going to ask the sweaty, muscular men any questions, but I really don't care.

'They'll snap you in two, with any luck,' I say, shrugging and heading over to the blonde lady in a white dress that I indicated a second ago while Genis ... warily approaches those fishing-dudes. I pause before gently tapping the lady's arm to get her attention, and she glances over her shoulder. She looks about ... thirty something, so hopefully she'll know of any medical help.

'Uh ... excuse me, do you know where I can find a doctor?' I ask a little nervously. What? I'm bad with strangers.

'Well ...' the lady mutters, shifting a bag full of groceries and angling it carefully against her chest. 'There is one that lives over there-' she points carefully to a less crowded area, '- but he's a little stingy. He might not help you if it's his day off.'

'Oh ...' I mutter, frowning a little. 'Well, thanks, anyway.'

When she says goodbye and walks away, I skip over to the dock, making sure not to actually step onto it. I don't trust these docks. 'Genis!'

Said little half-elf comes back over, looking just a little freaked out, clutching a small plastic bag in his hand.

'... What's that?' I ask, pointing to the bag.

'Uh ... we have fish,' Genis says, sounding ... worried. 'They were ... nice, I guess.'

'... Okay, I'm scared,' I say, looking away from the bag. 'Right, I found a doctor, so ... you take your fish back to the inn, and ... I'm gonna go get the doctor-dude.'

Genis nods, still looking freaked out. I give him a quick pat on the shoulder for comfort and head for the doctor's house while Genis returns to the inn. I hope it isn't the guy's day off today, because I'm not in the mood to put up with bullshit right now. We need to get Lloyd's illness diagnosed and cured, because we're going to have to put up with this constantly. I have enough to worry about without Lloyd collapsing all over the place.

I finally reach the less crowded area of Luin, where the doctor's house ... or office should be. I look around at the wooden houses, looking for a first-aid sign, or something – _anything_. After glancing up at the sky, I notice it's turning an orange ... pinkish colour, so it must be around late afternoon. Damn the weather – it's still boiling.

After five minutes, I give up and tap some random kid on the shoulder. Weird thing, he's crouched down behind a bench. I don't get it either.

'Shh!' he hisses, looking up at me with a pout. 'I'm hiding!'

Ah. Hide and seek. Okay, fine, whatever. 'Uh, kid, is there a doctor around here somewhere?'

'Yeah, a mean one,' he grumbles, still pouting. He points a chubby finger to a fairly small house that I probably wouldn't have given a second glance, but when I look closer, I see faint golden letters above the door indicating that it is indeed a doctor's office.

'Right, thanks kiddo,' I say, giving his head a quick pat before jogging over to this ... run-down little house. Damn, I hope his first-aid skills make up for his apparent mean nature. I feel like my stomach is twisting into two, look around to see if anyone is making wild gestures for me to GET THE HELL AWAY from this place, grimace, and give the door a sharp knock.

... Nothing.

I knock harder.

... Still nothing.

I wrinkle my nose, promise myself to kill Lloyd for this later, and twist the doorknob, entering without orders.

Well ... the place doesn't look as bad as it does outside. Fairly clean, bottles of unnamed medicine lining the walls on rickety shelves, some doctor's equipment around, a staircase leading up to a living area, I'm guessing ... and of course, behind a long desk on one side of the room, is our arrogant doctor. Who is an old man. Dammit, I knew this place smelt like hell.

'I'm busy,' he says gruffly, without looking up from some papers strewn over his desk. 'Get out.'

Lloyd, I will end you.

'Oi,' I say, striding over. He glances up, adjusting some half-moon glasses on a beaked nose. If I want anything, I'm gonna have to ... take a leaf out of Kratos' book and be a jerk. 'You're a doctor. I have an ill friend. You do the maths.'

'If maths is what you want,' he says, whipping the glasses away from his face and standing. Holy –- he's tall. 'Then it is Thursday, quarter past six, and my time off. Now leave.'

'This,' I point to myself. 'Is me not caring. Listen, I'm not rude to my elders, but my friend really needs help. He's been ill for about ... two weeks, just falling unconscious everywhere. And if we don't get this sorted out, _you_ are gonna have to wait longer for your goddamned salvation.'

There's a long pause, and I'm stuck staring at this unimpressed, grey-haired old geezer from the other side of the desk.

He takes his glasses from his breast-pocket and returns them to his face. 'Is your friend outside Luin?'

'He's in the inn.'

He grabs a brown jacket from the back of his chair, slipping it on. I try not to smile as he grabs a small briefcase, striding past me and heading to the door. I pause for a moment and follow quickly, so the heavy wooden door doesn't ... slam shut on my face or anything. I notice, when we leave, a few people are giving us weird glances. What? He's not THAT evil, is he? Well, I have been in Luin for about ... an hour, so I wouldn't know.

'What was your name?' I ask, jogging to catch up.

'Samuel,' he answers, not looking down at me. Again – he's tall. I frown a little, wondering if this man is going to poison Lloyd instead of treat his illness, because that's the impression I'm getting from him.

'Uh ... right,' I mumble, looking around at the kids still playing hide and seek. 'Our friend just needs to be diagnosed, and maybe get some treatment recommendation.'

He doesn't answer, but I think he was listening. Well ... as long as he knows – I just wish he could be a little more ... non-Satan like. Y'know, I haven't had any bastard-ness from Kratos for two days, and I doubt I need it from a freakin' doctor. Shouldn't doctors be nice? I guess I've only ever been treated by nice doctors, so ... a jerk is kinda new. I don't like it.

Once again, I feel the need to say something, but manage to keep my mouth shut. Ugh, it's like being around Kratos again, but this guy hasn't beat me up or killed people in front of me so far. Plus, he's a lot older (well ... kinda), so he deserves a little respect.

'Uh ... the inn is-'

'I know,' Samuel snaps. 'I live here.'

Why yes, yes he does. I frown again as we approach the inn (it's called The Phoenix, just so you know), and Samuel doesn't even knock – he just shoves the door open, and I wait a second or two before following. Sure, we didn't knock either, but we had an unconscious person. We don't count.

'Oh, Doctor-' the inn-keeper starts from behind her desk, but Samuel interrupts her quickly.

'I'm here to treat a patient, and do not want the room occupied to be disturbed until I leave,' he demands calmly.

The inn-keepers mouth flutters open and closed for a second before coming out with. 'O-of course, Docto-'

'Good,' he says, turning right back around and heading for the door I'm currently standing beside. For those of you who don't know, there's a set of stairs on the outside of the inn that lead to the bedrooms, and the downstairs is like a pub of sorts. So we need to go back outside to get to our bedroom, which is really annoying. If you need the bathroom in the middle of the night, you have to go _outside, _and then down to the pub I mean, ouch.

I follow Samuel outside after waiting another few seconds, and see he's already striding upstairs. I follow quickly, hoping to warn the others of the man who embodies the devil himself, so Raine doesn't end up killing him before someone else does. Once again, without knocking, he pushes the door open and marches right on in. I take a deep breath and follow.

Right – Lloyd is in bed, now awake and resting against the headboard, Genis and Colette are in the corner of the room close to the window, and Raine and Kratos are beside Lloyd's bed. Now, let's all get along nicely and ... not murder each other in the next few minutes ... please.

Well ... there's a long, long pause. Everyone looks up at Samuel, our evil-doctor man, Samuel is observing each of them quietly, and I'm just ... wincing in the background somewhere near the door.

'Alright,' Samuel says, grabbing a chair from beside the door and dragging it over to Lloyd's bed. 'I'm going to ask you questions, and you're going to answer them. No one is going to speak, and we're going to get this over with quickly.'

Lloyd is obviously stunned into silence, and Raine looks ... murderous. Lloyd just nods slowly. 'Uh ... oka-'

'How many times have you fallen unconscious?' Samuel demands, opening his black briefcase with a snap. He pulls out a clipboard and rips off the first note-covered page, dropping it back into his case. His pencil is at the ready, and he scribbles down the words "_symptoms/notes"_ on the clean page.

'Um ... three, I guess-'

'Headaches?' comes the next, abrupt question. Even Genis and Colette are looking a little concerned that the doctor is a plain jerk, Raine still ... wants to snap his neck into two, and Kratos is just his calm, collected self. And he looks like he wants to kill me, for some unknown reason, but we'll get back to that later.

'... Not all the time, but yeah, someti-'

'Abdominal pains?'

'Uh ... no-'

'Vomiting?'

'N ... no-'

And they continue for a while, and Lloyd has to look up at the Professor every few questions because he has no idea what the word means. As if any noise would make the doctor turn around and stab me in the neck with the pencil, I quietly inch over to Colette and Genis, who are still looking worried.

'We ask for a doctor,' Genis whispers, glaring at me. 'And you bring _this_ guy?'

'Hey, I had to give major lip to that thing,' I hiss. 'I hate being rude to my elders, so we're gonna have him, like it or not.'

'You're rude to Kratos all the time!' Genis insists, still whispering.

'Kratos is a bastard!' I reply, obviously a little louder than I should have. I freeze, glance over my shoulder, and notice Krat-man glares my way for a second or two before looking back to Mr Doctor-Man. I glance back to the other two, and Colette just smiles nervously, not all too happy with the doctor's attitude, I can see.

'Well ... as long as he can help Lloyd,' she says, tugging at her sleeves. She does that when she's worried, I've noticed the past ... twenty days since I've been here.

'If he doesn't poison him first,' I mutter.

'I don't think he'd do that ...' Colette murmurs, still sounding quite nervous.

'We'll see,' I grumble, leaning against the wall and turning my attention back to the four over that-a-way. Lloyd looks really panicky, like if he says something wrong, he'll be eaten or something. Or stabbed. Or clobbered with that heavy looking briefcase. But I guess I would be too ...

'Well, this isn't something I can say I've come across before,' Samuel says quietly, probably to himself. Lloyd doesn't really look like he wants to answer anything else, and lies down again. Poor thing looks like he's just come out of a test-room or something. I was like that when I did my first practice SAT ... an asset languages paper. Damn, I was so worried ... aw, poor Lloyd. I think another Hug-Everyone-Day is in order.

'Alright,' Samuel says, not looking up from his clipboard. 'Fifty Gald, and I'll see you again tomorrow.'

Wordlessly, Kratos hands him a coin, and I've been in Sylvarant long enough to notice THAT particular coin is a one-hundred Gald piece. What the hell is he doing? We need money!

'You will come tomorrow,' Kratos orders as Samuel drops the money into his briefcase. 'And you will treat him properly.'

Lloyd glances up at Kratos for a second, and then back to Samuel, who doesn't seem phased by Kratos' ... Krat-ness. He's just scribbling some things down on his paper ... I'm not too sure what, but they're keeping him occupied enough for Raine to glance over at me with a disappointed look. What? It's a doctor, isn't it!? Leave me alone already.

'You, in the cape,' Samuel says, not looking up and still writing. Kratos doesn't say anything, and he continues. 'You seem familiar.'

... Um, damn. Unlike Asgard, I don't think Kratos will be realised as "the man who killed a bunch of Desians", but maybe "the man Anna ran off with". Anna was from Luin, wasn't she? If he mentions anything about that, then ... oh damn, I am so screwed. Did Samuel know Anna, or her parents or something? I doubt everyone in Luin would know who she was, but ... it's nice to be safe.

'You've been to Luin before,' Samuel states, still scribbling things down on his paper. Charlotte, do something to take the conversation to another topic. Like ... _now_.

'OH MY GOD!' I come out with, barely thinking on it. _Everyone_ in the room looks at me, and I panic for a while.

'What?' Genis says, looking ... disturbed.

'Uh ...' I begin lamely. C'mon woman, think. 'There's a penny on the floor!'

Hot damn, Charster, that's the most pathetic attempt to disrupt a conversation ... in the history of _ever._ I'm probably blushing like hell right now, seeing as I just made a complete and utter ass out of myself in front of six people. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the people downstairs heard me. They're probably confused about what Mr Doctor man is doing up here right about now.

'Moving on,' Samuel says, successfully pulled out of conversation with Kratos. 'What's you're name, boy?'

'Lloyd ...' he mumbles, rubbing his head. I hope he doesn't start getting headaches, too ... though I doubt it'll be because of the heat, because Iselia is a pretty warm place, being near a desert and all. 'Lloyd Irving.'

Samuel pauses for a moment before writing down Lloyd's name in the corner of the paper. Oh crap, does he know Anna? Wasn't Anna's last name Irving? I'm not too sure, but ... oh crap, not good. Y'know, I could be worrying for no reason at all ... I should just stay calm and wait for Samuel to leave, and maybe ... ask Kratos, or something.

'Alright,' Samuel says, getting to his feet. He drops his clipboard back into his briefcase and snaps it shut, heading to the door. 'Get bed rest, and I'll see you tomorrow.'

Before we can say anything, he's gone, just like that. The door slams shut, and we all flinch a little. A long, buzzing silence fills the room for a few lengthy moments, and everyone if still staring at the door, even now still rattling on it's hinges. After a while, I'm waiting for the first comments on the doctor's behaviour. And ... here it is.

'What a jerk,' Lloyd says, staring wide-eyed at the door.

'He can't be the only doctor in the city,' Raine sighs, sitting down on the end of Lloyd's bed, arms folded tightly over her chest. I slap a hand to my forehead with a small groan, looking over pleadingly at Genis.

'We looked for ages, and he was the only one we found,' I say apologetically. 'I thought it was an emergency, so I just ... picked him. And look on the bright side, we got some free fish!'

Lloyd shivers noticeably. 'I hate fish ...'

Oh, I give up. Can't get any love out of these guys. 'Okay ... well, I'm gonna go and get a drink downstairs ... I'm burning.'

'Yeah, it's really hot here,' Colette says, nodding. 'But ... I'm wearing thick clothing, so ...'

'You poor soul,' I sigh, resting my head on her shoulder for a second. 'You must be frying under all of that stuff. But you're wearing white, so ... eeh.'

'Huh?' Lloyd says as I head for the door. 'What does that have to do with it?'

'Uh ... white reflects sunlight,' I mumble, slipping out of the door and closing it behind me with a small click. Once again, I'm BURNING. Maybe I should just get a bottle of water, or something. I don't _like_ water, but at least I won't dehydrate, or anything ... because I haven't drank anything in a long time, and my head is throbbing with the heat. Gee, I hope I don't come down with something, too. Lloyd's ill, Colette should soon be having her third round of Angel Toxicosis ... we don't need everyone falling ill around here.

I slide down the banister and hop off before I _fall_ off, and head for the main entrance. I hope they sell water ... I just want something I can carry around and have a sip from every now and then, and ... we're practically out of liquids up there. We're going to have to restock before we leave. Or maybe just have Genis cast Aqua Edge for us, but Raine gets all annoyed because we're wasting mana, or something like that.

When I push open the door, my face falls when I notice Samuel by the desk, talking to the inn-keeper. Dammit man, go away already!

I notice her daughter (I think it is) also serving while she's speaking to the man, so I go over and quietly ask for a bottle of water. She nods with a small smile, taking a glass bottle from a rack on the wall, and I hand over twenty Gald in exchange. I glance up at Samuel for a second, but he doesn't acknowledge me at all, and continues talking to the inn-keeper. Apparently she's asking if her son can have a check up tomorrow, and he seems fine with that. Damn, I knew I shouldn't have asked him on his day off. We didn't actually get any HELP, either. It wouldn't have made any difference, and he might have not acted like a jackass if we asked him when he was free.

Yup, I'm an idiot.

I wrinkle my nose and start walking slowly back to the door, and jump when Samuel strides past me. Seriously, I want to kick him. Hard.

'Oh, is it alright if he sees you on Saturday?' the inn-keeper calls before he can leave. 'Only I've just thought, we're busy tomorrow.'

'Of course, ma'am,' he says, inclining his head slightly. 'Tell him to bring some cider, would you?'

With that, he heads to the door, the inn-keeper laughs a little ... but the next words she says makes me freeze, and drop my glass bottle to the floor. It shatters loudly, water spraying everywhere. Everyone in the pub looks at me, and my heart completely stops.

'Of course, Dr Irving.'

-----------------------------------------

'Charlotte ... you look really pale.'

Yeah, and my jaw is shaking too. I look up at everyone in the room, and feel slightly relieved that no one has asked me where that drink I was supposed to be getting has gone. I glance over at Kratos for a second, but he doesn't glance back.

'I ... I'm fine,' I say quietly. 'I'm ... gonna catch an early night, so ... I'll be in my room, if anyone needs me.'

'Hey ... weren't you going to get a drink?' Lloyd asks as I head for the door on the left side of the room, which should lead to the bedroom for the females. I pause momentarily, rubbing my forehead and quickly continuing towards the door. I may be pale, but I'm still burning.

'I forgot,' I say hastily, pulling the heavy wooden door open. 'Well, g'night.'

Night indeed – it's only ten to seven. And I know that, because Charis told me the time when I decided to pack off to bed. And trust me, she is going to get such an earful when ... I feel better, I guess. I though I was the only one who could possibly endanger the whole ... Lloyd finding out before he should thing, but now we have some old geezer who may or may not tell Lloyd he is indeed his GRANDFATHER. I assume he knows, because ... well, Lloyd said it himself – he's Lloyd Irving. Now, this could all be some crazy-ass coincidence, but I'm going to hopefully ask Kratos when the murderous tension has whittled. Well, I'd want to kill me, too. A handful of doctors in Luin, and I had to pick his dead wife's father.

Oh, this is just my freakin' day.

I quickly change into my precious OVERSIZED bed-shirt, and those shorts that have now become my pyjamas. Yay for me, and they're cooling, too.

Right, moving away from the topic of pyjamas, we have a problem. See – I sleep when it's dark. Which is obviously, very natural for your average human-being. Unless you're a genetic cross-breed of human and owl, but that's a topic for another day. Anyway, it's not exactly dark, and even when I haul myself out of bed to draw the curtains, there are still thin beams of light shooting through that gaps. Maybe I could ... nail it to the wall, or something ...

No. Bad Charlie. Don't do DIY on the inn. You'll have to pay for it.

"_Well,"_ Charis sighs, leaning back on her chair in my head. I now know when she does that, because the chair squeaks in a certain and overwhelmingly annoying way. "_I hope the next two days go good for you. And if they don't, then it's not my fault. The world is outta my hands. You gotta sort it out yourself."_

"_Hey ..."_ I yawn. "_Did I ever mention I hate you?"_

"_Yep, numerous times. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get back to my pastime while you sleep your little head off."_

Believe it or not, Charis has indeed discovered a few new pastimes besides "annoy the hell out of Charlotte" and "throw things at William". They now include: "Zelos working out", "Zelos sleeping", "Zelos with his hunnies", "Zelos training", and last but not least, "Zelos bathing". I remember shuddering violently when I found out about that last one, so we'll ... we'll be ignoring that.

As for Zelos working out, as well as training – well, from what Charis relays to me, he does it everyday. He must be really strong, I guess ... I wonder if fighting will get easier when he joins us.

"_Oh, it will,"_ Charis says. "_Ignoring how he practically oozes sexiness, he's extremely powerful. He'll be the strongest person in your group of misfits when he comes along. I just hope Lloyd won't be feeling jealous."_

I shrug, staring at the ceiling. "_Nah, Lloyd's cool. He knows Kratos is a lot stronger than him, and he hasn't exactly kicked up a massive fuss or anything."_

"_Kratos is his teacher,"_ Charis says. "_So I don't think he counts."_

"_Eeh ... I'm too tired to worry about Zelos and Kratos and ... all of the stuff that hasn't happened yet,"_ I mutter, yawning again. "_Just ... go back to Zelos-With-His-Hunnies_,_ and I'll go to sleep."_

"_Good plan."_

And with that, he's gone. Hm ... so, Zelos is strong. Well, he's the Chosen – he has to be, I guess. I wonder if magic-swordsmen are just ... extremely powerful in general. I mean, they've got the skills, the magic, the healing ... s'all very useful to have them around. Even if Kratos is a bastard-mercenary. A weird ... knife-producing, magic-swordsman, going to kill you as you sleep, cat-magnet, bastard-mercenary.

Before my brain registers the jumble of actions which would be "shut eyes" and "shut down", I'm greeted with a small, glass bottle of water being shoved into my face. I blink, jump, and look up.

Colette is standing over me, smiling and looking a bit worried, glass bottle in hand. 'You haven't drank anything since yesterday. You'll get ill if you don't drink something.'

I look from the bottle, to Colette, to the bottle, and take it from her when she hands it to me. 'Thanks, Colette ...'

After a moment or two, I realise she won't leave the room until I've forced something down my throat. I grimace, staring at the bottle of water. I know I wanted some earlier, but believe it or not, I feel sick. I don't really want to drink anything, but ... dammit, I need sleep, and she won't leave.

I uncork the bottle, and hesitantly take a few sips to make her happy. She smiles again with a small nod as I shudder, placing the bottle on the cupboard beside my bed. 'Ugn ...'

'Well ...' Colette says opening the door as she prepares to leave. 'You can sleep if you want – the Professor and me are going to visit the chapel, and Kratos has ... um, we don't actually know where he is.'

'Getting a pint, if he knows what's good for him,' I mutter, lying down. 'Well, thanks for the water ...'

'Yeah! No problem!' she says with another smile. 'Sleep well!'

And with that, she leaves, and I am left with my thoughts. Some rather morbid thoughts, but ... still thoughts. And of course, before I can wonder just how Kratos will go about ripping out my liver and bitchslapping me with it, Charis saves me from those rather grotesque images and favours me with conversation.

"_You still haven't figured out this weakness of yours yet?"_ she asks, and I pick the numerous, high-pitched "Master Zelos!" screams from the background. I think he's invited his 'hunnies' to watch him work out, because his muscles sound like they're getting a lot of love.

I groan, going back to Charis' question. "_No. Why? Is it vital that I know NOW?"_

"_If you want to do anything about it, yeah."_

I make a face at the ceiling and demand: "_Clue."_

Charis pauses. "_Alright, let's take this in a familiar stride. Pretend ... this is the game, and you're looking at Lloyd's friendship levels. Where do you think you are?"_

"_Uh ..._" I mumble, considering. Well ... we do get along well, but that's from my point of view. "_Um ... third? I dunno ..."_

Charis sighs, and ... she sounds genuinely let down. "_Sorry to disappoint you, kiddo, but you're dead last."_

And ... that hurt. No seriously, it really ... really hurt. Wow, I suppose all of my guesses have been wrong up until now ... I wasn't expecting to be bang up there at the top, but last? Oh geez, I'm the one he cares least about?

"_... Oh,"_ is all I manage to come out with after a while. "_O ... okay. So ... who's at the top?"_

"_It's Genis,"_ she says quietly. "_Always has been, always will be, but that doesn't matter for now. That's your clue, so ... think on that for a while."_

_Think_ on that for a while? Good lord, I need to _do_ something about that. I'm not to sure what ... or _why_, but it's a very unsettling feeling. I thought we'd bonded enough so I could get up there among the top three, at least, but ... apparently not. Ignoring that, what _can_ I do? Act more like Genis? Be NICE to Genis? Ugh ... I'm nice to _Lloyd_ all the time (except when I chewed him out back at Asgard), so ... what am I doing wrong? I've been careful with how I treat people around him (like, if I as much as answered back to the Professor, he _would_ kill me), but ... why does it all have to be so confusing?

'... Jackass,' I mumble, rolling over onto my side. I wonder where I'd be for everyone else's relationship if this was a game ...

"_Last for everyone, except Raine and Colette. You won over Kratos on their scales."_

I pause for a few seconds, but decide not to answer in the end. Charis goes back to watching Zelos do his working out with his bitches, William continues to sulk in his bedroom, and and I try to block out the sounds of Genis and Lloyd talking in the other room.

I come _so_ close to wondering if I should have stayed with them after all.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today isn't any better.

Why? Well, I'll tell you why. Now sit down and listen.

I will, of course, tell you what has been going on for the past ... three hours since I woke up? Which was bloody 4AM for those of you who are interested. Well, before that, let's take a look at me now – tired, covered in cuts and bruises, and pissed off at a certain man who runs a customisation shop.

Okay, so, I woke up. Sadly, I couldn't go through my whole "laze around for twenty minutes before actually _getting_ up" phase which I do every morning, and had to get straight out of bed. You see, today is a special day. Despite the number of muscles I may have ripped and the head-rushes I experienced with waking up early, today is special.

For today is the day where operation "Get-Lloyd-To-Appreciate-Charlie" is finally launched, and I'm kinda wishing it was a lot easier. So far, it's proving to be a right bitch. I'm around ... one and a half hours away from Luin, and am, from my understanding, heading in a south-east kinda direction. I've been killing monsters left and right since dawn. You name it – grasshoppers, giant bugs, even bloody harpies – they've eaten lead for breakfast. Lucky bastards; I'm starving.

So, once again, here I am. Bruised and battered. With my trusty bottle of water tied to my belt. You're probably wondering why? Well, I'll tell you now.

I'm looking for some friggin' WHITE SILVER.

And thus, I explain in a more understandable way. No? Let's try again. Now, to get someone to appreciate you, you need to obviously be a nice person. Now, I think I am a nice person. Sure, I'm overly annoying, constantly bonking people on the head, killing Desians, crying, screaming, panicking, getting stuck to trees, bitching about Kratos 24/7 in my head, making Lloyd out to be the utter doofus that he is, Genis-hating, swearing, whiny, but I'm really a nice person. Really. Really really.

So, I thought – what does Lloyd like? Very obvious – swords. And the colour red, but I'm going for swords here. Sure, he only started to properly learn how to use one when Kratos started training him, but other than that, he likes 'em. From what I can see, anyway. So, what is my plan? Buy him some new swords, because that's the loving, generous person that I am. Until I realise I have no money, and get into a kind of "screw it" attitude.

But then I remembered that customisation is _free_! As long as you get the materials yourself, but it's _free_! So what do I do? As quietly as I bloody can, steal Lloyd's current swords, which are rapiers, if anyone remembers. Y'know, from Luin? Yeah, those. But I was caught, by Kratos none the less. He calmly asked what I was planning to do with Lloyd's swords, and I came so very close to saying I was going to shove them up a certain orifice of his. But I didn't, and told him I was sleepwalking. To which he replied I wouldn't be in the frame of mind to tell him if I were sleepwalking. I told him to chew on his own balls and I FLED, DAMMIT.

So ... after finding out that the shop at Luin also sell the same kind of rapiers that Lloyd owns, I guessed my only option was to buy a second pair and do the customisation with _those_. Sure, I had to sell a couple of things for the money (the bracelet I bought at Palmacosta, some magic cloth I'd picked up on the way to Luin, just random things lying around). But I got there in the end, took it to the customisation-dude, and discovered I needed some white silver so the rapiers could be upgraded to some "masamune" swords.

So, I'm out here, kicking monster-ass in hope that they drop some white silver. I told the customisation-dude to hang on to the rapiers, and that I'd be back in a jiffy with the material he needed. If a jiffy is indeed over an hour, but let's not pay attention to that.

'This ...' I mutter to myself, promptly collapsing on a flat rock jutting out from the ground. 'Sucks.'

"_It's your own fault," _William says from inside my head. He's gotten out of his sulking phase, and if now in the 'insult-Zelos-whenever-he-can' phase. "_And before you ask, no, we can't send you down some white silver."_

"_YOU suck,"_ I retry. "_You suck, and Zelos rocks."_

"_His hair is too long!"_ he counters hastily. I like long-haired guys, actually – not too sure why. Makes them look cool and carefree, I guess. My older brother Allan had long hair ... I remember him stealing all of our hair-bands. But he had to cut it when he became a butcher. Yes, my older brother is a butcher. Shut up.

... Come to think of it, Regal's hair is about the same length as Zelos', and Regal is just bursting so much manliness that it's scary. William really has to think more about his insults.

"_Are there ANY monsters around here that carry white silver?" _I ask them, taking a long swing from my water bottle. Once again, the weather is burning, and when you've been running (away) around for over an hour, it gets worse. And I think the heat is making me a bit crazy – I keep thinking everything is gonna get sucked into a black hole because of the whole Samuel thing. Who knows, it probably all will.

"_Monster_," Charis warns with a yawn. Poor buggers had to get up early too. I woke them up, really, but I need guidance out here, darn it. Like the warning Charis just gave me – if she was sleeping, then I'd-

'Oh crap!' I yell, jumping up and looking around. Sure enough, there's the monsters. A giant wasp, and some ... gargoyle type thing with a stone pitchfork. Wasps I can dig, but I don't think I've faced one of these buggers before. I don't remember getting stabbed by the pitchfork at all, so this must be my first. Whoopdie-do.

"_Just Blitz the wasp,"_ Charis mumbles. "_It'll go down pretty fast – it looks like a young one."_

"_Aww ..."_ I say, before promptly frying the hell out of it it Blitz Bullet. I drop my arms back to my sides after the attack and watch the wasp twitching on the floor. I don't think it's gonna be getting back up anytime soon. I stretch my arm muscles (hey, PE warm ups were useful after all) and and grip my guns tightly, observing my horned enemy. Slitted eyes, slitted nostrils, fangs, claws, wings ... your average mystical monster.

'You, my friend, are ugly,' I say, craning my neck back and hearing it click. Right, I should be able to run away now if the going gets tough. Or, this could be very easy to kill. I have no idea.

I _do_ however have to hastily use Protection when he comes flying at me with his good ol' pitch fork. One second too late, and we'd have a Charlie kebab. Ouch.

'Watch it,' I yawn, rubbing my eyes as the gargoyle searches for it's weapon (that went flying after ricocheting off my shield). 'You could hurt someone with that ...'

While it's on the ground, sniffing around for it's weapon (behind you, dumbass – use your eyes), I take the opportunity to use Shockwave. If I'm fighting a flying creature, Shockwave has no effect at all, seeing as it travels along the ground. Kinda sucks, when you think about it ... I guess that attack is out when we fight Yggdrasill ... because he floats and all. I wonder if I'll learn anything more by then that could be useful against him.

... Right, focus Charlie.

After getting hit by the attack, the gargoyle falls over his own feet backwards with a thud against the dry grass. I suppress another yawn just in case he takes it as a mocking gesture and kills me for it. Really, I'm tired.

Well, after being knocked over, it notices it's pitch-fork. He growls lowly, scooping it and forcing himself back into the air with a powerful flap of those large, leathery wings. Bloody hell, must not yawn ... must not yawn ...

... Crap, I yawned.

The gargoyle simply makes a displeased, snorting kind of sound. I just shake my head as it glares at me with those slitted, yellow eyes. 'No, no, I'm not yawning at you. I'm just really tired ...'

Regardless of my excuse, it casts a spell as it's offence. I'm not an expert on magic or anything, but he cast his own pretty damn quickly. Even Genis takes longer ... damn, I should start taking this guy seriously ... if I weren't so bloody tired.

Well, I blasted with what feels like Wind Blade, and I go skidding back a few meters. I stumble to one knee at the force and carefully get back to my feet before it can cast another, rubbing my now bruised knee. 'Ouch.'

I straighten up and grip my pistols tighter, glaring at the gargoyle. 'Alright bitch, you're going down.'

To my surprise, the gargoyle does a 'bring it on' motion with his hand. And I dunno why, but I suddenly get the feeing I'm quite screwed. To back up that claim, before I can even think about using Fire Shot, I am blasted once again with Wind Blade ... only this feels like Air Thrust, because ow, I'm bleeding and go flying further.

This would be a good time to learn how to do the air escape thing ... with the back-flip thing. Though I don't think I could use that. I can't back-flip on the floor, let alone the air. Well, I can ... the results are just painful. Anyways, I should – as much as it pains me – ask Kratos. He's the only one that can do it. The others just stare in wonder at his athletic skills. Why does he have to be so good at everything?

... CHARLIE, FOCUS.

"_We_ would_ tell you how to use it,"_ William says as I use Protection against another spell, Air thrust again. "_But it'd look suspicious if you could just learn it straight away. Best thing to do is ask Kratos' help_."

"_Zelos is sexier than you,"_ I say, just to piss him off.

"_He wears PINK!"_

"_Oh man,"_ Charis groans as I use Fire Shot in the split second I have before getting battered by another wind attack. "_Will, why don't you wear pink?"_

"_Because ... it's a weird colour."_

"_Exactly. Zelos is so confident with his masculinity, that it doesn't bother him that he can wear pink sometimes. You're so unconfident about your own masculinity, that you have to insult a person who is completely fine with their own manliness."_

There's a long pause.

And then a door slams.

Chairs just yawns from up there. "_He's gone to find something pink."_

"_Right ..."_ I mutter, dodging the pitch fork aiming for my face. I don't have enough mana to use Protection anymore, so I'm going to have to be evasive here. "_What do you mean he wears pink sometimes?"_

Charis giggles. "_Sometimes he doesn't wear his jacket, because it's hot in Meltokio. You get a nice good view of his muscles, if his groupies weren't hanging off them all of the time."_

I ... don't bother answering to that, and have to run like hell out of a Air Thrust range. I'm not actually looking forward to meeting Zelos now, because I have a feeling my Gamecube will pop out of my head and just ... latch to him.

After using Fire Shot again, the gargoyle stumbles to the ground for a second, and I quickly use Shockwave. As it topples over for the second time, I hold my head in pain with a small mutter. I'm really low on mana ... and I don't have many Orangle Gels. Plus, I've discovered why it isn't good to use so many Orange Gels – a thing Genis never got around to explaining after the fight with Kilia. Y'know when Raine healed Genis after the ritual back at Asgard, and he had a headache? It's something like that. But Orange Gels make you all ... woozy and nauseous if you have a lot of them. Restoring mana faster than naturally must hurt.

The gargoyle looks very disgruntled right now, and I feel a little sorry for it. Maybe I should just leave him alone.

'Hey, I'm too tired to fight,' I say, shrugging. It looks over it's shoulder and glares at me, but I continue. 'Wanna stop and go home to your family?'

I believe that any conflict can be resolved with words, so I'm gonna put that to test here. I dunno if it can understand English (which they call "General" here, seeing as it's more widely spoken than Angelic, Elven, and Dwarven – no one speaks Dwarven anymore, not even Dirk). I'll try to get it to go on it's merry way, home to it's kids, or something. It might have a family – I dunno. Maybe I'm just being nice today.

The gargoyle grunts loudly, still glaring. It doesn't pick up it's dropped weapon, which kinda looks like it understands what I'm saying. Maybe not.

'You ...' I say, pointing to make it clearer. 'Go ...' I do a walking motion with my fingers. 'Home ...' I have no action for that, so I make the shape of a roof with my hands. 'No?'

There's a long, long pause. Maybe I've just said 'I'm going to rip out your innards and strangle you with them' in monster-language. I hope not ...

The monster grunts again, pointing to himself with a grey, clawed finger.

'Yes, yes!' I say, pointing again to back up his slow learning. 'You ... go home.'

I point to my own weapons, and then make a cross with my fingers, shaking my head. 'No more fighting.'

Cue the long pause. I don't know what I just did, or if it worked for that matter, but the gargoyle snorts before trudging away, leaving it's weapon amongst the long grass. I just watch it spread its thick black wings before pushing off from the ground, soaring away. The glare of the sunlight hits my eyes when I glance up, and I can't see where it's gone. When I look around, I realise it isn't coming back.

... Wow, I am so proud of myself. I actually convinced a monster to stop fighting and go home! Yay!

... Now, the search for white silver continues. Oh joy.

"_Not if you're lucky,"_ Charis says before I can set off in search again. "_That pitchfork might have some white silver embedded in it. You should take a look."_

Whey, go karma.

"_Oh really_?" I say, turning back to the discarded weapon. I stumble over and pick it up (wow, it's big), looking it over. "_How can I see if it's got some white silver on it?"_

"_White silver is really shiny,"_ Charis tells me. "_It's probably in a pattern somewhere – check near the top."_

I wince when I notice blood on the tips of the forks, meaning it must have been in a fight before me. But I do see a pattern consisting of small stones, about the size of my thumbnail lining the forks and the curve of the fork's head.

"_Is this it?"_ I ask, picking at a small one. "_How do I get it out?"_

"_Uh, okay ..."_ Charis starts, sounding a little worried. "_Cruxis could be watching, so ... just hold it to your chest for a second and lean down so they can't see._"

Wondering if this is actually safe, I do what I'm told and hold it close, trying to ignore the blood lining the weapon. I hear Charis do something on her keyboard, and before I can ask, all of the small stones lining the weapon drop to the floor, just like that.

"_Don't move,"_ Charis warns. "_Just touch each indent to make it look like you're pulling them off._"

I look around for where they were embedded and just brush my fingers over each of them, skipping a few. I want to get the hell out of here in case Pronyma or Yuan show up and kill me. I've got to be careful about going around alone ... and I guess Lloyd does, too. But I can't really say anything to him, because ... well, it'd sound odd if I told him to be with someone all the time. Preferably Kratos, because I doubt his best buddy Genis could hold his own again Cruxis members.

... Well, I beat Yuan. But I stabbed him with Charis' help, so I guess that doesn't count. I was freakin' lucky.

'Okay, all done!' I say to myself, scooping up the small stones. There's about twenty, so I hope that'll be enough. If not, then ... I'll just have to ask another gargoyle nicely for his white silver. I doubt it'd work. After gathering it all up, I make sure it's all nice and safe in my satchel and make my way back to Luin. Which, I'm guessing, will be an hour and a half walk.

"_Chariiiis_ ..." I say pleadingly. "_C'mon, just this once."_

"_Busy. Go away."_

I frown. "_C'mon, Zelos will still be there in five seconds. Just outside of Luin, pleaaaase? I wanna get back for breakfast."_

"_... Fine, but if Cruxis is after you ass, don't blame me."_

--------------------------------------

'... Your little finger is weird.'

I glance over the brim of my cup at team Iselia on the other side of the table. Team Iselia consists of Lloyd, Genis and Colette, for those of you who haven't a clue what I'm talking about.

I _did_ make it back for breakfast, thank the lord, and the four of us have found a nice little table next to the window to devour out toast. This place is different from the Asgard inn, seeing as it's also half-pub. There are a few people around with coffees and papers, as well as one of those burly fishermen from yesterday. It's not very private, but it gives a warmer feeling to the area.

... But apparently my little finger is weird?

I drop my coffee back to the table. 'S'cuse me?'

'When you ... drink,' Lloyd says, motioning with his hand. 'Your little finger sticks up.'

I look from him, to Genis, to Colette, and then to my cup. Just to make sure, I pick it up again and drink a little.

'Well, what do you know?' I say, flexing my fingers. 'It does.'

Ignoring my ... weird finger, for a moment, about the customisation. Well, I managed to get the white silver to the guy, and he says the swords'll be finished by tomorrow morning, so I can go and pick them up then. Lloyd has _no_ idea that I've been through so much trouble for him, but at least he had the heart to notice I look like I've been dragged through seven levels of hell. I said I went out training, and he ... found that very amusing. The jerk.

Nothing has come up about the Samuel thing yet, thank god, but I have a feeling that if he comes now and sees Lloyd out of bed, then he's gonna gnaw his arm off. He told him to get plenty of bed-rest, and we all know now that Samuel isn't your average doctor. He's a very scary doctor.

While we're on the subject of relatives Lloyd isn't quite aware of yet, I haven't seen Kratos this morning. I need to hunt him down and ask him how to do the whole ... air-escape thing. I swear, I don't get how people can just suddenly back-flip to safety after being blasted into the air. Though I'm sure it will all become clear if Kratos explains it to me. Which I'm praying he will.

'Well, you children have fun,' I say, getting to my feet and ignoring the fact that I'm the second youngest in the whole group, and probably will be until ... forever. 'I'm gonna go out for a while.'

'See you later,' Lloyd yawns, thudding his head to the table. Poor thing – I bet he didn't get any sleep last night. Colette just waves goodbye, and Genis ... doesn't do anything. The git.

No! Must ... be nice to Genis ... to get appreciation ... from Lloyd ... agh ...

Anyway, I'm gonna explore Luin a bit ... hopefully get to know the place. I doubt we'll be here for as long as we were at Asgard, but we'll definitely be here for another two days, at least. Then it's off to the Wind Seal, and I can find out what my 'weakness' is, with any luck. If not ... well, I'll have to force it out of Chairs.

"_Totally not tipping you off for anything here,"_ Charis says from inside my head. "_But there's a grave for Anna in the cemetery here, which is just outside Luin. No, the other side,"_ she warns when I turn to the city entrance.

"_Why do I need to go there?"_ I ask, partly oblivious to the fact that I'm already heading for the exit on the other side of the city.

"_You'll see."_

I frown a little. "_Yeah, right_ ..."

As I walk, I begin to wonder how Samuel found out when Anna died ... wasn't Kratos the only one there, other than the Desians? If Dirk told him, wouldn't he have told Lloyd who Samuel was? Agh, confusion. I'll try not to get my curiosity too high, because I don't really want to ask anyone about it for ... reasons, really.

I recognise a few people that I saw yesterday, including that little kid that was playing hide and seek and the blonde haired lady that directed me too the doctor. Woo. And I see a couple of those burly fishing-dudes, and make sure to avoid them in fear of being ... given more fish. Half the group doesn't even like it.

Well, due to my amazed observation of this beautiful, bustling city, it doesn't take long until I actually start becoming the ditz I am once again and walk right into somebody, startling them by the sound of it. I almost trip over backwards, but manage to keep my footing by clinging to this poor person's arm, causing them to stumble into me. It's like an awkward dance, really. I notice a few people stare before quickly unhanding this persons arm and apologising rapidly.

'Sorry, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going,' I say, brushing some hair out of my eyes.

'No, it was m-'

Both of our apologising is cut short when we both realise just who it is we're talking to.

'Y-you-!' the person accuses, pointing. I just stare for a second and nod.

'Yes, me.'

Why yes, I seem to have stumbled upon our very own enemy. It's Sheena, people. This is where I start wondering if we are actually going to get along ... well, not right now, of course – we're still enemies, kinda. Ignoring the fact that I couldn't give a rats ass what happens to Sylvarant or Tethe'alla as long as I get home, but ... eeh, whatever. It's too confusing to consider.

'I doubt this is a good place to fight,' I say, motioning to all of the people when I notice one of those cards in her hand. 'We could hurt someone.'

Sheena doesn't look too happy, but the spell card immediately disappears from her grasp. 'O ... okay, fine.'

'... Well, have a nice day!' I say with a wave and a smile, going on my merry way. Until Sheena counters to my cheery attitude with a quick 'wait!'

I spin on my heel, still smiling. 'Yah?'

Sheena just furrows her brow, making awkward gestures with her hands as if she's fairly confused and disgruntled. '... _What_? I'm supposed to be your enemy! You're supposed to ... _not_ like me!'

I shrug with a small frown. 'I dunno. I may be travelling with Colette, but I don't particularly agree with what she's doing.'

'... What?' Sheena repeats, looking now more confused than angry. 'You mean you don't care what happens to this world?'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Do you?'

'... Argh, you're ... really confusing!'

'No, I'm Charlotte,' I say, grabbing her hand in a firm handshake. 'Nice to meet you.'

Sheena just stares at me as though Zelos had just popped right out of my head. 'Wait – what do you mean you don't agree with what your Chosen is doing?'

'Are you _really_ in a position to be asking that?' I say, wrinkling my nose a little. 'I have my reasons, and you have your own reasons to defy this whole ... world regeneration crap. We're not that different, really.'

'We're more different than you think!' she insists shrilly. 'You have no idea-'

'I'm sure I'm completely clueless,' I reply, holding up my hands defensively. 'I never said I knew your motives, and I don't really wanna know. I believe that every action has a reason behind it, so I'm not gonna start hating you because I don't know what it is. You just continue planning to kill us all, and I'm going continue my walk, aye-aye captain?'

Sheena looks extremely lost for words at this point.

'... Well, bye-bye!' I say, continuing the exit. 'Have a nice daaaay!'

'Uh ... um ... y-you're still my enemy!' she shouts hastily as I walk away.

'That's fine!' I reply, not looking back at her. Yeah, we are _so_ gonna get along just fine. I have a small feeling she thinks I'm a psychopath right now, but that's all fine and dandy. I don't mind.

Right, to the graveyard!

"_Y'know, you've just confused that poor woman a great deal,"_ Charis says from inside my head. "_You should say sorry next time you see her."_

"_Nah, I'm sure she'll live," _I reply, crossing the final rickety bridge that separates Luin and the fields outside. "_Which way is it?"_

"_South,"_ Charis says, forcing me to look in a southern direction. Ow, my head.

"_Well, that bloody hurt,"_ I say, starting off in that direction in a huff.

I think Charis was about to answer back with one of her terribly intelligent and witty comments, but she's cut off when she begins to laugh. Think the "Lloyd vs knowledge-of-puberty" kinda laughing she has going on. I dunno what just happened up there, be it that she saw something on her massive computer screen, or -

"_Is he wearing pink?"_ I ask, referring to the third person in our little group.

"_He's wearing my pyjamas and dressing gown," _she snorts, still laughing. A loud squeak indicates William jumping into his chair.

"_Alright people, what are we up to?"_ he says, sounding quite carefree. Good lord, I hope he hasn't magically grown his hair down to his ankles or something.

Charis explains to William what has been going on for the past while, and I finally enter this ... calm little morbid place that I'd call a graveyard. A small wooden fence surrounds a fairly large space of land ... probably the size of three average gardens. There's a long, dry path going straight though until it meets the the fence on the other side, and a about six trees spread far apart to give the place a nice feel.

And ... many, many gravestones.

Some big, some small, some extremely grand (probably for priests) and ... it's all very sad, really. Because you have to think, a lot of these people probably aren't even buried here. They probably died at the ranch ... it's morbid. I don't like it.

'Anna Irving, Anna Irving ...' I mumble to myself, looking around.

'Oh, if you're looking for Anna's grave, it's just over there.'

I jump a little and look around for the person who spoke, and notice a short, brown haired woman standing by another grave rather close to me. I pause for a second, and she gives me a sad smile.

'I was a friend of hers before she left,' she says. 'Did you know her?'

'I, uh ...' I mumble, thinking quickly. 'I ... knew her son.'

'Oh, of course ...' she says, smiling a little again. 'Well, it's just there ... fifth row from the back on the other side.'

'Um ... thanks,' I say, waving before quickly heading off. Wait ... what if Anna's friends recognise Kratos? Or even the _name_ Lloyd Irving? Damn, this place is really, really dangerous ... I don't feel like staying here too long.

After a moment, I feel like an ice-cold hand just grabbed my heart when I spot some little graves ... really little, for kids and babies. It's ... horrible to think of people so young dying, when you consider just how many children around the world die in a day. I'm lucky to be alive, really. We all are. We should be thankful for that.

Right ... Anna's grave. Found it.

It isn't too big, or too small. It's fairly average, made of marble, and I have to crouch down to read the inscription.

_Anna Catherine Irving  
238 IS – 270 IS_

And then there's some things below about her family. I bite my lip for a second and calculate the dates. Anna must have been ... thirty-two when she died. Ouch ... that's pretty tough. I know I want to at least reach my sixties before passing on ... and I know a lot of people who have died young, especially in school. It's not nice to think about.

... I have to consider Kratos, for a second. How old was Anna when they met? How must it have felt to see you own partner grow older than you? I wonder ... and I wish I wouldn't, because it's a depressing thought. Think about everyone around you just ... dying. It's horrible. How the hell can Kratos cope with that? I'd go utterly crazy ...

... The man really needs a hug. Again, not from me, but he needs a nice long hug.

And speaking of freakish coincidences -

'Harrison.'

I jump somewhere near two feet into the air at the sudden disruption of silence and try not to fall over on Anna's grave. The man behind me WOULD stab me repeatedly.

'I was doing nothing,' I say, waving a hand quickly. 'Seriously, stop looking at me.'

He doesn't.

I just sigh and shrug a little. 'I just ... recognised the name and thought I'd have a look. That's all.'

'Hmph.'

I glance from Kratos, to the grave behind me, and back to him again. '... Do you want to be alone?'

'If you wouldn't mind.'

I simply nod and quickly walk away to give him some alone time. I didn't bother him when he was visiting Anna's grave at Dirk's place, and I won't bother him now. That'd just be plain rude, even if he is a jackass that you have to feel sorry for every now and then.

Well, I begin down the pathway back to the entrance of the graveyard, before noticing a familiar face coming towards the area. And I panic. I panic muchly.

Samuel.

Barely thinking, I dive behind some poor bugger's grave and mutter a quick apology to the person. After crouching down low, I wait for him to walk past me. I notice now that he has a cane-like walking stick with him, probably for these long distances. He must be old, when you consider Anna's age. She would have been ... forty-six now? He's gotta be like, seventy or something. Poor bloke.

When he walks past me, I realise he's holding two fairly small bouquets of flowers (lilies – my favourite flower, by the way). He pauses a few steps after going straight past my crouched figure and notices Kratos by his daughter's grave. He dismisses the fact and strides right on, and I carefully move forward a row of graves and crawl closer to hear what the hell is about to happen. It could very well be dangerous, and dammit, I'll be panicking all day if I don't know.

Once again, I whisper a small 'sorry' to Mr James Curtis' grave and crouch low. I'm right behind them now, and this grave is fairly big. It should keep me well hidden. I think this guy was a priest or something.

Kratos notices Samuel after a second, but his face betrays all looks of worry and he just observes him quietly. Samuel just inclines his head in greeting, and places one of the two bouquets on the grave beside Anna's. Could it be her mother's gave? Maybe ... I can't see very well from here, seeing as I'm trying to be Solid Snake right now.

Kratos moves to one side so Samuel can place the other bouquet on his daughter's grave. Kratos doesn't say anything for a while, and they both just ... stand there. Which is weirdly worrying, because I think something bad is about to happen. I don't know for sure ... I just have a gut feeling.

'... Was she your child?' Kratos asks finally, not looking over at him.

Surprisingly, Samuel just laughs. Kratos doesn't answer to that, and stays silent until he can get his answer.

'You were always too smart to play dumb, Kratos,' he says, clapping a hand down on the mercenary's shoulder. Not too surprisingly, Krat-man looks lost for words and smartly decides to keep his mouth shut. Samuel gives the taller man's shoulder a firm squeeze before letting his arm drop back to his side.

'I won't pry into what you've occupied yourself with for the past fourteen years,' Samuel says, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Anna's grave. 'But I can take a few wild guesses.'

Again, Kratos stays silent. Well, what can you say to your dead wife's father? That he buggered off back to Cruxis after her death? Never been in that situation before, but I'm guessing it wouldn't go down well.

'Cruxis ... can be very persuasive, from what Anna had told me,' Samuel continues, and Kratos glances at him. 'Blackmail, threats. I see they've dragged you back.'

'... I'm sorry,' Kratos manages after a moment. 'I couldn't save her.'

'Those were the only words in that note you sent to me after her death,' Samuel says. 'Though I never blamed you.'

I thank my observation skills for the moment and notice Kratos' hands curl into fists. Dammit, stop while you're ahead, doctor-man.

'She wouldn't have blamed you either.'

Nothing is said after that, and Kratos ... looks like he's given up. He pauses for a second and just ... leaves. He doesn't look back, he doesn't say anything – he just heads towards the entrance. Now ... I don't claim to know what Kratos is feeling 24/7. I don't ... think I could ever know what he feels like, and I don't think I could ever experience that pain he hides behind a stone mask. I don't claim to have amazing eye-sight, either.

But I damn well know tears when I see them.


	48. The Last of Luin

Earlier this week ...  
(-"_From the Inside"_ comes on stereo-)  
Friend: This is like ... Lloyd's song.  
Me: ... Lloyd?  
Friend: Yeah.  
Me: ... Lloyd Irving?  
Friend: Yeah.  
Me: ... Lloyd Irving and Linkin Park?  
Friend: Yeah.  
Me: ... How does that _mix_?

Okay, I should be getting my internet back on the 8th of May. Woo. BUUUUT, that's also the day my exams start. Big, scary SATS. SAAAAAATS. I've been revising all week, and probably will continue to revise until my exams are over, which'll be in a few weeks. I don't know how this'll effect my writing, but I'll be updating slower. Oh man, I'm really worried ... wish me luck, guys! Science is a breeze, but my English teacher has it in for me. I'm screwed.

Okay, one more thing, because people ask be about this a lot. Char's physical, mental and all the other attributes are based off myself, this obviously being a self-insert. This includes family, school ... everything really. What is _not_ based off myself are her views in religion. I have my own views (agnostic, seeing as it's all very confusing to me until I can settle with one I feel comfortable with), and Char's views on religion change throughout the story.

Another thing that people ask – I have not, and probably will not ever play another Tales game. Symphonia is the only one I've played, and I probably won't be playing TotA. It just ... doesn't appeal to me D: My friends have played it, and ... thanks, but no thanks.

... Ah, once again, long-ish chapter. Anyone remember Kratos' bandage? The one around his chest? Yeah, we actually find out what's under it this chapter :D We have more bitchiness between that Krat and the Char, Lloyd finally gets "the talk", Char learns a little bit of Elven, gets a pet, has a long, insightful conversation with Charis and William. And another spat with Kratos.

Read on?

* * *

Chapter 48 – The Last of Luin

... Okay, _today_ is going to be good. I'm willing it to be good.

After what happened at the graveyard, I decided to ... _not_ talk to Kratos. I saw him when I was leaving, but he looked completely fine. I guess he really is a strong person emotionally, but ... dammit, I probably would have broken down completely. I guess it's amazing when you consider how strong he could have become, both emotionally and physically in four thousand years. I think he's too strong. I don't like it. Sometimes you need to cry, as much as I ignore that fact myself. I hate crying.

But anyway ... yesterday was okay. But, Lloyd is in a major, _MAJOR_ mood with Raine and me. I'm just glad he's gonna get those swords soon, because he can't stay moody forever. And, he's more grouchy than usual because he's been forced to get more bed rest from Samuel. Who still hasn't said anything concerning the matter that Lloyd is his grandson, but I'm sure I'll learn more about that later. And we still have no idea what it is Lloyd is suffering from – it definitely isn't the Luin Bug, and Samuel is stumped, too.

But ... Lloyd is moody. I'll explain why.

Yesterday, after coming back from the graveyard, I saw the inn-keeper's daughter having a quiet conversation with Raine. I went over to see what they were talking about, and apparently, there's something keeping a few people up. To be blunt, screaming. And it's disturbing a lot of people. Raine had asked her about it, and she was apologising over and over for older sister. Who, has discovered the amazement of wax-strips. And, to any of the girls (or guys, even) who have used wax strips, ever, you will know that they freakin' hurt like a bitch.

And ... Lloyd made the stupid mistake of coming over and being nosey. We told him (seeing as he was also one of the people who were kept up), and ... well, he was amused. And mocking. And said that a little strip covered in wax could never hurt _that_ much, and that girls make a big deal out of it.

... He now has no hair anywhere on his body except for his head. And of course that place where we respectively didn't venture. Other than that, Lloyd's skin is as smooth as a baby's behind, and better than that, I think the whole of Luin heard him screaming. Genis was ... very amused when he came back from wherever it was he went, but I doubt the utter humiliation Raine and me (and the inn-keeper's daughter) put him through will be healed up anytime soon. I just hope the swords that are being made for him will ... somehow get me off Lloyd's "to kill" list.

We didn't really do much that day. Colette's been introducing herself to the priests in Luin, Raine has been asking the local scholars about the Tower of Mana and the Balacruf Mausoleum, Genis has ... been with her, most of the time, and Kratos has been back to check up on Lloyd once or twice, and scolds him if he isn't in bed with the whole 'you don't want to be slowing us down when we release the seal' thing. Lloyd is very prone to guilt, it seems, and was in bed most of the day. And most of today, but we think he's just being lazy now. And moody.

And ... it's now the next day. Something _did_ happen in the night, which would be our 'mysterious assassin' sneaking into the inn and trying to attack Kratos. It didn't work, obviously. I had to try and sleep through it all, while Lloyd stumbled into Kratos' room and did the whole 'are you okay?' thing, to which he was thoroughly scolded and told to GET THE HELL BACK TO BED. I think some parental instincts are kicking in, or it could just be that Kratos really doesn't want the group to get slowed down when we go to the Seal of Wind.

... And today is a new day! The sun is shining, the birds are singing ...

And I've been waiting over an hour for these goddamned swords.

Seriously, I left after breakfast telling them I had an errand to run, and I've been sitting around while he does the 'finishing touches'. I've seen at least seven buff swordsmen come in to buy new weapons for their pilgrimages, because the monsters around here are getting stronger. I don't like that fact, and am secretly dreading it when we go on our merry way to the Balacruf Mausoleum. Hey, maybe I'll meet that gargoyle again ...

Anyway, I've been waiting for ages. I'm just praying that Lloyd will be in bed still, so I don't have to walk around Luin with two swords. Good lord, one is heavy enough, as I have learnt from dragging Lloyd's wooden sword to the Martel Temple. And ... playing with Kratos' sword when I get bored and can't sleep. But he doesn't know about that, so we shan't tell him.

'Hey, kid!'

I glance up, and see this ... big, bold, sweaty guy wearing heavy brown dungarees, and holding a pair of swords in one hand. Think Dirk, but ... extremely tall. Ouch, my eyes. 'You the kid that wanted the masamune swords?'

My mouth opens and closes a few times, but I fear the only thing that'll come out is 'please don't eat me'. I get there eventually after he gives me a odd glance from under thick, black eyebrows. 'Uh ... uh, yeah, that's me.'

He nods and places them on the counter, and I skip over to watch him wrap them up so I don't ... cut myself up on the way back to the inn. Really, it's just a thick piece of cloth that covers the entire swords, and he ties it up in three separate places so they don't come undone. I bite my lip when he hands them to me, and I carefully take them. Hey ... they're not too heavy. I guess these swords are kinda thin.

'You use swords?' he asks curiously as I try to angle them against my chest. If I drop them, I'm very screwed – I'll probably stab myself several times in various places.

'Uh ... no, they're for a friend of mine,' I say with a small smile. He just nods again, and I pause before quickly turning to the door. Okay, that guy is scary ... so very, very scary. Even more scary than Kratos. Wait, no – no one can be _that _scary. Kratos is a special case.

Some guy opens the door for me seeing as I have my hands full, and I thank him like, three times as I leave. When I do finally step out into the fresh, morning air, I get a couple of weird glances. Well ... I'm not exactly solidly built. I guess seeing a fairly short girl carrying around two swords is gonna look a little odd. What? Presea uses an axe twice her size, for goodness sake! Stop staring!

I make my way back to the inn and wonder just ... how the hell I'm going to give these to Lloyd. My first plan was to run in, throw them at him, and run back out again. Though I don't think that would really be a good idea. I don't want to tell him how much trouble I've been through to get them, because ... well, that's kinda blowing my own horn a bit. I don't like doing that. I dunno. Maybe I should just hope for the best.

And ... now I have to wonder how I'm gonna get these swords up the stairs outside the inn. They're really narrow, so I'll have to ... carry them weirdly and attempt to climb the stairs at the same time. And every time I walk up them, I get this horrible feeling that one of them is gonna cave in or something. I always fear that with stairs. Stairs, bridges ... everything, really. I hate myself.

When I finally reach the inn, I notice some kid hiding behind the barrels stored beneath the staircase. Hm ... is Sheena still here playing hide and seek with these kids? Damn, she really is a nice person when it comes down to it. I hope we get along ... but I've been through enough to trust Charis' words, and we'll probably kill eachother later on.

And here comes the attempt to climb the stairs. Oh boy.

I tuck them awkwardly under my arm and hold both hilts with my other hand so they don't fall. Then, I have to stay fairly close to the wall so I don't fall or something. Because trust me, I _will_ fall. I trip over friggin' bottle caps in the street. Okay, we're up the stairs ... now, do you know what would save me a lot of trouble and fear of walking up a narrow, narrow staircase?

If people didn't burst through the door as soon as I reach the top. Damn you, Kratos.

'... Okay, _don't_ do that,' I say, leaning against the banister before I fall. Kratos just gives me an unimpressed stare for a few seconds, and then I realise he's noticed the fairly large package I'm carrying. I glance from him, to the swords, and pause for a second.

'Um ... they're swords,' I explain lamely, holding them against my chest again before I drop them. Kratos doesn't say anything.

'It's a present for Lloyd,' I finish, flinching a little. 'Why? Did someone already do this that I'm not aware of?'

'Not from what I've heard,' Kratos says, staring at the swords wrapped in cloth. 'Why?'

I shrug carefully. 'I ... just thought it'd be a nice present.'

'Hm,' he mumbles, before going straight past me and continuing on his way. Gee, thanks for the confidence boost, Krat. Maybe I should just shove them under the door and run like hell. Wait ... they won't fit under the door. Dammit, why doesn't anything work for me?

Well, I have to open the door from behind as I have no spare hands, and try not to stumble as I make my awkward way in. Trust me, it isn't that easy when you think about it – I come _this_ close to stabbing myself a few times in the side, and hear a snort from the other side of the room. I glare over my shoulder and notice Lloyd in his bed, leaning against the headboard. Yep, he's being lazy. He hasn't even bothered to get dressed, and I really hope he doesn't plan to laze around all day in his boxers and under-shirt. Not that I can blame him exactly – we've been walking for three days straight, and he's now ill. Poor guy.

'Don't laugh,' I say, frowning as I finally get into the room and kick the door shut. 'This is difficult.'

'Sorry,' Lloyd says quickly, coughing a little. 'What ... the hell is that?'

'It's friggin' big, that's what it is,' I groan, walking over. 'It's a present.'

'Present?' Lloyd asks, raising an eyebrow. 'For who? Is it someone's birthday?'

I pause for a while, just staring at him unbelievingly. He gives me a slightly worried look as if I were about to wax off more of his hair (which would be impossible, I guess). I just throw them into his lap with a small grunt, deciding to go with the flow and will myself not to follow any instincts to run from the room. 'It's for you.'

'... Me?' he asks, looking from me to the package in his lap a few times. 'What did I do?'

'Just ... open it and tell me you like them,' I groan, burying my face in my hands. I don't look when I hear him untie the rope holding it together, or when I hear the material fall away from the gift. I bite my lip under my palm and wait for something – _anything_ really. I have this horrible sense of self-doubt when it comes to gifts ... that's why I usually cook for people when it's their birthday, or Christmas or something. My presents usually consists of cookies, brownies, or toffee. I never get around to eating any of it myself, because I give it all away. Yes, _THAT'S_ the nice person you never see. Yeah, I'm still not getting anything from Lloyd here, and I'm a little worried.

'... Do you like it?' I ask quietly, still not looking.

'Hey ...'

Then, the ... weirdest, painful thing happens. He grabs my wrist, tugs me down, wraps an arm around my neck and ... gives me a noogie.

'_Lloyd!_' I shout in protest when I feel his knuckles rubbing painfully against my skull. I am flailing madly at this point and attempting to wriggle away. It isn't working. 'Friction ... burning ... pain ... ow!'

After a few more seconds of torture on the scalp, he finally unhands me and lets me sit back up, feeling quite dizzy. I blink a couple of times and rub the burning line on my head, frowning when I glance at him. I go through all that trouble, and this is the thanks he gives me!? Gee, I feel so loved.

'You dork,' he says, thudding my shoulder lightly. '... Thanks.'

I just sulk, rubbing my head before realising something quite astounding. 'Hey ... did you just say 'dork'?'

'... Yeah, I guess,' he says with a small shrug. 'I just haven't had a chance to call you a dork for a while.'

'... You're so charming,' I say with a small sigh. 'Why do you call people that anyway?'

Lloyd just glances thoughtfully at the ceiling. 'Well ... when me and Genis first met, he was always better at me than everything in school. Professor Sage always compared his good work to my bad work, and even made him tutor me for a while. Whenever he tried to explain something, I just started calling him Professor Dork. He got used to it ...'

'Oh, Genis is to blame?' I ask, joining him in ceiling-gazing. 'The kid's annoying, but I'm sure he means well.'

'He has a good heart,' Lloyd says with a small grin. 'He's always made fun of new people, so don't let it get to you.'

'I'll try, though I take most things to heart,' I grumble.

'... So,' Lloyd says, after a second, finally taking a good look at his new weapons. 'Why'd you do this?'

I pause, wondering how to answer. Truthfully, I want to get on his good side to hopefully ... _survive_, later on, really. But I can't say that, because ... ugh, you should know by now. I don't really want to _lie_ ... but on the other hand, I wanted to just give him something to say ... I hope you get further in your training. Y'know, being in a world full of people you don't know and scary monsters and the constant thought of death ... it's pretty frightening, so having someone like Lloyd around to boost everyone's spirits has really helped a lot the past 22 days.

'... Just to say I hope your training goes well,' I say, wincing at my own words. 'I know it's a bit sudden, but hey, you deserve it. You and Kratos protect all of us most of the time, and we all see how hard you guys work every day. Well, most days.'

'... Are you getting Kratos a gift?' Lloyd asks curiously. I frown a little.

'No. Kratos is mean. He gets nothing,' I say sternly. Lloyd just snorts, knowing very well just how much I dislike Kratos.

'C'mon, he's a nice guy really.'

'Really, Lloyd, he isn't,' I grumble. 'Not to me, anyway.'

'... Well, maybe if you were a little nicer to him -'

'Lloyd, trust me, I've tried,' I confirm with a sigh. 'I've tried hard.'

'... Ah, well, I guess I can't help you there,' Lloyd says, falling back down on his mattress with a flop. 'I guess there are some people you just don't get along with in the end.'

'Hm, fine, I guess,' I mutter. Before anything else can be said concerning several matters we have already discussed, the door on the other side of the room opens with a small creak. The Professor peers in, looking a little ... concerned? Is something up? Has she found out what's wrong with Lloyd? Is it serious? Why am I making so many assumptions?

'Lloyd, you're awake,' she states in a slightly tired tone, stepping into the small room. 'Good.'

'Professor, is something wrong?' Lloyd asks, sitting back up to observe his teacher worriedly. Before she can answer, Kratos also steps in with a book under his arm, looking ... annoyed. Just a little. Wait ... is this what I think it is?

'Lloyd, we think it's time we had a talk,' Raine says, clasping her hands together and giving him a small, uncertain smile. 'Charlotte, if you wouldn't mind ...?'

'No, no, of course not,' I say, nodding with a giant grin on my face. I know exactly what's going on ... and it's going to take all of my willpower not to eavesdrop. For a while, anyway ... I'll have to warn Genis and Colette not to enter, to save both of them a lot of embarrassment and to save Lloyd the horror of living every second of his life from that moment on while Genis ... points and laughs, really.

'Hey, ah ...' I mumble, pausing as I pass Kratos. 'Does that book have diagrams?'

'Yes.'

I snicker before leaving, shutting the door behind me. 'Brilliant.'

----------------------

Almost quarter of an hour later, I'm sitting in the pub downstairs with Genis and Colette, and I'm participating in the impossible act of getting Genis to ... _not_ hate me completely. Trust me, it's harder than it sounds. Before you can even open your mouth and comment on how well his magic is coming along – BAM, you're being informed that your hair looks like it's come off a deranged chicken of sorts because you lost your hairbrush. Can't win with this guy. I even brought him a muffin, darn it.

'Sooo ... how did you guys react when your parents gave you ... the, uh, talk?' I ask, glancing over at Genis. 'Or Raine, in your case.'

The two of them just pause, look at eachother for a moment, and turn back to me. Colette starts off. 'Well ... the Professor came to my house and told Father about it ... so he and Grandmother sat me down and went through it with me,' she mumbles, circling the rim of her cup with her finger. 'They kept me off school for the day to tell me about it.'

I nod. That's fairly normal – sure, my mum gets all deep and sugar-coating when it comes to ..._ adult stuff_, I guess, so I learnt more from the teachers at school. And my own bad-mouthed friends. And _their_ parents.

Genis shrugs when I glance at him. 'Well ... Raine asked the previous school teacher to help her go through it with me.'

'Ah,' I say, leaning back on my chair. 'Don't guys get taught differently from girls?'

Genis just makes a face of discomfort. 'Y-yeah, I guess. That's probably why Kratos is up there too.'

I nod again. 'But of course.'

Colette glances worriedly at the ceiling. 'I wonder how Lloyd is doing ...'

'He'll be fine,' I say, drinking a little from my cup. I only have like, one cup of coffee a day, but the coffee here is really something. Very yummy.

'I dunno,' Genis mutters, also casting a look toward the wooden ceiling. 'Almost everyone in the village was told at the age of ten, except him.'

'And ... it's been seven years,' I say, joining them in glancing at the ceiling. I'm not too sure why – we can't exactly _see_ Lloyd. 'When did he turn seventeen?'

'Just four days before the oracle came,' Genis says, finally dropping his head.

'... Not much difference,' I mumble with a shrug. 'He's screwed.'

'... I'm not too happy about Kratos telling him this stuff,' Genis grumbles, resting his head in his hand boredly. 'I hope he doesn't scare him.'

I snort. 'That would be so funny.'

'It wasn't.'

The three of us jump at the voice suddenly joining in with our conversation, and I make sure to keep my eyes locked on the steaming cup of coffee instead of our tired looking Professor. I move over one chair so she can sit down, and Genis gives her a long, knowing look. Raine sighs, leaning back on her chair and rubbing her forehead as Genis nods. While they have their wordless conversation, I glance over at Colette, and she giggles a little. I look over at Genis, and he just nods again.

'... And?' I say after a while.

'Lloyd won't be seeing anyone for a while,' she sighs. 'Kratos is going through it with him, and it is ... harder than we assumed it would be.'

'... Okay,' I say, and Genis ... is trying not to laugh. It doesn't work.

'Genis, please,' Raine snaps, knowing exactly just what kind of humiliation Lloyd is now extremely prone to. 'I don't want you saying anything to Lloyd.'

'Can I say anything to Lloyd?' I ask, sipping at my coffee. Raine glances over at me and observes me for a few seconds.

'No.'

'Okay,' I say, and I go back to my drink. 'Is that, uh ... doctor coming over to see Lloyd today?'

Raine pauses in thought. 'He can't diagnose exactly what is wrong with Lloyd, but he said he would write a list of purchasable medicines that may help him. He might bring them over today, or perhaps tomorrow before we leave.'

'Oh, we're leaving tomorrow?' Colette asks. Raine nods in reply.

'Yes. We don't have any errands in this city, and we must get to the Wind Seal as soon as possible.'

'... That sounds like something Kratos would say,' I groan quietly. 'Ah well.'

'... I've been wondering for a while now,' Raine says quietly, and I notice her looking over at me from below her fringe. Genis has a weird look on his face ... as if he knows what is about to be said, and is wishing it wouldn't be. Colette is just staring into her drink, and I think I feel a few butterflies self-destruct in the pit of my stomach. 'Have you had any relationship with Kratos in the past?'

I pause, and decide to answer quickly to avoid suspicion. Raine is probably the most untrusting person in this group, all besides Kratos. Raine is the one who tried to give him the boot anyways. Yes, you can answer now, Charster.

'No,' I say. 'I hadn't met him before the Martel Temple, if that's what you mean.'

'The two of you seem to uphold a staggering amount of hostility towards eachother,' Raine continues, keeping her tone even and quiet. I pause, considering the reasons for his hatred. I've blackmailed him, annoyed him to the point of breaking his limits, weighed him down in battle, killed people for him ... wow, go me.

'I guess there are some people you just don't get along with in the end,' I mumble, shrugging. Raine nods in confirmation.

'Alright then. I just thought of it as strange that two people could create so much tension in a short space of time.'

'Eeeh,' I sigh. 'I don't need to be told I annoy him. It's painfully obvious.'

'You don't say,' Genis mumbles.

'Oh, come on,' I groan, thudding back against my chair. 'Like he's never wanted to stab you in the face.'

Genis just frowns, and I scowl right back. 'Well, it doesn't matter. I'm going out for a bit.'

I quickly gulp down the rest of my coffee and wave goodbye as I squeeze past the Professor's chair, heading for the door. I don't recognise anyone in the room when I glance back, and just leave. The five of us (minus Lloyd) have grown to know a few regulars around here in our stay, and it's actually quite nice to have people come in randomly and just ... smile and wave. It's a nice kind of local friendliness I've not experienced here yet.

When I leave, I look up at the sound of a creak. When I jump back to see who it is, I notice none other than Samuel making his way up the stairs. Charlie, say something. Y'know, anything.

'Hey, doctor man!' I say, catching his attention. He just glares down, clutching a piece of paper that crumples in his grip. Geez, what did I do now?

'Uh, I wouldn't, if I were you. Lloyd is having a small lesson from Krat-man,' I say, nodding. 'He's giving him the talk, and I ... think you should come back later.'

Samuel just stares. Hey, I guess that little fact can even put an ounce of shock on _his_ face. 'Just who exactly _raised_ him?'

'Some ... blacksmith dwarf-guy in Iselia,' I try. I know, it sounds a bit odd even if you know Dirk already. Oh well, Dirk is a nice man. Very fatherly.

I think he was about to say something, but we are both interrupted by a panicked "WHAT!?" from inside Lloyd's room. There is a comically long pause, and the two of us glance at eachother. I just shrug, and Samuel adjusts the glasses resting on the brink of his nose.

'I'll come back later.'

'I think you should,' I say with a nod. I'm about to go on my merry way, but when Samuel reaches the bottom of the stairs, he glances in my direction. I just look at him inquisitively.

'You're a half-elf, aren't you?' he says, not exactly glaring, but ... he's got some look of distaste in his eyes. I just look around quickly to see if anyone around heard that and starts rushing at me with a pitchfork or something. I hope not.

I just brush a hand through my hair to hide my ears. 'Yeah, so what?'

Samuel pauses, and then jerks a thumb in the direction of the upstairs door. 'Does he know?'

I frown. 'They all do.'

He just snorts, turning and walking away. 'Then I'm glad he hasn't been raised to discriminate against them.'

I considering running after him to demand and explanation, but I ... kinda don't. That must mean he's one of the only rare people that come along that don't want to see half-elves gutted and killed and fed to ... various animals. But ... to _not_ discriminate against them, even when they killed your _daughter_ ... man, he must be really strong. I guess Lloyd is too, but ...

All of Lloyd's talk about killing the Desians is really ... well, I don't like it. Sure, I don't like the Desians either, but I'll bet an arm and a leg that some of them are actually _good_ people. Like ... what if Genis was _forced_ to be a Desian against his will? And then Lloyd comes along and kills him? I just don't like it, and to be honest, I don't think Lloyd does either. I know he talks about avenging his mother and killing all the Desians, but when it comes down to actually killing another person ... he's the same as me, really. Sure, Magnius – he killed him, but I would have killed the bastard too. We've seen Magnius kill others, torture others ... but Desians we haven't met, don't know anything about?

... I hope this won't somehow get me or any of the others killed later on if I completely freeze up at the ranch.

"_At the ranch ..."_ Charis says from inside my head. "_You're gonna do more than freeze up."_

I don't actually want to know, and I don't want to ask, but dammit, curiosity killed the Char. "_More?"_

"_I can't tell you, but ... dammit, prepare yourself. Start now. Right now. You won't be able to stand it."_

... I'm scared. No, that's it, I'm scared. And Charis is to blame. At the Palmacosta Ranch, William and her were their usual selves, but now, she sounds so deadly serious and worried. She can't _do_ anything to help now ... she can't tweak the future or anything, so ... it's like I've got no one there anymore, other than a voice in my head. I have no help, no guidance, and ...

... Oh my god, I'm going to die.

"_Look, don't panic, you'll only make it worse,"_ Charis orders. "_I'll tell you what – after the Wind Seal is all finished, then you can start worrying. I take it you already have enough to worry about, but ... you need to get through what you're going to be put through at the ranch, if nothing else. If you don't ... you'll probably go insane. Literally."_

"_... Can I go home now?" _I ask her genuinely, making my way over to a bench opposite the inn. "_I mean, really ... haven't I done enough here? What do I have to do anyway?"_

"_You just need to get to the end," _Charis says as I sit down. "_If there is an emergency, like ... really, really, REALLY bad, like if Yggdrasill dies earlier, or you loose both me and William, then you'll probably be able to find some way to get back."_

"_... Can I ask a question?" _I mumble, resting my elbows on my knees.

"_Sure_."

Now ... this question isn't too simple. I don't think she'll be able to answer, and I don't think she'll ever tell me, or maybe she doesn't even know herself. I know it's something I've always considered since the second I realised I was in Symphonia, and I think a lot of people would probably wonder about it too.

"... _Why?" _I ask. "_Why am I here?"_

Not all too surprisingly, there is a long pause as Charis hesitates to answer. "..._ Because you took things for granted too much."_

"_Everyone does," _I argue simply. "_Look, I doubt it's all this clichéd '_you are the Chosen one' _bullshit people spew out all the live long day, because I as hell ain't special or useful to this world in any way."_

"_No, thankfully, you're not," _Charis says. "_You're the average little Joe here, just struggling to survive."_

"_Go me," _I mutter.

"_But like it or not, you're probably gonna need to stick with these guys if you want a chance of going home. A lot of things have been changed, and you can't just drop out at the last second, alright?"_

"_... Fine," _I mutter.

"_Look, just ... go with it, okay? You'll get there in the end,"_ Charis finishes, going back to her work. I'm not too happy about how the conversation has ended, but I guess it can't be helped. It's all true anyway – I can't do anything _but_ go with it, when it all comes down to it. It's really unnerving, because the only thing I can really depend on here is my predictability, which has just gone straight out the window. I know the basic outline for what's going to happen, but other than that ...

Yeah, I'm really screwed.

-----------------------------------------------

'Wow ... today has gone really fast.'

I look up at Lloyd on the opposite side of the table, nodding. The poor thing has braved himself after hours and has finally come downstairs for dinner, attempting to ignore all sniggering from Genis. I have a feeling if Genis doesn't stop teasing him, he'll end up with a fork between the eyes.

Ignoring that, we're actually having a great dinner. Y'know, converse wise. I'm not bringing up anything bad, Raine isn't about to kick anyone off the group again – s'all very calm and nice. As for our glorious dinner – bangers and mash! Woo! And for those of you who don't have a clue what I just said, sausages and mashed potato. Again, woo!

The gang seemed a little weirded out when I said bangers and mash. I should really try to keep my British-ness to a low.

But we're having a nice time. Raine is going through a small lesson about the Sinoa Lake with Colette and Genis, seeing as we _are_ in a city surrounded by said lake, and Kratos is actually going through some Angelic with Lloyd to take his mind off ... his previous lessons, today. Weird thing, Lloyd is actually enjoying it. Sure, he sucks at it, but he's having fun. I'm just listening in on the Angelic lesson to try and learn a little more. I want to know what Kratos is saying when he talks to me in that friggin' language.

'... Uh ...' Lloyd groans, thudding his forehead with the end of his fork. '... _Thassuve_? No wait, it was ... no, wait-'

'_Thessuva,_' Kratos corrects, idly stabbing at his potatoes. 'You have trouble pronouncing your words.'

Lloyd frowns over at his second teacher. 'Hey, this is the first language I've tried to learn. Cut me some slack.'

'Second,' Genis corrects, pointing his fork in Lloyd's direction. 'You made me teach you Elven.'

'Yeah, but I gave up on that, so that doesn't count,' Lloyd says, nodding. Lloyd _knows_. Lloyd is full of wisdom.

'Oh, you know Elven?' I ask for conversation sake, looking over at Genis. Hey, I haven't said anything to anyone yet, and they're probably all wondering if I've disappeared.

'Yeah, don't you?' he asks, a suspicious look in his eyes. Wow, very aware of these half-elven ears right now. Charis, you will die one day because of this.

'Uh ... no,' I mumble, stabbing a sausage. 'I only know Eng- uh, General.'

Genis shrugs. 'Lloyd wanted to learn it so that we could have secret conversations whenever the previous Professor was around, but then Raine started teaching, and that was out of the question.'

I nod. '... Say something in Elven.'

Genis rolls his eyes.

'Aw, c'mon please,' I beg, clasping my hands. 'I wanna know what it sounds like.'

Genis sighs, dropping his fork to his plate with a clatter. '_Sat'sye nestyja evu _Genis.'

I pause. 'Uh ... my name is Genis?'

He nods, going back to his dinner. I decide I'm ... not going to learn that language. Just Angelic will be fine, thank you very much. I'm already trying to learn two other languages back on Earth, and Angelic is kinda vital here if I ever want to find out what Kratos has been saying to me. I think I'll leave out Elven.

'... Cool,' I say, still stabbing a sausage. I'm not actually very hungry. I don't know why – I've barely eaten in the past _week_, not just since being in Luin. I just drop my cutlery to the table and look around at everyone else. Well ... everyone seems to be eating except Kratos. Colette is making an effort to hide her toxicosis and has downed half of her dinner, and the Professor seems proud of her, though I'm sure she's still worried. As for Kratos not eating ... well, I dunno. He _does_ need to eat, but I think this is out of stress. Poor man. Still a bastard, but poor man.

'I'm gonna go for a walk,' I say, getting to my feet.

'Sit.'

I look over to Kratos who gave the small demand, and so does everyone else. I answer to this with the most logical thing that can exit my brain at the time. 'Eh?'

'You haven't eaten in days,' he states, not looking up from his own plate. I'd answer back with how he isn't eating either, but he _has_ been eating the past few days, and that makes the difference. I just glance to one side.

'... I'm not hungry.'

'Your hunger is not vital,' he says quietly. 'You will make yourself ill, and slow us down later on.'

The urge to stab him in the forehead is overwhelming right now. There was this split millisecond just now where I thought – gasp – he was actually worried about my health. But remember people, this is _Kratos_. THE bastard mercenary.

I just slump back down into my chair, and I don't touch my food. Yes, I'm doing this to piss him off, and I'm really not hungry.

... Okay, I am a little, but I don't want to touch my food.

Not too surprisingly, no one says anything after that. I doubt we now have this murderous atmosphere now surrounding the table, but that's what it feels like. Everyone just seems uncomfortable. I look around apologetically, but everyone is staring at their plate. I bite my lip nervously. I wonder if this just made Lloyd hate me a little more? Ugh, this sucks.

"_Don't panic, he's a little worried,"_ Charis says quietly.

I don't answer and just stare at my dinner. I could just wait until it gets cold and then I _can't_ eat it. So ha, you're screwed there, Krat-man.

'For the love of-'

I glance over at Kratos to see if he is actually about to stab me, and so does everyone else. Krat-man just rest his forehead in his hand, and I soon see the reason why.

Beside his chair, on the end of the table, is a dog.

'... It's like Poker all over again,' I say, grinning. The dog we're talking about makes me almost ... jump at it and hug it to death. It's a small border collie with scruffy black and white fur. Think ... your average sheepdog. I remember wanting one ever since I saw _Babe_. My sister wanted the pig, and I wanted the dog.

... Through from what I can see, this one is a male. Hm, suddenly gone off my sausages.

Lloyd has clamped a hand over his mouth and has turned the other way so he can ... try not to laugh aloud. And try to avoid getting smacked by Kratos, who is still trying to block out the dog's existence.

'Here little guy, have a sausage,' I say, plucking one from my plate and throwing it carefully to the dog. I _am_ on the other side of the table, and Kratos would probably stab me if I hit him instead. The dog catches it in mid-air, and Kratos glares at me as I start giving away my food. Oh ... go away, old man.

'Hey, isn't this the dog ...?' Genis asks, trailing off as he looks towards his sister. She nods, giving the dog a pitiful look.

'... The what?' I ask, not quite getting what's going on.

'It's a stray,' Raine says, going back to her food. 'It's becoming a problem to the inn.'

... Aww, poor doggie. It probably gets kicked out all the time when it comes in looking for food. I know that the inn keeps it's doors open on hot days (because it does get friggin' boiling in here), so it must wonder in looking for scraps.

Kratos glares as I throw it another sausage, and I just give him a look. 'C'mon, you can't say the dog isn't cute.'

'That isn't the point,' he says, scowling at the dog. Whatever he was about to say next is cut off my a lot of shouting from the inn-keeper's daughter, and she rushes at us with a broom. I almost duck under the table, but soon realise she's shooing the dog away. The poor thing whines and scampers off out the open door, and the inn-keeper's daughter runs after it.

'... Yeah,' Lloyd says as we stare after them.

'Poor thing,' I mutter, poking at my remaining food. 'He must be starving.'

'You will be too, if you don't eat that,' Lloyd says, jabbing his fork at my plate. I just wrinkle my nose at him.

'You're barely eating either.'

'Yeah, but I'm ill,' he corrects, grinning. I just roll my eyes and get to my feet once again.

'Harrison-'

'Look, Krat-ass,' I say sharply as I squeeze past Colette and the Professor's chairs. 'I'm trying to be good and all, but just piss off. I'm not hungry.'

Kratos just gives me a cold look that reads "fine, starve yourself", and I arch both eyebrows before turning to leave. No one makes any attempt to yank me back into my seat, so I make the decision to leave. I glance back before walking out, and notice Kratos glaring at me from beneath his fringe. I skip out quickly and sigh. He really wants to get this journey over with, doesn't he? If I keep going against him, he'll kick me off the group again, won't he? I promised I'd be good if he gave me a second chance back in the Seal of Water, so ... I should really watch what I say and do.

... I'll eat something tonight.

"_Don't worry, you're just under a lot of stress,"_ William says, speaking for the first time in a long while. "_Lloyd is too, so try not to mention anything about his eating habits. Kratos already talked to him about it."_

"_Hm ..."_ I mutter back. "_I'll try and eat something ..."_

Charis snorts. "_You do realise you're completely wrapped around his little finger."_

"_You do realise he's right,"_ I counter, frowning. "_I could make myself ill, and he could kick me off the group again."_

"_Incoming,"_ William says. I look around for any sign of people, but the place is completely deserted. Incoming? Where? Are they warping down? Is it someone from Cruxis?

"_Look down, moron,"_ Charis sighs.

I glance down and notice the dog from earlier sitting at me feet, staring up at me with it's wide, black eyes.

Yes, Charlotte, it's cute, please don't self-destruct over it.

'Aww, hello,' I say, crouching down and scratching behind his ear. 'Who is the cutest wittle doggy in the whole of Sylvawant?'

It doesn't understand a word I'm saying, but I can't help the baby-talk. It's habit.

'Did that mean lady kick you out?' I ask, rubbing his head. 'All by yourself, you poor wittle thiiiiing ...'

"_Stop it,"_ Charis snaps. I just grin and pat the dog's head before straightening up.

'Don't go in there, okay?' I say, poking his nose before going on my merry way to the bench, which is only a few meters away. I stop when I feel something brush against my leg from behind, and realise the dog is actually following me. When I pause and glance behind me, he sits down and stares up at me with those wide black eyes in an inquisitive manner.

I think the part labelled "resistance to cuteness" in my brain just exploded.

'Look, you can't follow me, little guy,' I say, leaning down to pat his head. 'Kratos will eat you.'

It just whines lowly, and the remaining parts of my exploded brain ... explode again.

I crouch down and feel around for a collar or something, just to double check. I don't find one, and scowl at the dog. 'Look, if you belong to someone, I'm going to kill you and myself for what I'm about to do, you hear me?'

He just sniffs my shoulder. Aww.

'Yes, blood, I know,' I say, straightening up. 'Okay, uh ...'

"_If you're doing what I think you're about to do,"_ William says. "_Then you picked the right time to do it, because Kratos is about to go training in three, two-"_

I bite my lip and watch as Kratos leaves the inn, sparing me a two second look before going on his merry way without a second glance. Yes, this won't work. But I'll try anyway, because I think we're due for one of those times where Kratos is – gasp – actually _nice_ for a few minutes. Then again, the last few days have been utter crap, so I shouldn't get my hopes up.

I take a deep breath and jog after him, happy to hear the dog follow. 'Krat!'

He pauses for a second and finally glances back at me, not looking too happy at my company. Or my still being alive, really. Geez, dragging Anna's dad down here the other day must have plummeted any hope I may have at all of getting his appreciation. Oh well.

'... Okay, I'm gonna ask you something now,' I say, shuffling backwards a bit so the dog is in good view of our bastard mercenary. 'And you're gonna say no, but I'm gonna try anyway, because I'm hoping you find it in your heart to let me have my fun.'

He just stares at me boredly.

'... Can I keep him?'

And here it comes. 'No.'

I frown. 'Why? We have Noishe, don't we? Isn't there room for one more?'

'Because,' he starts, glaring at the dog. 'Noishe is trained and has a high level of obedience and understanding towards humans. And I don't know if you have cared to notice, but he is not a dog.'

I pause. '... Very true, but-'

'Harrison,' he interrupts sharply. 'I don't know if you outdo yourself to frustrate me, but don't do it today.'

'... Right, sorry,' I mumble. 'You want to help me name him at least?'

Kratos just raises an eyebrow as I crouch down beside the dog, scratching behind it's ear as it looks up at Kratos. C'mon boy, look more innocent and we just might have him. 'He's really loving, so I'm not thinking something like ... Rex, or anything.'

The unnamed dog just whines, blinking up at Kratos. Yay, we're getting somewhere! I glance up at him, and he still seems to be refusing himself the power of speech. Oh come on, it's just a dog. It's not gonna kill you.

I bite my lip, averting my eyes to the animal. 'Did you name Noishe?'

There's a long pause. 'No ... and old friend gave him his name.'

'Oh,' I say, looking up. 'They're you're probably bad at naming things.'

He frowns. 'I named my son.'

'Yeah, exactly,' I say, going back to the dog. I actually love the name, but annoying Kratos has become a second nature. 'Awww, look at hiiim ...'

'Perhaps something short,' he finally says, looking down at the animal.

'... Max?' I suggest. 'He looks like a Max.'

'Hmm,' he complies shortly, already turning to leave. Where was he going again? Oh right, training. He trains too much. He doesn't even need to.

'... Um!' I remember, glancing around quickly, patting the _Max's_ head. 'Stay here – hey!!'

Kratos pauses to shudder, looking over his shoulder. 'What now?'

Wow, I must be really annoying today. I shrug it off and skip over there. 'Uh ... you're going out to train, right?'

'Yes.'

I bite my lip. 'Can you teach me how to do something?'

He just glares at me, and I hold up my hands in defence. 'Okay, okay, I was just askin-'

Before I can even finish, I feel a sharp pain erupt in the side of my head from the inside. I wince and clutch a hand to the area, realising Charis and William obviously need to talk. At a bad time. Kratos just ignores me and continues on his way down the bridge. Gee, thanks man – I could fall unconscious anytime now.

"_Guys, busy, ow,"_ I mumble as the pain gets worse and my vision blurs in and out of focus. I sway a little and attempt to hold my footing, which doesn't quite work, and I fall to one knee. "_Do this later ...!"_

"_We don't care if the whole of Luin sees you, we need to talk _now_," _Charis snaps sternly.

I'm about to say something in protest, but my brain doesn't quite form the words in time, and the last thing I see is Kratos glancing over his shoulder and a loud bark from behind before I topple shoulder-first onto the hard, dusty floor.

----------------------------------------

'I'm gonna kill you guys,' I grumble drowsily before gathering my scattered senses. Alright ... I'm tired, in the computer room within my brain, and Charis and William look ... worried. Okay, it's not often they look worried, and I'm hoping this is all going to be fine – of course, it obviously won't, but ... agh, dammit. Why do they do this to me?

'... Oh lord, what now?' I ask, face falling.

'Pull your chair up here,' Charis says, pointing to the space between her and William's own chairs. 'We're not talking to you from the other side of the room.'

I panic inwardly about what this is all about while I drag my chair over, going through all the possibilities in my head. Lloyd knows about Kratos? Samuel said something? Lloyd's illness is worse and he's going to eventually die? The Desians are coming? The BRITISH are coming!?

'Sit,' Charis demands, and I decide I've been told to do that already, and I'm not liking it. I make a face and slump into my chair, staring at the screen. Obviously, it's Zelos walking around Meltokio with his sweethearts, but I don't think that has anything to do with what is currently going on. Charis turns off the image of Zelos, but she doesn't turn to me. William is just sitting with his hands in his lap, still wearing his pink.

'Alright, big problem,' he says simply, glancing over at Charis. It seems she'll be the one explaining it to me. She nods, finally swerving around in her chair.

'Okay ... we're taking a leap into the future here,' she says, clasping her hands in her lap like William. 'Origin's Seal.'

Oh shit, we're all gonna die.

'This isn't your fault here, so don't go on some guilt trip for it,' she says, turning to the screen. 'Now ... I'm gonna ask you to look at these circumstances from a realistic view.'

She holds out both hands in a scale motion. 'Lloyd and Kratos.'

I nod, and she holds up the 'Lloyd' hand.

'Lloyd Irving, recently turned seventeen years old, has been using a sword since his sixteenth birthday, is now learning how to handle one without looking like a complete jackass, courtesy of Kratos.'

She holds up the 'Kratos' hand.

'Kratos Aurion, recently turned four-thousand and twenty-eight years old, has been using a sword and training himself thoroughly for four-thousand and eighteen years. Expert in magic, swordsmanship, and has at least twenty small knives, needles, and three stun-pellets hidden in his clothing for emergencies, signalling that he is indeed a smart, smart man.'

I already know what she's indicating (making a note to ask what a stun-pellet is), and nod slowly for her to continue. She drops her hands, glancing towards the screen.

'We've looked over it at least fifty-three times, and Lloyd is going to lose.'

'... Oh,' I say quietly. 'And ... you've checked everything ... like, all the things that could have-?'

'Seriously, everything,' William sighs, thudding his head onto the table. 'We even tried to see what would happen if you were a guy.'

I choose not to answer to that, and just nod again. So ... Lloyd is going to lose? Well, I guess I always saw it as a little stupid at how Kratos could lose against Lloyd, but I never questioned that. But now ... I _have_ to, don't I? No matter what I do ... or what Lloyd does for that matter, he's ... gonna lose.

He's gonna die.

'There is a possibility that Kratos could choose to release Origin's Seal either way, but ...' Charis mutters, typing a few things into something that looks like an address bar. 'That's the only thing, and I doubt Kratos would do that.'

'... What about Yuan?' I ask randomly. 'What if he succeeds in the whole ... "kidnap Lloyd" thing and make Kratos release Origin's Seal?'

The two of them pause, and it's William's turn to talk. 'We have no idea about that ... we haven't caught up with Yuan's actions so far, seeing as we're focusing on Cruxis, but ... that could always be an option.'

Charis nods, leaving her keyboard for the moment and chewing on her nails. 'But he won't save Kratos, and he'll die.'

'Oh, well this is just great,' I grumble, falling back into my chair. 'Can't anyone do anything? Can't _I_ do anything?'

Charis shakes her head. 'Like it or not, without a magic-swordsman in your group, you don't stand a chance against Mithos. Should Zelos choose to betray everyone, he'll either kill you all, or he'll die himself. If that happens, and Kratos also looses his life because of Yuan, then ... you're pretty screwed.'

'... Perfect,' I mutter, hiding my face in my hands. '... Can't Kratos just ... kick Yuan's ass or something and _make_ him share mana like a good boy?'

To my surprise, Charis and William both snort at this. 'Kratos? Kick _Yuan's_ ass?'

'... I said something wrong?' I ask, looking between the two of them. William nods, and Charis goes back to typing with an explanation of sorts for me.

'Yuan's father is the one who taught Kratos how to use a sword,' she says, typing away into a new address bar. 'When he passed away after being sent out to take part in the Kharlan War four years later, Yuan had to continue teaching him.'

'Yuan?' I ask. 'Is he older than Kratos?'

'By five years,' she specifies, still typing. 'He was twenty when he started teaching Kratos.'

'And Kratos was ... fifteen.'

'Yeah.'

'... Hey, you learn something new everyday,' I say, nodding.

'We'd explain why they look roughly around the same age, but it's _way_ too complicated right now,' William says, sighing. 'It took Kratos two years to decide he'd help revive Martel. Yuan had already stopped his internal clock at thirty-one.'

'... Explain later, my brain isn't working today,' I mumble. 'Why'd Kratos disagree?'

Charis just rolls her eyes. 'Oh come on, you've thought about it before. Having everyone around you grow and die, having only two people close to you. It's gonna friggin' take a toll on your mentality.'

'... Right, back to ... Origin ...' I mutter, rubbing my head. 'So ... we can't do anything? We just have to have ... either Kratos or Lloyd die?'

'I thought you didn't care if Kratos died,' William mumbles through the material of his sleeves (he's still got his face in his arms on the desk).

'Well ... yeah, _I_ don't care,' I say, nodding. 'But sure, if Lloyd lives and Kratos dies, it's Yuan that uses the Eternal Sword. But if Kratos lives and Lloyd dies, then it's all going to go to hell. And plus ... at the end of the day, it's _Kratos_. He just ... he can't die.'

Charis and William stare at me, and I frown. '... Think about how Lloyd would feel. He's found his real dad after fourteen years, and ... he'd have to die. That'd suck.'

'... Either way, we're stuck,' Charis sighs. 'Regardless of any option we could think up, the bottom line is that Lloyd is gonna lose that battle.'

'This sucks,' I groan. 'This sucks bad. I wish I could do something. I'm here to fix the mistakes I make, right?'

'No, you just make them,' Charis says. 'Everyone else has to clean up after you.'

I frown, mumbling into my hands. 'So ... what do we do? Obviously you have to find out more about this, but ... can I do anything while you guys do that?'

Charis shrugs. 'You could have a word with Origin.'

I pause for a while, considering that I misheard her ... no, definitely heard her right. 'I could talk to Origin?'

'To find out more about this, yeah,' William says, sitting up straight. When they both glance at me as if to ask my opinion on the matter, I just shake my head quickly.

'No, I'm not talking to him,' I say, biting my lip. 'I don't want anything screwed up.'

Charis shrugs again. 'It's your call.'

And ... that's when I realised I hate it when things are 'my call'. Because all the choices I've ever made here, I think it could have turned out better if I had chosen something else. I sound like the weird alter-Lloyd from that dream ages ago ... I wonder if it was triggered by Lloyd having the same thoughts? Iselia being destoryed, so many people dying ... I know we always sugar-coat it, but when it comes down to it, it _is_ Lloyd's fault, and he knows that himself. Perhaps he needed that talk with his scary alter person.

'I'm not doing it,' I say firmly, nodding. 'If I ever want to talk to Origin, I'm gonna damn well wait until I get there.'

'Yeah, that's wonderful,' William says. 'Though before you get around to doing that, either of them will already be dead.'

'... Shite,' I mumble. 'And I can't do anything?'

'Not a thing,' Charis sighs. 'Either Lloyd is gonna get killed by Daddy, or Uncle Yuan is gonna kill Daddy and then tell Lloyd about it.'

'... Uncle Yuan?' I ask, staring.

'We dug up some stuff from those fourteen years ago,' William says, nodding. 'Don't ask – you don't wanna know.'

'... Right, whatever,' I mumble. 'Any chance I could maybe pop off back to Sylvarant now and stop people thinking I've died?'

Charis snorts. 'You don't have to worry about that. You're in your bed, Kratos has left you alone, and he hasn't told anyone that you've fallen unconscious in the middle of a street.'

... Well, don't I feel loved. I guess he really doesn't care if I'm slowly dying of some incurable sickness if he isn't gonna say anything. I mean ... I know I'm _not_ dying, but it'd be nice to have some ... I dunno – _sympathy_, or something. Like "oh Charlotte, are you alright, seeing as you have just fallen unconscious before our very eyes and could be indeed dying?"

Or ... something. I dunno.

-------------------------------------

When I do actually awaken, back in my nice comfy body, I realise it's cold. When I glance down, I see I have no blanket or anything draped over my body. Gee, thanks, bastard mercenary. Let's just try and heighten Charlotte's chances of dying by freezing her to death.

I blink rapidly for a few good moments, trying to wonder why it feels like I've just dunked my head into several litres of ice-cold water. I dismiss the matter and sit up, rubbing my arms. Keep in mind, people – my shirt has no sleeves whatsoever, and it's still cold.

I glance around the room, and see it's completely empty. So what – he just _left_ me here? Good lord, I know it's _Kratos_, but geez, even I know he's got some goodness in him. Too bad he doesn't care to point any of that goodness in my direction, because I'm getting no love here. C'mon people ... the Char needs love too!

Deciding it's cold, I'm tired, and no one is certainly around to check if I'm dead or not, I feel sleeping will do me good. Even if it is for like, ten minutes ... my limbs feel like lead.

I drag my covers over my body after kicking off my shoes, rolling over and wondering where Kratos went. He probably just dumped me here and went on his merry way to train. Not like he needs to train ... hey, maybe he doesn't train. Maybe he does something Cruxis related, but says he's training. Hmm ... I think I just might look into that matter.

... Oh zenta, how I have missed you.

I reach into the hip-pocket of my shirt and sit up again, giving Charis a mental note to tell me if anyone is coming. I open up the computer, pull out the camera, and wait for the keyboard and and screen to load up. As they do, I start moving the camera towards the open window. Go, my little Renedage-based mana-type creation! Go forth and seek out the bastard mercenary!

By the time it loads up (which takes a while, strangely), the camera is already some ways out of Luin. Before it can fully load and be the amazing thing it is ... it crashes. The screen goes black, the whole thing shuts down, and the small silver sphere that it all comes out of drops into my lap.

"_Sorry, we had to do that," _William says, spinning around on his chair by the sound of it. "_We can't let you see what Kratos is doing."_

"_You guys suck,"_ I sulk, slipping the small sphere back into my pocket. "_Why not?"_

"_He's talking to Yuan,"_ Charis says shortly. "_You can't know EVERYTHING that's going on, so we're leaving this out. Hearing what they say will only confuse and annoy you."_

... I hate the fact that I don't know _everything_. I know it sounds stubborn and stupid, but it's a lot less nerve-wracking to know that you aren't secretly being plotted against, or something like that. I've said it before – I _need_ predictability here, and all of it has packed it's bags and pissed off somewhere, just like a good part of my sanity. I swear, not knowing here is pure torture. It's the only safety net I have.

I just lay back down, staring at the ceiling and mulling over everything I've been told about in the past while. So ... Lloyd is going to lose. Yes, I know – I'm constantly replacing the word "die" with "lose", because it's easier to talk about that way. Lloyd will ... _die_, or Yuan will kill Kratos. Agh ... why does Kratos have to be so ... stupid! In the end ... Lloyd doesn't want revenge – he doesn't want to hurt him ... he wants to forgive him. Why can't Kratos see that? If he could ... maybe there wouldn't be this stupid predicament in the first place.

... All the time until the end, Lloyd was always saying ... "isn't there another way?". There was another way ... but Kratos is blind to all of these things. He just wants the burden of his own sins lifted. Maybe here ... maybe this time, Kratos won't fight, and he'll just release Origin. That would save Lloyd's life, but ...

... I'm going round in circles.

Either way, at the end of this journey ... one of them will wind up dead.

And I don't like that fact. Not one bit.

And just to make my life utterly and completely worse, someone decides to enter. I only have to glance at the gloved hand on the doorknob before I immediately want to throw something heavy at my visitor. He walks in, cold eyes as always, and I just frown at him. Yes Kratos, choose _now_ to show up why don't you. Heartless, jackass, bastard mercenary.

'You really don't give a damn if I die or not, do you?' I ask before he can say a thing. He doesn't answer – he just glares at me coldly. I glare straight back this time, waiting for my answer. I don't care if I have to jump out of bed and wrestle him to the ground for it, I'm going to get my answer. I'm sick of his attitude – telling me to eat because I could make myself ill, and then leaving me completely unsupervised after falling unconscious in the middle of a street. _I_ know I wasn't in any harm, but _he_ didn't, did he?

'_Do you!?' _I snap loudly after not getting an answer. He just glares, so I continue. 'And here I was, thinking you might actually have had consideration for my health. I'll bet if it were Lloyd, or Genis, or anyone else, you would have stayed with them to see what was wrong at least! But no!'

I notice that look in his eyes ... the anger, the hate – it's all escalating dangerously. And the scariest thing for me? I'm not backing down.

'I don't even want you in my sight right now,' I spit. 'Get out.'

And do you know what? He moves. But he isn't leaving – he's coming towards my bed. I immediately freeze in place and wonder if I went too far, every memory of each death-threat soaring around my head. Oh crap, I really have to learn to keep my mouth shut when it _should_ be. It's just that look in his eyes – it's like he's going to snap my neck in two.

I wince when he slams something down on the table beside my bed, and watch him turn and stride out. I wince again when the door slams shut, and I hear him leave the inn after a few moments. I wait for the sound of the door in the other room closing and pause. I wait for the tension still lingering around the room to die, and try to force my heart from my throat back down into its rightful place. Okay, breathe Charlie ...

I wait a while, and finally glance over to the small table. I notice the thing he slammed down and left, and ... it's a small, black bottle. I notice the glass is cracked, only a little. Probably from the slamming. I reach over and pick it up, looking over it for a label, or something. And I find one. And do you know what this is?

They're painkillers. Small, basic, painkillers.

... He went to get me medication from Raine's bags.

After realising this, I thud my head against the wall repeatedly for a good long while.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

'Kratos?'

Nothing.

'... Kratos?'

Nothing.

'Kraaaatoooos ...?'

Nothing.

'Hey, old man!'

I frown. 'Lloyd, he's asleep. Leave him alone.'

I'm sitting with Genis on Lloyd's bed, and Lloyd himself is perched on his pillow. Apparently, Kratos sleeps weirdly, and it freaks out Lloyd in the night. Kratos is just ... completely and utterly silent – you can't hear him breathe or anything. And he looks like a freakin' corpse when he sleeps – just on his back, utterly straight with his arms at his sides. Obviously he's relaxed, but he seems about ready to whip his sword out from under his pillow and gut anyone who comes within two feet of his bed.

'He looks _dead!_' Lloyd hisses, looking over at me. 'It's creepy ...'

I roll my eyes. 'He hasn't slept in days. Leave the poor guy alone.'

Genis nods. 'She's right – you shouldn't wake sleeping people.'

'Wha – you come and wake me up all the time!' Lloyd snaps, glaring at his youngest friend.

'That's because _you_ never get up in time for school!' Genis counters. 'You know Raine's punishment would be a hundred times worse if you didn't show up at all.'

Lloyd doesn't quite get around to forming a logical, witty answer and just settles with: '... Shut up, Genis.'

I find it amusing that we're all sat around here in our pyjamas. Colette and Raine are already in bed (Colette is pretending, obviously), and I just can't sleep for some reason. It may be because I now have a fear of Yuan jumping in and trying to kill someone in the dead of night, but my hunger has finally caved in on me and my stomach won't let me sleep. I was about to go downstairs to get something (which includes passing through the boy's room), but found Lloyd and Genis already awake, observing the scary room-mate. Sitting around and watching these guys is _way_ more fun than eating.

Oh, and Genis is still aware of why Lloyd is never going near another wax-strip. We're all still amused, too, now that it's painfully obvious.

'... I was going to get food,' I remind myself, poking my temple. 'Right, anyone coming?'

Genis shakes his head, and Lloyd mumbles something about going over there and checking Kratos' pulse.

'Lloyd, he isn't dead!' I snap. 'Leave him alone!'

'Well, he _looks_ it!' Lloyd whispers, gesturing wildly to the sleeping man. 'He's always wearing bandages and has like, a thousand battle-scars! _How_ is he still alive!?'

I glance over at Kratos' sleeping figure, and my eyes fall to that bandage around his chest. It's been annoying me ever since I first saw it in Palmacosta, but it's gotten worse when I realised his attitude towards showing it to people at the Water Seal. Just what _is_ it under there? Even if it is a scar from the time when Anna turned into a monster, no one is going to single it out from the others scattered around his body. It can't be _that_ bad, but if it isn't a scar ... then what is it?

'... Hey, what are you ...?'

Yes, I'm probably risking my life (or my right arm, at least) doing this, but I walk slowly and quietly over to Kratos' bed. Lloyd and Genis creep off the other bed to try and avoid making it squeak, and Genis demands an explanation.

'He's always wearing this thing,' I whisper, pointing to the bandage. 'I first saw it in Palmacosta.'

'Really? That long ago?' Lloyd mumbles quietly. 'What-?'

I just shake my head. 'I dunno ... but I'm gonna find out.'

'Wait, are you sure about this?' Genis asks. 'Aren't you being a little nosey?'

I shrug. 'Probably.'

I've said today – I'm sick of being kept in the dark and not knowing, so I'm gonna break down the things that are being kept from me one at a time, and I'll get my predictability back. I miss it, and I need it, and this'd be the first step.

'Don't ... wake him up,' Lloyd whispers warningly. 'He might stab you.'

I just make a face and reach out carefully, painfully aware that my hands are shaking. I locate the end of the bandage and take it between my thumb and index finger, slowly dragging it open. Just a few layers ... this'll be easy, if he doesn't wake up first.

When I realise Genis and Lloyd are looking over my shoulders, I try not to sigh in frustration.

Okay, the bandages seem quite loose ... that should be good. I find the second end somewhere underneath the several layers, giving it a gentle tug. Some layers slip to one side, and my hands shake even more. If he wakes up now, I am so, _so_ dead.

This is easier than I thought. I part the layers carefully, trying to to touch his skin at all. Just keep looking at the bandages, Charlie. Don't look at his face ... he'll wake up if you do.

And ... I succeed in the end. I finish unveiling this secret of his, on some distant level, proud of myself. But so many levels are screaming at me and telling me I should have left him alone.

I hear the two react from behind me. Genis just gasps, and I hear a small 'oh my g-' from Lloyd before he quickly silences himself. Myself ... I am lost for words.

There, right in the centre of Kratos' breastbone, is the thing that's kept him alive for the past four thousand years.

The blood-red Cruxis Crystal, surrounded by not only a key crest but cuts, gashes, wounds ... it looks like Kratos has clawed at it or something ... I can see wounds around the thing, deep and red. The jewel itself looks like it's just ... _producing_ from Kratos' skin ... it looks so painful. What looks like _veins_ travel from the crystal underneath the skin, and it's just ...

'Is ...' Lloyd whispers after a second. 'Is that thing ... _inside_ him? Did someone just ... just _plant_ it into his skin?'

'What _is_ that thing?' Genis adds shakily.

As quickly as I can, I rearrange the bandages and get the hell away from Kratos' bed. Lloyd and Genis follow after a second, and ... Lloyd looks really pale. Genis is shaking a little, and he just folds his arms in a protective manner.

'I'm going to bed.'

I nod. 'I'm not hungry anymore ...'

Lloyd doesn't say anything – he just nods at both of us and keeps glancing over at Kratos as he gets into bed. I hope that both of them can sleep after seeing that, because I know I won't be able to. I'll be wondering all night – did it hurt to put it on? Does it still hurt? How did all those scars around it manage to get there? Did he trying taking it off? _Can_ he take it off at all?

'You okay?'

I nod, looking over at Genis. 'Yeah ... I'm fine. Try and get some sleep, guys.'

'Y ... yeah,' Lloyd says, running a hand through his hair. 'You too.'

I nod a second time, returning quietly to my own room so I don't wake the Professor. When I close the door behind me, I look around. It's fairly dark, but I can make out Colette's motionless figure on the bed beside mine. She still pretends to sleep, I guess ... if I were the Chosen, I probably would have told everyone about it. Luckily, I'm not ... I just guess Colette is making her own way through this. The Professor knows ... I don't know if Colette is aware of Kratos knowledge of the whole thing, but ...

'Colette?' I say quietly, glancing over at the Professor to see if she stirs. She doesn't, and I sit down on my own bed while Colette remains motionless. I guess she still thinks I'm one of the people who doesn't know ... ah well.

'Colette, I know you're awake,' I say, just a little more louder in case she didn't hear me the first time. Once again, she doesn't move, seeming very intent on keeping her secret hidden. I notice she shifts a little as if I had disturbed her 'sleep', but I just frown, resting my elbows on my knees and holding my head.

'You can't sleep at all now, can you?' I sigh, looking up. Finally, she turns over in her bed and opens her eyes. To be honest, she doesn't look too shocked that I know – then again, my 'mother' was working for the church here. It's only natural that I should know.

'Please don't tell the others,' is the first thing she says. I nod, respecting her decision. I'm sure she'd do the same for me.

'Don't worry, I won't,' I say. 'I just ... I wanna know something.'

She leans up on her elbows, looking over at me curiously. 'What is it?'

'Your Cruxis Crystal ...' I say, getting straight to the point. 'Can you take it off at all? Or is it like ... stuck, or something?'

'Oh ...' she says quietly. 'No, I can't take it off ... why do you ask?'

I hope she respects my decision to stay silent. I just shake my head in reply, settling down into my bed. 'It doesn't matter. Jus' wondering.'

'Okay,' she says, smiling. 'Well ... you should get some sleep.'

I frown a little. 'Yeah ... I guess.'

And with that matter over with, I roll over in my bed and face the wall, wondering about ... well, everything that has happened today, I guess. Lloyd may or may not die just as I'm so close to getting home and screw everything up, Yuan could kill Kratos, and who _knows_ what that'll change. Far too much, I'm guessing. I've probably made Kratos hate me a lot more with that spat earlier ... and now me, Lloyd and Genis have found out that Kratos has a crystal embedded into his chest. Sure, I'm the only one that knows it's a Cruxis Crystal, but still ... it's something that shouldn't be there. I wonder if Yuan has it the same ...

... Okay, one _good_ thing happened today. I own a dog.

---------------------------------------------

Alright then ... here's what's happening.

We woke up, bright and early. Lloyd and Genis haven't said anything regarding the matter that we faced last night, and I don't think Kratos knows what happened. I'm hoping he doesn't, but I really can't say for sure. Whatever the status on that matter, we've decided to not say anything about it, or tell anyone.

Since then, we've had breakfast (toast again), and packed up all of our bags and whatnot. Noishe, after being outside Luin for four days, is finally happy that we're ready to get a move on. Don't worry – we didn't abandon him or anything. We were allowed to use some old horse stables just outside the city. Kratos has been to check on him every day, but I don't think he liked just standing around for four days. I know I wouldn't.

Anyway ... I found my new pet Max, and I've said goodbye to him, and told him that I'd be back soon to play with him some more. But he's not the only thing we've seen before leaving, because none other than Samuel has come to give Raine a list of medication that might be helpful for Lloyd's condition, should he have another series of fainting and being in pain. He's also written down some tips for her, like ... how to lower his temperature if it gets incredibly high, and vice versa. Just helpful little things. And I do believe that he is nicer when it isn't his day off, because he told her that she'd make an amazing healer. She got all flustered and embarrassed and red, and it was all very amusing to watch.

Kratos is just ... avoiding Samuel the best he can. Lloyd has grudgingly gone over and thanked him for his help (he still thinks that Samuel is a scary old man), and he just told Lloyd to take care of himself while he was out there fighting, because he didn't want another patient as stubborn as him anytime soon. Lloyd is one of those people that just ... _doesn't_ swallow pills. I remember being told that by the Professor before we left the destroyed Triet, but I didn't think it was as bad as it is.

Genis is tired, and I can't blame him. Save for Colette, we're probably the only two people that didn't sleep last night. And he's gone back to being evil Genis, who us mean and insulting to people like myself. So I'm avoiding him.

Speaking of avoiding for the third time, I still haven't got around to apologising to Kratos about yesterday ... and to be honest, I don't think I ever will. Even if he does deserve a lot of pity and hugs, he's still a bastard mercenary. And he's a bastard mercenary to me all of the time ... so why can't I be a bitch back?

'Kratos.'

I look over at the mercenary, and notice Samuel is taking it upon himself to approach him. I glance around, and see that Genis and Colette are talking some few meters away, and the Professor is going through the medical list with Lloyd, telling him which medication he'll need to swallow as pills. Anyway, back to Krat-man. He looks very uncomfortable.

'Now listen here, you,' Samuel says quietly, tapping Kratos' chest accusingly with the pen he used to scribble down notes for Raine. 'I don't want to see the boy back here again.'

Kratos doesn't say anything, and it honestly looks like he's avoiding eye-contact with his ... father-in-law, I guess. I don't blame him one bit, considering his family situations. Kratos needs like, five therapists to sort out his family life.

Samuel just claps a hand down on his shoulder. 'You'll take good care of him, or you'll have me to answer to.'

With that, he inclines his head slightly in a nod and turns, already walking away. Raine calls goodbye to him when she notices him leaving, and he simply waves back at her. I watch him leave, and glance back at Kratos. He doesn't look too happy, but then again, he never does. He glares at me coldly when he notices me staring, and I just roll my eyes and avert my gaze to the floor. It's much more friendlier than Kratos.

'Are we ready to go?' Raine asks, folding up the list and pocketing it as she looks around at us. A majority of the group just nod in answer (we're all in sour moods today), and I look around at the city. It's fairly empty, seeing as it's early. I see the distant figure of Samuel disappearing behind a few crowds of women near a stall, and consider if I should have said anything. Y'know ... _anything_. I don't think this will have some colossal impact on what happens now, because Kratos is the only one that knows.

'Wow ... we weren't here long, were we?' I say, looking around. 'Compared to this, Asgard seemed so much more ...'

'I guess a lot more things happened in Asgard,' Lloyd says, yawning a little. It's still friggin' early ... and we're all very tired. He nudges my side. 'You homesick again?'

I shake my head. 'Nah, I'm fine.'

'Alright then, let's go!' Lloyd exclaims cheerily, with his big dorky trademark grin. 'To the west!'

'East,' Kratos corrects smoothly.

'East,' Lloyd repeats nodding. 'That's what I meant.'

'Suuuure it was,' Genis sighs, grabbing his taller friend's wrist. 'C'mon, let's go already!'

And so, off we go indeed. Kratos and Colette lead the way silently until she begins to bother him with another battle victory-speech she thought up overnight. Lloyd seconds that idea with a shout while he is still being dragged along by an annoyed but amused Genis, while also having to listen to the Professor go over the medical list again, telling him what he should avoid doing in battle. I listen to all of this, trailing behind a little. Okay, a lot. Soon, I'm so far behind that I can't hear what they're saying.

Why? I'm worried. I'm always worried, but Charis said it herself – after the Wind Seal, I'll find out my overall, general weakness. If I don't, it could cause the whole course of this journey to go down a second path. I don't know which path will have a bumpier road, but I feel like I'm being forced to walk either of them.

I shiver, feeling Yggdrasill watching us. How can I hope to hide my weakness from him, if I can't even figure it out myself?


	49. The Ultimate Hide And Seek

HAY GAIZ, I'MALIVELOL.

Good lord - finished my sats, other grandad died, finished more exams, computer crashed and lost everything last month, had to rewrite this chapter, included much ouch. But I'm back! Yay! And school breaks up in a few weeks, so we will have more frequent updates :3

Right, this chapter covers the span of time between leaving Luin and reaching the Wind Seal. Well, they don't reach it in this chapter, but they'll be there at the start of chapter 50 (HOLYSHI-). Also, we see more of Lloyd in this chapter, because it has come to my attention that I never really focused on him alot, unless he was dying or something D: Hmm. And a nice, long talk with Charis and William about how life in ToS is changing :3

I wanna thank everyone for the nice reviews, and the patience XD And welcome any new reviewers. Haaay d00ds.

And ... I've asked people on deviantart this, so I'll ask here also. Because it is REALLY ANNOYING ME NOW. Zelos has nicknames for everyone, as we are so constantly reminded throughout the game. Think up one for Char, and I'll give you a cookie D: I've tried, tried, and tried again, and my brain hurts and I've given up. Go me!

OH YEAH. ToS OVA. In my humble opinion, it was pretty ... uh, crap D: LOVELY, LOVELY animation, but ... it focuses WAY too much on Colette. I mean, yeah, she's the Chosen, but come on now ... Kratos needs more love D: He barely says anything (except for in the extra, which is as funny as hell :3.

In other news, I have developed a unhealthy habit of drawing waaaaaaaaay too much. It's gotten in the way of writing. I apologise XD

Spare a review after reading? I've missed you guys :3

* * *

Chapter 49 - The Ultimate Hide-And-Seek

'Lloyd, stop it!'

'I swear I'm not doing it anymore!'

'You _are_, now stop it!'

'You can't even see, so how can you tell?'

'I just ... _know_, so ... stop it!'

'Oh c'mon, have I ever lied to you?'

'... You're joking, right?'

'... Okay, I lie all the time, but I'm not lying about this!'

I glance warily through my fingers. 'Oh g – _LLOYD!'_

For those of you who are now confused and just slightly scared, I shall explain what's been going on for the past half an hour. I can't tolerate a lot of things -something scraping against ice, the sound of squeaking hinges, touching sand paper – just things in general. And y'know how you sometimes get those friends that happen to be lanky teenagers who can suck in their stomach so far that they look like they have _no_ insides whatsoever and you can see the ribcage jutting out almost painfully through their skin? Yeah, Lloyd just happens to be one of those people. I've seen worse, but ... agh, I hate it also. Makes me sick inside.

We've been travelling for a while now, having left Luin yesterday morning. Now we're getting further away from the comfortable climate of said city, it's gotten a lot colder now we're entering Idvaoll plains. That's the name of the fields that surround Asgard just before it reaches Luin and the Wind Seal, so it's a pretty big place which changes its weather constantly. But lately, it's been cold, obviously – or I wouldn't be whining about it.

What I'm _also_ whining about is the fact that I'm bored, my feet hurt, I'm bored, barely anyone is talking to me or has done for the past day or two, I'm bored, Kratos is being a jerk, and ... there was something else ... oh yeah, I'm BORED. Despite the most obvious, my feet really do hurt a lot ... and what makes it worse is that Noishe still hates me and refuses to help me in any way. He's given rides to all people suffering from fatigue except me and Kratos -Kratos because said bastard can stand walking for ages without getting tired, and me because he'd rather eat my liver. So I have the right to whine about this – everyone else has been able to be _carried_.

Though there is that fact that Kratos is all so high and mighty that I can't get a decent word in. If Kratos isn't tired, no one can whine. If Kratos isn't hot, no one can whine about the heat. If Kratos isn't vomiting up his lungs and choking to death on blood, we all shut up and get on with it. Only when you can tell if _everyone_ is hot or cold, or _everyone_ is tired, _then_ you can whine about it. Do it alone and you get bitched at.

This is why I haven't said anything out loud yet. I'd really love to stride up to Lloyd and DEMAND that he makes his _dog_ carry me for five minutes at least, but Kratos (and quite possibly Raine) would only see me as being whiny and annoying, which I don't want happening. I don't want to get kicked off the group again.

... Hey, maybe if I was nicer to Kratos; Noishe would start to like me a little?

No. Bad Charlie. _Bad_. Never consider that again. Now stop it. _Now._

I frown as I continue behind the group, keeping to myself mostly. Again – I haven't really spoken to anyone in a while, despite Lloyd's attempts to gross me out completely (which worked, by the way), so I've gone into a moody state where I hate everyone. I'm sure it won't last long, and I'm bringing it on myself – whenever someone _does_ ask if I want to come over and talk (by talk, I mean make up more dorky victory speeches to kill Kratos' sanity with), I just say "nah, I'm fine" instead of the much needed "YES, WE SHOULD PERHAPS ATTACK HIM VIOLENTLY."

"_Y'know, if it's your fault, maybe y__ou should stop whining about it,"_ Charis comments, most likely not meaning to sound as bitchy as she does. Who knows – maybe she found out Zelos _will_ die after all. I know I haven't met him yet, but I hope he lives. Ha, who knows – after meeting him properly, perhaps I'll want to kill him myself.

"_He's not as bad as you and your friends on Earth make out,"_ Charis grumbles. "_One of your friends m__akes him out to be this whiney, needy__ bitch that needs to be loooooooved and hugged and cared for by any random character.__ Usually Regal, __oddly__. Your friend is weird.__"_

I raise an eyebrow, looking at the darkening sky. It must be late. "_I KNOW he isn't a whiney little bitch – I never said he was. __But I think he does need some close friends ... y'know, not to comfort him, but to just be around him.__ I'm sure everyone can handle that when the time comes.__"_

_"Bingo,"_Charis says, giggling a little. "_And he isn't 'little' at all."_

_"No, I suspect he's very tall-"_ I pause, immediately trying to dismiss the dirty thoughts my Gamecube has placed in my head. "_Oh for __chrissake__, Charis!"_

_"What!?"_ she insists loudly, still giggling. "_I can't help what might show up on the screen!"_

_"... William IS jealous, isn't he?"_

When she begins laughing again, I can't help but giggle a little myself when I think of William's reaction to ... whatever may have shown up on the screen. Poor thing must be sulking around ... maybe finding some way to get out of my head and back into the PS2. And I seriously don't blame him – living with Charis must be hard, especially after she, uh ... discovered the joys of watching Zelos go about his daily life.

"_Seeing as William isn't here at the moment ..." _Charis says after a moment while I try to decide what time it is. "_I think it'd be safe to give you a little advice on stuff about to come – mainly stuff concerning Kvar."_

I frown, dropping my gaze to the floor and watching the grass as I walk, ignoring the murmur of speech from some yards in front. "_Kvar, huh? Is there__ any drastic change to the ranch, or to the man himself?"_

_"No, he still looks pretty screwed up," _Charis says, and I can hear typing in the background. She must be bringing up some information for those certain events that are about to come into play."_But that ranch has changed a little. It's just slightly bigger than in the game; there are a few extra hallways, rooms, stuff like that. Also, there's a basement floor which acts as, uh ... torture chambers."_

I feel my breath hitch a little at those two last words. "_What?_"

_"Don't worry – you don't have to go down there at all."_

I just nod, biting the lower edge of my lip in apprehension. I know it won't be anything like Magnius' – nothing could ever compare to what I saw that day. But what Kratos said about the mental torture instead of physical ... _that_ I'm worried about. Anything could happen – someone could get caught; Kratos, Lloyd, hell, even me. I don't know if Lloyd will remember such dramatic events from fourteen years ago, but Kratos ...

And what about me? I can't relive all the pain I've ever felt. I can't, because unlike _some_ bastard mercenaries who are emotionally stable, yet were left screaming with such torture ... well, lets just say I'm emotionally unstable on some levels. If it did _that_ to Kratos, then ... I'm pretty screwed if it happens to me.

"_This'd be a bad time to tell you ..."_ Charis says quietly after a while. "_But there's a very high probability__ that you'll be chosen to go on the Kvar-team when you get to the ranch.__"_

If there was a wall nearby, I swear to any gods up there, I would be bashing my head against it repeatedly while thinking up a reason _why_. Everyone knows it by now – I'm not the best of fighters, and the only two people with a significant reason to go and ... tear Kvar limb from limb would be Kratos and Lloyd. I know I'm "from Asgard" and I've "been to the ranch before", but that wouldn't give a reason for why I'd want to go and blast Kvar-man's brains out.

"_Well ..." _Charis mumbles. "_Regardless of everything with your background here, you still are pretty good with computers.__ They'll __want__ you to sort out the self-destruct system when the time comes__, and some stuff with shutting down the Exsphere ... thingy__."_

I frown, pondering over those particular reasons for a second or two. "_But wait, that makes no sense – couldn't Raine do all of that instead?"_

There's a pause. "_Not really – well, yes, she could, but she'll be the one unlocking the locks to Kvar's room__ on the other side of the ranch__. She gonna need a few people with her for protection, because it takes a LOT more than just stepping on two dumb switches. It could take a few hours, which is why only three of you will go and make soup of Kvar's brains."_

I repeat that over in my head three times before it sinks in slowly, and nod a little once more. "_I'm guessing Kratos will be going with us too, then?"_

_"Depends how things go,"_ Charis mumbles. "_Don't worry, you might not even get picked – just make sure you're prepared for if you DO get chosen, because like I said – Kvar: ouch."_

"_Yeah, yeah,"_ I groan, finally deciding that the time must be around six o'clock or something now that the sky is beginning to turn a dark shade of orange and pink. "_I'm just hoping Kvar doesn't have an odd last name like Magnius did."_

_"Oh, I found out something interesting,"_ Charis says, leaning back in her chair, which emits a long, high squeak at the weight. "_None of the cardinals use their real first names."_

I pause. "_... Really?"_

"_Yep__. Y'know how Kratos said that in the Angelic language, your name would change somewhat? Well, that'd be their changed names. It's something to do with symbolism – leaving their old lives behind and whatnot."_

"_Ah ..."_ I mumble, realising that it now makes a lot of sense. None of those names sounded quite ... normal, so I suppose there had to be something up. The only with odd names are those bastardly four seraphim of Cruxis, but they _were_ born like, 4000 years ago. Who _names_ their poor children that way? Bloody hippie parents, that's who.

Then again, my mother was also a hippie.

... Shut up, Charlotte.

_---------------------_

'Hide and seek.'

'Yeah.'

'... You want me to play hide and seek with you guys.'

'... Yeah.'

I just look at the three other children of the group with a raised eyebrow, long silver ladle in hand. The reason I _have_ a ladle is because it's my turn to make lunch _and_ dinner today, because I haven't done it in a long while, and we all know what happened _last_ time I cooked. Kratos has made it clear that should he even find a trace of the red fruit in this meal, he will stab me so many times that my mother would feel it. I'm making sure to keep all tomatoes at arm's length, because I _really_ think he wasn't joking.

... But, yeah, we still have this ... hide and seek thing going on here.

'Um ... what?' I ask, circling the brim of the ladle with my finger. 'Isn't it obvious that ... I'm kinda busy?'

Lloyd just frowns a little. 'Yeah, but ... I'm sure that can wait for a while.'

'You won't be saying that when you're starving hungry,' I snap, pressing the back of the spoon to his nose. He just blinks a few times, and I tap the cold metal against his forehead before turning back to the giant _pot_ I'm supposed to be cooking with. Seriously, it's massive – I don't feel like I'm cooking for only five people ... I feel more like I'm manning a restaurant by myself. Agh ... do I sound busy? Because I feel busy, and dammit, these guys need to go away.

'... Oh, c'mon!' Lloyd urges loudly, and I glance over at the Professor on the other side of the camp. She glances up slightly in disturbance to her reading and marking of test papers, and shifts uncomfortably against the log she's leaning against as she returns to her work. Lloyd just gives a dorky, apologetic grin to his teacher, and she nods knowingly. Let's just be glad he didn't get decked with a piece of chalk, or anything. That'd hurt.

'... Yeah, no,' I say quietly with nod, respecting the Professor's need for quiet. 'I'm busy cooking, and ... I don't wanna play a kid's game.'

There's a freakishly long pause at my wording, and the three of them glance at each other for a few moments, before turning back to me. Colette is the one to answer, slowly and awkwardly. '... We _are_ kids.'

'No, no,' I say quickly, brandishing my ladle at them. 'We're _young adults_. We should be doing stuff like ... studying, and helping the grown-ups, and helping Charlie cooking this _freaking_-' I clang the empty pot noisily with the cooking instrument '-_ dinner!_'

'... But we're _bored_!' Lloyd whines, stamping his foot on the grassy floor.

'We're in the middle of a bloody _forest_, Lloyd!' I snap, gesturing around wildly. True to my word – we _are_ in the middle of a fairly large sea of trees, and yes, it _is_ a good place to play hide-and-seek. Honestly though ... this is bad for my hay-fever. I've begun sneezing again, which is one of the reasons I tried to use to get out of cooking. It didn't work, as you can see. 'Of course there's nothing to do!'

'That's _exactly_ our point,' Genis says dryly, folding his arms. 'That's why we wanna _do_ something.'

'If you haven't cared to _notice_, my short friend,' I say, patting his head with the ladle, which I seem to be using a lot to prove my points. I really shouldn't call him short – he's only around an inch shorter than me ... lord, I think I'm getting smaller. '_I _am actually doing something important.'

'Standing around with a ladle,' he says, smoothing his hair back from where the ladle ruffled it.

'I'm _deciding _what to cook, smartass,' I say sourly, truthfully trying to resist the urge to bitchslap him with my giant spoon. 'And I can't with you guys hovering over me. And no, you can't force me to play.'

I really regret saying that for some reason, because there's a sudden change in the atmosphere ... I can't pinpoint it, but it defiantly makes me want to reach for my pistols, which are sadly on the other side of the camp amongst my belongings. I resist turning back to the pot, and watch them warily.

'... Plan B?' Lloyd asks, looking at his two close friends. They both nod in unison, and I grip my ladle with both hands.

'Okay, we give,' Genis says, nodding again. 'We'll go play something else. You just get back to your cooking.'

... That wasn't plan B. I discover that it _wasn't_ actually going to play something else and leave Charlie alone, so she can finally do her job. It _wasn't_ giving in and leaving me in peace.

It was _attacking me_, goddammit.

I'm not sure _what_ just happened after I turn back to the pot, but I quickly find myself being wrestled to the ground (rather easily) by the others. Colette and Genis, being the not-so shorter of the three, make mad grabs for my legs, and Lloyd wraps an arm around my neck. I almost choke at the surprise, and fumble wildly to grab his arm for support, causing my precious ladle to go flying quite high. I trip as Genis tugs at my foot and tumble back into Lloyd, which makes it easier for them to get me on the floor.

Man, this must look so weird.

'Guys, seriously, not funny!' I shriek, thrashing wildly against the three sets of hands. Genis is practically sitting on my leg, Colette is holding the other one down in an oddly strong grip that I can't fight, and Lloyd has pinned my arms to my sides and is awkwardly using his knee to press against my back, so I can't get up. In short, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

'Oh shi-' I mumble, looking around for a form of escape. 'Professor! Professor Sage, help me!'

With a long sigh, Raine looks up slowly from the test papers she's marking. I give her a pleading look, and she just stares back with an unimpressed and slightly humoured glint in her eyes.

'Oh ... pretty please?' I beg, trying to jerk my legs away from the unyielding grips. 'Pretty please with a cherry on top?'

Nothing.

'Professor Saaaaaaaaaage ...' I whine. 'Please!? I'll ... I'll take part in your lesson tonight!'

'You don't really have a choice,' she says with a small smile, snapping shut her book for reference. 'Now you've re-joined our group, it's decided that I'm teaching you once again.'

Fack. 'Um ... I'll listen extra hard! I'll ... I'll do test papers!'

'Don't listen, Professor!' Lloyd exclaims, still holding my arms. 'She doesn't mean it!'

'YOU SHUSH!' I snap loudly. 'Professor, I'll ... I'll give you an ancient artefact! I'll find you _rocks_! I'll let you take apart my weapons and study _those_!'

I notice her eyes light up at this, and I feel Lloyd stiffen with dread above me. Genis has already wrenched himself away from my leg, knowing fully well what his sister will do should she be denied of her ... artefact-junk.

'Lloyd,' she says warningly, flipping her book open again to the bookmarked section.

'But ... wait, that isn't fair!' Lloyd whines, still showing no intention of releasing me, despite the fact Colette is already slowly moving away from my other leg. Raine just gives him a long, empty stare ... which I feel is freaking him out slightly, because I can tell by the way he's moving. He's shifted back a little away from his Professor (on the other side of the camp), and I feel his grip loosen slightly.

'But Professor, we're really bored!' Lloyd insists, while Genis and Colette nod in agreement from a safer distance. 'And Kratos isn't around, so I can't train with him or anything ...'

I think "train" is now code for "annoy", but what Lloyd said is also true. Kratos _isn't_ around, because he's off clearing the area of monsters. This is stupid, because there are no monsters in this forest ... oddly enough as it is. I feel he's gone to talk to Yuan, or report something to Faggdrasill ... or beat up Remiel, with any luck. Point being, no Kratos here. Yay.

Raine gives Lloyd a second glance that reads as "if you don't get off now and deprive me of any artefact I may obtain, Martel help you, I will kick you into the next Oracle" ... to which Lloyd tears himself away from my arms without hesitation. Raine nods, going back to her book and test-marking.

I get to my feet and dust off my clothes, straightening up and trying to get the feeling back into my legs. 'To answer your question, no. Now ... leave me alone, people.'

'... Okay, please?' Lloyd asks, clasping his hands. 'Pretty please?'

'Ugh ... let's just leave her, Lloyd,' Genis says tartly, grabbing his friend's arm. I notice a glint in his eyes similar to his sister's but this one is more ... devious. 'She's too scared she'll lose at a kid's game.'

I spin around, pointing my recovered ladle at Genis' face and making him jump. 'You're on, bitch.'

'Oh, so you'll play?' Colette asks with a smile, and I nod reluctantly, dropping the ladle back into the pot. 'Then should we decide on the teams?'

'Let's just get it done and over with,' I sigh, running my hands over my face. 'The losers have to cook, seeing as you're dragging me away from this.'

'C'mon, lighten up,' Lloyd says with a triumphant grin, thudding my shoulder lightly. 'So, uh ... rules? How do we sort out the teams?'

'Well ... because some people are really slow,' Genis says after a moment's consideration, glancing towards me. 'Perhaps we should pair the fastest with the slowest?'

I calculate the terms for a few seconds, and realise who he's talking about. I give Lloyd an annoyed look, turning back to the half-elf. 'We can't just have girls against boys, no?'

'Not if you wanna loose,' Lloyd says. 'Genis and me are the fastest ... unless you count Colette when she's flying.'

'But that's cheating, so I can't,' Colette says with a smile, twisting her fingers together nervously. 'I won't fly.'

'God_dammit_,' I hiss to myself. 'Do I really have to be with Lloyd?'

'I'm standing _right here_, y'know,' the oldest of our foursome says in a dark-ish tone, tugging my fringe sharply. I frown and sort my hair out, patting it back into place before abruptly wrenching his two ribbons down, causing him to ... fall over.

'Obviously you can see this won't work,' I say, looking back at Genis and Colette. The shorter just shrugs and I roll my eyes as Lloyd gets to his feet.

'... Okay, ow,' he says, rubbing his backside. '... Ow.'

'Had to be done,' I clarify with a nod. 'But seriously, no chance of a change?'

'Nope.'

'But I wanna go with Coleeeeette ...'

'Alright, we're starting now!' Lloyd snaps loudly, causing the three of us to jump. I guess he's getting pretty impatient with all the talking going on, and I guess I would be too if I were in his position. Though I'm not – I've just condemned myself to my own death, so I'm pretty annoyed. 'One teams hides, one team searches. When you find the others, shout out where they are, and we race back to camp. Losers cook, right?'

I nod. 'If we loose, I'm frying your bollocks.'

Lloyd snaps his legs shut. 'Right.'

And without any type of warning at all (which would have been much appreciated), before I can get to grips with my aching feet and force them to work for the next hour or so, before I can consider how this will kill me hay fever-wise, Lloyd grabs my wrist with a bruising force, and immediately shoves Genis' shoulder so that he tumbles awkwardly into Colette's chest. 'You're it!'

And with that, he zooms off, practically dragging me along with him. I stumble a little, but look back to see Genis tear himself away from his friend's chest with a red face. 'LLOYD!'

'Count to one-hundred, you guys!' I shout back, and Colette gives me a quick thumbs up as Genis hides his face in his hands. That's pretty much the last thing I see before everything is swallowed by colours of brown and green. We're in a pretty deep forest without monsters, so we'll be safe from harm ... but the only thing I'm worried about is getting lost. And now I'm stuck with someone who isn't very good at coordination, seeing as this is the person who got us lost in the Triet desert after being completely certain that the way to the Fire Seal was through a nest of giant sand-worms.

Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?

----------------------------------------------------------

'Twenty minutes.'

'Okay.'

More chirping of birds, more rustling of leaves in the breeze, more snaps of twigs on the forest floor by odd wildlife that seems to dwell here.

'... Wh-'

'Still twenty minutes, Lloyd.'

'... Are you sure? It feels like it's been an hour-'

'It's been twenty minutes, Lloyd.'

The two of us are sat underneath some large roots of a giant tree we found a good five minutes after zooming away from camp ... or "base", as we now refer to it as. After a short discussion of how incredibly amazing this concealed place would serve as a hiding place, we jumped down and began to wait. Okay, I lie – Lloyd tripped over a lone, gnarled root jutting out of the ground and tumbled down here. Seeing as he was still dragging me along at this point, I got dragged down also, and now have a cut cheek and shoulder. Yay me.

'... Are you _sure_-'

'Twenty. Fucking. Minutes. Lloyd.'

Lloyd groans, thudding his back against a lumpy root twisting around the ditch we're hiding in. 'We've been waiting here forever! Those two suck at searching!'

'... Yes.'

'You're _positive _it's been only twenty minutes?'

I shudder, leaning against the root opposite him. 'God, I freakin' hate you.'

Lloyd just grimaces, running a hand through his hair with a long, groaning sigh. I frown myself, staring at the floor covered in dry, green leaves. You can see beams of sunlight shooting through the gaps in the trees, reflecting off particles of dust floating around. 'I didn't choose to be with you. You know that.'

After a second, I notice Lloyd won't be answering to that. He also takes to staring at the leaf-littered grass, ripping up a few dead ones absent-mindedly. I'm not sure if anything I've just said was offensive (though I'm pretty sure it was), but I take to not apologizing for an unknown reason. I'm in a sour mood because of this whole thing, and yes, I'm being extremely childish about it. Don't worry, it'll probably wear off when we get found and we can get this stuff over with.

'... Hey, I have a question.'

'Twenty minutes. If you ask again, I'll deny you the ability to have children,' I snap.

"_No can do,_" Charis says quickly as Lloyd raises an eyebrow questioningly. "_Poor kid still doesn't know what sex is."_

"_... But Kratos-"_

"_Kratos explained to him how children are born, starting from the ... uh, egg stuff. Nothing about the male's hand in that operation."_

I try to cover up the loud snort that escaped my nose with a cough, and Lloyd continues his question when I nod. 'Well, uh ... you keep talking about this "God" ...'

I make a face, thinking back to my prior comment. I'm probably giving a lot of private stuff about myself away without even realising it, and I fail to offer an answer. Lloyd notices this, and continues his query further. 'You don't believe in Martel ... so do you believe in the same gods as Kratos?'

I pause, considering how to phrase my answer, and what could benefit from it. If I said I believed in those gods, it'd probably cause much more hassle, but it might also help me get people off my back about Martel. Geez, _why_ did Charis make me say my mother was part of the church? Why do I see _now_ that it's a retarded idea?

'No' I say finally. 'I don't believe in Kratos' gods either.'

'Oh,' Lloyd mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 'Then ... do your beliefs lie somewhere else?'

I frown a little again, thinking back to Earth. 'Yeah ... yeah, they do.'

'I see.'

'... Wait, why are we talking about this?' I ask, looking up from the dusty floor. 'What suddenly brought on the thought of religion?'

Lloyd just shrugs. 'I was bored.'

'... You suck.'

'... _You_ suck.'

'You suck hard, Irving.'

'... Yeah, well you're short.'

'You're short too, y'know. For you age.'

'No I'm not!'

'Yes, yes you are. I have friends in my class taller than you. Who are _my_ age.'

'... Sh-shut up!'

I just roll my eyes, dropping my gaze back to the floor. 'You suck.'

'_You _suck.'

'Dammit, you are _so_ childish,' I snap, grabbing a stray twig from the floor to begin snapping so I can safely vent my built up stress. This would have been so much easier if I was paired up with Colette ... perhaps even _Genis_. At least _he'd_ be quiet, to some extent, despite the constant bitching at me. But he does that to everyone, so I can't really complain. Well, I can, but ... agh, shut up, Charlotte.

I notice Lloyd follow suit and also pluck a small twig from the ground, twisting the flexible wood around his finger. 'Think they'll find us anytime soon?'

'Pfft. Not likely,' I sigh, looking up at the brim of the ditch we're hiding in. I can't see beyond it because it's too high, and I'm not taking the chance of sticking my head out to look around for the others. 'Traitors.'

'Eeh, let it go,' Lloyd yawns, slipping down the root slowly to lie awkwardly against it. 'Genis always finds some way to have the game in his favour.'

'... Really?' I ask, glancing over. 'He does this all the time?'

'Yep. He's always with Colette, and I usually end up being the person who's "it", or whatever.'

I nod. 'My brothers and sisters did that to me, too.'

'Oh, then you get what I'm saying,' Lloyd says with a grin, still twisting the twig around his finger. 'Annoying, huh?'

I snort. 'I'm the youngest out of my siblings, so I kinda had it coming. You're like, the oldest. How the hell does that work?'

'Genis is really ...' Lloyd mumbles, just trailing off and making a face. 'Really, uh ...'

'A devious little bastard,' I finish for him, swiping away a few leaves in front of me using my leg. 'You trust him waaaay too much.'

Lloyd doesn't say anything for a while, and I just ignore it for a few moments, passing it off as boredom towards the conversation. I think I _do_ have a point with Lloyd trusting people too much. I don't know why he does – perhaps it could of been that he grew up without a family and is searching for people he could _treat_ as a family – treating Raine like an auntie or a mother, Genis and Colette like siblings, even Kratos like a dad _already_ (which is slightly unnerving). I hope I didn't hit a sore spot or anything with my wording.

I finally look up out of worry, and notice he's gone back to staring at the leaves scattered over the ground with a small smile on his lips.

'I can't help but trust him, even if he can be a little annoying. He's my best friend.'

I feel a small pang in my chest that reminds me I'm still bottom on the list for him, but dismiss it quickly. It isn't the time for that – later maybe, but not now. I may not be comfortable with it, but ... as much as I dislike Genis, I have to accept it – I'll never surpass the strength of the bond him and Lloyd share, because Genis is someone Lloyd_ needs_, and vice versa. No matter how much I need Lloyd's trust to _survive_ the end of this journey with Yggdrasill, I still have to get it through my head.

'... Lloyd, promise me something right now,' I say sternly. He looks up, the fond expression on his face immediately dropping to be replaced with a worried look at my tone of voice.

'What? Are you okay?'

'Yes. No. Shut up. Look, just promise me,' I start, sitting up straight and clutching my knees, looking him straight in the eye. 'Even after this journey, when I go back to Asgard and you go back to Dirk's or wherever, you'll be careful about who you trust.'

Lloyd just stares, looking a little freaked out, worried, and ... concerned for his safety. I must sound pretty serious. '... Wait, what?'

'You trust people too much,' I say, trying to resist every urge to start gnawing on my lower lip. 'One day, it's gonna get you hurt, emotionally and physically. I want you to be careful, because you'll have no one to blame but yourself.'

'... Why did you bring this up all of a sudden?' Lloyd asks, raising an inquisitive and suspicious eyebrow. 'What's up with you?'

'Your idiocy is becoming more noticeable to me, and I'm realising how it could hurt you in the future,' I say simply with a small nod. 'That's all.'

'... Are you worried about me?'

'No.'

'... You _are_ worried about me, aren't you?'

'Shut up, jackass. Now promise.'

Lloyd just holds his hands up in surrender, rolling his eyes a little to emphasise his not-quite-taking-me-seriously act. 'Okay, okay. I promise to be more careful, alright?'

I frown at his sarcasm. 'You suck.'

'... _You_ suck.'

'Oh sweet lord, why?' I hiss, burying my face in my hands. Regardless of whether his promise was genuine or not, I hope he took my point into thought about the trusting people. Through the game, you see Lloyd get hurt _way_ too much on account of being betrayed. Should these people decide to betray him or not, it's probably best if he doesn't pour his heart and soul out to this person, only to have it stomped on, raped, and thrown back into his face. I'm looking at you, Zelos. Please just ... be _good_, and _don't_ go to Cruxis, and quite possibly _kill_ everyone? Pretty please?

'... Think they'll _ever_ find us?' I finally ask, giving myself into the whining phase. 'Maybe we should just head back, see if they got lost-'

'No!' Lloyd protests, pointing accusingly. 'That's what they _want_ us to think!'

I just stare. 'You are obviously very skilled in the ways of hide-and-seek, Lloyd.'

I didn't find it odd that he chose not to reply to my small, mocking jab at his overreacting. We've been silent through this whole ordeal so far, save for the few bits of conversation we've pushed in to spend the time. But when I realise he didn't answer for a certain reason, that's when I worry.

He clutches the side of his head and inhales sharply as if in pain.

'Lloyd, are you okay?' I ask, trying to keep the concern out of my voice. If he falls unconscious again, I am _not_ dragging him all the way back to camp, because we are _lost_, and I'm _not strong_.

'... Nah, I'm fine,' he says quickly, trying to grin to back up his claim. I notice how his hand doesn't leave the side of his head, and he's clutching his hair pretty tightly. 'Don't ... worry about it.'

'Lloyd, stop it,' I snap, a little louder than I should have. 'If you're in pain, you have to tell me. We can't keep letting you get away with hiding it.'

'It's fine, honestly!' Lloyd insists, immediately dropping his hand. 'It's just a small headache ... it's probably the pollen in the air, or something like that. Stop worrying.'

I glare. 'I'm not worrying. I'm just not dragging you all the way back to the camp, so if you're feeling ill, you'd better get your butt back there now.'

'You're so caring.'

'I know.'

'... I'm fine, alright?' Lloyd sighs, getting slowly to his feet with the aid of a root. 'You're worrying way too much about this. If you're that worried, I'll talk to the Professor when we get back to camp.'

'Okay,' I say quietly, inclining my head in compliance. The thick, weak roots stretch with sounds of protest when Lloyd hoists himself up to scramble out of the ditch. I pull myself up and follow using the large roots on the other side of the ditch, glancing over my shoulder at him. 'What are we doing?'

'Moving,' he says shortly, reaching the upper ground with a small "umph". 'We've been here too long.'

I shrug. 'Eeh, fair enough, I guess.'

'If we don't keep moving around, Genis and Colette will find us easily, and I am _totally_ not cooking toni-'

'Lloyd.'

'- UAGH!'

I flinch and look away quickly when Lloyd takes a quick, painful tumble over the edge of the ground once again and lands with a loud thud amongst the leaves. I don't hear any bones snapping or brains splattering all over the floor, but I do hear a groan of pain, so I deem it safe to look over. The poor thing is sprawled in a less-than-comfortable position with a face-full of dry leaves, and everyone's favourite bastard mercenary is standing on the edge of the ground surrounding the ditch. His hand is in mid air as if he had just tapped Lloyd on the shoulder, or something like that. Obviously it didn't go well, and I'm taking it into account _not_ to notify Lloyd that he just screamed like a girl. Poor thing has enough on his plate.

'... Hey, Krat-man,' I say, pulling myself up with a grunt. 'Don't kill my partner. He's a faster runner than me.'

'I can't feel my face,' comes the mumble from below. I observe him for a second or two before turning back to Kratos, who looks like he's deciding between going to help the boy in the hole or ask me what the hell we're doing. I save him time and begin to explain in a way that won't make me look stupid, and hopefully save me embarrassment.

'We're having a small game to decide who's gonna cook dinner tonight,' I say with another nod. 'Genis and Colette are out there somewhere looking for us.'

'Hmm.'

'... You are _so_ interesting.'

'Guys, seriously ... ow, my face ...' Lloyd groans. 'My head hurts.'

'Don't worry, your brain can't possibly get more damaged,' I say, offering the back of his head a sympathetic glance. Wow, my sarcasm is on an overload today. I'd go further, but the feeling of Kratos sharply cuffing my ear distracts me.

'OWW, that freakin' hurt ...' I hiss, cradling my wounded ear as Kratos practically steps down into the ditch (damn him and his muscular tallness). Lloyd sits up, and I notice a small bead of blood slipping down the side of his face. At least he ended up with just a small cut on his forehead – nothing too vital. It doesn't seem to be bleeding profusely either.

'You'll survive,' Kratos says, helping him to his feet. 'Though you should treat the cut quickly.'

'It's just a little scratch, geez,' Lloyd mumbles, reaching up to touch it carefully with a flinch. Kratos raises an eyebrow at his son's sudden stubborn attitude, turning to step back up onto the higher ground.

'Do as you wish. Though without the correct treatment soon, the cut could develop a bacterial infection and make you ill.'

Almost immediately, Lloyd tugs on the man's sleeve. 'H-hey, on second thought ...'

I snicker to myself as Lloyd willingly lets himself be healed. Kratos presses two fingers to the cut (once again causing Lloyd to flinch), and after a quick glow of soft green, the wound completely disappears. Kratos wipes the blood away from the side of Lloyd's face, mutters something about his clumsiness, and leaves it at that.

I still find it amazing how cuts and scrapes can be healed so easily in this world ... if I cut myself at home, there'd be deep panic in the household and my mum would be running for the Dettol and a cloth. Ah, parents ... how we love them.

Though the people here don't really have much luck in the parental section, do they? Zelos' and Lloyd's are pretty screwed up, Colette doesn't have a mother, Genis and Raine's are dead and/or psycho, Presea's are dead, Sheena's abandoned her, or something ... and we don't hear about Regal and Kratos'. Though you can assure they were fucked up in some way. The only way I could possibly fit into this part would be having divorced parents, and not seeing my father since I was a baby. Though that's not too bad, as he was Scottish. Like Dirk.

... My father is actually Dirk? Oh shi-

'Harrison.'

'Still here,' I say quickly, turning to face the two who have just stepped/crawled out of the ditch. 'Kratos, go away. You'll get us found.'

'He's looking for Noishe,' Lloyd says, rubbing his ankle through his boot. He's probably hurt that too, but it's wise not to kick up too much of a fuss. 'He's run off somewhere.'

'... Lloyd, your dog is _really_ weird-'

'BEHIND THOSE TREES!'

It's my turn to scream and jump several feet into the air, as well as around forty birds screeching and bolting out of the trees around us. The source of our problem and heart attacks would be a certain short, silver-haired half elf pointing directly at Lloyd, with a tall blonde behind him, both looking quite triumphant ... as they run in the opposite direction.

'... Holy shit on a bicycle, run!' I practically scream, slapping Lloyd's arm as I zoom past him. 'They're gonna beat us!'

'Uh ... s-see ya, Kratos!' Lloyd shouts over his shoulder when I look back at him. 'Good luck finding Noishe!'

'Run FASTER!' I demand, some ways ahead of him, while carefully dodging a stray root jutting from the ground. I'd warn Lloyd of it, but I'm far too busy trying to outrun the other two, who seem to be so ahead that they're out of sight. Even so, we have to get back together to win.

Lloyd reclaims his title as the fastest out of the four of us, and quickly catches up with me. Luckily, he looks fine now, and not threatened by illness or unconsciousness in any way. This is good, because I'm _still_ not dragging him to camp. I'll just call Kratos and have him do the piggy-back treatment, should that happen to occur. Noishe can wait, I'm sure.

'Hey ... you're not all that slow,' Lloyd observes, and I find it amusing that I'm almost matching his pace.

'Adrenaline,' I reply quickly, leaping over another root.

'Adrenawhat?'

I frown and resist rolling my eyes, because I _will_ trip over something. 'I can run faster because I don't want to cook. It's like a burst of energy.'

'Got'cha. Mind that root!'

I _do_ miss the root, but I stumble a little upon hitting the ground after jumping over it. I grab Lloyd's ribbons on instinct to avoid falling flat on my face, and end up almost choking him, seeing as he's still running at the time. Oops.

'Sorry,' I apologize, giving the ribbons a quick tug as I straighten up. 'High ho, Silver!'

'... What?'

'... RUN!'

And continue running we do. In all seriousness, I'm pretending that Yggdrasill is chasing me, or Yuan, or Rodyle ... or someone as equally scary. Though I'm thinking on some levels that I shouldn't, even if it _is_ making me run really fast. You see all these horror movies with the girl running through a forest, being chased, and she ALWAYS falls over. Lloyd seems to be falling over more than me, but you get the point.

'That's weird ...' Lloyd mutters, around two feet in front of me. I take a deep breath and run faster, hoping to catch up so it's easier to speak. He continues anyway, aware that I'm close enough. 'They aren't _that _far in front, are they?'

'... Yeah ... that _is_ a bit odd, I guess ...' I say, looking through the trees before us. 'We should still be able to see – agh!'

I stumble once again, but not on a root or anything jutting from the ground. Due to our instinct to look before us and not at the floor, we didn't notice a kind of ... _sand_ pit in our path. Lloyd and I are now shin-deep in a random ditch of dry, crumbly earth.

'What the ... sand?' Lloyd observes, trying to keep his balance. 'But ... we're in the middle of a forest, how-'

'Waaait a sec ...' I interrupt, looking down at the thing keeping us in place. It isn't like normal earth, or sand, or whatever ... it's moving. Only slightly, but you can see it churning slightly around us. And most of all, I can feel small amounts of mana radiating from it. 'This is-'

'Aqua Edge!'

Genis.

As soon as I hear the word 'aqua', I throw my arms up to hide my face against any torrents of water heading my way. Instead, I feel it pool around my legs and look down, seeing that the sand has become incredibly fine, wet, and is now solid on some level. Like a kind of mushy, earthy ... mess. And now Lloyd and I are trapped in wet, hard to move sand, and ... we're stuck, really.

Genis and Colette emerge from behind their hiding place, both looking once again triumphant at their little trick. I glare at the shorter, and Genis spins the kendama ball on his finger teasingly with a smirk.

'You cheaters!' Lloyd exclaims, pointing at the two of them while looking ... quite livid, to be honest. 'When I get out of here, I swear I'm gonna-'

'Start thinking about what to make us for dinner!' Genis taunts, and Colette waves goodbye with a grin before the two of them continue in the direction of the camp. I notice how we're steadily sinking deeper, and Lloyd seems to be quite successful in pulling himself out. Though he isn't getting much done ... looks like we've lost this game.

'... Well, this sucks,' I say, folding my arms.

'You said it ...' Lloyd sighs, still struggling. 'Argh ... stupid Genis ...'

'I'm assuming you'd like some assistance.'

We look up at our newcomer, and notice a previously-deserted Kratos standing on the edge of our pit of wet send. Wow, he chooses the best times to show up, even if he is a bastard ... mercenary. Oh well, he's probably here to help Lloyd. Poor me.

Quite obviously, he reaches out for Lloyd with a single hand, waiting for him to take it. Lloyd however, pauses for a second.

'Two hands?'

'I'm strong enough for this,' Kratos sighs. 'Would you like to continue sinking?'

'No way!' he insists, grabbing hold of the mercenary's hand with both of his own. I watch as Lloyd is pulled almost immediately out of the sand, without any struggle at all from Kratos. Without realising at first, I frown. Kratos is honestly the strongest person I've ever met, and probably will ever meet ... which makes me fear the Tower of Salvation even more. I know this isn't the time, but ... we'll fight him at his full strength soon. I've seen what he can do now – putting limits on what he does, and even now, it terrifies me.

'Are you gonna sit in a daze all day or are we gonna go and beat them to the camp?'

I blink, looking up at Lloyd who has snapped me out of my trance. I just nod and reach out for him, and he pulls me out (with a lot of struggle). Kratos has gone again after doing his good deed for the day, and we are left alone.

'... Run again!'

And so we do.

"_Lloyd will never, ever be as hot and talented as Zelos,"_ Charis says from within my brain. "_Buuuut I'll help you guys out. If they cheat, well then so are we."_

"_Eh?"_

A ways in front, we suddenly hear a scream and a yelp. I find it amusing that Genis was the one that screamed, but I won't comment further on that. I have a feeling I know what Charis has done, because she started tuning in to our actions around the time Lloyd took a nasty fall down that ditch.

'What was that?' Lloyd asks, not looking over at me.

'I have a large suspicion that they fell down that ditch some ways ahead,' I say after Charis confirms that the other two have indeed plunged down a hole of sorts. Seeing as Charis can't really control what happens here anymore, I'm assuming she just made it larger, or something. 'Let's use it to our advantage.'

'I don't remember there being a ditch back here ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'I hope you're right.'

'I'm always right.'

'No you're-'

'Yes, Lloyd, yes I am.'

Sure enough, after a few more moments of running and dodging roots and bushes and low hanging branches, we see two heads poking out of a fairly deep hole within the ground, one that I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't now shockingly obvious.

'See you guys back at camp!' Lloyd shouts as we bolt past them, waving and smiling as we go.

'Buh-bye now!' I say, pointing at Genis over my shoulder. 'Brat!'

'I'll show you who the brat is!' Genis shrieks, ready to rip my head off if he wasn't stuck in a ditch. I notice Colette is managing to clamber out of the hole, and I decide to alert Lloyd of our oncoming disadvantage.

'They're out!' I inform him, tugging lightly on one of the ribbons fluttering behind him. 'How far is the camp?'

'Not far now ...' Lloyd breathes, probably getting stitch in his side. I can feel one developing rather quickly, but do my best to ignore it and continue. The honest and worst thing that could ever happen is a stitch while running for something important. It's happened before, and I don't plan on letting it happen here.

'If we lose, I suggest we cook rice,' I say, ignoring the pains in my side. 'It's easy, and we have a lot of it.'

'No meat?' Lloyd whines, glancing back at me.

'Lloyd, meat is my favourite food in the history of ever,' I hiss. 'But rice is so much easier. Or omelette.'

'Stop it, you're making me hungry.'

'Angel Feathers!'

Oh crap. I look back and see a flurry of pink, glowing fluff heading our way from Colette and Genis, who have managed to catch up with us. I've been plummeted by feathers before, and it is not helpful if you're running for your life, and if you suffer from hay fever ... or just can't stand feathers.

'Cover your eyes!' I snap when I feel a harsh, warm wind surround us with flashes of pink and ... more feathers. Goddamn distractions ... this is the final straw, I swear! I'll show them good ...

"_Need help?_" Charis asks, and I shake my head, looking around for two objects to channel my mana with ... like a substitute for my guns, which I've left at camp. Two similar things, two similar things ...

My eyes land on Lloyd's ribbons.

'Dude, stand still,' I demand as he brushes feathers out of his hair. He chokes again when I grab them and he tugs at his collar.

'What the hell-?'

'Stand still!' I snap. 'I'm trying to aim!'

I take one look at the duo quickly approaching, and aim above where they should be in around five seconds, forcing a quick mana flow into Lloyd's ribbons. He looks over his shoulder, almost mortified to see that they've begun to slightly smoke at the ends.

'What are you-!?'

'Shockwave!'

I get blown back a little at the force and stumble slightly, watching the waves of mana travel up and impact loudly with a large, overhead branch. The whole thing practically fries and drops from the tree with a horrendous, creaky snapping noise. It immediately stops the other two in their tracks, and the both skid to immediate halts with shouts of protest.

'Wow, these ribbons are kickass,' say, watching leaves still fluttering down from the impact. 'Whoop, they're a bit burnt. Sorry 'bout that.'

'Yeah, right,' Lloyd mutters sourly, tugging them out of my hands. I shrug and follow him as he continues in the camp's direction before the others can catch up, and before they can pull another annoying stunt like the previous two. 'We're almost there, anyhow.'

'Let's just hope we make it.'

Lloyd glances over his shoulder, probably to tell me that we'll definitely make it, or to shut up, or something, but end up glancing straight over my shoulder. 'Uh oh.'

My face falls. 'It didn't work, did it?'

'Keep running! Genis looks really mad!'

I pick up the pace, fully expecting our little mage to cast Eruption in his mad, mad rage. Luckily, I catch no mutters of an incantation, or no cracking of fire beneath my feet ready to fry me, so I just continue to run faster than I've probably ran before. Wow, this sprinting is good practice for the day I finally piss off Kratos _that_ much ... though I'm sure he'll have Flamberge in hand, so I've gotta prepare for that too.

Or he'll just Judgement me into the nearest oblivion. Who knows?

'Oh my god, I can see the camp!' I exclaim, pointing. 'RUN FASTER!'

'I can't!' Lloyd snaps, looking over his shoulder. 'My legs will snap!'

'A sacrifice I'm willing to take!'

'I'm not willing!'

'Just run!'

'They're gaining on us!'

'THEN RUN!'

-------------------------------------

Some time later, after our colossal and dangerous 'children's' game, we are finally all sat around our small little campfire, all cosy and such. It's turning dark now, and we finally decided to move in the morning, rather than some time today. With our sprained ankles and general injuries (and burnt clothing, in Lloyd's case), we found it too much of a hassle.

Ah, you're probably wondering about the outcome of the game. Well, I'll say one thing – it was odd. Actually, nah – I'll explain.

Well, Colette and Genis got ahead of us just as we were so close to the camp, but then I quickly gained a new appreciation for Noishe. Instead of being found by Kratos like a good dog, he decided to hunt down one of us, and I thank Martel if she's up there, that the person he was looking for was Genis. Before the two of them could beat us, Noishe flew at him like some deranged ... _thing_, and gave him a thorough session of hair-chewing, face-slobbering, and smelly-dog-breath.

And then Lloyd and I won, and it was all cool. A very awesome moment it was.

So Genis and Colette had to cook dinner, much to our joy. Kratos returned some time after, and Noishe gave Genis a break from his attention to go and ... sit with Krat-man, simply. I never stopped to think how hard it must be for Noishe, knowing that Kratos is all evil and such after fourteen years of not seeing him. Especially when they've known each other for like ... four thousand years. Aww.

I'd be much more sympathetic if Noishe actually _liked_ me. But eh, what can you do?

In other news, I'm scheduled for another meeting in my head with Charis and William. They say they want to explain to me that status of the others ... and by others, I mean the people that haven't joined the group yet. Like Zelos, Sheena, and the rest of them, as well as some changes I need to be notified of. I'm kinda excited, really ... I like it when a little bit of worry is taken off my shoulders, even though it usually piles back up at some point. Plus, I really wanna know about the changes that will occur ... but not if they're _bad_ changes, like the one we currently have of Lloyd dying. The good thing is that he'll die _later on_, so I still might have time to get home before he does so.

It sounds a little heartless, I know, but my main priority is getting home – it always has, and it always will be. Even if I have to sacrifice the lives of others, I guess. Though it's a little morbid when you put it that way.

'Professor-'

'Almost finished, Lloyd.'

I look over at Raine, raising an eyebrow. Her lesson has been cancelled today, for she has a far greater task in her hands at the moment. I'll give you a clue – Lloyd is sitting, snuggled against Noishe wearing only his vest and his pyjama trousers. Where are his clothes, which he would usually be wearing until it was vital he took them off, because of the cold nights?

Yeah, Raine is fixing Lloyd's ribbons, which you should remember, were burnt in my attempt to use Shockwave while channelling mana through them. Note to self – don't do it again. Lloyd will eat you.

Raine is doing it because she's the only one here that can sew (or can be bothered – I can sew perfectly well, seeing as my mother taught me, but I can't be arsed to fix them). Everyone else either can't, or is constantly pricking their fingers on the needle (Lloyd). Kratos could probably do it perfectly, seeing as he can do anything – plus, he has _really _calloused hands, so I don't think he'd even feel the needle should he stab himself with it. Lloyd on the other hand (pun, ignore it), has rather soft fingers and hands, so it'd hurt more.

... Point being, Lloyd sucks at sewing. Raine and Kratos don't, but Raine being the more ... "auntie" figure of the group has taken it upon herself so do the womanly-jobs, while the rest of us kick some good monster butt.

"_You ready yet?_"William asks with a small yawn. "_We wanna go to bed soon too, y'know."_

_"I know, I know,"_ I mumble, settling down into my sleeping bag. It won't look too odd if I decide to sleep early. Genis is already dead to the world, so I guess I can pull it off this time.

'G'night guys,' I yawn, rolling onto my side away from them. 'Wake me up if anything happens.'

'Goodnight!' Colette says, smiling. I smile back before finally settling down, glad that _someone_ isn't in such a hissy fit about losing. Colette even said that she'd cook all the dinner and let him do whatever, and he calmed down a little after that. When I say 'calm down', I'm referring to the fact that he kept casting Icicle on Lloyd and me when he got back to the camp. I get the feeling he was a _little_ pissed off, because he tried to do to Lloyd what he did to the bear back at the Ossa Trail. Yeah, not good.

I don't really have to wait to drift to sleep, because Charis and William can practically knock me out cold anytime they want. I do have to wait a few minutes for them to sort out the computers and pull up any information needed, or make my chair possibly more uncomfortable than it already is. It isn't so bad though, waiting ... it's just like you're drifting in a black space, not sure of who you are, where you are, and what you're doing, which is a nice relief from worrying all the time.

This is gonna sound weird, but every time I drift around in this place, I see and think of things that are unfamiliar to me. Well ... I see people I know, but in odd situations. Charis says it's just things that could happen getting loose from her main system, but they all seem so worrying. I constantly see Lloyd, with these giant, amazing wings that I assume are Mithos', but ... he looks like he's in pain, crouched and clutching him arms tightly. I'll have to ask about that when I finally wake up in my head. I see other stuff, too, like ... I didn't wanna mention it, but Kratos with blood ... everywhere. It's not his – it's our blood, but ... seriously, it looks like he slaughtered us or something, in a mad rage. I see Genis dead, Raine dead, Lloyd dead, Sheena dead...

And me dead.

'Wakey wakey.'

I finally stir from my semi-unconscious state, feeling slightly annoyed that my chair _has_ become more uncomfortable. It takes me a minute or two to adjust and gather my bearings, and also think of what I want to ask them. Obviously about the stuff I just mentioned, but some other stuff that never got explained.

'... Ow,' I mumble. Charis spins in her seat so that she's facing me, and snaps her fingers. I grab hold of the chair arms as it is magically dragged forwards to a comfortable distance between the other two, and settle with my legs crossed. 'Again, ow.'

'Sooo, we're here to talk about the others,' William says, legs resting on the desk. 'Just to give you a heads up.'

'Um, yeah ... can I just ask you something first?'

'Shoot.'

'What the _hell_ are you guys wearing?'

Both of them look down at their bodies to observe what I'm referring to, and I'll tell you _exactly_ what I'm referring to. They're wearing scrubs. Y'know, the stuff that doctors and surgeons wear in hospitals. William is wearing pink (probably to prove that he is indeed comfortable with his masculinity), and Charis is wearing blue, probably to match her eyes. Wow, Charlie is getting all fashion here. Stop it.

'We've been watching too much TV,' William explains shortly, folding his arms.

'... You guys have been watching Scrubs?' I ask, looking between them. 'You have SKY up here? And you didn't invite me to watch!?'

'Hey, you're busy down there,' Charis snaps, referring to the real world that doesn't consist of my brain-house. 'We get bored up here, with no monsters to fight or evil mercenaries to piss off.'

'Yes, I'm having the time of my life down there,' I mutter sourly. 'Right, let's get on with it.'

'Okay,' Charis says, pulling up a blank window on the computer screen. 'Who are we looking at first?'

'Let's go in order,' William says, shifting slightly in his chair so he's facing us more to make it easier. 'Sheena would be first, right?'

'Yeah, that'd be simpler to start with,' I say, watching Charis type in the name of everyone's favourite clumsy assassin. 'She's the only one is Sylvarant right now, anyway.'

'Okaaay, here we go,' my Gamecube announces, and several screens pop up at once. One is a live screen of what Sheena is doing right now, one seems to be a list of certain things we should know about her (like phobias, illnesses, stuff like that), and another seems to be a plain picture of her standing in a general, straight pose. It's like some sort of database, or something ... I wonder if Charis has these for everyone?

'Okay, as you can see, she's with her rat,' William says, motioning to the live-window. 'They're currently tracking Colette down, though she won't reach you until you make it to the Wind Seal, so don't worry about that.'

I nod, dropping that from my list of worries. 'Is there anything I should know about her?'

William huffs. 'Again, you guys probably won't get along too good. Other than that, just keep your eyes peeled for those Guardians of hers. They're designed to kill, and they won't really stop at anything.'

'Unless you kill them first,' Charis corrects, nodding as she types some more stuff in. 'Not much can be said for her right now, other than you'll have let her decide about the pacts. Like, doing most of the ones in Sylvarant early.'

I nod quickly. It seems fair enough – I know that I just wanted to get everything over with after the pact with Undine, because I was sick of all the detours. Though I have no idea about how things will go here – travelling BACK to Triet? That'd take over a week ... I'd rather wait until we get the Rheairds.

'Though I think you'll want to know something,' Charis says quietly, closing the screens and turning to me. 'Right now, you know you're at the bottom of the list for Lloyd.'

I don't answer, but she continues anyway. 'I have a feeling that if Sheena overrides you on that list, you're going to get even more pissed off.'

'But the good news is, she won't,' William assures. 'When you balance the fact that she's tried to kill you guys, and you ... _haven't_, then it all works out nicely. You won't be bottom anymore.'

'... Whoop,' I say sarcastically. 'I'm over a ninja that tried to kill him. I am so happy.'

Charis rolls her eyes, turning back to the screen. 'Right, next we have our wonderful Chosen, Zelos.'

I snort when William grumbles something uncouth about Zelos' mother and hangs his head childishly. I consider patting him on the shoulder, but I can't reach, and I don't want to move. I'll decide _who_ to side with when I meet Zelos myself, because I could possibly hate every inch of him, or like him to some extent. I know I'll like _this_ magic swordsman better than Kratos, but I like pretty much everything better than Kratos.

Charis gives a dreamy sigh when the images of Zelos show up, showing him in all of his tall, tanned and muscular glory. I always thought it was kinda pathetic how he had so many floozies hanging off his arms all the live long day, but now I can't really blame them, even though I wouldn't do such a thing myself. Charlotte never clings to people. But yeah, as Charis claims, he's probably the most handsome guy I've seen here yet.

'He is?' Charis asks, turning to face me. Damn, she can read my mind while I'm in my head, too. I hate me. 'I mean, I don't like Kratos either, but he's pretty wow.'

I shrug. 'I dunno, I'm still a teenager. Kratos is twenty-eight, so you'll have to ask someone older for their opinion. Though I suppose he's got a more rugged, smoky kinda look to him.'

'... Smoky?'

'He smells like cinnamon, leave me alone.'

Charis snorts, returning to pulling up the needed screens for our conversation. 'What about Lloyd, Genis and Regal? And William?'

I shrug again. 'I dunno, I'm not interested in stuff like that.'

'Geez, can't you two have your girly talk later?' William snaps, pouting. 'Let's just get on with it.'

I suddenly realise why Charis wants me to talk about the guys, and decide to give her a hand in annoying William just for the hell of it. 'Uh, Regal is pretty manly ... and he's _way_ too old, so I'm finding it difficult to say this stuff.'

'Okay, let's separate it into two groups,' Charis says, holding up two hands. I honestly can't believe I'm discussing this with her, but hey, it passes the time. 'The muscular, sexy group, and the ... cute, more childish group. Sexy group, go.'

'Zelos, Kratos, and Regal.'

'Cute group, go.'

'Lloyd and William.'

'Aww, he's blushing.'

William groans, thudding his head against the table. 'I hate you guys. And what about Genis?'

'I do not approve of Genis,' I snap. 'He is a mean, mean little boy.'

'The point it, we've destroyed William's soul, so let's get on with this,' Charis says as William thuds his head against the table again. 'Now, let's talk Zelos in a general sense and sort some things out.'

'Right,' I say, nodding. There are a few things I really want to know about, which includes if betrays everyone, and if he _kills_ everyone, or if something completely irrelevant happens. If I could choose, then I probably would like him to survive – he died for such a stupid reasons, and it'd best if we didn't have anymore pointless sacrifices.

... My inner-Lloyd is getting free. Get back in there, bitch.

'Obviously you'll want to know about the biggest issue,' Charis says, changing angles on the live-screen, which shows an image of Zelos sleeping, sprawled in a very ungraceful manner. Oh well, he's a guy. Guys sleep like that. I think. Anyway, back to the issue.

'Yeah, I wanna know,' I say.

'Well, we can't tell you.'

I kick the back of Charis' chair. 'Then don't bring it up!'

'Hey, let me finish!' she exclaims, still experimenting with the camera angles. 'We can't tell you exactly what will happen, but we can give you a sort of ... brief clue.'

'... Clue me.'

She spins in her chair. 'What will happen when the time comes around won't be either of the choices in the game.'

I pause, and it takes a few moments for my brain to work that out and let it sink in. I'm assuming she means that something NEW will happen, but ...

'Well, he either betrays us or he doesn't,' I say, frowning a little. 'How can anything be different?'

'You're gonna kill me for saying this,' Charis sighs, holding her hands up defensively. 'But we can't say. You'll have to wait and see.'

I kick her chair again, and she responds by reversing her own chair into mine. 'Ow!'

'Other than that, everything will go quite smoothly, including the first meeting, so don't worry about that.'

'Right ...'

'Now, Presea,' she say, switching the screens again to show a young, pink-haired girl. Yep, that's definitely Presea. A little taller than I expected, but hey. The live-window shows her just ... sitting in a fairly plain room, which I'd assume is somewhere in her home, judging from the axes and chopped wood strewn around. But ... she's just staring. Unmoving. It's scary. Her eyes are empty and lifeless, and I feel myself shiver.

'Okay, you're gonna have to get _one_ thing through your head before you can do anything that involves Presea.'

I pause, and wait for her to explain. She turns to face me again, and she has one of those nostalgic looks on her face, as if she's about to say something serious. 'She isn't twelve. She's twenty eight. She's the same age as Kratos. You can't treat her like a kid. I'd say treat her with the same respect that you'd treat Kratos, but you hate his guts, so ... treat her like you elder.'

I nod slowly, mulling it over. Well, I never liked Presea anyway, so I assumed that I'd never talk to her that much. It never bothered me how I treated her, because ... well, I'd just ignore her, wouldn't I?

'There isn't much to say here, other than everything will go as planned, with the Pope, Rodyle, and Vharley. You don't need to worry about any of that, is it doesn't and never will concern you in any way.'

'Thank god,' I breath, slumping down in my chair. From the beginning of this ordeal, I've never wanted ANYTHING to do with Rodyle ... seriously, he scares the crap outta me.

'And finally, Mr President,' Charis says, and Regal's picture. Quite obviously, the live-window is just poor old Regal sitting in his prison cell, all lonely and such. 'Now, something you'll find quite shocking.'

'... He's actually a woman?' I try, shrugging.

'... Okay, ew, and no,' Charis says, wincing a little. 'What I meant was, should you make it to Tethe'alla after all of this, you'll probably get along with him quite well.'

'Ah ... well that's pretty cool,' I say, a little surprised. 'I mean ... he's nice, right?'

'Yep,' Charis says, nodding. 'Y'know, ignoring all of the self-loathing and killing of the spouse, but you get what we mean.'

'And he's taller than Kratos,' William says randomly. Even though it _was_ quite random, my mouth drops open.

'Saywhatnow?' I try. 'Kratos is the tallest person I've ever met! I can't even pat the top of his head if I stand on my tip-toes! He's _really_ tall!'

William snorts. 'Yes, he is stunningly tall.'

I slump further down into my chair with a whine. 'He must be like a monster ...'

'The only thing you're gonna wanna look out for is the first meeting with this guy,' Charis says, altering the camera view again so it shows guards walking up and down outside the cells. I notice three in a corner, playing some kind of card game on a bunch of barrels, and I get a sudden urge to play Blackjack. Man, I haven't played that in ages ...

'It's gonna go quite normal when you're in the sewers,' she says, finally closing some things down. 'But he's gonna beat you guys up a little.'

'... Yay,' I mumble. 'What is it with party members beating the crap out of you? Sheena, Regal, Kratos and Zelos ... argh.'

'Eeh, Lloyd tries to hard,' William yawns, stretching his arms over his head. 'Right, I'm going to bed. I'll see you gals in the morning.'

'So soon?' I ask, watching him walk around my chair to one of the three doors in this room. I know one leads to the living room, and one to the bedrooms, but ... eeh, I'll find out one day. I have more important things to worry about now.

'I've been working all day,' he sighs, heading for the large oak door. Wow, oak. 'I need my bed.'

'Well, g'night,' Charis says, not looking over at him, as her concentration is focused on the computer. 'I'll wake you if she screws something up.'

I _know_ she's referring to me when she says that, and I kick her chair a third time as William shakes his head, leaving us to our business. When a click confirms the door closing, Charis closes everything down and turns to me almost suddenly, making me jump a little.

'Lloyd will die.'

My brain doesn't think up a good enough answer for that, probably because it takes a while for the concept to sink in. It's sudden, it's worrying, and it's denying me my ability to speak.

'I'm not sure how, I'm not sure when, but he'll die,' Charis continues, leaning her elbows on her knees. 'It might be soon, it might be after the events we're used to, but it's inevitable now. There's nothing we can do.'

A small sound manages to make it's way out of my throat, but it trails off awkwardly. I'm not sure how to answer, and I just wait for her to say something. Anything. On some level, I want Ashton Kutcher to shoot through one of the doors and tell me I'm being Punk'd, but it ain't happening anytime soon.

'If you make no more mistakes,' Charis says finally. 'Then there's a good chance you can save him. But things are looking bleak.'

'... What ...' I try, trailing off. 'What can I do?'

'You have to stop screwing things up,' she sighs. 'You've reached a limit. I don't know if more mistakes could help or make it worse, but you need to watch it.'

I bite my lip, loosing my voice again. Charis sighs, and ... does the weirdest thing. She take my right hand and just ... holds it tightly, comfortingly. Is this really Charis? Is she possessed or something?

'I'm not telling you this to hurt you,' she says. 'I'm trying to warn you.'

'I know, I know ...' I say, pulling my hand back gently. 'But the fact that it's my fault-'

'It's not your fault,' she snaps, glaring. 'The only way it could possibly be your fault is if you take up your pistols and kill him yourself, and I'm sure you won't do that. Kratos, Zelos, Yggdrasill ... Yuan, even – it could be any of their faults, but not yours. Hell, it could be natural causes.'

I just nod, letting one final idea seep into my mind for the cause of Lloyd's eventual death. I know it's probably nothing, but it's worth asking. 'What about ... that other Lloyd? His alter-self?'

Charis frowns a little. '... I didn't consider the doppelganger.'

'... The what?' I ask, raising an eyebrow. 'Doppelganger?'

'Yeah,' Charis says, turning back to the computer. 'I can't get into Lloyd's head, but I guess I could explain a little. It looks like he's up for another visit soon, anyway. Doppelgangers are like a complete opposite of a person.'

'... Aren't Doppelgangers omens of death?' I ask, leaning back in my chair while thinking back to some talking I did with my mum about doppelgangers, or "other-halves". 'So ... wouldn't that add up to the cause of Lloyd's death?'

Charis makes a face, having difficulty putting her answer into words. 'Well ... when you die, you see your doppelganger. I'm assuming Lloyd has died before or perhaps been so close to death that his doppelganger was perhaps able to latch onto his mind.'

'... Is it common?' I ask worriedly.

'Oh yeah, it happens all the time,' Charis says quickly, and I feel a little relieved. 'They can only show up at particular times though ... like if the person going through some deep trauma, or perhaps just even sleeping. I'm not too sure of the details. But I _do_ know that he's there to change Lloyd to how he sees fit.'

'... I remember,' I mumble folding my arms and resting on my lap. 'That he said he hated what Lloyd had caused them to become ...'

'Because they're opposites,' Charis explains shortly. 'The doppelganger wants Lloyd to be just like him. It's the same with most doppelgangers, though they aren't usually so, ah ...'

'Lloyd has a good heart,' I state sternly. 'The doppelganger must be truly evil.

'Hmm ...' Charis murmurs. 'Well, I guess all that can be said has been said, so ... you probably want to sleep now.'

'... Yeah, I wouldn't mind that,' I sigh, running my hands down my face. 'I need to get so many things through my head right now, and I'm sure sleep is the best way ...'

'Alright, I'll send you back.'

I nod and wait, staring at the computer screen. It's showing a live-image of where we are now, with my own sleeping self, the Professor still fixing Lloyd's clothes, Lloyd himself sitting with Noishe and Kratos ... the others are sleeping, and I think Lloyd is about to doze off himself.

I will now say this in all honesty – if I had the choice to go home at the cost of killing Lloyd, I'd do it. I'm that desperate. That's what I would have said maybe some weeks ago or so, but now I'm not sure. If someone just put a gun in my hand and told to shoot Lloyd in the heart, I don't know if I'd be able to do it. He's done so much for me, and it would feel wrong. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, even if I woke up at home and thought it was all a dream. So now ... if someone said to me "do this, and you can go home _right now_", then I wouldn't be able to do it. I'd refuse.

And that's now what scares me the most.


	50. Wind and Blood

HAY.

Sorry about the long chapters, really D: Really really. And for the long spaces of time in which I ... _don't_ update, but I've been busy. I finally got my SAT results, the school year has finally ENDED (OMFG YAY I GET BLACK UNIFORM NOW INSTEAD OF GREEEEEN), so there will be much more time for writing :3 I hope. Oh, go listen to "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash. Our form band played it at the end of year assembly. It's cool.

And before anyone asks/squees/spams, YES, I have heard about the ToS sequel. No, I am not happy. Yes, I will be ignoring it's existance completely. It won't make it out of Japan anyway. Let's not say anything more on the subject, lest I break the nearest object :3 In my opinion, ToS doesn't need a sequel. I worked hard to get the ending I wanted, and I'll stick with the fact that I could let my thoughts wonder by themselves after the end. The end of ToS was one of the best closures for a game that I could ask for, and I'm not letting a sequel ruin that for me. FF10 was killed by a sequel also, and no one has high hopes for it XD RIGHT, let's get back to ... NOT saying anything more on the subject :D

If anyone is the least bit curious for WHY my brain has been taken over by things other than TWC, (deviantart. com /deviation /59952256/) is the answer. FUGGING CATS. GTFO.

Right, this chapter consists of shouting, breaking things, stealing Lloyd's clothes, complaining about being a teenager, more shouting, _more_ shouting, blood, more blood, MOAR SHOUTING, AND EVEN MOAR BLOOD. Have fun :D

Um, any questions that might have been asked through reviews that haven't been answered, just keep poking me and I'll get around to it, I swear D: I'm dangerously forgetful.

I'll do a manual spellcheck in the morning, because I don't trust MicrosoftWord anymore. Until then, enjoy. Sorry again for the length D: I hope you don't die of boredom halfway through ... or something ...

* * *

Chapter 50 - Wind and Blood

'Oh my g- how sharp is that thing?!'

'I sharpen it regularly, as you should do with your own.'

'... But the noise hurts my ears ...'

'I'm sure you would be able to sacrifice a few moments to ensure your own safety.'

'Agh, you're always – whoa!'

'Watch where you're walking, boy!'

I take a few deep breaths, and finally calm down. I've been hearing nothing but Lloyd being a prat, and Kratos scolding him for being a prat. For you see, we have finally reached the Wind Seal, after what could possibly count as a week, or slightly less. Since arriving in the late afternoon, Raine has gone seriously mental at the Balacruf Mausoleum. We haven't even gotten the seal _open_ yet – she's just been running around it, pausing to inspect some 'finely decorated inscriptions that have survived' while taking notes. We don't have the hearts to stop her doing what she does best, so for around an _hour_ now, we've busied ourselves.

Genis and Colette are chatting casually besides a small, conveniently placed pen of sorts where Noishe will be staying for while we're in the seal. He's made himself right at home there already, so we'll leave him there, happy as Larry. It looks all cosy in there, too ... I wouldn't mind climbing in, myself. Point being, I have yet to discover what they could be talking about, because they've been doing it for an hour, and they still seem interested. Who knows?

As you can tell, Kratos and Lloyd have taken to sparring, but not only are they sparring – oh no – they're doing it _on_ the mausoleum. See, there's a small ledge type thing that surrounds it, and Kratos is teaching Lloyd how to balance while fighting, as well as focusing on his footwork, which has never been tackled before. It's quite obvious, because Lloyd has taken seven painful falls over the edge.

... Eight painful falls over the edge. Ouch.

'I doubt your putting your whole-hearted effort into this,' Kratos says, folding his arms and staring down at the boy sprawled uncomfortably in some shrubbery, swords flown out of reach some feet away during the fall.

'... Ow.'

I observe quietly as Kratos jumps down from the high ledge, landing like a freakin _cat_. He crouches a little as he lands, but straightens up almost immediately. Now, if _I_ did that, both my ankles would have cracked and I'd have fallen over. And Lloyd would have toppled in a shrub ... oh wait, he actually DID that! Silly me.

I fail to hold in a yawn as I watch Kratos grab Lloyd's hand and help him to his feet, causing the boy to stumble a bit. I hear him mumble something about his ankle, and Kratos shakes his head with a small sigh. 'Go and sit down.'

'Lloyd, you're turning into a certain someone I know of that keeps falling over,' I call over, jerking a thumb in our blonde Chosen's direction, who is still chatting happily to Genis as Noishe attempts to gobble up that beautiful, silver mane of hair the kid possesses. Lloyd just scowls a little in response, not amused by my playful jabbing. Kratos ignores us all and sheaths his sword, now denied of wasting his time training a hopeless cause. Seriously, I'm kidding, but Lloyd keeps tripping over all the time. It's _odd_.

'Sheesh, it's not like I do it all the time,' he grumbles, sitting with his back against the old, crumbling wall of the mausoleum. Let's just hope Raine doesn't come and bitchslap him for touching it ... actually, it's a wonder she hasn't Photon'd Kratos and Lloyd's asses for _sparring_ on it. Maybe she's too wrapped up in what she's doing. Yeah, that's it.

'You'll be doing it by the minute at this rate,' I yawn, shifting slightly on the piece of rubble I'm sitting on that seems to be jutting out from the grassy floor. 'And geez, what the hell died in _your_ breakfast? You're being an ass today.'

'At least I don't have frizzy hair ...' Lloyd mumbles under his breath. I frown and glance to one side, yanking down my – yes, painfully – frizzy hair. This world doesn't have the wonder that is hair-strengtheners, so I'm guessing I'm stuck with THE FRIZZ until I get home. This is kinda bad, because it is _horrible_. It's puffy, thick, static and everything. I look like Hermione friggin' Granger, but worse. And without the prettiness.

'Yeah, well, at least I didn't get humped by grasshoppers on the way here,' I say, tugging at a clump sharply while I draw it back to force into a ponytail with a small band.

'S-shut up! They didn't even touch me!'

'Yes, Lloyd, yes they did.'

I'll explain, for those of you that are scratching your heads in bemusement. On the way here, we got into a couple of battles in a row, and one of those was with a group of grasshoppers. Now, this was sometime after five or so groups of random monsters, and our poor little swordsman was all worn out and injured and unconscious. A couple of grasshoppers went over to sniff around (can they do that?) and see if Lloyd was indeed dead, so that they could probably drag him back to whatever ditch they crawled out of and feed him to their young. Point being, while this whole ordeal was playing out, it looked very odd from my angle. _Very_ odd.

Well, Kratos healed him up good after that, I informed him of the dirty little things racing through my mind, and I've been amused since. Go me.

Lloyd chooses to ignore me for now, and I can't blame him. I sometimes decide to bring up the _worst_ subjects ever, and I swear I will stop one day. Though I'm sure I'll bring something totally retarded up while fighting Yggdrasill, or something, but we won't know until we get there. Man, I'm suddenly dreading it a lot more now.

I look around, bored and yawning again. I wipe away some tears that formed from the yawn, frowning a little as I observe everyone. Colette and Genis are _still_ talking, and I notice Noishe has escaped from the pen he was snoozing in, and seems to be steadily plodding towards Lloyd, who seems quite unaware. Lloyd looks a little tired himself – and I'd just like to point out that we _have_ been travelling for days and days with barely any rest. The only people that aren't tired are Kratos and Raine, for very different reasons – Kratos is superman, and Raine is freakin' scary within a mile radius of a rock.

I watch as Noishe prods the side of Lloyd's head with his nose, earning a quick scratch behind the ear before Lloyd goes back to ... being tired against the mausoleum. As soon as the seal opens, Lloyd will be up and running and feeling all explorer-like. Or y'know, he could just totally fall asleep on his feet, resulting in more piggy-back treatments from Kratos. I think he secretly enjoys it – not having to walk at times. Lucky bastard – I'd never get one from Kratos, or even Noishe for that matter. And Noishe is here for the sole reason! _Dammit_, Symphonia.

'Professor!' Lloyd calls, still petting Noishe who won't seem to leave him alone. 'Are you finished yet?'

He doesn't get an answer, and the Professor continues to run around frantically, clutching the Map of Balacruf tightly to her chest as she goes. Lloyd just rolls his eyes, and the others just continue doing their own thing. Kratos, on the other hand, takes action into his own account, most likely getting steadily irritated with how we're sitting around and not seal-breaking. He gets pissy when we do that.

'Ms Sage-' he starts sharply, but is quickly interrupted.

'Not now,' comes the abrupt answer, and Raine doesn't even look up to acknowledge him. He opens his mouth to make a most likely rude reply, but Lloyd tugs quickly on one of the buckles on his boot, halting him.

'I wouldn't do that, if I were you,' Lloyd warns quickly when Kratos glances down to see what has attached itself to his shoe. 'She'll hurt you pretty bad.'

'A sacrifice I'm sure I'm willing to make,' Kratos snaps back, his impatience now showing vividly.

'Kratos, I don't want you to die,' Lloyd jokes, trying not to grin. 'Because believe me, she'll kill you.'

After a moment or two, Kratos finally gives in when he realises the tugging on his boot buckle won't cease anytime soon, and takes a reluctant seat beside his son and his pet. The pet in subject has deserted his youngest owner and slowly plods around to Kratos' side, moving to lie on the floor and flops his large, fluffy head into Kratos' lap with a whine.

I snort when I notice Kratos pause for a long moment, silencing everything around him to try and reclaim any sanity that might have just crawled away – just enough to keep him from dismembering us all violently. The moment ends quickly, and his tense muscles relax, finally giving in. His shoulders slack slowly, and he slaps a hand atop Noishe's head.

Lloyd, like me, watches this all as it plays out. After a while, he thuds his head against Kratos' shoulder, letting it rest there for a moment. Kratos tenses again at the sudden contact, and Lloyd laughs to himself, pulling his head away from the tall man. 'You weirdo.'

'I'd watch that tongue of yours, boy,' Kratos scolds with a glare, and Noishe whines loudly in response while Lloyd clamps him mouth firmly shut to avoid Kratos wrenching the muscle out of his mouth and slicing it off with a dagger tucked away in his boot.

'You're all freakin' weridos,' I interject loudly, having not said anything in general for a while. '_Dammit_, people.'

'Look who's talki-'

'I swear to god Lloyd, one more frizzy hair crack, and I'll kick you where I really shouldn't,' I snap, giving him the best glare I can muster. It doesn't work – the two of them just stare boredly, and Noishe whines a third time in response. 'Well, if you guys don't mind, I have some business to attend to.'

Lloyd opens his mouth to comment, but stops with a look of confusion when I suck in a deep breath. He stares at me as I hold it in, and looks to Kratos questioningly before turning back to me.

'... What are you doing?'

When I feel a sharp pang of heavy pain in the front of my throat, I take that as my cue, and do something that we've all needed for a long, long while now, and yes, I will manage this when Kratos couldn't before. A few more seconds of breath holding, and –

'_PROFESSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR_!'

Genis and Colette jump, ripped from their lengthy conversation, Lloyd's eyes widen as he scoots back a little, Kratos closes his eyes in frustration, and Noishe bolts up with a startled yelp. The Professor, however, waits a few moments before turning to me from a few yards away, stone map still in hand.

'Is something wrong?'

'No, not at all,' I say, smiling. 'I was just wondering if we could go in yet. Everyone's getting a little tired.'

'Ah, I see,' she concurs, nodding as she carefully slips her precious notes back into her bag. 'I suppose I could continue my research once the seal is released.'

Collective sigh of relief around the group.

'Who's the best?' I say, turning to Lloyd and sticking a thumb up. Hey, I rarely ever get to dish out some pride – give me a minute, and I'll get back to being the modest Charlotte you all know and love. Well, know.

'Noishe loves you,' Lloyd jokes with a yawn, getting to his feet and dodging a rock soaring in his direction from yours truly ("don't joke about something like that, asshole!"). It shatters nosily against the side of the mausoleum, and Lloyd ignores it, turning to Kratos. 'So, we can finally go in now?'

'I would assume so,' Kratos says quietly. 'Unless your Professor finds something else to busy her time with, upon which we will leave her here.'

'Ah, lay off her,' Lloyd says, rubbing the back of his neck to ease a cramp, by the look of things. 'She's having fun.'

'You speak of her as if she is a child,' Kratos hisses, glaring at his student. 'She is a woman.'

'And what a woman,' I say, striding past them and slapping Kratos on the arm. 'Hop to it, men.'

'Ma'am,' Lloyd approves with a salute. 'Genis! Colette! C'mon already, we're waiting!'

'Lay off them,' Kratos murmurs, placing a hand on Lloyd back and steering him to the central stairway. 'They're having fun.'

'... You're a jerk when you want to be, y'know that?'

'I'm aware.'

After a few minutes consisting of _making_ Noishe stay in the pen, also having to send Lloyd over there to pet him and hug him and tell him that we won't take long this time, watching Lloyd get jumped by Noishe, who then refused to get off him in an attempt to not let him leave, Lloyd finally getting free, Noishe pulling him back by chomping on his ribbons, Lloyd whining about his ribbons, and many other things ... we're finally all assembled in front of the small, stone podium smack bang in the centre of the entrance area.

... Finally.

'I hope this doesn't take as long as the Water Seal ...' Lloyd sighs, brushing Noishe-hair off his outfit. 'That place was a nightmare.'

'Yes, it was,' Kratos agrees, glancing toward his right arm where the Leviathan attacked him around two weeks ago. It's almost completely healed, and Kratos is still wearing those lengthy gloves of his in an attempt to derive the attention to it elsewhere. It's been working, but I'm sure Raine and perhaps Genis are still suspicious about how his flesh can heal so quickly. _I_ know how, but hey, I'm not about to say anything. I'm nice like that.

'Don't you dare cover for me again,' Lloyd says, looking stubborn and genuinely worried. 'If anything happens like last time, I-'

'If your life is in danger,' Kratos snaps, glaring down at Lloyd and ignoring the stares the two of them are getting from the others as well as myself. A few long, silent seconds pass, and Kratos drops his tone to just above a whisper. 'Then I am willing to risk my life to ensure your safety.'

And at that point, _everyone_ looks away. Even Lloyd.

'I ...'

'SEAL OPENING!' I say rather loudly, plucking the Map of Balacruf from Raine's hands. Everyone jumps, and Kratos and Lloyd are pulled out of that little conversation that probably wouldn't go anywhere good. For now, at least – I'm gonna have to keep an eye on them and scream something when it gets to being baaaaad.

'Wait!' Genis exclaims, reaching out to grab my arm but hesitating abruptly. I raise an eyebrow, stone slab still in hand as I observe his panicked expression.

'Something up, little dude?'

'Um ... give that to Raine.'

I quickly look over to our Professor to see if she's gone into some evil-ruin-mode from my act of taking this artefact from her possession, but she looks equally worried as her younger sibling. I look around at the rest of them, and see the exact same expression on their faces – hell, even Kratos and Noishe look apprehensive.

'What? What did I do?' I ask anxiously, looking around. 'This is weird, I don't usually get attention. What's happening?'

'Uhh ... nothing,' Lloyd says quietly. 'You, just ... uh ... you-'

'We don't trust you with ...' Genis begins, trailing off slowly and wincing with a deep breath. 'Fragile ... stuff.'

'... Oh, come _on_!' I exclaim angrily, spinning to face them. 'I'm not gonna dr-'

_Crack_.

I decide to _not _look down at the slab of rock that suddenly slipped from my grip onto the hard floor, and continue to stare at them in anticipation. Seriously, what are the chances? I am _that_ unlucky? No really, _why_ haven't they just tied me to a tree and left me yet? I swear, I'm going to get them all killed one day.

A heavy, ringing silence claims the group, and they all stare at the map that should lay broken at my feet. I still keep my eyes fixed straight ahead, actually _praying_. I'm am soooo going to get killed, because this means that we can't enter the seal. The map makes the oracle stone appear, and ... yeah, this is a bad situation.

'... Please tell me it's not broken,' I say, staring at the sky.

'It's ... its okay,' Lloyd breathes, sounding a little relieved. 'It's just a little cracked at the bottom. I think it'll still work.'

I finally drop my gaze to the floor and see the stone map lying on the floor in one piece, and like Lloyd said, just a little damaged around where it hit the floor. I let out the deep breath I've been holding in and clasp my hands, turning to the mausoleum's sealed entrance.

'Martel, if you're up there, thanks a bunch for saving my ass. You could have done it earlier at certain times, but seriously. Thanks.'

'She's converting,' Genis whispers.

'Aw, hell no,' I say, turning back around and gathering up the vaguely damaged map. 'My beliefs – OH GOD, someone take it off me!'

Raine immediately takes it off my hands, and a collective sigh of relief travels around the group for the second time today. Genis, being that little smartass that he is, folds his arms and watches as his sister carefully slides the stone slab into a deep, rectangular shaped indent on the podium. 'I told you.'

'I swear to _god_Genis,' I snap, grabbing his collar. 'One more comment, and I'll-'

'Unhand him,' Raine says simply, though her tone alone is enough to make me immediately drop the clump of blue shirt in my hand. I settle with a slightly more gentle approach, ruffling his fluffy white hair.

'I'm gonna kill you one day, kiddo.'

'Pssh'yeah, right,' he grumbles, smoothing his hair back into its original place. 'Same here.'

And so, after we slip the map into the indent in the pillar, the Oracle stone pops up with a flash of light out of completely _nowhere_, Colette does her Chosen fo shizzle on it, and the old, stone door to the Balacruf Mausoleum opens with a horrific scrape of stone against stone, small eroded pieces dropping to the floor with clicking sounds. Dust expelled from the movement is thrown up into the air and takes a while to die down, so we wait. We don't wanna choke to death, or anything.

All is good, all is well, and we enter the seal.

------------------------------

... Cold.

Cold and dark.

Cold and dark and windy.

... I _hate_ seals.

'Oh wow! This place is way cooler than the last seals!'

And some people beg to differ.

'... Lloyd, do you _not_ realise that it's freezing in here?' I ask, huddling into myself and clutching my bare arms. The only people clutching to themselves as if their lives depend on it are Genis and me, seeing as we're the ones that let most skin show. Lucky for me, I only show my arms – Genis shows his arms _and_ legs, and the latter is _way_ worse in the cold. Point being, while everyone else is all tucked up and snug in their capes (minus Lloyd), the two of us remain here shaking, both standing near our respective sources of warmth. Genis is huddled into Raine's side, and I've taken to clinging to Colette for dear life.

'Oh, come on!' Lloyd protests, looking around. 'It's not _that _cold!'

'You tell that to this purple bitch here!' I counter noisily, clutching a fistful of my shirt and brandishing it in his general direction. 'She has no sleeves!'

'... You whine about the cold and hot _waaay_ too much,' Lloyd says, ignoring his Professor as she begins to run around the available space, observing the cracked walls and the unreadable markings carved into the greyish blue stone. I consider countering to Lloyd's claims with a stubborn "I'm _ENGLISH!"_, but that'd be like digging my own grave, so I settle with wrinkling my nose at him.

'You have that big red jacket of yours, and no -' I intercept myself when he opens his mouth to comment '- I don't care how thin the material is, you've got your black nightshirt on underneath that too, which is the equivalent of my shirt. So shush.'

'I still think your being a little too over reactive about this,' Lloyd says with a small frown, indicating his friend still burying himself into his sister's side, even as she walks around to observe the old, dusted stone. 'Genis isn't whining.'

'Genis is so cold that he can't even _speak_,' I reply, wrinkling my nose again. I unhanded Colette's arm a while ago, and she's skipped over to join the Professor in her investigations and offer some body warmth to Genis. Kratos on the other hand, is ... wondering around. Y'know, we're just _that _boring, he simply must busy himself with pretending to crack the secrets of the Wind Seal. Bastard Mercenary.

'Okay, okay, let's make this interesting,' Lloyd says with a mischievous grin spreading on his face, which can't mean any good. 'I bet you fifty gald that I can make it through this whole seal without wearing my jacket.'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Oh, you're on, bitch. Gimmie your jacket.'

'Hey!' Lloyd protests with a furrowed brow, already unclipping the first few buttons. 'You can't wear it!'

'I'm a cold, cold person, Lloyd,' I say sourly, scowling as he continues unclasping the numerous buttons at his front, leaving the ones on his sleeves. 'Also, carrying it would provide you with warmth, so that'd be cheating. Plus, if I'm wearing it, I can make sure you don't sneak it on if you get cold. It makes it all fair.'

'... But I don't like people wearing my stuff,' Lloyd grumbles with a pout, finally slipping it off. I would just like to mention that Lloyd is indeed getting noticeably skinnier, so I'll be forcing food down his throat tonight. Damn, he'll be skinnier than me soon, and that isn't right – he's three years older than me, and god knows I hate my chubby thighs. God_damn_ my thighs. I hate family genes. I think I always look flumpy, but that could just be me – oneself is their own worst critic, after all. I _hate _my body.

'Look, I'll let you wear my bra one day to make up for it – just gimmie the damn jacket. I'm freezing.'

Lloyd grudgingly hands over half his clothing to me, and I slip it on hastily. It takes me a few tries to get the buttons in the right places seeing as there is a vast amount of buttons on this certain piece of clothing. What possessed Dirk to make this, I will never know. Perhaps he was bored. _Extremely_ bored.

I pull my hair out of the collar, adjusting the ribbons. Being ... shorter than Lloyd, I make sure to not have the ribbons dragging themselves across the floor as I walk. Luckily, I'm tall enough to prevent that from happening, but I'm not far off. I'll be careful anyway. While I slip on both gloves and begin clasping the buttons up, I notice Lloyd unbuttoning his suspenders, and he mumbles something about how they irritate his bare shoulders when I give him an odd look. Luckily, he has two nice belts to keep his trousers up, so it's all good. He just has to shove his suspenders in his bag, and we're all set to go.

'Hey guys, look!' I say, spreading my arms out when I get the attention of everyone in the area. 'I'm a female Lloyd!'

'... I'm not even gonna ask,' Genis sighs, regaining his ability to speak through the cold (most likely for this certain occasion).

'Wow! You look kinda funny!' Colette giggles, glancing away from some scriptures that she's helping the Professor with for a moment. 'Lloyd, aren't you cold?'

I grin when he doesn't answer for a while.

'... Uh, no. N-not ... really ...'

'Prepare to freeze your ass off, Irving,' I sigh blissfully, slapping his arm. He sucks in a breath at the sting, but I ignore it and follow Colette's suit, skipping over to the others. 'What are we looking at?'

'Something that doesn't make sense,' Genis huffs, detaching himself from the Professor for a moment, just long enough to conjure up a small ball of fire as a source of light, letting it dance at the tips of his fingers as he holds it up to the old, worn stone slab on the wall that recites some kind of story, by the looks of things. I've just though – who has the sorcerer's ring? I think Lloyd has it, but if we've lost it, we're screwed – it's our source of light when mana becomes unusable for any reason. The light flooding in from the entrance only reaches so far, and this place is rather dark.

'Is it readable?' Lloyd asks finally coming over after a moment. 'Is it important, or is it just another pointless scripture?'

Seriously, wait for it. Waaaait ...

_Slap_.

'Owww! Professor!'

After taking the insult _for_ the rock, Raine turns back to it and begins to read once again, now aided by Genis' fire to light up darkened spots of the slab. I consider mentioning to Genis to take some sort of precaution while doing that, because the wind in this place is causing it to flicker dangerously, and the last thing we want is to set something or someone on fire. Especially if that someone is Raine. She's scary enough as it is.

'... Hey,' Lloyd mumbles after a moment, while Colette and Raine quietly discuss the writing on the wall. 'Where did Kratos go?'

I look around and shrug, still trying to get used to wearing a jacket that is waaay too big for Lloyd, let alone me. Shrugging feels different, seeing as I haven't worn anything over my shoulders in ... ages. Damn, that's just odd. 'He just buggered off somewhere – oh wait, here he comes.'

True to my word, the auburn haired mercenary returns to us from the dark, looking as troubled as a Kratos can get. Which isn't very troubled – he looks normal, but slightly less normal. This isn't making any sense, but I'm sure you get what I mean.

'... Is something wrong?' Genis asks, still holding the fire up for his sister and Colette. 'You look different than usual.'

'There are a handful of unnatural features about this seal,' Kratos comments, looking around in a deep inspection of the area. 'It doesn't seem to match the nature of the ones we have faced before.'

'... Explain,' I demand. He opens his mouth to do just that, but the sight of me wearing half of his son's outfit stops him right there.

'Harrison, what is the meaning of-'

'Curiosity killed the Krat,' I butt in, tapping my nose. 'Continue.'

I get a glare in response, but he returns to his explanation for Lloyd and Genis. 'The Fire Seal focused on a combination of battles and strategy to reach the seal chamber, as did the Water Seal. This seal seems to lack both monsters and any puzzle required to solve to test the Chosen.'

'... Hey, you're right!' Lloyd agrees after a moment, looking around. 'That is a little strange ... but we can't find the seal chamber yet, so ... there must be some kind of trick involved, right?'

'I would assume that we are meant to believe such simplicity exists in this place,' Kratos murmurs quietly. 'There are hidden traps in the area, invisible at first glance. Lloyd, keep your guard up.'

'... H-hey, why are you just aiming that warning at me?' Lloyd asks.

'Well, you'd be the only one out of us that would walk straight into some sort of trap, you see,' I explain shortly. 'You're not too smart, Lloyd.'

'Hey, I'm smarter than you!'

'Lloyd, what's a catalyst?'

'I ... I-I forgot, but that isn't the point!'

'... Yes, it is.'

'Yeah, well – I mean – uh – oh, just shut up!'

I just shrug, looking around the dark, damp seal as Lloyd gathers up what's left of his confidence. I'm not too sure of myself, but being "from Asgard", wouldn't that mean I could have some knowledge of the mausoleum without it coming across as too suspicious? I'd consult Charis about it, but she's far too busy doing stuff. Believe it or not, it's not watching Zelos all the live long day. She says it's secret, so I have a right mind not to disturb her.

'Well, this place is practically brimming with traps to ensure a nice, bloody end to any grave robbers that come strolling in here,' I say, looking around still. Seeing as our source of light is limited, and the ceiling is quite high up, almost everything above us is coating in the thick, blanket of darkness. 'This being a grave, after all.'

'Wait, what?' Lloyd asks, glancing over his shoulder warily before consulting me once again. 'This place has bodies? _Dead_ bodies?'

'... Well, duh,' I say, rolling my eyes. 'This being, y'know a _GRAVE_. Keep up, Irving.'

Kratos just does his hourly 'hmph' to us, and rests a hand firmly on the hilt of his sword. 'Refrain from concerning yourself with the dead, and focus on the monsters.'

'Ugh ... you've never heard of zombies?' Lloyd asks in a stubborn tone. 'What if they all rise from the dead and start attacking us, or something?'

'Then I'm sure they will be brought down swiftly,' Kratos replies icily, seeming irritated with Lloyd current panicky state. 'I've dealt with a large number of the undead in my time, and I'm sure they will do you no harm should you fight back.'

'Yeaaaaah ...' Lloyd mumbles, nodding. 'I'm just gonna, y'know ... stay behind you.'

Kratos glares. 'Lloyd-'

'Look, it's just zombies, okay?' he insists nervously, glancing over his shoulder yet again to reassure himself that he's not being sneaked up on by the undead. 'I can fight the other stuff ... just not the zombies.'

'... Lloyd, haven't you fought zombies before?' I ask, raising an eyebrow. Lloyd just shudders, and Genis decides to answer for him while his friend seems incapable.

'I'll explain later.'

Ah – I'll deem it safe to assume that a zombie or something similar has ... _latched_ to him, or something of a similar experience. And if anyone has played any of the _Zelda_ series, they'll know just how gross that can be. Luckily, we are not joining a certain green-tunic adorned elf-man, but a jacket-less and freezing-his-ass-off teenager who probably hasn't even stumbled across the wonders of puberty yet. Lucky bastard.

Can't you just tell I'd rather be in any other game right now?

'... Wow, your jacket is really warm,' I comment out of amusement, as well as trying to rub it in that Lloyd won't last more than half an hour in here. 'You must be a warm person.'

'Not right now, I'm not,' Lloyd hisses through chattering teeth. 'You totally owe me for this.'

'If you don't rip it off me until we reach the actual seal, then yes, I do owe you.'

'I am sure ...' Kratos begins sharply, pressing the base of his hand to his forehead in a de-stressing manner. 'That it will remain in my best interests to not inquire of your actions, Harrison. But what has possessed you to inflict a possible case of illness upon my student?'

I just glance over to Lloyd, hugging his bare arms tightly, before turning back to the mercenary with a sceptic look. 'Oh come on, it's not like he's gonna get pneumonia or anything. Chill, man.'

'Wait, this'll make me ill?' Lloyd perks up, eyes growing visibly wider as his gaze snaps rapidly from Kratos to me a few times. 'Alright, screw this – gimmie my jacket!'

'No!' I protest, loudly, backing away. 'Look, you're not gonna get ill, alright? And hey, if you get your jacket back, I'll be in your state as you are now, and my immune system is pretty crappy.'

'Y ... yeah, well ...' Lloyd mumbles, staring at the dark grey floor with a furrowed brow as if trying to remember something. Knowing Lloyd, this may take a while, so I settle with slipping a button on Lloyd's gloves through its clasp for a moment.

'... Uh, Professor?' Lloyd asks finally, turning to the silver-haired woman currently clutching a few apparatus to her chest as she inquires the stone slab further. 'What was, uh ... that thing you mentioned a while back about my imunin system?'

'Immune system,' she corrects absently, still not taking her eyes off the old, worn slab attached to the wall. She doesn't continue further and doesn't respond to Lloyd's question, so he settles with pouting childishly, turning back to me.

'Fine, whatever. My imunin –'

'Immune.'

'_Immune_ system isn't that great either.'

'Well, don't worry about it too much,' I assure hastily. 'I mean, this seal definitely won't take long.'

Lloyd just grumbles darkly to himself, still hugging his cold body. I watch him shuffle closer to Genis after a few moments to hopefully pick up some body warmth, but I get easily distracted by the sound of someone laughing to themselves in my head. I decide to consult this person silently and inquire what this is about. They're usually laughing _at_ me, not with me, unless it comes down to Lloyd's lack of knowledge in THAT area.

"_You're an idiot,"_ Charis informs me simply, and I simply nod.

"_Yes, I'm aware.__Any meaning in telling me this again?"_

_"Well, you're beating yourself up on this bet. If you keep convincing him to walk around without his jacket like that, you're bound to loose."_

_"__Eeh__, she just wants to keep warm,"_ William yawns. I don't blame him – it's getting late, and is probably turning dark outside now. It was late afternoon when we arrived, after all. "_She doesn't care about the money."_

_"Well, you're both a little wrong,"_ I reply. "_Yes, I do want to keep warm, and yes, I do care about the money. Wait ..."_

"_Right, we're going now. You're being weird."_

_"No, wait!" _I insist shrilly (in my head, of course – don't want the others thinking I'm a nutcase). "_Wait, Charis, I need something from my bathroom. Could you like ... warp it in real quick?"_

Charis pauses, and the area inside my head falls silent for a few long moments. I listen to them shift in their chairs, and then I finally an answer.

"_It depends on __it's__ technology level. What is it?"_ she asks, already typing away to extract whatever it is from my bathroom. I just frown a little at having to say what it is, and touch the side of my face.

"_Y'know ... THAT stuff."_

"_Not following,"_ Charis responds simply. "_Just tell us and we might be able to warp it in."_

I sigh audibly, catching only the attention of Genis, who turns away again quickly to aid his sister's examination with the flame still in his hand. Damn, I _really_ am going to regret this later on, but I guess I'm stuck.

"_... Cleanser ..."_ I whisper.

"_What was __tha__-"_

_"Skin cleanser!"_ I snap finally, still touching the side of my face near my ear. "_I haven't used it in weeks and my ... my spots are starting to show up again."_

_"You're a teenager. It's what teenagers GO THROUGH," _William replies. "_Damn you females and your puberty."_

_"You shut up!"_ I exclaim back, anger probably showing visibly on my face as I drop a hand to my side. "_You're a __playstation__ – you don't go through this stuff!__My__ skin is getting all blotchy because of Noishe's fleas trying to eat me!__ And my hair is getting all clumpy!__ Look, can I PLEASE just have the cream for it? It's disgusting__ and __it's depressing__"_

_"No can do – sorry,"_ Charis apologises, sounding genuine. "_It wouldn't fit in this world. And don't worry about it too much – the others have to live without it, too."_

I grit my teeth. "_Have you SEEN Lloyd's skin? It's a smooth as a baby's rear end! Especially since we waxed him, but whatever! __Gimmie the cream!"_

I don't get my answer, and the two of them cut themselves off from me for what can only be the millionth irritating time since I've been here. Why in my times of need? WHY MARTEL, WHY? Wait, I don't believe in Martel. Well, it isn't really that I can or can't believe in her – she _does_ exist, but that's meaning in the Mithos' sister sense, not the religion sense ... I think.

... Shut up, Charlotte.

'This place isn't all it's cracked up to be,' Lloyd grumbles, finally slumping down beside a wall when he decides pacing won't help his fast growing boredom at all. 'Man, I thought this was gonna be a fun seal.'

'Screw you,' I blurt out, pointing down at him accusingly. 'Screw you _and_ your skin.'

'... W-what?'

I just pull a face and make while, angry hand gestures at the empty space around me, probably looking like I'm trying to perform some seriously fucked up tribal dance.

'I hate my hair!' I exclaim finally, and I notice the Professor's shoulders hunch when I yell without warning. Right, I'm getting this out – no one stop me. 'I hate my skin, I hate my thighs, I hate my spots, and I hate my freakin' WOMB!'

And with that, I slump down to the floor and lean against the wall while Lloyd looks up at Kratos and innocently inquires what a womb is. I watch Kratos lean down slightly and whisper to him, but Lloyd has to lean up to hear him, seeing as Kratos is freakin' tall and Lloyd is freakin' short, especially now he's sitting. Lloyd nods after a moment, glancing over at me for a second before turning back to his mentor.

'And ... why does she hate it?'

Out of Kratos' second whispered explanation, the only word I catch is "monthly", and nod when the mercenary hits the nail right on the head.

'Oh ...' Lloyd perks up after realising what was explained to him at Luin. 'Oh!' he says with a nod, pausing for a long moment before consulting me with a horrified look. '_Oh._'

Cue the next performance of freaky, wrathful, air injuring tribal dances from the Charster.

-------------------------------

A good while later, Charis informs me that it is finally night, and we are all very tired. I've noticed, after, uh ... many days of being here, that Kratos doesn't get tired. He gets pissed off. So while we're all trudging around the seal, Genis still holding that flame, Lloyd still jacket-less, me with the jacket, Colette in high spirits, and the Professor still hyped up over the ruin, Kratos is looking like he wants to slaughter us all and eat our kidneys. Notice how I'm furthest away from him as possible. I like my kidneys.

Point being – we're tired, Kratos doesn't like us being tired, and all is good and well.

Except the fact that we _totally_ can't make sense of any of these inscriptions. The Professor has taken down what can only be thousands of notes already, but it's making no sense at all in our brains. I've noticed Kratos "accidentally" let slip some hints for them in his burning need to get the hell out of this seal and to the Tower of Salvation, because at this rate, he _will_ eat our kidneys.

I'm still at the back here, furthest away from him. I don't know _why_ I have such a strong belief that Kratos will be driven to such a level of insanity that he'll feast on our insides, but I apparently do.

I feel a pat on my shoulder, thank the lord that something is ripping me from my current state of boredom and tiredness, and look over to see a tired and cold looking Lloyd with a tired and less-cold-looking Genis by his side. I don't know how that works, as Genis is wearing _shorts_, but I've been in Sylvarant long enough to know that anything related to Lloyd can be logically-wrong. Because Lloyd is _weird_ and _stupid_.

Um, I mean – 'Hey guys, s'up?'

And then, I get one of the most bizarre demands from Lloyd I think I've ever gotten. 'Say bastard.'

I'm stunned into silence for a few moments. 'Um ... bastard ...?'

There's a long, long pause while Genis and Lloyd glance to each other, consulting me a second time. 'Uh ... once more?'

I raise an eyebrow. '... Bastard.'

'I told you so,' Lloyd whispers to Genis, most likely upon the thought that I can't hear what he's saying. 'She pronounces it weird, see?'

'... Excuse me?' I ask finally, considering the differences between my pronunciation of the word and ... Lloyd's I guess. He's really the only one that swears in the group, besides Kratos on a rare occasion. And Zelos, when we join him. He's bound to swear. Agh, Lloyd, you have such a good heart – it'd be better if you didn't swear as much. I know, I'm a hypocrite, but still. I'll never be as amazingly-idealistic as Lloyd, so I can get off easy there.

'You just say it a little weirdly, that's all ...' Lloyd says with a shrug. 'I started noticing it after a while, when you started calling Kratos, uh ...'

'Bastard mercenary,' I finish for him. I say the phrase one more time to see how I work it, and realise it comes off more like "barr-stood" than anything else, with much emphasis on the 'a'. Well damn, that must sound a little weird to these guys, as well as my English accent altogether. I hope I don't sound posh to them, or anything. As far as I know, the only people here with an accent _close_ to an English one are Botta, Kvar, and ... that guy who works for Regal. George, I think.

... Anyway, moving on.

'Ah well,' I say, shrugging. 'You two look tired. Have we sorted out sleeping arrangements, or anything?'

'No, not yet,' Genis says, glancing over at his sister who has been deprived of Genis' mana-flame for a few minutes now, but it being aided by the light from Colette's wings (even if the poor Chosen _does_ have to stand at an awkward angle to get the light in the right place). 'Raine's too busy.'

'I noticed,' I say with a nod. About the sleeping arrangements – we're either sleeping _in_ the mausoleum, or outside. Unlike the Water Seal, it'll be quite easy to get outside and then back in again seeing as this place isn't massive or vast in any particular way. Sleeping in the mausoleum seems like a better choice than outside, really, but there's the constant sound of wind, random gusts wind hitting you all the time, coldness, and the general fact that it's a _GRAVE. _I'd rather sleep outside any night.

'Well, I ain't sleeping in the same building as dead bodies, so you guys can catch me outside later on,' I say, looking around. 'It's _way_ too creepy in here.'

'I think I actually agree with you for once,' Genis sighs, rubbing his eyes. 'And besides, there are still traps in this place. I wouldn't like to be impaled on a spike while I sleep.'

'Yeah, that'd kinda suck,' I say, absently fiddling with Lloyd's ribbons while the owner of the jacket I'm wearing dances on the spot. It's freezing in here, it really is – and this'll teach him never to protest when I start whining about the cold and the heat. I dunno about anyone else, and I guess it also depends on what part of the world you come from, but anything that touches 18 degrees is _boiling_ for me, so much that I loose the will to do anything and become a couch potato until it cools down.

... Totally didn't mean to whiz off topic there. Moving on.

'Well ... why don't they put the spikes where you can _see_ them?' Lloyd asks, looking around at the area completely void of visible traps. 'So you don't get hurt by accident, y'know?'

'Because ... that would take away the fact that it's a _trap__,'_ I try, furrowing my brow. 'You don't _tell _people you're about to stab them from behind, do you?'

'Well, yeah ... I guess,' Lloyd mumbles shrugging. 'But ... we're not grave robbers, or anything.'

'_They_ don't know that, do they?' Genis snaps, giving his friend a sceptic look. 'Honestly, Lloyd. I wonder about you sometimes.'

'... Hey, what's _that_ supposed to mean!?'

'_Children._'

The dark tone makes the two of them clamp their mouths shut immediately, and I warily glance over my shoulder at Kratos, who has taken to rubbing the handle of his sword in a kind of "one more word and I will butcher the lot of you" way. What a caring parent. Now somewhat relieved that all loud quarrelling has ceased, Kratos turns back to ... the wall. He must be trying to read something carved into it ... yep, it's another slab of ancient text. Can't read a word of that stuff, so we're leaving it to Raine, Colette and Kratos. They're smart, see.

'Kratos does not approve of this bullshit,' I whisper to the other two, waving a finger. 'We must be quiet and not make his head explode in a mess of red and anger and bastard mercenary.'

'Kratos is scaring me today,' Lloyd whispers back.

'Kratos scares me _every_day,' Genis adds.

'_Children.'_

'We're _bored_,' Lloyd whispers loudly to the mercenary, not yet aware that we can talk properly when talking _to_ Kratos, not _about_ him. 'We have nothing to _do_.'

'If you don't find something _quiet_ to do,' Kratos murmurs sternly, turning back to the wall. 'Then so help me, I will sow your lips together.'

Lloyd's eyes just widened what could possibly be fifty times their original size, and he slaps a hand over his precious mouth. The most amusing thing about it is that this is one of the first times Kratos has _joked_ on this journey, and Lloyd honestly believes he's being serious. From his tone, _I'd_ believe he's being serious, but I highly doubt that Kratos would take a needle and stitch his son's lips together. Though it would be amusing.

'... So, anyway-' I start, turning back to them, but Lloyd his shakes his head wildly, running his finger across his throat before pointing at Kratos' back. I roll my eyes, resisting the urge to tell Lloyd that Kratos is harmless, but that would be lying to the point where I'd never be allowed into heaven. After watching him kill countless Desians and monsters, watching him beat up Lloyd and even me a little bit, and watching him do various other things that concern bloody, bloody ends, I think we can all agree that Kratos is quite harmful. And gangsta.

A loud rumble from outside reaches my ears for ... the fifth time since being in here. It's raining outside, and it's recently started thundering and lightning too. Raine and Kratos have told us that we'll definitely finish the seal soon, and then we can go outside and it'll all be sunny and bright and whatnot, but seeing as we're not getting anywhere with the puzzles in this seal, I'd assume we're in here for a long time.

'I wonder if Noishe is okay,' Colette says, looking over her shoulder at Genis and Lloyd. She moves a wing awkwardly out of the way so she can talk to them without a faceful of feathers, and the Professor mumbles something about her lack of light in this place. 'He's afraid of the lightning, isn't he?'

Lloyd nods, still with his hand clamped protectively over his mouth. Genis just sighs, sweeping some hair out of his eyes. 'If the storm carries on like this, we'll have to bring him in. We can't just leave him out there.'

'... Goddammit!' I hiss, folding my arms. 'Lloyd, your dog hates me, and it's giving me _flea bites_. It'd be better if we left him out there to get washed, right? Then he'd have no more fleas!'

'We can't leave him in the storm, he'll freeze to death!' Lloyd protests stubbornly. At his exclamation (and also forgetting the threat), Kratos glares at him over his shoulder, looking quite ready to kill. Instead of slapping a hand over his mouth again, begging, or even apologising ... Lloyd bolts down the dark corridor at a speed I never thought was possible.

'I'm going to get Noishe!'

'You're going to get a cold!' Genis yells down to him, rolling his eyes when he doesn't get a reply. I guess the good thing about this seal is that it's small, so we can go in and out when we please. Though what it lacks in size makes up for its brain-bleeding puzzles, which we're still working with. You can tell Kratos has this burning need to explain it to us, but Raine would get all suspicious, or something. I'd lend a hand if I could, but I don't remember squat about this Seal.

'Have we made any progress at all?' Genis asks, starting to sound a little snappy. I really don't blame him – the poor kid looks shattered. I hate the brat, but I can sympathise for the moment – I've also been so tired to the point of falling asleep standing or in class, and it isn't nice.

'It's difficult to understand ... much more so than the previous seals,' Raine explains shortly, straightening up. She turns to me, frowning a little. 'Charlotte, did your mother educate you at all on the Balacruf Mausoleum while she taught you of Martel?'

Dammit, I hate my non-existent family here. I might as well try to help and hope I remember something from the game. 'Ah ... she explained some stuff _years_ ago, but ... I guess I could give it a shot. What does the inscription say? I can't read Angelic.'

'Colette, if you would,' Raine says, moving out of the way so Colette can get a good view of the riddle-ridden slab of ow.

'Um ... "_The world is a giant. __Its__ ruby left hand is the throne of the gods"__,' _she reads, pausing for a moment.

'... Uh, keep going,' I mumble. 'I don't quite under stand that.'

Colette nods and continues reading. '"_Its emerald right hand is the power of the gods. __Its__ pearl white left leg is the calm earth.__ Its topaz right leg is the rich earth.__"'_

I actually flinch at the nonsense of it all, trying to tie together the things I'm being told in my mind. 'Uh ... is there any more?'

'Err ...' Colette mumbles, leaning in closer and squinting. 'There's a little more, but it's worn and difficult to read ... something about '_lapis_' ... and a '_princess_'. It's really confusing.'

'Well ...' I murmur, thinking to myself for a few moments. I _really_ can't remember a thing, but I can at least try to stitch up most things I've been told. 'Following the whole gemstone thing they have going on here, I'd like to assume they're talking about lapis lazuli. That's a gem, right?'

Raine nods, scribbling something down in her notebook. 'And if the legs and arms of the giant have been taken, then that must leave either the head or the body.'

'I'm pretty sure it's the body,' I say. 'I don't remember much, but I remember that.'

'Wow, she actually _helped_ for once?' Genis asks, looking dramatically stunned. I just frown at him, resisting the urge to slap him upside the head.

'I don't see you helping at all, short stuff,' I reply sharply, placing a hand on his back between his shoulder blades and shoving him in Kratos' direction. 'Go and give Krat-man a hand.'

'I can't read Angelic!'

'Nor can I, but I just helped out, didn't I? Go little boy, go!'

Genis huffs, frowning as he walks over to the mercenary. 'You're only two years older than me!'

'And you're smarter, better at magic, and more stuff that I can't be bothered to mention! Dammit, Genis!'

Finally, after a few more minutes of Angelic translation from Colette, more scribbled notes from Raine, more deadly vibes from Kratos, and more huffing from Genis, Lloyd finally returns to us, from the darkness outside. It's probably darker inside, but let's ignore that. Anyway, here he comes, jacketless, soaking, hair down and dripping, with a rather drenched Noishe at his side.

'Is it wet out there?' I ask while he drips all over the floor. He just brushes his fringe out of his eyes, now that it's wet and heavy and falling in front of his face.

'Just a little.'

'... Lloyd, do you want a towel?'

'Yes, please,' he whines, looking like a drowned rat. I swear to god, as Noishe walked past to get to Kratos, he waited until he was right beside of me to do that ... _dog_ thing, where they shake themselves when they're wet. Needless to say, I throw my arms up to avoid being covered in Noishe hair and rainwater that smells like dog. It doesn't work, though I suppose its okay seeing as I'm wearing _Lloyd's_ jacket.

'Argh, Noishe!' I exclaim, brushing white and green hair off myself as he continues to plod over to Kratos. Kratos rests a hand on Noishe's head and ruffles his hair softly before turning back to the slab on the wall. Ugh, if Kratos _praises_ him for pissing me off, he's only going to do it more! Hate that Bastard Mercenaryyyy!

After brushing myself clean, I hand Lloyd a towel from my supply pack (replace "hand" with "throw at his face" and you've got it about right) after dabbing myself down with it. I _hate_ it when dogs do that. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned having a dog before, but it used to do that all the time ... I'm _so _glad we got rid of it in the end – I'm much more of a cat person. I miss Poker. He was fun.

"_You feeling__ okay down there?" _Charis asks. "_You're rambling more than usual."_

_"Nah, I'm just bored and worried."_

_"Worried?"_

I frown, choosing some random, darkened corner to stay while I talk to Charis. Apparently I look like I'm concentrating too hard when we talk to each other, and people keep asking me what's up. I can't really say that I'm talking to the thing inside my head that used to have control over this entire universe for a few weeks and is now USELESS, CHARIS – so I just tell them that I have a headache, or something. The Professor thinks I'm getting ill, so I've taken to ... going somewhere else when I talk to them.

"_What's eating at you, then?"_ Charis asks, and I hear the squeak of her office chair resound throughout my head as she leans back.

"_I dunno. I just keep thinking, with every passing day, we're getting closer to the Tower of Salvation. The things I'm most worried about now aren't really being there, as long as I get out alive, but ... what's going to change? I know that whatever changes THERE could effect the outcome of ... well, everything."_

"..._ Dammit, you think too much,"_ comes William's voice with a yawn.

"_How can't I?"_ I ask. "_I mean ... so many things could change for the better or the worse, and I just want to know WHAT will change, __y'know?__"_

"_For the better?"_ Charis asks. "_How could something change there to make things _better_?"_

_"Well ..."_ I mumble, glancing over at Kratos, who is becoming rapidly annoyed with Lloyd's constant "I'm _booooored__"_, and is threatening to sow his lips together again. "_I mean ... Kratos and Lloyd are closer, aren't they? Couldn't there be a chance that Kratos will choose _not_ to betray them – us?"_

_"It ..."_ William mumbles hesitantly. "_It doesn't matter what you do to get them closer. Kratos will betray them when the time comes, and ... in all honesty, I don't think you have a chance of changing that."_

... Well, that kinda sucks. All this time I've been trying to get them closer to save my own sorry hide, and now I've just been told it's all for nothing? There's a small chance it might have changed something, but small chances don't usually work too well for me. The only thing that's really biting is the fact that I've spent ... what, a _month_ busting my ass off to try and help these guys? Sure, I don't do a lot, but I manage to give Lloyd a good kick in the right direction every now and then.

"_Has it changed anything at all?"_ I ask, frowning again as I glare at Kratos' back. "_I __mean ... it can't have affected__NOTHING__, right?"_

There's a long pause from inside my brain, but I notice the quiet, rapid typing in the background never seems to stop. "_Well, I'd be careful about what you do now,"_ Charis says finally. "_If anything__Lloyd'll__ likely lose his will to retalia__te when Kratos fights you guys. You've gotten him to the point of looking up to Kratos like the father he never had, and when that betrayal time comes around... it'll probably hit him harder than anything. He won't be able to fight back, I figure."_

_"... Well, aren't I just made of __awesomesauce__ today?"_ I groan, looking over at Lloyd who is currently trying to look over Kratos' shoulder, but failing due to the fact that, once again, Kratos is freakishly tall, and he is goddamn short. At my newfound knowledge at the fact that Lloyd ... _won't _be able to fight back, I have the most selfish urge to storm over there and wrench him away from his father. Once again, my self-interest is boiling to the surface. If Lloyd dies early on, I don't get to go home. That's my main concern, and I want to punch myself for it. As much as I would prefer Lloyd _not_ to die, I'll always come first to myself. Always.

I just hope I keep thinking like that until I reach the end of this journey.

----------------------------

'Stay down!'

My breath catches in my throat and I choke slightly on my own air, letting my knees hit the cold, damp floor for what could have been the thousandth time. I've had Kratos roaring at me to keep down for a while now, but something in the back of my mind is willing me to get up, wipe the blood off my face and _fight_. I don't feel like myself. I'm _scared_.

I don't know what time it is – morning, still night, I don't know. We've been fighting this ... _thing_ for what feels like hours. Where it came from I'm not too sure, but it seems to have a grudge with us being in the mausoleum, and is taking out its rage very violently on us. Of course, we fought back with the knowledge that it was just another monster and that we could defeat it.

When I glance up at the _thing_, with its enormous, gargoyle like body, I begin to wonder if this will soon top my "worst battles yet" list.

I can't speak for the others, but this is been very painful on my half. Colette is being protected by Raine, who is being protected by Genis, so they're all pretty much safe, save for the few cuts and bruises cause by the sharp, yellowing claws of the gargoyle. Kratos is just unleashing hell on this bastard like there's no tomorrow, and Lloyd is doing the best he can. The poor thing feels ill again, but he's fighting for all he's worth.

I, of course, did what I always do in battles like these. Panic, save my own hide, and get to a safe distance while shooting bullet after bullet to make it look like I'm helping, or at least trying. I thought I would be _fine_, I really would ... but then William decided this would be the best time to tell me that _some_ certain monsters can sense my mana deficiency, and also what it's been replaced with. And apparently, they take it as a threat.

Without warning, the lumbering, grey skinned fiend came at me after a while of unsuccessful fighting from the lot of us. I didn't see him coming, because I was too busy trying to warn Kratos of Lloyd's dangerous injuries that seem to have been overlooked in the darkness. I heard someone screaming my name – I'm not sure who, probably Genis or Colette, but before I could turn around and look directly into those narrow red eyes, I already had a deep rip in the flesh of my upper arm.

I've never seen so much blood run from my own body in my life.

Before instinct could take over and let me scream and grip the wound with bruising force, the bulge of a thick, bony fist met my stomach, and I slumped awkwardly to the floor with a gag. My vision immediately snapped into two separate images, and I couldn't breathe for a while. Colette was the one to come to my rescue when a ring flashed through the air and connected with the side of the beast's face, luckily saving me from having my leg bones crushed under the monster's power.

Since then, Kratos has keeping the giant gargoyle busy while I've been convincing myself that I'm _not_ going to die. I'm too scared to touch my gaping wound, but blood is running down my arm in thick streams, pooling at the dip of my wrist and around my hand as is splashes to the floor. I can feel blood on my face, too – dripping down my chin and from a cut near my hairline. Raine is busy healing Lloyd's wounds up now the that boy is getting steadily dizzier and weaker as time progresses, and Genis is shrieking out spells left and right in a fit of terror. Colette ... I don't know where she is – I can't see too well.

Kratos, however, still continues to amaze me. Blood _everywhere_ that isn't his. Running down his arms, his shirt, his face, in his hair, along his sword, drenching his hands – sure, he has a share of wounds, but he isn't stopping to heal himself or anyone else. He just ... keeps going, keeps hacking away at the gargoyle, not stopping for anything. Even when he catches me trying to get to my feet out of the corner of his eye, he just barks at me to sit down without ceasing the movement of his blade, slicing through the rubbery, grey flesh of the enemy.

As I watch the blood-soaked sword hiss through the air with each blow the mercenary delivers to the retaliating body of the monster, I honestly begin to feel that I'll die if I don't keep moving and stop the world around me growing fuzzier and wavering from side to side. With a final attempt of saving myself, I place a hand shakily on my knee and bring myself slowly to my feet, letting my wounded arm hang limply at my side in fear of injuring it further. It doesn't take long for Kratos to notice yet another time.

'Are you _deaf_ girl!?' he snarls, and I glare over just in time to see more blood splatter over his body. He takes no heed of it as the gargoyle screeches piercingly into the cold air, causing everyone to flinch. '_Stay d-_'

'_Shut UP!_' I shriek, reaching for a gun with my one good arm and ripping it out of my holster. I aim uneasily, aware of how dangerous this could be with such a blurred, uneven vision right now, but I need to stop any kind of darkness crawling over me and scaring me further. Without considering that this could hit any of my comrades I fire several times until I'm satisfied with the number of bullets that thud into the flesh of the beast. I want this thing dead so I can finally get healed and stop being so scared.

Why am I doing this also?

It's quite simple. _Kratos_.

This is one of the first proper battles since he let me rejoin the group, and I know that somewhere in his mind, he's regretting letting me come along again. He still thinks I'm useless, and he still thinks I'm getting in the way. The most annoying thing is that I _know_ myself that I'm holding them back, but I have to keep wondering why it bothers me. I've never been so concerned about it before, and I'm just assuming that it's because I fear Kratos would give me the boot again, or that people are getting hurt because of me. Whatever the reason, it's caused me to struggle to my feet and keep fighting, which is _weird_ for me. I don't _fight_.

'Lloyd!'

My head snaps in Lloyd's direction after Genis' panicked scream tears through the air, and I can just make out his figure slumping awkwardly to his knees through the thick darkness. I commend Kratos' ability to tolerate everyone around him collapsing, but he obviously pays more attention to Lloyd than me. I'm quite sure if Lloyd got a paper-cut and my leg was violently hacked off, he'd be getting more treatment than me any day.

The Professor's staff emits sudden waves light, illuminating the area around here and temporarily blinding the beast who then staggers around aimlessly, grunting and groaning as fragile tiles on the floor crack noisily under his feet. It's given her and Kratos enough time to locate Lloyd before the light dims, and Raine looks over her shoulder, looking panic-stricken.

'Genis!'

'I'm on it!' he replies, narrowly dodging a muscular limb that flies in his direction. He ducks under the arm that almost took his head off and whips around, kendama at the ready. The symbols of concentrated mana seem so much brighter in the dark, and a large space is illuminated by the spell. I hear a few muttered words in Elven from the half-elf, and the runes spread.

'Stalagmite!'

It's still hard to make out through the dark, but from my point of view as I lean against the wall breathing heavily, I see the ground churning and twisting around the gargoyle's body, rising up in colossal pillars of earth to crash against it and trap it in a stony cage. I hear blood splatter against the cold floor and wince at the shrieks that rip from the beast's throat.

'This should hold it for a little while,' Genis pants, kendama still in hand. I think he's using his mana to enforce the stability of the stone cage concealing the gargoyle while Raine inspects why Lloyd is dying on his feet. The poor kid seems to be trying hard at this, because he's rapidly becoming out of breath as the glow around his hands intensifies while mana is set free. Colette hops down from the air to assist him, wings still shining brightly so he can concentrate his aim. 'Hurry, Raine – I don't know how much longer I can keep it trapped!

Colette encourages him by telling him to hang in there, and I decide to keep my attention on the other three while I mumble First Aid spells and attempt to clean my throbbing arm up. The light has returned to Raine's staff to give her a clear view of what's wrong with him, and I feel my chest tighten when I see him leaning slack but conscious against Kratos' shoulder (who has abandoned battle for the moment to assist Raine), with several lines of blood dripping from his mouth. On the floor in front of him is more blood, still wet against the floor. I can only imagine he's been coughing up blood or something, but whatever it is, it does _not_ seem good.

"_His illness is about to take another bout,"_ Charis warns from the back of my mind. "_Don't concern yourself with it now. It'll go away for a while – just kill that thing."_

I attempt to straighten up after my eighth spell of First Aid on my arm, and realise there's blood dripping down my chin also. Luckily for me, that's just from a cut lip, so I just sample the coppery taste in my mouth before spitting to the floor with a grimace.

'Gross.'

'Are you just gonna stand there all day?' Genis exclaims, glaring over his shoulder. 'You could at least give us a hand!'

I decide not to answer to his stabbing comment and practically stumble over, still feeling slightly dizzy from the blow previously landed on me. I pause, take in a deep breath, and continue.

'My best attack is Shockwave,' I tell him icily. 'If I use that, the stone will crack.'

'Then use Mana Blast, or something!'

'Using that now will probably kill me,' I hiss, spitting out more blood from my lip. Colette gives me a worried look before digging around her pocket for something, handing me an Apple Gel. I just give it a distasteful look, shaking my head when a wave of nausea crashes over me just by looking at it.

'I can't,' I breathe, not sure where to set my gaze to without feeling queasier. Kratos is coated in a thick, damp cloak of blood, and the floor is practically brimming with the red liquid. When I look to the gargoyle, I can now see clearly that the flesh around its shoulder has been hacked off so much by Kratos that the bone and torn muscle beneath is now visibly and bleeding profusely. An eyeball is latterly hanging out of its socket, split with blood steaming down his face from that, a broken nose, and a large chunk of the left side of it's face missing. I almost feel sorry for it, but am soon reminded that this is the bastard that almost lost me an arm.

'... I feel sick,' I explain shortly to Colette, who nods in compliance and returns the gel to her pocket. I notice the two of them keep glancing worriedly over to their friend, who now seems to be looking slightly better thanks to Raine. Little colour has returned to his face though he still looks extremely pale, and his brow is damp with perspiration. He looks less tired, dizzy and confused, and Kratos just keeps mumbling softly to him to keep him awake while glancing over at the trapped monster every few seconds.

'Raine, is he going to be okay?' Genis shouts over the roaring of the beast still trapped, looking deathly worried. I'd let some of my own mana flow to keep the cage intact, but seeing as the deficiency seems fretful, it could cause it to go out of control and destroy the cage.

Lloyd coughs again, now thankfully without any blood forcing its way up his throat. I notice the grip on his shoulder tighten to steady him and he winces slightly, forcing his eyes open a little to look over at his best friend with a grin. 'I'll be fine ... quit worrying.'

'Lloyd's right,' I say, still gripping my gun. Not that I believe a word he's saying right now, but it'd be best to keep Genis concentrating on the monster's prison instead of the reason _why_ we're imprisoning him. 'Kratos and Raine can look after him just fine – we need to keep this thing trapped long enough so they can treat him properly.'

'R-right,' Genis mumbles with a nod, turning his wavering attention back to his spell. A horrendous crack splits the air as a large chunk of the cage crashes to the floor, shattering in a mess of dust and earth. Genis grips his kendama with both hands, forcing out more mana to steady his spell. The monster's good arm is flailing wildly and destroying all it its path, and the three of us take a giant leap back to avoid being sliced by those old, knife-like claws.

I feel bad, knowing that I actually _talked_ with one of these things and got it to stop fighting, but now I don't have a chance in hell of that working. The one I talked to was around five times smaller and probably had a better sense of good and bad, and this one is just ... amazingly strong and hot-headed, ready to kill any of us.

'C'mon Genis, I bet you could kill this thing yourself,' I mutter, looking over the monster. He's still got some fight left in him, but he doesn't look like he'll last much longer thanks to Kratos' bloodthirsty work on him. 'Stop waiting for the bastard mercenary and use Stalagmite again.'

'If I let it free, it'll go for Lloyd!' Genis snaps, hands shaking as he lets out wave after wave of mana. 'I'm not gonna let that happen!'

'_Kratos_ is there,' I reply, deciding on which helpful tech to use at this point without endangering the cage. 'If the gargoyle goes near them, he'll cut it down before you can say "oh lord, the gore".'

'That's putting Lloyd in danger!' Genis protests, looking a little pale from the amounts of mana he's expelling every few seconds. 'I can't do that!'

'Genis, just _kill it_,' I snap. 'You're strong enough for this – you're the best mage I know. If you're worried, Colette and me will keep it busy, right Colette?'

'Right!' she says with a nod, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze with an urging smile. 'You can do it, Genis.'

The short mage takes in a ragged breath, looking slightly dizzy when the mana-expelling begins to take its toll. 'I can't - I'm not strong enough ...'

I jump when another crack sounds through the air, as chunks of the cage crumble while the gargoyle thrashes wildly against his prison. The glare of light from the Professor's staff seems to be irritating it, and it's getting more and more frenzied as we waste time standing around doing nothing. I'm half willing to give Kratos a shout and tell him to finish the thing off, but I know better than to demand something of him when Lloyd is in need of help.

'I'm not ... strong enough ...'

I look over to Genis again and try to ignore the consistent roars from the trapped gargoyle a few yards in front as it struggles, and Colette puts an arm around his shoulders to steady him when he stumbles slightly. I may not be an elf or a half-elf (I still firmly believe I'm human, despite what I might look like here), but I can tell that the amount of mana Genis has been using to keep the pillars of stone intact has been immense, and I'm surprised the kid isn't dead right now. He _is_ extremely dizzy, and I'd recommend for him to stop, but Raine and Kratos are still trying to calm Lloyd down. It's quite a lose-lose situation, and the cage is coming down pretty fast.

"_I'd cover your eyes right about now,"_ Charis says quickly. "_Marble is about to make her will known, and it's gonna be friggin' bright."_

'Do wha-?' I ask aloud before a sudden flash of white makes my instinct kick in, and I throw an arm over my eyes to avoid being blinded. I think everyone does the same, and Raine goes as far to exclaim a panicked "what the-!?" when we realise the source of the vivid light is coming directly from Genis' Exsphere. The gargoyle thrashes again with another shriek at the irritation, and I slap my hands over my ears now that the light has dimmed to some extent. The shine is duller, but it's still glowing unnaturally.

"_Marble's worried about him. She's protecting him through the Exsphere – that's what they do,"_ comes my explanation from either one of the people in my head – it isn't important right now. What is important is the fact that Raine has left Lloyd's side and is making a dash for her barely-conscious brother who is still being held by Colette. I notice him stir rapidly as if the mana he previously used up was flowing right back into him, and the glazed over look in his eyes fade.

'Stalag ... mite ...'

The rush is intense, and the sound horrendous. I feel the floor below my feet sink an inch or two when an enormous column of stone moulds itself from the surrounding rock, rushing at the still trapped fiend. The crunch of bone snapping like twigs fills the air on contact, and half the monster's body is ripped from the broken cage, slammed against the wall with the impact of the new spell. I can hear the shriek; see the shower of blood, the grinding crush of stone against stone, and the ending crash as everything falls to the floor.

I feel I could be sick right now, but I won't. I'll ignore the blood dribbling down the wall in rivers and turn to Genis, who looks suddenly wide awake and astonished at his own work through the dark. Even Kratos is staring slightly wide-eyed at the mangled corpse, and Lloyd, not too keen on feeling queasier than he already is, just buries his face in Kratos' shoulder.

Immediately, Raine grabs her brother by the shoulders, practically wrenching him away from Colette. 'Genis, are you alright? Are you hurt?'

'I'm ... I'm fine,' Genis mumbles, sounding truthful but shocked as he gently inches away from his sister's grip. 'I'm just a little confused ... that's all.'

'_That_,' I interrupt, pointing at the bloodshed without looking at it myself. 'That was so freakin' kickass. Do that more often.'

'I ... I dunno what that was at all,' Genis tells us, ignoring how Raine is smoothing his hair out of his face and checking his temperature, pulse, and many other medical things. 'Did anyone else hear that voice?'

'Voice?' Raine asks, halting her actions. 'You're hearing voices now? Perhaps you're overtired ... maybe you need some medic-'

'Sis, I'm fine ... I really am,' he protests with a blush, gently shoving her away. 'Maybe I just imagined it ... it was probably a result of the sudden mana lessening to the system.'

'... It might have been Marble. The Exsphere is her memento, isn't it?' Colette suggests out of the blue while more of our part members get themselves together. Genis considers the option with a small frown as Kratos tugs one of Lloyd's arms around his shoulders, supporting him as he gets to his feet. Lloyd seriously looks like he just wants to sleep right now, and I don't blame him – fighting is tiring, especially when you're on the worse end of it all.

'I wonder ...' Genis murmurs, running a thumb over his Exsphere with a slightly saddened expression at the memories. I never knew or got the time to speak with Marble at any point, but ... I'm guessing she meant a lot to Genis, him not having any parents or anything. I'd inquire about it, but I wouldn't like to upset him further. 'Lloyd, is that normal in Exspheres?'

No answer.

'... Lloyd?'

'Asleep,' Kratos confirms with a glare at the short boy in his grip, slipping an arm under his legs to support him safely as he hoists him up into his arms. 'Though I am sure it would be safe to rid the place of monsters, I believe we should let some members of the group rest for a while. I'm sure Genis is feeling fatigued after these events, also.'

'Just a little ...' Genis agrees with a nod. 'Is Lloyd going to be oka-'

Kratos interrupts sharply, turning from our group and already setting down the corridor with the boy in his arms. 'Lloyd will be fine. Come.'

I salute dramatically at his turned back before everyone follows him, but I take a moment to flinch in pain and drop my arm back to my side. The wound is still there from earlier – ugly and noticeable through Lloyd's torn jacket. I'll have to apologise to him for destroying most of it and staining it with blood, but I'm sure he won't mind – he can just get Raine to stitch it all back up again with a few good pleads and puppy-dog-eyes acts for good measure.

I bite my lip as the needles of pain shoot up and down my arm, but manage to ignore them, as well as the fact that I'm slightly annoyed that the attention was taken off me for Lloyd and Genis for so long that they forgot to inquire about my injury. I'm not too bothered, and I guess I can heal it myself, but I wouldn't mind some TLC every now and then, especially in these situations.

I take a final look at the mangled figure which looks barely noticeably as a gargoyle anymore through the stains of red, crushed bone and ripped muscle before setting off down the corridor with the others, listening to the continuous dripping sounds from the battleground as red liquid continues to splatter into the pools surrounding the scene.

Blood. _Waaaay_ too much blood.


	51. Iapyx

Hiiiii guys.

Okay, I won't lie - the reason it's been taking so long to update lately is because I'm going through one of those "I'm giving up TWC" phases. This has happened like ... once or twice before, but it usually goes away after about a week, while this has been going for about three months. I dunno - I'm finally on my summer holidays, but I have to study for my GCSEs next year, which is really my main school exams if I ever want to get a decent job. Sure, I'll study - I just don't know if I'll be able to update as usually as I have done in the past. I've told a friend and come to a possible conclusion that it COULD just be because I'm writing such a boring phase in the game, and things will pick up now we have the whole Asgard ranch coming up pretty soon. Who knows. Argh, thoughts on what you think would be really helpful, if you wanna attempt to help me get through this annoying phase XD It'll be much appriciated, because I really don't want to give this up. I love all of you guys.

Right, my documents are doing this weird thing where they shove words together when I upload, so if you see that ... just try to ignore it D:

ALRIGHT, on the 30th last month, TWC had it's second birthday XD Wow, two years and still running. And I'm only at the Wind Seal D: There'll be a lot of time skips from now on, so everything will be over with much faster without the long chapters based only on what happens between main events. Just watch - we'll be at the Tower of Salvation in no time.

Pointless info time!: TWC is the second longest fic in the ToS section 8D Woooow. I know, probably not for long, but I'm quite proud of that achivement. I CAN TELL MY FAMILY THAT I'M NOT A FAILURE ;o;

Right, sorry for the lack of gore-warnings last chapter XD I should have made it clearer, seeing as it disturbed a few people. There isn't much gore in this chapter, so no worries. A lot of Char-bashing, but not much gore. Reviews appriciated a lot :3

* * *

Chapter 51 - Iapyx

'I'm telling you guys, it's green, yellow, red, white, blue ...'

'_No_, it's yellow, red, white, green, blue. Lloyd, you probably have no idea what we're talking about.'

'S ... shut up, Genis!'

I smile at the seventh reminder that everything is finally back to normal, but am also reminded that the two of them have been harping at each other for a while now about the puzzle we are now faced with. But then again, that's reassuring that everything is nice and ordinary again, so I can't complain too much. The Professor is about to bitchslap them five ways through Sunday if they don't shut up soon, but hey. S'all normal.

Since the rather ... gruesome battle that I'd rather not remember, Lloyd has made what looks like a complete recovery from his painful episode, and has been storming towards any monster he sees and cutting it down in a kind of "look, I'm all better, worship me," attitude. We do the first thing, but the worshipping can be saved until later. It's hard to take Lloyd seriously when he's not wearing his jacket. Which I'm still in possession of, for now.

Since then, we've been walking around after a good long night's sleep (without Noishe, thankfully, who escaped the seal when that monster tried to kill us) in a fairly ... happy but loud mood. For most of the part, Lloyd has been randomly slowing down with constant whines of "are we _there_ yet?", and I've taken to craving some much needed attention for once, which I totally didn't get (they chose to ignore it when I started jumping up and down while waving my good arm like a manic shouting "NOTICE MEEEE!"). Genis told me to shut up, Kratos smacked me over the head, and I've been quiet since then. Go me.

Anyway ... after the Professor finally collected all the information she could from around the seal, we all headed to the seal chamber to see if there was any purpose at all in collecting all the info from around the seal, or if we could have just strolled on in to meet up with Remiel all this time. If the latter is true, I'm throwing myself off the mausoleum.

And now we've finally reached the chamber that _leads _to the seal, we have no clue _how_ to open the door that leads to the roof so we can accomplish our Chosen crap, and get the hell out of this _GRAVE_.

... Uh, I'll explain, I guess.

We're in a dark, square chamber type place, and there are five ... windmills in the centre of the room. They're not massive, like _real _ones – only small ones of separate colours – red, green, white, yellow, blue. From what we've gathered, they have to be activated (spun) in a certain order, or the door leading to the roof won't open for us. The Professor is still analysing all of the information we collected to make sense of it, but we're not getting too far. Genis and Lloyd have started spinning them randomly to see what happens, Colette is helping the Professor decode some stuff, Kratos is being _pissed off_, and I'm tired. And hungry.

'... _Food_,' I hiss for the hundredth time. 'I need _food_ ...'

'You _want_ food,' Genis corrects with a glare at some innocent windmill. 'You can survive until we finish the seal.'

'You ate my breakfast, jackass!'

'You fell asleep!'

'I was tired!'

'Well you shouldn't have stayed up all night!'

'My head hurt!'

'And that's _my_ fault!?'

'Yes, with your Exsphere going batshit and blinding me!'

'Argh!' Lloyd interrupts loudly, abandoning his inspection of the blue windmill in the centre of the room (hitting it until it works). 'Will you guys knock it off already!?'

The two of us immediately shut up, but we end up glaring at each other before Genis huffs and goes back to a windmill anyway. Lloyd is really grouchy today because of the incident last night with the whole ... 'him-not-being-able-to-fight' thing. Sure, he's made up for it today with his _overload _of fighting, but he's still pretty miffed at how Genis had to take on the monster himself. Disregarding the fact that Genis practically _kicked the monster's ass_, but y'know. Lloyd's very protective of his best buddy. It's adorable. I wish I had an older-brotherly figure like that.

... Anyway, moving straight on.

'Okay, uh ...' Lloyd mutters after a moment, still giving the windmills an unsatisfied glance. 'How about we move them in rainbow order, or ... something?'

'Rainbow order?' I ask, raising an eyebrow. 'Red, orange, yellow ... like that?'

'Yeah!' Lloyd answers with a grin, already spinning the red windmill. 'We'll just skip the ones that aren't here.'

We all wait for Lloyd to finish spinning them all, leaving the white until last. Of course, like all the previous attempts, nothing happens for a while, and they all slow down before stopping completely, drawing out a long sigh from Lloyd. I roll my eyes, Genis groans, Colette and the Professor hang their heads simultaneously, and Kratos just continues to look pissed off while Lloyd tries again.

Speaking of everyone's favourite bastard mercenary, he's been avoiding Lloyd like the plague today. Seriously – I've been observing, and whenever Lloyd skips (yes, _skips_) up to Kratos' side to try and dive into a conversation with him, all he answers with is 'hn'. That's it. It's probably one of the reasons why Lloyd is all pissy and annoyed now, but I would be too. If I liked Kratos as much as Lloyd likes him, I mean. I hate the bastard mercenary, so I couldn't care less.

Problem is, even though I don't care, I'm still curious about why Kratos had a sudden change in attitude overnight. The only thing he _did_ last night was help Raine look after Lloyd while he was ill, and continue to do that while he was on night watch for us. Other than that ... I have no idea – the only thing that happened was Lloyd making a complete recovery, so ... why? I don't get it. Or maybe I'm just missing something painfully obvious. I'm usually _that_ dense, so it wouldn't surprise me.

I have a right mind to go over there and ask Kratos why he's being such an ass, but he'd probably stab me in the face. Repeatedly.

'Argh! This is really starting to piss me off!' Lloyd declares, kicking the windmill's support.

'You're not the only one,' I counter with a glare. 'And _some_ of us have headaches.'

'Oh ... sorry,' Lloyd mumbles, looking from me to the windmill a few times. 'I guess I got a little carried away.'

I bite my lip. 'Don't worry about it, man. We're all a little stressed. Just take a break or something – you're wearing yourself out by getting so hyped about it.'

'Yeah, I guess you're right ...'

'I'm always right,' I say with a nod when he walks over and sits down next to me. I'd just like to say that I'm not sitting down at this point, so I take the opportunity to tug playfully at his fringe for the hell of it now he's down there. I dunno why, I just do. He simply slaps my hand away, still frowning.

'Geez, did you get up on the wrong side of the bed or something?' I ask, furrowing my brow when I glare down at him. 'You're being a jerk.'

Lloyd doesn't answer, and I notice Genis and Colette looking over worriedly at the third member of their trio. When I get a glance, I just shrug in reply, not too keen on describing my theory that it may have something to do with how Kratos seems to be going out of his way to ignore him. When I glimpse at Kratos for a split second, I notice he's not paying attention to any of us and just ... standing there, staring at the sealed door that leads to the roof as if he wants us to hurry up and finish this.

What an asshole.

'I can't wait to get out of this place ...' Genis sighs finally to break the uncomfortable silence. 'The air is so thick and putrid.'

'... _Grave_,' I hiss for the hopefully final time to these people. 'The Balacruf Mausoleum is a dark, abandoned, few hundreds of years old _grave_. There are dead people in here – of course it's gonna reek.'

Genis just nods, winkling his nose a little. 'It smells like death ...'

'And blood,' I add, cringing at the thoughts that enter my head. 'I'm sure a certain battle we had didn't do wonders for this place.'

'Oh ... maybe we should clean it up before we leave?' Colette asks, once again abandoning the Professor and leaving her to herself. 'I'm sure the next Chosen doesn't want to see something like that when she comes to release the seal ...'

'Or he?' I ask with a shrug. 'Maybe the Chosen lineage goes boy-girl-boy-girl?'

'It is decided completely at random,' Kratos tells us from the other side of the room, not making much of an effort to look over us. 'Though yes, the last Chosen was a man.'

'Was he old and grey?' I ask out of curiosity. From what I've heard, Chosens aren't always called for the regeneration journey when they hit their teenage years. Sometimes they're called when they're too old to move properly anymore, and sometimes even a few hours after they're born. It's a bit sad to think of someone having to take their newborn to die for Yggdrasill's cause, but hey. It keeps the jackass happy, so we'll leave him to it.

Moving on, Kratos just ignores my question and goes back to staring at the door leading to the seal room ... roof, whatever. It's like he's trying to will it open with the _power of his mind_. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he could do _that_ too – man, he's spent four thousand years learning how to swordfight, do any type of martial art you can name, build up a stud-muffin body, use amazingly controlled spells, and pretty much everything else you can think of to do when you're bored while living that long. Geez, he could probably kill someone with a tic-tac.

... _Cinnamon_ flavoured tic-tacs, of course.

I swear, once I get back to Earth, I'll never be able to eat another cinnamon bun again after this experience. It'll be like eating Kratos' _arm_, or something.

'I can't stand this!' Genis finally exclaims, stamping his foot childishly. 'These riddles are making no sense at all!'

'Genis is right,' Raine sighs, getting to her feet and snapping her book shut. She helps Colette up before turning to us all. 'I propose we search the seal a bit more before making anymore rash decisions.'

'Rash?' Lloyd asks, looking up at his teacher. 'What's so rash about spinning a few windmills until we get them in the right order?'

Raine doesn't answer Lloyd's question, but she looks over at Kratos who has now taken a slight interest in our actions now we've started to scuttle about, ready to leave. 'Kratos, if you wouldn't mind.'

The mercenary hunches his shoulders and pushes himself away from the wall with his shoulder blades, straightening up. I watch as he reaches behind the neck of his cape and pulls out what looks like a large, black bead from some kind of hidden pocket, or something like that. I'll admit – I have no idea what the hell it is, but you can practically smell the mana radiating from it, elven blood or no.

"_Smoke pellet,"_ Charis tells me quickly. "_I told you he kept them hidden in his clothes in Luin."_

Whatever it's supposed to do is still unknown to us, until of course Kratos casually flicks it at the wall behind him. Before contact, it explodes, and a vast amount of smoke floods out, enveloping at least six meters of space ... which seems a _lot_ for just a small bead.

There's a small scuffing sound from Lloyd's boot as he pulls himself up, staring into the slowly fading smoke. 'What the hell ...?'

I'm almost tempted to say that myself, but manage to ... _not_. Littered across the wall are small, reddish lights ...probably just less than a hundred, each about the side of small fingernail. I have no idea what they are, but there's a small, almost invisible line leading from a single one all the way to the main windmill in the centre of the room. I have a feeling that the smoke-pellet was able to make these things visible to the naked eye, in which case they weren't before.

Whoa, I'm getting all scientific-shit on you guys. That ain't good. I'll do something to make up for it.

I point to the wall. 'Dude, what?'

'They're small, concentrated and generally explosive balls of mana,' Genis explains, going into mini-Professor mode for the moment. 'It seems that failing the puzzle a certain number of times would send a signal to that single ball.'

'... So?' Lloyd asks, hand on his hips. 'One tiny explosion won't hurt us. Man, the guys that built this place weren't too smart.'

'The detonation of that single ball would set off a chain explosion,' Kratos says quietly as the effects of the smoke-pellet fade, and the mana-balls become less visible. 'The doors would shut, the chamber would collapse, and we would all be killed in the process.'

'... Smashing,' I say after a momentary look of horror from Lloyd.

'Now, unless anyone has anymore enquiries or objections,' Raine says, slipping her book back into the bag crammed full of ruin-excavation ... stuff. 'Let's go.'

Silently, we all leave the chamber when everyone finishes collecting their things, and Raine immediately advises that we go down the dark, damp hallway to our left. I think we should all listen to her, because she's bound to have been keeping track of all the things she's looked at in here ... seriously, she's one of the scariest, obsessive people in this world. Except for Mithos and his sister-obsession. Creepy little bastard.

Not much happens from then on, really – we just follow behind the leading Professor as she bows over her notebook, scribbling down her observations while giggling to herself every now and then in bliss. I'm at the back of the line for a _reason_, y'know. No way am I risking my life standing next to that thing. Genis, probably used to all of this by now, simply follows at her side with his head hung in loving shame. Colette is just beside him, trying to cheer him up through this difficult time, Kratos just follows silently a few steps back, probably wondering _why_ he hasn't slaughtered us all yet, and Lloyd ... Lloyd is shaking like mad.

I furrow my brow is worry, reaching out to touch his bare arm. 'Llo-'

'I can't stand this anymore!' he yells abruptly, clutching himself tighter. Everyone looks back in panic. 'It's freezing! Gimmie my jacket back!'

I pause for a moment and grin, holding my hand out. 'Fifty gald.'

'Jacket first!' he practically barks, hunching his shoulders tightly while I roll my eyes and tug the piece of red clothing over my head.

'Here you go, loser.'

He just snatches it off me, wrenching it over his head. As we walk, I notice how long it takes him to get his outfit right. He has to tuck the shirt into his trousers, redo the belts properly, attach his suspenders again, fasten his gloves to his sleeves ... damn, why doesn't he just wear t-shirt and jeans, or something? It'd be so much easier.

Then again, this is _Tales of Symphonia_. I swear, I'm the plainest one of them all. I think I just fade into the background slowly ... I don't say much or do much, anyway. Darn, I really have to do something _big_ at some point ... just to remind everyone I'm still alive and kicking, y'know? Maybe I could kill something real big ... with my _bare hands_. Or save someone's life, or something similarly awesome. Then again, if it was a "jump-in-the-way-of-an-attack" method of saving a life, I'd probably pass up on that one. No thanks.

... At some point during this journey, I plan to do something totally awesome. Well, I'll try to, anyway. Worst case scenario – it could totally backfire and I'll loose an arm and a leg, or something. But damn, wouldn't that make me cool? Wait, being cool – that should be my awesome goal. No wait! Aren't I already cool? I have _guns_, right?!

I pause for a long moment, ignoring my inner turmoil. I turn to the swordsman, still fiddling with his suspenders. 'Lloyd, am I cool?'

'You're a dork,' he clarifies, thumping me lightly on the shoulder after straightening out his jacket. I settle with wrinkling my nose in distaste to his wording, folding my arms.

'I'm a _cool_ dork.'

'... You're a dork.'

------------------

The next half an hour goes quite quickly, but it's extremely boring altogether to be honest. Not much happens as we navigate through the twisting passages of the mausoleum, not even a battle. Shame, too – I was looking quite forward to seeing Genis flipping out and blowing everything up again like yesterday ... because that was totally awesome, and I'd like to see it again.

Speaking of Genis, he got really tired a while back because he didn't sleep well last night. Aww, poor thing. Due to our lack of encounters, it's been deemed safe to allow him to be carried by Raine, and he is currently slumped over her back while she gives him a piggy-back. I honestly don't know what it is with these people and piggy-backs, but ... sure, why not. I'll just go with the flow for now. Raine is a little saddened at her inability to ruin-mode right now, so Colette is helping by jotting down the notes for her. Kratos is still ignoring everyone, Lloyd is following behind and yawning constantly now that boredom and fatigue is settling in, and I'm just ... observing, as always. Again, I have to start doing awesome stuff! Dammit!

'Where the _hell_ did all the monsters go?' I demand, glaring at the darkness engulfing the passage ahead. 'Seriously.'

'I dunno,' Lloyd yawns, rubbing his eyes with heel of his palm. 'So tired ... and _bored_ ...'

'It's likely they're in hiding due to Genis' actions last night,' Kratos says from a few yards in front, not looking over his shoulder. 'And I'm sure they caught a glimpse of the beast from that certain battle.'

I frown a little, thinking back to those bloody images. I'm certain, if I were a monster who had seen something like that, I wouldn't want to go near the people who caused it. No wonder we've only had like ... three unprovoked battles today. The monsters that Lloyd didn't want to kill just scampered off after glancing over at us.

'Fair enough,' I say, shrugging. 'As long as we're okay for the battle at the seal.'

'We'll be fine,' Lloyd says, his vocal cords straining as he pushes down another yawn. 'As long as I don't fall asleep in mid-battle or something ...'

'What's up with you and Genis?' I ask, looking over at the half elf draped over his sister's back. 'You guys are shattered today.'

'Who knows,' Lloyd sighs, rubbing his head. 'We didn't sleep much last night ...'

I nod. 'Ah. Have a man-to-man talk with him, did'ja?'

'Eeeh ... sort of,' Lloyd says, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. 'Just some things ... y'know ...'

'Marble?' I whisper, getting a short nod in return. I may not have known the woman at all or even played a part in her side in this whole experience, but I heard enough from Genis and Lloyd to know that she was a pretty amazing lady, and that Genis cared about her a lot. Maybe it _was_ her voice that he heard yesterday ... but I can't be too sure. It _is_ her in the Exsphere after all, but I have doubts.

'... So tired!' Lloyd groans after the millionth yawn. I roll my eyes, watching as Colette pauses to scribble down some notes for the Professor.

'Well, I ain't giving you a piggy-back.'

'... I bet you could if you tried-'

'Bugger off.'

Lloyd pouts childishly even though he knows very well that I'd probably break my back carrying him (not that he's _that_ much taller than me, but y'know – if I stood on my tip-toes, I'd probably reach his height). Before he can say anything, before _I _can say anything, and before anyone can open their mouths to remark at all, Kratos comments on the situation firmly and abruptly.

'No.'

'What?' Lloyd asks simply, hands raised in defence. 'What did I do? I didn't say anythi-'

'You're considering the question,' Kratos replies sharply. 'And the answer is no.'

Lloyd sighs, glancing from the mercenary to the Sage siblings, and back to the mercenary. '... C'mon, don't be a grouch!'

'I am not your personal mule,' Kratos snaps. 'I have carried you enough times already throughout this journey.'

'Damn it, you are mean!' Lloyd protests loudly, pointing an accusing finger at the annoyed swordsmaster. 'You are a mean, mean, meanie!'

I raise an eyebrow at Lloyd's lack of insults, giving him a sceptic look. 'Meanie? Oh come _on ..._'

Lloyd huffs, turning back to Kratos. 'Jerk! Thug! Jackass! _Bastard mercenary!_'

'Brat,' Kratos counters casually, looking extremely pissed off at the fact Lloyd has plucked my insult from the air and used it. Oh the horror – whatever will I call Kratos now when he pisses me off? Point being, I'm assuming Lloyd wants to make Kratos' life just a little harder by trying to get a piggy-back from him. I think it's happened enough times already for Lloyd to deem it _safe_, but I'm sure Kratos doesn't want to be doing something like that. He's the cool person of the group, see?

Genis looks over his shoulder at his best fried with a grin, satisfied for some reason that he's getting attention and Lloyd isn't. Eep, a few veins will be popping in Lloyd's forehead anytime soon, I'm certain. He _definitely_ doesn't look happy that Kratos has been ignoring him all day, especially after last night's events. It's after these illness bouts that Lloyd needs to train and be told he's awesome, because he hates the thought of being useless. Poor thing.

I look over when Lloyd pats my shoulder and almost say something, but he quickly presses a finger to his lips, shaking his head. He makes a hand motion signalling me to keep walking with the group silently, despite that fact he's just ... _ standing_ there. Crap, we're leaving him behind or something?

Regardless, I furrow my brow and keep walking, wondering just what the hell Lloyd is up to. I hope he realises that he's quite screwed if he goes off on his own with no one there to help and protect him. I mean, I know he can look after himself, but this seal isn't exactly a walk in the park.

When a blur of red shoots past me, I realise exactly what he's about to do, and it will undoubtedly get him killed.

Now, before I explain, I'd like to imagine a majority of you know who Kratos is. Y'know, the four thousand year old bastard mercenary, who happens to also be a comrade of the hero Mithos and helped bring about the end of the ancient Kharlan war, the ongoing seal of Origin – protector of the eternal sword, the fourth all-powerful seraphim of Cruxis – guiding organisation of this world, as well as Tethe'alla. And he has a badass theme tune.

It's definitely not a good idea to jump on his back.

'_Lloyd_'

Regardless of the shout that makes everyone jump, Lloyd wraps his arms around Kratos' neck and his winds legs securely around the man's waist. Kratos, obviously, does not approve. Somehow, he's managed to maintain his balance even after the sudden ... _glomp_, and he straightens up with Lloyd still clinging for dear life.

'Lloyd, get off.'

'Nope.'

'You do not need to be carried,' he snaps, looking over his shoulder at the boy attached to his back. 'You are simply doing this to irritate me.'

'It's working, isn't it?'

Kratos just growls lowly, and Genis motions at Raine to back away pretty damn quickly before Kratos explodes in rage. Even Colette takes a few wary steps back, and Lloyd just ... hangs in there, looking quite worried at the consequences of his actions. I follow the others' example and shuffle away quickly.

'I can assure you,' Kratos starts, having trouble evening his voice out through the building fury at the person on his back. 'That there are better ways to seek attention. This is simply angering the people around you, and I'm sure you would rather we all cling to our last shreds of _sanity_ before this journey is over. You are not helping.'

'Well, technically, I'm only annoying _you_,' Lloyd says thoughtfully, resting his chin on the top of Kratos' head. 'So it's okay, right?'

'Not when your Professor must _scrape you off the wall_,' Kratos whispers dangerously. Raine furrows her brow at the idea, and Lloyd loosens his grip a little, ready to jump off at any second should he be ... violently attacked, which seems very possible right now.

'Okay, okay, okay,' Lloyd says quickly, hoisting himself up more securely on the mercenary's back. 'Give me three good reasons why you shouldn't carry me.'

'For one, you do not _need_ to be carried, and this is merely an act of annoyance,' Kratos begins, sounding about ready to reach over his shoulder and rip Lloyd's smug face off. 'Two, if any monsters block our path, the only people who would be able to take immediate action would be Harrison and the Chosen.'

'Oi,' I interrupt, glaring. Kratos ignores and continues, proving his third point.

'Finally,' he says, shifting his position slightly so Lloyd can hold on tighter, moving his arms to fold across his chest. 'You are not a child.'

'I must disagree on that point,' Raine says with a small chuckle, supporting Genis' legs tighter so he doesn't fall. 'Lloyd has the mindset of a ten year old.'

'Hey!' Lloyd exclaims, wrapping his arm tighter around Kratos' neck while the other points at his professor. 'Are you saying that I'm the immatureist person in this group!?'

'"Immatureist" isn't a word,' Genis sighs, looking over at his also-piggy-backing friend and also proving his sister's point. Lloyd looks like he's about to make some smart comeback, but his mouth simply snaps shut after a few seconds. I can't help but snort, looking away quickly before Lloyd jumps off Kratos' back and hurts me.

Seeing as Kratos' points are going largely unnoticed, he takes another shot at Plan A. 'We don't have time for this. Get down.'

'I'm tired and my knees hurt,' Lloyd protests half-heartedly, showing no signs of backing down. To make matters better or worse, Colette decides to interject at this point after noting how rapidly Kratos' Stab-o-Meter is soaring.

'Um, Mr Kratos?' she tries carefully, trying to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed, which is slowly becoming inevitable. 'Perhaps if you only carried Lloyd for a couple of minutes? At least until his legs stopped hurting?'

And then, she does the most amazing thing with a small, Colette-like smile. She _proves Kratos wrong_. 'If Lloyd tried to walk with his legs hurting, wouldn't that slow us down even more?'

And I don't think I've ever seen Kratos more pissed off at us before. I mean, sure, he's been pretty livid with me a couple of times, and that night in Asgard when he beat up Lloyd was just damn _terrifying_, but at all of us? Man, I'm surprised he isn't dumping Lloyd on the floor and striding right on back to Cruxis with a resignation note to make Yuan do it instead, or something.

... The regeneration journey with Yuan instead of Kratos? Horrible, horrible thought.

With a sigh (that sounds more like a snarl), Kratos unfolds his arms to support Lloyd's legs and keeps walking without another word. Colette smiles again and reaches up past the Professor's shoulder to give Genis a high-five. Being the Chosen, pretty much everything she says goes. I wish I had that kind of rule over these people ... but hey, I'm just here in the background. I've gotta do something awesome, dammit!

'I win,' Lloyd says, squeezing Kratos' neck uncomfortably tight for a second or two. The mercenary just growls in response, loosening his grip and letting Lloyd slip a good few inches as if he was being dropped.

'Whoa!'

When he manages to drag himself back up, he flashes Genis a cocky grin. 'Who's laughing now, huh?'

'At least I have a lesser chance of getting killed when I get off,' he answers, smirking back. There's a painfully long pause until Lloyd turns to the mercenary carrying him, sounding a little worried.

'Hey man, you're not gonna kill me after this, right?'

'No,' Kratos grumbles lowly. 'But you may loose a leg or two. Perhaps an arm.'

'Ha ... haha ... y-you're joking ... right ...?'

'Hmph ...'

'P-Professor!'

------------------------

Another while later (around an hour since the piggy-back incident, I think), Raine finally seems to have collected all the necessary information for us to make sense of the windmill puzzle, because I apparently we missed a few tads of info around the seal, and Colette translated something wrong. No fear! Now it's all well and good, and we're ready to go and take on ... the, uh ... y'know, that thing. I don't have a clue what it is – I can't remember. I'm just hoping Charis doesn't pull something like at the Water Seal and some giant THING pops out that wasn't here before. 'Cause y'know, that'd suck.

Anyway, we're on our merry way back to the chamber right now, and after much annoyance, bloodlust, urges to kill off his remaining family and general "I hate the world", Kratos has managed to get Lloyd off his back in a physical sense. After 45 minutes of rage as he had to carry Lloyd around, he finally stopped and said "Lloyd, would you kindly stop being an annoyance to the group and walk on your own". Of course, it kinda came out like "if you don't get off now, I'm going to rip out your tongue and strangle you with it", but I'm sure he meant to say the other one.

'Hey, I was wondering,' I say randomly to spark some sort of conversation. 'Why do you guys wear such weird clothes?'

That gets me a few stares. I almost regret asking the question, but ... c'mon, everyone's thought of it at some point, right? I mean, here I am in my plain sleeveless-hoodie and some black jeans, and the others look like some almighty god has barfed up a packet of skittles over them. Red, orange, blue, white, black ... argh, what's up with these people?

'... That was a serious question,' I clarify as every begins to slowly walk again, glancing over their shoulders at me (still at the back, here). 'I really wanna know.'

'Hey, we're the Chosen's group!' Lloyd says, grinning. 'We're supposed to look cool, right?'

I flinch. 'Uh, "cool" wouldn't be the word for it. First time I saw you, I think I went a little blind for a few seconds.'

'Hey, are you saying I'm not cool?'

'You're ... special.'

'What? Like, unique?'

I pause. '... I'm not answering anymore of your questions. I _would_ like my first question to be answered, though. C'mon, guys, what's up with the weird threads?'

'Um ...' Colette starts, looking over her own outfit, tugging at the hem of her tunic lightly. 'The priests told me to wear this when I went on the journey.'

'... That's understandable,' I say, nodding. I guess it's a bit like Chosen-wear for girls – it shows the Cruxis Crystal perfectly, and looks kinda ... angel-y. I dunno what that is, but hey. I'm kinda glad Zelos doesn't abide by these rules – I like him in his normal outfit, thank you very much ... and I'll make sure to panic if he journeys with massive robes and a pope hat. And I'll _cry_.

'This is easy to move around in,' Genis says, observing his clothes. 'I guess that's my only reason ...'

'Aaand the rest of you are just weird,' I say, nodding. Kratos glares over his shoulder at me, and I just shrug in response. While Lloyd assures himself that he is indeed "cool" (which he totally isn't), I can tell Raine is trying to resist looking down at her clothes to pick out the weird stuff about them. There's nothing wrong with the Professor's clothes – they're pretty cool, I just don't think it's really ... _battle_ right. Then again, she doesn't really move around a lot in battle ... so I guess its okay. It's Kratos' job to look and be cool, so he's obviously got the cape and the belt overload and stuff, and ... I'm not even gonna start on Lloyd's outfit. Really, things are best left unsaid about it.

'I _am_ cool ...' Lloyd rambles quietly to himself, starting intently at his boots as he walks. 'I'm totally cool. I'm the coolest person in Eastern Sylvarant ...'

'Oi,' I say, reaching over to tap his shoulder. 'The fact that you're trying to convince yourself that you're cool makes you uncool. And we're in _Western_ Sylvarant right now, so it doesn't count anyway.'

'Could you just ... shut up for like, five minutes?' he says without looking back, waving me away with his hand. I settle with a shrug that goes unnoticed, not having much to say anyway while Lloyd convinces himself that he's made of awesome. Everyone is trying to ignore him while he goes through a list of "cool" things about himself, and even though he's just mumbling, it's quite difficult to ... _not_ acknowledge him. It's _annoying_.

In my own attempt to ignore him while he goes through a list of people he's successfully pissed off the past few years, I regret observing our surroundings for the millionth time. Now we're deeper in the mausoleum, it's gotten a lot darker and damper, and the air reeks of rot. There's the constant sound of wind still, now accompanied by the far off sound of spike-traps clanging together every few seconds. Yes, it _was_ funny when Lloyd stood on a certain trap that you either have to jump or tiptoe over _pretty damn carefully_. Luckily, the spikes aren't that high, so Lloyd narrowly avoided having a _certain area_ impaled. He's an idiot.

'Argh!' Lloyd exclaims suddenly, throwing his arms up into the air in frustration. 'This is so boring! One monster has come along in a whole hour, and it was only a bat!'

Genis looks over his shoulder, glaring at his taller friend. 'You say it like it's a bad thing. Aren't we supposed to be preserving our energy for the fight at the seal?'

'Well ... yeah, I guess,' Lloyd mumbles, frowning. 'But I wanna train, too! How can I do that if I can't _fight_ anything?'

'... Train your _brain_,' I suggest, making spooky hand gestures. 'Learn how to bend a spoon using only the power of you _mind_.'

'... Whoa, people can _do_ that!?' Lloyd exclaims, suddenly sounding very interested in what I'm saying (for once). 'I'm totally trying that out.'

_Slap!_

'Oww!'

Raine just 'hmph's, turning away to continue leading the group. 'Even if you somehow managed to gain the power to bend metals with you mind, I don't want you breaking our cutlery unless you want to eat with your fingers!'

Lloyd rubs the stinging area on his head, scowling at the floor. 'Geez ...'

I'll save you having to follow us through our uneventful thirty minutes to the seal room. Nothing happens, which freaks me out a little bit ... there are no monsters, no ... _anything_. Not even anymore bats. Sure, it's possible that they could all have died out while they were trapped in the seal, but honestly ... isn't this supposed to be a test for the Chosen? Shouldn't Colette be kicking monster ass right about now? It's _weird_. But anyway, nothing happens, other than the usual "MARVELOUS" from Raine, and Lloyd finally getting on Kratos' last nerve when he thinks its okay to annoy the hell out of him when he's bored. Sure, he got a good bonk over the head with the hilt of Kratos' sword, but he deserved it.

Genis and I are silent all the way through these ordeals. I swear, we're the only sane people here.

---------------

'... Wow.'

Okay, does everyone remember the mausoleum roof? Everyone remember how ... _small_ and uncomfortably _cramped_ it was? Well, yeah, it's freakin' _massive_ now ... and when I say massive, I really, really mean it. Probably about the width of ... four or five average houses. Same with length ... and _that_ is pretty big, my friends. The altar is aaaall the way on the other side of the roof, so ... yeah, that kinda sucks.

'What's wrong?' Genis asks, looking over. I just look around some more, dully noting that it's going to be quite easy to fall off the roof of this thing if I get steered to the sides. I'll have to keep that in mind when I fight and try to keep to the centre of the battlefield, even if it does get me hurt. This place is pretty high up ...

'Nothing,' I say, waving a hand. 'I just didn't think it'd be this big.'

'If we're gonna fight, we need some space, right?' Lloyd says, hands warily on the hilts of his blades. 'C'mon, let's get this over with.'

Genis rolls his eyes at his friend's impatience, and I look around again, trying to think. There are a lot of things that I have to consider here – it's extremely foggy, so we'll have to be really careful when we fight. Unless of course the fog clears once the guardian of the seal pops out, because ... that's what happened in the game, if I remember correctly. Then again, I have the memory of a retarded goldfish, so it's easy to ignore what I say.

I notice how no one has mentioned the fog yet, so I'm taking it that we'll be relatively saf-

'Man, it's really foggy.'

I wince. '... Shut up, Lloyd.'

He doesn't answer, and keeps observing our surroundings. To be honest, I'm not too worried about this fight thanks to Lloyd – he's been nothing but feisty today, and I think he's ready for some action. He may not be cool, but he can certainly kick ass when he wants to. 'Cept Kratos usually swoops in and steals the spotlight, but that's a really easy thing to do with Lloyd. Unless you're Genis or Colette – then you worship Lloyd like a _god_.

I'm sure Kratos has many, many more fans in both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, but I won't crush Lloyd's hopes. I'm not mean.

I hear someone take in a shaky breath beside me, and look over to see Colette clutching her hands together tightly. I'd say something to console her, but I'll probably only upset her even more, and I really don't want to take that risk. She's screwed when the Angel Toxicosis comes about tonight, and who knows what could happen if she ... gets something wrong, or something – I dunno. I just know that I tend to make situations worse.

Luckily, Raine rests one hand on her shoulder and offers a small apologetic look. 'We can come back later if you don't feel up to this, Colette. It's up to you.'

Colette forces a smile, dropping her hands to her sides. I notice they're still shaking. 'No, it's alright. I want the world to be regenerated as quickly as possible. So ... you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine, I promise.'

The hand on her shoulder tightens for a second, and Genis decides to add his own encouragement with a grin. 'Don't worry, Colette – you'll be awesome out there.'

She nods with another smile, clutching her hands together again. I'm still resisting letting anything slip out of my mouth, and I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that I'm resisting quite well. I highly doubt she's thinking "I need support from Charlotte or I will DIE", but y'know ... she might need as much encouragement as possible.

'Chosen,' Kratos says firmly, turning his head slightly to see her. 'It would be best if we didn't loiter here longer than we are needed.'

Taking a deep breath, she nods again. 'Yes ... I'm sorry.'

I notice how Lloyd is silent throughout this whole thing, just staring intently at the altar while he clutches his sword's hilts tightly. His knuckles shake under the strain, and I have to once again resist the urge to say something to _comfort_ these people. Man, they're all so pent up. Why aren't I pent up? I know, probably because I know "everything will be fine", but it's a little weird ... the Wind Seal was probably easy for me when I played through it. Who knows?

'We'll be fine,' I say finally, pulling out one gun. I notice how my encouragement goes largely unnoticed and just roll my eyes. A lot of things I say and do don't get noticed by these people, which is only enforcing my whole ... "must do something awesome" plan. Oh well. Plus, if anyone has cared to notice by now, I'm starting to only use one gun instead of both. I'm using my other arm as a shield, seeing as I bought that rather handy armguard at Asgard. And ... I only use the other gun in emergencies, I guess. Or to throw at Kratos' head when he gets frustrating, but I guess both are pretty much the same.

I hear a small clink of metal as Kratos holds his sword up, ready for anything that might jump out of the seal and attack us. Lloyd does the same, holding his blades in the 'X' position for guarding, seeing as he lacks a shield of any sort. Genis is rolling his kendama nervously in his palm, Raine is taking an Orange Gel just in case, and we all know as soon as Colette's wings come out, whatever monster is going to jump us will pop up.

'We are ready, Chosen,' Kratos says, grip on his sword's hilt tightening.

Colette takes in a few more shaky breaths, pursing her lips tightly with a final nod. She clenches her hands together and closes her eyes, biting her lip. I dunno if she picked that habit up from me, but I decide to keep my eyes on the altar instead of her. A pink glow in the corner of my vision indicates her wings have finally stretched out of her back, slightly dimmer than usual through the fog. There are a few painfully silent and slow seconds, and then I notice a slight tremble under my feet. I look down and see fine, crumbled stone on the floor bouncing slightly as if a sudden small earthquake had hit.

'Someone please tell me this is normal,' I say, looking up at everyone. They finally decide to _acknowledge_ something I'm saying when the shaking gets worse, and Genis almost looses his balance.

'I don't know,' Lloyd says, looking around. 'The hell ...?'

'Perhaps the chamber below is collapsing,' Raine suggests, tightening the grip on her staff. 'But we solved the puzzle ... why-'

Genis finally decides to spread his feet further apart to avoid toppling over at the strength of the quaking and holds his kendama out ready for a spell. 'I don't think the chamber is collapsing ... look!'

Finally, something happens with the altar to attract our attention; a narrow beam of light erupts from the centre of the large glass disk within the altar, shooting up extremely high. Soon, the sight of it disappears through the mist, and I squint through the fog again to see. What's happening? Perhaps something with Sylph? I mean, Luna played up at the Seal of Light when Colette went there, didn't she? Selfish bitch. Right, back to ... the uh, light.

'Argh!' Lloyd exclaims, slamming the tips of his blades against the cobbled floor in frustration. 'This is really starting to tick me off! Is Cruxis just _playing_ with us!?'

'Calm down,' Kratos instructs evenly, keeping his eyes fixed on the altar. 'Loosing your cool will get you hurt.'

'... Well, at least someone thinks I'm cool,' Lloyd sighs in response, shoulders sagging. 'See? I am cool!'

I notice that shout was directed at me and roll my eyes, gripping my gun tighter so it looks like I'm concentrating. 'He didn't say you were cool, Lloyd – he said you were _loosing_ your co – OHHOLYSHIT!'

My cool is also lost. The disk shatters noisily, spraying shards of glass everywhere. I consider it was to distract us, because we all throw our arms up to protect ourselves as _something_ shoots out of the altar, soaring up high through the fog with an ear-splitting shriek. Speaking of the fog, it starts to ... disappear – and at a very alarming speed. In merely a few seconds, I can see the rolling hills and the mountains beyond them, covered by the clear blue sky. I realise _just_ how high up this place is and gulp, shuddering.

'Wh ... what was that?' Lloyd asks no one in particular, looking around. 'Where did it ...?'

'Up there!'

At Genis' exclamation, everyone look up to see ... _oh man_ – some kind of ... _mutant_ bird! What was it called ... argh, I can't think, but it looks so _weird_ from a distance! It's got human proportioned body parts! That isn't _normal_

'It's going to attack,' Kratos says calmly, steadying his blade for any attacks the thing has up it's ... mutant, feathered sleeve. Sure enough, after a second of floating and observing us, it curls into itself and zooms down headfirst towards our group.

Did I mention it was fast? Because it's really fast. It's so fast that I didn't even realise that it's curved beak slammed right into my stomach along with a great fat ball of exploding mana and sent me skidding back probably a good few meters until I hit the floor painfully, _still_ skidding. The first thing I do when I finally stop, nearly on the _other side_ of the roof is cough and start hacking, wondering if something has been forcefully shoved out of place in my abdomen. Luckily, it all feels fine. Y'know, disregarding the _BURNING AND BRUSING PAIN_ in my stomach, but yeah.

'Charlotte!'

Without looking up from the floor as I cough, I just give whoever it was who shouted my name a thumbs up. I know it wasn't Kratos, because he never calls me by my name. I think it was Lloyd, unless Genis' voice finally broke. Not that Lloyd has a deep voice, but – wait, why am I thinking about this stuff? I just got injured and am about to _again_ if I don't get my ass into gear.

'Okay, that was quite painful!' I shout, waving a hand in the direction of the others. 'Don't let it do that to anyone!'

'Got it!' someone answers. Again, I'm not really paying attention, because I'm trying to see _where_ the bird has gone. A yell from the other side of the battlefield indicates that it's flying around the side of the mausoleum, getting ready to surprise attack us. Y'know, I'd like to get a closer look at this thing so I can use a Magic Lens on it, but ... it's too _fast_! Sneaky bastard.

Having Sheena here would probably be a big help right about now if she was on our side. She's a freakin' _ninja_. Damn, I wish I was a ninja.

Discarding thoughts of what I'd look like in Sheena's outfit (oh lord, ow), I finally make my way back over to the others. I run the best I can with a bruised stomach, trying to ignore the constant pangs of pain shooting through my abdomen. Seriously, _ouch_. This is worse than the time Kratos punched me there in the ranch, and he's pretty freakin' strong.

'Right ... ow,' I say upon returning. 'Where ... argh, it disappeared again.'

Y'know, I love how now we're looking around carefully for any signs of the monster, we're in this kind of ... group circle, each of us looking around in different directions. How awesome at teamwork are we? Go Team Chosen! Team ... oh, I think I just had a really good idea! Wow, I'm on a roll here.

'Hey ... would a unison attack be any good here?' I ask, looking back at the others. For a while, I don't get an answer and consider launching into a hissy fit about how no one ever listens to me, but hey, we actually _get_ something out of these guys! Kratos and Lloyd to be exact. They both just kinda ... glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes. It's freaky.

'Cross Thrust?' Lloyd asks, straightening up a little. 'We could give it a shot.'

Taking one last good look around, Kratos turns to the younger swordsman. 'Do you think you can do it?'

'I guess I could pull it off if you didn't _stab_ me all the time while we trained,' Lloyd mutters sourly. 'Maybe I'll get lucky this time.'

That's right – Cross Thrust is basically two swordsmen making a cross-shaped cut across the enemy. Though you have to consider the joining point of the cross – that's probably where Lloyd gets himself stabbed a lot. Eeh ... he's not too smart.

'Don't get yourselves hurt,' Raine says, not looking back at them. 'Let's try and create as less casualties as possible.'

'Right!'

'Hn.'

'Um ... Lloyd, you've never used Cross Thrust before, have you?' Genis asks, looking over his shoulder (good god man, look for the monster!). 'What if you get really hurt?'

'Hey, I've practiced enough times with Kratos! I'll be fine!'

'... You got stabbed all those times.'

'Y ... yeah, well ... argh, I'll be fine. Shut up. Dork.'

Genis rolls his eyes and turns back, spinning the kendama ball nervously with his fingers. I frown at the fact he can do it so easily and return to looking around for that blue and yellow mutant bird.

'You have to teach me how to use your old kendama,' I say, scanning the sky. 'I've been trying for ages and I still can't get the hang of it.'

'Let's wait until after the battle to talk about this stuff,' he replies with a sigh at the idiocy of everyone around him. I'd slap him upside the head, but I can't reach.

Finally, after an achingly nerve-wracking minute, the guardian of the seal finally makes another appearance, this time choosing to get closer to us than just floating around up in the sky. Something in the back of my brain screams "Magic Lens, use the goddamn Magic Lens!", but I manage to overlook it completely and start firing at the thing as it gets closer.

Now I can finally get a good look at it, and it's ... _so_ not pretty. Sharp orange talons, large furry blue body, long yellow and purple wings ... man, this thing's colours clash. It isn't pretty to look at, especially those bright yellow eyes the keep darting in our direction every few seconds. Summarising, it's massive, ugly, and just plain freaky.

Yeah, and it's ... heading straight for us. At alarming speed. _Again_. Oh, to hell with it – we're all gonna get hurt at this rate.

'Screw this!' I say, grabbing Genis and Colette's wrists and yanking them out of the way while I jump out of the attack myself. Sure, we all fall over, but at least we're safe. The three on the other side of the circle also manage to jump out of the way in time as the bird-monster soars right through the middle of where we once stood. If we _were_ still stood there, Raine and I would probably be severely hurt right about now.

'That thing is way too fast!' Lloyd protests angrily as the monster flies over the edge of the mausoleum roof, diving down once again to hide from us and plan its next sneak attack. 'We'll never be able to hit it with Cross Thrust ...'

Kratos scans the battlefield quickly with his sword still held high with both hands, ready to attack. 'If we plan to hit it, it needs to be stunned. Distracted, at least.'

Lloyd bites his lip (why is everyone doing that today?) and looks around warily for the seal guardian. 'Even so ... there's no way we'd be able to get it in one place long enough to stun it. It's just too fast!'

'Exactly,' Kratos says quietly, furrowing his brow in annoyance at our inability to do much in this situation. 'Magic skills won't be effective right now. They are too narrow, all but Air Thrust.'

'And Air Thrust would probably only make it stronger,' Genis grumbles, arms folded tightly. I don't blame him – the poor thing is feeling quite useless right now. Hey, at least it isn't me, though I haven't really done much here yet.

'This _sucks!_' Lloyd exclaims angrily, tugging at his hair. 'Isn't there anything we can do!?'

Raine looks like she's about to slap him and hopefully knock the fervent attitude right out of his eye sockets. 'Lloyd, calm down. What Kratos says is true – to paralyse it for only a few seconds at most, we'll need a powerful attack that is both long range and widespread to hit it without fail.'

Lloyd pauses for a moment, dropping his hands back to his sides. I'm glad he's finally deciding to calm down, because angry-Lloyd causes reckless-Lloyd, and reckless-Lloyd is dangerous. 'So ... what we need is something a bit like Demon Fang ... but wider, right? How can we make Demon Fang wider?'

'With a lot of concentrated mana,' Genis says. 'But you don't have enough to make it work. Besides, if you want to use Cross Thrust, you'll need all that mana.'

'Dammit ...' Lloyd mumbles, looking just about ready to punch himself. 'We need to think of something fast – it could be coming any ... min ...'

He trails off slowly, staring at some random spot on the floor. I can practically hear the gears running in his head, and I'm thinking he has an idea. Kratos and Raine wait patiently for him to finish working it out in his mind so he can explain this amazing plan of his that will direct us to ultimate victory. Or, seeing as it is _Lloyd_, point and shout.

'Shockwave!'

And he's pointing at me. I raise an eyebrow. 'Eh?'

'You could use Shockwave to stun it!' he says, making ... wild hand gestures like some little kid. Wow, he must be happy he finally thought up something logical for once. Though I can't really say I'm too happy. 'You used it on that branch when we played hide and seek, right? You could do it to the ... bird-thing!'

I flinch when I realise everyone seems to agree. 'I ... don't wanna.'

'What!?' Genis exclaims, going as far as to brandish his kendama in my direction (and riskily close to my face). 'Are you planning to just leave us hanging here!?'

'Well duh, of course not,' I snap, glaring. 'I just ... argh, it's too much pressure. I'll screw it up for sure.'

Lloyd groans, slapping a hand to his face. 'Well could you _try_ at least? We're not gonna get anywhere just standing around here.'

I settle with making a disapproving noise, throwing my hands up into the air. 'Fine! But it I die, I'm haunting you.'

'You're not gonna _die_,' Lloyd says, rolling his eyes. 'Don't be stupid. Now, uh ... go stand over there.'

I look to where he's pointing, and realise I'm being told to stand in a wide, empty space allowing the bird to _find_ me and come towards me so I can attack it. NOW it's making sense.

'... What, so I'm _bait_ now? Geez, if you guys want me off the team _that_ bad, just say so,' I grumble, stomping over to the open area away from the group. I hear Colette make a small apology, and Genis snickers for a moment before quickly shutting himself up. I _do_ have a gun, here. When I decide on a good enough spot, I slap both hands to my face and turn to the group a good ... ten meters away or so. Lloyd just waves back, and I consider shooting him in the kneecap.

'Try not to panic when it comes!' Raine shouts over. 'You tend to usually do that!'

I decide not to answer that one and simply loll my head back with a groan of irritation at my evident ... wussyness so far in this journey. Well hey, this could be my awesome thing that I do. Y'know, I could really help in this situation ... I'm actually _vital_ for once. They _need_ me. Wow, I'd do a little dance right now, but I'm supposed to be concentrating. This is an amazing feeling – shut up and let me have my moment.

... Right, commence panic time.

'Uh ... guys, I dunno about this!' I yell over, waving an arm. 'Are you sure this will work?'

'Positive!' Lloyd answers, frustration starting to seep into his tone at my constant fretting. 'Just stun it, and Kratos and me will take care of the rest!'

'You're so reassuring that it's quite painful,' I say hopelessly. He almost shouts back to ask what I just said, but I shake my head before he can and steady my gun's aim with both hands. I'm not sure why – I don't know what direction it'll come at me from. Hell, if it comes from behind the altar, it's gonna hit one of those guys instead. Wow, we _really_ thought this through, didn't we?

... Y'know, sometimes I really think I'm secretly psychic ... or something weird, like that. Of course, that's what I get for my grandma being a freakin' _gypsy_, but hey - because as soon as my previous train of thought stops, the guardian of the seal soars up at incredible speed from exactly behind the altar. The other five jump and spin around at the terrible screeching cry it makes, and Raine forces both Genis and Colette behind her while Kratos and Lloyd steady themselves with their swords, both on opposite sides of the roof.

'Oh crap,' I breathe to myself, noticing it's heading directly for me again at amazing speed. I _want_ to lift my arms to hit it with Shockwave, but the thoughts soaring around my head are denying me the ability to move physically right now. "_It's going to hit you – you have to move, get out of the way, get out of the way!"_

'Harrison!' Kratos barks furiously, snapping me back to my senses. My mind clears, I'm aware of the narrow gold eyes glaring at me intently from merely a few meters away, and I try to level my gun with shaky hands. I was right – this was definitely too much pressure, having something come down to you.

'Shockwave!'

Its times like this I'm glad my mana goes haywire when I panic, and the attack goes _everywhere_. Thick streams of white crackling mana just snap around violently, hurtling off in different directions before disappearing into the air. I great bolt of it cracks against the bird's left wing, ripping out another screech from its throat. Another snaps into its middle when it stops for a moment, sending it reeling back a few meters. Wow, that took up like ... twice the amount of mana I usually use for that attack, but it was totally worth it.

'Go!' I hear Kratos order loudly from the other side of the roof, and he and Lloyd dash in for their attack. I should probably be worrying about stuff right now, but even though Lloyd is slightly slower, the synchronization of the attack is ... quite amazing. I consider if I should move, seeing as I might be in the way, but quickly assume it's fine because Kratos isn't shouting at me yet. Worse thing that could happen – Lloyd could screw up, head straight for me, and permanently damage my ribcage. Let's hope he can pull this off.

Thankfully, they don't scream out the name of the attack like they do in the game – because that'd be slightly retarded, seeing as they're both doing it. The cool thing is that even though Cross Thrust usually travels along the floor, they do it _upwards_. Seriously, still in perfect time with each other, they just leap up off the floor and attack in a perfect cross, damaging both its wings at the same time – it's just really cool. I ignore the second shriek of pain from the monster and look over my shoulder, eyes wide as they land. Kratos does it perfectly, but Lloyd stumbles slightly for a moment.

'...Wow.'

'Haha! Did you see that!?' Lloyd exclaims to everyone, ignoring the bird's shaky movements as it tries to pick itself up. 'I didn't get stabbed! I actually pulled it off! Booyah!'

... Yes, Lloyd Irving just said 'booyah'. Oh lord.

'Kratos, what are you _feeding_ this kid?' I ask, brandishing an arm in Lloyd's direction. He just glares, turning back to the struggling beast in the centre of the floor.

'It would be wise to move.'

I just repeat him in a slurred tone, but carefully move out of the monster's reach as I do so. I'm not expecting it to do much in its current condition, but it can still cast certain magic spells that'd probably hurt a lot. Kratos' suggestion was also directed at the other three, and they move back warily. I notice Colette finally takes off from the ground a few feet, both chakrams in hand to attack with if it makes any sudden movements. Sure enough, its head jerks up, and is quickly smacked by one of the pale white rings before it soars back to Colette's outstretched hand.

Now ... I'm sure she meant well, but I think it just got a whole lot more pissed off than it was beforehand. Not good. Worst thing yet? It can still _fly_. How, I don't know – it just takes off again, though awkward and shaky in its movements. Genis doesn't hesitate in powering up Lightning to send at it, and the bolt of electricity whips down almost immediately from the sky. Sadly, it misses and makes a big crack in the floor at the force. Man, why do we _destroy_ all the seal rooms we go to? _Why_?

'Plan B?' Lloyd asks, squinting against the glare of the sun as he looks up to find the monster. No one offers an answer, but he doesn't cause a fuss.

Like I mentioned a moment ago, the monster can still use magic, and it seems to be powering up a spell from high up to avoid anymore distractions from us. While it does that, I finally whip out a Magic Lens to see if this thing has a weakness so I can notify Genis of it and hopefully we can get the upper hand.

... Right, this thing is called Iapyx. At least it has a freakin' name now, but it doesn't seem to have a weakness – not even earth. It _is_ strong against not only wind, but a good few elements too. I'd best tell Genis so he doesn't do anything bad.

Before I can say anything, it finally casts its spell. Now ... usually, spells like Air Thrust only consume a small amount of space. Yeah, well, this duck's mega-version of it seems to be able to engulf all of us like some ... afternoon breeze of _betrayal_. Like instinct, everyone immediately uses their self-defence techs, and I haven't used mine in so long that I had to stop and _think_ to remember what it was called.

'Protection!' I decide after a few painful moments that made me feel like my skin was being torn off by the power of this horribly unfair spell whirling around us like a freak storm. Not strong enough to pick any of us up off the floor and throw us around, but it has enough mana shoved into it to cause a few rips and tears in the flesh there. Man, I _hate_ these battles. If Yggdrasill want his goddamn Martel-bitch so badly, shouldn't he _not_ being trying to kill them? Maybe _that's_ why you've been failing up until now you daft bastard!

Using one arm to enforce the shield's stability, I try to aim and shoot with the other to distract it from its spell. Though the force of the wind is so strong that my bullets just get blown away, so that's not really doing much help. Well hey, at least I'm _trying_ – I'd say I've done enough for this battle, as well as probably developing a grudge with the Iapyx. Argh, fack. I just hope it doesn't come and attack me upfront again.

... And y'know how I wish I wasn't randomly _physic_ at some points in my life?

The Iapyx swoops down through the diminishing storm right towards me, and of course, I can't do anything. I'm busy casting Protection, which I hope will deflect whatever attack it has at some point. Oh, but no – my shield shatters at the force when the Iapyx _kicks_ me in the stomach. It actually _kicks_ me, and I've gotta say, it hurt _way_ more than it should have; a single talon sinks into my side before the force throws me back again, and I go straight into a pillar. Seriously, it's _that _powerful and painful that I actually have to go flying into a goddamn _pillar_. Sure, I could have been thrown right over the edge, but I feel like my spine is severely damaged right about now.

I hit the floor and immediately lean upright against the column, trying to ease the pain in my back. One hand shoots to the deep gash in my side, and the other clutches at my stomach. I swear, all of my insides are gonna be in the wrong places by the time this battle is over. I spit out some blood on the floor, coughing violently. Damn, you actually _do_ something in a battle and you get clobbered. I hate logic.

'Charlotte!'

I look up and notice Lloyd is coming to my aid like the idiot he is. Yes, idiot – he's just made himself very vulnerable to any attacks from that goddamn _pigeon_ up there to come and help me. I'm flattered, seriously – but he could at least be smart about it. When he reaches me and crouches down to see if I'm dying or something like that, I decide to just go with it and get all I can from the situation.

'Apple gel,' I demand, moving my hand shakily away from the cut in my side. It actually hurts more if I hold it, so I'm pretty screwed over here.

'Uh ... right,' Lloyd mumbles, reaching for his satchel. 'D'you want me to get the Profess-'

'Just kill that thing first,' I say, wiping away from blood from my chin. Colette is completely Angel-Feathering the thing into the nearest oblivion, being the only one that can really reach it. She's doing a swell job alone, and I remind myself to give her praise for it after the battle. Who _can't_ love it when Iapyx gets smacked in the face repeatedly by chakrams? Take that, jackass!

Lloyd finally finds an apple gel amongst the other crap in his satchel and hands it to me. I mumble 'thanks' and wonder if I should apply it to the wound or just swallow it, but I don't really get a chance to make my decision.

'Lloyd, get out of the way!'

After hearing Genis' exclamation , I look up and realise the Iapyx is using something that looks like Air Blade – it's a wind attack that's _way_ more concentrated that your usual all-over-the-place air based attacks. I feel _special_ that Genis is only bothered about Lloyd getting hit, seeing as if he _did_ move I'd be struck full on by it. Get over it, Charster – half the group hate you.

I genuinely consider giving Lloyd a great big hug after this when he stands back up and uses Guardian. He grunts a little when the force of the attack almost breaks his protective blob of green mana, but he manages to uphold it pretty well. He's getting better at using his defence techs – I seem to be noticing that a lot this battle.

Finally the spell seems to disappear, and Lloyd's shield flickers away at the very last second. One moment earlier, and we'd both be very much in pain right now. There's a nice space of time as the Iapyx charges up his second attack and Lloyd collapses to one knee, breathing heavily. That's right – he's used up a lot of mana this battle with Cross Thrust and using Guardian twice. Both attacks take up a lot of mana, so it's no wonder he's feeling quite worn out.

'Dammit,' he hisses to himself, struggling to get back to his feet. Genis seems to be getting steadily annoyed at how his best friend isn't making any effort to save his own hide, and actually goes as far as to cancel the spell he was powering up to yell again.

'What are you doing!?' he exclaims angrily. 'Lloyd, move!'

I think that was Genis-language for "screw Charlotte, she isn't important! Save your own backside Llooooydie, we love you!". I glare, but manage to somehow start getting up. I place a hand on the pillar and get to my feet, aware of how my legs are hurting after landing quite awkwardly on them. Lloyd however falls right back to his knees at his attempts, his breathing still laboured. Goddammit, Lloyd!

'Shit,' I mumble to myself, holding the bottle of apple gel tightly in my hand. I'm wondering if I should give it to Lloyd instead, but something keeps screaming at me to cure myself first. Selfish, I know – but it's human instinct to put yourself before others. Unless you're Lloyd.

Anyway, we have a big problem here. _I_ can't move. _Lloyd_ can't move. The Iapyx is about to use Air Blade again, and Lloyd doesn't have the energy to protect himself anymore. Being in front, he's gonna get hit by the full blast of it, and that makes me feel slightly guilty.

I have to screw my eyes shut and turn away when the beam of pulsating green mana heads straight for Lloyd, and prepare myself for a bunch of pain.

... Which never comes.

When I hear a choked 'Genis!' from Lloyd, I decide to just go ahead and open my eyes to see what's happening, hoping for the best. Genis is standing protectively in front of Lloyd while he uses Force Field, which is a hell of a lot stronger than Guardian. Air Blade is ricocheting off in various directions as it hits the barrier, and I realise the spell is ruthlessly powerful. Genis won't be able to keep it up for much longer, but the fact that he's able to throw himself in front of an attack for Lloyd is ... well, I appreciate him a lot more now.

'Lloyd, _move_!' he demands heatedly, hands shaking as he tries to uphold the shield. I can see it's starting to flicker dangerously, but Genis isn't even attempting to get out of the way himself. Damn, no wonder these guys are best friends. They'd die for eachother. I admire that, on some levels.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Raine running over as fast as she can when she realises what's happening. Genis' Force Field is fading fast, and I really don't think she's going to make it in time to lend a hand.

... And I hate it when I'm right.

Force Field dies, and Genis is struck straight on by the attack. Yes, he screams – yes, it looks painful – yes, there's blood. _Lots_ of blood.

'_GENIS!_'

I consider telling Lloyd that shouting is _not_ helping, but he's too busy darting over there despite his fatigue to catch Genis before he hits the floor. Luckily he does, but it just made Genis' front so much more visible to me. His front is bleeding ... a lot. Not some pathetic gash like the one I have in my side, his outfit is literally soaked with blood that drips to the floor and stains Lloyd's clothes. There's a horribly long cut on the side of his face, his legs and arms are cut from the blades of wind, and ...

Oh god, it hurts to look at him.

Raine looks utterly hysterical as she crouches down beside her brother resting in Lloyd's shaking arms, but she manages to keep her composure and immediately start healing like I've never seen her heal before. I dunno if Genis is conscious or not, but Lloyd is trying to talk to him.

'Genis! Genis, are you alright? Answer me, dammit!'

The half elf's eyes are glazed and slightly unfocused as the slip open slightly, probably vaguely aware of everything going on around him. As I make my way over there, ignoring the aching pain in my back, I catch the one word that Genis manages to utter before fainting.

'Idiot ...'

I can see the obvious turmoil in Lloyd's expression as he stares down at his unmoving friend. Raine doesn't object to Lloyd's fervent actions and simply focuses on healing her brother, aware that Lloyd is bound to be quite distressed.

'Don't you ...' Lloyd whispers, and I see his grip tighten around Genis. 'Don't you dare die on me ... I'll never forgive you if you do.'

After hearing that, and noticing that Lloyd is actually for a rare moment _crying_, I decide not to interfere at this moment in an attempt to be helpful. He isn't crying properly, but you can see the tears slowly building up in his eyes. _Raine_ is crying freely and silently, and I'm amazed how they're both able to stay relatively calm. 'Cept Lloyd, but ...

I slap a hand on Lloyd's shoulder as I walk past in an attempt to show I _care_ at least, and make a beeline straight for Kratos. Colette has abandoned the battle for now after a nod from Kratos when she looks worriedly to him, not sure if she should leave him to fight alone. She runs right past me without a word to Genis, and admire how she's strong enough not to cry for now to keep the hysteria at a low. Kratos, quite obviously, doesn't _care_, and is only focused on killing this thing.

'Blitz Spear,' I demand. 'We're killing this prat, and we're doing it now.'

Kratos just does his whole 'hmph' thing, still convinced I'm no help at all when it comes to unison attacks. I just roll my eyes – seriously, all I do is _stand_ there and power up his sword. How am I getting in the way?

'Prepare yourself,' he orders, holding his sword high with both hands. 'All the mana you can muster.'

I frown at the utter disregard he has for me and my already mana-drained self, but shrug it off quickly. If we want to prevent anything like _that_ happening again, we need to take this thing down quickly. My gun glows incredibly bright for a few moments, and the Iapyx lashes it's wings out from afar in horror, heading straight for us. I don't care how much mana I've stored up; I send it to Kratos' sword quickly and flinch when the blade becomes alive with shining white mana crackling around it like lightning.

I almost shout at him when I realise Kratos isn't _moving_,but decide to wait and see what he does. It's possible he's waiting for the right moment like the professional swordsman he is, or he could have gotten an overwhelming wave of idiocy just now thanks to Lloyd and just stand there until he gets hit. I like to think he'll do the first option, but you never know.

'Blitz Spear!'

What ... _confuses_ me is that Kratos didn't move at all as he did this, and simply slashed forwards as the Iapyx zoomed right _through_ him. But the thing that makes me want to stride on over to the edge of the roof, lean over and barf up the breakfast that Genis stole? The Iapyx didn't go through him at all – he cut it clean in half. Behind him, there are two bloody _halves_ over the monster we've been fighting for the past fifteen minutes or so.

'Ungh,' is all I manage. Thankfully, it doesn't hack and choke and spew various colours of blood everywhere like most of the monsters we've faced so far – it explodes in a big mess of white and green lights and feathers. Thanks, Cruxis. You really know how to cheer up a severely injured group of pissed off people. I'm totally shooting Yggdrasill in the crotch for this.

I wait for the lights to fade and the feathers to all flutter prettily to the floor before turning to the others on the opposite side of the roof. Kratos walks right past me to investigate what he's missed without a thank you or anything, but it doesn't really surprise me. He's never really thanked me for anything, so I don't expect him to do much just because I helped him kill something.

Colette has left Lloyd and Raine to unlock the seal, and I'm wondering if I should either go over to the injured Genis or over to Colette. I don't know – either of them might both want to be left alone for now. Colette probably wants to get this seal done and over with so we can leave and treat Genis properly, and I'm sure the others feel the same. I decide to check on Genis first and run over.

When they realise Kratos is coming over, Raine just glances up at him before going back to healing, and Lloyd brushes the tears out of the corners of his eyes quickly. Raine thanks him when he crouches beside her and helps to heal Genis' wounds, and it looks like he's using a lot more of the power he has. I'd say he holds back around eighty percent of his full power, and I'm glad he's risking it to help Genis.

I look over at Colette to see how she's doing, and realise that Remiel has already come down and is lecturing her in his boringly important tone about how she's doing so well, and even has to nerve to keep calling her his daughter. She obediently nods and approves of his words all the way through, and I have to wonder if she suspects that Remiel isn't actually her true father yet. Perhaps ... she never does say anything about it until later on.

I can't look away for long; I constantly glance back to see if Genis is improving at all. It doesn't look like anything is happening, and I can't tell if his wounds have been healed through the blood. Only when we wash the blood off him will we be able to see if it's working at all. Something that Lloyd said earlier about him dying is really gnawing at my mind, and I'm worried that he _is_ actually gonna die. He's motionless, pale, and Lloyd's grip on him is constantly tightening whenever he grows more worried. There's blood on his face, in his hair, all over him ... geez, it's even on _Lloyd's_ face and all over Raine's hands. One of the best things about playing this as a game is the fact there is not blood and _life bottles_. You never encounter stuff like this.

When Lloyd finally lets out a held in sob, I flinch. I hate these places.

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It actually _hurt_ to write that with poor Genis. Aww. Anyway ... reviews, anyone? They fuel my writing power and inspire me to get off my ass and finish chapters 8D 


	52. The Assassin Strikes Again!

Whoa, that ... didn't take long. I guess I just wanted to get these events out of the way and get onto Luin, but thanks so much for all the reviews! Man, you guys are amazing and so helpful

Right, a thanks goes to a CERTAIN PERSON who thinks that she DOESN'T HELP AT ALL, even though she DOES. She's helped me sort out the scenes for Origin's Seal, but I won't say anything about it to avoid spoilers and whatnots. There'll be about five major changes in that scene altogether, so ...yeah, I'm glad it's finally sorted. Flanoir scenes are still under construction, but the main thing is deciding between Zelos and Kratos. Argh. I can't decide. I KNOW what will happen to Zelos already, so it wouldn't matter. Asdajdhka.

There's some humour in this chapter including the whole cliche "fall over with someone and land in an awkward position" with Sheena and Lloyd, but that doesn't mean it'll be a pairing ... because I gave a few friends a look at the scenes, and they went into rages of "omg ur goin' against canon Lloyd is single omgtfo". Lloyd will stay canonly single, I promise, so no overreacting at me for that. It's just for fun.

AAAAOMG. Luin next chapter. Finally, I've been wanting to do Luin for _so long_, so I'm gonna try and get it finished quickly but awesomely. Dropping a review at the end of the chapter will be much appriciated, and probably make me write faster XD Back to school on the 6th, so I'ma work hard. Help meee.

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Chapter 52 - The Assassin Strikes Again!

I can tell you – we're far from happy sugar drop joy-bunnies right now. Very far.

It's been about ... fifteen minutes since the whole ordeal with Genis, who is showing no signs of improvement at all. Colette finally received her 'blessing from Cruxis', and after a short inquiry about the Angel Toxicosis from Raine, she says she feels fine. The strange thing is, she looks completely fine too, and she even looks a little shocked at how she isn't feeling any effects yet.

Anyway ... back to everyone else. Genis is still unconscious, now being carried by Raine as we make our way out of the seal. She and Kratos have healed him the best they can, but nothing is happening. Colette even asked Remiel if he could help them at all, to which he just totally ignored her and buggered up back to Cruxis. Jerk.

Lloyd is ... not as distressed as he was before. Sure, he's still incredibly concerned, but he's not crying or anything. He's just following silently beside Raine, constantly glancing over to the unconscious and bloody Genis to see if he's making a recovery. Kratos is doing a swell job of being emotionless right now as he usually does, but we can tell that he's actually worried about Genis on some hidden levels. He even offered to carry him for Raine, but she insists she wants to keep him as close to her as possible. _That's_ the kind of love I want from my siblings. Y'know, but they're all ... eerugh, not on the good side of the law. I'll say that much.

Colette's been awfully silent all the way through this, just like the rest of us. But I think it's more because she's worried she isn't feeling anything of the toxicosis. Hell, I'm even a little worried. I'll ask her about it tonight.

Oh yeah, I didn't mention our current situation, did I? Oho, silly me.

Right, here we are – Raine carrying Genis and hiding Colette at the same time, Kratos and Lloyd with their hands on the hilts of their blades ready to attack, I'm clutching my gun with one hand while the other is hovering close to the wound in my side, and who is the cause of all this sudden panic?

Sheeeeeena.

Yep, sure enough, everyone's favourite ninja has swooped down from some higher platform just before we were so close to _leaving_ this dark, godforsaken ruin, and blocks our path with the sole intent of killing each of us. Dammit, the last time I saw her was in Luin, wasn't it? We bumped into each other and I ... proceeded to scare her, as I remember correctly.

Anyway, yeah – as soon as we see our enemy, our main objective turns to "oh good lord, protect Genis". Hopefully Sheena will have enough heart to realise we are all quite wounded and bleeding and take pity on us, letting us go. Then again, she could use it as her advantage and kill us all off quickly. I'm hoping the latter doesn't happen, but you never know.

'I'm not letting you go any further!' she exclaims with a glare, paper card in hand. 'You will all meet your end here!'

'Oi,' I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. 'We're dying on our feet already, if you haven't noticed.'

Her eyes narrow and she notices the unconscious half-elf of our group slumped over Raine's back, practically coated in blood. For a millisecond, she looks torn between leaving us be or settling things for Tethe'alla's sake. She seems to consult herself quickly before shaking her head in frustration, getting her thoughts back together.

'Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're injured!' she shouts. 'Prepare yourselves!'

Oh man, must she _shout_ so much? My head is pretty much smashed after that battle, and every time she opens her mouth a ringing pain shoots right through it with no mercy, which is really something I don't need right now.

'Agh ... barely half of us can fight,' Lloyd whispers, glaring.

'Genis and Harrison are severely injured,' Kratos murmurs, grip still tight on his sword. 'Raine and Colette are protecting Genis, and this assassin's skills seem to have increased since our last encounter. It would be best if we simply avoided fight and treated the wounded before their injuries worsen.'

Lloyd glances over at Genis, biting his lip. Finally, he decides to take a brave step and ... if he's about to do what I think he is, he's totally screwed over. I think we all know Sheena enough to know she's pretty violent and hot-headed, so what Lloyd is about to say will have _no_ effect whatsoever.

'Okay, uh, look ... Sheena ...' Lloyd says, pausing for a second to remember her name. He quickly drops his hands from his sheathed swords, holding them up to show he's not about to stab her, or anything. 'My friend is really, really injured, and if we don't treat him soon he might ... _die._' Lloyd has to force the word out. 'We really don't need to fight.'

Sheena pauses, gaze softening slightly. 'I understand your concerns, but if I let you all live, I'm letting down hundreds of people too. I can't let that happen! I won't!'

'Well it sounds like we're fighting for similar reasons,' Lloyd says calmly, trying to avoid any rash actions. 'Maybe if we could just talk-'

'We don't have time for this,' Kratos snaps, drawing his sword as he starts off forward. 'Get out of the way.'

'Kratos, wait!' Lloyd calls after him, not moving. I'd assume it's because he wants to protect Genis in case Sheena makes a dash for us, because he sounds really desperate. 'We don't have to fi-'

'Lloyd, stop,' Raine orders, shifting her brother carefully on her back. 'We need to treat Genis as quickly as possible, and it doesn't sound like she's about to make a temporary truce with us.'

Lloyd just looks from Raine to Genis, and turns back to Kratos to watch him approach our enemy. 'Dammit ...'

I watch Sheena as she prepares for battle, two cards in hand ready to do ... _something_, I guess – the most horrible thing about fighting Sheena is the fear of her using Life Seal again. Remember back at the Water Seal when she used it on Genis and me? Yeah, we were knocked out cold for a _long_ while. If she uses it on Kratos, he'll probably find some amazing way to reverse its effects and bitchslap her with it, because he's _badass_. If she uses it on Lloyd, I'm gonna _hurt_ whatever Symphonia gods there are up there for making him fall unconscious _all the freakin' time_. Y'know, its bad enough this illness keeps knocking him out without battles beating on him too.

Kratos comes to a stop, levelling his sword with Sheena's throat. 'I'll give you one last chance. Leave.'

'Fat chance,' Sheena murmurs, slapping her hands together. The two cards she was holding merge and levitate in midair, and she friggin' ninja-back-flips back twice before the cards zoom right for Kratos. Barely moving, he cuts them in half before the reach him, and the two halves flutter to the floor. Y'know, Kratos seems to like cutting things in half ... so I'll keep a mental note to stay away when he's pissed.

Sheena grunts a little in dissatisfaction at how her attack didn't work at all, and a small burst of smoke on her shoulder causes a certain little fox-rat to come to her aid. Yep, it's Corrine. Oh, I hate that little bastard. Deciding to give Kratos a small hand, along with planning a small payback for what the little sod did to me back at the Water Seal, I aim and shoot repeatedly.

Sadly, I seem to forget that these people are ... y'know,_ fast_. Corrine leaps off her shoulder into the safety of a darkened area, and Sheena makes a dash for Kratos. She doesn't seem to be aware of how ninja _Kratos_ can be when he wants to, and he jumps over her. _Seriously_. Lloyd's mouth drops open, Colette fangirls for a second and mutters something about how cool Kratos is, but she surely can't approve of the next thing.

Sheena's eyes widen in surprise when her target seems to have disappeared, and Kratos kicks her right in the back. She lets out a startled yell from the surprise burst of pain, but manages to regain her composure by ninja-ing up the atmosphere further. She takes off a small bead from a piece of string tied around her front and throws it at Kratos. Something in my brain is making me think that Sheena's a bit stupid to think that a BEAD will hurt Kratos, but hey! It's not a bead at all! It's a _smoke bomb!_ Y'know like that one Kratos used a while ago? Mm'yes.

Anyway, once again, Kratos shows that he isn't actually going to get beaten up by someone with four-thousand years less training than him, and simply swats the bomb away as soon as it gets near him. Which is _awesome_, because it just goes flying right back to Sheena before exploding in her face.

'Sheena!' Corrine shouts from somewhere in the darkness. Kratos doesn't bother to concern himself with that little bastard-rat and focuses on the assassin currently coughing through the smoke and trying to wave it away. When the smoke finally clears, Sheena is clutching her throat tightly with one hand and holding up a card with the other.

'You ... are _really_ frustrating!' she snaps, glaring at Kratos, card quivering dangerously in her hand.

'Sheena, wait!' Lloyd exclaims quickly, taking a few steps forward. I notice how when he calls her by her name, she listens to him more. That's quite a useful tactic for Lloyd to be using. 'We don't have to fight like this. Not now, at least ... please, just-'

The card moves and hovers dangerously close to Lloyd's face, and Kratos takes a step forward to disable the attack. Lloyd just waves him away furiously, showing that he's going to try this whole ... "reasoning with the enemy" thing again. This is really weird for _Lloyd_ to be doing ... but you have to consider Genis in this situation. It's amazing how far Lloyd will go for his safety.

'Just listen,' Lloyd says, trying to ignore the charm card quite close to his face. 'I don't care about your reasons for wanting to kill us ... but I'm hoping that you'll put them aside just until we can heal our friend. That's all.'

Sheena pauses for a long, long moment. There a small jingle of a bell in the darkness which means Corrine is probably shifting uncomfortably at Sheena's consideration for our predicament. I know I haven't spent much time around Sheena, but I _know_ she isn't a bad person ...

Finally, she straightens up slowly and moves the card away from the younger's face. He relaxes a little now knowing he isn't about to get slapped with it, but it doesn't disappear from Sheena's grip. She stares intently into his face, and he looks away a little. Hey, she's a very uncomfortable person to have stare at you.

'Lloyd, isn't it?'

'... Yeah, that's right.'

She nods, and looks over at Genis. 'How much does that kid mean to you?'

Lloyd pauses, moving his gaze to the floor. '... He means everything to me. I'd die for him.'

At the firmness of his voice as he says that, without even a single quiver in his tone, it begins to amaze me at how serious he is. I could easily say that I'd die for someone ... but I never would – not in a million years. The fact that Lloyd could make the ultimate sacrifice and give up everything for the one special person who means the most to him? It's remarkable. I notice Raine looks like she's about to cry again at Lloyd's meaningful words, but I manage to not comment on it and just let the moment eat away at my heartstrings.

'He's that important to you?' Sheena asks.

Lloyd doesn't look up and keeps his stare fixed firmly on a cracked tile of the floor. 'More than anyone in the world.'

He jumps when the card returns to his face. Sheena glares, but it really ... _really_ looks like she's fighting herself inside. 'Then you have to understand that I'm fighting for people who are depending on me with their lives. We're doing the same thing, and I can't let them down either!'

Lloyd doesn't reach for his swords, but he clenches his fists tightly. 'When we regenerate the world, everyone will be saved! How can-'

'_This_ world will be saved!' she exclaims, slapping the card to Lloyd's chest. The sudden attack sends him skidding back (damn, that is one powerful piece of paper), and he topples over to the floor with an 'ACK!'. Y'know, this would be the best time to keep Lloyd's inner-dork sealed away, but it isn't working very well now that he's sprawled in a less-than-graceful fashion on the cold stone floor. Wonderful, just the thing to make Sheena take us seriously.

Okay, I think Kratos is respecting Lloyd's wishes not to cleave her up, so he's settling with just using physical attacks without the aid of that sharp pointy sword. Though I think Sheena would rather the sword, because Kratos friggin' _roundhouse kicks_ her. Sure, it takes like a millisecond for him to do, but DAMN. For a guy that's older than my granddad, he sure can move.

Anyway, Sheena doesn't really get the better end of the stick here and, um ... gets quite hurt. And ... falls over. And seeing as Lloyd is right in front of her, she trips over his legs. And ... do I really need to keep going with this? She lands in a very ... very awkward position on top of our favourite little swordsman. Dammit Lloyd, you're such a woman.

There is a long, _long _pause. Kratos looks like he's planning some sort of apology to tell Lloyd when we get out of this mess, Raine purses her lips tightly, Colette looks like she's trying to hold back a giggle (oh Colette, I thought you were so much more mature than that!), and ... I decide to avert my virgin, underage eyes from the scene, because the only thought that's swimming through my mind right now is "bigboobsbigboobsbigboobs".

'Uhh ...' Lloyd mumbles, blushing like a friggin' lobster. How – when he doesn't even know what it's implicating – _how?_

Some random card materialises in Sheena's hand, and she smacks it to Lloyd's face ... which I think she only did so she could slap him. 'Argh! You-!'

Lloyd takes a stunned moment to recover from the slap, and tears the glowing card off his face as he gets hastily to his feet. 'Sh – ah, uh ... I- ugh - dammit, Kratos!'

'Just like that pervert Zelos,' Sheena grumbles to herself, whipping out another card out of no where. I notice this one is a dark brownish colour in comparison to the white ones she's been using, and recognise it immediately from the Water Seal. That's the same kind of card she used on Genis and me for that certain attack.

Sheena slaps it to his chest to cover the one she previously landed there, looking completely furious at the poor, innocent little swordsman. 'Life Seal!'

And RIGHT into a wall goes Lloydie. Poor thing is getting thrown around so much this battle ... and he's the one trying to create peace! Logic isn't being nice today ...

Okay, so we all know what Life Seal does. It slowly extracts energy from you via the freaky card that cannot be removed, and the spell only stops working when you've finally fallen unconscious and Sheena has stolen all of your power. It's quite an awesome move ... but having the move _done_ to you is less than awesome. And of course, Kratos is aware of this. He knows that this scary ninja lady that may or may not be Tethe'allan has triggered a spell that will cause his son to get knocked out in due time, resulting in him carrying him _again_ until we get to a decent place to set up camp. And Kratos does not approve.

With a growl of frustration, he kinda ... _melds_ into the darkness of a corner. Which is _weird_ and _scary_ and makes me think Kratos is secretly a vampire or something. Sheena raises an eyebrow, thinking this is Kratos' attempt at being _stealthy_, but a startled squeak interrupts her from unleashing whatever can of whoopass she may have stored.

Corrine's limp figure is thrown out the darkness and hits the floor with a painful sound. I'd say, from my limited knowledge of what Kratos did in the darkness, that he gave it a damn good kick. Out comes our bastard mercenary, who approaches the wounded fox-rat struggling to get up, and he _steps _on it. Not hard enough to kill it, but hard enough to hold it down and shove the toe of his boot dangerously close to where Corrine's larynx could be crushed with a small force.

'S-Sheena ...'

Her eyes widen and she clenches her jaw tightly, glaring at Kratos. She reaches for a final card, and Kratos forces his weight down slightly onto the foot holding the animal. Another panicked squeak makes Sheena freeze in place, and she flinches at Corrine's shaking, injured form.

'Leave us,' Kratos demands, applying more weight onto the toe of his boot and drawing out a long cry from the creature below. 'Or it dies.'

Sheena is probably aware that Corrine's usual disappearing act wouldn't have enough time to get away. She waits for a long, long while to consider her actions. I don't blame her – on one hand, her closest friend dies but Tethe'alla could be saved, and on the _other_ hand ... it's vice versa. I don't know what I'd choose under certain circumstances, but I think everyone knows I already put myself first. _Why_ is it so painfully obvious? But anyway, Sheena has to pick between two things she loves. Corrine, or the whole of Tethe'alla. It should be an easy choice – Tethe'alla. But still ...

'Damn ...'

I look to my side at the Professor to see her take on the things happening around her. She's carefully lowers Genis to Colette's hold to go and inspect Lloyd's condition as of now (he looks fine, but really tired thanks to the Life Seal eating away at him). I wonder if I should go over there and help Colette out, but she manages to get him securely on her back and holds him tightly. Man, aren't piggy back the best thing _ever_?

'That's a dirty trick!' Sheena yells, despite the fact that the card disappears from her hold. 'You-'

Another howl indicates Kratos hurting it further. Y'know, I'm surprised that Kratos managed to figure this out, even if it is practically blackmail. I'm sure, in any other situation, he'd be fighting her fairly, but right now Genis needs help, Lloyd is about to clonk out, and I'm injured a little myself. Not severely injured like the rest of them, but I'd like a bandage or something. Whatever works.

'Okay! Alright, fine ...' Sheena sighs, admitting defeat with a regretful look. 'I'll leave. Just ... just let Corrine go.'

'A smart choice,' Kratos murmurs, lifting his foot from the small fox. It immediately darts out of the way of the scary mercenary and leaps up to Sheena's shoulder, shivering slightly at its close encounter with a painful death. 'Now leave.'

'Next time I'll get you all,' she says, clenching her fists tightly at her sides in humiliating defeat. 'I _will_ save my people!'

And with that vow in place, she does her cool ninja-vanish technique thing, taking Corrine with her. Y'know the one where a crap load of smoke erupts into the air and drowns her out until she disappears. I always wonder _where_ they disappear to, but I'll ... not think on that for a while, because it'll just make my head hurt. The smoke catches my throat and I cough a few times, trying to move away without bumping into anyone. When it finally clears enough, I hear Kratos sheath his sword and make his dreaded way over to Lloyd, who may or may not have to be carried out of here. Poor Kratos – he has to do all the carrying around here.

Raine has tugged Lloyd's jacket open (those buttons of his are darn stubborn), and sure enough, the glowing card is attached to a space over his collarbones and it's not coming off. Raine's tried various spells, but like before at the Water Seal, nothing is working. I don't think Sheena is getting any energy from this spell anymore, so it's just gonna drain Lloyd all up before he's out and has to be carried. _Again_. Man, I'm surprised Kratos didn't just flee into the darkness as soon as she disappeared.

'Y'know ... I've already been unconscious in the past ... couple'a hours ...' Lloyd mumbles, his voice slurred and quiet. Like he's drunk, or something. Wow, imagining a drunk-Lloyd is _not_ pretty.

'This can't be healthy for him,' Kratos sighs, rubbing his palm against his forehead in a "kill-me-now" fashion. 'Though I'm sure the spell's infliction upon him will be less dangerous than the recurring problems we are having with him.'

'There's always a chance those problems could return while he is inflicted,' Raine murmurs stubbornly, resorting to trying to pick the card off instead of using her magic. 'It could be hazardous.'

'Hey, there's always a fat length of time before it happens again,' I say, shrugging. 'He'll be fine.'

'Y-yeah ...' Lloyd says slowly, bringing up a hand to point in my direction (though he misses and points to one of the many torches on the wall). 'What ... she said ... whoa, Kratos, there are ... five of you, man ...'

'He's getting dizzy,' Kratos says, and I can tell he's resisting a possibly strong urge to stride over to the nearest wall and thwack his head off it repeatedly. 'We should move on quickly and let him sleep.'

'Nah ... no, I'm _totally_ fine ...' Lloyd says awkwardly, placing a hand on the wall behind him to try and pull himself up. 'Really ... really really-'

Raine catches him as he topples into her front after standing, legs giving way completely under him. She rolls her eyes when Lloyd mumbles an apology into her shoulder, wrapping one arm around his middle to hold him up and using the other to put her staff away. 'You've always been such a troublesome boy ...'

'Sorry ...' Lloyd mumbles, not moving. '... 'Fessor ... you smell really nice ...'

She just sighs, motioning for Kratos to come and take the drowsy swordsman off her hands. 'That's nice of you to mention, Lloyd.'

After a few moments, Kratos decides to simply sling Lloyd over one shoulder in a fireman-carry, seeing as we aren't really that far from the entrance, and Lloyd would probably kick up some kind of tongue-tied fuss if we tried to get him on Kratos' back. The fact that he's already halfway through an incoherent conversation with himself is probably enough to have Kratos throw him to the floor and storm out of this place in a rage of being the group's second Noishe.

'Where'd the ... 'sassin go?' Lloyd asks, cocking his head to one side to be able to see me, Genis and Colette. I just shrug in response when Lloyd mutters something about how his belly hurts now he's being carried weirdly. Kratos tells him to shush.

'I dunno, she ran away,' I say finally, folding my arms as I walk behind the group with Colette. Apparently I'm the one keeping an eye on Genis now that Raine is leading the way for us, and I have no problem with that at all. 'You were just _that_ intimidating to her, Lloyd.'

Lloyd nods against Kratos' shoulder blade. 'See? M'cool ...'

'I think she thinks so, too!' Colette says with a smile, carefully hoisting Genis up further on her back. 'She seems to really like you!'

I would totally assume she's referring to the ... awkward moment between them, but I can't say for sure.

'... Think she's attracted to me ... or somethin'?' Lloyd asks, sounding increasingly drowsy. Yep, Life Seal's effects are kicking in, and I _love_ how Lloyd gets when he's almost unconscious – this happened after the fight at Asgard, didn't it? Good times. I really want to answer with "ha, you wish", but decide not too. I'm _not that mean_.

'Sure!' Colette replies, smiling still. 'She's really pretty! And when we become friends, she'll probably be really nice too!'

'We are not becoming friends with our enemies, Chosen,' Kratos growls, and I can see that urge to bash his head against a wall is slowly returning. Slowly, but surely.

'But Mr Kratos ...' Colette says quietly. 'She likes Lloyd, doesn't she? Why wouldn't she want to be friends with us ...?'

Kratos looks over his shoulder, and he looks like he's about to launch into a long, angry rant, but he manages to just sigh and go back to getting the hell out of this seal. Raine is leading the way through the remaining dark corridors with the aid of a light emitting from her staff, which she's whipped back out. It's really helpful and nice how she's using her remaining mana to light the way for us (seeing as it uses quite a lot, and she's already used a bunch trying to heal Genis up). The best thing is, due to her ... crazy-admiration of ruins, she practically got a photographic memory in these situations, and she knows exactly the route we need to take to leave.

'Lloyd, are you asleep yet?' Colette asks, holding onto Genis tighter. Genis doesn't look quite as pale now, so that's good. If he's getting some colour back in his face, it probably means the rest of his body is restoring itself quite nicely. Perhaps all that healing mana is finally kicking in now that it's practically flooded his own mana system.

'Yep ...' Lloyd answers. 'M'asleep ...'

'Oh ... well, good night!'

'G'night guys ...' Lloyd mumbles, waving a hand before letting it drop limply.

I raise an eyebrow. 'It's only evening, but sure, whatever.'

He doesn't answer this time, and I could have _sworn_ I heard a sigh of relief from Kratos now that Lloyd is probably asleep. Hey, he's not usually this mean ... unless he's really tired of having to carry Lloyd around everywhere whenever he falls unconscious. He was probably savouring that space of time between his last run-in with that illness that has yet to be treated, but _no_ ... Sheena had to go and use Life Seal on Lloyd, because Kratos was daft enough to roundhouse kick her into his son. Smart move there, Krat-man.

A soft fluttering sound catches my ears, and I look up towards the two in front. The paper card seems to have fallen from Lloyd's skin, meaning he's perfectly unconscious now. The spell is over, Lloyd is sleeping like a baby, and I am _totally_ snatching up that card and giving it to the Professor in case she wants to study it, or something. She might excuse me from homework, or something. It's worth a shot, right?

'Oooh, we're close to the exit now,' I say, looking around and recognising this as the entrance corridor. 'Professor, Genis looks like he's doing a lot better. He isn't as pale now.'

'That's good,' Raine says quietly, putting her staff away after diminishing its glow. The orange light from outside is flooding in, and everything is becoming much clearer. 'But we still need to give him proper treatment. He has many wounds ...'

'Yeah ...' I mumble. 'Mine isn't that bad, so just focus on Genis for now. I can heal myself up with First Aid and a bunch of apple gels.'

'Thank you.'

I wave away the thanks and frown a little. I _do_ really want to be healed properly, but with Genis is his state, he should come first. Poor Genis. Plus, Colette's toxicosis should be kicking in pretty soon. S_hould_. She usually gets all tired and stuff on the way out of the seal, but she's fine. And giving someone a piggy-back. This isn't quite normal.

Finally, we all step out into the crisp, evening air just in time to see the sunset sinking down past the horizon. C'mon everyone, deep breaths of that amazing, country breeze! Ah, the smell of fresh grass and the still, night atmosphere is amazing. Y'know, until all the beauty of the rolling hills and red-purple skies is interrupted by the loud, continuous barking of a certain protozoan at the view of his unconscious owner. _Dammit_, Noishe.

'Why?' I hiss, arching my head back. '_Why_ almighty, _why_?'

'Why what?' Colette asks, looking over curiously.

'I hate dogs,' I mumble, running a hand through my hair before glancing at her out of the corner of my eyes. 'Uh ... we should get moving. Outside the mausoleum can't be a safe place to camp for now.'

'Yeah, you're right,' she says with a nod, and we follow the two adults of the group. Y'know, it's weird having only Colette to talk to. Usually I'm talking about something stupid with Lloyd or being insulted by Genis, and we all just jump into these big group conversations where we drag Kratos and Raine in at some point. But right now, Lloyd and Genis are out, Raine is silent with worry as she leads the way, and I'm not even gonna _try_ conversing with Kratos in fear that he'll grab Lloyd by the ankles and bitchslap me with him. It's weird, but okay.

'Hey ...' I say after a few minutes of walking, Noishe now following closely beside Kratos and constantly poking the side of Lloyd's head with his nose in an attempt to wake him up. 'I've been wondering ... are you feeling okay?'

'Oh ... you mean the toxicosis?' she asks, smiling a little. 'Well ... I feel a bit hot ... and my throat hurts a little, but other than that I feel okay! It's ... a bit weird.'

'There is no need to be worrying, Chosen,' Kratos says, glancing back. 'It's normal for the effects of the toxicosis to weaken with each seal. The Chosen begins to familiarize to their new status, and less things are required to be lost. The effects are not as powerful. You'll barely feel a thing at the next seal.'

'Oh ... that's great!' Colette says happily with a smile. 'That means people don't have to worry anymore!'

'That's true,' I say with a nod, glancing at Genis and Lloyd. 'But those two ... they still don't know about the ... theloss of senses right?'

Colette shakes her head. 'No, they still don't know. But the Professor and Kratos know, and you know too, so ...'

She pauses. 'I don't want to ask you to lie, but-'

'Colette, I lie for a _living_,' I say, rolling my eyes. Luckily, Kratos didn't hear that little remark, so he isn't able to take it seriously. 'I just won't mention anything about it, alrighty?'

She just smiles. 'Thanks ...'

'Don't mention it,' I say, folding my arms behind my head as we continue to walk without another word from the people ahead. I lower my voice a little when I ask and make sure Genis is definitely still unconscious. 'So, uh ... do you know if anything's gone yet?'

She pauses for a moment, glancing over his shoulder quickly to check Genis also. Satisfied that he's totally out, she turns to me before looking forward again, having trouble answering.

'Hey, if you don't wanna say, that's fi-'

'No, no – it's not that at all,' she says quickly, giving another small smile. 'It's just ... hard to explain right now ... and I'm not too sure of it myself. I can't feel the warmth ... or the cold ... I don't know what it is right now.'

'It's warm,' I mumble quietly, staring at the green grass as I walk. 'Your sense of touch, then. The ability to feel stuff.'

'Yeah ... I guess so,' she says with a nod. 'Though ... it isn't as bad as the others.'

I raise an eyebrow. 'What do you mean?'

'Well ...' she starts, looking up at the sky. 'When we finished the Fire Seal ... I couldn't eat at all. I tried, but I couldn't hold anything down. Then at the Water Seal, I couldn't sleep ... and I got a little scared. But now ... it sounds odd, but I can't feel pain ...'

I pause before reaching over and pinching her hand. She just shakes her head 'no', and I fold my arm behind my head again. 'Well ... I'd say that's a gift than anything else. I mean ... just because you're loosing your human senses, it doesn't mean all senses are good ones.'

'You're right!' she says with a third smile. 'This should help out a lot on the journey ... but I'll have to keep an eye out for when I get injured and heal myself.'

'Yeah ...' I mumble. 'If you can't feel anything, you don't know when you could be badly hurt.'

'Right ... I'll tell the Professor about it tonight, and she might be able to help me out.'

'I'll help out too,' I say, dropping my arms back to my sides when the wound starts stinging as I stretch. 'I mean, I can't do much on your behalf, but I can make sure these two don't find out.'

'No, no! That's a lot of help!' she exclaims quickly. 'Thanks so much! If you ever need help with anything, you're free to ask me too!'

I snort. 'Man, you're the _Chosen_. I can't ask you for help ... you're busy enough as it is, saving the world and stuff.'

'Well ... the Chosen's job is to help people, right?' she says, cocking her head to one side. 'So it'd make sense to help out when I can.'

I just shrug. 'I don't have many problems ... not ones that I can't sort out myself for now. Though if I ever do have a problem I can't seem to cope with, I'll be sure to ask your advice on the matter. Especially if it's girly stuff.'

She giggles a little. 'Sure, no problem. It'd be like sister-talk, right?'

'Riiiiight ... that's a scary thought.'

'I don't think so!' Colette says, beaming. 'We're all like a big happy family. You, me, Genis and Lloyd are all brothers and sisters, Raine is the mom of the group, and Kratos can be the uncle!'

I hold in a snort when the two adults in front freeze where they are at Colette's words (even Noishe comes to a sudden halt). I gotta admit – mum-Raine is scary. Uncle-Kratos? Oh lord, never. Why would Colette want Kratos as an uncle? That isn't _right_. The looks on their faces are priceless too. Raine looks downright freaked, and Kratos looks like he's about to shot-put Lloyd to Raine and hightail it outta here.

'I ... like to think I'm a bit young to be the mother to Lloyd and you,' Raine says slowly, one hand finding her hip. 'Perhaps an auntie or an older sister would be more fitting.'

Kratos doesn't say anything on the matter, but his face plainly reads "I don't _know _you people_"_ as he looks from Colette, to me, and to Raine.

'Or you could be the dad-' Colette suggests at his annoyed expression, but she's quickly cut off by a gruff answer.

'I'm not fond of children.'

'Yet you travel with a group of four teenagers,' Raine says with a small laugh to Kratos' general preferences.

'And ... d'you notice how he's _never_ happy?' I say. 'That might be why he's angry all the time.'

'Kratos isn't angry _all_ the time ...' Colette says thoughtfully as our group of four-conscious begin to walk again at a slower pace. Either we're in a safe place where we can set up camp for the night, or Kratos and Raine are _that_ disturbed that their brains are denying them basic abilities such as moving. Maybe they'll collapse to the floor and start foaming at the mouths in a few minutes.

'No ... Kratos is calm most of the time,' Colette decides finally with a nod. 'And quiet.'

'And pensive.'

'And reliable.'

'And commanding.'

'And strong.'

'And intelligent.'

'And _cool-_'

'Stop it,' Kratos demands hastily without turning to glare at us for once, and he keeps his gaze fixed firmly ahead. Colette holds her breath to keep another onslaught of laughter down, and I just manage to snort before shoving my fist into my mouth. Kratos is probably feeling pissed off and tired right now, so I'll be nice for now. It's hard, because we don't usually get Kratos into a situation like this ... damn.

Raine glances over at the mercenary and turns to us, looking ... slightly evil right now. 'He's getting uncomfortable.'

'Don't be ludicrous,' Kratos snaps, quickening his pace. 'Stop dawdling. It's getting far too late.'

I pity Kratos right now, even though I'm not really in a position to. Y'know, his two fellow males are completely out, and he's stuck with three girls for company. I'm sure we're not doing anything to outright annoy him, but our presence is probably enough. I'm sure he'd rather be a conversation with Lloyd now, even though Kratos probably wouldn't be listening to him anyway.

The next few minutes go quite quickly. Colette and I talk about Genis for a while, and how my respect for him has rocketed. Colette says she's amazed that he was so brave, because she's never seen Genis do anything so incredible like that. Of course, we get bored after suggestions of how to thank him when he wakes up (Colette has a good one, but you'll have to wait and see – I'll probably just ruffle his hair or something). Lloyd gets no praise, because ... he didn't really do anything. 'Cept, y'know ... practically save my life back there. I should thank him while everyone praises Genis, or he'll feel left out. Poor thing.

Tonight is gonna be a _long_ night.

-----------------

"_Wakey wakey, __sleepyhead__."_

My eyes immediately snap open at the mocking greet from Charis, and I almost jolt up in my sleeping bag, shove a fist into my ear while screaming about how she sucks, and attempt to rip her out of my brainmeats. _Almost_. There is the fact that it'll make me look like a complete _psychopath_, and the others are asleep. Well, most of them are. Don't really wanna wake up poor Genis.

Anyway ... I swear these guys can here _eyelid movement_, or something ... because I hear one or two people looking in my direction. I just loll my head to one side on my pillow, closing my eyes again. Kratos is awake – duh, Colette is probably faking her sleep again for ... unknown reasons, seeing as we all _know_ (or perhaps she's trying to get into the habit to make it look natural), Genis and Lloyd are still out, and Raine is steadily dozing off. She's been sitting at Genis' side since we finally set up camp some way away from the mausoleum in a rather secluded area with no monsters, and ... she's bound to be tired. Kratos has told her to sleep like, nineteen times, but she refuses.

Right, back to Charis and William in my head. "_Okay, where the HELL were you guys through all of that?"_

There's a squeak of an office chair. Why do their chairs always squeak when they talk to me?

"_Well, we thought we'd just be getting in the way, distracting you and all. We wanted to see what it'd be like to let you cope alone."_

I decide _not_ to indicate the throbbing wound in my side, and manage to withhold a whole lot of anger which is probably making my face go very, very red. "_Well, we're bloody perfect – Genis looks dead, Lloyd might as well be severely stoned, and I'm in a lot of pain right now.__ Okay, not so much pain, but it still hurts! The Professor is worried sick, Colette won't stop asking how Genis is, and ... you just woke me up! I hate you!"_

William snorts. "_You finished?__"_

I frown. "_Well, I am NOW."_

There's a short pause while Charis types away at something before answering. "_The main reason we haven't been around is because we've had to go through a few things. You see__, you were supposed to be finding out about your weakness for the whole Yggdrasill related hoo-ha that'll happen eventually, right?"_

_"Yeah ..."_

_"... WELL, you're gonna have to wait a little longer. Seems you or ... someone else did something to get in the way of that. But you'll find out soon enough, don't worry."_

I think I manage to roll my eyes with them closed. "_That is so typical of you guys."_

_"Ain't it though?"_ William sighs. "_Damn, I love me."_

I snort. "_You're starting to sound like Zelos."_

_"Don't compare me to that __player__!"_ he shrieks, pounding his fists on the desk. Again, this is what it _sounds_ like he doing. It could be completely irrelevant.

"_Hey, you can't blame him for being naturally sexy,"_ Charis sighs dreamily, and I'd bet anything she has her Zelos-cam up right now. I don't know what time it is in Meltokio, but it sounds like it's around midday or something from the distant screeches of "oh Master Zelos, you're looking so handsome today!" and the sort. "_I mean just LOOK at him ... flowing crimson locks, icy blue eyes__, that rugged yet well groomed__ air about him, those __powerful, toned _muscles_ ... what more could a girl want?"_

I think I'm stunned into silence for a long while at Charis sudden adjective party, as well as her attempt at being poetic. I choose to remain silence when she bursts into more on-the-spot poetry about how she, a simple girl, will never be noticed by the amazing and gorgeous stud Zelos Wilder, and is destined to live for eternity as but a far off admirer. William thuds his head repeatedly against the desk, and I do my best to shut off my brain-links to drown out her little unrequited love fest there.

"_Wait a sec, I have one question,"_ I say before leaving. I _need_ to know this for the moment I meet Zelos, if that ever happens. "_Is Zelos ... tall?"_

Charis pauses. "_Uhh ... how high is Lloyd?"_

"_Uhh ... well, if I stand on my tip toes, I'm like ... a tad taller than him. So ... pretty short. Why?"_

_"Okaaay ... he's about an inch shorter than Kratos."_

_"... But Kratos is the tallest thing on the face of Sylvarant__,"_ I protest. "_I though Zelos was like ...__ a foot taller than Lloyd."_

"_Oh no, Zelos is very tall. Very, very tall. Lloyd would probably bash his forehead on Zelos' Cruxis Crystal is he ever walked into him__, so that'd be the same for you__. And that thing is pretty sharp, y'know ...__ but whatever – being tall just makes him that much more sexier ..."_

Argh, dammit. The reason I wanted to know is because I don't really like tall people. Not that they're _bad_ or anything, I just find it uncomfortable having to crane my neck back while talking to them, which is what I usually have to do with Kratos (him and his 6'whatever" tallness, the git). If I subtract one inch from Kratos' height, it's practically the same thing. Why are these people so _tall?_ Man, even _Lloyd _has to crane his neck back to speak to him properly. We're both gonna have them broken by the end of this journey, I swear.

In conclusion, I hate being relatively short. Luckily, I'm not that short for my age. _Lloyd_ is short for his age. I can totally take that to my advantage and make fun of him, though Genis does that already.

'Ngh ...'

Aha, speaking of Lloyd.

The heap of flesh and black, cotton pyjamas we call Mr Irving is stirring slowly underneath his covers. While he slowly gets himself together, Raine places a hand on Colette's arm, signalling her to keep up the sleeping facade. It'd look natural if she were sleeping right now, which is what I should really be doing myself. 'Cept I don't have anything to hide, so I just sit up in my own sleeping bag.

Raine has to step over various things strewn over our messy camp to get to Lloyd, but she manages it without tripping over at all. Kratos just watches from his seated position against Noishe, not really wanting to get involved. He's probably still avoiding any conversation with Lloyd, even after everything that's happened today. I'm still curious about that, but I won't pry. I'm being weirdly nice lately. I think.

'Oww ...' Lloyd mumbles drowsily, bringing a shaking hand up to his forehead. 'My head is killing me ...'

'Yeah, having all of your energy forcefully sucked out of you will do that,' I say, resting my chin on my hand. ''Sup?'

'M'head hurts ...' he says quietly when Raine presses a hand to his cheek and brow, feeling his temperature.

'Your body mana has been trying to substitute your physical energy, working non stop for the past while. Since you were already on a shortage of mana, it's been trying to naturally regenerate as well as work hard at the same time. It's not wonder you're in some pain.'

'I have _no_ idea what you just said,' Lloyd says, eyes finally slipping open slightly. 'And I think it just made my headache worse ...'

I'm sure Raine would slap him if he were in a better state, but she simply twists his nose sharply before going back to checking his vital signs and whatnot.

'Ow!'

'Well ... you seem to be fine,' Raine says, straightening up. 'You may not feel like it right now, but you should sleep some more and let your mana flow return to normal. It's going haywire in your system right now.'

'I ... wait – Genis-' Lloyd says quickly, eyes widening as he jolts up in his sleeping bag. Raine almost gets around to scolding him for making such sudden movements in his condition, but he interrupts her. 'Genis! Is Genis okay? Is he hurt? He's awake, ri-'

'Lloyd, calm down,' she says, pushing him back against his pillow by his shoulders. 'Genis is fine. He's still recovering, but his wounds have been treated. You should know how he feels right now, because his mana flow is even worse than yours is at the moment. He is tired and needs rest, as do you.'

There's a short silence.

'I need to see him-'

'Lloyd, _sit down_.'

Regardless, he manages to struggle out of her grip and zoom straight to the unconscious boy's side (which takes him a moment to locate). I've gotta say, I'm surprised he did all of that without toppling over and landing flat on his face, because _I've_ been attacked by Life Seal, and it doesn't feel too nice when you've just woken up from something like that.

Raine just sighs to herself and follows him while I watch this all play out. Y'know ... I know Genis is unbelievably special to him, the only person he's willing to give his life for, his best friend in the history of ever, and very, very wounded right now ... but I wouldn't really have minded "oh by the way Charster, how's _your_ wound?". Or something. I know it's a really, really, _really_ selfish thing for me to be thinking about right now, given Genis' condition, but still – my wound is the reason we're all in this nasty predicament. I would like _some _love over here.

'Oh man,' Lloyd mumbles, running his hands over his face. I don't blame him – Genis _has_ improved, but he's definitely still a mess. Now he's been stripped down to his nightclothes, all of those wounds on his front are actually _visible_, and there are more than I expected. It's like someone unleashed seventy rabid Katz on him and watched them let loose on his flesh for a while. There are just long, thin cuts embedded into his skin practically everywhere. Raine is gonna have a hard time fixing Genis' torn and ripped clothes, I know that much. 'Oh_ man_ ...'

'Lloyd, he's fine,' Raine assures gently, rubbing the teen's back with one hand and pulling away the shaking fingers from his face with the other. 'He's just resting for now, and he'll be awake tomorrow-'

'Are you sure? He's not still in pain or anything is h-'

'Perhaps,' Raine answers, standing. 'But I'm certain whatever pain he's feeling is minimal. You don't have to worry anymore. If you do, you'll make yourself sick.'

I know what she means. Have you ever experienced that kind of panic that makes you feel like your stomach is trying to twist itself in two, and you constantly need to run to the bathroom because you're feel like you're about to toss it all? Yeah, I'm sure Lloyd feels like that right now. Honestly, I've never seen him look like this before. He needs a big, group hug right now, but this really isn't the time. I've never had a Kratos-hug, but I'm sure they're amazing because they're so rare. Not that I want one. God, I'd probably shoot him in the face.

'Professor, I-' Lloyd stops himself quickly when something in his throat catches, and he takes a quick, deep breath. 'Can I stay with him?'

She frowns in response. 'Lloyd, you need your sleep-'

'Do you really think I can sleep at a time like this?' Lloyd asks quietly, not taking his eyes off Genis. I'd have trouble sleeping if my best friend was admitted to hospital or something, but seeing as I'll never be close to someone like him, I have to try and times that sleep-depriving worry by ... fifty. Ouch.

The Professor pauses with a sigh, bringing one hand to rest over her brow. She knows Lloyd won't sleep even if she told him to, so it's easy she just gives in. And she does.

'I'll make you some coffee,' she says finally, stepping over the obstacles of our messy camp. 'But if you start feeling tired, it's vital that you rest.'

Lloyd doesn't respond, and I wonder if I should go over there and talk to him. Sure, we've only ever had _one_ deep, meaningful conversation (the one in Asgard, when we discussed how he felt about Kratos ... and even that wasn't too deep and meaningful), but I'd still feel awkward. Everyone knows that I'm not one to shoulder anyone else's problems if I can help it, but seeing Lloyd like this ... argh. I've mentioned before, whenever I feel sad, Lloyd's usually all optimistic, and it makes everyone feel better. When he's like this, everything goes downhill.

... I should really go back to sleep, or something.

For the next few minutes, I listen to the Professor making coffee for Lloyd as he just ... sits there, silently. Damn, this isn't like him at all! Wake up, Genis! Look what you're _doing _to him! Let's hope the coffee makes him feel better. If he's planning to stay up until Genis starts coming around, he's gonna need it. I'm sure Kratos would _love_ to demand that he sleep because he'll be holding everyone back tomorrow if he's tired in battle, but even he has a heart at the moment and just leaves him to his worrying.

Lloyd mumbles his thanks when the Professor hands him the cup of steamy goodness, and she runs a hand through his hair in a soft ruffle before going back to her sleeping bag. Lloyd tries to pat his hair back into place, but I notice a few clumps still sticking out in the wrong direction. Damn, that's going to be annoying me all night. Not to mention his hair is falling out of its usual vertical-ness. If he's using our healing gels to sort out his hair every morning, I swear ...

The next half an hour passes silently. I'm still awake, Lloyd is still awake (obviously), Kratos is ... probably pretending to be asleep, sitting against Noishe with his arms folded, Colette is probably pretending also, Noishe is _snoring_, Raine is asleep, and Genis is ... still unconscious. Hoo-ha.

... Must not be tempted to talk with Lloyd. Must not be tempted. Need sleep. Need to rest. Need to let him get on with his worrying. Need to leave him and make him tire enough to sleep himself. _Neeeed_.

Before I know it, I'm plopping down beside Lloyd with my blanket drawn tightly around my shoulders. Goddammit, self.

'What are you still doing up?' he asks, looking over for once. 'Isn't everyone else sleeping?'

'Yep,' I say with a small nod. 'I've come to have one of those deep, meaningful conversations with you.'

Lloyd frowns a little. 'I'm not really in the mood right n-'

'Duh, that's why I'm doing it,' I say, rolling my eyes. 'I know what you're thinking, so I've come to, uh ... _not_ make you think that.'

'Think what?'

I bite my lip. 'You reckon it's your fault Genis is like this, right?'

Lloyd just groans, turning back to the unconscious half-elf. 'Nothing you say right now could make me stop thinking that.'

I slap my forehead. 'That is _not_ helping me right now. Look – no, actually _look-_'

I have to give his shoulder a firm shove to make him turn to me, and I shift to face him, legs crossed with my hands on my knees. I'm trying to make myself look determined right now, and I'm quite positive it isn't working. 'Now ... tell me _why_ you think this was your fault.'

Lloyd glares at the floor, and I consider punching him in the chin to make him _look_ at me for more than five seconds. He isn't doing too well in my attempt to cheer him up, because he isn't cooperating ... and I'm just genuinely bad at making people feel better. Hey, if I succeed, maybe _this_ could be my awesome thing that I do.

'He tried to protect me,' Lloyd says finally, fists clenched in his lap. 'Because I didn't _listen_ to him, because I-'

'Lloyd,' I interrupt firmly. Whoa, I'm starting to sound a bit like the Professor ... not good. 'Do you _really _think he expected you to move?'

Lloyd's head shoots up, eyes wide. 'What!? Of course he expected me to move, or he wouldn't have-'

I make wild, flapping hand gestures to shut him up, and he falls silent after a moment. I rest them on my knees again and try to maintain eye contact to avoid anymore floor-glaring from him. With a sigh, I try my next question. 'What did you come on this journey to do?'

'... To protect everyone,' Lloyd mumbles. 'But wh-'

'Now, listen,' I butt in for the millionth time, turning into a complete hypocrite and averting my eyes to my lap. 'I'd hardly call myself a close friend of yours, but I like to think that on some levels I count as "everyone", seeing as I'm also on this journey.' I pause and take a deep breath, trying to phrase my next fact carefully. 'Genis knows why you're here – like you said, to protect everyone. When you wouldn't move, it was because-'

I stop myself, squeezing my eyes shut and clenching my teeth under my closed mouth. _Another_ deep breath. 'You were protecting someone, alright? If you _had_ moved like Genis said, I'd be in his position now. He knows that too.' I nod towards the half elf, and Lloyd glances over at him also. 'And ... I know you'd rather it was me instead of him right now, but he didn't expect you to jump out of the way and leave someone to get brutally hurt. And he didn't want you to get hurt either, so ... that's why he did that.'

I pause again. 'So it's hardly your fault. If you'd have moved back there, I'd be really hurt. You weren't really expecting Genis to block the attack in the first place, and I like to think you wouldn't have left me there to get battered just because he told you too.'

Wow. I just _... ranted_, and it made some kind of_ sense_. That's not normal for me ... but hey, I guess it was pretty awesome. I notice how Lloyd has just been sitting there staring at me for the last two minutes, so I shrug and pull at the edge of my blanket. '... Y'know.'

'You ...' Lloyd mumbles, finally dropping his gaze to the floor. 'You ...!'

Oh crap, I think he's about to shout at me. Bad Charster. BAD CHARSTER! His fists are clenched again, he's just staring at his lap, and I actually shuffle back a bit in case he punches me, or something. Not that Lloyd would _do_ that, but you never know.

Finally, he thuds his fists against the floor and I actually jump in surprise. 'You're such a _dork_!'

I pause and stare. Okay, dork is usually a _good_ thing, right? I dunno – he calls Genis dork a lot without any real hostility at variou – do_ not_ contemplate this, woman! Just answer! Answer _quickly_ Charlotte, you're losing him.

'... Uh, what?' I decide on lamely.

'You make _sense_ at the worst times,' he says, burying his face in his hands. 'It's simple to keep telling myself that it's my fault, but now you've put all these thoughts in my head and – argh!'

'Um ... I'm ... sorry?' I say, eyes wide. 'Geez, I was just trying to help-'

'No ... no, I know that,' Lloyd says quickly, calming himself down. 'I just think it'd be easier if you told me this ... _later_, y'know.'

I roll my eyes. Man, _whatever _I try to do, I'm always doing it wrong. No, I swear – it's always. Can someone _please_ give me an event where I've done something right, besides today's battle with the Iapyx (the first five minutes of it, at least)? How am I supposed to go about doing my awesome thing if I'm always doing it in the wrong place, or at the wrong time, or at the wr-

'Thanks.'

My train of thought crashes so abruptly to a halt that I have to wait for a moment before answering. Or in this case, not getting around to answering at all.

'... I guess even if I didn't wanna hear that, it's probably better that I did,' Lloyd says finally, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I don't think Genis would have wanted me to be like that either ...'

'Yeah, exactly!' I say, milking the situation for all it's worth. Hey, I'm doing something right – leavemealone. 'I mean, uh ... wow, I just ran out of things to say. I guess my logical quota is up for today.'

Lloyd snorts. 'Dork.'

I just shrug, preparing to get to my feet. 'Ah well, as long as I know I did something helpful. I think I'm actually getting better at this.'

'Huh? Getting better at what?' Lloyd asks, watching as I partly stand (I'm kneeling right now – getting there).

'Uh ... nothing. So, uh ...' I say, my ..._"__dorkiness__"_ kicking in, I guess. 'Uhh ... I'm gonna go ... sleep now, so ... yeah.'

'Right. I'm gonna stay here for a little while ... just until he wakes up,' Lloyd says, turning to his friend. I dunno if the little talk I just gave him helped at all in his head, but he seems to be grateful enough for whatever I managed to drill through his skull. Weird thing is, now that it's became so rare, I feel like I should be doing something in return for him being grateful. I know it sounds weird, but I feel awkward leaving like this ... selfish, even.

So I do the first, most stupid thing that comes into my head, and I'm sad to say it's usually what I do when I thank people. I'll never know why, it'll never be understood, but it'll just _happen_.

'D'youwannahug?'

Lloyd looks up, raising an eyebrow. 'Excuse me?'

I cough into my fist, running a hand through the mass tangle I call _my hair_. 'I was just wondering if ... y'know, you ... wanted a hug, or somethin' ...'

Goddammit self, _why_ do you do this to yourself? _Why do you do it_, because you know you'll just end up in a horribly embarrassing situation, and it will _never_ be erased from your mind, and you are _not_ smart.

Lloyd nods slowly. 'I think I'll pass.'

I hold my hands up in some kind of defence. 'Totally fine. Right, I'ma go bed now and - I'll see you in the morning times - g'night then Lloooooyd ...'

He stares.

'Um ... g'night,' I say, waving as I walk back to my bedding. Wow, I'm _so_ smooth, aren't I? Man, I could become the next Zelos with my speaking skills. I get tongue-tied every three seconds, I speak horribly when I'm talking under pressure, and hell I'll probably faint if I ever talk to someone really important ... or Regal. Because Regal is slightly scary. Oh, and I barely make sense. _Amazing_, aren't I?

When I finally bury myself deep into my covers, head resting on my pillow _away_ from Lloyd and Genis and certain that a good portion of the camp are asleep, I finally ask the one question that's been bugging at my mind since the battle with the Iapyx. Not a vital question at all, but one I would rather have answered before I go to sleep.

'Am I a cool dork yet?'

'You're _still a dork_.'

-------------------------

'Are you gonna wake up?'

The only answer I get is a mumble, so I give Genis' cheek another sharp prod. He flinches, fully awake, but doesn't open his eyes. I grumble darkly to myself and glare at the unmoving figure below, casting a quick glance to the swordsman opposite. Lloyd, true to his word, has remained here since he's woken up. It's probably around 4AM, judging from the colour of the sky, but Lloyd's fatigue finally got the best of him and he fell asleep sitting up, head dropped slightly. I guess he couldn't make it, but that's all good. At least he'll wake up to see Genis is good and well, and he won't have to worry anymore.

... Y'know, if I can _get_ Genis to wake up properly.

'Oi,' I say, giving his cheek another prod. I do this to my nephew when he's being lazy, and it _works_, darn it. Genis, wake up already. 'If you're awake and alright, at least tell Lloyd.'

'... Lloyd?' comes the soft mumble from below. I roll my eyes, delivering three sharp pokes to his face. 'Oww!'

'Yes, he's been worried sick about you since you pulled that stupid stunt back there. The least you could do is put him out of his misery.'

Genis finally shifts a little under his covers, and I take a look around at the other people in the camp. Raine is sleeping, Colette is faking it once again by her side, probably listening in on the conversation without giving herself away, and Kratos ... I can't say for sure if he's sleeping or not. He's just sitting against Noishe, arms folded, head down, eyes closed. Noishe, for anyone who cares, is chewing away at some random stick.

'Lloyd ...' Genis murmurs again, flinching as he sits up slowly. 'Is he okay? Did he get hurt? Is-'

'Hey, hey,' I interrupt, putting a hand on his shoulder when he sucks in a deep breath of pain. 'Careful, alright? Your wounds are healed, but there's some ... overload of healing mana in your system or somethin', and it'll give you a bad headache.'

'Yeah, I noticed,' Genis hisses, bringing up a hand to rub his forehead. 'So ... ow – all my wounds are healed already?'

I nod to confirm. 'Yep. Kratos and Raine went all out to make sure you were okay back there. I've never seen them heal so much.'

Genis pauses, still rubbing his likely throbbing forehead. I'm not sure what a mana overload feels like, but I think I've only had one severe case ... which didn't last very long. I mean, I could sense all the mana there, but it disappeared quickly. Some of you might remember – Triet? When we were on our way to the Fire Seal, and some random ... blade of light just cut up my arm when Lloyd got attacked by a bunch of scorpions. No wonder I got attacked – he's a very distracting person. Anyway, I'm sure Genis is very tired and in pain right now.

'L – where's Lloyd?' he asks head snapping up. 'Is he alri-'

'Oh my _god_, you guys worry way too much about each other,' I say, groaning. '_Never_ have I seen you guys act like this ... and he's to your right, smartass.'

Genis ignores my small stab (probably making a mental note to insult me later when he gets the chance) and takes a quick look to the other side of his bedding. Sure enough, Lloyd is still sat there in his black pyjamas, cold coffee cup by his side with a thin blanket draped around his shoulders. His hair is incredibly messy right now, I'd just like to add – falling down around his face and all. Bad timing to mention, but he looks a bit like a CERTAIN mercenary. Hm, funny.

'He ... he looks-'

'That assassin came back,' I say, getting to my feet. 'She used Life Seal on him, like she did to us back at the Water Seal.'

'That woman ...' Genis mumbles. 'Did I ... hold you guys back?'

'Oh hell no, Kratos kicked her ass,' I say quickly. 'Now dammit, wake up your best friend. He's made himself sick with worry.'

Genis nods, and I straighten up, gathering my own blanket back around my shoulders. Darn, I feel like I'm wearing a cape or something. I could be the _superhero_ of the group with this thing. Except not, because Krat-man is the only one with a cape here ... so he could be like, Batman or something. But _Krat-man_. Krat-man and Ro ... ido?

I shake my head quickly, getting thoughts of Lloyd wearing tights out of my head and make my way over to my own bedding. Genis finally seems to be getting around to waking Lloyd up and shakes his shoulder gently. I have a feeling he'd use his usual, borderline violent methods of waking him up (Raine's fault), but I think he's putting his health into thought here. Life Seal, and all.

'Hey, Lloyd,' Genis yawns, dropping his hand back to his lap. 'Wake up already.'

Hypocrite. Regardless, I watch as Lloyd's shoulders hunch slightly as his sleep is disturbed, and Kratos snaps one eye open to observe. I think I almost screamed – he's scary when he does sudden, creepy things like that. I manage to ... _not_ look and turn back to the other two, sitting down on my sleeping bag. I consider throwing something at Lloyd's head to help wake him up, but decide against it quickly.

Lloyd mumbles something when Genis gives his shoulder another shake and he jerks awake suddenly, eyes flying open. I notice how it takes him a few moments to see that it is indeed _Genis_ in front of him, quite alive and well. He doesn't say anything when his eyes finally snap into focus – just stares at his best friend, which is maybe freaking out said friend very much.

Genis gives a meek smile, probably worried about Lloyd's reaction. 'Hey Llo – _whoa_!'

Lloyd's arms shoot out and he just _grabs_ Genis by the shoulders, tugging him into his chest. Genis luckily seems to be healed enough to not protest against any type of pain as Lloyd's arms wrap tighter around him, but he's currently being restricted of any movement. So he just sits there with his face shoved into his neck. Wow, can Lloyd hug or what?

'Lloyd ... can't breathe ...' Genis manages finally, face going red. I dunno if it's because of lack of oxygen or the fact he's very, very embarrassed right now, but I'd put my money on embarrassed. He's doesn't look too needy for air right now.

'Don't you _ever_ ...' Lloyd whispers shakily, trembling as he clutches fistfuls of Genis' shirt between his fingers, face buried deep into his friend's shoulder. '... _Ever_ do that again ... you _stupid dork_ ...'

I'm biting my lip, and I'm probably about to cry. Really. Lloyd is already crying into Genis' bedclothes, but I manage to simply watch from the safe distance of my own sleeping bag. At least he's crying silently – I doubt Lloyd would go on an all-out sobbing fest, so he's settling with quivering breaths every now and then while his shoulders shiver unevenly.

Genis finally realises that Lloyd won't be letting go anytime soon, so he winds his arms around his back and returns the hug, the look on his face reflecting just how uncomfortable he feels. It isn't usual that Lloyd cries so openly, probably even in front of Genis. I think the only time I've seen him break down properly was that night at the wasteland when he saw all the visions of his mum, Marble, and the dead people of Triet. He thought it was all his fault, even though it wasn't for most of the part. The reason I went to talk to him earlier was because I didn't want _that_ to happen again. I hope it worked.

'Lloyd, I'm fine ... really ...' Genis says, tightening his arms around his friend's back. 'Raine healed me, I just have a headache ... that's all-'

'I'm sorry,' Lloyd whispers into his shoulder. 'I'm _so sorry_ ...'

Kratos glances over to me when I thwack my head into my pillow. My deep and meaningful speeches do nothing! God_dammit_ Lloyd, I actually thought I got through to you back there! I thought I made _sense_! Why do you do this to me?

D'you know what Charis is doing? By some ungodly force, she's managed to download or get hold of this game's soundtrack, and she's playing that one tune ... that one that plays at the Flanoir scenes. I think it's called "A Wood Carving Star" ... but I'm not sure, never having owned the soundtrack, or any other merchandise from the game other than ... _the _game. Anyway, I think she's trying to add some sort of effect in the privacy of my own head, which is annoying. It's quiet, but it's _still there_. She'd better not do this in other situations.

"_Charis, shut up."_

_"But it's adorab-"_

_"Shut. Up."_

'What're you saying sorry for?' Genis demands quietly. 'It's not your fault.'

'I let you get hurt, I-'

'Lloyd-'

'I promised you in Iselia-'

'_Lloy-'_

'I screwed up _agai-_'

Genis breaks one arm free and delivers a firm thud to Lloyd's head, effectively shutting him up. I'm tempted to ask about what this promise Lloyd's talking about is, but this quite obviously isn't the right time. When he talks about how he screwed up again, I can only assume he meant with events like at the ranch, where Genis got badly wounded, and the battle with the Windmaster back at Asgard. So it must be something about protecting him? I dunno ...

'And you call _me_ a dork.'

'You are a dork,' Lloyd sniffs.

'At least I don't blame myself for things when they aren't my fault.'

There's a long pause.

'You can, uh, let go now. Lloyd.'

I watch his shoulders hunch as he holds tighter, and Genis rolls his eyes. 'Llo-'

'Hey, just give me a minute, alright?'

'I want to go to _bed-_'

'You can go in a sec.'

'Lloyd, get off already.'

'Nope.'

Y'know, watching them bitch out at each other while they're hugging is quite amusing. You just ... _don't_ rat at people while you hug them – it doesn't look right. So here we are – Lloyd still holding Genis in a firm death-grip hug, Genis looking quite pissed off despite the fact he's returning said hug, and Kratos is just watching the whole thing with a raised eyebrow. If you look closely at Noishe, it looks like he's sharing the same expression.

'Lloyd, though I am sure you are overjoyed for Genis' recovery, it would be best to let him rest for now,' he says, and Noishe whines in agreement. 'You need your sleep also if we wish to reach Luin quickly.'

I'm barely aware of Lloyd pointing at Kratos accusingly before going back to hugging Genis, who tries to struggle away – because something Kratos just said sent off a spark in my mind and sent threw my brain in millions of different, bad, destructive directions. I can't believe a forgot, seeing as this was one of the main destructions in the entire game, but ...

_Luin_.

When we get back there ... it won't _be_ there, will it? The Desians – Kvar, he destroyed it all, didn't he? Tore down the city, took everyone to the ranch, and killed the rest of them. Dammit ... _dammit_ – Iselia, Triet, and now Luin? Palmacosta will be demolished also, and this ... really can't be good for Sylvarant, can it? I'm sure when the two worlds merge, things will be better with more cities and stuff, but who's to say any of that will happen?

But right now, my main concern is Luin. What about everyone I met there? The innkeeper and her daughter, that dog I named Max, _Samuel_? Oh good lord, what about Samuel? He can't die – he's Lloyd's grandfather. I'm sure, should he die, things will be a lot safer in Kratos' case, but still ... even if this was never supposed to happen – Lloyd can't have more of his family slaughtered by the Desians. Dammit, he'll go crazy.

"_Not saying anything."_

_"Didn't expect you to,"_ I snap back harshly. I suddenly want to get to Luin as quickly as possible and check out the damage. Who knows – something might have happened to disrupt this flow of the story. Pietro might never have escaped from the ranch with others, and Kvar might have just left Luin alone. It sounds very unlikely, but ... c'mon, how many things have changed here? Triet was destroyed, Chocolat is dead, Lloyd's final sane relative made an appearance, he isn't aware of Colette's loss of senses and most likely won't be for a long, long while ... that's too many things already, and I'm sure there's more to come. Who's to say it won't be a good thing for once?

Okay, okay ... calm down Charlie. Genis is alright now ... Lloyd won't be worrying anymore, and he's feeling fine too. Colette's angel toxiscosis is getting better with each seal, and she can barely feel the effects from it now. Raine will be okay when she wakes up and sees Genis is peachy, Kratos is just _there_ for now, and you're okay. You're fine. Your wound hurts like bitch, but you're fine. That's all that matters for now.

That's not what I'll think a week later when I stand outside what was once called the City of Hope, I'm sure.


	53. Tragedy in Luin

I'm back at school nooooooow. My uniform is finally BLACK instead of green - it's awesome. 'Cept this year is a lot more important, my maths class is full of chavs, and it's hard to concentrate. Daaaaamn. Well, the holiday is over - and it's not been too good for me D: My brother got beaten up and stabbed in the head twice. But he's okay now - he's just scared to go home in case it happens again.

Right, this is supposedly the longest chapter yet. Woo, I'm getting there. In chapter 54, we have a massive time-skip to the Asgard ranch, and I'm currently deciding if they should bother going to Hima to do all the crap with Pietro, or just remain in the ranch for both ranch-scenes. I think I should have them escape at the right point, but avoid the detours around Sylvarant.

In this chapter, we encounter a whole crap-load of stuff D: Death, angst, more death, Char finding out her weakness, angst, Krat/Lloyd oyako-bonding, and lots more in between. I'm excited about writing for the ranch though! I've wanted to do it for ages, and we finally get to see Kvarrrr. And more Botta. GOD this fandom needs more Botta. He's so English.

To D.D.Z - Whoa, thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you like my story so much. And thanks so much for your beta offer, but I'll have to decline D: I dunno - I've never had betas unless I'm asking a friend's opinion of scenes, so it'll feel weird to have one. And yeah, I'm aware of all the gram/spelling mistakes XD Of course, I'm too lazy to go through 52 chapters and correct them all. If you wanna email me for anything in the future, feel free!

To adc5155 - I'm glad I was able to help. Thanks a lot.

To Kitty-Katz-Katz - I knew someone would percive it that way XD Ah well. Thanks a lot for reviewing!

If I forgot to answer any other questions or whutnots, just give me a shout this time.

Read and review please :3

* * *

Chapter 53 - Tragedy in Luin

... Burning.

That's the only thing I can smell right now, among the natural scent of the evening. Of course I was wrong. Of course Luin wouldn't still be standing when we got back. I just ... expected it to be like it was in the game. Nice day, just with a destroyed city in the middle of it all. A few buildings are still on fire, the sky is a daunting blood red, there are bodies ... there are _bodies_ ...

I dare myself to look at the shocked faces of my companions. We've been standing silently for a full minute just outside the city – we could see from afar that something was definitely wrong, so we all just legged it down here to meet the sight of a once very beautiful city. Now? Black, charred rubble adorned with glowing embers, the smell of ash in the wind. The shadows on the ground from the setting sun hide pools of blood smeared over the cobbled streets, swords broken and discarded at some attempt to fight back perhaps. Whatever they did, it was all in vain.

'W-what ... what happened?' Genis asks no one, eyes wide in fear. He doesn't get an answer, and we continue staring at the wreckage.

The inn on the outskirts of the city – the one we stayed in – is completely demolished. The stairs leading to the second floor have caved in, blocking the entrance. If that collapsed before any survivors got out, there was no way they could have escaped. Just how many people died? Not all of them could have been taken to the ranch – not with all the blood and bodies staining the place.

'It's just like Triet ...' Colette says finally, hands clasped tightly. Her knuckles are turning white, and the Professor rests a firm hand on her shoulder. She won't cry – not because she can't, but because she's strong. Stronger than all of us put together, emotionally. Perhaps besides Kratos, seeing as he _is_ a four thousand year old angel.

Speaking of Kratos ... he looks absolutely livid. I'm actually moving away, despite how he's on the other side of the group. I'm sure he'll be able to keep his composure while this is all happening, but I assume the main thing on his mind right now are Samuel, and the fact that his wife's birthplace has just been destroyed. I'm not too good at putting myself in other people's shoes, but I think he's pissed off. Muchly.

My tongue is tempted to form various swears, but I manage to keep my mouth shut for now. If I speak, I'll probably be sick.

'Desians,' I croak finally, coughing into my hand. The ash and smoke polluting the air around here can't be good for my chest. I think some of you remember I have a slight case of asthma. Normally I'd be fine, but I've never really gone into a city that's been completely burned down and breathed in _ash_ over and over. 'It has to be.'

'But ... why?' Lloyd asks, fists clenched tightly. I pity the next Desian that comes across here, because he and Kratos will likely decapitate them. Or perhaps just Kratos will, him being the more violent one. 'Why would they-!?'

'We don't know for sure, but it would be best to search for survivors for now,' Kratos orders, scowling ahead at the city. 'Calm down.'

'W – _calm down_!?' Lloyd shouts, eyes wide and glaring. 'Look at this place! You-!'

'Lloyd, that's enough,' Raine remands firmly. 'Taking out your anger on Kratos will do you no good.'

'But Professor-!'

'Lloyd, just shut up,' I say, not really accustomed to stepping into one of these little spats they have every now and then. 'Screaming at everyone isn't going to help people in Luin right now. We have to go and help the survivors like Kratos said.'

'But-'

'Oh for fu – but _what_?' I snap, slowly following everyone (besides him and Kratos) to the bridge leading to the island Luin is on. 'What do you wanna do? Go right to the ranch and kill all the Desians there? I know you hate 'em, but dammit Lloyd, at least _try_ to be sensible in these situations. Luin's completely destroyed.'

He actually flinches at my words, and Kratos gives him a small glance from his side. I think I'm actually starting to get listened to a lot more than I used to, and I'm kinda glad ... it's useful when Lloyd takes one of these "must avenge parents" turns when it comes to Desians.

'You're right,' he mumbles. 'I'm sorry.'

I frown a little, rubbing the back of my neck. 'Don't apologise. You're probably angrier about this than most people in the group. We don't even know if it _was_ the Desians yet, so ... let's go and find out. There has to be some survivors, right?'

'She's right,' Kratos says, resting a firm hand on Lloyd's shoulder. Wow, Kratos is agreeing with me again ... it's like a bad omen, or something. 'We should withhold any personal anger until we are positive the people of Luin are safe. Regardless of how strong your feelings are, Lloyd, they will have to come second for now.'

Lloyd's nod is barely noticeable. '... Sorry I shouted at you. I guess I got a little caught up in my own feelings.'

'Think nothing of it,' he says, dropping his hand from the tensed shoulder. 'The day is almost over. We should help as many as we can before nightfall.'

Deciding it'll take these guys _way_ too long to actually follow, I go ahead alone and try to catch up to the Professor and the others. Even if we do find survivors, I don't think it'll change anything. We're most likely going to have to go to the ranch to bust out the captives, but if the Asgard ranch is anything like the one back at Palmacosta ... well, I don't think I could face that again. We split up into two teams, I know that much – one goes to fight Kvar, and the other disengages to locks and lets the prisoners out. Lloyd will be leading the Kvar team, and I'm just praying he doesn't pick me to go with him. Magnius was bad enough with _all_ of us fighting him, so Kvar with just three people? Yeah. Ow.

"_Charis, turn the goddamn soundtrack off,"_ I say, glaring at the grass in front. She's doing it again – I'm not sure which song she's playing ... I only know about three of them by name. A Wood Carving Star, Fatalize (I mentioned I'm trying to get it as my ringtone in the desert, I believe), and ... some other one. I forget – so shoot me. Point being, she's playing a song. Why Zelos' theme, I have no idea.

"_Wait ... wait – are you SPYING on him?"_ I exclaim into my head. "_At a time like this?"_

"_Well, I'm definitely not interfering for the next few hours, so I might as well entertain myself,"_ she answers with a short yawn. "_You're in for a rough while. Plus, be careful in there – all that smoke can't be good for your throat. You'll probably be fine, but we're not dragging in your nebulizer again. You were supposed to be free of any chronic diseases when you came here."_

"_That's just great,"_ I grumble. "_I guess my body here is the same as my body at home."_

A sudden thought strikes my mind so suddenly, it manages to drown out her mumbles answer. It's a wonder I never thought of it before – most likely because of my fear of death here, but now ... now things seem to be falling into place by themselves for this new idea, but I'd like to make sure with Charis before I get any plans.

"_Hey ... I have TWO bodies, right?"_ I ask slowly.

There's a long pause before she answers, and I have a feeling she has a hunch of what I'm about to suggest. "_... Yeah, why?"_

"_If this one became unusable ... you'd have to send me back to my old one on Earth, thus sending me home ... right?"_

"_Don't kill yourself_."

I frown at her answer. "_I don't want to ... I just thought – if my body here died, would you send me home?"_

"_Not ... particularly,"_ Charis says, straining with her words a little. "_If you die here, you just ... die. That's it."_

A cold shiver runs through me. "_Okay. But say ... if I just get severely wounded and can't MOVE or anything. I wouldn't be able to continue on the journey, so what do I do then? I won't be able to get home."_

"_Well ... William's prepared something in case that happens, but we can't use it unless it's an extremely dire situation. It could kill you anyways,"_ she answers almost casually, and I consider getting down on the floor and ramming my head against the ground to hurt her in some way. Even if I could hurt her, I'm still curious about this ... _thing_ William has planned.

"_So ... what's this plan you guys have?"_ I ask, folding my arms. "_Am I allowed to know?"_

"_Yeah, I guess,"_ Charis says, quietly mumbling something about Zelos' abs. Seriously – when I see him for the first time, I'll probably rip off his shirt to see if all this muscle-praise he seems to be getting is valid. "_You see, if your body should say ... be on the brink of death and it was vital that we should save you, Will's developing something that should hopefully give us a chance to do just that."_

"_That's sweet," _I say. "_But ... how?"_

"_It's like ... a time capsule?" _Charis asks herself. "_No, I wouldn't call it that ... anyway – should you be on the brink of death or whatever, we could set up this thing to put you in a coma like state and leave your body until we're sure it'd be safe. Worse case scenario – it'd take a year or two depending on how long we can set it for, and you'll go back looking fairly older, probably causing a lot of suspicion. Then again, it's that or us just leaving you to die."_

"_I'd stick with the suspicion ..."_ I mumble, rubbing my shoulder. It's cold, but I'm sure it won't be once we get into Luin. "_So ... if you do that, what will happen here? Wouldn't they have finished the journey by then?"_

"_Well, no"_ Charis says. "_I'm still not calling it a time capsule, but only a few hours would pass in this world. Y'know how when you get home to Earth, it will only have been say ... perhaps a few minutes, hours, maybe a day? It's like that."_

"_Oh ..._" I mumble. "_Well ... I'm not too keen on coming back as a fifteen, sixteen whatever year old ... I mean, I JUST turned fourteen."_

"_Trust me, they'll barely notice," _Charis snorts. "_We've checked, and you'd look exactly the same, if not an inch taller."_

"_... Thanks for just destroying around three years of wishful thinking,"_ I say darkly. "_I was hoping to not be short by the time I became an adult, at least."_

"_Pray for a growth spurt,"_ Charis says, finally wrapping up this conversation. "_Right, you're almost in Luin, so – don't kill yourself to try and get home, don't hope for this time-capsule thing, because it'll probably kill you anyway, be careful of the smoke, and prepare for some tears – perhaps not yours."_

"_Yeah, yeah – whatever,"_ I sigh.

So, a few minutes later, we're finally and carefully making our way over the bridge that leads to the islands in the middle of Sinoa lake – where Luin is. Or was, would be a better term for it. The bridge itself is burnt and falling apart; planks of wood snapping and falling into the red water below. I'm praying that the lake is red because of the evening sky – not blood, like in Triet. I really am praying here.

'This bridge doesn't look too stable,' I say, legs shaking as I follow closely behind the others. 'It sounds like it'll break any minute.'

I don't get an answer, and figure this is a time to be fairly serious about rescuing people in Luin right now. When we finally hop onto the land, we take another good look around now we're in the midst of it all. It really is quite upsetting – all that remain of the houses are timber frames, crumbling and falling apart slowly. There's still smoke in the air from all the burning – though there isn't really a live fire anywhere, there are still embers burning away. I mentioned before, there's blood smeared over the cobbled paths along with broken weapons – swords, pitchforks ... I guess they tried to retaliate.

'This ...' Lloyd starts, but doesn't seem to be able to finish. I look over in time to see the muscles in his throat quiver as he gulps, taking a deep breath. I'm hoping Raine and Kratos' warnings about staying calm for now are settling into his mind, because I'd otherwise fully expect him to shout and curse and do various angry things. I feel like doing that right now, but I'd rather keep my mouth firmly shut to avoid any smoke or airborne ash getting in there.

'Shall we split up and search for survivors?' Genis asks, rubbing his palm over the Exsphere on the back of his right hand. I'll never be too sure if the destruction of both Triet and Luin reminds him of the day Marble was killed, but I'd guess so right now. It's rare that I see Genis looking so down and depressed, and I'd like to assume he's thinking of her.

Kratos shakes his head at Genis' question. 'It would be best to stay together for now. We can't be certain if there are still Desians in the city.'

'Haven't they done enough?' Lloyd questions angrily, biting the corner of his lip. He's holding back his fury, and he's trying so hard. 'Why would they stay here?'

'To wait for you,' Kratos answers simply, and Lloyd glances over to him. Kratos just raises an eyebrow at his inquiring look and starts forward. 'They are looking for you, after all. You should know that.'

He's right. The Desians aren't looking for Colette to kill her, but they _are_ trying to kill Lloyd and nab his Exsphere. Didn't they destroy Triet only because they thought Lloyd was there? What if _that's_ why Luin is destroyed? Yes, the city was burned down all the same, but couldn't the reasons have changed? Well ... if we see Sheena and she clarifies that it's because someone escaped from the ranch, Lloyd won't have to feel guilty. I hope he isn't feeling like that already.

Finally, we all follow Kratos deeper into the city. I know we have to look around for survivors, but most of us can't help but avert our eyes at some points. I notice, passing the inn, the dead bodies of the inn-keeper and her daughter close together; their eyes wide, faces slack and lifeless. I hurts to know that perhaps almost two weeks ago, we were talking to them, and the daughter helped us get payback on Lloyd with the wax strips. It just _hurts_ to know that they're dead now. I don't know about the other daughter ... she might have been taken to the ranch.

We continue on, utterly silent. There isn't much we _can_ say – we see no survivors, there's nothing worth mentioning other than how we constantly come across more and more bodies, bleeding and tortured. I think my eyes are starting to water, but I'll blame the smoke for that. I'm not about to go into another sobbing fit in front of people. The time at the ranch was bad enough. And I notice, whenever I seem to cry, it always seems to be around _Kratos_. If crying isn't a major sign of weakness, then I don't know what is.

Though I think what I just caught glimpse of _might_ send me over the edge.

Raine touches my shoulder to get my attention and points towards a pile of wreckage. I have to pause for a moment or two before I notice the body of a certain dog lying under it, crushed and bleeding. Yeah, that'd be Max. I regret telling him I'd come back to play with him, because that seems very ... argh, I knew this would happen, didn't I? I shouldn't make promises I can't keep.

'Oh ...' is all I manage, the fear of bursting out in tears still hanging around. Colette noticed it, and she's chewing on the side of her finger. I don't know if she can cry or not ... but she'd probably be in bits right now if we didn't have to stay strong. I wish I could say the same for me, and I hastily brush something away from the corner of my eye.

'He's alive.'

I look up at Kratos, blinking back the tears building up. 'What ...?'

He just nods towards Max, and I take a few wary steps closer to the animal. The wreckage around him doesn't look too stable, and I don't want to make it collapse around him further. If he isn't dead now, anything more will definitely finish him off.

'Harrison.'

I pause, biting my lip. 'Yeah?'

Kratos actually hesitates before answering. 'He will die soon. He has perhaps a few minutes left. It's best not to-'

'I know, I know,' I say quickly. 'I just – you guys go on ahead, okay? I'll catch up.'

'But the Desians-' Lloyd starts, cutting himself of when a sob actually slips through my throat. Dammit, self – _do not cry_. Don't cry _now_ at least; wait until they've gone, and then you can bawl all you want. Come on, you can hold it in for now – don't say anything, just hold your breath and _wait_.

I bite my knuckle tightly to stop any more sobs getting through, facing away from the group and towards the barely living dog still with half its body crushed under the wreckage. Lloyd finally answers quietly: 'Okay ...'

'Don't stay longer than you need to,' Kratos says finally before turning and continuing into the destruction. I'm pissed at how he's not really putting the fact that I'm about start crying for all I'm worth into consideration right now, but I'm sure he has a good reason. Like, Luin's practically destroyed. Damn, I can be really selfish at times.

When I decide they're nicely out of hearing range and far too busy trying to cross a destroyed bridge (which Colette simply flies over while Lloyd has to give Genis a hand after he almost falls in the water below), I finally close the space between Max and myself and drop to my knees beside him. His breath is coming out in laboured pants, and his eyes slowly slide in my direction. He can't move any part of his body, there's blood all over him and dripping from his mouth, and ... yeah, I'm crying now.

I've had a dog die on me before like this, so it's just bringing back all those horrible memories right now. I _hate_ it when I can't do anything to help.

'Hey little guy ...' I whisper, trying to keep my sobbing down as I reach out a hand to touch his head gently. My answer is a croaky whine, and I can almost swear he's expecting me to help him. I wish I could – I really do, but there's nothing I can do to save him. His legs are crushed and probably a good part of his lower body also, and if that isn't the cause, he'll definitely die of blood loss.

I can see his eyes are starting to go out of focus, and I bite my lip when I realise he's about to ... go. I just stroke his head, still sticky with blood. I want him to feel comfortable at least ... and the reason I'm here is because I don't want him to die alone. No one deserves to pass away like that ... I want him to die feeling loved.

'I'm sorry ...' I mumble, biting my lip incredibly tight now to stop the sobs building up. I get a whimper in response and squeeze my eyes shut, feeling numerous tears rolling down my face.

When I finally brave myself to look at Max, I see his eyes have slipped shut, and his chest is no longer rising and falling slowly. That's it – I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save him. I couldn't save even a goddamn _dog_. He's _dead_.

I finally move my hand away from his head after a few moments, ignore the blood coating my palm, and bury my face in my hands. I collapse against some broken timber and just ... start sobbing. Knowing that I can't save a _dog_? That if perhaps we had just made it here ten minutes earlier I _could_ have saved him? Knowing he could still be running around and barking instead of lying, crushed in a puddle of his own blood while the person who _promised_ him she'd come back is just apologising and sobbing while she tries to comfort him as he _dies_?

God, I don't think I've ever felt so terrible.

I spot a piece of broken mirror nearby, probably from the wreckage of the house, and reach over to pick it up. I take a good look at myself and frown a little at what I see. My eyes are red from crying so much, my hair is a mess, and I have blood and ash smudged over my face. Biting my lip tightly, I clean my hands off on my trousers and run them over my face again to try and look fairly presentable.

Well, this is turning out to be a brilliant day. Bloody ... _brilliant_.

As I make my way over to the broken bridge the others crossed, I take a few deep breaths as I go to control my sobbing. I've pretty much stopped, but my mind keeps flashing the mangled image over and over again ... and it's hard to concentrate on anything other than the need to collapse into a shaking little ball – but there are things that need tending to right now. Survivors, perhaps Sheena, Samu-

_Samuel._

Before I know it, I'm probably ripping several ligaments in my leg when I jump over the gap of earth the bridge once covered. Sure enough, being the twat I am, my foot slips on the corner of soil I'm supposed to be landing on and I fall quite painfully. With a startled cry, I land on the wreckage of the bridge below and go completely numb from shock for a few seconds. I'm staring up at the crimson sky before I realise my arm is cut and bleeding, but I'm fine other than that. Until I move, that is – ow, my spine.

I blink a couple of times and realise I haven't damaged my brain (yet), and struggle to sit up with a hiss of pain. Honestly, I'd rather this than falling into the water, so I guess I'm lucky there. I'm not too far down; I reckon I could get myself back up there with some agonizing effort. I'll be fine.

A spiky brown head of hair pops into view from above, looking down curiously. It doesn't take a long few moments of staring at each other for Lloyd to cock an eyebrow at my sprawled position, and I just glare back.

'Shut up.'

'Whoa, I didn't even say anything,' Lloyd protests, furrowing his brow in annoyance. I just grunt when I pull myself up, brushing some ash off my clothes.

'Move so I can get back up,' I say, steadying one foot on a piece of sturdy looking wood as Lloyd hops out of the way. But seeing as it's _me_, and my luck seems to be non-existent right now, it decides to snap into two as soon as I put my weight on it to hoist myself up. I don't get very far, and fall again with another yelp. However, Lloyd comes to my rescue like the knight in red armour that he is, the sweet bugger. Okay, I lie – he grabbed my wrist to stop me falling and I feel like my shoulder has just been dislocated. Nice going there, Lloydie.

'... _Fuck_,' I manage, still hanging from Lloyd's grip. And I hang for quite a while, just staring at the water seeping through the wooden wreckage below.

'So ... are you just gonna stay down there?' Lloyd asks finally. The reason I'm hesitating is because the hand that snatched my wrist is practically dripping with blood, and it's ... just a bit scary. It makes me wonder if I want to get up there and see the rest of Luin at all, but I guess I have to. I swear Kratos is building up another list of reasons to kick me off should the time come.

'Yeah,' I say with a sniff. The imagines keep coming back. Shit, I'm _not_ crying in front of everyone.

'Hey, are ... you okay?'

I sniff again and reach up with my other hand. 'Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit shaken.'

Lloyd grabs my other hand and helps me pull myself up. After a few painful seconds, I'm finally up and nursing a bruised knee and a bleeding arm. I think the knee injury will pretty much go unnoticed, but there's no escaping the cut in my arm drawing attention. Hopefully they'll ignore it for now and decide Luin is far more important.

'Uhh ...' Lloyd mumbles after a moment, quickly glancing over his shoulder at the others. They all seem pretty preoccupied, and he turns back to me. 'Have you been crying, or ...? I mean, you-'

'Yeah, just a little,' I lie, rubbing my eye with the heel of my hand. '... Okay, not a little.'

'Did he-?'

'Yeah, he's ... gone.'

Lloyd looks like he's about to open his mouth for another comment, but he just closes it and settles for answering with a nod. I don't really blame him – I'm not really a person to have my waterworks set off at the mention of something sad, but right now I think anything could tip the edge. It's best to keep pretty much quiet, and I think I've cried enough. Enough to give me a headache, at least.

After a few moments of silence, Lloyd moves to rub the back of his neck and looks over the right. 'D'you want a hug?'

I look up, confused. 'Pardon?'

Lloyd just shrugs, arms falling back to his side as he answers in an uncomfortable mumble, wincing as he does. 'You offered me one when I was worried about Genis, so ... I figured you'd want it now, I guess ... or something ...'

I pause, not too sure on what to say. I think throughout this journey I've pretty much hugged everyone without anyone asking me for one or giving one in return, or just ... y'know, randomly. So it sounds a bit ... weird to be asked of a hug. Especially from Lloyd, though I'm not sure why. He looks disturbed enough as it is _asking_ if I want one, so I guess it's best to decline for now.

Answer, Charster.

'Nah, I'm okay,' I say, wiping some blood off my arm. 'Hardly the time, anyway.'

'Sure,' Lloyd says, turning back to me with a short nod. 'You better not change your mind later, you hear?'

'Whatever,' I say, slapping a hand on his shoulder when I walk past. He turns and follows after a moment, and I gulp at the sight I'm met with. Colette and the Professor are helping each other move some rubble, or at least straighten it all out. I question the _point_ of tidying rubble for no apparent reason, but decide there could be some survivors who can't speak or make noises for whatever reason. I'm sure Colette can pick up small sounds, so I'll just leave them to it.

It's odd, the further in we get to the city, the worse it seems. It's horrible – you can see bloodied limbs just _sticking_ out of remains of houses, some which belong to kids. Seriously, kids my age, maybe younger – killed just like that. It makes you feel _guilty_ that you're still living; that you're still able to enjoy what life has to offer. Though I'm sure "enjoying" isn't really what I've been doing since getting to Sylvarant, but still ...

I look over to see Genis observing the same sight, teeth clamped firmly down on his lower lip with one hand clutching tightly at his Exsphere. His knuckles are white and shaking from the tension of his grip, and I consider going over to say something before deciding it isn't my place to. If anyone, it's Lloyd's or Raine's, but definitely not mine. And if he's feeling anything like I was back there, then he probably wouldn't like the company.

Right, Kratos is ... uh ... gone. Somewhere.

Lloyd decides to add voice to the matter. 'Hey, where'd Kratos go?'

Raine straightens up after dropping a heavy looking plank of wood to a pile, wiping her brow on her sleeve. 'He's gone to check the other parts of the city.'

'What, alone?' Lloyd asks. 'What about the Desians?'

'I'm more than positive Kratos can take care of himself,' Raine sighs, going back to work. 'Though if you could perhaps fetch him back and tell him we'll need some help sorting out this mess, you'd be doing us all a favour.'

'Uh ... sure thing,' Lloyd says, already starting off to the next bridge that separates the small islands. I don't know how far Kratos has gone off to, but I'm hoping it isn't the other side of Luin, or something. We kinda need Lloyd to _not_ get lost in the city of ruin right now, which seems quite inevitable. This place is seriously a mess.

'I'll go with you,' Genis says suddenly, head perking up. 'If you go alone, you'll only get lost.'

Great minds think alike. Or extremely stubborn minds, but either works. Lloyd just nods with a frown at Genis' wording, and I shrug to myself and decide to tag along also. I know that if I stay here, I'll be stuck doing physical labour with these two. Though I'm not _that_ selfish – I'll come back to help, I'm just really determined to find out what happened to Samuel. Like ... is he dead? Did he leave anything for Kratos and Lloyd? Is he _alive_? If he is, will he tell Lloyd about ... everything?

Yeah, quite curious.

'You're coming too?'

I look up to Genis, who asked the question. I raise an eyebrow at said question, observing his ... disturbed look. That's really the only word I can use to describe it. I just shrug again, giving him a scowl. 'Yeah, so?'

'You can't just _leave_ Colette a R-'

I roll my eyes. 'Oh come _on_. Raine and Colette are pretty kickass. They can protect themselves.'

When we look over at the remaining girls of the group, Raine just waves a hand without turning to face us, and Colette holds up one chakram with a grin to show her method of protection. The white edge has an unmistakable red stain to it and is practically crusted in dried blood. I dunno – the past week, she's really been throwing herself into battle and ... beating the crap outta stuff. Not so much that she's twisted into an evil version of herself, but her ability to _not_ be phased by injuries is helping a lot. She's even starting to outshine Lloyd, which is ticking him off a little. He's here to protect Genis and Colette, and Colette is the one delivering last minute death-blows to monsters trying to chew through Lloyd's limbs. It's disturbingly funny how his cause is becoming useless, but hey. I think I still need some help in battle, and I'm probably the only one that does anymore.

... Anyway!

I hear Genis and Lloyd gasp various times in front and pause momentarily before hurrying on at a quicker pace. I guess some of the damage further into the city is worse, and I feel bad for not being brave enough to look up. I'd like to avoid showing any signs of weakness right now, but I can't bring myself to see what's happening. I dunno – you're an earthling teenager dumped into a world of 'magic' and 'chosen ones' and things that surpass Earth's limits – you don't _see_ this kinda stuff every goddamn week. It's just not right – it's not something I should _have_ to see. I'm still a kid.

'It's getting pretty dark,' Lloyd comments quietly, looking up at they sky. I make sure to avoid looking at the gore around me and straight up to the sky. The red is getting deeper and turning dark purple, which I'm sure will soon fade to navy and then black. If we want to help as many people as we can before nightfall, we're gonna have to work fast.

I should really have said all of what I just _thought_, but I settle with: 'Yeah ...'

'Oh, there he is.'

I look up finally (ignoring the mangled bodies around us) to see Kratos standing outside a mountain of debris I'm sure was once a house. I don't need to take a second glance at a plank of wood with gold writing reading "Doctor's Office" to realise just who's house that is ... or was. The house itself is still pretty much standing, though the upper floor looks like it's caved in and successfully killed anyone that may have been in there. I'm praying Samuel wasn't – that he was in the graveyard outside of Luin visiting Anna's grave, or his wife's. C'mon – Martel, God, Namco – whoever is up there, I'm _praying_ here. My hands are clasped, I'm willing with all I can – _please let him be okay._

'Kratos!' Lloyd calls, jogging to the man's side. Kratos tilts his head to the side to acknowledge Lloyd's presence, and he continues. 'The Professor wants you to come back and help. There's ... not much we can do over here, I guess.'

Kratos doesn't answer.

Lloyd looks a little worried. 'Uhh ... Kratos – you're ... staring at me again. Stop it. Stop staring at me. Kratos.'

The mercenary finally averts his gaze, and Genis and I give eachother troubled glances. I dunno if Kratos is aware of how Samuel is right now, because I'm sure if he were alive, he wouldn't exactly be jumping around and screaming with joy. Not that he'd be doing that if he was dead, but you know what I mean. Judging by Kratos' actions, he's still unsure himself.

'Oh ...' is all Lloyd mutters when he notices the broken plank of wood by his feet reading "Doctor's Office". Sure, he knows it's _Samuel_ who could be dead, but not that it's his grandfather who could be dead. Right now, Samuel is just another person he knew – not of great importance. Just an old man who suggested some help for his problems. Will he ever know? I'm not sure if I want him to find out or not.

Lloyd takes a good look over the house's remains. 'Is it worth taking a look inside ...?'

'Perhaps,' Kratos answers, already reaching for the doorknob. I'd shriek at him to be careful, but my throat is pretty much tied right now. Just opening the door might cause the whole house to collapse further, and if Samuel isn't already dead in there, further destruction would probably finish him off. He _is_ just an old man, after all.

The door swings open on a gust of wind, slamming against the wall and shuddering as it comes to a stop. Lloyd flinches, and Kratos strides right on inside without any worry of the whole building collapsing around him. I bite my lip, and Genis and I give eachother another glance. Should we follow?

When Lloyd reluctantly decides to continue into the house, we both throw caution to the wind and proceed to the open doorway also.

We shuffle in together, looking around at the fragile looking walls around us. Sure enough, the floor is practically invisible; you can't see anything through the dust, rubble and broken wood – including any bodies that may be buried underneath the mess. Due to the upper storey collapsing, you can look up and see the sky through the lack of ceiling. There are some parts still up there, but it's pretty much destroyed.

'Dammit ...!' Lloyd sighs, clenching his fists. 'Th-!'

A thud of wood hitting the floor cuts him off as Kratos pushes aside a small part of rubble with his foot. A small trickle of blood along the floor is made visible, and I wince at the thoughts sky-rocketing around my head. Kratos crouches down to push aside more of the wreckage to find the source of the blood, and Lloyd quickly helps after a moment of hesitation.

While they work, Genis and I look around more. The windows are shattered, the walls are cracked ... even the shelves once crammed full with bottles of medicine are broken, shattered jars on the floor leaking various coloured liquids. The desk is broken and stained with blood (drawing out another flinch from me), and the rest of the damage is the pile of rubble before us. The staircase seems to have been crunched in on itself during the fall of the second storey, and is probably dangerous to go near.

'Oh g-'

I look over at Lloyd's sudden exclamation that he cut himself off from, and see he's straightened up rather rapidly. Genis stiffens next to me, drawing in a short, sharp breath at the sight before us, and I manage to simply bite my lip for the hundredth time since getting here. I swallow down the taste of bile in my throat and try to keep my stomach under control.

Kratos drops the piece of wood he's holding to the floor, arm falling back to his side. Still half buried under the rubble, the lifeless torso of his father-in-law is sprawled painfully below the wreckage, face down. It doesn't take long, after noting the blood trickling down his head from a rather deep looking wound at the base of his skull and seeing the bleeding wounds scattered around his body through the thick jacket he's wearing to see that he is, indeed, dead.

_Goddammit._

Lloyd stares down at the body with it's pale torn skin and blood-soaked hair, flinching and turning his head quickly in disgust. 'Those Desians ...!'

Kratos just stands in silence, not taking his eyes off the dead figure half buried under the debris. I really don't know _what_ he's thinking – if I were him, my head would probably explode. It's Anna's dad, if nothing else – would Anna have wanted him to protect him? Might he feel guilty? Maybe he's deciding whether he should tell Lloyd the truth or not? Sure, he probably _deserves_ to know, but how would he react? He'd probably be might pissed at Kratos for not telling him sooner, despite any reasons he might have had. And knowing that, excluding Kratos here, his last living relative just slipped right through his fingers and is now dead?

Yeah, I think Kratos has more than enough on his shoulders right now.

'We ... we should head back,' Lloyd says finally after noting how the older man isn't saying or doing much, turning back towards the door. 'The Professor and Colette still need help ...'

Genis and I are already shuffling back out of the doorway, deciding that it isn't really our place to say anything. I don't know why he have this little psychic pact thingie going on here, but it seems appropriate at a time like this where saying anything could set off some kinda mad, violent reaction from either swordsman. It feels bad just leaving Samuel to be forgotten amongst the other dead in Luin, seeing as he _should_ be quite significant to Lloyd ... but it can't be helped, I guess.

'Kratos?'

Genis and I look up at the other two, confused why they're taking so long to actually ... y'know, get moving. Lloyd is ready to leave, but Kratos is ... doing something weird. Sure, he's a generally weird person, and he does some real screwed up shit sometimes (coughDesianMassacrecough), but still. He's crouching down beside Samuel's lifeless body, and ... prying his hand open. He's being careful in his actions, though I hardly expect the old man's pale, lifeless corpse to jump up and headbutt him in the face.

'Kratos, what are you doing?' Lloyd demands, looking ... angrily confused. I dunno how that's possible, but he's managing it. 'We have to get back to the others!'

Without answering, Kratos straightens up after a moment, successfully having taken whatever it is he was looking for on the corpse. I can see him smoothing out a piece of folded paper when I lean to one side to inspect, seeing that one side is damp with dark red blood. I take a second fleeting glance at Samuel's dead body and see that his fingers are dripping with the stuff ... so whatever that paper is, it's probably pretty important. A will? Something like that? Maybe he left something significant to Kratos?

'Kratos, we kinda ... have to go now,' I say, jerking a thumb in the direction we came in. 'You can do whatever you're doing later, I'm sure.'

Not too surprisingly, he doesn't acknowledge my words at all. Lloyd finally turns to us questioningly, and we both shrug in unison. Quite comical, actually. Kratos unfolds the paper, and though we're all too far to read the words, it's quite obvious the note is fairly long. If that's a will, Kratos must suddenly have a lot of stuff ... if so, where would he keep it all? Hmm ...

'... What is that thing?' Lloyd asks finally, probably dismissing the idea of taking a peek over Kratos' shoulder. The mercenary can apparently read damn fast, because in a few mere seconds he's already folded it back up and dropped his hand back to his side, letter still in his grip. 'Kratos, you're acting really-'

'Lloyd!'

I dunno why, but I'm glad we were interrupted just now by a certain healer, carefully making her way over a fragile bridge. Kratos' hand curls into a fist, and the paper in his hand crumples quietly, hopefully forgotten by the others. I grimace, turning to Raine who is making her way over to us, legs shaking a little.

'Professor?' Lloyd asks, attention thankfully diverted from Kratos. 'Is something-'

'We've found survivors,' Raine says, sounding a little out of breath. Hey, she probably ran over here to tell us the good news. 'Colette is with them now, and some people who have come out of hiding are lending us their aid.'

'That's great!' I say, finally feeling a little relieved. At least we know there _are_ survivors, and that some people were quick enough to hide and not get themselves hurt. Yes, I wish that a lot more people had done just that, but sadly not everything can go right and the casualties are pretty high. I'm just glad _some_ survived.

'Colette is with them,' Raine says, nodding slightly at my ... small outburst, there; I don't usually say much. 'Right now, they'll need the support of the Chose-'

There's a small pause when she stops so suddenly, and her eyes fall on the sight through the broken doorway. Genis flinches at the look that comes across her face, knowing exactly how his sister gets when there's a significant life she can't save. I consider offering support by telling him that there's nothing she'd have been able to do seeing as he was already ... _dead_, but I'm sure things will be better if I just stay silent. Which I choose to do.

... Nah.

'So, these survivors ...' I say quickly, trying to get all attention from the corpse averted right now. Luckily it works, and even Kratos has come over to listen in, note still in hand. 'How many are there?'

Raine swallows before answering, shaking her head a little when she looks away. It takes her a moment, but: 'So far, there are fourteen people altogether. Those who are uninjured are helping us clear the rubble to locate more survivors. Even a certain 'enemy' of ours is helping out.'

'Enemy?' Lloyd asks. 'Wait, you don't mean that ninja ... right? Sheena?'

Raine nods. 'She's offered to pull a temporary truce with us until she's certain the people of Luin are alright. Though she is injured herself and refuses to let me treat her.'

'Hey, I knew she had a kind heart,' Lloyd mumbles after a moment. 'She didn't look the kind of person to-'

'Wait wait wait,' I say quickly. 'You left her and Colette _alone_?'

'She is far too injured to attack,' Raine clarifies. 'If she tried, Colette would have no trouble retaliating. She is safe – the assassin wouldn't dare try to hurt someone in the middle of this destruction.'

'Well, that's a good start,' I say, nodding. 'Besides, with her help, they've probably found more survivors by now.'

'With any luck, yes. There are no Desians left in the city, so we can spread out a little to speed up the process. Kratos, take these three and continue looking around here.'

Kratos inclines his head slightly in compliance, and Genis looks a little miffed at having to stick around with us. I'm sure he doesn't mind being with Lloyd, but Kratos and me aren't exactly the best company for him, seeing as he ... y'know, hates us and all. Well, he's starting to get along with Kratos a little since the whole healing help at the Wind Seal, but I haven't done anything extravagantly awesome to get his appreciation yet. _Yet_. My time will come soon, I tell ya.

I start off towards a small mountain of wreckage, deciding to get a start on things early before someone starts barking orders at me for being lazy. After a few more words, Raine finally goes back the way she came (sighing deeply when she's faced with the bridge again), and the rest of them start working. When I notice the Professor is already gone from view, I take a look over my shoulder to see if Kratos was holding anything off until she left. He looks ... well – I wouldn't say nervous, because Kratos doesn't _do_ nervous. He looks pissed off to a troubled extent. Hows that?

I just shrug to myself, deciding to not get involved and avoid getting hurt (seeing as I tend to get beaten around whenever I try to help, Mr. Battle-with-Iapyx). I hiss slightly after shoving a large plank of wood out of the way, picking a few splinters out of my skin. I hate splinters with a deep, violent passion.

'Oww!'

I look over at Genis, waving his hand rapidly and raise an eyebrow. 'Splinters?'

He shoves his sore finger in his mouth, mumbling something darkly with a nod. A snort behind him from the swordsman sets him off, and he kicks Lloyd in the leg. Not hard, but enough for him to buckle with a yelp and crumple to the floor. Genis glares down at him, fingers still in his mouth. 'Shu'up, Woyd!'

... I think that was "shut up, Lloyd", but I can't be too sure. I choose to ignore them and go back to clearing aside the wreckage. It's times like this I'm kinda glad I'm not on "very-friendly" terms with these guys, because being friends with them apparently gives Lloyd immediate permission to noogie whenever he wants, and for Genis to ... kick you in the shin, obviously. And it's okay because you're "friends". I will ... _never_ understand boys. Never.

'I'm praying that a large portion of Sylvarant's male population aren't like you,' I say, shoving away a charred black log with my foot. Lloyd looks over after picking himself up, dusting ash off his clothes.

'... You're doing the what now?'

I just thud my head against a stable frame in reply. Repeatedly.

'Come on, lets start being serious about this,' Genis says with a sigh of frustration, picking the splinter out of his finger. Lloyd just nods, but I notice that he doesn't go back to moving apart the rubble to search for the living. He keeps glancing over his shoulder, and I look over to see that Kratos is just ... going through that note again. I'll admit – I'm curious, but I'm not going to pry. I'm smart.

Lloyd isn't.

'Kratos, are you gonna help us at all?' Lloyd asks, hands firmly on his hips with a small frown. 'Pull your weight a little, man.'

Without speaking at all, Kratos just takes Lloyd by surprise and shoves the crumpled, bloodied note into his gloved hand. Lloyd fumbles at the sudden action, almost dropping the note, though he manages to get a firm grip on it while ripping the side a little. The damage is minimal, but I'm still worried about just _what_ that piece of paper has written on it exactly. I almost consider waltzing over there and stapling it down so he can't unfold it. What if it has stuff about Kratos in there? About the angel-ness and the father-ness? Sure, Kratos wouldn't willingly just hand over that info to Lloyd, but a lot of weird shit has been happening lately. I'm allowed to be worried.

'This ...' Lloyd says quietly after a moment, turning the closed note over in his hand to inspect further. 'It says my name ...? Was it written for me?'

He looks up at Kratos as he asks this, and the man nods in response, still not letting a word slip through his lips.

'Then ... did he find an answer for how to treat my-'

With a shake of the head, Kratos just places a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, squeezing it firmly as he walks past. I try to catch Kratos' eyes for some sort of affirmation to the theories soaring around my head, but he doesn't look at any of us. He just continues, and leaves Lloyd all on his lonesome. If the note _does_ say something about ... Samuel's relation to him, then ... what will he do? Lloyd can hardly do anything to stray from the journey, but he'll find out that his grandfather just died, and another family member slipped right from his grip. Yes, that would suck.

I take a deep breath for myself and look away when Lloyd unfolds the paper.

Finally, I catch Kratos' eyes. After a moment, he gives me the smallest of nods, confirming my thoughts ... or fears – whatever you want to call them. Genis seems to notice the quiet conclusion, and over at me questioningly. I don't bother answering out loud – I just shake my head and try my best to keep my eyes off the swordsman reading the letter that confirms Lloyd of his now only remaining family. _Dead_ remaining family.

It takes five minutes for the first reaction. I'm sure it took Lloyd only a few moments to read through the whole note thoroughly, but ... he's bound to be in shock or something. I doubt I'd be, but I _have_ family. Finding out I have a dead grandfather I never knew would be nothing to me, but Lloyd ... well, he's lived with the knowledge he has no blood ties left in this world. This'll hit him quite hard.

'This-' Lloyd starts, and I can practically hear him swallow a deep breath of air. He turns to Kratos, and ... the _look_ in his eyes. Just that undertone of confusion, pain – it breaks your heart. It really, really does. Lloyd struggles to keep his gaze on the mercenary. 'This is ... just a joke, right? It's a joke-'

No words cut him off. Just a disapproving look from Kratos. I think heavy realisation crashes down around Lloyd, though he seems to be still in the midst of believing it.

'No,' Lloyd says shakily. I can tell he tired to even out his voice there, but it obviously didn't work too well. He turns to the broken doorway. 'There's no- he can't be-'

Lloyd runs a hand through his hair when he takes in another deep breath, moving it down to clutch at his own shoulder. I frown at how, in situations like these, Lloyd goes into a painful phase of denial. I'm not sure if he did it when Kratos betrayed him in the game, but I remember when Zelos turned on him, he convinced himself the Chosen was just joking around and told him he still trusted him. Sometimes I'd really like to just beat him over the head until he can get it through his skull, but it's never really the time. Especially now, seeing as his grandfather just died – I mean, sure, he didn't know him, but the knowledge of _not_ being able to know him now?

I take the opportunity to finally break the tense silence, looking worriedly at Lloyd's back. 'Lloyd, I'm sorry.'

'No ... no, I-' Lloyd assures quietly, dropping his hands to his sides. 'Don't apologise, man. Just ... just don't ...'

'Lloyd, we'll leave if you want,' Genis says, still not quite sure what the hell is going on. At least he's putting Lloyd's best interest first instead of inquiring what's going on. I'm sure Lloyd doesn't even want to admit it to himself right now, but he finally turns to his regardless ... and I swear to god, Martel, whoever – the look on his face makes me want to cry. I'm not kidding. You _never _see Lloyd looking so confused and hurt, and it just eats up at you.

'No ... tha – that wouldn't be fair ...' Lloyd mumbles, hands shaking a little as he clutches the note tightly. 'I ... y-you guys carry on helping the people of Luin, I think I need to ... be by myself right now ...'

'Do not feel burdened,' Kratos tells him firmly with a empty look. 'Take your time.'

'Y-yeah, I ... I'll do that ...'

It hurts to see him leave - it really does. This is one of those rare times that you want to stride over there, wrap your arms around him and _demand _that he sobs his little heart out on your shoulder. Sure, I'll probably never do that in a million years (I can't stand it when people cry), but I'm wishing someone would right now. Where's Raine when you need her? She's like, the motherly person of the group. She'd be perfect for the job.

'Kratos, why did he – wait, what did that letter say?' Genis demands, looking back at the route Lloyd took. I suddenly realise, after trying to ignore the rubble littering the place to get back my mental image of old Luin, it's the pathway to the city's exit. I think I'm glad – it'll be good of Lloyd to get away from the destruction around him to stew in his own juices for a while, but it could be dangerous leaving him alone like that. I'm not really up to running after him, to be honest – I just want to let him be alone for now.

'It would be best to wait for Lloyd to explain,' Kratos says, turning and getting to work among the wreckage. 'It is up to him if he should decide to share this information.'

'Wha-!?' Genis splutters, brow furrowing in a glare. 'He'll just tell me anyway!'

'That's true there, Krat-man,' I say, grunting as I heave some giant plank of wood away. 'No harm in telling him, right? Lloyd will probably just find it harder to explain if we leave it up to him.'

'W-wait a sec, you knew about this too!?' Genis says, eyes wide. 'I can't believe y-'

'Hey!' I snap, throwing the wood to the floor. 'In my defence, I found out completely through accident!'

'Found out _what_!?'

'What's going on?'

The three of us look up to see Colette running over, face red and panting. She skids to a halt, _almost_ falling over before Genis manages to catch her with difficulty. He's not that shorter than her, so he manages to not tumble to the floor under the impact and weight of his friend. She straightens herself up, muttering an apology and straightens out her tunic. We wait for her to speak again – she looks like she's just been running for her life, or something.

'Wha ...' she pants, brushing some hair out of her face. 'What happened?'

'... What what happened?' I ask. 'What are you talking about?'

'Lloyd,' she says, finally getting her breath back. 'The Professor and me were just coming over to talk to everyone, and we saw Lloyd leaving the city. He looked ...'

'Confused and broken?' I try, nodding. 'Yeah, he'll be like that for a while.'

Colette takes on a worried look. 'But why? Did ... something happen over here? The Professor went after him, but he just kept saying he needed to be alone ...'

'He didn't say why?' Kratos asks, testing her to see if she knows the truth. She just shakes her head, rubbing a small cut on her hand absently.

'No ... he ran off before the Professor could say anything else. She's gone back to help the survivors, but Lloyd-'

'Lloyd will be fine,' Kratos says, ending the conversation. 'He needs time.'

Y'know, usually I'd just fall into line right about now, nod along and get back to the job, or whatever it is we're doing. I know better than to go against Kratos now, because he's usually right and it always ends up making me look like a right babbling idiot. I dunno – something in his claims right now is just getting to me, and I feel like I should say something. A voice in the back of my head is going "_do it, do it_" (probably Charis), and I decide to do just that. I don't know why, and I'm _so _screwed now. I can't stop my mouth from opening.

'I doubt Lloyd will be fine,' I say, and that voice just laughs at me before disappearing. Darn it. 'You may be used to coping with loss, but Lloyd's grown up without the knowledge of any blood relatives hanging around Sylvarant. I'd assume Samuel was the _last _one he had, and losing him and not being able to ask him anything about his life - where he came from and what his family was like? Yeah, that's not fine.'

I think – _I think_ ... I just forced Kratos into silence there. He's not glaring, but he definitely doesn't look too happy. Genis and Colette just stare at eachother, looking back and forth between us and the ruined house that Samuel's body lies in. They finally got their answer, and I don't quite think they were prepared for it either.

'Lloyd is in shock,' Kratos says calmly. 'Though it will be best for him to put his feelings first for now, he will realise that Luin is also coping with a much bigger loss than he is being faced with. He will hold off his concerns until the survivors are rescued, and _then_ will he dwell on his own thoughts.'

Yep, I'm being made look like an idiot again. But Kratos doesn't stop there. Oh no.

'Regardless of how you would handle loss yourself, Harrison, Lloyd has a kind enough heart to put himself before others. On the other hand, you would always put yourself first.'

'Fine, fine, I get it,' I say, waving a hand. 'Lloyd is better than me, therefore will put off his angst until later. Alright.'

Colette and Genis finish their little shock-fest of whispering to eachother, and they both straighten up, looking between us worriedly. Colette is the first to speak. 'We should tell the Professor about this. She must be worried sick about Lloyd ...'

Kratos sighs. 'I suppose it would be best.'

And already, they're off like a light. I don't blame them – I've seen enough from Raine to see she can get pretty hysterical whenever Genis or Lloyd are in danger, or just hurt emotionally and physically. I'm sure she's quite normal right now, if not a little worried, but it'd be best to settle her mind on _why_ Lloyd is distressed, so she can treat the wounded survivors without distraction. Though I'm not sure if _telling _her about this all will ease her mind or make her more stressed. Either way, she deserves to know. I hope I've made it easier for Lloyd not having to talk about it, but heaven knows I've probably made it worse.

I look around a the rubble, breathing deeply and slapping my hands to my sides. 'Well, we're not gonna get this finished by ourselves. We should-'

'Stop whining,' Kratos orders quietly, walking over to rubble. 'As you can see, uninjured survivors are on their way to aid us. Don't slack off.'

I roll my eyes. 'Yes, Mr. I-Can-Do-Abso-fricking-lutely-nothing-wrong.' In my rage, I get another splinter. 'Argh, bugger!'

'Harrison.'

'What?'

'You are a hopeless cause.'

'Yeah, well ... you're a jackass.'

'Hn.'

-----------------------

"_Professor, is something wrong?"_

"_Hm? It's nothing. Don't worry about me."_

"_It's hard not to when you keep drifting off like that."_

"_I'm just concerned for the people of Luin. As a healer, it's a natural instinct. That's all."_

"_Well, we've done all we can now, right? And hey, Sheena even let you heal her after a few minutes of banter. And a good whack over the head. Anyway-"_

"_I'm fine. The survivors are resting now, Luin is almost finished it's clearing up, and I'm sure they will begin to rebuild one day."_

"_One day? What about now?"_

"_It's far to dangerous to try returning the city to it's former state so soon. The Desians would only come to destroy it once more. The people are moving to Asgard and Palmacosta for now."_

"_Ah ... I suppose that makes sense."_

"_I'm sure once they move past this, the city will return to it's former glory."_

"_But for now, are you worried about Lloyd? That's what's been getting you down, right?"_

"_... You are quite well at deciphering other's emotions when the time is right."_

"_Uh ... thanks, I think."_

"_... Yes, I'm worried for Lloyd. I'm sure what he's being faced with is something that could stir his emotions far too much." _

"_It's been at least three hours ... shouldn't someone go and look for him already?"_

"_It is best to leave Lloyd at times like these. He has never been faced with a problem such as this, and it would be best to let it sink in before trying to help him. It's a hard thing to accept."_

"_Yeah ... I guess so. But we shouldn't leave him for too long. It's already dark now."_

"_We should give him a little more time. If he does not return in the next hour, we'll send someone to look for him and bring him back."_

"_That's good. I guess it's a little hard for him to deal with so many things at once."_

"_Are you worried about him?"_

"_Well, yeah. Depressed-Lloyd isn't the Lloyd I know."_

"_... It sounds as if your only concern is for him to be happy, but so it can make you calmer."_

"_I ... wait, what?"_

"_Lloyd has a natural way with cheering people up. At times like these, when he is distressed, it is harder to cope without his optimistic side shining through."_

"_Uh ... that makes me sound selfish, doesn't it?"_

"_I'm sure you don't intend to come across like that."_

"_Has he ever mentioned anything about it to you? I mean, does he realise that I might come across kinda selfish?"_

"_... A few times."_

"_I see ..."_

"_I'm sure Lloyd doesn't hate you. He may say things like that sometimes, but he does not intent to cause you grief."_

"_I dunno. He can hate me or whatever. I don't care. I'm going to go over here now. Over to this place here. Yeah."_

"_Don't let it get you down."_

_----------------_

It's been a few hours at least.

No one has mentioned anything about Lloyd for a long time, because all conversations about him right now seem to lead to either Samuel or how Lloyd will feel about the Desians now. I hadn't actually considered it, but the Desians have practically taken another step in destroying Lloyd's life completely. First his family, then the village where he was then banished and hated by the surviving people, and now ... his family _again_. Seriously, those guys suck.

Anyway, it's quite dark and pretty late now. We've had no word from Lloyd at all to confirm us of his safety, but we're all still a little wary to go out and find him. I mean, what the hell do you say to him? The guy's just lost his remaining family and any chance to ask about his origins. Yes, I _know_ Kratos seems to be non-existent in this little scenario, but from the others' points of view, he has nothing to do with it. So we leave him out for now.

We've decided to camp outside of Luin, away from the bloodshed. The survivors are doing the same, but we've made sure to set up quite far from them. We want our privacy as a group, and we have much to discuss and get through without any hindrances. We have to think of what to _do _after all of this – do we continue with the journey, or go to the ranch to rescue the others and then blow it up? Right now, it seems that the ranch idea is in the lead, to my dismay. I was hoping we could skip this and send for the Palmacosta militia again, but we have no such luck. Palmacosta is really busy restoring order to it's town's order and electing a new Governor-General (who I sincerely hope will be Neil, unless he'd like to remain a personal assistant). Either way, it looks like we're busting in there and ... yeah.

'... Do we leave in the morning?' Genis asks, breaking the tense silence falling over us. Raine just nods in response.

'After we're sure the people are alright.'

'Luin's people are strong and driven,' Kratos says, seated by a distressed looking Noishe as usual. 'They will be fine.'

'I hope you're right,' Colette mumbles, knees drawn tightly to her chest. 'I'm glad they're able to carry on, even after what their city has been through.'

I try to think of something to add now that everyone's had a word in, but a low whine from Noishe beats me there and I forgot what I was about to say. I roll my eyes, shifting from my cross-legged position when my knees become numb.

'Guys, I really think we should go get Lloyd,' I grumble, rubbing my forehead. 'I know no one really wants to talk to him right now, but it's getting way too late and we're all getting tired. If anything, we should just check he's okay.'

There's a long pause that Raine breaks, straightening up. 'I hate to admit it, but you're right. We can't hold this off any longer. It's selfish of us to do so.'

I flinch at how she's making us all look like the bad guys in this situation, but everyone nods in agreement (even Noishe). If we leave it too long, we're all gonna fall asleep besides Colette, and I'm sure she's as equally worried as all of us to go and find Lloyd. Genis is quite obviously the most worried, but even he looks reluctant to go. We're not handling this too well.

'So ...' I say with a small cough, looking around at everyone. 'Who do we, uh, send?'

Colette is the first to offer an answer, tugging nervously on her sleeves through the silence. 'I think Genis should go.'

'Huh?' Genis says, looking up with a fairly panicked expression. 'Why me!?'

'Because ... you're his best friend, maybe?' I say, raising an eyebrow. 'C'mon man, he'll listen to you.'

Genis looks up at his sister for her opinion, and she just nods in agreement to Colette's idea. I have to admit – it's pretty logical to send Genis instead of say, Raine or Colette, but y'know ... even if they're best friends, it doesn't mean Genis will know what to say right off the bat. "Gee Lloyd, sorry your grandfather is dead and all, now lets skip off back to the group and pretend it never happened so we can to infiltrate ranches and kill men with four eyebrows, tra la fucking la."

'I ... I dunno if that would be the best idea,' Genis says carefully, trying not to sound selfish. 'I wouldn't know what to say to him, and I'm just scared I'll make it worse.'

'I think everyone is afraid of that ...' Raine sighs after a moment, and we all return to our uncomfortable silence.

To be honest, we all have good reasons not to go. Colette, Genis and I because we have _no_ idea what to say to someone who has just lost the only chance of a family they have left, Kratos probably has a feeling Lloyd will flip out at him completely because he never said anything beforehand (I'm not sure if he knows _I _knew either), and Raine really needs to stay close to where the survivors are camping. If they need immediate aid or find another injured person, they're gonna need treatment right away.

Hey, wait a sec. This could be a perfect chance for me. I mean, I'm at the bottom of Lloyd's friendship list, aren't I? Also, he thinks I'm selfish for using his optimism to my advantage, so if I go over there and try to comfort him, maybe I could score a few brownie points? Sure, I'm worried about what to say, but I could probably dish out the whole "it's okay, everything will be fine, let's go get revenge on Desians and stuffs to make you feel better". He'll understand – he knows I'm not good at this stuff, but at least I'll be making the effort. That has to mean something, right?

Coming to a quick conclusion, I raise my hand slightly. 'Uh ... I'll go, if no one else will.'

To my surprise, everyone gives me awkward glances ('cept Kratos, who just glares). Apparently I'm missing something here, because the three Iselians are glancing between eachother worriedly at my proposal to go and fetch Lloyd. Is it shocking that I want to do something that doesn't benefit myself for once? Well, I guess it _does_ benefit myself on some levels, but I'd genuinely like Lloyd to feel better. He really doesn't deserve this.

'Perhaps that wouldn't be the ... _best_ of ideas,' Raine starts awkwardly in a quiet tone, eyes fixed on my shoulder and avoiding my face. The next thing she says makes me realise _why_. It doesn't do just that, either. It makes me go painfully numb for a few seconds as my brain clicks into gear, summing up _everything _that's happened since I crashed through that school roof a month ago.

'It would be best to send someone he trusts.'

My brain repeats the phrase over and over. And over. And _over_.

Someone he _trusts_.

Lloyd doesn't trust me. Hell, he barely likes me if I'm that low on his list. But all we've been through since that first day, all the times I _helped_ him, tried to save him, the times he saved _me_ in battle, all those playful inside jokes we have, the presents we've exchanged, all the amusing arguments and bets we've had ... and he doesn't trust me. He doesn't like me. The only person I've been focusing on to get to like me so I can _survive_, so I can _get home_, all the time I've spent trying to get an ounce of love from this guy ... and it means nothing. Everything I've done.

_Nothing_.

For a split second, I hate everyone around me. Only a moment, before I snap back to my senses with horrified realisation. I hate them ... because Lloyd loves them. I hate Genis, Colette and Raine because Lloyd loves them. I hate Kratos and Noishe because Lloyd loves them. I hate _Lloyd_ because he loves them. _That_ – that is the one most selfish thing I could ever do. I hate them because I've tried so hard to get something they _have_ with minimal effort.

While everyone else talks among themselves, I just stare at the floor below me. Perhaps all I've done so far hasn't worked because I'm doing it for myself. I'm only getting Lloyd to appreciate me so I can survive later on and go home; so he doesn't dismiss me later on and I get left behind. Perhaps if I tried to get Lloyd's appreciation because I genuinely _want_ him to see me as a friend, then it would work. If I'd been doing that from the start, things would be different.

"_Come on,"_ Charis says quietly, trying to sound comforting. "_We need to talk_."

I nod, and wait for the group to finally come to a conclusion about who we're sending. By the look of annoyance on Kratos' face, I'd say he's been voted. I have no idea why, seeing as he wouldn't really be much help. Okay, dammit – I'm being bitter because of everything I've just thought about. Kratos would be a ton of help. I'm not listening too accurately, but Raine says (with distaste) that sending someone he looks up to would be a better choice, and Kratos also has the ability to calm Lloyd down with logic if he flips out. Or deliver a good bitchslap or two. Either works fine.

Personally, I'd rather send Noishe. He's awesome like that.

---------------

About ten minutes later, I'm sat in my usual chair that resides within my head, face in my hands with a raging headache. I have no idea _how_ I can get a headache when I'm in my own headspace, but I don't really care about that right now. I'll consider when I'm faced with the universe turns itself inside out, but right now I have heavier things weighing on my mind.

Charis and William are sitting opposite me in their computer chairs, live-screen up and currently tracking down Lloyd for our next conversation. This one, sadly, comes first. Charis is wearing her dressing gown, and William is garbed in his own pink one. I consider mentioning he doesn't have to wear pink if he doesn't feel comfortable with it, but again – my mind is reeling right now.

Charis finally leans back in her chair with a sigh, locking her eyes with the top of my head while I stare at my lap through my fingers. 'You know your weakness now, right?'

I don't move an inch when I answer – just screw my eyes shut in hope that I'll wake up at home when I open them again, or better yet, in an alternate universe where I'm not such an idiot.

'I'm jealous,' I say evenly. 'I'm jealous of everyone else because Lloyd likes them more than he'll ever like me – something I can't accept. I'm jealous of them because they'll always get more attention than me. I'm jealous of Lloyd because everyone looks after him. I'm jealous of all of them, because I'm not as important as them. I'm jealous because they could easily do this whole journey without me – because I'm genuinely not needed here. Because I was never _meant_ to be here.'

I straighten up with a sigh. 'They're all stronger than me, better than me, and I know I'm supposed to accept that. I'm supposed to accept that Lloyd will never like me the way he likes the others, that I'll never get that attention, that I'll never be that important, that I'm not needed – all because it's natural. But what's scaring me is that I refuse to accept it. I'm trying to make something of myself, even though I know it'll never work.'

I thud back against my chair. 'I'm scared of what I'll do to myself if I carry on like this. At this rate, Yggdrasill is bound to take advantage of me easier than the others when we all get to Welgaia. I don't want that, but I can't stop myself.'

'Do you want to know _why_ they don't like you?' Charis says, linking her fingers and leaning forwards onto her knees when I nod. 'Because you use them. You don't genuinely like them either – even though you keep saying you will, you'll never put them first. You use Lloyd to make you feel better. You use Kratos to vent your anger. You use Raine to build up your knowledge of the world so you don't get caught out later on. What you don't realise is that it's more obvious than you think it is.'

'Oh god,' I mumble, burying my face into my hands. 'I've screwed up everything. I'll never get this right.'

'You will,' William says with a small nod. 'But you need to learn to be their friends for _them_ – not for yourself. You need to show them that not _everything_ you do is for yourself.'

'But I'm not _ready_ to put them first,' I say quietly. 'I'm still in the midst of believing all this. Every night before I go to sleep, I always think I'll wake up on Earth, and every morning before I open my eyes, I'm still wishing I'll see my bedroom ceiling instead of wherever I am in Sylvarant. I'm finding it hard, because I know these people as game characters – not friends. It's hard to change that.'

'We sympathize, we really do,' Charis says, turning in her chair to face the large computer screen behind. 'But there's something you're gonna want to watch for now.'

I rise from my seat and walk over, taking my usual place on the arm of Charis' chair. Sure enough, there's the live-screen with the image of Lloyd, but now I'm momentary troubles behind me, I can finally see _where_ he is and what he's doing. Well, he looks fine. That's the weird thing. He should be sobbing his little heart out, but he's ... fine. I'm not sure of his location – he's sitting against a fairly large tree, but it looks to be the only one in the area. Probably five or six yards in front of where he's parked himself is some bigass lake, and I'll assume it's coming off from Sinoa waters around Luin. At least he isn't too far away from Luin. But seriously, that lake is freaking me out, man. It's one of the clichéd "black like the night sky with the light of the moon bouncing off from beyond the rolling hills surrounding it". Well, it's just pretty.

...Um, I'll get back to Lloyd now.

Yeah, he's just sitting between the roots of this random tree, arms resting casually on his legs with the note still in his hand. He's just staring at the grass below, looking ... not sad, but confused. This is weird – I excepted him to _cry_ a little, at least. Or maybe he has been and now he's just thinking.

'Nope,' Charis says, reading my thoughts (damn her). 'He's just been sitting like that for hours.'

'Geez,' I mumble, shifting to get more comfortable on the arm of the chair. There's a loud scrape from behind, and my own chair is dragged over the floor by some unseeable force from Charis, who then shoves me off her seat. I land with a small "woomph" in my chair, and straighten up quickly to continue watching. As predicted, an all familiar shadow approaches from one side of the large tree, alerting Lloyd only with the snap of a twig as he walks.

'Lloyd.'

The swordsman looks up, forcing a small smile at his visitor. 'Uh, hey.'

Kratos stays standing, looking down at Lloyd with an expression that crosses between unimpressed and concerned at the same time. 'The others are worried for you and wish for you to return.'

Lloyd drops his gaze from the tall swordsman, going back to the grass which he picks at idly. 'You're not worried?'

Through the dark, I see Kratos roll his eyes. Luckily, Lloyd didn't notice that, but he seems fairly effected on how Kratos didn't mention anything about how _he_ might be worried about Lloyd. Sure, I'm used to being not liked by Krat-man, but Lloyd probably feels a bit hurt. Hey, he might feel a little like how I'm feeling right now. I hope he does. Yes, I'm taking out my anger on these guys – I swear it'll stop after a good night's sleep. Leavemealone.

There's a shuffle of grass as Kratos moves to sit on one of the jutting roots, hopefully close to Lloyd's level. Then again, that's pretty hard for Kratos – being incredibly tall and all. 'Lloyd.'

He looks up at his name being spoken, and Kratos continues, arms folded in his lap with an annoyed look.

'I believe, though I am sure your loss is effecting you, that you are emotionally strong enough to overcome this and put it behind you. Grief does not disappear – it various over time, changes as you meet new problems. I like to think that you are aware of that. As I assure myself that you are able to endure this, I am less worried for you than the others may seem.'

There's a pause, and Lloyd takes all of that in.

'Though I will not deny my concern for you.'

Lloyd nods in reply, falling silent once more after that as he continues to stare to the ground below. I hope he doesn't take a funny turn and start destroying everything in sight – I've seen that happen with people before, and it isn't nice. It's quite scary, actually – though I'm sure whatever Lloyd does, Kratos will be able to control him. I'm tellin' ya, bitchslaps always work.

'... I haven't cried at all,' Lloyd confesses out of the blue, unmoving. Kratos glances down at him, offering his full attention to let Lloyd continue.

'When Iselia was destroyed and I went back to Dad's house, I cried when I thought about everyone who died because of me,' he says quietly, and I don't recall him admitting this to anyone before. 'Since then, the only other times I've cried was when I saw those illusions you helped me overcome, and when Genis got hurt real bad at the Wind Seal. Compared to those times, I figured this should ...'

'The inability to shed tears isn't a crime,' Kratos cuts in at the pause.

'I know that ...' Lloyd says quickly. 'I just thought ... it's weird. I think I _want_ to cry to show myself that I'm upset, but-'

Kratos moves from the root to sit beside Lloyd on the grass, glaring at him. 'You are far too stubborn.'

Lloyd just blinks, and Kratos starts off another insightful rant while Lloyd listens carefully. Kratos uses way too many complicated words to string together in a short space of time, so you have to be prepared when he does this stuff. Sure, I usually just end up shouting at him, so I get off easily there.

'Regardless of your blood relations with Samuel, you did not know him,' Kratos says, not bothering to choose his words carefully. 'It is hard to grieve with no memories, and you will hardly be judged on how you are coping with this loss. The fondness of the memories shared with the dead are the ones that give us reason to mourn. Do you understand?'

After a slight pause, Lloyd nods a little, dropping his gaze quickly. 'Y-yeah ... I think.'

'Naturally, you will still be saddened and perhaps be able to show your grief as time passes and you are able to fully appreciate any impact Samuel may have had on your life. But for now, you know there are other things that need tending to.'

'... Kratos?'

'Yes?'

Lloyd flinches a little. 'Why didn't he tell me sooner?'

Kratos' sigh is almost inaudible, and he relaxes against the tree behind them. 'He was an retired man, Lloyd. He had lived his life to it's full and wanted nothing but to live his remaining days in peace. Though it may have seemed selfish, he knew telling you would only effect this journey. He saw how fond everyone was of you, and didn't wish to disrupt that, for you and for himself.'

Lloyd nodded a little. 'Yeah ... that's what I thought.'

'Then why did you feel inclined to ask?'

Lloyd returns to tugging at the grass, avoiding Kratos' face. 'When I thought about it for the first time, I ... kinda thought about how I looked up to you as a dad.'

Kratos nods, signalling him to continue.

'And ... I guess it's kinda lousy of me to do that,' Lloyd mumbles. 'I keep thinking about how I might remind you of your son, and it never really occurred to me that it might be hurting you. Kinda like how Samu – err ... grandpa didn't want that.'

Kratos doesn't answer for a long while, and Lloyd falls silent again, picking apart the grass again until he gets a reply. He looks pretty nervous, and I can't really see Kratos' expression through the dark. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to decipher it even if I _could_ see.

'Ll-'

'Yeah?' he answers quickly, still not looking up.

'You are by far one of the biggest fools I have ever had the chance to meet,' he says with a small sigh, reaching out to smooth back some hair hanging in front of Lloyd's face. His hands tighten in the grass.

'I do not mind if you wish to view me in that way,' Kratos explains quietly, hand still resting on Lloyd's head. 'You have your personal reasons for seeking out family figures. It isn't something to feel ashamed of. I am sure I will never replace your dwaven father, and though I can't say I am completely without envy for that matter, I am content with however you may see me. Be it a friend, a father, or a simple mercenary.'

'No one could replace Dad,' Lloyd murmurs, looking up just slightly. 'But that doesn't mean you have to belittle your importance to me, you dork.'

There's a long, long pause.

'That last word didn't come out right,' Lloyd says quickly. 'I was probably supposed to call you a jerk. Or ... something else.'

'I'm more surprised at the maturity of your last claim,' Kratos says raising an eyebrow. 'Perhaps my company is rubbing off on you.'

'Ewww, don't say that,' Lloyd grumbles. 'Colette and Genis will have more reasons to point out how similar we are. We're not alike at all.'

'Perhaps in some small ways, we are,' Kratos says with a tiny nod, looking away to stare ahead at the giant lake before them. 'Are you feeling better?'

'Yeah ... thanks,' Lloyd replies with a small smile, reaching over to give Kratos' arm a small thud. 'You're weird ... but you can make a lot of sense sometimes. When you aren't using really big words, and stuff.'

'I apologise for my tendency to use "really big words",' Kratos says, getting to his feet. 'If you are feeling better, it's best we return before Ms Sage decides to send someone else to look for us.'

'... We're gonna head to the ranch tomorrow, aren't we?' Lloyd asks, taking Kratos' hand as the man pulls him upright.

'Unless anyone has a valid objection,' the mercenary responds. 'The Chosen has decided that we are to release the captives at the ranch, as we did at Palmacosta.'

'That's good,' Lloyd sighs in relief, tugging down some fringe caught in his hair. 'Though I hope this won't be as horrible as the Palmacosta Ranch ...'

'We must endure whatever is in our way for the prisoners' benefit,' Kratos says, starting off in the direction of the destroyed city. 'Their lives depend on our actions.'

'Yeah, I suppose so – dammit, why do you keep leaving me behind!? Wait up! _Kratooooos!'_

It's weird – I actually jump a foot into the air from my seat when Charis turns off the computer screen showing the live-image of what I've just witnessed. You get sucked too deep into these things when you see them live, and it's like you're actually _there_. It's way better than the zenta camera, which I don't think I've put to use in a really, really long time. I should do that sometime.

'Poor kid's crying a river inside,' Charis says in response to that little scene there. 'Well, now you know that Lloyd is fine for now, you and the others can all sleep well in your flimsy little blanket-cocoons.'

'I dunno about that,' I say, folding my arms over my chest. 'It just ... when I see these guys getting closer now, I keep thinking how much more it'll hurt Lloyd at the Tower of Salvation. Even you guys have noticed that, right?'

'... I guess so,' William replies quietly. 'But there's really nothing you can do about it now. You've set it off, and now they're building it up for themselves. So technically, it's not really your fault. Or your problem, really. I think you should just ignore this one and focus on some more important stuff right now.'

I lean back in my chair with a sigh. He's right, he really is – tomorrow, when we're sure the people of Luin are all hunky-dory, we're heading out to the Asgard Ranch. As you know, my encounters with the ranch as of far haven't exactly been the best. I was able to avoid the Iselia ranch completely during my single trek to Lloyd's house, and the Palmacosta ranch was ... y'know. I'm just happy that we won't get split up into twos, but there's the chance of me going with Lloyd and whoever to face Kvar, based on the reasons Charis gave me a while back. Hell, we might even be put through the special form of mental torture Kratos told me about. He's been through it before, and they way _he_ explained is pretty scary – reliving all the painful memories you've ever had in the span of seconds. I'll admit – I've not had the best of childhood memories with my family around me being on the wrong side of the law, but if Lloyd is put through that ... I _really _don't want to know how he'll come out of it.

I hope I'm not right. I hate it when I'm right.

* * *

I've been wanting to shed light on how Lloyd sees his relationship with Char for soooo long. Now it's finally over, I can ... sleep. And pity Char. Don't worry - happy-Char will return very soon. I don't like writing angsty-Char. Makes me sad D: 

Read and review pleaaaase. You get cookies. And various other virtual goodies!


	54. Asgard Ranch! Take One!

Ahh, school sucks once more. And I can't stop listening to "Kusari".

Seriously, guys. I've been ILL. HORRIBLY ILL. Seriously, I haven't been this ill since before I started TWC, which was just over two years ago. It's a depressing time for moi D: Headaches, cold symptons ... I think I have the flu, or something.

Alright, this chapter covers the first visit to the Asgard ranch. I'm sorry it took so long, but I've been busy with other life stuffs D: I have to study for my GCSEs this year at school, and though I've barely been since the term started, I'm really worried and stuff. I have my first mock exam in a few weeks, I think.

Just a random little plea (BEGGING HERE), if anyone is on DevArt or GaiaOnline, drop me a note or something D: The internet has become a terribly lonely place lately ... and it's been my sole source of entertainment while I've been stuck in my room trying to cough my lungs up. Laaame.

And just a little note that you can completely ignore if you like - all those other people writing self-inserts? The ones that say "ohoho, I'm writing an annoying self-insert", "yes, I'm jumping on the irritating band-wagon", "Just another cliche'd self-insert here, don't mind me". All you guys? Seriously, stop it. Take some pride in your work! Sure, EVERYONE is doing it, but if you call it cliche'd and annoying even though you're doing it yourself, it's making everyone else's look bad D: (/you're-embarassing-yourself-VT semi-rant). And just a quick re-edit: I'm not calling out to anyone in particular. I've just seen so many fics claiming themselves to be cliche'd, and my only thought is that it'll steer away the readers D: Come on guys, don't give 'em anything to be wary about!

Less emo-Char here, and a bit more of omfg-I'm-gonna-die-Char. The things I put her through, honestly. I don't think I'd ever get through it alive. On that note, I think Char is becoming less and less of a self-insert as time goes on D: She shares a lot of my habits, but if I'd met her on the street, she'd be like a completely different person. I guess it's just easier to write through my own thoughts. But she's probably a lot cooler than I'll ever be XD

I WILL do a typo check eventually. Do you know how tiring it is to wade through 13K+ chapters everytime you finish them? Seriously, this fic will be LOOOOOOOONG if things carry on like this.

For now, read and review my blood, sweat and tears omgomgplzplz :F

(If I forgot to answer anyone's questions, or anything you wanted explaining/knowing, ask me again. IN CAPS. BIG CAPS. I MIGHT REMEMBER IT THEN.)

**OMG AN EDIT: **Okay seriously, wtf? The document processor has BUTCHERED this chapter. WITH AN ANGRY FIST. I've just scanned through it and it looks so ... AKHDLAKJSDALS. I'm fixing it.

* * *

Chapter 54 - Asgard Ranch! Take One! 

So. Asgard Ranch. Here we are.

I'm not gonna lie – it's the worst feeling in the world, being near one of these things again. Seriously, I'd rather have an hour long, one-on-one battle with Kratos than go through another ranch. Sadly, I don't really have a choice between those two things, so I'm here with everyone else, still worried, and still very anxious about my newly discovered 'weakness'.

And I'm not exactly the happiest thing on the planet right now. Y'know, with Luin, Max, everyone else's depressed selves, and the fact that we're making our unmerry way to a human ranch and are about to finally meet Kvar. Yeah, we're all a bit down. So we're just trudging on through the forest that surrounds the human ranch, not really mentally ready to break in. We're gonna, anyway.

It's probably around late evening right now, so outside patrol will be much more heavier. Patrol on the _inside_ of the ranch however will be very lazy, seeing as it's almost night and time for most Desians to catch some shut eye after they break the spirits of any humans lying around. They're mean like that. Getting in won't be much of a challenge, we've been told – Kratos finally told us he's been to the ranch before after Raine got all inquisitive about his lengthy knowledge. God forbid anyone be smarter than _her_.

So ... yeah, we're all nervous and depressed about Luin still. Lloyd's loss of Samuel doesn't seem to have fully sunk in yet, but he's still trying his damndest to be upset about it to make himself feel better. Kratos doesn't approve, and has been training him regularly to take his mind off it. Genis and me have watched them a few times, and Lloyd is really lacking lately. He's always getting knocked down by Kratos in their spars after like, two minutes, but lately it's like he's barely _trying_. Kratos has asked him if he feels another bout of illness coming on, but he says he's completely fine. He's looks fine too, so he's probably just being distracted by something.

Genis has been the most worried about Lloyd since we were at Luin, and the poor thing is trying to hide it for Lloyd's sake. He doesn't want him to know he's worrying about him, because he reckons it'll just make things worse. It's all very sad, but he has a point – if everyone shows that they're blatantly worried about Lloyd, it'll probably only get him down even more. Sure, we're not exactly acting like Santa on Prozac, but we're managing to act like everything's fairly normal.

Oh, me? I'm fine. Sadly, I haven't acted upon any attempt to be all "look, I'm doing something that totally isn't for my benefit, mm'yes", because I have _no idea _what to do. Every idea I have seems impossible without coming across totally desperate or obvious. See, if I make it look _too_ obvious that I'm trying to make them believe I'm not selfish, then it's not going to work. Perhaps I have to let the opportunities come naturally, but _look where we're headed_. A friggin' human ranch. I'm gonna be putting myself first _a lot_ for the while we're in there. Why? I don't want to die. I'm too _scared_ to put them first.

Man, I suck.

... Okay, I think we've covered all the news in my head for now. Back to the real world. Where, sadly we're now outside the ranch ... RIGHT outside it. Not outside in a right-at-the-doors-ready-to-bust-in-after-knocking-politely, but we're somewhere around the side of the building, hidden beneath the bushes. They're pretty big bushes, by the way – we haven't all magically shrunk.

... I'm suddenly dreading the Meltokio sewers. Lloyd and me are short enough as it is.

'This ranch is a lot smaller than last time,' Genis says quietly, pushing aside some shrubbery to get a better view. 'But the security ...'

'Well, we're not getting in the front way I guess ...' Lloyd grumbles, crouching down a little. We have to be careful not to be seen, because like Genis (almost) said, the security is depressingly tight. I'm quite sure the method they used to sneak in THIS ranch was stealing their uniforms and sneaking in, but I have a strong feeling that it's not gonna work that easily.

'The entrance can't be the only way inside,' Raine says, sounding quite sure of herself. 'There has to be an exit for emergencies.'

'You mean like fire escapes?' I ask, looking over my shoulder. 'Stuff like that?'

'Even so, they will be heavily guarded,' Kratos points out, keeping an eye on the Desians strolling around a good few yards away. 'No entrance or exit is left unchecked.'

'Oh! Oh, I have a great idea!' Lloyd exclaims, perking up. I have no idea _why_ it's funny, but Kratos slaps a hand to his mouth so hard that he actually manages to shove him to the floor in the process.

'Do you want to get us _killed_!?' he snarls quietly, and Lloyd shakes his head with difficulty (Kratos' hand is still pressed firmly to his face). He sits up when Kratos unhands him, and the man checks for any Desians that might have heard Lloyd's loud shout. Luckily, we're far away enough for it to have gone unnoticed, and Kratos nods before turning back to us. Lloyd wipes his mouth, flinching a little.

'As I was _saying_ ...' he continues, scowling. 'If they only let Desians in, then why don't we just disguise ourselves? They won't know the difference, right?'

Raine considers the thought for a moment, inclining her head slightly in approval. 'That isn't a bad idea, though-'

'It's a preposterous idea,' Kratos cuts in, not taking his eyes off the Desian patrol in the distance. Lloyd frowns again, not too happy at the negativity Kratos is handing to him every five seconds. Genis also gives Kratos a dark look at his ... Kratos-ness, and I decide to pull the trigger myself.

'How come?'

'To enter the ranch, even Desians must undergo identity examinations,' he explains shortly. 'They carry ID cards and undergo mana signature tests.'

Lloyd pauses. 'Mana-signa-what-now?'

'All Desians' mana signatures are recorded on a main computer within the ranch. If one is mismatched, the person is either taken in or executed. Should we undergo either examination, we'll be caught out.'

A long, disappointed silence rings throughout the group. Lloyd's shoulders sag as he sighs deeply at his crushed plans, and I reach over and pat his shoulder comfortingly. 'I thought it was an awesome idea.'

Yup, I'm totally sucking up here. Man, I fail so hard at this kinda stuff. Regardless of how _I_ feel about doing something I'm utterly uncomfortable with (I'm not good at praising people), Lloyd seems slightly grateful for my attempt; he smiles slightly.

I'm not too sure why, but I pull my hand away a little too quickly at that. I dunno – Lloyd hasn't smiled in a really long time. Not _properly_, anyway – and this was hardly a real smile; I just haven't been able to make him smile. Ever. It's weird.

'Well ...' Genis says, glaring thoughtfully at the grass below. 'They're gonna have to switch security around at some point. Couldn't we wait for them to swap and then break in?'

'Not in the entrance,' I say, peeking over the top of a rather leafy bush. 'There are probably fifteen Desians stationed there at least. Perhaps at the emergency exits, or something.'

'When do they switch?' Lloyd asks, peeking over Genis' shoulder.

'I dunno,' I say. 'I say we wait for them to switch a few times, see how long one patrol lasts for, and check the space of time we have between the switch. Then we can get in without any difficulties, right?'

No answer.

'Right guys?'

Silence.

'Guys?' I try, looking over my shoulder to see if they've all buggered off and left me on my lonesome. I think I become a little unnerved when I see them all staring at me with wide eyes and shocked expressions. Well, besides Kratos – he just has an eyebrow raised, as usual. Oh man, what did I do now?

'What? What's wrong?' I ask, looking around quickly at their faces. I brush one hand over my cheek. 'Something on my face? What?'

'That ...' Genis says, still looking rather bemused. 'Is a really ... good idea for you to be thinking up.'

'Who are you and what have you done with Charlotte!?' Lloyd exclaims, shaking me by my shoulders. I shrug his hands away as Genis snorts, trying to hide it with a fake sneeze. Even Colette giggles, and Raine and Kratos just groan quietly. Well excuse us – we're _teenagers_. We're stupid; that should be obvious by now.

'Let's try and be serious about this for a moment,' Raine sighs, catching Lloyd's earlobe sharply between two fingers and tugging him away from me. He flinches and protests quietly, but Raine ignores him and continues with our hopeful conclusion to the matter. 'Now ... we'll act on Charlotte's idea and observe their methods of patrol. It may take a while, but it's better safe than sorry.'

'Then we sneak when we're sure we won't get caught?' Genis asks.

'Yes, but it'd would be easier perhaps use an entrance closer to the main computer room. That way, we can view a map of the ranch and avoid getting lost right away.'

She turns to both Kratos and me. 'Do either of you remember the layout of the ranch?'

I shake my head rapidly, trying to think up my usual excuse – it'd be pointless to offer an answer I _hope_ would work, because I've never actually been here. 'Nope. I only saw the prisons. Yeah. I don't remember. It was too long ago.'

'I see. Kratos?'

With his already drawn sword (seeing as he's fully expected to protect us all), he drags it lazily along the floor to create a square-ish shape. I glance up through the bushes and see that it's roughly the same outline as the ranch's outer walls. He draws in a small square to point out the entrance at the bottom of the shape, and circles a spot near the top left corner.

'That is where I remember it to be,' he says, drawing his sword back from the diagram in the dusty earth. 'There is an underground entrance near here -' he points his sword to the left corner '-that should lead straight to the main computer room, but it's under much heavier guard compared to any other escape route.'

'Ah, we'll be fine,' I say, waving a hand. 'As long as we get our timing right.'

'Apparently so,' Kratos mumbles, sheathing his sword with a quiet clink of metal.

--------------------

_'...Ung.'_

_'Hey, are you okay?'_

_'Yeah ... I'm just feeling a little sick.'_

_'Whoa, are you sure? Do you want me to get the Professor or somethin-'_

_'No, really – I'll be fine, I swear. I'm just really nervous about this all.'_

_'... Yeah. Ranches aren't the nicest places to be.'_

_'Well, duh. But last time we were in a ranch, you got to go around with your best friend. I was stuck with that jerk, so I'm determined to say it was worse for me.'_

_'You really think that?'_

_'Well ... no. I didn't have to go through that guilt when Chocolat refused to be saved by you just because of ... all that stuff with Marble.'_

_'I'll never forgive myself for that. For not being able to save her-'_

_'Lloyd, don't blame yourself. It was her – she didn't want to be saved. In my opinion, she was being selfish – she didn't even let you explain what really happened. She only listened to Magnius. Don't beat yourself up over it.'_

_'... She called me a murderer.'_

_'Lloyd ...'_

_'The worst thing is that it's true.'_

_'There's a big difference ... you've killed to protect the people you care about. What about the Desians, who kill people for no apparent reason? Are you the same as them just because you're taking lives?'_

'... _Y-_'

'_Look, I hate to admit it, but I've taken lives too. Even now, I still regret taking away their rights to live, but if I hadn't then people I care about would have been hurt. I saved Kratos from being really hurt once, and though I hate myself for killing someone, I wouldn't have wanted Kratos to die. Are we really the same as cold-blooded murderers out there who kill just for the hell of it? Like the Desians? I don't like to think we are.'_

_'I know you're right ... and I know what you're saying makes sense, but ... it still feels wrong. Sometimes I want to make myself sick just to see if the horrible feeling in my stomach will go away. But it doesn't.'_

_'... Look, I'm not about to come out with something shockingly lame and clichéd like "as long as we're together in there, we'll be fine" or "I'm here for you", but if you ever wanna talk or need a random hug, a tap on the shoulder is all it takes.'_

_'Uh ... I'll keep that in mind.'_

_'... The hug part threw you off, didn't it?'_

_'Yup.'_

_---------------------_

Alright, I'm willing to forgive whoever controls fate for making us sit out here for about two and whatnot hours. I really am. But trust me, I'm trying so very hard not to strangle the closest person, who just so happens to be Lloyd. No, Charlotte! You must ... stop him from ... hating you ... argh! But ignoring that, by now we've gathered a good amount of knowledge of how Desians schedule their patrol – they swap every hour and a half, and it takes around five minutes for them to go back inside, fetch the next lazy bugger, and send him out here while he mumbles and groans and curses the long shifts. Good thing that Desians talk to themselves so much – we've found out some useful stuff for when we get inside, too.

'How much longer?' Genis whispers, tugging on one of Lloyd's white ribbons. Lloyd just turns around, confused.

'I dunno. Charlotte's the one keeping track of time.'

My face falls. '... I am? I thought it was Raine.'

Raine shakes her head. 'I thought it was Lloyd too.'

'Ten minutes to go,' Kratos mumbles, obviously resisting that ever-present urge to get out his sword and ... stab. Repeatedly. In order to avoid setting off that certain urge, we all just nod and turn back to the lone guard. I actually feel kinda sorry for him – he's fallen asleep on his feet three times and one of the women on patrol is always coming over and delivering a sharp slap to his helmet with her spear. He whines to himself a lot, too – which is useful for us, because he talks a lot about the status inside the ranch – they're all slacking off in there, despite the "odd people" prowling around. I'll assume he means the Renegades, but I won't say anything about them to the others.

'This is taking _way _too long,' Lloyd groans, leaning and thudding down onto his back.

'Shh!' I hiss, annoyed at how he's constantly ... _not _being stealthy. Sure, all the times he's been hot-headed haven't gotten us caught, but it's still really annoying. He's killing our spy-like-mood, darn him.

Another while later, the guard finally starts ranting heatedly to himself and straightens up, shoving open the fire escape door he's guarding. When he disappears inside, we glance warily to eachother and nod (except for Kratos, who isn't worried in the slightest). The entrance is only the small – probably the size of your average door, so we're gonna have to sneak in there quick-time and get away from the main path the Desians take.

Kratos takes a glance down both paths up and down before we make our move, and we all dart quickly over the short space before any Desians can spot us. I'll admit – I almost tripped up over a small rock, because I'm just _that _ditzy at the worst times, but I manage to make it without drawing any attention at all. I'm sure they wouldn't be happy at all with me if I did that, and I'm still going through my "make everyone love me" phase. I'm not too good at it yet, as proved when Lloyd grumbles something and drags me the last few steps by the wrist when I stumble over and clutch his shoulders. Dammit Lloyd, be nicer to me – I'm trying.

'Ow ow ow,' I mumble, wrenching my hand away when we finally all crowd into the cramped space of the narrow corridor. Kratos, being the one so-skilfully guiding us around, leads us down the pathway quickly and quietly before the next guard comes along and sets off an alarm at our intrusion. Unless of course Kratos kills him _first, _but if they then wonder across a _dead _Desian, that'll make it worse.

Twisting my palm nervously over my wrist, I look around to see if it's different at all from the Palmacosta ranch. It's the same design-wise, but the sense of dread I feel is far worse. Maybe it's because I have such horrible thoughts and memories of the ranches, but I'm starting to feel physically sick again. Man, am I _that _worried? Everyone is here with me – I'm not alone with Kratos like last time, so why am I so ...? Argh, dammit.

I only realise I'm chewing on my finger when a sudden pang shoots through it, and I wince. Luckily I haven't broken the skin, so I'm not bleeding or anything. That's one less thing to whine about, and one less chance of pissing off everyone around me. Though I seem to do that anyway, so just ignore that.

I hate how everything has this disturbingly bright glow. I glance up and squint against the vivid lights along the high ceiling, and wonder just how people _sleep _in this place. Honestly, it's starting to give me a headache, and I blink rapidly through the red glow plastered over my eyes when I avert my stare.

'Ow ...'

The Professor glances over her shoulder. 'Is something wrong?'

'Nothing ... this light is just giving me a headache.'

Lloyd frowns. 'You said you were feeling sick earlier. Are you sure you're okay?'

'In all honesty, I don't think I'm the one you should be worrying about,' I say rubbing my forehead with my palm. 'Let's just focus on getting the prisoners out of here and getting ourselves out.'

'That's easier said than done,' Genis mumbles.

'That's why we're saying it _and _doing it, right?' Colette says, trying to sound optimistic. We ignore her and carry on, because we're all feeling a down enough to not care what she says for once. For _once – _when we get out of here, I'm sure everyone will start loving and worshipping Colette like the freakin' goddess spawn she is, everyone will start adoring Genis and his smart-ass bratty self, and -

No. Bad Charlie. Can't start hating them just because you're jealous. That would be _wrong._

Of course, the sad thing is that I get this horrible boiling and bubbly feeling in my chest whenever I see Lloyd talking and laughing with the two of them, or when everyone is having a group discussion and my opinions are never really taken into consideration. I think now I'm _aware _of the jealousy, it's taking a much bigger toll on me. It sucks.

For the next three minutes, we speed up when a separate path doesn't seem to show. If we keep going down this one-way corridor, we're bound to run into the Desian coming back for guard duty. We're not being too stealthy about it either – like the last ranch, the floor is sickeningly polished, so our boots, shoes, whatever we wear are squeaking whenever we move. It wouldn't really _sound _suspicious to the average Desian, but five pairs of feet all at once? Yeah, we're freakin' _ninjas._

'We're going to the main computer room, right?' I ask, looking ahead at Kratos (he's still leading the way). 'Any idea how far?'

'It's not too far in,' Kratos answers, not glancing over. 'We should be able to reach there with minimal difficulties.'

'Ah. Righto,' I say, nodding. 'Then-'

'Alright, that's enough for now,' Raine says firmly and quietly. 'We can discuss things in more detail when we aren't in such a hurry.'

I take a second to pause and nod, feeling a little embarrassed at the Professor's polite way of saying "shut up". Luckily, no one says anything after that, and I'm saved from being discomforted further. Until of course I do the next retarded thing on the list in my brain, but we'll wait for that.

Ugh ... this'd probably be the best time to say so, seeing as we're making our way through the ranch now – I'm scared silly about facing Kvar, and the fact that he's in the _same building _is probably enough to have me dancing on the spot if I weren't walking. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so scared. I wasn't too afraid about Magnius when we were at the Palmacosta ranch, but that was probably because Kratos was with us. Sure, he's with us now, but Kvar's scrambled his sanity once before, hasn't he? Who's to say Kratos won't completely lose it and go utterly insane on us? It's a scary thought.

I begin to twist my fingers nervously around eachother, looking around as if I expect him to jump out at us or something. I'm sure he's far too _dignified _to do such a thing, but you can never be too sure with these cardinal guys. Forcystus has a gun for an arm, Magnius has dreadlocks and a strange attachment to the word "vermin", Kvar has _no eyes, _Rodyle is ... a creepy, smirking bastard, and Pronyma ... dresses weirdly. And has the hots for Yggdrasill. I'm sure they all do.

Ooh, bad images there. Never thinking about that again. Never.

Finally, after (not so) much consideration, I bring out a gun just to be safe. I'm at the back of the group, so I'm sure any real threat to myself would come from behind. There are five people in front of me ready to take on some poor Desian bugger that comes our way, so I have a relatively easy job there. Unless the enemy DOES come from behind. Then I'm quite screwed.

I resist the urge to whine about how this seems to be taking forever, but manage to stop myself and just admire our repetitive surroundings. I'm not kidding – there is _no _change whatsoever to the layout of these corridors. It's all the same pale brown walls with a light, shiny grey floor. Sure, they've all got these plain line designs that gives the place a kinda hi-tech feel to it, but that's really just about it. It's cold, too – that just makes it worse. These places are cold, quiet, and just full of unnecessary death. Wonderful, innit?

Finally, we reach a second corridor leading away from the main path. A wave of relief spreads over the group, for I'm sure we'd have run into the Desian coming back for guard duty had we gone any further. I hope he's not coming down the separate corridor we're going down _now, _but I keep in mind that Kratos is the one leading us here. Though he's an asshole, I still trust his sense of navigation after being here before. If he gets us lost, I'm kicking him in the shins. And pulling his hair. Because I haven't done that before.

'It's through here,' Kratos says, stopping at some grand-ass looking door. Lloyd just raises an eyebrow, looking up at the taller man.

'You sure? How do you know?'

'Well, Lloyd,' I say, slapping a hand on his shoulder and pointing up to a sign above the door. 'See those words up there? The ones that say "Main Computer Room"? Yeah,' I pat his back. 'Think about that for a while.'

'Fine, so I didn't _see _the sign,' Lloyd grumbles as we follow everyone into the room.

'Okay, who the _hell _shoved sandpaper up your ass this morning?' I say, frowning. 'You're being a complete jerk today.'

'It's just ... being at another one of these Desian places again,' Lloyd says, dropping his arms to his sides. 'I dunno – maybe I'm going through that thing you're always complaining about. Where you get all cranky and stuff.'

I pause. 'Say what?'

'Y'know, that thing ...' Lloyd groans, gesturing with his hands. I have no idea what he's talking about, so I'll just nod along and hope he leaves it at that. Except he doesn't. 'S ... PM, or something like that.'

'PMS,' I say bluntly, staring. 'You're going through PMS.'

'Yeah, probably.'

'... Yes,' I say, nodding. 'You're PMSing, Lloyd. That's the answer to it all. _All._'

'See, I knew it was that!' Lloyd says with a triumphant grin. I just shake my head and continue on into the room, looking around. Well, the ceiling level seems to have dropped dramatically ... other than that, it's all pretty much the same design-wise. The giant main computer is just this ... round, hollow, circular thing on the other side of the room up some stairs, and it doesn't look all too great. There's a keyboard sticking out to control it, and a nice big red button to probably get all the holograms up. Pretty convenient, but we'll get back to this later.

On the other _other _side of the room, there's a ... big, window type thing showing into the other room. It's kinda like a jalousie window, and probably difficult to see through from the other side too. Which I thank god for when Lloyd just strides up to it and start being nosey. Oh, I can already hear the alarms going off.

'Hey Genis, come take a look at this!' he says, looking over his shoulder before going back to ogling through the window. Sure enough, as well as Genis, _everyone _comes over to inspect whatever it is we're inspecting. I just sag my shoulders and get myself over there too, squeezing up against Raine to try and see through the window, which is now horribly crowded. And it's a bloody big window, darn it.

Anyway, back to observing. We're all looking at the part of the ranch where they make Exspheres, and though I expected it to be this horribly, gory, sick twisted place with blood flying everywhere and stones being wrenching out of people's hands ... it's actually pretty clean. I mean ... it's just large, hexagon tubes being taken through by machines from the main ... whatever-it-is that kills the humans once they get in there. But from first glance of the room, you wouldn't suspect a thing.

... Seeing as no one has said anything yet, I feel I might as well jump in. I _have _been here before, apparently.

'Hey Lloyd, you see those things there?' I say, pointing to the tubes being taken away. 'Those are Exspheres being made.'

Lloyd's eyes widen, and he turns back to the glass. 'Whoa ... all those things are Exspheres? There are so many of them ...'

'So this is how Exspheres are made,' the Professor mumbles to herself, pressing up against the glass. Oh crap, if she goes into ruin-mode here, I'm fleeing. 'Fascinating ...'

'It's ... still kinda unclear of _how_ they're being made,' Genis grumbles, trying to get a good look in. Bless him and his shortness. 'All I can see is just boxes.'

Deciding we've stared long enough, Kratos coughs loudly to get out attention and nods towards the main computer up around three stairs yonder that-a-way. We have a tendency to get distracted easily as it group, leave us alone. Raine finally pulls herself away from the glass and stops muttering rapidly to herself, to much relief. I'm sure she won't be so hyped when we find out _how_ they're made.

'So ... does anyone actually know how to operate this stuff?' Lloyd asks, glancing over at the main computer. 'It all looks really ...'

'If anyone could work it out of us, it'd probably be Raine and Charlotte,' Genis says, glancing over to his sister. 'Let's leave it to them.'

'Ooh ... wait, why me?' I ask, looking over (and grateful that Raine seems to have taken it upon herself to play with the machine for a while).

'Well ... you _did_ say you were good with machines back at the Palmacosta ranch,' Genis clarifies, giving me that suspicious little glance of his. 'And you _did_ say you've been here before.'

'I did say that, didn't I?' I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. 'Alrighty, leave it to me when the Professor gets bored with it.'

'... I don't see that happening,' Lloyd mumbles, pointing to his teacher who seems to be fawning over the large computer with that mad glint in her eyes. She doesn't even look like she's searching for the power switch – she's just murmuring about how _amazing_ it is. Dammit Raine, it isn't a ruin! Leave it alone!

'Professor! On switch! To your left! Your _left!_' I exclaim, brandishing my finger in it's direction. She finally seems to snap out of her mode and looks up questioningly, hands still gripping the edges of the hollow computer tightly. Dammit, can at least _one_ person here be sane? Other than Genis, who doesn't actually like me? And Kratos, who doesn't like me either? Why do the sane people hate me?

While this whole little commotion is going on, Colette wonders slowly over to Kratos and tugs on his sleeve. When he glances down, she whispers something that I have to strain to here, but I'd reckon she's mentioning something about hearing the footsteps. I think I'm right when Kratos nods, and draws his sword a moment later. The rest of them don't seem to follow suit, so I grip my pistol tighter. Being the only armed ones, I'm sure Kratos and me could pull off some kickass Blitz Spear move if Kvar wonders in. We're cool like that.

My certainty is rapidly cut off when a loud _whizz_ indicates an auto-door slamming open near to the computer where Raine is still playing around. Genis is the first to act, reaching around his back to grab his kendama at the threat to his sister, which makes Lloyd fumble for his swords also. Though I'm sure Raine could kick whoever it is into the nearest oblivion, it seems unneeded when our 'enemies' burst into the room ... not so dramatically. Yup, it's everyone's favourite dress-wearing Renegade.

'You-!'

Oh yes, Botta. Botta-bing. Botox. The last time I saw him was in the Sylvarant base, and that was ... _ages_ ago. Seriously, it feels like it's been months since I stabbed his leader in the side. Oh the _memories_. And also, the others seem to remember our little meetings with Botta and the two Renegades that always follow him around. I wonder if we'll ever get any insight on them? Anyway -

'These guys again?' Genis asks, kendama still in his tight grip.

'The ones that captured Lloyd in the Triet Desert,' I say, playing along. 'What are they doing all the way out here?'

'Looking for Lloyd, duh,' Genis answers, rolling his eyes. Somehow I really don't think that's the answer, Genis-man. But I'll let you believe it, because I'm not supposed to anything, tra la la.

Our half of the group is probably confused to why the three Renegades opposite haven't actually ... _done_ anything threatening yet. Botta is just looking from Lloyd, to Colette, to Kratos, and the two behind him are glancing at eachother questioningly. They're probably weighing out their options – on one hand, they can just kill Colette, grab Lloyd and _run_ while being mercilessly slaughtered by Kratos, and on the other hand they can just ... call a temporary peace truce and flee before the Desians get here.

There's a small buzzing sound, and Botta raises a hand to his ear. Now you look closer, it's quite obvious he's wearing an earpiece, probably with Yuan giving him instructions on the other end. Sadly, we can't hear anything that Yuan or whoever it is might be saying, but it's enough to throw us into a confused phase and stop us attacking.

'Sir -'

'Ignore them,' Botta instructs finally, dropping his hand from his earpiece. 'We must get back immediately.'

'But sir!' the taller of the two Renegades insists. 'This is the perfect opportun-'

'Kratos is with them,' Botta snaps. 'It would be foolish to take action. For now, we must leave the ranch and retreat.'

Not-too-oddly enough, Kratos seems to ignore Botta's hinting at a truce and takes a step forward with his sword in hand. Before he can make any violent action, Raine stops him with a small glare.

'I don't remember you telling us you were on first-name basis with these Desians. Is there something you'd like to tell us?'

'They aren't,' I say quickly, clutching my guns tighter. 'Kratos kicked his ass twice in a row – I think he'd want to steer clear of him if he can help it.'

I get a cold look from Botta at my wording, and Kratos doesn't acknowledge my assistance at all. Man, why do I keep helping him out if it's never going to effect our strained relationship? He's an asshole, and anyone who says otherwise has obviously never met the real Kratos Aurion. Or perhaps I'm just being mean. Argh! Bad time!

'It would benefit us all if we simply parted our ways here,' Botta says quietly, looking to Kratos. Kratos is the only one who'd listen without throwing some fit and attacking right away (coughLloydcough).

'Whatever you do is of no concern to us.'

Lloyd glares. 'Kratos! But if-'

'If we let them leave, we'll be able to rescue the captives quicker, right?' I interrupt, not too keen on our quick-tempered Lloyd right now. 'What's your main concern – getting into a fight, or helping the people of Luin?'

Lloyd looks like he's about to retort something loud and rude, but after a moments consideration of what I've just said, he drops his half-drawn sword that slides easily back into it's scabbard. 'Dammit ...'

'It's best to take the sensible way out for now,' Raine says with a small nod at Lloyd's reluctant compliance, looking over to the three Renegades still stationed at one of our possible escape routes. 'You should leave now before we change our minds.'

Ooh, I love it when the Professor acts badass. It makes you wish there were more teachers like her around on earth, just without the whole ... spanking thing there. Anyway, Lloyd still looks annoyed when the three Renegades simply ... _flee, _running past us. As they approach the door we entered through on the other side of this large room, Botta suddenly comes to a stop a raises his hand to his ear. The buzzing sound goes off again, and a ringing noise drowns out the voice coming through. Yuan must be telling him something.

We all glance at eachother, looking slightly confused at their awkward actions. Of course, it decides to hit me as soon as Lloyd's impatience and hot-headed self kicks in, and he runs over to the three stalling Renegades, sword at the ready. Raine shouts at him to stop, apparently getting the same idea as me, but it doesn't work.

As soon as he reaches them, a loud ring from Botta's earpiece throws a voice through yelling "now!", and the three Renegades bolt right through the exit. It opens with an electrical _whirr, _and as they flee, leaving Lloyd alone in the middle of the room. Before the door can close, however, I bask momentarily in the knowledge that I was _right, _and three Desians show up, adorned in spell-caster uniforms with their staves in hand.

Yeah, Lloyd's in trouble.

'LLOY-'

The shout is cut off when the other Desians high-tail it after Botta's group, leaving fireballs spinning in Lloyd's direction. No one reacts fast enough, Lloyd isn't prepared, and the magic ripples through the air and hits Lloyd dead on. A pained cry confirms that, and Lloyd is sent skidding back before he tumbles to the floor, thankfully not looking _too _injured.

Sure enough, it's his best friend that gets over there first to aid him and ask if he's alright. While Genis runs over to Lloyd, I'm far too distracted and focused on the door opposite now that the Renegades are good and gone. Something's different in my mind – it's like time has just slowed down completely while everything happens.

It opens achingly slowly, the steady electrical hum almost taunting when it reaches my ears. For the strangest reason, I can't look away – I'm sure my eyes are wide enough, and the look of horror on my face is painfully evident. Sharp boots click across the polished floor, and the man I've been fearing for the past month makes his way into the room. He pays no heed to my presence, but I sure as hell pay it to his.

Kvar.

The change in the atmosphere is horribly noticeable. Lloyd manages to pull himself up with Genis' help, not looking to pleased with how we've been caught out so early. On this side of the room, Raine comes over from the computer with her weapon in hand, glaring in the grey haired cardinal's direction. Colette places a hand on her chakram just in case, looking worriedly over at Genis and Lloyd, who are the closest to the threatening man right now. As for Kratos ...

I'm saying nothing. The only thing I _will _say ... is that he's the angriest I've ever seen him. He isn't snarling, running to chop Kvar clean in half, or anything – just a look in his eyes is all I need to know. If he ever looks at me like that in the future, I'll just die on the spot. At the very least, I _would _faint from terror. I really would.

He's exactly how I remember him, if not worse – tall, sharp features, slitted eyes ... and he doesn't actually look too strong. Though I definitely know otherwise – the fact that he's dressed in a heavy velvet jacket and those giant, gold shoulder plates is enough to make me realise he's more than strong enough to _walk around _with that shit on. I'd topple straight over.

Kvar looks briefly over all of us, and when his beady eyes reach mine for almost half a second, I suddenly realise I'm terribly cold and I can't stop shaking.

And he _smirks. _It freaked me out when Magnius smirked, but this ... Kvar isn't some hot-headed pack of brainless muscles – he's the suave bastard of the lot.

Kvar raises a hand to his pointed ear, and I notice he's wearing an earpiece similar to Botta's. The only difference is the size and quality, and I'll guess that the Desians are better equipped than the Renegades.

'Bring some backup over,' Kvar says into the piece after switching it on, that smirk still on his face. 'Those wanted rats seem to be prowling around, and the Irving boy is with them.'

A _click _sounds around the quiet room when he turns it off, and ... well, I can't say much for myself right now; I'm acting like a complete wuss. I'm actually _hiding _behind Kratos in a hope that should Kvar make a sudden and random lunge for me, Kratos will stop him. It's doubtful he'd do it to save _me, _but as long as I survive this, I really couldn't care less.

Kvar folds his arms behind his back, starting towards Lloyd and Genis, the older of the two obviously being his main objective. His smirk grows wider when a clink of metal indicates Lloyd shifting uncomfortably, swords at the ready.

'I can't say I'm too happy that you bunch have successfully infiltrated my ranch,' he says, coming to a halt barely a yard away from Lloyd. 'Though it's most impressive how you managed to survive that attack.'

When Lloyd notices Kvar's eyes (or what he can see of them) wondering down to the burn wound in his side that seems to have eaten through his clothing, he throws his spare arm over the injury and grips his one sword tightly. 'Who the hell are you!?'

'Not a hint of common courtesy,' Kvar scolds with his grin ever-present, and Lloyd just glares. 'It seems you weren't raised well at _all_ after that incident.'

'Incident?' Lloyd mumbles questioningly before snapping back to his heated self and holding up his swords once again to protect Genis and himself from this frightening man. 'Ugh ... I don't care who you are – I don't have time for your stupid mind games!'

'Is that so?' Kvar says, raising a curled eyebrow. 'Well, I certainly have the time.'

'You-!'

'Lloyd.'

He stops dead at the sharp, demanding tone from Kratos that tells him to stay calm. Kratos has that kinda strange effect with people – he doesn't have to tell you right out what to do, but the tone of his voice is enough. Like now, his tone is telling Kvar to drop dead on the spot, but sadly it ain't happening.

Kvar chuckles quietly, eliciting a shiver from myself when he turns to Kratos. I suddenly have the most painful urge to leap out from behind the mercenary _just _so Kvar isn't looking my general direction, but it's like my feet are fastened to the floor by some unseeable force – I can't move at all.

'My, my,' Kvar says, taking a step or two in our direction. Kratos doesn't move an inch, but I notice Raine tighten the grip on her weapon as she edges in front of Colette.

'Kratos,' he says, still with that disturbing grin that makes my stomach churn in fear. 'Though I can't say I'd ever have the pleasure of seeing your wretched face again, it _is _nice to see a familiar one. This must be my lucky day indeed.'

'... Kratos?' Lloyd asks, straightening up a little and relaxing his battle stance while he looks over Kvar's shoulder to the mercenary. 'You know this guy?'

'From another ill-fated meeting,' Kratos mumbles quietly, and I feel no one but me heard it; I _am _right behind the guy, y'know.

'You should be thankful, human,' Kvar says, his tiny white eyes glinting. 'I no longer have business concerning you.'

With that, he turns his back to us and faces the confused Lloyd once again. It's then that I realise I've been holding my breath the whole time he's been staring at us, and I let it out in a quick gasp.

'I've found far more interesting matters to deal with for now.'

And almost on cue, the four doors in the room fly open and ... _many_ many Desians storm in, knives and whips in hand. They manage to surround us easily in a large, intimidating circle seeing as we're practically in the _middle _of the room. The only way out of this is through the door leading to the Exsphere factory room, but Kvar is blocking the way on his lonesome. It's odd that he's guarding a single exit alone, but then again – this is _Kvar. _The strongest man in the ranch.

I back up quite rapidly until I hit Genis, who has fled over here with Lloyd to avoid being caught alone. Now we're all in this awkward little bunch, back to back, and ... panicking, really. Well, I know I am – it's taking all the willpower I can muster to avoid spinning around and seeking refuge under someone's cape. C'mon Charlotte, be strong – you have to, for these guys as well as yourself.

I look around at the Desians' disgustingly excited faces (or what I can see of them through the helmets). This must not happen often ... in fact, I doubt anything happens often in a human ranch – but that thought that they get some kind of kick out of this really makes you sick.

Kvar folds his arms behind his back again, taking a few steps towards his main target with that sneer still in place. Lloyd stiffens for a moment, gripping his swords tighter at the voiceless threat.

'A question,' Kvar says evenly, stopping. 'If someone were to steal a valuable possession of yours, would it not be natural to try and take it back?'

I glance over my shoulder at Kratos, who seems to be getting steadily angered at how Kvar is approaching his son. I can tell the mind-screwing is already starting, but I think Lloyd is far too thick-headed to take it in. I'm glad, for once.

'That Exsphere rightfully belongs to _me,' _Kvar snarls, eyes narrowing. 'The result of decades worth of my research is resting on your dirty flesh. It's time you handed it over.'

'Bite me!' Lloyd exclaims, sweeping both swords up through the air before him. 'Demon Fang!'

I'm just gonna say WHOA, because I don't think I've ever seen that attack executed so powerfully by Lloyd. It rips through the air and heads straight for the cardinal, but there's one catch – Lloyd is a teenage swordsman in training, and Kvar is one of the five grand cardinals. The bulk of solid energy completely _disappears_ when Kvar swipes his sceptre though the attack – seriously, it just splits into two parts and ripples away into air.

'Well that was smart ...' Genis grumbles, and I elbow him in the side to shut him up. I'm far too paranoid about pissing these Desians off more than they already are.

'Shit ...' Lloyd hisses, moving his left arm back a little. Magnius tried to snatch the Exsphere right off his hand, and though Kvar isn't as stupid as Magnius, I wouldn't put it against him not to do the same.

'Now, now ...' Kvar says, smirk returning. 'There's no need for that.'

Lloyd backs up a little into our cluster of people, left arm drawn behind him. 'Dammit ...! What can we-'

I think my heart cannonballs out of my chest when an incredibly loud bang goes off right above our heads. Some of the Desians yell in panic, when a sudden cloud of smoke spills down from the air above ... and it's a _lot _of smoke – enough to envelop us, the Desians, and Kvar completely. Cue the coughing, spluttering, and panicking. Dammit, did Kratos drop one of his smoke bombs or something?

'What the hell-!?' Lloyd starts, but is cut off once again for some reason. I turn around in time to see a purple gloved hand grab Lloyd's wrist through the smoke and drag him forcefully away. Seeing as we're all quite ... not-with-it right now, he simply falls away with a yelp of surprise.

'Run, you idiots!'

Ho boy, do I recognise that voice.

We all decide to just go with is and shove past any Desians in our way, heading straight for the door Kvar was previously blocking. The sensors make it slide open for us, and we all just tumble through in our massive group of people, save for Lloyd who has been dragged away already by our saviour. Our amazing, awesome saviour who I'd hug right now if we weren't being followed by about twenty Desians.

Yup, it's Sheena.

'You again?' Lloyd asks when she drops his wrist, pulling a handful of red cards out of her ... giant pink ribbon. 'What are-'

'I'll explain later!' she snaps, fumbling with her cards. 'Well don't just stand there, _run!'_

As soon as she finishes ordering us around, the door behind snaps open and Desians storm their way through, knives at the ready. My heart is going a mile a minute here, and I'm scared out of my wits – apparently, that makes me do stupid, stupid things. I'd guess our main objective is to get to the other side of the room so we can flee through the door that-a-way. But instead of going _around _all the machines and running head first into confused Desians patrolling the area, I decide to take a short cut. _Through _the machines.

Man, if you've ever stood on a moving conveyor belt, you'll know it's quite hard to keep your balance once you've stepped on. Yeah, I'm an idiot – the strange thing is, everyone is following. The _annoying_ thing is, they're better at this than me. And it was my idea, the thieving bastards.

Right Charlie, there's a mob of angry Desians right behind you. Run. _Fast._

When I finally get my timing right, I place my foot on the barrier surrounding the conveyor belt and heave myself up, jumping over a deep gap and thankfully landing on the switch platform. I remember disengaging all switches should stop it from working or something, but now really isn't the time. I glace over and see Genis has just made his way over, and he stumbles a bit when he lands. Being the generous person I am, I lend him a hand and grab his arm to stop him falling flat on his face.

I tug him upright. 'Come on, they've starting getting on the conv- OH SHIT!'

Genis wraps an arm around my neck and tugs me down to the floor when a big-ass bolt of lightning soars right over our heads. After contemplating the fact that he's pretty fricken' strong for a twelve year old (he's snapping my neck bones here), we both see that the lightning bolt was meant for Lloyd on the conveyor belt ahead. Luckily, he jumps out of the way just in time and it goes spiralling into the wall some ways ahead with a crash, leaving a nice big burn mark. Ouch.

Lloyd is smart enough to leap out of the way, but apparently not smart enough to see where he's leaping. One of the hexagon tubes topples off the edge of the barrier when Lloyd is forced up against it, and the glass casing shatters loudly as it tumbles down below. I'm telling ya, it's a massive drop. You'd die if you fell down there.

'The Exspheres!' one Desian yells from behind Genis and me. We decide to ignore them and ... run like holy hell. And that we do. Lloyd has, with much effort, finally gotten over the last conveyor belt and is helping the others fight off some Desians holding us up in our escape. The others managed to get over just fine – Sheena and Kratos a bloody ninjas, Raine is surprisingly athletic, and Colette just flew over.

'Don't attack the ones on the conveyor belts!' another Desian shouts over the ruckus. 'We're damaging the Exspheres!'

'Lucky me,' I say, stopping when I reach the end of the switch platform. 'How about we attack from here?'

'Because they're in trouble!' Genis exclaims angrily. 'What are you, stupid?'

'That should be obvious by now,' I say sourly, glancing toward moving apparatus below. 'Oh man ...'

'Come on, they're coming after us!'

I look over my shoulder at the Desians struggling on the conveyor belt behind us and see that a few have managed to get onto this platform. Oh no, this isn't good.

'Banzaiii!' I yelp, finally getting my wits together while I jump down to the next belt. Right Charlie, ignore Genis for now, just focus on ... _not _falling over. I manage to move out of the way of a box coming right for me with difficulty, but Genis can apparently leap-frog over them. Damn, I should have thought of that. It's a bit silly, but it works, doesn't it?

'Genis, catch!' I say, kicking one of the boxes in his direction. He does so, and manages to shove it into the chute where they'll all coming out of. I'd say great minds think alike, but Genis is way smarter than me ... so I'm just glad he was able to pick up on my plan without me having to say anything.

'Switch off the main conveyor belts!' Kvar orders over the noise when the Desians start hyping up. 'Leave the others how they are. We can't afford to lose anymore of the Exspheres!'

Fairly quickly, the belts shudder to a stop, and the two of us can finally escape the preoccupied Desians with ease. It takes a few moments to scramble up onto the walkway everyone else got to before us, and the fact that they're in the midst of fighting makes it harder to not get in the way. It's pretty damn narrow.

'Took you guys long enough!' Lloyd huffs after finishing off a blast of Hurricane Thrust.

Genis just glares up at his friend, kendama ball hovering as he begins to cast Icicle. 'Stop complaining! You didn't have Desians right behind you!'

'I thought you guys were all supposed to be friends!' Sheena interrupts sharply, kicking an approaching Desian square in the face. 'Now wouldn't be a good time to fight amongst yourselves!'

'Good point,' I say, using Shockwave on the Desian with the bleeding nose (thanks to Sheena). The roar of mana against the floor makes me flinch before it hits it's target, sending the poor man into a mob of approaching Desians behind him. I must be panicking if I can't concentrate my mana well ... but I shouldn't feel bad – I have every reason to be scared. I'm in a group of seven people fighting against about thirty Desians, and Kvar is somewhere in the room too. I don't know _where, _and that only scares me even more.

Raine finishes using Photon, which sends a group of Desians flying. I flinch again when screams indicate a few have gone over the edge of the walkway and fallen down the gaping hole. She ignores them and turns to us. 'We're getting nowhere with this.'

We all come to a silent conclusion and decide to just escape. If we keep this up, we'll never get out of this place alive. Though with all this going on, I doubt we'll be able to get the prisoners and escape either – it's a lose-lose situation.

'There's a door up ahead!' Lloyd shouts as we flee, pointing. True, there is some big, grand electrical door a good few yards away leading to the room where the conveyor belts are bringing out the Exspheres. If anything, it's where the horror begins in the creation, but what can we do? I'm just hoping they don't make the human sacrificing painfully obvious like they did in the game.

Lloyd actually goes as far as to kick the door in once we get close to it instead of waiting for it to zip open. The Professor looks terribly close to delivering a slap to the back of his head, but we have some escaping to do. I make sure to avoid the broken, sizzling pieces of the auto door when we make our way through to the new room.

I look over my shoulder at the Desians running for us and freeze, but Sheena pulls out another card from her ribbon and throws it at the damaged doorway. I have to avoid "ooooh"ing in awe when it splits in mid air and creates a giant ... _wall_ of cards to block the entrance. Sure, it's made of card, but it looks oddly sturdy and hard to get through.

'Wow, that's so cool!' Colette marvels. Sheena flushes with embarrassment, scratching her cheek.

'I-it's nothing ... but it should hold them off for at least a little while. C'mon, we have to get outta here.'

Lloyd frowns. 'But the captives-'

'There's hardly anything we can do right now,' I say, folding my arms against the cold. 'We have the whole ranch after us – what makes you think we'll be able to escape with half of Luin trailing behind us?'

'She's right,' Raine says, casting a quick First Aid on a wound at her side. 'We should escape and devise a better plan. If we carry on this way, we'll be captured as well.'

While Lloyd mumbles angrily to himself, I look around the new room we've gotten ourselves stuck in. My knees buckle when I realise I'm rather close to the edge of the incredibly short walkway we're now on, but the drop isn't too deep this time. I can actually see the bottom, and if you fell, you'd probably only end up with a sprained ankle – though there's no way of getting back up once you're down there. But that isn't the main feature of the room.

We seem to be on a low level of the room. There's a large set of stairs right in front, leading up to the top of a giant, elevated pillar in the centre of the room. I can hear the hum of machinery, and to our right and left are lines of conveyor belts. Each one is pulling along boxes from above, and I have a feeling _that _place is up ahead. I thought this wouldn't phase me at all, but I'm actually really dreading this.

'Come on, there's no other way!' Lloyd tells us when the banging on the card wall begins. He's the first to make a dash for the stairway, and we all simply follow him. I've gotta say – I'm not too good with stairs (I'm always falling up or down them), but I'm actually managing this quite well. Hell, I'm keeping to pace with Lloyd – this ain't like me. Maybe I'm just really, really scared today. Being scared makes you do stupid yet amazing things you can't usually do.

I bite my lip when the top of the wide pillar becomes closer and closer. I _know _that whatever I see up there will give me nightmares for years to come, probably even when I get out of here. I'm praying that it won't be too bad – if it's changed from the game, maybe it'll be better instead of worse? It's a long shot, but come on ...

When we finally reach the top ... I think my heart jumps into my throat, and I pull off the worst accidental cliché and throw my hands up to my mouth in horror. Lloyd doesn't stop running abruptly when we reach the top, but he takes a few wary steps forward before the fear finally sinks into his mind and forces him still. Genis, Colette, Raine and Sheena all look disgusted, Kratos was already _aware,_ but ... I really don't know what to say for myself. I knew this was coming – I know how Exspheres are made. But ...

This is just barbaric.

'W .. what is ...?' Lloyd starts shakily, but his question dies in his throat.

Attached to the wall ahead is that godforsaken machine. The Desians are apparently sick enough to have the conveyor belt leading the people to their deaths surrounded by nothing but thick, glass casing. Just so they can see the panic in their faces? So they can watch them cry and fear for their lives? It's almost enough to make me sick, but that isn't the thing that's getting to me.

You can't stick people on conveyor belts and expect them to go off to their deaths without a protest. Apparently the game didn't cover that, but sadly, real life did. They're _fastened_ down. Heavy belts over their legs and torsos, strapping their arms to their sides and keeping them from escaping. They're blindfolded so they can't see where they're going, but I have a feeling they _know _what's about to happen to them. Why?

They're screaming.

You can't _hear _them ... but you can see them scream. Men screaming, women screaming, little _kids _screaming as they go through one by one. Hell, there's a girl my age going though ... that could easily be me, couldn't it? Some of the people have managed to shake their blindfolds off and are trying to struggle free. You can see the horror in their eyes, the sheer panic that they have just a few more seconds to live. That there is no hope.

The worst thing is that they then see us. They _think _there's hope. They're screaming at us for help, sobbing, jerking futilely against their bonds. And we can't do anything except stare as they're taken into that dark cute at the end of the conveyor belt where the window finally cuts off, and wait for the next box to come out through the machines.

'Surprised?'

I feel like a cold hand just ran down my spine when I hear that voice, a slightly amused ring to it. Lloyd manages to dismiss his fear for now and focus on the Desians who seem to have caught up to us. He reaches for his swords as he spins around, but freezes before he can draw them. Kvar is standing behind us, sceptre in hand with about six Desians, blocking our only means of escape. If we try to jump this, we'll probably die.

'Wearing Exspheres without even knowing where they come from? That's quite selfish, don't you think?' Kvar says, raising an eyebrow. I have a horribly satisfying mental image of kicking him in the face, but I'm obviously too scared to do that ... I'm too scared to even move. I've only managed to turn my head a little to see the angry, smug mob behind us.

'You call _us _selfish!?' Sheena insists shrilly, pointing a shaking finger to the machinery behind us. 'Just ... just what are you doing to those people!?'

'I think it should be obvious by now.'

'The boxes holding the Exspheres are coming out of the same machine and through to your storage areas,' Raine says quietly, still staring at the screaming faces with her staff clutched tightly to her chest. This must be horrible for her – seeing people in need, fearful for their lives right in front of her, and she can't help them.

She finally turns to Kvar, eyes calm but obvious rage and dismay on her face. 'Are Exspheres made from bodies of humans? Is _that _how they're-'

'Close, but not quite,' Kvar interrupts. 'Exspheres are first created and placed onto the host bodies.'

'Host bodies?' Genis mumbles, clutching the hand supporting his Exsphere. 'Then that means Marble was-'

'A host body used to nourish an Exsphere, yes,' Kvar confirms quickly, folding his arms once again behind his back. 'Forcystus did mention something of the sort.'

Genis thinks for a moment. 'Nourish?'

'When Exspheres are placed on the bodies of humans, they are in a uncultivated state - a worth no more than rock,' Kvar explains, and while he does I'm tempted to glance down towards the green Exsphere on my hand. 'Once they come in contact with the human body, they employ a stage of consumption.'

Raine glares. 'And then you drive the humans to work to ensure a worthy extraction of nourishment? And what about once their Exspheres are removed?'

'The only thing worth doing,' Kvar says, twisted smirk coming back into place. 'We dispose of the used bodies to make room for more.'

'You kill them,' I manage, glancing over at the machine far behind us. I can still make out their screaming faces, and it's really ... _really _starting to get to me.

'That ... that's disgusting!' Sheena accuses, eyes narrow in abhorrence. 'How can you do that to people!?'

Kvar raises an eyebrow at her shrill protests, and it's kind of surprising at how he's being patient with us. 'It's simple. Their lives are essential. What better way to nourish Exspheres to their full potential than by using the lives of inferior beings?'

'You -!' Lloyd starts with a shout, but Kratos grips his upper arm tightly before he can storm towards Kvar and put himself in danger. Kvar simply sneers at Lloyd's brash attitude, unfolding his arms with his sceptre still in hand. Lloyd should think twice about going after him now.

'You accuse us of being selfish and disgusting,' Kvar says, taking a few steps forward with his weapon, and ... I swear I don't mean to, but I automatically move to 'hide' behind the Professor. 'Yet ...'

He points to Lloyd with his sceptre. 'You wear them on your hands like jewels. Only with the help of the dead are you able to fight.' He smirks again. 'And you believe, by those standards, you are pardonable? What you're doing is the same.'

'We're ... we're not-!'

'Please,' Kvar drawls, raising his free hand to signal the Desians behind him. 'That's enough chat for now.'

The Desians advance on us, surrounding our little group should we decide to escape. I don't know _how _we could, seeing as we're atop a very high platform with our only exit blocked by a number of people, and if we tried to jump off the edge ... the results would be very messy. We settle with backing away from their sardonic faces, ending up a small backwards huddle with our weapons at the ready. It doesn't look like they're about savagely attack us, but it's nice to be safe.

'Now, Lloyd,' Kvar starts smoothly, tapping the head of his sceptre against his palm. 'You have two choices. Firstly, you can choose to retaliate, and we'll forcibly take your Exsphere from you. You and your friends will be equipped with dormant Exspheres and used for cultivation.'

Lloyd glares at his first choice, and Kvar continues. 'Or ... you can be a good boy and hand it over without a fuss. The choice is yours.'

Wow, that's kind of a lose-lose situation again. One one hand, Kvar gets the Exsphere and we're all dead, and on the other hand, Kvar just gets the Exsphere. It's quite obvious what the choice should be, but I don't think Lloyd is about to give up his mum's memento without a fight at least; I can't see him just handing it over.

'Why are you guys always after my Exsphere!?' he demands, probably getting very tired of not knowing anything. It'd piss me off too, if I had a bunch of cardinals running around trying to find me for a reason I wasn't aware of. 'Ever since the incident at Iselia-'

'Iselia's destruction was irrelevant to our current situation,' Kvar interrupts, patience most likely wearing thin. 'That Exsphere is the product of my research; the single successful prototype for the Angelus Project.'

'The Angelus Project ...' Genis ponders aloud. 'I remember ... that Forcystus guy said something about that in Ise-'

'You need not be informed of the details,' Kvar says with a quiet, cold laugh. 'Your stalling is only endangering your lives. You'd best make your decision soon Lloyd, lest we do it for you.'

'I don't care what this Exsphere is!' Lloyd exclaims, scowling darkly. 'All I need to know now is that my mom protected this with her life. And if she did, she probably didn't want you to get your hands on it! I'll never hand it over!'

Kvar snorts. 'Your mother's stubbornness was the death of her. I shouldn't have expected any difference from you.'

I don't know why, but I look up at Kratos at Kvar's words. He really ... _really_ looks like he's holding back any urges to stride over to Kvar and ... stab. This must be horrible for him – the man who killed his wife and crushed any chance he had of finding a way for a human to use the Eternal Sword is standing right there. Kratos could probably get a lot of closure from stabbing him in the fact and going off to sit in a corner for a while, but that isn't really an option now. Undercover and all.

'I can't expect much difference at all,' Kvar says with his ever-present smirk growing slightly wider. 'You're the spitting image of your mother. Filthy maggots, both of you.'

'What did you just say!?' Lloyd snarls, taking a few rapid steps forward. Raine reaches out to pull him back, but he struggles free and goes straight for Kvar. Sadly, he doesn't get too far – two Desians come to restrain him, forcing his arms behind his back. I actually flinch at how painful it looks, but I can't say I didn't expect them not to be rough with him.

'You want to watch your mouth around Lord Kvar, human,' one says. 'Another word, and we'll break your arms.'

Raine stiffens in rage beside me when Lloyd's knees buckle in pain, and he slumps down slightly.

'D-dammit ...'

Kvar's eyes narrow, and he approaches the restrained Lloyd. He makes sure to look down at him, and Lloyd just keeps his stare at the floor. 'Keep it up like this and you'll end up just like your mother.'

Lloyd tenses.

'Hmph. You don't know anything about her, do you?' Kvar drones tiredly. 'Such a shame no one ever _bothered _to tell you. It would make my job so much easier.'

'I know what happened to her!' Lloyd snaps angrilly, shoulders tightening. 'She was killed by you Desians!'

'And who told you that? That dwaf?' Kvar chuckles. 'It couldn't be farther from the truth.'

'My dad wouldn't lie to m-!'

'But that's just _it_, isn't it Lloyd?' Kvar interrupts, fisting his hand in Lloyd's hair and forcing his face up. 'He _isn't _your father, is he?'

Before I know it, I'm being shoved roughly to one side. Kratos storms past me, sword in hand, and goes right for the cardinal screwing with his son's head. Genis and Raine grab both his arms to hold him back as the two Desians holding Lloyd take action. They force his arms further behind his back, and Lloyd lets out a shaky gasp of pain.

'Kratos, for heaven's sake!' Raine hisses, tugging him back. 'You're putting Lloyd in danger!'

'You're gonna get him killed!' Genis adds, doing his best to bring down someone over twice his age and probably his height too.

'Precisely,' Kvar says, and one Desian holding Lloyd reaches down for the knife sheath in his boot. 'Another step Kratos, and he dies.'

The knife is held to the back of Lloyd's neck, who flinches at the cold steel. I swear, my heart is about to sky-rocket out of my throat – Lloyd is in serious danger, and if I could do something ... I'd _try. _Of course, I'm too scared to say anything, let alone power-walk over there and punch one of them in the chin.

'That Exsphere was hosted on your mother's body during the Angelus Project,' Kvar explains, satisfied that now Lloyd is being held under dangerous guard, none of us will interfere. 'Before we could run the final tests and finish the experiment, she escaped from the facility with the Exsphere.'

Lloyd freezes. 'Then ... you-'

'Though we could not retrieve the Exsphere, she was suitably punished for her offence.'

Genis, Raine and Colette are all looking to and from eachother worriedly. I doubt any of them knew anything about this at all, and it's quite a shocking revelation about someone you've been growing up with for the past fourteen years or whatever. I'm sure they've all wondered about this at some point in their lives, and now they know ... yeah, it's a bit tragic. But _Lloyd ... _I don't think he's about to take this well at all. He's been silent for a few moments, but it almost feels like hours.

'All this time ...' Lloyd mumbles, fists clenching behind his back. 'And now I know ...! It was _you!'_

The Desians restraining Lloyd have to drag him back from Kvar now that he's kicking and shouting, trying to struggle free. Colette and and Sheena have to stop Raine reaching over and smashing one of the Desians on the head with her staff, but I honestly can't blame her – at this rate, they'll kill Lloyd anyway to make sure he doesn't hurt Kvar.

'You're the one that killed my mom!' Lloyd yells, actually managing to shove off one Desian. Kvar readies his sceptre in case Lloyd manages to get free, and it's becoming very tempted to go over there and hold Lloyd back myself. But I can't – I can't move. I'm too scared.

Lloyd wrenches himself free for a second before he's restrained again, struggling wildly as though his life and sanity depended on it. The Desians around us raise their knives and whips, but Kvar holds up a hand, motioning to them their order to stand down.

'You ...! I'll _kill you!' _Lloyd screams, his words echoing around the uncomfortable large room. 'You-!'

The Desians grunt as they're forced off by an incredible flash that illuminates their space. I have to throw my hands over my eyes to avoid being blinded, and everyone else seems to do the same. I wince, peeking through my fingers to see if Sheena did something else with her cards, but it doesn't seem to be by her doing this time.

Does anyone remember that time in the Wind Seal where Genis' Exsphere had a sudden boost of energy? Yeah, that seems to be happening here. Lloyd's Exsphere is glowing incredibly bright. It doesn't seem to be as powerful as the previous time, but still ...

Lloyd doesn't seem surprised at all – in fact, it doesn't look like he noticed it at all. With his one-track mind, he ignores everyone around him, and runs straight for the cardinal. Raine and Kratos shout out to him to try making him stop, but it doesn't work. He hasn't even bothered to draw his swords – he's just going for Kvar in a mad, violent rage.

'_I'LL KILL YOU!' _Lloyd repeats in a shout, bringing his fist back as he runs. '_You SON OF A-!'_

_Crack_.

My heart dives right from the top of my throat down to my stomach.

I don't know what happened. None of us can see properly. But from what we _can_ see, and from what we heard, it doesn't look good. At all.

Lloyd never made it to Kvar. That part seems quite obvious, but it takes a second or two to figure out why he didn't, and why Lloyd is slumped over at a painful looking angle. Before he could get too close, Kvar shoved his sceptre into Lloyd's stomach, winding him. That it's too bad, but Lloyd isn't moving at all, and we heard a crack. One of Lloyd's bones are broken, or something is dangerously damaged.

It's painfully silent when Kvar shifts his weapon, letting Lloyd's motionless body slump slowly to the floor without a word. He stirs, but it looks like he's having trouble gathering his bearings. Oh god – what happened? Is he okay? What was that cracking noise?

When Kvar throws his sceptre to the floor, I notice a front part has been snapped into two. Still, just because it was _that_, it doesn't mean Lloyd is fine. He's still on the floor, looking quite dizzy.

And to make matters worse, Kvar kicks him in the shoulder to turn him over, stamping his foot on his chest to hold him down. Raine has to grab Kratos' arm again when he makes a move for his injured son, and succeeds with difficulty. Come on Charlotte, do _something - anything!_

'That wasn't a smart idea,' Kvar says, grinding his heel into Lloyd's flesh. He grits his teeth in pain, and the Desians around us snicker in sick amusement. 'And now you've calmed down, let me tell you something.'

He leans down over Lloyd, grinning at the helpless boy.

'Your _father_ killed your mother.'

Lloyd just stares up at him, eyes wide, glaring.

'When we tried to take our Exsphere back, she turned into a monster. You're father was the one who killed Anna. Not me.'

'That's a lie,' Lloyd spits. 'You _dirty_ _liar!'_

Kvar stamps his foot down forcefully on Lloyd's chest, and the swordsman chokes on his own air, shuddering in pain. 'I have no time for your false accusations. I'll be taking my Exsphere back.'

'Like hell you will ...!' Lloyd croaks, gasping for air. Kvar stamps down again before grinding his heel against Lloyd's lungs. He chokes for breath, scrambling desperately for his swords. He's going to get killed – he's going to _die _if we just stand here. I want to tell Raine to let Kratos go but I can't – my voice won't come, I can't move an inch ... I'm literally frozen with fear.

'Then I suppose I'll just have to kill you,' Kvar says with his smirk, eyes glinting in some kind of twisted glee. 'Just like your dirty-'

He moves his foot to Lloyd's throat.

'-Worthless-'

Raises it ready to crush his bones.

'Mothe-'

_BANG._

The sudden sound echoes around the room. Everyone stares at the source of the noise – our group, Lloyd, Kvar, and the Desians. The Desians do nothing, still under orders to stand down, and I'm overwhelmingly glad for a moment. A small, glowing white pellet clicks as it hits the floor, disappearing beside Kvar's feet where it fell. Kvar raises a hand to his head to treat his small injury, and only when I see a small line of blood run down his face does my brain kick into gear and I realise what just happened.

Well, I'm standing utterly still. Arms raised. Gun aimed.

I just shot Kvar in the head.

I just shot _KVAR _in the head.

And I'm shaking, wide eyed, and I honestly feel so scared that I could cry.

My heart stops when Kvar moves away from Lloyd, glaring at me – _at me. _His attention is focused on _me – _oh godhe's going to_ kill me._

'You wretched little rat,' he snarls, lightning crackling in his palm as he wipes the blood away from his face. My hands are shaking so much that I almost drop my weapon. Kvar is coming towards me and I can't move. Oh god. Oh _god._

'Found it!' Sheena exclaims suddenly, making me jump about three feet into the air. She holds up two cards, one brown and the other green. She ducks under Raine's arms still holding back Kratos and throws her arm up as she rushes for Kvar. Sweet lord, is she crazy!?

The brown card attaches itself to her curled fist, and she does the single coolest thing I have ever, _ever _seen anyone in this world do yet. Card still attached to her knuckles, she punches Kvar square in the face before he can even attempt to stop her. Best thing? He goes _flying. _Right onto the mob of Desians with a roar of pain. Oh shit – it's like the card is trying to eat his face. That's ain't pretty.

'Seize them!' a Desian yells while we're all "ooo"ing at Sheena again (especially Genis and Colette), but they're too late. Because Sheena does another awesome thing. Now with her remaining orange card, she crouches down and sweeps it in a circle around her. Unreadable characters paint themselves onto the floor and begin spinning of their own accord while Sheena starts muttering something in another language, card hovering above her palms.

For a millisecond, she motions for someone to grab Lloyd, who is clutching his bruised stomach and struggling to stand. Raine rushes over and, refusing to be gentle for the sake of time, tugs one of Lloyd's arms around her shoulders and helps him come over to our little huddle.

'I was saving this for an emergency,' Sheena says as the card above her palms begins to to flicker with a glow, falling apart slowly as if it were being burnt. 'But it looks like this is emergency enough ...'

She starts to say something loudly in that language that no one seems to understand (I think it's either Chinese or Japanese, or an otherworldly mix of both). Just as the Desians are closing in on us, knives raised and ready to strike us down, they're all suddenly blasted away by a pulse of red light from the circle around Sheena's feet.

'Here we go!'

Another pulse is set off, apparently not effecting us in the slightest despite how it flows straight through us. Maybe she can control who it hurts? Man, that's the coolest thing ever. Sheena's _awesome._

I remember one of those creatures she can summon coming into play around this time, but it doesn't seem to be happening. I can see a faint shadow of it's shape through the sudden light that engulfs us, but not the actual things. It disappears rapidly as the light gets incredibly bright, and Genis and Colette both let out panicked gasps. I shield my eyes again, and the last thing I see is Kvar's snarling, bleeding face.

I feel a rush engulf me as we're warped out of the facility, and my first instinct is to grab my spinning head. When we're dumped less than gracefully some ways outside the ranch, and luckily right next to a worried Noishe, my back thuds painfully against the grass as I stare up at the black sky. Kratos tends to Noishe, Raine tends to Lloyd, Colette and Genis whisper to eachother nervously, and Sheena tucks her remaining cards back into her ribbon. I just stare at the stars, one single thought running through my head.

I am _so _not gonna enjoy going back there.

* * *

Argh, finally. Char grew a friggin' backbone. Ah well - I know Kratos' "Do not speak ill of the dead" line wasn't in here, but it wasn't the right time. He'll say it later on, as well as his all-famous "burn in hell" lines XD THAT I won't change. Because it's just too awesome. 

Alright. I broke my back while I was horribly ill with headahces, hallucinations, and various other whatnots to bring you a 13K+ word chapter. If you enjoyed it enough, reviews would be a nice gesture to me and my illness D: Ow.


	55. A Very Angsty Aftermath

IT'S _6AM_.

I've just finished this chapter, and I know it's bad, but I can't be bothered to go through and check for spelling and gramatical errors. My computer is restarting every five minutes, deleting massive chunks of my work, so I've hit the point of NO LONGER CARING. I'm sure this PMSy rage will go away fairly soon, but for now I am tired, I am hungry, and I am ... not feeling ill, but still.

(Okay, I've tried to write this author note three times. My computer won't stop restarting, I need sleep, so I'm just gonna leave it short.)

This chapter focuses on Lloyd, it has some side jokes about Char's apparent and former 'crush', and is mostly just a "get this out of the way so we can get onto some action" chapter. Don't worry, decent stuff next chapter.

I'm trying to juggle TWC, art requests, making sure my mum doesn't go to court because I don't go to school, and Vibes (a group to help me and my mental health problems, which I have to start attending soon. Hopefully I can ditch it, but my mum thinks I've started suffering from depression again). I'm sorry if I don't update as much anymore, but my life is going through one of those phases. Hopefully, when my grandad's inheritance money comes through, things will start to look up and we can pay off our debts and bills.

(It's taken me half an hour to write this author note D: That's how fucked up my computer is. I think I need a new one.)

Right, I'm going to sleep, for I've been up all night. G'night guys, hope you enjoy the chapter. I wrote about 7000 words today, so yeah. I'm a bit ... out of it right now. Sorry I haven't checked through for mistakes/paragraphs in the wrong place/things that don't MAKE ANY SENSE, but I'm too tired. My bed looks so appealiiiing.

If you have the time, a review would really be a nice gesture. I'm not ordering you to, it'd just be nice. I'd really appriciate it.

* * *

Chapter 55 - A Very Angsty Aftermath

I can't sleep.

We were walking all night just to get to the House of Salvation on the other side of Sinoa Lake. Going to Luin might case the Desians to follow us back, and if they did, it'd only cause problems for the survivors still there. It's a much easier option, too – the house is closer than Luin, and all the Houses of Salvation across Sylvarant have non-aggression treaties with the Desians. Right now, they're practically the only safe place in the world.

And, uh, yeah. I'm still really shaken up.

I shot Kvar in the head. I can't believe I did that. I mean, _Kvar_? The ... y'know, one of the Five Grand Cardinals? That guy? I'm sure it barely sprouted some kind of deep, loathing hatred that cannot be quelled no matter what, but he's still gonna be pretty pissed. But I think that was really brave of me! I mean, I haven't really done anything that cool yet! _That_ was my cool thing! Life is good again!

... Except it's kinda not. Because no one has said anything yet.

Seriously. I was expecting _something _at least. I don't really want to go out of my way to try and impress, all "yeah, that time I shot Kvar in the head? Pretty sweet, huh?", so I've just been silent all the while. Waiting for ... y'know, anything. I know this is hardly the time for me to be in the spotlight, but I'd really, _really_ like a pat on the back or two. Lloyd? Colette? Anyone?

But anyway, back to our real problems now. It's still pretty dark, but seeing as we've been walking all night to try and get away from the Desians, I'm quite sure it'll be morning soon. That's okay, I guess – we're not really in a rush to get back there or anything, so we can rest for as long as we need to. If we're able to sleep at all. I doubt _some _people will. Including me.

For all the while I'm awake, Charis is keeping me regularly updated on the time. It's now sometime around 1AM, and I've managed to sleep for about ... two hours. Everyone else is pretty much fine with their sleeping right now – Raine and Colette are sharing a room, and they're both sleeping soundly – well, except for Colette ... her body is just in a kinda unconscious resting phase, but she's still aware of everything around her. Must be annoying, but it's useful to keep Genis and Lloyd unaware. Anyway – Kratos, Genis and Lloyd are all sharing a room, and only Genis is asleep. Kratos is still a little wary of Sheena, so he's just sitting awake in a chair. It's scary. Lloyd isn't _in _the room, so I have no idea about him yet. Sheena, who I'm sharing a room with, it fast asleep with Corrine perched on her pillow while keeping a watchful eye on me. Why, I don't know. God, I hate that thing.

Just in case you thought I'd developed the ability to see through walls – I haven't; Charis and William are telling me all of this.

After making our merry way over the countryside to get here, we've had very limited conversation. When we finally reached the House of Salvation, the priests just had to look over to Colette – the _Chosen –_ and shove us all into the biggest rooms in the house. Lloyd hasn't talked to anyone – he just went straight to bed. No one really tried to get some words out of him, and I can't tell if that made him feel better or worse. Raine said that we should all go to bed, and we'll spend tomorrow planning what to do next. I think we all know very well what we're gonna do next, but I'd rather not think about it. I really don't want to go back.

Kratos has done his whole 'take-whoever-is-suspicious-to-one-side-and-rip-apart-their-confidence' thing with Sheena, but seeing as Sheena doesn't magically know that Lloyd is his son, Raine was able to join in this time. Kratos has pretty much left me alone since Asgard, unless I have to blackmail him again for whatever reason. Even if I _do, _I'm going to pass; I'm not going through all of that again. But yeah – Sheena feels a bit shaky now after her combined 'interview' with Kratos and Raine, for as long as she's here with us. Then again, who wouldn't?

Besides all that, let's get to _me._And how _I _feel.

I'm seriously wondering if I should go and find Lloyd and attempt to talk to him, but there are a few things keeping me in place. One, I'd like to see if anyone else would go before me. I'm mainly thinking about Kratos here, because ... it's Lloyd, Anna, Kvar, and ... well, it's really his place to see Lloyd through this more than it is mine. I hate to admit it, but y'know. Logic's a bitch.

"_Where is Lloyd, anyway?" _I ask, rolling onto my back and staring at the ceiling. Corrine arches his back a little before settling down again, and I start hoping it'll fall asleep soon. Sleep, you hairy bastard!

"_If we told you, it'd only put you off from going to see him," _Charis answers. "_The only person who'd probably go is Kratos right now."_

"_...So where is he?"_

"_Okay, remember when he'd just found out about Samuel?"_

I pause, thinking it over for a second or two. "_That lake? The one surrounded by the mountains at the back, and ... the tree? That place?"_

"_Yep."_

"_Isn't that ... really, REALLY, far?"_

"_... Yep."_

"_How did-"_

"_Noishe."_

I pause, nodding to myself. I considered for a second that he only took Noishe for transport, but Noishe has to be the only person he's _aware _of that was with him at the time of his mother's death. Noishe can't talk, sure, but it'd still be nice for the company, right? Aww, it's kinda sweet ... though every question Lloyd asks him about his mother will result in "_whine_", so we may end up with pissed-off-Lloyd. Which isn't as bad as sad-Lloyd, but it's still quite the bitch to deal with.

To go, or not to go. I'd like to succumb to my selfish self and just go back to sleep without making the effort to trek all the way to the far outskirts of Luin, but I'll have the nagging in the back of my brain if I do. I should at least go downstairs and wait for him to come back or something. I could like, make him hot chocolate, or something. Make him _like _me. Yes, yes – I'm trying too hard, but it'd be a nice gesture.

"_Oh hey, is it Lloyd?"_

I actually glance up to the top of my head at William's random coo, raising an eyebrow. "_What?"_

"_No, you dumbass," _Charis groans, typing away. "_She doesn't see Lloyd in that way. THAT should be obvious."_

"_... It isn't Lloyd?"_

"_WHAT isn't Lloyd?" _I ask, turning over into my side so Corrine doesn't get suspicious at the look of sheer horror that's passing over my face. "_What are you talking about now?"_

"_Okay, okay," _Charis interrupts rapidly. "_Because we're practically in your brain, we can pick up your feelings more than your thoughts. William seems to think he's getting 'crush' vibes from you."_

"_I swear, she has a crush on someone!" _he protests loudly while I somehow try to stop the flow of thought in my brain. Ewww, they can pick up my emotions and stuff ... that's not nice – I'd like my personal life back.

"_Will. Really. She's had crushes for years. She's had one on Russell Brand for about a year now."_

"_Charis, shut up," _I groan. "_Look, William, I'm a teenager, mm'kay? I'm gonna feel like this for the next four or five years. It's not a big deal."_

"_It is!" _William rages. "_Now tell me who it is, because I need to know!"_

I roll my eyes. "_Charis, I think all the pink stuff is getting to his brain. Take it off him."_

"_Actually, I'm a little curious myself," _Charis answers after a moment. "_Over your lifetime on earth, you've had tons of major crushes. Here, you're slowly developing one for someone, which is ... a little weird, but interesting all the same. So come on, spill it."_

I frown. "_G'night."_

"_Is it one you ever plan to act on? Or is it the kinda crush you leave until it goes away? Like the one with Russell Brand?"_

"_Okay, shut up about Brand," _I snap. "_And it's one I'm gonna leave. I don't want to get into anything here anyway, and I doubt I'd be able to. I'm not the most attractive of girls-"_

"_Aha!"_Charis exclaims suddenly, slapping a hand down on the desk. "_She admitted it!"_

"_Now you HAVE to tell us!"_William insists. "_Come on, we need things to talk about."_

"_No, because you'll just annoy me with it until the crush dies down. Look, my hormones are going freaking haywire right now, and it'll be gone in a matter of weeks. Just leave it."_

There's a pause, and I almost think that they've finally given in and have gone back to work. Of course, as fate would have it (and as fate doesn't like me at all), that doesn't seem to be an option at all right now.

"_Is he older than you?"_Charis asks, and the hum of the computer seems to have died completely. Dammit, they're really serious about this thing ... and I really don't get what the big deal is. I'm a teenager! I wouldn't be a _normal _teenager if I didn't get attracted to the opposite sex every once in a while! Dammit, I've even had a crush on my_teacher _at one point! Which was horrible, by the way – every time he asked me a question, I couldn't answer properly. I'm glad I got over that one fast.

"_I hate you guys," _I say, burying my face into my pillow. "_Can you just shut up so I can either go to sleep or worry about people some more?"_

"_Okay ... is it Genis?" _

I frown. "_No."_

"_... Eww – it it Kratos!?"_

"... _Charis, that is the single most disgusting thing you have ever, EVER suggested. He's married. He has a kid. A kid that is older than me. That's just wrong."_

"_Yeah, it is kinda disgusting now I have the mental images," _William says, and I can practically see him flinching at the thought. "_Okay, so it isn't someone in this group? Have you met him yet? Is it ZELOS? If it's Zelos, I'm leaving."_

"_It isn't Zelos, and yes, I've met him before here."_

"_... Yuan?"_

"_Eww! That's it, this conversation ends here! I'll never sleep with all the images you're putting in my head!"_

There's another long pause from the two in my head, and computer chairs squeak as they shift around. "_Give us a clue. Is he your age? Wait – is he older than Lloyd?"_

"_... He's older than Lloyd, yeah. He looks around Zelos' age."_

"_Hair colour?"_

"_Not saying. Seriously, just drop it," _I finish, kicking my covers off and sitting up. "_I'm going to get a drink."_

"_Brown hair? Blue hair? Oh my god – it it Regal!?"_

I roll my eyes again and refrain from answering, wincing a little at the cold floor when I stand. Hey, I'm barefoot here, and it's not like the houses have heating or anything. They haven't invented that yet, which is quite lame. Dammit, I can't believe I have to live like some hick here! You might as well just throw me a straw hat some denim dungarees, a piece of straw to chew on and throw up some country music! Geez ...

I ignore the way Corrine growls at me when I leave the room, resisting the urge to flip him off. I decide to buy some slippers next time I can as I make my way down the hallway, listening to Charis and William still muttering to eachother. Apparently, they've turned on all the computers and are using their database to narrow down their choices to my 'crush'. It's a little sad. I dunno why the aspect of crushes/boyfriends/girlfriends is taken so seriously in the gaming world. Honestly, on Earth, you get through about four boyfriends every six months, and that's _normal. _Well, where I live it is. Not that I have boyfriends on and off all the time – I'm not the romantic type. Crushes? Yes. Relationships? No.

"_Okay, so older than Lloyd, probably in his twenties ..." _Charis mutters as I stumble down the stairs in the dark. "_Dammit, do you know how many guys there are in these worlds? This'll take all night!"_

"_Not telling," _I sigh. "_Damn, I need a candle, or something ..."_

"_Tell us already!"_

"_Look. After this, I don't even like him anymore. Just drop it, seriously."_

"_Okay, so now we want to find out who your crush WAS."_

I consider thwacking my head against the stone wall to see if it'll kill them, or at least give them concussion. Unless it does it to me first, but at least I wouldn't have to deal with this. Honest – now they've done this, any fleeting attraction I might have had for this certain individual has gone straight down the drain. Really – the crush was _that_pathetic that I could dismiss it in the span of three minutes. WHY are they still going on about it?

"_Okay, okay. We'll drop it,"_Charis sighs, and William whines in protest. "_Besides, we have to keep you updated on Lloyd-related stuff. Speaking of which ..."_

"_What now?" _I ask when I reach the kitchen basement, casting a lame spell of fireball on the wood gathered beneath a pot of water in the stove. "_Did he get violated by grasshoppers again?"_

"_No, Kratos has finally gone to find him. He's decided it's too late for Lloyd to be wondering around alone outside."_

"_His parental instincts are kicking in again," _I mumble, taking a seat at the round wooden table in the centre of the room. This isn't like the last House of Salvation – the kitchen is a lot less crowded, and it's more like a dining room, except with the small stove, an ice box, and a counter. That's it, really. Oh, and the giant wooden table.

"_Those parental instincts aren't Kratos' fault. Lloyd's taken to relying on Kratos too much to shake him out of these episodes he has," _William says. "_He's not doing it on purpose; he's just gotten used to Kratos telling him all the right things when he gets himself down."_

"_... Well, Kratos does seem to say all the right things," _I say, resting my chin on the heel of my palm. "_He's had over four thousand years to deal with and find the solution to various different emotional problems ... so maybe that's why he seems immune to everything."_

"_Pretty much,"_ Charis says. "_Though he hasn't exactly had someone threaten to spill his secret to Lloyd, and probably wanted the best for him. That might have been why he seemed so ... y'know. With you."_

"_Probably,"_I mumble. "_But he knows I won't now, so he's pretty much laying off my case. He still knows I've got some secrets and lies still up in the air, but he doesn't care about them anymore."_

"_Yep. Now your main threat is out of the way, you're just another annoying teenager to deal with."_

"_Well, the group mainly consists of teenagers. That's not really our fault."_

"_It's still annoying to Kratos and Raine. They have to travel with someone with half a brain, a ditzy blonde, someone too YOUNG to be on the journey, and someone who throws a lot of mood swings."_

"_Shut up. Lloyd's the one PMSing."_

Charis grumbles something in reply and conjures me up a cup of hot chocolate. I glance to the pot of water boiling on the stove, shrug, and go for it. I doubt Yggdrasill is about to burst in through the kitchen door, spandex clad and such screaming "aha, you can make random things appear! You must be from_EARTH, _or something!". If he did, I'd probably laugh or faint, or maybe a bit of both.

I reach around to my pockets and dig out my trusty little zenta camera after a moment of thought. I dunno – something usually happens whenever Kratos tries to calm Lloyd down. Lloyd goes a little psycho, or they bitch at eachother, or they hug. From what I've seen so far, anyway. I've only actually ever seen Lloyd cling to Kratos at the wasteland, and to save his fingers from falling off at Asgard. Then they had that ... _slight_hug when Lloyd said all that stuff about Kratos' dead 'son', after having the crap kicked outta him. So other than that, they haven't actually _hugged ... _huh. They're not really 'hug' people, anyway. If they were, it'd be kinda scary – especially in Kratos' case.

Ugh ... I haven't used this zenta-thing in so long – I'm forgetting how to start it up. Right, find the dot, prod it ... aha, here we go.

I type in Yuan's password, and think about two things as I do. One – he's picked a slightly obvious password to those close to him (Kratos, Mithos, ect), so would that mean that he uses this mainly for personal use? Sure, if your average teenage girl who DIDN'T know almost everything about this world stumbled across it, she'd have no chance of getting in at all. Strangely enough, I'm not that average in that certain area. Oh, me and my knowledge – it'll certainly get me killed one day.

And the second thing is, I'm wondering if I could reprogram this at all? I mean, so I can wipe off Yuan's name and replace it with my own password, identification and all that jazz. If Kratos found this and opened it all up, I don't think he'd react nicely to the fact I've been stealing from his closest friend and (possibly former) mentor. Wait, closest friend that's currently trying to kill him. Dammit Kratos, make better friends/mentors. You're not good at this stuff.

After finally setting up the zenta right and getting the screen up, running and ready, I send the spy camera out of the building after searching around for an exit. Now I just have to find Kratos and keep the camera close enough to follow him, but just so he can't see it. If he _does, _then I'm probably very, very screwed. Well, he's laying off me now – he'd probably just break my zenta. Or shove Genis' kendama through my eye socket, but y'know.

I take a final look around the kitchen just to make sure there aren't any priests or any of the group lingering around. Everything seems pretty silent, and the only person who's aware I'm down here is probably Colette who might have heard me coming down the stairs. I think Kratos might just have jumped out the window or something, so she probably doesn't know he's gone.

Anyway ...

After a few minutes of searching and tapping my (now horribly bitten) nails against the wooden table, I finally locate everyone's favourite bastard mercenary and make sure to hover my camera closer and set it to follow him. He should know the way – hell, he probably knows Sylvarant and Tethe'alla inside out, like the back of his hand, like ... I ran out of synonyms. But main point being, Kratos'll find him. I'm sure he will.

Right, I'll just say this now – y'know how I mentioned to Charis that the lake area Lloyd was at was really REALLY far away? And that Lloyd could only get there because he had Noishe? Yeah. Kratos has no Noishe, and is keeping a low profile, so that means no wings either. It takes pretty damn long for him to reach our little swordsman, so while he's at it I do some stuff to keep myself entertained. Wonder over and inspect the stuff in the kitchen (I find a small wooden pot of what looks like ice-cream in the ice-box, but I don't think I'll touch it), go back out into the parlour to see if anyone is spying on me, beg Charis to put some music on in my head, the usual.

So with my hot chocolate, certainty of being alone, and half of "Another One Bites The Dust" booming out in my head, I finally begin to recognise the place Kratos is in. If I swerve the camera and squint slightly, I can see the distant silhouette of Luin, still in ruins. Not a very nice memory, but still. It's nice to know he's close to where Lloyd is, and he can hopefully drag him back to the house. We can't have him sitting out here pondering all night. He'll catch a cold or something.

I'll cut this short – for I'm sure you don't want to hear about what I did for the next half hour while I waited. Finally, after _aaaages, _Kratos finally comes to an all familiar area with a tree, a colossal lake, mountains and rolling hills behind it with the moonlight reflecting off the water in a wavered line. Spooky, kinda, but it's all the same as last time. And of course, practically tucked into the curled, gnarled roots of the tree is a certain someone, shining blue Exsphere in hand. I decide to lead my camera over to Lloyd, and note the hollow Key Crest on his hand. Now I look closely at the round Exsphere in his hand, I suddenly realise how small they are.

While Kratos continues to Lloyd, who is still oblivious of his presence, I pick at my own Exsphere and lay it on the table when I get it free from my Key Crest. My crest isn't anything too amazing – just your average ore mount. The Exsphere, though ... I mean, it's not exactly big, or small, or funny shaped or anything – it's a perfect sphere like the others, but ...

It's _green._

Now, I'm not suddenly realising this. It's been green since the journey began, but I never really questioned it. I doubt there's anything dangerously wrong with it, because I've been able to fight just fine with it, and there haven't really been any bad side effects. Sure, I remember that bigass and sudden gash that appeared in my arm at the Triet desert while we were fighting scorpions, but I really doubt that's related. If anything, I'd say someone with light-based attacks is seriously out to get me, but who knows.

But yeah. Green. I know I can't ask Charis, because she told me on my first day here – don't ask about it, don't let Desians or Cruxis or people-in-general take it from off me, because I will "become ill and die". Those last words were always with me, which is why I never took it off. But it's off now, and I feel completely fine.

"_I meant for an extended period of time," _Charis says in an annoyed mumble. "_Just don't think about it for a while. It's irrelevant right now – the only thing you need to focus on is Kvar."_

"_But Kvar ..." _I start, pushing the Exsphere back into hollow Key Crest with a small _click_. "_Won't he, y'know ... notice that it's green?"_

"_Oh, he knows already. He saw it back at the ranch. Lucky for you, he doesn't give two shits about you or your Exsphere. But he's gonna wanna smack you around a little for shooting him in the head."_

"_Obviously," _I answer, rolling my eyes. "_But his main goal is Lloyd's Exsphere, right?"_

"_Well, that and Lloyd himself. He wants to smack him around too. For being a stubborn little boy."_

"_Wonderful. Y'know, I'm starting to wonder if this '_smacking around_' you mention might actually be that mental tortur-"_

'Lloyd.'

I'm startled out of my thoughts when someone finally speaks through the live image. I take a final look around the room and hunch over the screen the best I can just in case anyone walks in on me spying around. I dunno, it's a pretty big screen. And on this very big screen, it shows the clear image of Lloyd still sitting against the roots of the tree, Exsphere in hand and showing no sign of hearing the man. Kratos doesn't make a second effort and just ... stands silently beside the tree, waiting.

After probably about a minute or a half, Lloyd finally shifts a little against the tree and drops his hands into his lap. 'Y'know, I'm starting to wonder why it's _you_who comes out to get me all the time.'

'If you dislike my company, I will leave.'

'Stay,' Lloyd says, clutching his Exsphere tightly. 'Please.'

Kratos pauses for a moment while Lloyd closes his palms around his mother's keepsake, holding it tightly in his hands. After a moment of just staring down at a very confused Lloyd, Kratos – just like the last time they were both here – takes his seat on one of the jutting roots and waits once more. He knows what Lloyd is about to say. I know what Lloyd is about to say. I know Lloyd wants Kratos to stay to train him to fight Kvar, but for now ...

'I still ...' Lloyd starts, voice wavering slightly. He pauses when Kratos nods at his unspoken explanation, but Lloyd continues regardless. 'I still haven't cried.'

'Lloyd,' Kratos interjects before he can open his mouth again, scowling slightly. 'Tears are not expected from you at every painful incident.'

Lloyd mulls over that for a second, but winds up just shaking his head rapidly. 'No, it isn't right! When Genis got hurt back at the Seal of Wind, I-'

'That was different,' Kratos says, annoyed at Lloyd's stubborn attitude to place some kind of blame on himself to make it feel better. 'Genis was severely wounded, and you were haunted by the thought that you could do nothing to help. Samuel was already dead when we reached him. Anna ... your mother has passed on also. They are things you could not help or prevent.'

'But I-'

Kratos slaps him to shut him up. Not a proper slap across the face, or the ones that Raine unleashes all the live-long day ... it's more like a sharp tap to the top of his head.

'Ow!'

'Enough. Your stubbornness will get you nowhere.'

Lloyd rubs the oh-so deadly wound on his head, frowning up at the mercenary. 'You didn't have to slap me, y'know.'

'Then perhaps you should listen to my words next time.'

Lloyd drops his hand with a sigh, leaning back against the tree behind him. He opens the hand holding his Exsphere and takes a few long moments think, taking the right choice of keeping it short. I doubt he wants to be slapped again, even if it probably didn't hurt. Kratos waits patiently anyway, so Lloyd can mull all he wants. He usually has a tendency to say the stupidest things.

'I know you're right ...' Lloyd says quietly, not looking away from the blue Exsphere in his palm. 'You're always right. But something won't let me accept it. I still want to cry, just to show myself that I care about this stuff, y'know? I still feel bad about Samue – grandpa, so ...'

'Perhaps you believe you have shed enough tears for this journey.'

Lloyd looks up, confused. 'Huh?'

Kratos continues with a stern look. 'You are probably the second person to have cried the most on this journey. Though you are moved by the appropriate reasons, you may feel – on an unconscious level – that you must appear strong-hearted to those around you, to ensure they are not brought down with you.'

'So ...' Lloyd mumbles, lifting his gaze a little from the Exsphere. 'You think that I try to keep everyone happy by not letting myself be miserable? Without realising?'

'It's a possibility. Should that be the case, you have to remember that there are times when you must show these emotions. I know that your professor is concerned about how you seem to be bottling your emotions up lately. She believes it is unhealthy for you.'

'... Hey,' Lloyd says after a few moments, looking up. 'You said I was the second person. Who cries the most?'

'Harrison,' Kratos says with a look of pure distaste. 'From what I have seen.'

'Her? But she never cries ...' Lloyd says with a small frown, and it takes a while for me to actually realise I'm being talked about. Ooh, and behind my back, too! Looks like the zenta becomes useful for other things, too.

'Not around others.'

'But she cries around you?'

'It seems so.'

'Whoa, man ... maybe she's scared of you, or something. You should tone it down a little.'

'Hmph ...'

'Eh ... heh ... or maybe not ...'

I glare into the screen as if Kratos could see and huff a little. I know he doesn't _mean _to scare me, but he just does. He's a very threatening man, and even though I'm ultimately out of his way, he's still ... y'know, really intimidating. Even the others think so – you can't really have a proper conversation with this guy, unless he isn't in "kill-everything-with-staring" mode, and your name is Lloyd. Other than that, you have no chance in hell.

Even after a while, Kratos doesn't move from his seat on the large root, and Lloyd doesn't make an attempt to get up at all. He just drops his gaze to the small, shining stone in his hand and ... thinks, by the looks of it. I'm not sure – Lloyd doesn't tend to think a lot. He's a more head-on kinda guy, and that's why we love him. Kinda. Him and his amazing stupidity – whatever would we do without it?

'I just ...'

Kratos glances over to his son, keeping his worried expressions at bay for now. He needs to remain calm for Lloyd's sake.

'I'm just tired of saying ... I didn't know.'

Kratos gives a small, exasperated sigh. 'Lloyd-'

'It's just – I want to know more about my parents ... or at least, I did – I don't know anymore ...' Lloyd mumbles, burying his face into his hands. 'I hate that Kvar ... was the one to finally tell me the things I'd been wondering about. I don't know if it's the truth or not, but there's no one else who knows ... so it must be right.'

'I believe what Kvar said was true,' Kratos says quietly after a moment. 'But not knowing is not punishable. Your parents ... would hardly feel any animosity toward you for your lack of knowledge.'

'Yeah, but ... I still feel so ashamed,' Lloyd mumbles into his palms, voice straining. 'I just wish I'd known everything ...'

He drops his hands, wiping something from the corner of his eye before continuing. 'It's stupid ... but I had a kinda mental-thought about what my family was like before everything happened. Now I know the truth, that image is getting further and further away ... and I'm scared to know the rest of the truth. I imagined everything was so perfect, but now-'

'Lloyd,' Kratos interrupts firmly. 'Would you rather know the truth about your family, be it from Kvar or whoever may decide to tell you, or would you rather continue to delude yourself in your fantasies? You may not like the answer, but I am certain your parents would want to have been remembered as who they were – not by what your mind portrays.'

Lloyd has buried his face back into his hands at this point, and his shoulders are shaking as if he's trying to hold back a sob. Kratos reaches out and rests a hand there in a comforting motion. 'Lloyd.'

He looks up from his hands, finally making eye-contact. It's dark – too dark, but you can see the glint of tear streaks down his face. I have no idea what Lloyd is feeling right now, because I'll never be in this situation. I've never lost my mother, but I've never had a father. Lloyd has no family at all. He has Kratos, but to him, Kratos isn't family – he's just another person. That's really gotta hurt – every single day, without anyone. I'd just die – I'd never be able to get out of bed in the morning knowing that I have to think about that every day. It would hurt so much, and if Lloyd bottles it up all the time ...

'You parents don't care if you didn't know. The important thing is that you do now, and it would not anger them if you continued to search for the truth,' Kratos says, squeezing his shoulder gently. 'They love you, and only care that you are happy.'

'I ...'

Lloyd stops suddenly. 'W-wait a sec ...'

He touches his face, furrowing his brow a little. 'I'm crying ...'

Kratos moves his hand from Lloyd's shoulder, ruffling his hair softly. 'I believe that is one less thing you have to feel guilty about. You've finally shed your tears.'

'You ...' Lloyd huffs, smacking away his hand. 'You did that on purpose! You knew it'd make me cry!'

'You were the one who mentioned your wishes to know everything about your parents. I merely offered my opinion.'

'Yeah, well ...' Lloyd grumbles, rubbing his face dry with a small sniff. 'I dunno if I should thank you or smack you again.'

'Either would be sufficient, I'm sure.'

Lloyd frowns a little, running his hand through his hair. 'Well ... thanks, I think. For talking me through this stuff at least, only if it is one little problem.'

'I'm glad,' Kratos says, despite how his face still has it's "Kratos-y" mask, and he's not showing much signs of being relieved at all. I'll trust his word on it, though. 'Though I doubt that is the source of your unusual attitude. I understand if you wish to withhold your worries for the time being, but if you feel it to be necessary, I will lend you my ear and offer any advice I may deem useful.'

Lloyd nods, rubbing his nose a little. He doesn't answer right away, probably forcing any sobs and tears down now that they've all bubbled to the surface. I swear, Lloyd needs to cry more. I know he's a guy, and guys don't usually cry as much as they'd like to, but Lloyd's different. I'm not saying he's feminine or anything (though he doesn't exactly have a manly attitude), but y'know ... he has a lot of problems on his plate, and crying does make everything better. I love how I can say all this and then stop myself from crying all the time. Lordie, I'm such a hypocrite.

'There's ... one more thing,' Lloyd mumbles, Exsphere back in hand. Kratos nods, and Lloyd hesitates again. I understand how he can be wary about talking through such ... odd matters with Kratos, because let's face it – it's _Kratos._

'I wonder ... if Mom would want me using this thing.'

I look back to the screen in front of me and see that Kratos is now looking worriedly to our depressed little swordsman. I really hope he snaps out of this phase soon, because it's been going on for quite some time now. Perhaps he will after 'avenging his mother' or whatever ... the sooner the better, anyway.

'Would she forgive for using something like this?' he asks, looking over the stone in his palm. 'I'm not so sure anymore.'

'I am sure ...' Kratos starts quietly, relaxing slightly now he's sure Lloyd isn't about to flip out into some mental breakdown. 'That she is honoured to live on through your Exsphere.'

'Is it even living?' Lloyd says sourly, glaring down when he clenches his hands into fists. 'It's just existing, isn't it? Without a hope or cause ... how can that be living?'

'She ... had surely had her share of life, I would like to assume,' Kratos says in a soft tone, actually being _careful _with his words for once. He usually knows what to say all the time, but Lloyd doesn't usually get like this ... it must be difficult, even for Kratos. No wonder people like to leave him be at times like these – saying almost anything would make it worse. 'Though it is hardly living, existing without a cause ... she is part of your cause. That should be enough to satisfy her spirit.'

Lloyd pauses, looking up from his clenched fist, relaxing a little. 'My ... cause? What do you mean?'

'You are here to fight,' Kratos states evenly. 'You are here to protect your friends – Genis, Colette and the Professor on your journey. Would you be able to accomplish all you have so far without your Exsphere?'

'I ...' Lloyd mutters, trying to take in the fact. It happens slowly, and Lloyd drop his gaze again to the stone. 'No ... I wouldn't. I'd just be weak ... just another weak human, right?'

'Exactly,' Kratos says with a short nod. 'She is helping you protect your friends, and I'm sure she will continue to help you. Death is a sad thing – but I'm sure she would rather be useful to you more than anything, rather than just residing in whatever memories you have of her.'

Lloyd doesn't really answer to that. He just kinda ... stares at Kratos for a while, letting it all sink in and flow with his thoughts. Kratos can make so much sense sometimes, it can kinda hit like a bitchslap. And a hard one, at that.

'Y'know ... I really wonder about you ...' Lloyd says, leaning back against the tree. 'Whenever I seem to have a problem, you come and shake me out of it, just as if you've been in the same situation before.'

'I've had my share of problems,' Kratos says simply, most likely hoping that Lloyd doesn't chose to poke his nose further into his business. Of course, it's _Lloyd._That's his speciality.

'Then can I ask you something?'

With a nod as his go-ahead, Lloyd continues with a slightly worried look. He averts his eyes from Kratos again, looking really ... uncomfortable. I'll admit I have _no_idea what's going on, so I'll wait for Lloyd go on with it. Lately, Lloyd's gotten so many things to think about, it's really hard to tell what he's thinking anymore. It's a shame, really ... that's one of the reason no one really knows what to say to him anymore.

'Lately ... I've been having some really weird dreams,' Lloyd says finally, and my mind swings to two possible conclusions. One being the possible conjoined dream with Kratos – all that stuff about 'choose your saviour, Irving' that may or may not involve Yggdrasill in any way. It was a really long time ago, and hasn't really been touched on yet, so it's still a very confusing subject. The other one might be the one involving Lloyd's 'doppelganger'. Y'know, the complete opposite of himself? It was when we left Palmacosta, and Charis let me see his dreams. He was tied to something while the 'other-Lloyd' told him about how he was doing everything wrong, and he'd hated what he had become. So yeah, they're both very confusing things.

'I don't get them a lot ... but whenever something really bad happens, like when you protected me against the Leviathan, and when Genis got really hurt. It's always the same.'

'Do these 'dreams' ...' Kratos interrupts quietly. 'Include an alternate version of yourself, by chance?'

Lloyd immediately perks up. 'Then ... you've had the same kinda dream before?'

'A long time ago,' Kratos says with another nod. 'They eventually stopped, though I cannot say I'm certain of your own case.'

'But ... what are they? What do they mean?'

Kratos sighs, feeling another explanation coming on no doubt. 'They are illusions. They appear when you feel doubt, pain, and self-conciousness. What does your own tell you?'

Lloyd glares at the grass below him, looking slightly ... pained? Who knows. 'He tells me that I'm doing everything wrong – that I'm making all the wrong choices. He's always saying how I could have made so much more from myself, but I'm always-'

'Would you rather be like him?'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'No ... never. He's way too ...'

'Then it shouldn't bother you. If you're certain about who you are and the choices you make, the dreams will eventually cease to occur.'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'It's not that easy! It might have been for you, but ... what he says is always right ... so I keep thinking – am I really doing everything wrong? Should I have moved out of the way before Genis could get hurt back at the Wind Seal? Should I not have gone back towards the Leviathan and gotten injured? If I had done all those things, you and Genis would-'

'Lloyd.'

He stops abruptly, and Kratos takes over with a worn look. He must be tired from today's events, as well as now having to help Lloyd through it all.

'Though that is all very true ...' he sighs, rubbing his brow slowly. 'Had you chosen those courses of action, I have no doubt in my mind that a certain member of our group would be dead. Now – would you rather we were all here as we are now, or if our group had one less member, the burden of death hanging on your shoulders?'

'I already have that burden,' Lloyd says sourly. 'All because of the stupid choices I made.'

'No one can make all the right choices. Remember that, if nothing else I have told you,' Kratos says, getting to his feet. He turns to leave, and Lloyd doesn't make a move to stop him. He just clutches his Exsphere tightly. 'You need your sleep. Don't stay out here too long.'

'I think I'll come back ...' Lloyd says, wincing a little as he struggles to straighten up. He must have been sat down for a very long time. 'I don't think I've thought this through enough ... but I don't want to worry the others.'

'You can take as long as you need. They will worry about you regardless.'

Lloyd practically ignores Kratos and starts shouting for Noishe, who seems to have wondered over to the edge of the lake to drink, or catch fish, or something else. I dunno – what the hell do protozoans do in their spare time? Other than make it their sole purpose to chew off my hair when they decide my 'stranger' levels go soaring? C'mon, it's been over a month – Noishe should like me by now. Stubborn ... dog-thing.

'Hey,' Lloyd says, jogging to catch up to Kratos while Noishe plods over, fish between his teeth – so he _does _catch fish. Intriguing. 'Uh, thanks. For that, I mean. You can be pretty cool sometimes.'

Kratos raises an eyebrow as they walk, and I set the zenta camera to follow them. 'Sometimes?'

'Well, other times you're just plain scary, and a little weird,' Lloyd says, looking thoughtfully to the sky. 'You do scare people a lot, y'know.'

'So I've been told,' Kratos says darkly. 'As it is, I like to keep my distance.'

Lloyd makes a face. 'Well, you shouldn't. You're really good with sorting out other people's problems.'

'I recall being hired to protect, not to council.'

'Well ... yeah, I guess,' Lloyd says, wrinkling his nose a little. 'But you're not really expected to just fight while you're here like some ... mindless zombie.'

'Never in my lifetime have I been referred to as a zombie,' Kratos ponders aloud. 'Despite that, I don't care for creating relationships. Our journey is coming to an end, and when it does, we will go our separate ways.'

'I suppose you're right ... but it doesn't mean we won't _ever _see eachother again, right?' Lloyd says in an almost hopeful tone, rubbing the back of his neck. 'It seems weird just going back to my normal life after this ... and I don't think I'll be able to, anyway ...'

'Iselia had banished you from the village,' Kratos says quietly. 'Though you can still return to your father's home.'

'I guess I could,' Lloyd laughs, grinning a little. 'Though I wouldn't be able to annoy you anymore.'

'What a shame,' Kratos says with a slightly sarcastic touch to his voice. 'I believe you'll cope.'

'I mean, you wouldn't have to train me, I wouldn't be able to send Noishe to chew your hair, I wouldn't be able to have Genis and Colette embarrass you after battle, I wouldn't be able to make you give me piggy-backs all the time, I wo – h-hey, whoa! What are you doing!?'

I snort into my cup of hot chocolate, quickly dropping it back to the table while I watch. Kratos grabs Lloyd's wrists and winds an arm around his middle, slinging him over one shoulder. Lloyd, probably quite confused, starts struggling.

'What are you – hey, this is weird, put me down! I said put me do – oh sweet Martel, don't you_dare!'_

I observe amused, as Kratos makes his way over to the edge of land beside the lake. I think it's quite obvious what's about to happen.

'No! Okay, no way! These are my _only_clothes, man! Stop joking around! Just put me down!'

Kratos stops at the edge of land. 'Say that again?'

Lloyd thrashes in Kratos' unyielding grip. 'Put me down!'

'Gladly.' And he dumps Lloyd right into the water, who disappears beneath the surface with a cut off yell and a splash. Kratos steps back a little so he isn't sprayed by the water, and Lloyd's head pops up above the surface after a few seconds, looking pissed off, wet, and ... non-sticky-up-hair-ish. It's now falling around his face, and he looks like a younger, carefree, bigger-eyed version of Kratos. If that's possible to imagine.

Lloyd looks like he's about to make some angry, pissy comment concerning his situation, but a sneeze gets in the way. He glares up after rubbing his nose, pouting.

'You're dead.'

And to make it all the more worse on Lloyd's behalf, Noishe decides he wants in on the fun; he drops his fish, and just ... _leaps _into the water with a howl. The splash is horrendous, and Kratos gets a little caught this time. Though that's not really much – Lloyd gets the full of it, and winds up even more soaked than he was before. Again, no idea if that's possible. Now his hair is just practically _normal. _Gosh, you don't see that every day.

Lloyd glares sideways to his animal, and Noishe just leans over and starts chewing at his dripping hair. He waves him away with a shout of 'bad Noishe!', and the creature just drags it's big 'dog tongue' up the side of Lloyd's face. Aww.

'Augh ...' Lloyd mumbles, and Kratos watches him rub his face free of water and Noishe-saliva. 'That was just mean.'

Kratos raises an eyebrow. 'Compared to the list of your methods of annoyance? Hardly.'

He reaches out a hand, offering it to Lloyd, who grudgingly takes it and lets Kratos heave him out of the water while Noishe plays around for a bit longer. If he were strong enough to pull Kratos in with him, I'm sure he would – though Kratos is pretty damn sturdy powerful. Seriously, he's like a body builder – 'cept without the grossly oversized muscles. I'll bet he has a raging six-pack down there, though.

"_Hey, are you sure it isn't Kratos? Who you crushed on?" _Charis asks. "_I mean, I'm hardly one for the tough, rugged guys like him, but he's still pretty whooooaaa."_

I roll my eyes. "_When hell freezes over. I hate Kratos. I hate every little bit of him. If I ever even START to like him, I'd shoot myself in the head. Serious."_

"_Okaaay ... definitely not Kratos," _Charis says, and it sounds like she's ticking off a list. Seriously – I don't like this certain person anymore. Why are they still going on with it? Argh. "_Wouldn't Kratos look sexy with a little stubble?"_

I shudder visibly, and William decides to take on from there.

"_Okay, okay – give us his hair colour. It IS a guy, right?"_

I frown. "_Yes. It is a guy, William."_

"_Okay, just making sure. Cuz y'know, Sheena's pretty hot."_

"_I'd like to note that you're a guy here. And I'm a girl. A girl who likes guys."_

"_Is it ME!?"_

Charis erupts into a fit of laughter, and I just shake my head, closing down the zenta and shoving the sphere back into my pocket when it clicks shut. "_Nope. He's blond."_

"_BLOND!" _William shrieks, probably jumping up out of his seat. "_Get the computer up and narrow it down to blond people!"_

I roll my eyes as they work, sipping my hot chocolate. Damn, it's getting cold. I'd ask Charis for another cup, but I know she'd try to make me spill the beans in return.

"_Okay, alright, okay, okay,"_William says rapidly, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he had his face shoved up against the screen or something weird like that. "_... Remiel?"_

"_No."_

"_... Frank?"_

"_Ew, no."_

"_Dorr? Was it Dorr?"_

"_Ewwww! This is getting worse and worse! You guys should really drop it now."_

"_Yggdrasill? Mithos? Hey, why are all the bad guys blonde?_"

I groan, carrying my cup over to the sink and dropping it in. They continue discussing possible solutions between themselves while I get back to my seat, flopping down onto the top of the table. I should really go to bed, but I know they won't leave me alone until they find out who I liked.

"_Kvar? No, he has more grey hair ..." _Charis mumbles, obviously quite proud of the torture she's putting me through. "_A random blond guy you've met? Was he a big part of the storyline?"_

I shake my head. "_Nah. I only saw him twice when I played the game."_

"_Well ... I was gonna say Harley, but he's got red hair. Harley is pretty cute."_

I finally just ignore them and get back to my own thoughts and questions. I wonder if we'll be going back to the ranch tomorrow? Will those 'chimera' things be there? Will Botta be there again? Will Lloyd catch a cold? Wouldn't the final battle be awesome if it was a DDR match against Yggdrasill?

"_Is it Colette? It's Colette, isn't it!?"_

I grumble to myself, rubbing my brow. "_Colette is a girl."_

"_She might not be, though!"_William insists, and it's quite obvious he's becoming skint for ideas. "_Oh! Oh, is it Guy!?"_

I pause for a moment of thought. "... _Wait, who?"_

"_Guy! Y'know, Guy Cecil!"_

"... _Who?"_

"_Will," Charis says, whispering. "She doesn't play Abyss."_

"_Oh. Well, crap."_

I roll my eyes, having _no _idea what they're talking about, and Charis sends me another cup of hot-chocolate before I get even more confused. "_I do remember saying that I've met this person before, as well as being AWARE of who they are."_

"_Well then I give up!"_William exclaims, slamming his hands down on his desk (judging from the loud bang). "_I can't think of anymore blond guys, in or out of Symphonia! If he isn't a main character, then how are we supposed to kn-"_

I turn to my warm drink for comfort when, with any luck in the two worlds, they've finally figured it out. Judging from the long, long silence that accompanies, I'd guess it's either that, or someone has brain-ninja'd me and killed those two. Both options are fine.

The silence continues, and I consider my own feelings towards this certain individual. Well, there are no feelings _there,_ so I guess I have the easy end of the stick when it comes to crushes. To me, he's just helpful, funny, and has very pretty hair.

"... _The_ _Wonder Chef?"_

I sip my hot chocolate. "_NOW can I go to bed?"_

"_You had a crush on the WONDER CHEF!?" _William exclaims. "_Wha – I mean – wh ... why!?"_

I shrug. "_I'unno. He's cool."_

"_But ... Charlotte – that guy is ... weird."_

"_Just be glad it wasn't Zelos,"_ I yawn, taking the second cup over to the sink. The priests will probably wonder why they have two new mugs in their collection tomorrow, but I'll make sure not to say anything about it. Anyway, William seems to have gotten all huffed up about the mention of Zelos, and is getting into a big strop about how Charis has opened up Zelos' live image and is watching him, giggling every now and then.

"_So, what's lover-boy doing?_" I ask, glad that Charis' crush is ongoing, while my own is ... well, pretty much dead now. William can focus his anti-crush energy on her for now, unless we ever come across the Wonder Chef again. Then I'll be quite prone to teasing, but it won't really do much.

"_Oh, he's just training,"_ Charis says with a dreamy sigh, and William just tuts loudly in response. I swear, he's gonna develop a superiority complex or something, and rebel against all the men in Symphonia. He'll become the new Mithos, I tells ya.

"_Is that so,"_ I say, downing half my cup when I hear the front doors to the house open. They hardly crash, but they tend to creak pretty loudly.

"_Yeah. Zelos actually has a good way with his sword."_

"_Which sword?"_ I ask, grinning, and William just starts yelling incoherently. After a while while a door slams, and the shouts get quieter as time passes. Charis snorts in response, typing away at her keyboard.

"_In all seriousness, he's really really good,"_ Charis says, and it sounds like she's smiling. Aww, bless her. "_The church has been forcing him to learn how to fight since he was little. Tethe'alla is way more uptight about their Chosen's success, so their main priorities is making sure Zelos is safe, strong, and practically able to take out ten armed soldiers in less than a minute." _

"_That would explain why his social status is just below they royal family's," _I mumble. "_The way both worlds treat their Chosen is really different ... I mean, here, they just protect Colette by throwing endless bodyguards at her, and in Tethe'alla, why train Zelos up to fend for himself. I wonder how Colette would have turned out if she was Tethe'alla's Chosen ..."_

"_Well, I'll have to get back to you on that,"_ Charis sings, tapping away at the keys. "_Incoming, don't stay up talking for too long."_

'Oh bollocks,' I whisper to myself, practically throwing my head back and downing the rest of my drink. I can't really explain _where _I got hot chocolate when we're practically in the middle of nowhere, and there doesn't seem to be a supply of any around here. Therefore, I must hide the evidence in my tummy. Yep yep. God, don't you just _love _the word tummy? I do. I blame my little nephew. He's so cute.

The door opens, and in comes Lloyd, still dripping wet. Behind his shoulder, I can see Kratos going up the stairs to the second floor, probably to explain to Genis why the two people sharing his room have suddenly disappeared. Lloyd's probably here to dump his clothes to dry overnight, or something.

'Hey, what are you doing up?'

'Hey, what are you doing dripping all over the place?' I retort, raising an eyebrow. 'Go for a midnight swim?'

Lloyd pouts, glaring ahead as he makes his way over to a basket in the corner of the room. I'd assume that's where the dirty washing goes, unless he's taking a few wild guesses, or has decided to take refuge in there until he dries of. Who knows.

'Not exactly.'

'Aww,' I coo sarcastically, reaching over and tapping the opposite side of the table. 'Come sit down and tell Auntie Charlie all about it.'

'Uh ... no thanks, I think I'll pass,' Lloyd mumbles, unbuttoning his jacket. I roll my eyes, considering if I will _ever _get this friendship thing right. Doesn't look like it right now.

'You wanna talk at least?' I say, and Charis ... insta-cleans my cup and refills it with normal milk. Wow, I'm drinking a lot tonight ... I hope I don't get sick, or something. It's not the most appealing of things, and I don't want to make a habit of barfing before I infiltrate ranches. I did it before we visited Palmacosta ranch, so yeah ... it's not very pleasant.

'Uhh ... I've talked enough for one night,' Lloyd says with a semi-apologetic smile. 'Maybe in the morning?'

'No, that's okay,' I say, waving it off. 'We'll all have had our heads sorted out after a good night's sleep.'

'Hah ... I don't think I'll be sleeping at all tonight,' Lloyd says, trying to spike his hair back up, and failing miserably. 'If anything, being soaked wouldn't really help ...'

'Eeh,' I mumble with a shrug, going for my milk. 'There's a towel cupboard over there.'

'Really?' Lloyd asks, looking up after he dumps his damp clothes into the basket. I indicate it to him, and he goes over to get something to dry his hair with. Hair doesn't dry fast, especially if you have a lot of it. And now Lloyd's hair is partly down, it's safe to say he does have more than your average amount of head-hair. Speaking of hair ...

'I see you still have smooth legs,' I say, nodding towards his lower body. Lucky for me, he wears an under-shirt and shorts beneath his usual clothing, so it's so much easier to tease him about it. He glances over his shoulder with a frown, pulling a fluffy white towel out of the cupboard.

'Don't you _ever _come near me with a wax strip again,' he grumbles, finally slumping down in the seat opposite mine as he works the towel over his head. 'I doubt anything will ever grow down there now ...'

'It will, eventually,' I say, drinking a little. 'It should start growing again in about eight weeks.'

He freezes. '_Eight!?'_

'Yep,' I say with a nod. 'You should really think about what you say when you think that wax-strips don't hurt.'

Lloyd just grumbles to himself, rubbing the towel through his hair and trying to spike it back up at the same time. I raise an eyebrow and finish off my milk. Ugh, my stomach feels like a water tank ... I think I drank too much after all, and I blame Charis.

'By the way, I've noticed you're getting thinner,' I say, getting up to take my cup over to the sink. 'Are you eating right?'

'Yeah, pretty much,' Lloyd says with a shrug. 'I don't eat a lot when I'm ill, but I don't think that's really a threat to my health. It's probably because we don't really have time to eat normally anymore.'

'Hmm, probably,' I say, taking my seat again. 'By the way – if you ever end up getting skinnier than me while I'm here, I'll have to kill you.'

'I'll ... keep track of that.'

'Um, Lloyd,' I say after a second, finally digging up the courage to come right out and ask the obvious question that's been playing on my mind for hours. 'Are you sure you're okay? I mean, I can tell you've been crying and all ... I'm just a little worried about you, y'know?'

'Oh ... is it obvious?' Lloyd asks, touching the space beneath his left eye. 'Well ... I'm okay. Really. Kratos helped me realise some stuff ... and I think I can keep a straight mind for now.'

I nod. 'That's good. Like I said before, if you ever want to talk or need a random hug, just say so.'

I can see Lloyd nod through the towel as he scrubs violently at his hair. Yes Lloyd, it's wet – I know. Give it a few minutes and it'll dry by itself, geez.

'Hey, you offered me a hug back at Luin because I offered you one at the Wind Seal,' I say bluntly, leaning back in my chair again. 'Do you want it now by any chance? You sound like you could use one.'

'Uhh ...' Lloyd mumbles slowly, dropping his towel from his ... now extremely messy head. 'I'll pass again. I'm not really in the mood for a hug right now.'

'Hugs make everything better,' I say, shrugging. 'But it's your loss, I guess.'

'Uh ... huh,' Lloyd mumbles, and yes, I am quite aware I'm probably freaking him out greatly by offering him hugs all the time. He can't really complain; he's the one that counter-offered in Luin. Maybe we'll just go through this weird "do you want a hug?" - "NO" thing for the whole journey. Huh ... that'd be weird.

'Well ... I think I'll go to bed now,' Lloyd says, getting to his feet as he pulls the towel over his shoulders. 'Don't stay up too late, okay?'

'Okie-dokie,' I say, sitting up straight. 'G'night.'

'Good night,' Lloyd says, reaching for the doorknob. Strangely, he hesitates for a moment or two, and I'm suddenly reminded of when we were at Asgard. We has a similar scenario to this one, which followed him telling me all about why he didn't want Kratos to leave, and he made me choke on my tea by telling me that he reminded Kratos of his son for the first time. Sure, I'm not drinking anything right now, but if he says something else, I'd probably choke on an oxygen atom.

'Uh, by the way,' he says awkwardly, opening the door and looking over his shoulder. 'What you did today back at the ranch ...'

'Hah, someone finally noticed,' I say, running my hands over my face with a smile. 'It was nothing. Go to bed.'

'No ... no, it wasn't nothing,' Lloyd says, leaning against the door and forcing it shut with his weight. 'I ... I don't really _know _you ... but I know that you wouldn't usually do something like that. And you did it to save me, so I guess all I really wanna say is ... thanks.'

I laugh a little, rubbing my brow. 'Honestly? I've never been so scared in my life.'

'Well ... it was really cool,' Lloyd says, failing to force back a grin. 'You should have seen the look on Kvar's face ...'

'Oh, I did,' I snort. 'He's probably mega-pissed at me now ... but it doesn't mean I'm ditching out of this ranch. I'm still in, I suppose.'

I get to my feet, stretching my arms over my head. I should turn in for the night and get some sleep. 'Besides, who's gonna shoot Kvar in the head when he tries to attack you again if I'm not there?'

Lloyd actually has to pause to decide if I'm being serious or not, but he laughs anyway. 'You're such a dork.'

'A cool dork,' I correct, walking past.

'You're _still_ a dork,' he sighs, slapping a hand down on my head and ruffling my hair.

'Oi!' I snap, thwacking his hand away. 'Just because your hair is messy, doesn't mean you have to go tangling mine up!'

Lloyd bids me goodnight a second time with a small laugh, and I make my way up the stairs. I can honestly say I'm satisfied with how this conversation came out. Lloyd's already talked with Kratos, and he's happy ... I feel happy, because I don't really feel that Lloyd is going out of his way to resent me. Not that he DID before, but y'know what I mean ...

I cross the landing after ascending the rickety stairs (which I almost fall up), and it takes me a few moments to actually remember where my room is. I take a wild guess for one door, and decide I made the right choice when I'm met with the sound of a certain rat-fox growling at me again.

'Shut up, you little git,' I snap quietly, getting back into bed. He just continues to growl, standing protectively in front of Sheena's sleeping body. I groan, rolling over in my bed. 'You can stop that, you know. I'm really grateful for what Sheena's done for us today, and I wouldn't think of hurting her unless she tried to hurt me first.'

'I think you're suspicious!' Corrine says shrilly. Shrilly enough for a male, unless summon spirits don't have genders. I'm sure they can take on any form, but y'know ... you have to wonder, sometimes. 'You're suspicious!'

'That's nice,' I yawn. 'Go to sleep, or something.'

'I'm not falling for your tricks!' Corrine squeaks angrily, still growling away. 'You ugly runt!'

Ooo, he's insulting my looks _and_my height.

'Remind me to strangle you next time we meet,' I say, snuggling down into my pillow. 'M'too tired to murder stuff tonight.'

'Grr!'

'Roar.'

----------------------

'Well, we know how to get to the main computer room ... when we're there, we'll have to figure out what information we need to collect in order to free the captives.'

Yawn.

'The Desians have likely taken note of our plans by now, and all entrances may have increased security. It won't be as easy to get into the ranch this time around ... unless we could contact an escapee, we're stuck.

Yawn.

'Any of the escaped prisoners may have fled from Luin in the attack, and I'm sure there were none among the survivors. Their only possible refuges may be Asgard or Hima. Hima reaches past the western border among the mountains, so it's unlikely to say if any of them survived without the right equipment or necessary supplies.'

Yawn.

'Anyone fleeing to Triet or Iselia may not know of their destruction, and it's unlikely they would reach Palmacotsa. Without a mountain pass or a boat, it's impossible to reach the other continent.'

Yawn. 'Ain't there like ... a bridge, or somethin' near Hima that connects to ... yeah?'

'It's undergoing repairs from a recent Desian's attack, and is impossible to pass at the moment.'

Yawn. Nod.

The Professor finally slams down her maps and notes on the table, causing all four people around the table to jump in surprise. 'Charlotte, for heaven's sake, stop yawning! I'm getting drowsy just looking at you!'

'S'ry, 'Fessor,' I mumble, rubbing my eyes. 'Didn't really sleep last night ...'

'Well then you should catch up on your rest,' the Professor says, smoothing out the worn map on the table. If anyone is wondering, the people here for this little 'meeting' of sorts is me, Colette, Genis and Sheena. Now that Sheena is officially a part of our group after promising to help us beat on Kvar, she's listening in on our plans. She's already apologised to me about Corrine's behaviour last night, but I managed to just brush it off.

'We have to return to the ranch tomorrow,' Raine says. 'You'll need your energy.'

I nod, forcing down another yawn. Lloyd is awake, but Raine and Kratos told him the same thing, so he's just ... 'napping'. Poor thing got all pissed off when he tried to return his hair to it's 'normal' state, so he's just dismissed that idea and gone back to bed. Good plan.

'Question,' I say, raising a hand and sitting up straight. 'How _are _we getting into the ranch?'

'Maybe we could dig our way in!' Colette suggests. 'I read it in a story-book once.'

'Even if that were possible, we wouldn't be able to break through the floors,' Raine sighs, rubbing her temples in a calming motion. 'If we were to wind up in the courtyard, we'd be killed faster than you can boil an egg.'

I ponder for a moment. 'How long do you boil eggs for, Professor?'

'One question at a time,' Raine orders, running a hand over the worn paper of the map.

'Well ...' I mumble. 'Sheena, did you break in via your ninja skills, or ... what? Did you use an alternate way?'

Sheena fidgets uncomfortably when we all stare at her, waiting for an answer. Luckily, that damn rat-fox isn't here right now, so I don't have to be afraid of being ... clawed at. 'Well ... I think they might have covered the entrance by now, but I had to go through an underground aqueduct.'

'An ... aqueduct?' Colette asks curiously, and Sheena nods.

'Yeah. There's an entrance to one the probably connects with a lake near the ranch. It's somewhere outside the forest surrounding the ranch, and it's mostly used for maintenance work, but it leads right to the back of the ranch.'

'It's dark, isn't it?' I say bluntly, frowning. I hate the dark.

'Not at all,' Sheena clarifies for me. 'There are a bunch of lamps down there, so they're probably working down there a lot.'

'Then we'll have to be careful,' Raine says with a sharp sigh, rolling the map back up and folding her notes into her small, black book that she scribbles in all the time. 'It looks like there's no other way. If they've sealed it off completely, we'll have to-'

'Fly in!' I say, pointing to Colette.

'I wasn't thinking along those lines ...' Raine says, shoving the maps into her bags.

'I was. It looks _awesome_in my head ...' I explain, getting all those satisfying mental images of sky-attacking. Man, imagine Kratos falling from the sky, ready to kill you? Like death from above. That's _cool_.

'Hey, maybe you should listen to your teacher and go back to bed,' Sheena says, jerking a thumb in the direction of the stairs. 'You're weird enough when you're not tired ...'

I think for a moment, and wonder what she's talking about. Then I realise, of course, she must be talking about the time we bumped into eachother at Luin ... yes, I was very confusing that day. That was quite a bad thing to do on our first proper conversation, but I'm sure she'll realise I'm not as crazy as I might have portrayed there.

'I'm sane,' I say quickly, holding my hands in defence. 'Honest promise.'

'I hope so,' Sheena says with a small laugh, and Colette immediately drags her away by her wrist, as happy as ever. I watch them go, and Colette begins to babble on about Sheena's awesome ninja techniques, and how she wants to see them, and praise them, and just keep telling Sheena how awesome she is. I agree – she is awesome, but Colette is maybe a bit TOO friendly for her own good. And Sheena is almost equally as interested in Colette's wings. I think they'll get along just fine. I dunno about how I'll handle Sheena yet.

As I climb the stairs (I seriously have to climb – I'm about to fall asleep on my feet), I wonder about our group's additions. Well ... from now on, it'll no longer just be us four kids and the two adults, which is gonna take some getting used to. We have Sheena now, and though he's all very cool and such, it'll take a while getting used to. It's another person I have to lie to, dance around any inquisitive conversation, and the whatnot. Corrine is already suspicious of me apparently, so I have to be really careful.

Y'know ... I'm starting to wonder what it'll be like when I meet the others. I fall into my room and collapse on my bed as I wonder. Well, meeting Sheena properly was ... okay. We had our first "friendly" conversation before we went to sleep, seeing as we were sharing a room. I introduced myself properly, gave her the "came from Asgard, live with auntie, I'm only here because I'm bored" story, and she just formally introduced herself and said she has to withhold some of her main info. Lucky for me, I know all about that, so I just nodded along and smiled all the way through it. She seems relieved I'm not prying, so this might go well.

Okay ... my first meeting with Zelos will be bad. D'you know how I know? Because Charis is bound to crawl out of my ear and latch to him. Either that, or he'll send some flimsy, flirtatious comment my way and I'll collapse in a puddle of teenage hormones. Because I'm _that_lame. Anyway ... from what I've seen, Meltokio is a very crowded place, and he'll be surrounded by his floozies. We might not even bump into him, because it seems impossible with all those people. Who knows.

Presea ... I'm sure I've mentioned this, but I hate her. Good GOD I hate her. But I'm sure it won't matter when the time comes. She'll be all lifeless-emo, Genis will just have hit puberty around that time (Lloyd will still be catching up, poor lad), and it'll all unfold nicely. I'll probably slap her a few times and hope she doesn't remember when she returns to normal. If she does, well then, fuck.

This is gonna sound odd, but I can't WAIT to meet Regal. I really can't – he's so awesome. I want him to teach me how to break peoples' necks with my _feet. _How cool is that? Plus, he has that friendly, sarcastic wit that comes with. Y'know, him and Kratos are really similar ... I guess I just got off on the wrong foot with Kratos. Ah well – I can hardly tell Charis to turn herself off and choose the "New Game" option. I'm kinda stuck with whatever I say and do.

Ugh. Asgard Ranch tomorrow. Through aqueducts. It'll be dark. There will be water. There will be bugs. There will be _water. _There will be Desians. There will be WATER. There might be bats. There will be _WATER._

I roll over in my bed and sigh. Something – some kinda of inner knowledge I refuse to listen to – is telling me that something is about to go horribly, horribly wrong.


	56. Asgard Ranch! Take Two!

HEEEEEEEY GUUUUUUUY- (-Brick'd-)

Yes, it has been a very long time since my last update D: A lot has been going on in my life, and it really needed sorting out. Oh so sadly, TWC doesn't come first. So when it comes to these times, you're going to have to wait just that little bit longer for your usual updates :3 So please refrain from ordering updates from me. I'm not magical and can't do fifty things at once - I've got exams, doctor appointments, hospital visists, and a whole bunch of Christmas shopping to do. And I dunno - I just completely lacked motivation D: Home is not very good right now.

Righto - about the visits, my big bro is in hospital with a brain tumour, so everyone send him your best wishes! Poor thing has had such a hard time lately with getting a new house ... he really deserves a break one of these days.

... BUT I GOTS MY NEW COMPUTER 8D

This chapter ... sucks D: It leads up to the ranch, and mainly focuses on how Char has to start being careful as soon as she gets on good terms with others. It lacks action, but there will be more of that next chapter, I assure you. And quite obviously, no mention of Char's "crush" in this chappie. It's dead, gone, and UNDER ZEE RUBBLE. Now we can go back to retard-Char.

... On not so brighter news, I'm 15 soon! D: 22nd of December ... yup, I'm now halfway to 30. Nooooooes. And I do believe I started this when I was 13 ... which seems so long ago. Ahh, coolio.

Guys, guys - I got a new game called The Gregory Horror Show. It's the best thing EVER.

Can't you just tell I lack anything to say right now? Thankfully, I'm in a much better mood than my last update, and I don't like to see myself being a cynical bitch XD Ah, happy happy happy ...

Read and review please :3 Super long chapter again ... I apologise in advance D: I should be getting to bed. 3:46AM and school in the morning ... eep.

(wtf it won't let me underline the chapter name ...)

* * *

Chapter 56 - Asgard Ranch! Take Two!  
------------------- 

'Charlotte, get off me.'

'But it's _slippery_.'

'Yeah, and you're making me _slip_.'

'Well if I don't hang on, I risk falling face first into slime and ... gross stuff that sure as hell doesn't look like water.'

'If you don't get off, that's what's gonna happen to _me_.'

'Better you than me.'

'Fire Ball!'

'OH GOD -!'

_Smack_.

'Genis, that's enough! Charlotte, stop bothering him! Honestly, you two should know better!'

While Genis rubs his head, I thank any gods there are that Raine doesn't slap girls. Still, I decide to just straighten up and refrain from saluting, because it _will _get me killed. Raine plants her hands on her hips, giving us both a stern look while Lloyd and Sheena snicker in the background. Kratos presses his palm firmly to his forehead, and Colette is trying to wipe some slime from the walls off her hands.

... Let me explain.

I slept most of yesterday, and we ended up leaving for the ranch in ... the middle of the night – why, I don't know. We just did. But anyway – it's taken us practically all day to get to the area where we could just drop into the aqueducts leading to the ranch. It took Sheena about half an hour to remember where the entrance was, but we managed it all the same. It's probably about ... late evening now. I'd like to know why it's always usually around that time whenever we come near a ranch, because it's really starting to piss me off. I guess whenever we escape, it's usually night, so the darkness kinda helps that.

But yeah, this isn't exactly the best way to infiltrate a ranch. And I'd like to mention that I've never been inside an aqueduct before. Not a Sylvarant aqueduct, anyway.

Okay, there were two possible routes we could have taken – the newer route that seems to have been recently built, and is clean, and the platforms aren't horribly slimy and slippery. Or, we could have taken the old route, which is indeed, slimy and mouldy and gross. Seeing as there's the threat of Desians prowling around the new route, we've been stuck with taking the old one. The lanterns have long burnt out, and the Professor is leading the group with light spilling out from the gem at the head of her staff.

Along with the horrible dark, the air here is just ... _putrid. _The cobbled stone path that leads the way seems to have been here long, and is completely demolished in some places. At that point, we have to wade through about three feet of slimy, cold water, which is just ... a big no no. But when the pathway _is _solid and secure, it's horribly damp and slippery. I think I've fallen over about three times, and Colette is miraculously keeping her balance (seeing as her and Genis have spent a majority of the trip clinging to each other. Lloyd is up ahead with Raine to help her take care of any Desians coming from the front, and Kratos is keeping an eye on attacks from behind. Sheena's been told to close to Krat-man, because Raine and him don't trust her that well yet. So if she tries anything, Kratos can easily ... y'know, stab her in the head, or something.

Sheena isn't really that well with trusting us yet either. She's intent on keeping her cards out all the time in case Kratos _does _try to stab her in the head, and I notice she always has a green one on her. I remember her using that one against Kvar – it turned orange and let out all the glowy cool stuff and then summoned one of those big, evil creatures. I asked her about that, and she says they're not actually the cards she uses for her 'guardians', as she calls them. They summon the ghosts of the guardians she's used in the past, which explains why I only saw its shadow. They can't fight, but they can be used for teleportation. So this means she has like ... two proper guardians left? Kickass.

But, uh, yeah. Back to the main point. I hate aqueducts.

And my heart's been throbbing since I got in this place. Just the thought that once we get to the end of the tunnel, we're going to be in that ranch again – we're gonna see the Desians again – we're gonna see _Kvar _again. Granted, he'll probably just bitchslap me to one side and go straight for Lloyd, but I'm not really looking forward to that.

What is really scaring me though is the thought of how Exspheres are made. I can't ... get rid of that image in my head, of the people finally going to have their Exspheres removed. I'm sure, once the Exspheres are finally cultivated, the Desians extract them as fast as they can, and kill the hosts before they can turn into monsters. It's just ... that fear in their faces. , the pain you could see they've been through, just to have the Exspheres nourished.

Those prisoners ... when we saw them, strapped to upright steel boards, facing us as they were taken to their death ... you could see the red Exspheres just developed atop their collarbones. You could see the stressed skin around it, like jutting veins ... the countless welts on their bodies from being whipped, bruises, black eyes ... I swear, the Desians aren't half-elves. They're friggin' _inhuman_, to be able to do that to other people ...

'You okay?'

I look over at Sheena, who asked the question. Y'know, for someone who doesn't trust us, she's pretty nice. I just grin a little, giving a small thumbs up.

'Yeah, just a bit tired ... and, uh, the humid air is really getting to me.'

I hear the Professor sigh from ahead. 'Didn't I tell you to catch up on your rest before we came to the ranch?'

'I did!' I insist, keeping my voice down with difficulty. 'I'm just ... really lazy.'

'Tell us something we don't know,' Genis mumbles, and I just shove his head with my hand, hoping he falls over. He doesn't, though – he grabs onto Colette's arm to keep his balance over the slippery floor. He gives me a small scowl before Raine can notice we're ... mentally bitching at each other again, and pouts before ignoring me. Good call. Wouldn't want to 'accidentally' wipe my hand against the mouldy, slimy wall and then 'accidentally' lean on his precious white hair.

'Argh, this sucks,' I groan, shaking my leg when I step in an ankle-deep crack in the cobbled floor, brimmed with cold, dark water. 'My trousers are soaked-'

'Alright, that does it!' Lloyd exclaims, throwing his arms up into the air. He turns and glares at me, and I wonder if my consistent whining has finally touched his last nerve. So as not to slow us down, he turns to me, but continues to walk backwards. I can see him falling over in the near future, but I won't comment on that yet.

'They're called _pants,' _Lloyd insists, tugging at his own, uh ... whatever. 'Why do you call them trousers?'

'Uhh ...' I say slowly, eyes darting around as if the answer would just spring up on the dark wall. 'Um ... because ... they're called trousers?'

'No, no – they're called _pants,' _Lloyd argues. '_Everyone _calls them pants.'

'_I _don't.'

'Well why do you have weird words for everything!?' Lloyd whines. 'It's really confusing! You call pants 'trousers', and candy 'sweets', and sweaters 'jumpers' ... why don't you just talk normally?'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Because how I speak is 'normal' for me. I apologise for invading your oh-so-secluded little world where everyone speaks the same.'

'I don't live in a secluded little world!' Lloyd hissy-fits in my direction. I just roll my eyes and decide to not warn him about any oncoming puddles from behind him.

'Though I hate to admit it, Lloyd seems to hold a point,' Raine says, looking over her shoulder. 'I can't say I've ever met anyone like you in terms of accent and wording.'

'Can't say I have, either,' Sheena says from behind me, nodding in agreement. 'I thought it was a little weird when I first met you, but I didn't want to say anything.'

I frown. 'Then why are you saying it _now_?'

'Because ...' she pauses, gesturing at the teen in front. 'Lloyd said it, so-'

'Argh, I give up,' I grumble. 'Screw you guys.'

'Oh, I have an idea!' Colette exclaims, still clinging to Genis so she doesn't slip. 'How about we have a day where we all talk like that?'

Lloyd gives her a look of horror. 'You're kidding, right? We'd have to sound all ... posh, and stuff.'

'... _Posh?_' I repeat, just in case I misheard that. Nope, don't think I did. 'I really, really don't sound posh.'

'No, you do,' Lloyd says, nodding. 'You don't act posh, but you sure do sound it.'

I just stare at him. 'In terms of attitude, I'm probably the non-mentally-girliest girl you'll ever meet. That has to effect how I speak somehow. By the way Lloyd, you'reabouttofallintoagap.'

Lloyd furrows his brow, still walking backwards. 'I'm wha – gaah!'

There's an odd sense of inner-relief when Lloyd's heel hits a jutting piece of stone from the broken floor, sending him tumbling straight down into the chilling water. I give a content sigh when the splash echoes around the long empty tunnel, and Lloyd quickly scrambles back up out of the dark water, the Professor reluctantly reaching out a hand to pull him up.

As he straightens himself up, Genis has to shove his fist into his mouth to stop laughing, and though I'm quite sure the urge to laugh isn't as strong for Colette, she's sealing her lips tightly to hold back any giggle fits. Sheena just snorts, and Kratos looks like he's having a small bout of déjà vu. The Professor wipes her hand on her orange coat while Lloyd grabs fistfuls of his clothes and tries to dry himself the best he can.

'Ugh ...'

I finally snort, earning a disapproving look.

'Does anyone _else_ want to dump me in some water?' Lloyd asks coldly, glaring at Kratos and me before giving everyone else a taste of soggy-Lloyd-anger. 'Because c'mon, let's get it over with.'

'I'll wait my turn,' Genis sniggers, turning down the offer. Lloyd flicks some water in his direction with a frown, and then some at me. I'm far away enough for it to miss, but I still feel a little bad about it anyway. Y'know, I have to stop doing things and then feeling bad about them.

'Sorry?' I say, grinning sheepishly while we make our way over the small gap. 'I'll make it up to you, I swear.'

'Don't bother,' Lloyd says bitterly, almost slipping again on a jagged rock.

I roll my eyes, slapping a hand down on his damp shoulder when we reach the other side. 'C'mon, don't be an ass. Look ... I'll make you dinner when we get out of this place. I'll make you some _curry_.'

Lloyd freezes in place, suddenly wide-eyed. 'You ... you know how to make curry?'

'That, jacket potatoes, and crumpets.'

A pause. 'Crumpets?'

Charlotte, stop being English around Lloyd – it confuses him. 'Never mind. But if you want some, I'll make some up for you. If you don't hold a grudge, I mean.'

'... Do you know how to make tofu curry?'

I grimace. 'Can't say I do, but I sure as hell can give it a try.'

'... I could hug you right now.'

'Don't,' I say, holding out an arm to stop him. 'You're all wet.'

'Wh – I only offered because you're the one always offering hugs!'

'And you always turn them down!'

'Well I've offered twice, and you've turned those down too!'

'Well then I guess we'll never hug!'

I'm not too sure why we're declaring this loudly to each other, but whatever – just go with it. There's a small silent pause running through the group at Lloyd and mine's ... friendly spat, and we realise we're being left behind. Kratos catches Lloyd's earlobe between two fingers and practically drags him along, while he stumbles and winces in pain.

'Stop this childishness.'

'She started it!' Lloyd protests, practically tripping over his own feet. 'Blame her!'

'I'll blame both of you.'

'Kratos is right,' Raine sighs from the front of the group. 'We must be serious about this operation. Now isn't the time for games.'

'I guess ...' I mumble, raising a hand to my forehead. 'I'm starting to get a headache, anyway.'

'Me too,' Sheena says, nodding. 'It's probably just the air in here.'

With that, I simply let Lloyd get ear-dragged away for the time being and consider the 'serious operation' Raine is talking about. True – it is quite the serious sonofabitch, but I'd still like to know the outline of our plan before I start getting pent up about it. Y'know – will I go with Lloyd to beat on Kvar? Will I go with Raine to disengage all the locks to the ranch and free the captives? Either way, there's still a bunch of pressure involved. I hope it doesn't take as long as the Palmacosta ranch did, but that range was huge. This one is fairly small, and half of it is pretty much built into the mountain behind it. So I'm still kinda in the dark about this.

Which is, y'know, quite lame.

I'd ask, but I think it'd be easier if we sorted this all out when we finally reach the main computer room again. That way we can get a map of the ranch, go about our business, shoot Kvar between the eyes and skip right on out. Oh, and blow it up. Kratos told us that this ranch's self-destruct system isn't as powerful as Palmacosta's, because ... well, there's less to blow up. Should we get caught in a pickle on the way out, we should be able to get out while the explosions are going off. That's one less thing to worry about.

I remember Charis' warning quite a while ago about the ranch operations, but I won't let it get to me. Well, I'll try to not let it get to me. I can act all happy and perky on the outside, but inside I seriously fear for my life, and it isn't the first time. Sadly to say, it won't be the last, either.

... Yeah, that hug from Lloyd would be quite helpful right now. Ah well.

--------------------------

'I'm not climbing that thing.'

'You have to.'

'Yeah, but I'm kinda not.'

'If you don't, we have to leave you down there.'

'... Hate you guys.'

With a shudder, I wrap one hand around the slimy iron bar. After a while, we've finally reached what seems to be the end of the aqueduct. Or at least we've reached as far as we can go; there's a wall preventing anything but the water getting through, and the only thing around here besides dripping walls is a mouldy old ladder. One that doesn't look stable at all – I mean, while Colette was going up, she accidently pulled off one of the bars, enforcing my ... not-wanting-to-go-up-there-ness.

'It's gonna break,' I state firmly, looking up at the two heads above. The others have moved on, and it's just Genis and Colette worried about poor lil' old me. Well, Genis isn't exactly worried – he just doesn't want to leave Colette's side. Aww. I wish they cared about me like that. It's sweet.

'It's not gonna break,' Genis sighs, rolling his eyes. 'C'mon, it supported Kratos – he's pretty heavy, and I'm certain you're a lot lighter than him.'

'Bleh,' I argue, wincing as I place a foot on the old iron. 'If it breaks, I'm gonna kick you.'

'But you'll be stuck down there if it breaks.'

I frown as I climb about three steps on the ladder. 'Don't scare me. Just be quiet.'

'Hurry up!' Genis demands, ignoring me while I struggle my way to the top. 'They've gone on ahead!'

'Phlegm!' I snap in protest, and he and Colette just give each other confused looks. I roll my eyes and take Colette's hand when I near the top, hastily scrambling off the creaking ladder. I swear, those things are _old._The weight of everyone else seems to have bent the steps, and I think I snapped one to finish it off. Ugh ... if I'd fell, I'd have skidded off the slippery stone floor and right into that mucky water. Gross.

I gather my bearings (my ankle hurts, pretty much) and the three of us sprint ahead as quietly as we can to catch up with the other four. Whenever we try to keep it down, the only things audible are footsteps, dripping, and the squeaks of rats. _Rats_. I hate those things, especially when they nip at your ankles. I panicked, but the Professor says they're harmless. Still ...!

'Hey, what took you guys?' Lloyd asks when we reach them, looking over his shoulder. Genis just huffs, folding his arms as we walk.

'Take a guess.'

I roll my eyes. 'It was gonna _break_.'

'It was not-!'

'Silence, young one!' I cry, shoving his head to one side. 'Your vile tone is unneeded here!'

'Wh ... what!?'

'Shut up.'

Lloyd just gives me an odd look. 'Okay ... _never_ use Olden. It sounds weird on you.'

'True,' I say, nodding. 'I think the only person who can pull it off nowadays is Kratos.'

'Yeah,' Lloyd agrees. 'He's old anyway.'

Kratos gives him a glare over his shoulder, and Lloyd holds his hands up in quick defence. 'Hey, hey – compared to us, I mean.'

'I don't know about that,' Raine says, stretching her staff out far now that it's starting to get darker as we venture in. 'He's only four years my senior.'

'Yeah, but you're pretty old too-'

_THWAP._

I flinch when Raine spins around and bitchslaps Lloyd with the head of her weapon. I think I heard his head snap to one side, but I'll just imagine it was rat bones crunching under my feet. There are a lot of them strewn around, by the way ... kinda gross.

'I can't feel my neck,' Lloyd says simply and calmly as we carry on walking, and I see him clasping said body part with both hands.

'It's still there,' I tell him. 'Don't worry.'

'Not for long,' Genis mumbles from one side, toying with his kendama. Y'know, I seriously need to ask him how to teach me to play with that thing. His old kendama has been lying around in the bottom of my bag for ages, and I seriously need to make the effort to ask him. I'll probably only smack myself in the face with it if I try.

I clench my teeth when I feel more bones snapping under my shoes. There has to be ... about a thousand rats down here or something, which is not a nice thought at all. Little bony balls of fur scurrying around, trying to bite your ankles ... ugh, disgusting. It sounds horribly odd, but I can't wait until we get into the ranch after this. It'll hopefully be a lot cleaner and hygienic.

'Hey ... look!' Colette gasps, pointing ahead. I squint in the direction she's pointing in, and see a small glowing light embedded into the ceiling some ways in front of us. And if you look _really_ close, you can see a whole line of them continuing on, so that can only mean one thing.

'It looks like we're nearing the ranch ...' Raine says quietly, and the light fades from her staff with a small hissing noise as she returns it to the sheath on her back. 'We'll have to be much more careful. If there are any Desians patrolling these aqueducts at all, they'll be around this area.

I gulp as I reach for my guns, and my heart's decided to crawl into my throat and dance away. 'True, that ...'

'Hey, we'll be fine, right?' Lloyd assures everyone, but the small waver in his voice is noticeable. 'They're just a bunch of Desians ...'

'It's not the Desians I'm worried about,' I mumble. 'Let's just rescue the captives and get out of here before they can-'

'Wait.'

Sheena and I both bump into Kratos' arm when he holds it out to stop us, and there's a clink of metal as Lloyd reaches for his sword. Kratos gives him a look telling him to stand down, and we all fall silent. I'm quite sure my rapid heartbeat can probably be heard by anyone, but ahead is the unmistakable sound of heavy boots clicking against the floor. Someone's coming.

Oh feck.

'We can't cause a scene that will attract the attention of the other guards,' Raine mumbles, and takes a quick side glance to Colette, who holds up one finger. The Professor nods and turns back to the pathway where the footsteps continue. 'There's only one guard ... but if he shouts out-'

'Leave this to me,' Kratos says quietly, reaching over his shoulder. From the back of his cape, he pull out something that I actually can't _see _at first. But when the light glints over his hand, it's obviously he's holding a very long, very thin and sharp throwing needle.

'Wait ... you're gonna-' I cut myself off, glaring at him through the dark. 'Are you stupid? Its pitch black in here – you'll never get him.'

'Perhaps,' Kratos says, ignoring me for most of the part. Raine looks a little reluctant to let Kratos take this chance, and in complete comparison, Lloyd is looking quite ... distressed at Kratos' actions. Oh ... oh right, the phobia. Yeah. Lloyd doesn't like needles.

'Lloyd, he's not gonna inject you with anything,' Genis says, rolling his eyes.

'It might have _poison _in it!' Lloyd insists in a hushed but shrill tone, waving an accusing finger in its direction. 'What if he misses and it hits me!?'

'But you're behind him ...' Colette points out, and Kratos does his best to ignore the squabbling around him. While Lloyd edges behind Genis (despite the considerable height difference there), Kratos takes a few seconds to decide on his aim through the darkness. I think my heart begins to pound painfully in my chest when the footsteps begin to get louder and louder. This will definitely be the quickest way to take care of them without attracting much attention, but still ... if he misses, we're all screwed unless we're prepared to fight our way out. And it's too early for that – I'm still tired.

A short, quiet choke from ahead echoes off the walls, and it takes me a few moments to actually realise Kratos has already thrown the needle, and that it seems to have hit dead on. Even Raine is slightly wide eyed at the success, and Lloyd just looks terribly pale at whatever mental image of that poor man ahead are swimming through his mind. Now ... I know Kratos is pretty fricken' old and probably has had the time to learn every combat skill under the sun, but GEEZ. Geez Louise.

'That was ... amazing,' Sheena mutters in disbelief. She hasn't been with us for long, so she hasn't been able to sample the sheer holyshitery that Kratos is. We all stand in stunned silence for a moment or two, and Kratos finally confirms to himself that there are no more threats around, arranges his cape comfortably, and continues down the dark corridor. We all kinda ... stare after him for a few seconds before following slowly, as if he was about to spin around and fire some more directly into our faces. That'd really suck, and it'd be quite painful.

'... Y'know ...' Genis mumbles after a few moments, and we all seem to finally slip back into a calm mood. Well, calm enough around the bastard mercenary. 'I think Kratos seems to get stranger every day.'

'You have _just_ realised this?' I say, rolling my eyes. 'Seriously, you people ...'

As we walk, I notice Sheena still looks a little shocked. Who knows – maybe throwing needles are part of Mizuho combat skills, or something. It definitely sounds like something ninja-y, so who knows. Though she's not really in a place to be bringing up suspicions of Krat-man right now, being from Tethe'alla and all. She has enough secrets to keep to herself.

... Hey, you ever notice how everyone is keeping secrets from each other in this group? Hmm ... Raine and Genis are pretending they're elves, Kratos is an angel, Sheena is from Tethe'alla, I'm from another universe altogether, Colette could very well die at the end of this journey and is keeping the toxicosis effects secret, Lloyd ... um ... is just brutally honest about everything. Or maybe he has a secret that he's keeping and even _I _don't know about it? _Unthinkable_.

Get over it, Charster. You can't know everything.

I trudge along, guns in hands and try to ignore all the bones and mould on the floor. It's getting really annoying and disgusting, and it's the last thing I want to be thinking about right now. Quite obviously I'd rather be delving into my friend's personal lives, but we'll just go with that and pretend I'm not a bitch to do this stuff. Mmhm.

Um.

... I seriously hate this place.

----------

'_This is ...'_

_'... We're almost there. Try not to get too down.'_

_'I'm trying. But being in these kinds of places and knowing what's to come is really-'_

_'Yes, we're all feeling quite nervous about this operation__. I'm sure once we reach the computer room and __sort out just _what_ we're going to be doing, things will seem a lot simpler. We should have less to threat about.__'_

_'We're trying to save the captives, right? What about Kvar?'_

_'You're worrying too much about this. Try to calm down.'_

_'... Sorry.'_

_'It's alright. It's easy to let your fear get the best of you sometimes.'_

_'What? Don't tell me _you've_ ever lost your cool, Professor. That's too hard to believe.'_

_'I'm a lot older than you. As you age, you gain more life experience and situations like this become easier to handle.'_

_'A lot older?__ I'm only, uh ... eight years younger.'_

_'That's over half your lifetime. Try to stay calm – even if you do begin to panic, just remember – everyone is here with you, and probably feeling the same way.'_

_'Except you.'_

_'I must admit, I'm a little worried myself.__ But I'm used to putting people before myself. When you're young, it's easy to think of only yourself__ in times like these.'_

_'... I'm trying really hard with __that. But it's just really hard__ because I keep thinking about what could happen if I put someone else first and let myself become vulnerable.__ I don't like the thought of getting hurt.'_

_'Then don't think of it that way.'_

_'Huh?'_

_'Last time we were here, you abandoned all thought for yourself and attacked Kvar to save Lloyd's life. Though you put yourself in immediate danger, you must have felt something other than fear.'_

_'... I did. I was really glad that Lloyd was okay. And it felt good to kn__ow that I was the one to do that ... I was proud of myself.__'_

_'And Lloyd is grateful for what you've done for him__. It's still hard for him to show his gratitude to you because he doesn't know you well, but he is still thankful. I'm sure you've been able to see the change in attitude he's had towards you; he's talking to you a lot more because he's began to put a little of his trust in you. Doesn't it seem worth putting another first when you get that in return?'_

_'... Professor ... you're amazing. Thanks ... I really mean it. I've never thought of it that way, and you just__'_

'_Thank you. I hope you'll be able to start trusting us enough to let us trust you in return.'_

_'Yeah ... I will.'_

_-----_

'I'm telling you now, guys – I hate ladders.'

'You've told us that about twenty three times in the past ten minutes.'

'Yeah, and I'm telling you again in case you forgot.'

'... If we weren't on a ladder, I'd throw something at you.'

If you couldn't tell by my banter with Genis and Lloyd, we are indeed on a ladder. Except it's not _just _a ladder, oh no – it's the one that finally leads _into_ the ranch. Yep, no more secret hallways and aqueducts here and there, no more sewers, rat bones, mould, mud and slush. Just some bigass iron ladder leading up – hopefully to an equally bigass air vent. One big problem though.

The ladder is pretty fucking long.

So I'm ready to look down at any point, scream, and fall on the line of people behind me. Yup.

Besides that, another major bummer about this is the order of people. Obviously its girls first, for if one of us should fall, a nice manly man beneath should be able to catch us, support us, or save us from breaking our necks. It's true that the only manly man in this group is Kratos, but hey – ladies first. But that's not really the bummer I'm talking about. See, whoever's behind has a nice view of the above person's ass. Which ... y'know, is quite uncomfortable and embarrassing if you're a girl. Or if you're Lloyd, because he got quite angry about it too. I'm not about to comment the quality of Lloyd's butt, because we have much more important things to be talking about. And I don't take much notice of those kinds of things.

... Sucks for me, because – being a girl – I'm quite near the top. Well, not really - Colette is first, then Genis (second youngest/smallest), Sheena (refusing to go in front of a boy), Raine, me, Lloyd, and Kratos at the end. So unluckily for me, Lloyd is the one who may or may not make some kind of joke about my rear, and he probably will, because he makes fun of me a lot. Goddammit, Lloyd.

... Okay, I've been talking about the group's asses for like, five minutes. Let's stop here, it's getting weird.

'Is it just me, or do the things we do get weirder as time passes?' Lloyd questions after a moment, still climbing.

'Let's just ... be quiet about this until we get to the top ...' Genis mumbles, sounding quite uncomfortable. Poor thing – he's only young.

'But I mean ... really ...' Lloyd grumbles. 'Dammit – Charlotte, could you hurry up!?'

'I'm trying, asshole!' I declare, looking over my shoulder to glare at him. 'It's a long dro – HOLY SHIT!'

At this point, I stop completely when my knees go weak after observing just how high we are.

'Don't fall,' Lloyd demands. 'I don't want a face-full of ... what I can see.'

Shakily, I resist the urge to glare down at him again and continue slowly, trying _not_ to fall as Lloyd asked of me so nicely. When a girl is in such a situation, it's a boy's job not to embarrass them further than they already are. Lloyd is no such boy.

'Y'know, Lloyd – I've decided,' I say after a few moments, calming down. 'You're like a rose.'

All movement below me stops, and I carry on. Genis braves himself to look down over Raine and raise an eyebrow in my general direction, and I smile back at him. I hear the soft _clink_ of shoes against iron when Kratos snaps at Lloyd to hurry up, and the two below continue.

'A rose?' Lloyd asks curiously. 'You mean ... with the red?'

'That,' I say, 'and sometimes, you're nice and stand out amongst us all with your individuality and liveliness.'

'Oh ...'

I climb another few steps, looking down at him again. 'But sometimes you're a right prick.'

Lloyd just gives me a genuine glare, and I wrinkle my nose at him before turning back and continuing on. Raine sighs and shakes her head above me, probably because I ditched any effort to continue whatever built up friendship I have with Lloyd. After that talk she gave me, I feel a little guilty too – but it isn't nice to have your bum insulted, especially when you're self-conscious about your looks. God knows I am. I wouldn't say I'm horrifically vile, but let's face it – I'm a teenager. You're gonna have to deal with my teenage ramblings.

'Does anyone else think we should have climbed in order of people who get embarrassed easily?' Genis asks after a long silence.

'Think that through,' I say, rolling my eyes. 'Kratos would be at the top, and I'd be at the bottom. I wouldn't like his weight crushing me all the way down there.'

Another long silence.

'Not calling you fat, Bastard Mercenary. Muscles are just very heav-'

'Harrison, be quiet.'

Cue the long and once again uncomfortable silence as we all climb our way to the top while trying to avoid catching a glimpse of the above person's posterior. I get off quite easily here, because Raine – above me – wears a cape of sorts. I should have stolen Kratos' cape, or something – it's save a lot of embarrassment on my half. I never thought I'd say this, or even think this – but I wish I had an attractive butt right now. Then I wouldn't be so uncomfortable about this, but alas – like my face, body, and ... attitude, it's not attractive. Which Lloyd likes to point out in the wrong ways.

'Charlotte, hurry up.'

'Quiet, bumlord.'

'Shut up, dork.'

'Would you _both _shut up!?' Genis finally exclaims from some ways above. 'You two fighting isn't make this easier!'

'... She started it.'

'Oh my god, you liar!' I snap, pressing my foot to the top of his head as carefully as I bloody can while up a giant ladder.

'Argh, get your dirty boots off my hair!'

'_Shut up!_'

And shut up we do, in fear that the mage above will probably icicle us some ways off the ladder. Luckily, I notice Colette finally sigh in relief and struggle to climb that last step or two and into the large vent at the top of the ladder. Lloyd mumbles a couple of thanks to Martel for this ordeal finally being over, and I consider stamping on his head again. Something tells me I'm going to have to do an awful lot to get Lloyd's appreciation back for the trials ahead, but hey – I'll manage, I'm sure.

When I eventually reach the top, Sheena is there to give me a hand up, and I thank her after struggling my way up. I back away from the edge quite hastily, slumping against the wall and trying to get used to not being on a ladder again. Ugh, my legs feel like jelly ...

Sheena helps Lloyd up also with a bit of struggle, but Kratos – being Kratos – practically hops up without and awkwardness about him at all. I glare at him for just being himself, and he regards me with a look of sheer boredom for a moment before deeming me uninteresting for his time. I stick my tongue out childishly and follow him when he begins to lead the group once more down this ... duct of sorts.

It isn't actually as small as I thought it'd be. I was expecting a really, really small one we'd have to crawl through like in movies and cartoons and stuff, but it's actually quite spacey for a vent. We get away with just crouching a little so we don't bash our heads on the cold metal above, so it's all very good and cool.

I peer ahead through the darkness and see that the duct does seem to go on for a while ... so this is bound to be one of those long, uncomfortable silences that someone tries to break at the first signs of tension. Most of that seems to be going on between Lloyd and I right now, so it'll probably be Genis or Colette. Or Raine, if she's feeling up to it. Kratos – now that's kinda taking the piss. He's probably about to slap us both upside the head and tell us to act our age.

I notice ahead, Colette gives Genis a worried look, and they both glance back to Lloyd. I notice as they do, Genis seems to be able to fit in a small glare for me before turning back to Colette, and I frown a little. What, now it's my fault? He started it, dammit!

"_To tell the truth, you were being a bit of a bitch,"_ Charis comments from inside my head, and as she does, I notice the vent stretches out a little and we can finally walk upright. Ow, my back. "_I mean ... think about how Lloyd's feeling right now. He really needs the support of his friends."_

"_Yeah, his friends,"_ I say, rolling my eyes. "_Genis and Colette are right there."_

"_But he's not mad at those two."_

_"Who cares?!__ I'm feeling just as scared as anyone else here, especially Lloyd!"_

Charis sighs. "_No, no you're not.__ Think about what Lloyd said to Kratos back at the house of salvation. He's scared about everything, even though he's holding up his usual positive attitude. C'mon, you should be able to see that. He's scared to find out the truth about his parents, scared to face Kvar, scared of a repeat of what happened last time we were here. He's trying so hard to let go of the mental image he's had of his parents the past fourteen years, and guess what? He's scared about that too – scared the truth might be worse than what he'd imagined.__ Can you honestly tell me you're THAT scared?'_

I don't say anything to that for a while; I just kinda ... stare ahead dumbly at Lloyd, everything Charis just told me running through my head. Oh geez, she's right – I was a bitch. I should really go apologise or something ... but ugh, what can I say? "Here comes a sudden change in attitude – I'm sorry for being a twat?" Something tells me that isn't going to work.

I look to one side to see both Kratos and Raine looking at me in a kinda "you know what you must doooo" way. Lloyd _does_ look pretty pissed and depressed that I've helped him annoy the hell out of everyone, so ... ugh, this is harder that it sounds.

Without any warning at all, Raine places a hand between my shoulder blades and ... shoves me not-so-gracefully ahead to Lloyd's side. I do actually stumble a bit when I get there, gaining the attention of everyone in the corridor-vent-thing. They quickly go back to what they were doing, and Lloyd doesn't acknowledge me at all. He just continues staring ahead at the floor, angry-pouting. Dammit, Lloyd.

I bite my lip, wishing I'd prepared something to say. Which I kinda didn't. Ugh, just say sorry, woman! Agh, but it sounds so stale and ... ineffective. Think Charlotte, think – this is Lloyd. How do you apologise to Lloyd?

... Ah.

I tug on his ribbon, gaining his attention for a second, where he glances at me still looking quite pissed off before turning back quite angrily to the floor ahead. I roll my eyes, but stick to my guns. Not literally.

'I'll cook you your curry,' I say with a small nod, shoving my hands into my pockets. '_And_ I'll make you some cookies.'

There's a long silence, and I wait for his answer, vocal or physical. His expression doesn't seem to have changed, and he doesn't say anything. I wonder if it worked, and the lack of reply isn't really helping. Maybe I should throw in another offer? Do I have to cook him a bloody six-course meal, or something!? My sister took catering in school, not me! Darn it!

Lloyd takes in a deep breath after a few moments, and fails in his struggle to hold down a snort of laughter he's been keeping down. He finally grins again and thumps me playfully on the shoulder. 'Don't worry about it.'

I almost slip out with "well, that was friggin' easy", but hold it back with a small smirk. 'Oh, but I will.'

'No, it was my fault. I'm sorry.'

'No, really – I started it,' I say, dropping my gaze to the floor and wrinkling my nose in discomfort. 'I'll cook you guys some cookies to make up for it.'

Lloyd sighs in defeat, but his grin doesn't exactly leave him. 'Dork ...'

I grumble quietly to myself at the name I've been dubbed with once again. 'Y'know, I remember a time when I actually _wanted _you to call me a dork. It ... seems so very far away now.'

'You'll get used to it,' Lloyd says, thumping me on the back. Okay – why does he always thump me to show his appreciation or agreement, or whatever? Isn't that what guys do? Has he not actually realised I'm a girl? Do I have to indicate my knockers to him so he'll get the message?

'Okay, um, ow ...' I say, reaching over my shoulder to rub my back. 'Why do you do that? I'm a girl ...'

Lloyd pauses for a moment, looking as though I'd just asked him the square route of twelve million thousand and three. I wait for his answer, and I don't actually get one for a while. We just continue down the eventually narrowing chute, meaning we're getting close to the ranch now. He should really answer before we get there.

After deciding the problem isn't exactly just going to go away if he leaves it, he shrugs gingerly. 'I-I dunno ... I mean, you don't really act like a girl ...'

'I do,' I say, nodding to myself. 'Just not the girls you're used to being around.'

'I guess ... but it's hard to treat you like a girl if you don't act like one, y'know? Maybe you should try acting a little more ...'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Maybe ...'

'No, no!' Genis declares from a few steps ahead, whipping his head to glare over his shoulder. 'Don't even try! I'm imagining you starting to act like Colette!'

Lloyd stares, blinking in confusion. 'Huh? Why would that be bad? Colette's nice and all.'

Genis rolls his eyes. '_Yes_, but then we wouldn't have Charlotte. We'd have two Colettes.'

Lloyd shrugs again, and Genis throws his hands up in frustration, gripping clumps of his soft white hair between his fingers. Colette just walks beside him, twirling a strand of hair around her finger while she tries to stifle her giggles, glancing to her side at the half-elf.

'Try to imagine Colette acting like _her_,' Genis finishes, dropping his hands back to his sides before folding them tightly over his chest. 'Having two Charlottes.'

I love how Lloyd's face changes from puzzlement to horror in about three seconds flat. Raine and Sheena also try to stifle their laughs of amusement, and Kratos seems to be halfway through imagining what having two of me in the group would be like. If he reaches the end of that train of thought, his brain may or may not implode. Y'know ... if I ever manage to get out of this, go about my normal life, marry and have children, I'm totally gonna find a way to visit Sylvarant and introduce my kids to Kratos, the man who tried to kill Mummy several times some yonder fifteen years ago. His reaction to Harrison-Spawn will be the most amazing thing ever.

And I'd totally make them call Lloyd "Uncle Lloyd". Just to piss him off. I'd make them call Kratos "granddaddy", but I don't really want my future children to witness their mother's bloodshed before their young, uneducated eyes.

'A girl and two boys ...' I decide quietly to myself, nodding. I get a few weird looks, but it mostly goes unnoticed.

After a while we finally, finally, _finally_ reach out destination. We passed about three possible exits into the ranch, but Sheena has oh so kindly located us to the one closest to the main computer room, where we can sort out our plans for blowing this ranch to hell and back. We're such a kind, gentle Chosen-posse. Anyway – if we're lucky, this should lead into the computer room, so no more stealth-ing our way through.

Big problem, though.

It's up another ladder.

'... Arse,' I say bluntly, lacking a creative way to express my mood. Raine however, decides to confront the situation with a more professional approach. After scolding me, of course.

'Stop using such vile language,' she mumbles before looking the ladder up and down. 'It would be best if we sent someone up to look around first. It seems this ladder leads directly to our destination. They might have some guards around.'

'Leave that to me,' Sheena says with a grin, looking comfortably confident for the first time since joining up with us. 'I specialise in this kinda furtive creeping around.'

'... Didn't you fall down a trapdoor when we first met you?' Lloyd asks, scratching his cheek.

'... Sh-shut up! I only did that because you caught me off guard!' she insists quietly as to not draw attention from above.

Genis frowns, raising an eyebrow. 'But ... _you_ charged at us.'

I snort and immediately shove my fist into my mouth, just because of the possibility that she might summon one of her guardians and shove it down my throat.

'Agh, enough!' she snaps, wrapping a hand firmly around the ladder's iron bar. 'I'm going up!'

'Take these,' Kratos says, handing her two random pebbles from the ground. 'Drop both if the room is empty. One if there are enough Desians we can take.'

'O ... okay,' Sheena says, suddenly becoming very, very aware of Kratos' height now she's actually close to him for the first time. He's tall – too tall. Humans aren't MEANT to be that tall. And Regal is _taller_! Hopefully Regal won't have a constant urge to beat me soundly, so I won't worry about that too much.

'Be careful!' Colette calls after her with a worried look, and Sheena just nods in response while she begins to climb her way up there, demanding sharply that we all not stare up at her. We all just glance around at each other and our surroundings, and wait for those pebbles to drop to the floor to notify if we can move on or not. Hopefully she'll drop two – I don't want to fight Desians right now – it's too early and I'm too tired. The only thing I can think about is a nice, soft, fluffy pillow and a thick blanket ... ugh, I want my bed back. I don't dig these thin, flimsy inn beds and sleeping bags. Our sleeping bags are technically two pieces of long, brown cloth sown together. Not very warm and comfy.

'We're just ... gonna free the captives, right?' I ask, looking up at the Professor. She nods silently, clutching her staff between her pale hands, and I can tell she's actually quite worried about this. For anything, she's worried about Lloyd ... I think most people are, after how he reacted last time – rushing at Kvar without a weapon, just with the intent to kill him with his bare hands. Sure, he got pretty much owned. Ah well – as long as Kratos is with him, I'm sure he can control his son's anger. With a firm backhand, which always seems to work. Raine does it.

I glance over at Lloyd, and he's just staring at the floor again. I'm relieved it isn't actually my fault this time, but still. He's probably thinking about how he can't do anything about Kvar. Yes – Lloyd does quite want to rip out Kvar's eyeballs and shove them up his ass, but he can't. We have people to save, and then the closest militia can come raid the ranch and ... kill people. Then we can go save the world. The people of Sylvarant must be getting pretty pissed off with how we keep getting sidetracked with ranches and holding off the regeneration. I would be to.

The sound of climbing overhead stops, and I bite my lip. Through absolutely no fault of my own, I start humming "Chim Chim Cher-ee" to myself in an attempt to calm down. When in doubt, turn to Mary Poppins, apparently. I get a weird glance from Genis at my humming, but ignore the little bugger and look up nervously, waiting. Please don't drop any pebbles Sheena ... please say there's too many up there and we don't have to go into that place ...

_Clack __clack_.

I wince to myself when the two stones clatter to the floor, and the sound of a heavy vent gate opening up above echoes down to us and through the corridor.

'Looks like this is it,' Lloyd says, glancing up before turning to everyone. 'Is everyone ready?'

'As ready as I'm gonna get,' I mumble while everyone just nods in reply. I won't go into the details of the ladder climbing – it's just like last time, but without the constant whining. Plus, I'm actually at the top this time. Whey me, but it also means I'll have to enter up there first. Hoshizzle.

Now humming "It's the Hard Knock Life". Charlotte, get away from the musicals.

With a little help from Sheena, I pull myself up and through the vent gate, falling over onto the floor as I do so. I'm not feeling too graceful right now, so let's just ... ignore that. As I straighten myself up and dust off my clothes, Colette, Genis, Lloyd, and finally the two adults quickly make their way through. Probably because it's – oh I dunno – friggin' pitch black in here. Seriously – the only light is coming from the faint glow of the hollow, circular ... computer thing, which doesn't even have a freaking screen. Not sure how that works, but still ...

'The room is definitely empty,' Raine mumbles to herself, observing the room curiously and peering through the dark. 'But something is ... a little off.'

'... Hey, yeah ...!' Lloyd realises after a moment, looking around wildly. 'Sheena, are you sure this is the right place? It's different from last time ...'

'E ... heh ... well, uh, it's a different computer room,' Sheena admits sheepishly, flexing her fingers against each other in a nervous manner. 'The one we were in before is swarming with guards, and the rooms around it are packed with 'em too. But if I tried to lead you elsewhere, you wouldn't have believed me.'

'... Touché, Sheena,' I mumble, glancing around. 'So ... what side of the ranch are we on?'

'Well, there's a main computer right there,' Genis groans, rolling his eyes. 'Why don't we take a look?'

I shove his head to one side again, and he protests loudly before Raine thwaps him one and storms over to the computer to try and make it work. Remember – there's a big fat red button smack-bang in the centre of the keyboard, which juts out from the circular ... _thing_. A good few bashes to that should kick it into gear. And that's exactly what Raine does, but it a less violent manner; she just prods it. Just a note – if Raine _is_ sent to bugger with the locks and take lead of the rescue-team, and I'm sent with the Kvar-team because of my ohmygod-technology-skills, I _will_ be bashing anything into the next oblivion if it refuses to work.

'Here we go,' Raine sighs in relief, and a soft buzzing erupts from the computer. A few green and blue tinted hologram screens pop up as it starts, a few maps and a few just long, long sheets of information. Raine starts clicking away at the keyboard, shoving a few pointless screens to the back and enlarging a big-ass map, which I'll assume is the ranch layout. Techy-beeping and computer sounds fill the room as the location names write themselves out around the map, the only problem being that they're in Elven. Luckily, Raine, Genis, and probably Kratos can read that.

'We are here,' Raine announces, pointing to the outline of a room that's begun to glow softly. 'Alright ... we have to find a safe route to where the prisoners are being kept ... it shouldn't be too far from here, but it'll be a hassle to evacuate them.'

'True, that ...' I say with a small grumble. 'Last time, Neil just stormed them out and got caught ... and we don't have a whole militia backing us up.'

'Yeah ...' Colette mumbles, twisting her sleeves. 'Could we lead them back through the aqueducts?'

'Perhaps ...' Raine says quietly, still calculating a few things in her head when another room starts glowing. I'd assume it's where the newer prisoners are being kept, which must be around half of Luin. Leading them back through the aqueducts would get them far enough away from the ranch, and then Luin is only a few hours walk from there. We'll be able to make it back

'Four corridors to pass to reach the prisoners ...' Raine mumbles to herself, typing away. 'Minimum security ... it looks like they have a shortage of Exspheres after the uproar we caused. Most of their security is going into guarding the Exsphere room. The prisoners seem to be being left alone because the Exspheres inside them have not yet developed into a useable state ...'

'So they're useless to the Desians as they are right now?' Sheena asks, breathing a small sigh of relief. 'At least we won't have any casualties ...'

'Let's just wait and see for that ...' I say, looking around the room again. 'We need a light-switch, or something ...'

'It might attract attention from Desians outside,' Kratos says quietly, arms folded firmly. 'We'll have to make do with the light source we have.'

'... Argh, donkeyballs,' I grumble, kicking a wall nearby. 'Let's just get on with this ... if we stick around for too long, we'll get caught.'

'We have a route,' Raine says. 'But the doors around are locked and guarded. We'll have to disengage the ranch's locks from another room ... but it will likely unlock every sealed door in the ranch ... they may catch us out.'

'It's the only chance we have, right?' I say, shrugging. 'Let's go for it.'

The Professor shakes her head at my brashness, knowing it's just because I want to get out of this ranch as fast as I can so we don't end up stumbling across a certain cardinal who may or may not want to strangle me with my own tongue. If someone shoots you in the head, you want to slap them at least.

I look around at everyone, and we all seem relatively calm about this. You can tell Lloyd has mixed feelings about setting the prisoners free and then just strolling on out of here, but everyone has taken the safe option and isn't mentioning anything about it. Kratos and Raine are the only two who seem to _want_ to say something about it, but they're keeping silent and focusing on the prisoners. It may be especially hard for Kratos, but at least he's not storming off in a mad rage to disembowel Kvar. That wouldn't be pretty.

'The room to disengage the locks is here,' Raine says, tapping a small glowing room a few ways away from this one. 'It isn't guarded heavily ... enough guards that we can take down at the very least.'

'How ...' Lloyd asks quietly, stopping himself abruptly. Raine hangs her head and sighs in frustration, and Lloyd finishes. 'How guarded is Kvar's room?'

'Wait a sec ...' Sheena interrupts angrily, glaring at the younger boy. 'You're not thinking of going to fight him are you? Are you crazy!?'

Lloyd just stares at the floor, not answering. Colette and Genis look worriedly to each other and to Raine, who just turns away from Lloyd and returns to the computer, shaking her head. Lloyd glances up at her back, looking slightly annoyed.

'I know it sounds-'

'Stupid,' Sheena finishes for him, still glaring. 'I know you have a bone to pick with Kvar and all, but a lot of people need our help! We can't just go around looking for that guy when they-!'

'Sheena, that's enough. Lloyd has his reasons,' Raine snaps, typing away at a rapid speed. She doesn't look up to acknowledge him as she speaks, and continues with the computer. 'Lloyd ... I know what you're feeling right now is enough to overwhelm you, but you can't face him alone. It's suicide.'

Lloyd clenches his fists tightly at his sides, and I notice his shoulders have begun to shake violently. Kratos reaches out a hand, but lets it drop a moment later. We just have to let him live this one out.

'I know ... but just knowing that Kvar ... that my mom's murderer is right where I can reach him, I just-!'

'You can't reach him,' Raine interrupts. 'And if you try, you'll be dead before you do.'

'... Dammit,' Lloyd hisses to himself, punching a nearby wall. Well, he doesn't actually punch it – he just bashes it sharply with the side of his fist. I'm sure it hurts very much right now, but I won't comment on that. I jumped about a foot into the air when he did so anyway, because remember – its pitch black in here. It could have been a Desian, or Kvar jumping out of the computer. You never know.

Lloyd doesn't move from that position, and Raine does her best to ignore him. You can see her typing away to bring up more information, but she keeps glancing to one side at him before groaning to herself and continuing. This happens about three times while Colette and Genis converse quietly between each other, Sheena continues to glare at Lloyd's back, and I stand around silently doing nothing – three times, before Kratos finally straightens up, unfolding his arms with a barely audible sigh.

'I will go with him.'

Raine's fingers freeze where they are, and Lloyd's head snaps up to stare at the taller man close by. Sheena looks like she's about to launch into another heated rant again, but I actually stop her this time by smacking her arm softly – not enough to hurt, but enough to make her shush. Lloyd looks from Kratos to the Professor, as if waiting for her permission. I'm sure they would go either way, but they wouldn't have to feel guilty about it if she said it was fine. Well, Lloyd wouldn't – I'm sure Krat doesn't give a rat's ass.

After about a full minute of Raine just staring blankly at the keyboard, probably going through the idea over and over in her head, Raine starts to slowly type again, not offering an answer. From what I can see, there are ups and downs to this idea – one up is that Kratos and Lloyd can finally get closure, and Lloyd won't turn into a raging emo like his father and half of Cruxis. A down is that we lose two of our main fighters, and though I'm sure Raine, Genis, Colette, Sheena and me could take on a couple of Desians, it might become a little difficult when they realise we've just set half of Luin free and are forcing them down some old aqueducts. With half the ranch chasing us ... yeah, it'd be a lot easier with Kratos there.

'Kvar's room is blocked by the conveyor belt mechanism,' Raine says calmly after a moment, sounding stressed. 'I'm sure the two of you have no idea _how_ to operate the main computers to shut it down. With it running, his office is unreachable.'

... Shit.

'I can't accompany you as the second adult in this group, and I have to disengage the main locks so we can reach the prisoners.'

... _Shit_.

'No one else in this group can operate a computer.'

_... SHIT._

It takes around a minute. It happens _slowly_. First Genis looks over at me, then Raine. Then Kratos and Lloyd. Colette and Sheena look comfortably confused, and my face is probably some mangled cross between horror and panic. Goddammit, I hate it when Charis is right. I'd also insist that Kratos could do it, but the man has enough suspicious air about him, and I don't really want to get stabbed in the face.

'No,' I say firmly, glaring at the small group. 'I know what you're going to say, and no.'

At my words, Lloyd looks terribly hurt and pissed off. Mostly pissed off. 'But you're the only one besides the Professor who can operate computers!'

'You base that off me guessing passwords in Palmacosta ranch!?' I snap back, completely insistent to ... _not _face Kvar. I'm not doing it – they can't make me. I'm not going to see that man.

'You _told_ us you were good with computers, and you knew how to stop Harley's bomb back at Asgard,' Genis says, furrowing his brow a little. 'Or where you just lying?'

'I wasn't ... lying ...' I mumble, before shaking my head and gripping at my fringe, frustrated. 'I am good with computers, but - I can't. I just can't, okay? I can't face that guy.'

Raine sighs loudly in frustration. 'We all have to make sacrifices-'

'I'm not going!' I practically shriek, deciding that Raine is _not_ going to push me into feeling guilty like she did last time at the Palmacosta ranch. 'You can't make me go!'

'Shut up!' Kratos snaps threateningly, and I can see his glare through the dark. 'Lower your tone, girl!'

I hold my breath for a few seconds, flip Kratos the finger, and turn back to Raine. 'Look ... I can't. I can't face Kvar. I know this means a lot to you Lloyd, but I just can't.'

'Then I can't let you go,' Raine says, glancing over to the younger swordsman of the group. 'I'm sorry.'

'Wha ... but-! Kratos and me could-!'

'Lloyd, the answer is no,' Raine finishes in a firm tone, turning back to the holographs. 'It's too dangerous.'

I just stare at her as she works with my mouth dropping slightly open in shock. I knew it! She _is_ making me feel guilty about it! And the fact that everyone seems to be very pissed off at me isn't helping right now. Genis and Sheena keep glaring at me from time to time, I'm witnessing a whole new feel of hate radiating from Kratos, and Lloyd has returned to leaning against the wall and obviously is holding back the urge to punch it again.

_'Doesn't it seem worth putting another first when you get that in return?'_

... I hate you, Raine.

I am making this guy _curry_. And _cookies_. And I have practically devoted myself to getting on his good side while I'm here, and now I'm devoting myself to doing it _without_ my own benefit being involved, which is a really hard thing to do. So while I know creepy, tall, long-haired spandex-encased angels lie ahead one day, I'm still trying to put someone first and let myself get hurt in the process to prove a point to myself, as well as everyone in the group. _Now_ he's asking me to risk my life to bash around a few computers?

'You ... bloody ... _owe_ me for this, Irving,' I snap, brandishing a finger in his direction. 'You _owe_ me! No cookies for you!'

'So ... you're coming?' Lloyd asks slowly, straightening up from the wall he was slouched against.

'Yes, yes I am,' I say, dragging a hand down my face. 'But so help me, if I suffer even a _scratch_, I will rip off your scro-'

'Harrison, if you are coming along, refrain from speaking unless it is needed.'

I glare at one side to Kratos and almost snap at him, but decide simply to keep my mouth shut. It's bad enough that I have to travel around with him _again_ for this ranch, so I might as well not get him pissed off at me beforehand. Kratos and Lloyd will mostly be working together, and I'll only be dragged over when I'm needed to do something computer-related. That's completely fine with me – I don't want a main part in this operation. It'll heighten my chances of not being caught out.

'Don't worry, you won't be fighting a lot,' Raine says, turning back to her computer and bringing up some new screens, probably to help with the route to Kvar's room. 'I'm sure Kratos and Lloyd are more than capable together.'

'Uh ... yeah. I'm not completely useless,' I say, rubbing the back of my neck with a small frown. 'I can shoot. It's quite easy.'

'Well ... do your best,' Sheena says awkwardly, and I suddenly realise that ever-present RPG cliché has crashed down on us yet again. When you're splitting up your teams, you have to equal them out – strong, normal, and practically useless consist of one team. It's quite obvious who is where in our little three-man team, but let's not comment on that. I'm sure Sheena and Genis will be the strongest for the other team. I know Genis isn't too physically powerful, but his magic sure as hell packs a punch. I'm sure if he put his all into it, he could probably burn every inch of flesh off a grown man. Now when you look at him with his shortness and fluffy white hair and cute little outfit, that just doesn't seem to fit.

'Kratos, do you think you could memorise the route to Kvar's room?' Raine asks, looking over her shoulder to the mercenary. 'We have no maps for reference.'

'I believe this ranch has a simpler layout than most,' Kratos replies, taking a few steps forward to observe the glowing screen. 'It shouldn't prove too difficult.'

While this is going on, Lloyd prods my shoulder to get my attention, and I can't help but feel pissed off right now about my whole predicament. He doesn't really attempt to boost my spirits at all, and just gives me an awkward look. 'Are you sure you're fine about this?'

'No,' I say simply and quietly, so I don't draw any attention from a certain Bastard Mercenary. 'Look, just – don't talk about it, alright? I'm coming to bash up some computers for you so you can get your revenge. Let's leave it at that before I change my mind again.'

'Uh ... yeah, sure,' Lloyd replies quietly, looking rather lost for words at this point. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, and finally departs to accompany Raine and Kratos when I raise an eyebrow. Colette looks like she's debating coming over to talk to me or not, but a quick shake of the head from Genis stops her. I actually agree with him – I swear, if anyone tries to say anything, I'm just going to take back what I said and not go with the other two. Let's just say I'm hanging on a very fine thread here.

... Besides, who knows – Kratos and Lloyd are practically bent on revenge right now. Who's to say I _won't_ have to fight him? I might be able to just stick around outside while they do the business, and then it'll all be fine. Sure, by now I know that I'm expected to set the self-destruct system for the ranch (because Raine and the others will have evacuated everyone at that point and might not be able to come back in), but it doesn't mean I have to fight ...

'Um ... Raine ...' I say after a moment, just making sure. She looks over her shoulder at me, and I point to myself and mouth the words 'self-destruct', to which I'm answered with a nod and a questioning look as if to say "do you know how?". I shake my head, and she nods a second time before turning back to the other two. Whey, looks like I am. Wow, I'm going to be responsible for blowing a ranch up. I don't really like that idea, but hey. Can't really just leave it here, as long as the prisoners are all free.

'Okay ... that should do it,' Raine mumbles, straightening up and looking back to me. I walk over as Kratos and Lloyd go to one side to discuss, and Raine just takes me through what I need to do. It's not too simple, but I'm sure I'll be able to manage. Those long years of my butcher-brother teaching me how to fix my mum's computer so he didn't have to seem to finally be paying off.

Practically you have to select the obvious "Initiate Self Destruct Sequence" and then work your way through it. That really means selecting the level of power the final blow will follow, which stations around the ranch will be blowing up (there's around ten to fifteen stations, so that's a lot of explosions), selecting the time before the confirmation and the actual bang-bang-bang-dead begins, and if you want to set off an alarm or something. You also have to put in a couple of pointless stuff just to prove you're not a rebel program – name, location, certain numbers that should be easy to find around one of their computers. The actual stress is that you have exactly 60 seconds to do _all_ of that, or an intruder-siren goes off, you're locked in, and gassed. Not too good. So we'll need someone who's quite fast with a computer. Moi. Oh lordie.

Oh, and apparently the siren isn't just for the self-destruct system. It's for the "How To" system too, if you don't set any anti-alarm procedures beforehand. Which, as we are in a hurry, didn't do. So a few seconds after Raine tries to bring up the map again, the computer shuts itself down without warning, bright red lights flash on so quickly they actually sting my eyes, and a loud resounding "_VREEEEEEN VREEEEN VREEEEEEEEN"_ sound just plummets out from overhead. And around the whole ranch, it seems. And doesn't stop.

Well, feck.

'Damn!' Lloyd shouts over the alarm, that being the only thing he can come up with right now. Genis, Colette and Sheena slap their hands to their ears over the loud noise, and I'd do the same (because it really is freakin' loud), but Raine seems to be trying to shout something to us through the ringing noise. We can't hear her, and it's all very lame.

'Raine, what do we do!?' Genis shouts, flinching at the volume. 'The Desians are coming this way!'

'Dammit ...' Raine hisses, and it's a wonder I heard it in the millisecond of silence through the alarm. 'Kratos! Can you memorise the route!?'

'What!?' Genis exclaims with a panicked look. 'We're splitting up _now_!?'

Genis is luckily ignored. Kratos just nods to avoid hearing difficulties and Raine looks around quickly as if trying to recall the map image, and find out which way her group is headed. The room is pretty big, and there are like ... four exits, as well as the large vent-gate near the floor we crawled our way out of. After a few panicked moments, Sheena decides for her, and grabs the older woman's wrist to drag her over to the second door on the left side of the room. Colette and Genis give our smaller group a thumbs up for good luck, and though I believe we'll need much more than that for luck, I do the same back.

When they go, Kratos leads us out of the area and through a random door on the right side of the room. I'll trust his navigation skills for now and follow behind, guns drawn, and attempting to ignore the sirens overhead. As soon as we get into the corridor, Kratos gives a signal to ... well, practically run like fuck while he slaughters anything coming at us while he leads. Because he's gangsta, like I said before.

It's hard to do this actually – Kratos and Lloyd are ahead of me, and the flashes of red every few seconds are quite distracting and blinding, as well as the shouts from ahead that must be the Desians coming at us. Also, it's sad that these corridors are narrow, because it's hard to squeeze past the dead bodies that fly back at you when Kratos is finished with them. It's like a sick game of space invaders, 'cept the spaceships are blood coated, limb missing people. Yes, not too pleasant.

'Any idea ... where we're going?' I pant after the fifth body is flung behind, hoping that they'd heard me through the alarms. Lloyd shakes his head, looking like he's dying to catch his breath (it's a freakin' long corridor), but Kratos just continues to slaughter left and right as we plough our way through. If he misses and they make a grab for us, Lloyd has to finish them off, which isn't hard. Adrenaline and whatnot – but even so, I don't think I can. Not yet.

'Outside,' Kratos answers at a free moment when we reach the first fork, Desians coming at us left, right, everywhere. I panic a little when I see the burst out of the door a few ways back behind us, and decide that we're not getting off to a good start. Kratos decides on the left pathway, and Lloyd and I just follow him without question, bolting past the Desians that make lunges for us from the other corridors.

'Well this is a bad start,' I say. The other two don't answer, and we just continue to run as hard as we can to escape the line of about ... fifteen Desians following us, some of them trying to cast spells. I notice two or three fireballs ripple through the air, spinning towards us, and decide this would be a time to be _smart_. I cast Protection while _still running_, which is a challenge – it flickers violently whenever my feet hit the floor, and I have to slow down a little until they disappear. As soon as they're gone, I follow the two now a tad ahead.

'What are you doing!?' Lloyd exclaims angrily, noticing how I'm now behind a ways.

'Saving you from getting your ass fried!' I grumble, trying to run impossibly faster than my body will let me. I swear, I'm either going to fall over, rip a ligament, or shatter my kneecaps. 'Good lord, when are we gonna _get_ outside!?'

'Soon,' Kratos snaps, and I'm probably pissing him off already somehow. 'It should be dark – we'll be able to hide ourselves.'

'Huh? Dark already?' I mumble to myself, thinking. Yeah ... we have to have been in those aqueducts for a good part of the day ... it should be closing in on night time around now, though I'm not sure. We _have_ spent most hours underground, and I didn't keep track of time.

'Friggin' ... Desians ... catching up ...' I pant, seriously starting to need a breather. It's rare I get asthma attacks, but gee whiz – I could have about forty right now. Yes Lloyd, very good idea to bring me along – I'll be the death of you both.

Kratos apparently read my thoughts just then and decided "feck this, Harribitch won't be killing me", and throws one arm back as he runs. I feel the fizz of mana soar past the side of my face, and a horrendous crunch rivalling the volume of the alarm fill the hallway. A bulky section of the polished floor crumbles and surges up in pillars of stone. I think I lose all colour in my face when I hear strangled screams, cracking bones, and ripping flesh. Luckily, I turn away before the ruin of stone and bodies can spill blood through each tiny crack, and raise a hand to my throat.

'Dammit ...'

'Looks like we can't go back that way ...' Lloyd gasps after a moment, fatigue finally catching up. Kratos could probably run for hours, and is getting steadily pissed off with our human drawbacks. No Kratos, not all of us have had over four-thousand years of training, and not all of us have raging muscles that can withstand SO MANY DIFFICULTIES. Damn you, Aurion! Damn you and your cliché manly body!

'This is bad!' Lloyd decides after about another minute or two of running, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes in fear of accidently running into a wall. 'Really bad!'

I'd agree, but I can barely breathe right now, and Lloyd looks the same. Yeah ... many minutes of straight running will do that to you after walking and climbing and running some more _since the middle of the night yesterday_. I swear to god, when I get home, I'm going to be like ... muscletastic, or something ... or be extremely fit. Oh ... wait – I don't get to keep this body. So all the exercise and stuff I do here doesn't count? Goddammit!

'Uh, Krat-man, I don't think outside is an option,' I say as we reach a four-way corridor, with Desians coming from ... every route. Seriously, loads of them are just charging at us, and we're not getting much luck here. Kratos and Lloyd skid to a halt, and me, being the complete spaz that I am, fall over. Kinda. My knees hit the floor at least before I pull myself up.

'We're surrounded ...!' Lloyd hisses, clutching his swords tightly. 'What can we ...'

'We need to take the left path,' Kratos tells us, swiping his palm across the flat of his blade. Mana sizzles around it, and the blade practically comes alive with electricity dancing around the steel. Before I can consider if that's safe at all, Kratos randomly slams his sword into the side of the wall leading down to the pathway we should be taking, and ... boom.

Thick streams of lightning thunder down the corridor, sizzling anything in its path and doing a great deal on the mob of Desians blocking our way. Lloyd's mouth drops open slightly at the continuous explosions of mana down that-a-way, and the surrounding Desians who _aren't_ being fried right now are watching in horror and running away. O'course, because it's Kratos, anyone would do that.

'... Bitchin' ...' I say, giving a thumbs up.

'Yeah, but there are still ...' Lloyd trails off when more Desians start bravely stepping over the charred bodies of their colleagues. I notice Kratos looks a _tad_ worn, so I won't ask him to do that again.

'Let's finish 'em off,' I say, holding up my guns and elbowing Lloyd in the arm. 'Shockblade?'

'Huh? The last time we used that was in Palmacosta! We'll never get it ri-!'

'Powering up already, Lloyd,' I snap, pistols fizzing with mana under my hands. 'Chop chop.'

'Argh, fine!' he snaps, waiting for his swords to start glowing also. So while Kratos cuts down the approaching people around us, I finally send a bulk of energy to Lloyd's blades, and even though the poor think looks knackered, storms over to the incoming group. The Desians running at him immediately stop when they see the blades crackling with power like Kratos' a moment ago, and ... start running in the opposite direction with yells of panic. How ... sad.

Lloyd isn't having any of that though! He leaps at them, slams his blades to the floor, and a great torrent of white mana erupts from them and goes straight for the fleeing group like a tidal wave. But ... smaller, and not as cool. Regardless, it gets the job done, and the remaining few collapse to the ground, defeated. And the two or three left run like feck.

Lloyd wobbles a little as he stands back up, and I feel a little bad. He's been running around all day, and I've just made him do all that ... but oh well – at least we can escape now.

Speaking of escaping, Kratos snatches my wrist with a bloodstained hand and drags me down the empty pathway. Let it be known – yes, Kratos is a fast runner – no, I'm not a fast runner – yes, this is very uncomfortable. When I finally snatch my wrist away, and look behind and see that the few brave ones are hot on our heels. Shite on a bike – we're screwed.

'Definitely not a good start!' I groan, knowing this is seriously only the beginning. As soon as we get to a calmer place, we can actually sort out how we're going to do things, and with them chasing us left, right and whatnot, it won't be easy.

Oh, and do you know what makes it worse? Do you know what makes this _whole thing _just that little bit more difficult? No, it isn't the Desian gang following us – it isn't that fact that I look utterly worthless compared to the other two in this group – it isn't that I'd rather be with the other four where I _wouldn't_ have the harder job – heck, it isn't even that I have to spend this ordeal with a certain bastard mercenary, and a certain other I'm having a bumpy, uncertain friendship with right now. No, it isn't any of that.

'_Don't let them escape.'_

Kvar apparently has an overhead voice recorder that resounds throughout the entire ranch. And y'know what? Hearing his clearly pissed off voice doesn't help.

'_Capture the three of them alive. I enjoy a challenge.'_

I feel a small sense of relief that the others haven't been detected yet, but ... still – Kvar knows exactly where we are, where we're heading, and what we're doing.

'_Lloyd, be assured. By the time this night is over, that Exsphere will once again be in my possession.'_

'That bastard ...' Lloyd seethes quietly, glaring up at the ceiling where the cameras are most likely installed, as if the cardinal was there himself. 'I'm coming for you, Kvar!'

_'__We shall see, boy.__ Oh, and do give it your all. I would like to see how my project has been coming along.__ You are, after all, much more able than its last host.'_

He clenches his teeth, and I hope he'll be able to keep _some_ cool throughout this whole thing. I don't want him going insane and rushing into battle unarmed again, because I don't think I'll be up to shooting Kvar in the head this time.

'I'll kill him ...' Lloyd vows to himself, fists clenched tightly. 'I swear I'll kill him!'

And with a bleep, the overhead switches off. But not before one final comment that gives me a finishing sense of foreboding.

'_Hm__ ... I see these next few hours will be __entertaining__.'_

And oh, won't they just.


	57. Friendship's End

Happy birthday to meeee...

Yup yup, in about two hours, 22nd December, I'm finally going to be 15. Oooh, that's horrible. My house is such a dump too, but oh well. I'll surviiiiiive.

Not much has been going on in my personal life ... sooo, let's get right on to a quick explaination of the chapter. This mainly focuses on the first half of the ranch, and a bunch of ups and downs in Lloyd and Char's friendship. More downs than ups ... but I love it when things go wrong. Char is a complete and utter bitch this chapter, but she gets what's coming to her.

And on that note, I'd just like to clarify something - I've been getting a few PMs and emails asking me if this is going to turn into Lloyd/Char - seriously, it won't. I promise. Char won't be paired up with anyone; her friendship with Lloyd is just a vital part of the story concerning if she gets to go home or not, and how some scenes turn out. She's been focusing on it a lot more becase he's begun to trust her, and she's ... screwing it up, really XD

Aaaaaand after this we have some _torture_ scenes. Oooh ...

Oh, and much pity for Lloyd in this chapter D: I seriously wanted to rip Char out of my head and strangle her while I was writing this.

Alright, I hope everyone has a happy Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate this time of year :3 Tell me what you're getting for Christmas, because I'm getting like ... five presents XD Not that I'm being deprived - I didn't ask for anything this year, but my mum is still insistent.

(-Points to review number-) IT'S OVER NINE HUNDREEEEEEEEEED. Thanks you guys - all of you. You're so very awesome. So have some Christmas cheer from me, I hope you all have a smashing new year, and LETS MAKE 2008 AWESOMESAUCE.

Aaaand that's all I can say. I gotta clean my room for tomrrow D: I turn 15 at exactly 7:01 PM, so yaaaaay! Read and review please, and a happy birthday would be nice XD I'm spending my birthday alone this year, but I'll be fine, hopefully. Everyone is so busy this time of year ...

* * *

Chapter 57 - Friendship's End

Well, Kvar's been right so far. This first hour as been hectic indeed, or entertaining as he called it. Obviously, not on our half.

'Feet ... hurt ...'

I just nod at Lloyd's ... twenty fourth complaint, not really knowing what he's expecting me to say. Y'know, I hardly keep a handy foot-spa with me everywhere I go, so he's pretty much screwed, as we all are. I'd pity him, but he's been whining for about ten minutes. Kratos whacked him already, so there's not much else to do other than listen to him grumble about it.

Time to explain the situation, I guess.

In the end, we did manage to throw off the guards with much Fire Balling from Kratos, and a good dose of Air Thrust. We never did make it outside, because the whole ranch has been locked up to prevent escape, though I'm sure the aqueduct pathway is open. There are Desians patrolling down there, after all. So after learning this, you may ask – well Charster, if you're not outside, and you're still _inside_ the ranch with all those nasty Desian meanies, then where are you exactly?

In a freaking closet.

I shit you not – for the past ten minutes, Kratos has shoved us into a closet to hide. He's been keeping an eye out with his now blood-coated sword in hand, back to the wall beside a convenient crack in the doorframe, and Lloyd has been sitting in the corner tending to his BRUTALLY DAMAGED FEET. I've taken to the opposite corner, clutching my stomach desperately. After the fact dawned upon me that I've just been fleeing for literally my life, my nerves seemed to have multiplied like rabbits, and I'm feeling terribly sick. The fact that they're still looking for us isn't helping, and I'm sure I'd feel a tad safer is Sheena was here. Only because she's friggin' kickass, and she would be so much more convenient than Lloyd with her ninja skills. 'Cept the whole point of this is so Lloyd can have his stabby way with Kvar, so I can shut up.

'... My feet h-'

'If you finish that sentence, I'll cut them off,' Kratos says in a monotone voice, still with his sword in hand. Yes, he's kidding. Yes, it's impossible for Kratos to sound sarcastic. Yes, Lloyd is taking him seriously. Yes, Lloyd has shut up.

Anyways, we've had no word on how Raine and the others are doing. Lloyd is especially worried about Genis and Colette (despite the fact they prove more kickass than Lloyd when teamed up, which is awesome), and Kratos is just hoping they don't screw up. Not that he's said anything like that, but still ... y'know. I'm constantly getting that "I swear to GOD, Harrison" glare from him. I can't be the only one he's got low hopes for here. Not that Raine is useless, but come on! I need faith here! Someone LOVE me!

'If you're gonna throw up, do it over there.'

... I hate you, Lloyd.

'I'm not gonna throw up,' I snap, frowning. 'And if I was, I'm not exactly gonna barf all over you just to piss you off. Maybe Kratos.'

Kratos doesn't answer, and I roll my eyes. I'm hardly seeking for attention, but it'd be nice to get some other acknowledgement from him other than "I will cut you". Then again, when have I _ever _gotten that? Okay, yeah, Asgard once or twice, but let's face – he was probably high or something. You'd have to be to wear that outfit. How the shiz do you take it _off?_ Or put it _on_ for that matter? I've never seen him change in or out of it. Not that I spy on him doing that. I'm not sick, and he's old. _Old_. Dad old. Urrrgh, maybe I will be sick.

'The security is loosening,' Kratos says finally, not looking away from the gap in the doorframe. 'Though we've been chased off our route.'

'So we have no idea where we are?' Lloyd asks, glancing up from his feet.

'We're not completely lost,' Kratos confirms quietly. 'Though we are in the second sector of the ranch.'

I frown. 'And the mechanism to shut down the machinery is not in this sector, I take it.'

'There are three sectors in all,' he explains. 'We broke into the first sector on our last assault. The third is where Kvar should be.'

'So the first sector is where all the prisoners and machinery are?' Lloyd asks, getting to his feet with the help of the wall.

'Only the machinery. The prisoners are in this sector.'

There's a small sigh of relief from Lloyd's direction (remember, very dark in here – can't see much). 'That's good ... Colette and Genis will be okay.'

'And Raine,' I say, folding my arms over my stomach.

'... Something tells me the Professor can take care of herself,' Lloyd says with a small laugh, nodding slightly. 'But the way Genis was in the last ranch ...'

'Dude. He's with Colette and Raine – Colette can cheer anyone up, and I'm sure he's much more comfortable with his sister and knowing that she isn't in any danger. And with a _ninja_ to protect them while Raine is unlocking stuff and messing with wires ... I'd feel pretty safe too.'

'Yeah ... I suppose you're right,' Lloyd says, kicking a small wooden bucket softly out of boredom. 'I should stop worrying and focus on what we're supposed to be doing ...'

'Hey ... I'm not saying you can't worry about your best friend and all ...' I say, shrugging and glancing to the dark grey wall. 'I'm worried about 'em too ... I just like to think that they aren't scared.'

'Are you scared?' Lloyd asks offhandedly, still kicking that bucket (and refusing to topple it, apparently).

'Terrified,' I say shortly. 'But that's different. They're the ones with the bigger mission here – they're the main people in this operation. If they can't save the prisoners, then what the hell are we doing here? Just extracting revenge on some wanker.'

'Wan ... ker?'

I shake my head. 'Asshole. Jerk. Tosspot. Whatever you want to call him. But the point is ... yeah, I'm frightened – I'm sure we all are. But if they're scared and can't finish the job ... not just us – the whole of Luin is screwed.'

'... I shouldn't have asked you to come along if I knew you were gonna be so scared,' Lloyd mumbles, staring at the floor while the repetitive _thunk_ of his boot hitting the wooden bucket comes to a stop. 'I'm sorry.'

I pause for a moment and consider what to say to that. Obviously, I'd rather like to slap him upside the head and go "well duh, you friggin' gimp", but that'd just be mean. And Kratos would kick me in the face.

'Pssh ... don't worry about it,' I lie, waving it off. 'It's okay.'

'No, it's not ...' Lloyd insists angrily, and I have to try and make out his face through the dark to realise that. 'I know you can't handle these situations and that you're afraid of Kvar ... but I made you come anywa-'

'You didn't _make_ me come, I chose to,' I say with a groan. 'And I would have felt worse if I'd chosen not to. I know one of your main aims on this journey was to avenge your mum, and I wouldn't have liked to be the reason that you couldn't do that in the end. And don't worry about me – I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself.'

'... Yeah ... okay.'

'... Hug?'

'No, dammit!' Lloyd persists firmly; glaring at me through the dark while he balls his fists and flails childishly. 'I don't want a hug from you! Stop asking!'

'Fine, but you're missing out,' I say wisely with a nod.

'Not from what Genis has told me ...'

'Yeah, but Genis doesn't like me.'

'Who said I did?'

I frown at him, and he holds up his hands quickly in defence. 'I'm kidding, I'm kidding!'

'You can stop your childish squabbling for now,' Kratos interrupts from the other side of the large, dark closet. 'We need to make our next move quickly before the patrol returns.'

Lloyd's attitude changes completely in the span of seconds, and he soars from slightly humorous to terribly serious and uneasy. I think my happy levels just hit a new low, but a nod of approval from Lloyd signals that we're going ahead with it. Kratos clutches his sword tighter, and the soft hiss of metal stings my ears and Lloyd draws his own weapons.

'We need to get outside to get to the first sector. We'll have to move quickly to avoid any Desians. It's still dark – we should be able to hide easily.'

'Got it,' Lloyd says a little shakily, and Kratos slowly pushes open the door. Light spills in with every inch, coating the walls with a soft glow that I'm not used to after ten minutes of darkness. I flinch a little, the sting of light prickling my temples and blink a few times to adjust my eyes. Lloyd squints, but follows behind Kratos quickly when the mercenary leads our speedy escape from the closet.

This would be the most amazing moment to crack a joke about Lloyd coming out of the closet, but I will sustain myself. I _will_, dammit.

We run ... speedwalk, powerwalk, jog, whatever the feck it is we're doing down the hallway, and I immediately start wondering about the cameras. By now, I know what they look like – small black boxes crammed up into the crevice where the wall meets the ceiling, not too hard to spot against the brown and greyish tones of our surroundings. We've had no more word from Kvar, so I'm guessing we're safe unless he's playing a sick joke on us (which I wouldn't hold against him).

If the prisoners are in this sector as well as their escape route, I'm guessing that Raine and the others might just have the easier job here. We've got to shut down all the machinery to get to Kvar's room in the sector on the other side of the ranch, go visit Kvar himself and beat on him, and self-destruct the ranch up. And get out in time. I'm quite sure Raine's group have started disengaging the locks for the ranch around about now (I remember the lock room being close to the computer room we fled from), but we have no way of finding out. Which blows. And worrying less would make our job a lot easier.

'We're close to the first exit,' Kratos murmurs, probably only intending Lloyd to hear his words. 'It may be guarded.'

'Dammit ...'

I decide not to answer, because let's face it – I have an utter lack of things to say while I'm here. I'm expected to bash around some computers, get it all in working order, blow up the ranch, and that's it. If I stay quiet for a while, they might forget I'm here and I won't have to fight Kvar. Unlikely, but it's worth a shot. Commence mission "Shut The Hell Up".

'Harrison.'

'Yep?' Fuck, that didn't work.

We come to a quick stop at a T shaped corridor break, and Kratos takes a stealthy glance down the new pathway. After a moment, he turns back to us, nodding to Lloyd. When Lloyd nods back, I get a little confused. I'm sorry, I didn't get the memo that sad nodding had become an official language. Does that mean I now have to headbang in Kratos' general direction when I'm pissed off with him?

'There's another closet over there,' Kratos says, nodding (stop it!) to the other side of the corridor breaking off. 'Open it and make sure there's a lock.'

I pause, furrowing my brow a little. 'Why?'

'Just do it,' Lloyd mumbles impatiently, and I roll my eyes. I kinda wanted to get through this _without_ fall-outs, but I guess that isn't happening. Oh well, I'm sure I'll survive.

I take a quick glance down the breaking off corridor to see if there's anyone coming, and notice it leads directly outside some ways down with two guards stationed at its entrance. Making it over to the other side without being seen will be ... pretty much near impossible, because I'm an idiot. I give Kratos and Lloyd a disbelieving glance at the thought they're expecting me to actually pull this off, but they just looks steadily pissed off how I'm stalling.

I brace myself with a frown, counting down from three before leaping across. Y'know the kind of leap you do when you're jumping over a puddle, or a large gap? Yeah, the ones that make you look like a twat. Hmm.

'Oh gosh, what a mess, deary me, oh my ...' I sing to myself shakily while I work at the lock, convinced that I was heard or seen. The lock clicks open, apparently left open, and I swing the door open. With a sigh of relief, I give the two opposite a confused thumbs up. Which doesn't work, seeing as they're not there.

'Ooookay ...' I mumble, looking around. I actually take a quick look in the closet I've just opened to see if they've jumped in there. After a moment of slight panic and bewilderment to disappearing swordsmen, two startled grunts from down the hall catch my attention, but they're definitely not my two companions – their tones are too low to be Lloyd's voice, and too high to be Kratos. It must be-

I almost have a heart attack when Kratos returns from down the corridor with Lloyd following behind him, two unconscious Desians slung over each shoulder. Because from this angle, it looks like Kratos has just like, spawned two dead torsos out of his shoulders. Which is, uh, not a nice thought.

'Move.'

I sidestep away from the closet door, and Kratos practically throws the two limp bodies into the darkness of the room, following with a swift check over. After a quick scuffle through some supplies in there, he straightens up with some thick rope and what looks like thick black gaffer tape. I give Lloyd a quick glance, who looks equally surprised at Kratos' lack of effort to carry two unconscious men coated in leather armour, tie them up and tape their mouths shut. When he _does_ finally step out, he simply closes the door behind him and clicks the heavy silver padlock secure.

'Let's go.'

'Y'know, when you _do_ stuff like that ...' I say with a small grimace. 'Talk to us while you do. You're scary sometimes, and we need to make sure you aren't, like, zombiefied on us.'

'What would be the difference?' Lloyd mumbles as we slowly make our way outside, and I stifle a snort of laughter. Anyway, back to our current situation, to which is sudden a lot more terrifying than I thought it'd be. I hate my sudden changes of attitude.

Alright ... well, after I'm hastily dragged to a bush growing up against the face of the cliff the ranch is built into (why are they all built into cliffs? If it so they can mine dormant Exspheres? I'll ask at some point), I finally realise that yes, it is quite dark, and looks empty. Save for the tons and tons of Desians prowling around in their black outfits making them hard to spot, and the ... two, three ... four searchlights crawling across the short grass of the courtyard. Yes, it looks as if we're screwed, because the option of strolling right over to the first sector just flushed itself down the crapper.

Lloyd looks worriedly up at Kratos, who seems to be carefully thinking things through. This has become more of a stealth mission than "rage your way through the ranch and rip Kvar to iddy-biddy-baby pieces of half-elf", and though it seems safer, it's definitely one we have to be more careful about. And I'm not good at being sneaky, so yeah. We're doomed.

While Kratos thinks, I look around at the outside of the ranch, something I haven't actually _seen_ properly yet. Right ... we just came out of the second sector, which is technically a large "L"shaped building jutting out of the cliff behind. I'd imagine the larger parts of the ranch are built into the mountain like before to prevent an easy escape. The first sector some ... twenty, thirty yards away is like a complete mirror image of the second, save for a wired off sector close by the entrance where I'd assume prisoners are brought out to work, or exercise, or something. That just leaves ...

'Hey, where's the third sector?' I whisper, taking another thorough look around. I can't see another building anywhere ... just the two "L" shaped buildings facing each other. Kratos, not too concerned about my curiosity, just points up. I blink, arching my head back to look above, and spot it.

... And honestly, it's like some crashed the head of the Skylon Tower into the mountain at a perfect angle, directly between the other two buildings some fifty meters up. But with one set of windows, and said windows are tinted _red_. Just to add to the whole threatening feel. Kvar, you crafty bastard.

'That Kvar's office?' I ask, squinting at the semi-circled building above, and hoping it's also built into the mountain. If not, it looks like it's about to fall on us. Not only that, Kvar could probably see us if he looked out – the windows seem to be angled to he can see down easily to observe the courtyard. Y'know, he may be an eyeless douchebag, but he's got a smart designer sense. Maybe he styles clothes in his spare time, making little Desian miniskirts.

... Kvar in a miniskirt.

'What are you doing!?' Lloyd hisses when I hastily thwack my head against the grassy floor.

I mumble, cradling my stinging forehead. 'Legs aren't supposed to be that hairy ...'

Lloyd gives me a look as though I've started bleeding coffee from my nose (horror, if you're unimaginative like me), and Kratos just gives me a disapproving glance. It seems whenever I do open my mouth here, I come out with utter crap ... it's no wonder Kratos is getting pissed off. I think I'm annoying Lloyd too, so I'll just ... yeah, I'll be quiet now.

'We'll have to stay close to the cliff wall and just walk over there ...' Lloyd says, peeking over to top of the bush. 'There's no other way ...'

Kratos accepts grudgingly, probably convinced there's an easier way. But we're short on time, so he'll have to live with it. 'So it would seem.'

Remember, Charlie – say nothing. Just nod obediently and follow 'em, only speaking when you're needed, or if there's a rabid Desian running towards you. Even then, a tap on the shoulder would suffice. So while we stealthily stealth our way over in a not-so-stealthy manner, I keep my trap firmly shut. Seriously – this is Kratos and Lloyd's mission more than it is mine. I'm not even supposed to _be_ here – Raine just sadly had to unlock more complicated stuff and be the responsible adult in the _other_ group. Can't say Kratos is too responsible, but you know what I mean. Point is – this isn't my moment, I'm gonna stay out of it.

My heart comes to a shuddering stop when the searchlight travels over the edge of the bush I'm _right behind_, and my knees kind of ... cave in on themselves for a second or two as it slowly creeps away. I almost get another irritated comment for my stalling, but rapidly snap back to my senses and follow the taller swordsmen. I keep a close eye on the few searchlights as I creep behind the others, praying they don't come back.

I'm also inclined to glance above to Kvar's office, only being able to see that dark underside of the building and the brim of the slightly angled windows. I don't know why I keep looking up – I'm hardly expecting Kvar to have the side of his face pressed to the glass while glaring down at us, panting heavily. Because if he did, I think my levels of fear for him might just soar up a few notches. Yeah, I'm gonna avert my eyes now.

We finally reach the side of the building, and Lloyd looks back at me and presses a gloved finger to his lips. Oh come on Lloyd, I'm not gonna jump up and scream "WE MADE IT, SWEET BABY JESSIE". Calm down, man.

Kratos, being the brave soul he is, goes right up to the door to check for guards. I'm quite sure he could take care of them without hassle, but it might attract attention, and then we're all screwed. After a moment or two, he beckons us over, and we make our way over quickly and quietly. We almost get caught by a searchlight whizzing in our direction, and Kratos yanks us inside by the collars. Ow, I can't breathe.

I shiver while Lloyd doubles over and chokes for a second when Kratos unhands him, looking around. I can't say I recognise the plain corridors ... but seriously, they all look the same. They all have similar patterns and builds on the wall and floor ... but the giant plastic plaque that says _"Sector One"_ might be a big difference. It's also written in Elven underneath, but we can ignore that.

'This sector will be heavily guarded due to our last visit,' Kratos says, drawing his blade. Probably just to be insulting, he glances over at me coldly as he says this. 'Be prepared to fight.'

'And try to keep calm while you're doing it,' Lloyd adds, both weapons at the ready. I roll my eyes and draw my pistols.

'Well I'll try, but unlike some people, I don't suffer from Giant-Fucking-Sword-Syndrome, so I may not live up to your expectations-'

'Oh crap!'

At Lloyd's sudden exclamation, I notice we've been spotted by no less than five or six guards on the other side of the hallway. They don't really say much to make our presence noticed ... they just grunt loudly and point while two of them bolt off in the other direction, probably to alert the _rest_ of this sector. Well, shit.

'Get them!'

Now, before we start, I'd just like to say one thing: I've never seen Lloyd kill another person before. I've seen him stab Magnius, but that was somehow different – I knew we were fighting him because of the terrible things we'd seen him do, so that was _completely_ different. I have to say – even Lloyd looks a tad uncomfortable while he's doing this. Kratos is fine with it – he's been doing this stuff for four thousand years, but Lloyd ...

I shake my head and try to focus on the people coming at me, discarding Charis' comment on how I'm holding _real_ guns. Yes, this will be a horrible few minutes.

The piercing gunshots make me recoil slightly, but I try to stand firm and not get deterred. Kratos and Lloyd are ahead fighting their own battle ... I'm sure I won't get left to die if I can't take care of myself. Which I _can_ – this isn't the same as last ranch. I've grown, haven't I? I'm stronger, aren't I ...?

Every time I hear a bullet thud against flesh, I flinch and try to ignore the screams of pain. It's a lot harder than trying to block out the sound of tearing skin and muscle when swords penetrate the enemies vital areas, when they start coughing up blood and collapsing in shuddering figures.

This will not be a repeat of last ranch. I _will_ be strong. I won't let it get to me ... I won't.

'Stop! I'll do anything!'

I won't.

'Please don't kill me!'

I won't.

'_PLEASE DON'T K-'_

... I won't.

-------------

_'Raine ...'_

_'What's wrong, Genis?'_

_'Those things that were at the Palmacosta ranch ... those machines ...'_

_'Are you talking about__ the __chimera __machines we__ fought at Izoold?'_

_'Yeah ... do you think they're here, too?'_

_'I can't say for sure. But Magnius created them, so they may not be made in other ranches.__ I haven't seen any yet, so it would be unlikely.__'_

_'Okay. That's good.'_

_'Is something troubling you?'_

_'Ah ... no. I just don't think Lloyd would ... no, it's nothing.'_

_'__Genis.'_

_'... Lloyd doesn't like them.'_

_'No, I don't think anyone does. They are truly grotesque creations ...'_

_'When we were at Palmacosta ranch ... one of them found us, and we tried to fight it.__'_

_'Tried?'_

_'Lloyd couldn't. I don't know if those things are alive, or if it was just something the machine did ... but the part that was still human asked Lloyd "save me". And he just couldn't carry on fighting, knowing it was still human ... still wanting to live.'_

_'... Does this explain Lloyd's sudden dislike of fighting the undead? He seemed very uncomfortable about it at the Seal of Wind.'_

_'Yeah. I was just thinking about what would happen if he ran into another one ... it's like fighting Marble all over again.'_

_'Genis ...'_

----------------------

Seriously, Sylvarant's computers piss me off.

For about ten minutes now, Kratos and Lloyd have been pacing around the room slowly while I've been standing at a fairly large computer system, trying to figure out how the feck it works. It's far from a Windows, I'll tell you that. Just an "On" button would be fine, but _no_. Oh right, more explaining.

Well, we've fought our way through a bunch of Desians since entering the first sector, and Kvar's noticed us for the second time. Not the best of moments to hear his voice booming out through overhead speakers while I still have mental images of him sewing hearts onto his Desian miniskirt, but we managed to ignore him all the same. Lloyd seems to always get pissed off whenever he hears his voice, so that's ... good and bad in some ways. Good, he gets an adrenaline rush, and fighting because less hard, because he's ripping out Desians' tongues and strangling them with 'em. Bad, he gets upset. Aww. I'd hug him, but I'm still not allowed. Now if Genis and Colette were here, that'd be totally different.

But we've managed to sneak them off our trail again, as well as locate the room that holds the computer systems that manage the machine turning the prisoners into monsters. So we can shut that down while we're here to avoid any more people suffering, but there's one problem – I'm not sure how. I know how to blow the place up ... but I'm not sure how to shut it down. Sadly, there isn't a shut down option.

And I've been working with this for a while, and every minute that passes, more people are getting turned into those _things_. Yeah, no pressure at all.

'Char-'

'I'm trying,' I snap, hands planted firmly on both sides of the keyboard. 'Just shut up.'

Lloyd falls into silence again, and I keep staring at the green tinted screen. It's in _Elven_. There are tiny English translations, but _g__oddammit_. I'm panicking too, thinking about all those people ... so I can't really concentrate. Even if a big fat "SHUT DOWN" option popped up, it'd take me about five minutes to actually realise it's there and press it.

'Okay ...' I mumbled to myself. '... Okay. Okay.'

'Hurry u-'

'Shut up, Lloyd.'

I take a deep breath and ignore Lloyd pissed off grumble, shaking my head. Focus, Charlie. You can do this. Don't think about the people. Just pretend you're shutting down your computer at home. It's easy.

I reroute to the main menu and look over my options. There are about thirty of them, so this may take a while. And while I think this through, more people are dying. Yeah, I was totally the best choice to bring along. I'm holding them back, if anything at all.

'Okay,' I say, reaching for my water bottle. _Empty_ water bottle. 'Lloyd, give me your bota bag.'

'Hey, this is my water!' Lloyd insists. 'You've drank all yours!'

'Lloyd. Give me your fucking bota bag.'

After five uncertain seconds, I finally hear a soft click, and the leather container is shoved into my outstretched hand. I don't turn to him at all when he gives it to me – just straighten up, give it a quick shake to see how much water is left, and unscrew it.

'Look, I know you're stressed and all, but we really need to preserve that stuff,' Lloyd says, frowning a little. 'It's hard to get fresh water while we're travelling, and – w ... what the hell are you doing!?'

Practically, I've upturned the bag over the keyboard and am tipping water into every little crevice the computer has to offer. If I can't shut it down, then I'm gonna blow it up. Same thing.

'The sun'll come out, tomorrow,' I sing, giving the container a good few hard shakes over the giant "on" button. 'Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun ...'

'Are you crazy!?'

'Just a bit,' I say, gulping down a mouthful of water before screwing the top back on and handing it to a rather startled Lloyd. Kratos is just rubbing his forehead angrily in the background. Angry he might be, but he does seem quite content that I've made it work. Well, not work ... but I've stopped it. That's good enough.

'What do we do now ...?' Lloyd asks, turning to Kratos while clipping the small bag back to his belt. He shifts hastily away from the electrical equipment when smoke begins to rise from the screwed crevices, dragging me along by the wrist. Apparently I've lost the ability to walk, so must be dragged everywhere. Christ, you guys.

'The Desians will realise one of the main computers is down and needs repairing soon enough,' Kratos explains with a short cough when the computer behind begins to sizzle loudly. 'In doing this, Raine's job will surely be made easier.'

'Yeah ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'I hope Genis and Colette are okay ...'

'Dammit Lloyd, they can take care of themselves,' I say, rolling my eyes. 'And worrying about them won't get us any further. Let's just believe they can do it, alright? Sheena's there too – they'll be fine.'

'She's right,' Kratos says quietly. 'We must now find the machinery that controls the route to Kvar's room. Then we may fight him.'

'Um ... yeah ...' I mumble, hopping up to sit on one of the working computer tops, kicking myself mentally for what I'm about to suggest, because I'm quite sure I won't be scoring any brownie points with them for this. God, I want brownies right now. 'Um ... about this fight with Kvar ...'

'What is it?'

I bite my lip, trying not to look at Lloyd as I say this. 'I think ... it's your job to get your revenge on him, and Kratos ... well, you've got some beef with him too, so would it be okay for me to just ... y'know, sit this one out?'

I'm ... not sure what happens to Lloyd at this point, but he looks at me with an expression that I've _never_ seen directed at me from him before. The thing that really hits me deep is that I've only ever seen him look at Genis and Colette with that expression, and though I'm sure I'll never even scratch the surface of how precious those two are to him ... surely he doesn't _need_ my assistance for this.

'You're scared, right?'

'No!' I say, _forcing_ a laugh. 'Hell no, I just think ... it'd be like, really unfair if I got in the way of your revenge and stuff.'

There's a horribly long pause, and I've averted my eyes to the dully patterned floor. Kratos breaks it with a quiet declaration that he's going to look for a map on one of the still working computers, and walks off to another side of the room. Yeah, plan "force-whatever-it-is-Lloyd-wants-to-say-out-of-him-because-we-need-to-go-GOD-I-HATE-YOU-HARRISON" commence.

'Okay, I'm a little scared,' I say after a while, sliding off the computer top. 'But can you blame me? I shot him in the _head_ ...'

And ... what Lloyd says next – despite where we are, despite who we're with, despite we're surrounded by half a mile of Desians – actually makes my brain stop working. It sends me into a horrible sense of instinct, because what he says just seems to contradict everything I've secretly been doing in the most sickening way possible, and the two in my head seem to be non-existent for fear of me warping my way up there and strangling them. But if I'm living on complete instinct for the moment because my brain has been stunned into silence, I want to stride over to Lloyd and punch him in the nose. But I don't, because I can't move right now.

'Do you trust me?'

Because I've been silent for so long, Lloyd grimaces and continues with an uncomfortable look. Yes, it's quite hard to be corny around me, because I have a blunt take to reality as it seems. He can try, though. 'I won't force you to fight ... but I don't want it to be because you don't trust that I won't let you get hurt. I don't want you _or_ Kratos to get hurt ... and I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure we all come out of this okay.'

I just stare at him, one thousand answers to this swimming through my mind.

'While we're fighting, I want to protect everyone around me. I think ... we've known each other for too long for this to still be edgy, but ... well, I wanna protect you too.'

Oh god Charlotte, don't punch him. _Don't_.

'But if you don't trust me enough to know that I'll try to protect you, then-'

'Lloyd, that's all fine and dandy,' I say, snapping back to an average state of mind with a quick shake of the head. 'But can I just ask you one thing before you draw to a conclusion, that may offer your answer to this?'

'Uh ... sure.'

I take a deep breath, trying not to glare, and trying so very hard not to skip over and throttle him. It doesn't work – I scowl, I clench my fists, and I look less then calm right now.

'Do _you_ trust _me_?'

Lloyd doesn't answer.

'Because I don't know how to place my faith in you when you can't do the same to me.'

'I ... t-that's different-'

'It's not,' I say quietly. 'Would you trust someone who didn't trust you?'

More silence.

I sigh deeply, leaning back against the computer. 'Look ... it's terribly likely I was never meant to have good friends that would lay down their own lives for me, like you and Genis could do for eachother ... but I don't want to be chasing that hope forever. I can't keep running after your trust if I'm never going to catch it. So I can either stop here and now, and accept that we'll never be good friends, or I can just keep running.'

I rub something out of the corner of my eye, biting the corner of my lip tightly. 'And I've never been a good runner. I've been doing it for too long, and my legs hurt. I think it's time to finally let it go.'

"_If you__ finally__end this__, you're dimming your chances of getting home."_

'I'm just ... so tired.'

'Charlotte ...'

Clapping alerts me. Lloyd jumps, startled from what he was about to _not_ say and looks around hastily. Now I've finally brought about a conclusion to mine and Lloyd's non-existent friendship, my spirits do feel dampened, but fear can quite easily override that. Kratos, who's been observing quietly from the other side of the room plants a hand on the hilt of his blade. The slow, sarcastic clapping gets louder as the only door in the room slides open with a soft _whirr_.

I remember everything – sharp boots that clack on the polished floor as they walk, clapping muffled by thick, black leather gloves, and that air of value, of dread that immediately fills the room. A sharp red slit of an eye observes me for a moment, with a cruel smirk curling onto his thin mouth, and my heart thrashes in my chest. Two loud _shings_ sting my ears when Lloyd wrenches his weapons from their sheaths, and I can't actually move, for the second time today.

'Touching.'

He's replaced his broken sceptre too, I realise with horror. Why is Kvar _here_?

'Charlotte, was it?'

I swear, I would run if I could lift my feet off the floor. I _don't_ like it when he says my name. Magnius barely acknowledged my existence, but Kvar ... oh god, it's actually terrifying.

'Just a quick debt to pay back,' he says with his smirk, pointing the sceptre in my direction. 'Then the real fun can begin.'

I don't realise the streams of lighting thrashing through the air, because it happens so fast. Though the second they collide with my front and send me flying into the nearest wall I might hit with a horrible crash, _then_ I realise. With a scream, too. It feels like my whole front is on fire, and the attack actually managed to burn a slit in my shirt. I just shakily bring myself up to my knees when most of the immediate pain subsides, clutching my stomach.

Yeah, so much for protecting, Lloyd. I'm quite glad I never trusted you – it would have hurt a lot more.

'You bastard!'

'Lloyd!' Kratos barks, wrenching his own sword free. I try to pull myself up to help, but ... ugh, my stomach. It looks far too dangerous to jump into the fray right now – Lloyd just launched at Kvar, slashing his swords around wildly while the cardinal himself is deflecting each blow with minimal effort. Lloyd is just so driven on basic instinct to _kill_ this guy ... it's almost impossible for him to act sensibly. And Kvar is taking advantage of this, slapping away each of Lloyd blows while dodging the rest.

When Kvar realises Kratos speeding towards him, he simply takes hasty action and smacks a gloved hand to Lloyd's chest, forcing out a ton of electrical energy. Just like me, Lloyd is sent skidding back, but luckily doesn't hit the wall. He tumbles over with a gasp of pain, clutching his chest while Kvar takes on Kratos, putting in much more effort this time.

Oh god Charlotte, do _something_.

I don't – I just sit, staring in terror as Kvar evades and deflects each blow, letting his armour take a few. Upon his spare moments, he sends bolts in Kratos' direction, forcing him to dodge and give him a moment to regain composure. Obviously this isn't going to work if we take him on one at a time, but ... oh god, I can't _move_ ... I'm not injured heavily, I'm just so scared ... and no, I don't trust that Lloyd will protect us, because he's so driven to taking down Kvar that he'll block out everything around him.

Speaking of Lloyd.

I dig around hastily with shaking fingers and fish out one of my last apple gels, throwing him one. Still in a soft daze, he manages to catch it awkwardly while I pull myself up. I'm glad this room is big, or fighting would be a lot harder. Even so, there's so much more room for Kvar to dodge ... and he's a quick bastard.

Finally gathering my wits, I clench my guns tightly and point them at the floor, letting mana surge forth when I cast Shockwave. It bolts in Kvar's direction, catching his legs and stunning him. I'm actually quite proud that I _did_ something, but that doesn't last long when those slit eyes glare in my direction, some constriction of fear around my chest tightening considerably.

Kratos reclaims his livid attention, taking a swing at him. The blade slashes across Kvar's arm, slicing open the blue velvet sleeve and spilling blood out down his arm. All Kvar offers is a grunt of pain before he deflects Kratos' next attack with his sceptre, forcing out gushes of electrical energy. Kratos stumbles back due to the force, and that's what signifies its power – the bolts thrash around wildly, skimming across the computers and destroying them in their wake. Kratos uses Guardian when shattered glass rains down through the smoke and crackling energy left behind, and Lloyd just scuffles back before he's hit. I sidestep before a heavy, sharp shard almost decks me, holding my breath when it shatters against the wall.

So yeah, Kvar is destroying _hell knows_ how much equipment of his, and he gets arsey about us destroying a few Exspheres? Man alive ...

'You humans are turning out to be quite the thorns in my side ...' Kvar growls, sceptre keeping Kratos at bay for now. He's not pointing it at him – just at Lloyd, who is bringing himself to his feet. 'Now is the time to hand over that Exsphere, Lloyd.'

Lloyd takes in a few deep breaths through the pain, forcing himself into an offensive stance, blades at the ready. 'You don't get it, do you? I'm _never_ handing it over to do Desians!'

'Pity,' Kvar snarls with a glare. 'And I thought we could end this on calmer terms.'

With that, he raises his sceptre over his head. Obviously, Kratos and Lloyd dart right at him while he apparently lets his guard down, but the sheer energy of several bolts of lightning flowing forth sends the two swordsmen reeling back. I watch in horror as the energy hits the high ceiling, spreading throughout the whole room with a horrendous cracking sound, and the smell of burning plastic fills the air. All of the overhead light shatter under the force, and we're plunged into utter darkness.

And _that_ is scary with a mad half-elven man in the room with you.

I fall over when I try to move hastily, crawling back into a corner. My first thought is to conceal myself completely from fear of being stabbed through the dark, or anything ...

Though I have to say ... if Kvar is running away, then that was quite a short battle ... maybe this won't be so hard after all.

'Kratos!'

A quick flash of light catches my attention, and I flinch for a moment against the glow. When it dims, I notice Kratos has forced a lot of fiery mana into his blade, causing it to emit a soft shine. It's like a giant, long glow-stick, really ... which is cool, in some ways. He and Lloyd look around hastily for the cardinal, and apparently I was right – he _has_ fled ... well, he's definitely not here – and if he's able to magically turn himself invisible, then lord, I'm going to be scared.

'He's gone ...'

'Sneaky asshole,' I mumble, getting to my feet before they realise I've run away to a corner.

Kratos takes a final speedy look around with the light of his sword to guide him before turning to Lloyd, carefully edging his glowing blade closer. 'Are you hurt?'

'N-nah, I'm fine ... just a scratch,' Lloyd mumbles, rubbing his gloved palm over his wounded chest. 'Let's find Kv-'

A soft electrical hum silences him. It isn't as loud as the doors opening ... though it might be the computers slowly fizzing back to life after the damage. Who knows ... but it sound like something from afar, slowly getting closer.

'What is ...'

Kratos holds his blade to the wall I'm standing beside, flicking it left and right to check over quickly. Finally, he lands on something that wasn't there before, where the humming seems to be close to. It's like ... a small opening in the wall, like a secret passage. But it doesn't lead anywhere – it's just like a hollow space. He can't have gone in there, because there's barely any _room_.

'What's that?' Lloyd asks, advancing towards it slowly. Kratos grips his upper arm, holding him back. Lloyd gives him a confused look, but the mercenary just keeps his gaze fixed on the empty space. Now the humming is getting louder, I have a good idea of what it might be ... but heavens above, I hope I'm wrong.

Sure enough, something large and metallic slowly hits the floor from the chute leading up from the space. I bite my lip and watch, deciding that it's something like an elevator. And because it leads up, and this is a room that houses _necessary_ and _vital_ equipment for this ranch ... it must only lead to one place, and I'm sure that's where Kvar is waiting for us.

'An invitation?' Kratos says quietly, not really a questioning note in his tone. I've gotta say ... though I'm not entirely happy that we have to fight Kvar _this_ early ... it did kinda cut out a lot of things that we might have had to do, and I don't have to use (blow up) anymore computers, so ...

'It might be a trap,' I say, flinching. 'What do we do?'

'Well ... we were planning to fight him anyway,' Lloyd says, tightening his grip on his swords as he strides over to the elevator. 'If he's offering us an invitation, let's deal with him now.'

'Kratos?' I ask, hoping on some level that he'll say no. He doesn't answer – not because he's uncertain, but because _another_ loud bout of electrical fizz fills the air. Lloyd looks around wildly, swords at the ready, but Kratos stays calm for this one. With a stern gaze, he manages to calm down Lloyd too.

'Overhead speakers?' I ask, and he nods shortly.

'The quality is poor. It must be coming from somewhere other than Kvar's room-'

'_Irie'da agnae__ da__!'_

I look above at the dark ceiling, wondering how the speakers still work even when Kvar's fried pretty much everything up there. Besides that apparent miracle, I manage to make out the voice through the loud hum of aggravating noise. 'Colette?'

'Is she speaking in Angelic?' Lloyd asks, looking over at Kratos. 'Is she okay!?'

'_Irie'da servive gaolien! Irie'__s__a esaree subete!'_

And then it slowly fizzes out, and Lloyd just looks desperately to the taller man. 'Kratos? Kratos, are they okay!?'

'They've set the prisoners free,' he says, dropping his gaze from the ceiling. 'They're escaping with them now.'

'She must have been speaking in Angelic so only Kratos could understand it,' I mumble, rubbing the back of my head. 'Do Desians know Angelic?'

Kratos simply shakes his head, and I sigh in relief before he continues. 'The four of them will be making sure the prisoners get safely back to Luin, and will be staying with them. When they reach there, they'll be waiting for us to return.'

'Then let's get this over with and catch up to them,' Lloyd says, stepping into the lift. I can make out him sighing lowly from the small shine of Kratos' sword through the dark, and he looks over at me. 'You don't ... have to come. You can wait here if you want.'

Screw punching Lloyd – I want to punch myself when I shuffle in there, as pale as I can get. I have no idea what I'm doing or _why_ I'm willing going to fight Kvar when I've been given a choice otherwise – maybe I've turned masochist in the past three seconds, but fine, let's go with it. Why do I choose to do these things? Why? I was given a choice between these guys and Raine's group, a choice between fighting Kvar and _not_ fighting Kvar ... dammit, what's wrong with me?

'Are you su-'

'No,' I snap, rubbing two hands across my face. 'But let's just get this over with. C'mon, Kratters.'

Kratos glares as he steps into the lift, and taps the power button before entering. The glass doors snap shut, and I lean against the cold, transparent casing when a soft rumble indicates us moving slowly up. My heart is going a mile a minute, and I'm immediately regretting my choice, even though I refuse to say anything about it.

'Thanks ...'

I press my forehead against the glass, squeezing my eyes shut, and cutting my lip under the force of my teeth clenching down on it. 'Shut up, Lloyd.'

-------------

_'Professor, is something wrong?'_

_'Ah ... I'm fine, Colette. I was just hoping we could keep track of so many of these prisoners. Dark places like these aqueducts aren't good for such a large number of people.'_

_'Well ... Genis and Sheena are at the front protecting against Desians ... and we're at the back, so I don't think we'll lose anyone!'_

_'... I'm starting to believe your optimism should be restricted to a time and a place, dear.'_

_'Huh?'_

_'Nothing. I just feel as though something might go a little wrong.'_

_'But we've set everyone free ... and I don't think the Desians would come this deep into the aqueducts ... isn't that enough?'_

_'... I don't think this group will be the one with difficulties.'_

_'Oh ...'_

_'I place my complete faith in Lloyd, but he can be so brash sometimes ... I'm just hoping he doesn't get himself hurt.'_

_'I know Lloyd is really sad about his mom ... but I know he's really strong. Not just physically ... he has a really strong heart. He knows what to put first ... and it will always be the people around him. I have faith that he'll make the right choices. And with Kratos there, I'm sure he'll be fine.__ We just have to believe in him.'_

_'It__'s__ hard to do that. I can only imagine everything he did wrong on our last visit.'_

_'Lloyd always says that you make mistakes to learn from them ... and I don't think he'd want us to be worrying about him either. I know we can't come back after we leave, and we have to be waiting at Luin for the others to come back. I don't think Lloyd would like it if he knew we'd be worrying ourselves over him and doubting him when he returns ...'_

_'The amount of faith Genis and you place in Lloyd would be enough to override my negativity. But ... I shall try.'_

_'Thank you, Professor ...__ and, um ...'_

_'What is it?'_

_'Genis is being attacked by a bat.'_

_'... Oh for __heaven's__ sake.__ Fireball, Genis! Bats don't like it!__ Use Fireball!'_

_-----------_

Okay, good news and bad news.

Good news, we're very close to getting this over with. Bad news – as soon as we stepped off the elevator, Kvar _destroyed_ it from afar – Kvar is right over there, there doesn't seem to be an exit other than the giant locked door that-a-way, and should I get attacked again like last time, this is the worst place for it. Why? Well, you remember those windows? Yeah. They're quite _massive_ and delicate looking, so if I happen to go skidding into that empty space ... yeah, I'm quite screwed. I can't handle very long falls. And who knows, Kvar might get pissy at me for breaking a window. Oh, and there's a bunch of Desians soldiers at the locked exit.

In short, more bad news than good.

'It's time to end this!' Lloyd declares bravely, probably trying to ignore the mob of Desians yonder that way in case we, y'know, start winning. Luckily, Kvar's office is quite spacious ... actually, everything about it is big – the room is big, the windows are big, the computers – though shoved up against the back of the wall for more space – are quite fucking big. Good for fighting, I'm sure ... but that's it – we _have_ to fight. Ugh.

'It's quite obvious that you've walked into a bad situation,' Kvar says clearly and loudly, one hand running idly up and down his sceptre as if getting ready to use it. 'It's not too late to simply hand over the Exsphere and leave.'

Aaaaand, that was a bad idea for Kvar. Because one – Lloyd is _pissed_, and two ... Lloyd is very, _very pissed_. And apparently, he's quite freaking fast when he's pissed. I don't even realise he's no longer at my side until I hear Kvar grunt in pain, our swordsman, slashing a deep gash into his front. Oh god ... I know Lloyd was strong and all, but ... oh my god! Even Kratos looks pleasantly shocked at Lloyd's progress.

Kratos taps my shoulder, signalling for me to follow him when he dashes towards the now progressing Desian mob. I guess that means Lloyd is doing a good job right now ... so we'll take care of these guys and join his battle later.

I think now I'm in Kvar's presence, it's easier for me to ... I hate to say it, but kill. When I see him, I just think about those people being turned into monsters ... I remember the looks of fear and hopelessness on their faces, the pain that Kratos and Lloyd have been put through ... and I know I don't have anything personal with him like these guys, but still ... how can you not hate this guy?

It's weird; I don't even flinch when Kratos stabs away at someone running at him, casting a quick spell of Lightning on the mob approaching me. I think it's because I'm not the one killing, but ... we'll get around to that now. I bite my lip and fire a few rounds into a Desian's chest, hating the noise of bullets piercing leather armour. The Desian chokes and writhes to the floor, but I don't think my appearance alone is enough for these guys to take me seriously. When you look at it, I'm still just a kid – hardly the most threatening thing compared to Kratos and Lloyd, who is still slicing away at Kvar while trying to avoid his bolts of lightning soaring at him. He has a big fat burn in his shoulder where his shirt's been torn open. C'mon Lloyd, just hang on for a little while longer.

I shoot another Desian in the leg while I duck under his attack, knife whistling over my head. He recoils with a shout of pain, clutching his thigh. I swing my leg at his ankles, successfully tripping him over, and make sure to stamp on his chest to stun him while I jump over and help Kratos out. Well, there's one Desian running around on fire right now, so I think he's fine...

I hear something behind me and spin around using Fire Shot. Though it isn't a real bullet and won't kill, it's still quite powerful, and shocks the Desian behind me while I use Blitz Bullet. That does actually send him reeling into a computer desk, and there's a horrendous crack when his arm connects with the corner. Yeah, it's broken. Ow.

I shoot down another two trying to get to me hurriedly, attempting not to let the shout of pain from Lloyd alert me. Kratos finishes his latest stabby business and looks over. Lloyd's fine ... he just wasn't able to dodge a bolt of lightning from Kvar. Yeah, we have to finish up here and get over there.

Content that enough of them are unconscious or immobile (Desian still clutching his broken arm over there), Kratos finally casts Air Thrust in Kvar's direction before he can smack up Lloyd some more. I dunno – Lloyd's holding his own pretty well, despite that rip there ... and that burn. And ... that other rip. And that one. Alright, let's just get over there, dammit.

'Took you guys long enough,' Lloyd grunts as he stumbles back, and I resist the urge to slap the back of his head. He's wounded already.

'I believe I've been far too tolerant with you inferior beings,' Kvar says, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth and swiping it across his jacket. 'Not for much longer.'

And like lightning (no pun intended there), he darts over to Lloyd, who doesn't react fast enough this time. Just like last time at the ranch, he shoves the head of his sceptre into Lloyd's stomach, winding him. Oh, but it doesn't stop there. Before Kratos can get in there and stop him, Kvar twists his weapon sharply, and Lloyd chokes on his own air.

'Lightning Strike!'

Now, Kvar's lightning hurts. But three full-body aimed bolts in a row? Yeah, no wonder Lloyd was just sent flying and is currently on the floor choking in pain. Lots of choking going on today. Dammit Lloyd, stop being lame and start kicking some serious ass.

I take back what I just said when I get the same done to me. Except _I'm_ special. _I_ get Sparkwave. Which is, for those of you who don't know, a whole "encase Charlie in a big prison-ball of lightning and watch her go BOOM" thing, in a nutshell. There's a lot more pain, a lot of flashes, a lot of noise, and a lot of ow. From what I can see – I dunno if it's different from the outside. Inside, it's horrible, and yes – I do actually throw my head back and scream. Seriously, _ow_.

So when that subsides, I collapse onto one knee and clutch the main source of pain, which'd be my right arm. There's a nice long burn down there, too. Not a terribly bad one, because most of the energy used in these attacks is mana ... not second degree, but it still bloody hurts. And the overwhelming dosage a mana overriding the actual electricity might explain why our hair isn't getting all static crazy. Because that would make the experience untimely funny.

When I finally pull myself back to my feet, I notice a few cloth burns on my right side. I swear, we will have no clothes by the end of this if Kvar keeps burning them off us. Ugh, shitsticks.

'Such a shame,' Kvar says with a twisted laugh, once against winding Lloyd by shoving his sceptre into his stomach to toss him to one side, going for Kratos. 'If my main intent were to kill you inferior beings, this battle would have been won a long time ago. Unfortunately, the boy would make a remarkable Exsphere.'

'Too bad I'd bite your hand off!' Lloyd exclaims, running at him and using ... a tech I've never seen before! Huh. I think it's Tempest. Correct me if I'm wrong – it's like ... fivethousandandone rolling mid-air strikes of sheer kickassery. That's the only way to describe it, I swear.

I quickly use Fire Bullet again when Lloyd lands, almost hit by a rapid swipe from a wounded Kvar. It's a surprise Kvar can still _move_ from what Lloyd and Kratos have been smacking down on him the past five minutes. I'd long have been turned into a mangled pile of gloop and biomass, so I guess we have to take this guy seriously. It was hard to take Magnius seriously because he had red dreadlocks, wore purple, and stormed around screaming "VERMIN VERMIN VERMIN" all the live long day. Man, I hate Grand Cardinals. They come in all oddities, where this one seems to be the most threatening. If you y'know ... ignore the lack of eyes. Hey, didn't that one guy from Pokémon have no eyes? Brock? Maybe they're distantly related.

Kvar wants to be the very best. That no one ever waaaaaaaaas ...

Oh god, stop it Charlie. Focus.

'Cross Thrust!'

My head snaps up when I hear Lloyd's exclamation, and sure enough, Kratos and he are using that totally amazing tech they used back at the Wind Seal. Seriously, I love watching it; it's incredible – the speed, the power, the ability to ultimately keep in time with each other ... I wish I was that awesome. And the fact that they've used it on Kvar's face is just friggin' grand.

Lloyd lands the other side of the room to Kratos with a short stumble, and Krat immediately casts Fire Ball when he lands. Kvar's spells are strictly limited to Lightning mana, so he might be vulnerable to water – I dunno ... but no one here has any water spells, unless we decide to go and drench him with Lloyd's bota bag like we did with the computer.

Sooo, Kvar straightens up, obviously quite wounded, and bleeding profusely from the face. And ho boy, does he look pissed. It's painfully obvious that I _am_ the closest to him right now, but luckily, his attention is fixed firmly on Lloyd, who's Exsphere is once again gleaming brightly. Oh yeah, go Anna go! I'm sure if she could, she'd leap right out of the Exsphere and kick Kvar square in the nuts, give Kratos and Lloyd a quick kiss and hug, and leap right on back in. Sadly, she can't.

'For everything you've done ...' Lloyd snarls, looking absolutely livid. Christ almighty, even _I'm_ inclined to take a step or two back. 'For everyone you've hurt ...!'

Kvar just _smirks_ again, despite how he's bleeding, limping, practically defeated and caught off guard by the extraordinary power that is Kratos and Lloyd fighting together. And every time I see it, it still manages to completely blow me away. But ... Kvar looks content, if not a little ... um, crazy.

'Kill me if you can, boy.'

And Lloyd doesn't turn down that invite. There's an amazing flash of blue light as the Exsphere embedded onto his hand goes freakin' haywire, and I lift up an arm to shield the blinding glare from my eyes. I remember when we were here last – when Lloyd just ran at Kvar in a mad, bloodthirsty rage ... but this time, he's actually armed. I'm quite sure, were he not wounded, last time would have resulted in Lloyd punching both Kvar's eyes right out of their sockets, but with swords ... dammit, I'm slightly afraid.

I realise _just_ how powerful Lloyd's Exsphere can get when most of the overhead lights shatter, and both his swords are actually crackling with pure mana energy. One touch of those will take your flesh right off, so when he finally rushes at Kvar at a speed I thought only Kratos could surpass, I get ready for some bloody showers.

And then, Kvar does it. Three seconds away from becoming a cardinal-kebab, he pulls _the_ dirtiest trick in the book. Not guaranteed to stop Lloyd in his tracks, but the fact that he's trying anyway shows how desperate he is to make this work. And it _does_ work. Lloyd stops dead, wide eyed, inches away from Kvar. Kvar is fine, looking quite pleased with himself with a satisfied grunt, Kratos looks absolutely furious at the delay, and hell knows what I look like right now. What I do know is that I'm trying desperately to avoid the two blades at my face.

So here _I _am. One leather gloved hand clutching my throat with bruising force, the other hand restraining my arms behind my back, and I'm pressed uncomfortably against Kvar's front as a human shield. Quite obviously, it worked. Lloyd seems to be recovering from the fact he's almost beheaded me, and I'm considering ... begging, really. Well, I would, but I can't breathe because there's a cardinal behind me _strangling _me.

So, let's take this from my usual point of view for now.

Oh god I'm going to _die_.

I've shot him in the head, and now he's going to rip mine off. Oh _god_.

'Would you like to try that again?' Kvar asks tauntingly, wrenching me up a little. I don't choke, but I do give a short cry of pain. He might have just dislocated something in my neck, and I suddenly realise I'm _not actually safe_ right now. I'm in the hands of a man who would quite like to see me dead, and my two other comrades can't seem to do a damn thing about it.

Charlotte. Don't cry. _Don't_.

Lloyd shakily moves his swords away, glaring over my shoulder to the bloody-faced cardinal. 'You ... dirty swine!'

'If something is useable, make good use of it – as the saying goes,' Kvar says with a small snort of laughter. I can feel his breath on my ear, and it's seriously scaring the _crap_ out of me. 'Perhaps it's time you handed over that Exsphere.'

Oh no, Lloyd. Please don't choose me over your mother's keepsake, or I _will _cry. Lucky for me, Lloyd is still acting pretty damn hesitant, but still.

'Don't involve other people in this, you coward!' Lloyd demands in an attempt to keep his mother's keepsake, as well as make sure that I don't, uh, get killed. I'm sure both would suck.

'If you held a personal grudge, you would have come alone,' Kvar says slowly with a short, throaty laugh. I flinch when I feel his thumb press hard against the dip of my jaw, jerking slightly in pain. 'But I do believe that _this_ certain individual didn't want to accompany you at all. This is your own fault, Lloyd.'

'That's ... ugh, stop twisting the facts around!' Lloyd exclaims, and I finally have to squeeze my eyes shut in discomfort when I actually have to stand on my _tip-toes_ to avoid being strangled. Yes, this is quite a frightening situation now – if Kvar could stop screwing with Lloyd's mind for two seconds, I'm sure we could get this over with. I feel tears prickle at the corner of my eyes as I try to stop choking, but it's all fine. If I lean awkwardly, I can breathe. It's painful, but I'd rather breathe.

'Though the matter at hand is not whose fault this is,' Kvar says, and I feel a drop of blood on my shoulder. Seriously, Kvar's face is _battered_ ... no wonder he's pissed. And if he's pissed and holding me captive, _yeah_. Bad time for the Charster. 'Perhaps you should be choosing between the dead and the living, before this _rat_ joins your mother.'

Oh god. Oh _god_.

'Let her go!'

Kvar is going to kill me.

'Hand over the Exsphere, boy.'

Kvar is going to _kill me_.

'She has nothing to do with this!'

I'm going to die

'Perhaps you fail to understand my terms. I'll repeat them for you, inferior being.

_I'm going to die_.

'Once you hand over the Exsphere, I'll let your little friend go. Feel free to leave her behind, but know that we can find you at any time.'

'You ...!'

'As long as you remain in the company of the Chosen, we will always be able to find you, Lloyd. Now choose. Your living friend ...'

I wince when the cold steel of his weapon presses against my chest threateningly.

'Or your dead mother.'

Lloyd looks absolutely torn, and I'm kinda broken-hearted that he's actually _thinking this through_. Sure, yeah, if he chooses me, he loses the last reminder he has of his mother, the thing she protected with her life, yatta yatta yatta. If he chooses that, I die. I'm gone, zip, zilch, dead as a doorknob. And he's actually considering _letting _me die? Maybe I shouldn't have just practically told him I don't want to bother trying to be his friend anymore. That _might _have helped, because I'm quite sure he thinks I hate him now.

Oh fuck, I'm crying now. Let's do it as quietly as possible. Aw hell with it, let's make every attempt to keep our life, Charster.

'Lloyd, please ...' I sob. Oh, goddammit – I must look so pathetic right now.

Lloyd just stares at me. Yes, Lloyd, I'm probably not _that_ important to the life I've seen you progress in, the life where you travelled around with Colette and Genis and everyone else and it was all fine and dandy, saving the world and all that. Yes, you _did_ pull it off, and no, you probably didn't, don't, and will never need me with you to do _anything._ I haven't made that big of an impact on your life, and probably never will in comparison to say, Kratos, or your best friend Genis, but for god's sake – I'm fourteen, I have everything to live for, and I don't want to die.

Now if I were brave enough to say that aloud, things would be a lot easier. Instead, I just to my best to stop crying. It's satisfying Kvar in the most twisted way.

'... Dammit,' Lloyd whispers to himself, hand going to his left wrist. 'I'm sorry, mom ...'

'Don't,' I sob before I can help myself. Wait, what the hell? Do I have control over my voice? Because I've been saying a _lot_ of things that I don't agree with lately. I'm telling Lloyd to keep his Exsphere and let me die? Oh lord, do I actually have a sense of compassion down there? Well it better dig deeper, because I _don't_ want to die.

... And I guess I don't want to upset Lloyd either. I hate my mind; it does some confusing crap every now and then.

'If I give you this,' Lloyd says, trying to stop his voice from shaking in rage as he slowly plucks the glowing blue stone from the key crest on his hand. 'You swear you'll let her go?'

'Of course. Now hand it over,' Kvar snaps, the hand that was previously restraining my arms outstretched towards the swordsman. Lloyd's about to start towards us, but a firm hand on his shoulder stops him. I look at Kratos in horror, and wonder if this is a sick attempt to kill me off. What the hell is he _doing_!? He's putting my life in danger! Yes, he hates me, but goddammit Kratos!

'You have not yet given us any reason to trust you, and any proof that you won't hurt Lloyd as soon as he steps up to you,' Kratos says evenly with a glare. Well, I guess I'd be glaring too. To simply walk away from the guy who tore apart your life must really ...

'Though I do hold quite the personal grudge, I'm a man of my word. Once I have the Exsphere, I'll have no need for you inferior beings,' Kvar says, grip tightening on my throat. I jerk in pain again with another sob, and he simply shoves his elbow resting against my chest closer to keep me still. Ugh, this is horrible ... I can feel his heartbeat against my back, every quiver of his chest when he breathes. It's ... urgggh. If I was being held hostage in such a cliché manner, it could have at least been with someone the slightest bit attractive. Y'know, so it wouldn't feel _too_ uncomfortable.

'Lloyd,' Kratos murmurs, holding out a hand. 'Give me your Exsphere. I'll hand it to him.'

Lloyd just holds his mother's keepsake to his chest, giving it a soft squeeze before reluctantly pressing it into Kratos' palm. It takes him a moment to finally draw his hand away, and Kratos' fingers close around it. He gives Kvar a final glare before taking a step towards us.

'No dirty tricks here, Kratos,' Kvar says, forcing him to halt with words. 'Sword on the floor.'

I don't think Kratos was planning on stabbing Kvar in the nose, but he unsheathes his sword and lets it clatter to the floor. Lloyd flinches when it does, probably realising _just_ how vulnerable I've made them. Lloyd has no Exsphere, Kratos has no weapon ... yeah, Kratos can use magic, but Lloyd ... well I hate to be insulting, but he's pretty useless right now. Someone without an Exsphere fighting someone _with_ one? Yeah, they're not going to win.

I am going to be so very _hated_ after this ...

'Kratos, don't ...'

Dammit compassion, be quiet – we're trying to get out of this alive.

Once Kratos is close enough, as well as at a safe distance, Kvar holds out his hand again while the other remains tight at my throat. With a look of utter detest, Kratos drops the gem into his hand and, and Kvar demands he take a few steps back. Lloyd storms forward, but Kratos stops him against by pressing a hand to his chest. Lloyd glares in disappointment when Kvar takes a quick look over the stone he's just received. I'd try to look also, but dammit I am _not_ moving.

I'm quite sure everyone and their grandma can hear my heartbeat right now, because it's throbbing quite painfully fast when Kvar doesn't seem too pleased. What the hell? Lloyd just gave him the Exsphere he's been after for like, fourteen years! Shouldn't he be happy _and_ letting me go right now?

'Perhaps you mistake me for a fool, Kratos,' Kvar says, scowling at the man who's at a _very_ safe distance from us right now. Oh god, what now? Am I in more trouble now that Kvar is angry?

And with that, Kvar throws the gem to the floor. Both Lloyd and I watch in absolute horror as it shatters into thousands of shards, each of them streaming in different directions like a pool of small, blue splinters. And yes – Kvar has just destroyed Lloyd's Exsphere. Not that I'm utterly accurate, but throughout this who experience, isn't Lloyd's Exsphere, oh I don't know, _quite fucking vital_?

Kvar has just wrecked everything.

_Everything_.

'YOU BASTARD!'

Before I know it, blood splatters over my face when Lloyd slashes wildly at Kvar's arm holding his weapon. I actually consider screaming at Lloyd to tell him to stop, but I don't think that'd work right now. Lloyd looks absolutely ... _insane_. Tears are streaming down his face, his glare makes me _choke_ on my own breath, and I'm desperately trying to shift against Kvar's front to escape the solution to his wrath. Which is slicing up Kvar while ignoring that fact I'm still, y'know, being held hostage here.

'I'LL KILL YOU!' Lloyd screams, stabbing Kvar in the shoulder and taking another wild slash at his hand, disarming him. The steel staff goes flying off into one direction, crashing against a random computer screen and shattering it. 'I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!'

Oh my god. Lloyd is ...

This isn't Lloyd.

This isn't the Lloyd I know. He's not. He would never say things like that. He would never do these things. Perhaps my swearing has influenced him, but he should know better ...

This isn't ... him. I won't believe it. I won't.

I can't.

'DIE!'

I _can't_.

'GIVE HER BACK!'

_I can't_.

'GIVE MY MOM BACK!'

I can't let him be this way.

'_GIVE HER BA-'_

'_STOP IT!_'

And surprisingly ... every falls silent after that. Kvar's ragged breathing and the sound of blood dripping to the floor is the only thing penetrating the momentary peace. That, and my sobbing. Yeah, I'm _still_ crying – and a lot more at the moment, now that Lloyd's almost _killed_ me. I try to blink back some tears and glare at Lloyd. Kratos' hand is firmly on his shoulder, the other man's face stricken with horror at his son's behaviour. Kvar, after a moment, just slumps back. I feel his hand slip from my throat, and he falls to the floor behind me with a heavy thud and a groan, unconscious, or dead with any luck. Lloyd takes minimal notice, but I'm sure my red, sore neck and the fact that I'm _dripping_ with blood that is a mix between mine and Kvar's, and a nice long gash across my arm courtesy of Lloyd's wrath, I might be attracting most attention right now.

And I know I always want it, but it's a time I want it the least.

I'm not sure what to do right now. Kratos' hand is still on Lloyd shoulder just in case he does something regrettable again, and Lloyd is just kinda falling back into his old self. That might explain why he's staring in absolute horror at the giant wound in my arm that spans my shoulder to my wrist. It doesn't hurt too much ... and it's not that deep, but I'm still bleeding quite badly. I might start getting lightheaded from blood loss soon.

So due that lack of anything to say and worrying I might clonk off when I lose enough blood, I do the first thing that comes into my mind.

I punch Lloyd.

Seriously, right in the jaw. His head snaps to one side, and he stares off straight ahead, toward the windows leading to the dark sky. I dunno, I doubt I look the kind of girl to pack a punch, but apparently I can.

Aaaand now that's over, I can just ... y'know, clutch my wound here. It's started to hurt quite a lot.

After a few moments, Lloyd slowly turns his head back, bringing up a hand to touch the side of his jaw where I just decked him. He looks pleasantly shocked and horrified still, but I'm taking no notice of that right now and trying to cast the strongest First Aid I can muster onto my wound. I won't ask Kratos for help – he's still looking a bit pissed that I just thumped his son.

'I ...'

Lloyd trails off, still staring at my wound. Apparently we're not looking Charlie in the eyes right now. I hope you're feeling a ton of guilt, you asshole.

'I didn't ... mean for that to ...'

'Save it,' I spit. 'Let's just get out of here.'

'But you're hurt-!'

'Well you apparently didn't care when you decided to slice my arm open!' I retaliate loudly. 'What the hell is wrong with you!?'

'Harrison, that's enough.'

'_You_,' I hiss, glaring at the man with an arm wrapped securely around Lloyd's shoulders now that he seems to be shaking uncontrollably. 'You stay out of this. And you!'

I point to Lloyd, now staring at the floor. 'You ... you were actually going to let me _die_ back there!? You had to choose between me and your dead mother! _I'm not dead_! I have my whole life to lead, and I think Anna led hers quite well! And then you have to courtesy to flip your shit and try to _KILL ME YOURSELF!? _YOU SAID YOU WOULD _PROTECT _ME!'

I point to my wound. 'This is your idea of _protecting_!? Yeah, thanks Lloyd – thanks a lot. Great friend you are.'

I shake my head, turning and walking over to the computer. My legs tremble as I walk and I have trouble walking without falling. 'I'm blowing this place up, and then I'm going back to Asgard. I'm obviously not too safe here with _you_. Fuck the journey, and fuck you, Lloyd Irving. I don't care anymore.'

'You ...' Lloyd whispers shakily. 'You don't mean tha-'

'Oh, I do,' I say, leaning against the computer desk and facing the blank screen. 'I've put up with enough shit with you guys, breaking my back for nothing. If this is what I get in return for willingly putting my life in danger so you could get some revenge, then obviously it's not worth it anymore.'

'I never meant to hurt you!' Lloyd exclaims. 'I would never do that to you!'

'Well I have some proof, and it's on my arm right now,' I say darkly. 'I honestly thought I could trust you. I thought you were a good guy, but you're just as bad as the Desians – killing people you don't know for an uncertain cause, hurting your own people, your own friends. I thought you were better than that. I've been wrong all this time.'

'That's not true ... it's not tr-'

'I looked up to you,' I say with a scowl, finally turning to him. Kratos is still holding him, and Lloyd's sunk to his knees and buried his face into his hands. 'I wanted you to be the brother I never _had_ growing up. The one who I could talk to, who I could have fun with, the one who I could actually share some half-decent memories with. But not anymore. You're just as bad as they were. You weren't killing to protect anyone – you were just killing them to make yourself feel better about your mother's death.'

And I know, even though it's the anger talking, even though I'm hating myself more and more with each word that passes my lips, I will hate myself for as long as I _live_ for the next few words. I will never be able to smile at Lloyd ever again, and I will never _ever_ be able to look him straight in the eye for eternity.

'Chocolat was right – you _are_ a murderer.'

'Harrison, that is _enough!_'

And before I know it, Kratos has grabbed my collar with a shaking fist and has wrenched me up to meet his livid face. Oh shit. I glance over his shoulder to see Lloyd has just turned into a quivering heap, face still hidden in his hands. I think he's stopped crying ... but I'm quite sure what I said hit a few vital spots on his sanity.

'Do you know why people love, Harrison?'

... Wait, what the hell?

'People _love_ others because of their strengths. They love others to look through their noticeable faults and let their strengths shine through. They do not love because there are no flaws – they love _despite_ those flaws.'

I can tell this will end badly, because Kratos is starting to make a lot of sense.

'Lloyd loves Genis despite his demeaning attitude. He loves Colette despite her annoying tendencies to apologise. He loves Raine despite her over reactive attitude, because they all have the strength to see through his own flaws and love him back. Though he has never loved you, he has been able to see through your flaws – your annoyance, your uselessness, your fears – and admire your strengths.'

He unhands me, and I thud back to the floor. 'Perhaps you should do the same for him. Then maybe one day he will love you like he loves Genis and the others. It is a privilege to have someone look through your flaws, and believe me Harrison – you have many. Maybe you should take this rare opportunity instead of saying such things to someone willing to give you an undeserving chance. Not many people are _that_ loving.'

And ... ugh – he's right, he's completely right. Only Kratos has the ability to utterly switch your point of view within five seconds. Though a lot of anger and pain is still there, I now feel physically _sick_ because of the things I've just said to Lloyd. My stomach feels like it's actually twisting itself in two. Since day one, everything I've ever worked for with this guy ... I've just wrecked it all. There is no question about it – Lloyd hates me now, and he will never look at me again. And that ... that makes me feel like I want to die.

I dunno which is worse, because my stomach is still crushing itself in worry, and it doesn't feel like it's going to stop.

'He chose you over his mother, Harrison.'

That did it. I'm sobbing all over again. Lloyd is strong enough not to cry right now, or maybe he's in such a state of shock and horror that he _can't_, but apparently I can. I think I knew deep down there'd be a lot of crying in this ordeal, but ... ugh, this is a lot, even for me. Before I came here, I never cried. Ever.

Kratos leaves my side and goes to Lloyd, kneeling down in front of him. He murmurs his name softly a few times to get his attention without making him snap, rubbing his shoulder gently. Lloyd is still shaking. Oh god, what the hell have I done to him?

'Lloyd ...' I choke, collapsing against the computer desk and sliding down to the floor. 'I am _so sorry_ ...'

He doesn't react to my words, but I know he definitely heard them. Maybe he can't hear _anything_. Seriously – what happened to him? Seeing him like this is horrible. I want him to smile again. I just want him to smile and say everything is gonna be fine.

And when Lloyd just collapses into Kratos' chest, still not uttering a word, I realise it's not that easy.

Kratos-hugs are for dire moments, from my experience. I have to bite my lip when Kratos wraps one arm around his shaking back, still speaking to him quietly as if to lead him through this. I dunno what we're waiting for – for him to cry? To scream? Anything, just so he doesn't look so lifeless. What I said ... did it really hurt him that much?

'AAAGH!'

That was me, not Lloyd. He didn't scream. If you're wondering why I screamed, it's not because I've had a sudden overload of emotion, nor is it because I'm trying to get a reaction out of Lloyd. No, not that. A foot seems to have connected painfully to my back and forced me to the floor. I feel blood drip onto my back, and before I can glance up to see my quite obvious attacker, the head of his sceptre connects painfully right between my shoulder blades. I scream again.

Oh, it doesn't stop there. He casts Lightning Strike. I scream _again_, and I scream _harder_. My fingers are shaking when the attack subsides, I'm lying on my front - panting, cheek pressed to the cold, bloody floor. He twists his sceptre into my back, wrenching out a final strangling cry before he steps off me, taking his weapon with him.

And yeah, _that_ got Lloyd's attention. He stills looks out of it, but he's looking up at least. Kratos just gets to his feet, grabbing the sword a few feet away before he straightens up.

'How very heartbreaking,' Kvar says, dripping with blood, noticeably bruised and wounded, and still looking quite _powerful_. He crouches down, grabs me by the throat, and pulls me up off the floor. Yeah, he _is_ quite strong after having the shit beaten out of him – strong enough to pick me up with one hand, at least. 'You have a cruel way with words, girl.'

Oh god. I'm screwed. Everyone in this room wants me dead.

'You're pathetic.'

He throws me to one side, and I manage to keep my balance, stumbling slightly. Though as soon as I spin around to face him, the head of his sceptre meets my stomach. I'm sure this has happened to Lloyd a bunch of times, but really – it hurts. A lot. I choke, slump over in pain, and am practically stunned. My mind is screaming at me to escape and save myself, because no one else is going to help me – but my body won't move. It's too shocked.

Great – just great. I'm going to die. I'm actually going to _die_ in this hellhole, and the last thing I had to do is describe to Lloyd how he's a piece of worthless swine, and snap his sanity into two. Yeah ... great. Charlotte, you piece of _shit_. God – you probably _deserve_ to die after what you've done to everyone, especially Lloyd.

'Let this be a lesson to you, Irving,' Kvar hisses, me still speared on the end of his weapon. 'Defy me once more and more of your friends will die.'

And that's it. Kvar casts something – I don't know what, my brain isn't working right now. But whatever it is, it sets my blood on fire, makes my skin too tight, and destroys every rational thought I might have. Lightning surges around me and sends me soaring back. Kvar isn't going to kill me personally – he's going to let me die from a fall. Do you know how?

Well when I crash through one of his giant red windows, it becomes quite clear.

I swear to god, it happens in slow motion. I just watch the red tinted shards of glass fly past me, ignore the ones embedded into my flesh, and try not to scream. Everything just feels so slow – perhaps it's the shock, I don't know. Desians patrolling the courtyard shout out in surprise, I can't actually _see_ the inside of the Kvar's room – everything is becoming so fuzzy. I think it's the pain and bloodless ... I don't know anymore.

All I know is I'm going to die. No one can survive this fall. Charis and William are _screaming_ at each other, I can hear their equipment crashing, and ... I can't think. I just want to cry.

The only thing that rips me out of a deathly daze after a moment is when I feel two strong arms wrap around me. I can feel a warm weight, slowly pulling me back to reality. Everything is still painful and slow, and it takes me a moment. I start to panic when I open my eyes and see only red, but then realise I'm staring into a certain person's shoulder.

What ... in god's name ... is Lloyd doing?

'No more sacrifices,' Lloyd mumbles, ignoring the giant drop below. My hearing is beginning to fuzz, and I have to repeat his words over and over before my brain comprehends them. 'I'm not letting anymore people die!'

_That's_ when everything speeds up, and I realise we're plummeting down, down, down. Oh shit.

'You'll die too, you moron!' I scream, pushing him away. He doesn't deserve to die. 'What are you thinking!?'

'I don't know ...' Lloyd mumbles, and that's _it_ before he completely blacks out.

'You're supposed to hate me, you bastard!' I shriek. 'What the hell is wrong with you!?'

Obviously, he doesn't answer. I'm about to join him in unconsciousness and quite possibly death, and though nothing could tear me out of my dizzy, confused haze now, a flash of brilliant blue light above me makes me hang onto my consciousness for just a few more seconds. I fully expect everything to fall dark, and ... oh I don't know – Christ is waiting for me at the end of the light, or something (which would be weird, because I'm an atheist), but that doesn't happen anyway. I can barely make out the blurry image of Kratos snatching Lloyd away and pulling his lifeless body to his chest, grabbing my wrist with another hand when I'm inches from my death.

It's a shame I'm so out of it – I'm sure Kratos' wings would look quite beautiful if I could see straight. Perhaps he's only doing this because we're both so far from conscious ... I think secrecy went out the window when we were both so close to death. I doubt he'll mention anything about this, but I honestly can't help but stare at those luminous blue wings. They're amazing compared to Colette's ...

'Kratos ...' I hear Lloyd mumble into the man's shoulder, still not with it right now. I try my best to grab Kratos' wrist is response, but every inch of my body is aching. I just want to sleep ... even if I fall unconscious or go into coma, at least I'll get some relaxation ...

And so when I finally, after a long frightful day, I fall into a state of unawareness, of darkness, of nothingness, my last thought a fearful wonder if I'll ever wake up from my rest.

Even if I don't ... I really couldn't care less right now.

* * *

Urrrrgh ... hate that last scene. Not sure why - it probably came out a bit sue-ish. I hope it didn't wreck like ... everything. Oh well. 

If you got this far, thanks for reading! If you're a slow reader, I'm probably 15 by now 8D Reviews would be much appriciated! I seem to be getting less and less with each passing chapter. I wonder if I've done something to upset someone D:


	58. Torture

Whoaaaaaaaaaa. Chapter 57 officially recieved the biggest number of reviews out of any TWC chapter so far 8D I guess people really approve of bitch!Char ... buuuut, we won't be seeing much of her for a while D: This chapter focuses on angsty-Lloyd, wussy-Char, more angsty-Lloyd, daddy-Kratos, selfpity-Char, tolerant-Kratos, EXTREMELY TOLERANT-Kratos. You'll see why the last one if there for the very final scene in this chapter D: And I hate that scene, and you'll know why when you get there. It took me about half a year to decide if I should have it or now. I changed my mind half-way through this chapter and decided to cut it out, but when I was finishing the chapter, I just thought "oh, what the hell. Char puts up with enough crap - she needs ONE good thing to happen, right?"

BIG FAT OYAKO MOMENT OF FLUFF IN THIS CHAPTER. YAAAAY?

Well... I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a happy new year! I know I did! And whoo, this is my first chapter as a fifteen year old ... augh, I'm getting far too old for this XD Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! It didn't actually go too well, so they were really uplifting to read! Thanks so much!

...G-guys, we're close to 1000 reviews D: (-dies of shock in corner-)

Righto, I'm ... going to bed now 8D It's almost 8AM, and I haven't slept tonight. I'm absolutely shattered ...

And yay for uncreative chapter titles as of late XD Going to bed now. G'night guys

* * *

Chapter 58 - Torture

... It's really bright.

That's the first thing my brain acknowledges when consciousness begins to slowly slip back into me, causing me to stir softly against ... whatever it is I'm against, I suppose. I'll admit, I'm hoping it's somewhere like ... Luin, or perhaps some ways outside the ranch where Kratos has taken both mine and Lloyd's injured and battered bodies. But of course, knowing my luck, I'll bet that's hardly the case.

When I feel a dull ache in my shoulders, that kinda clarifies it.

I try to feel my surroundings before I open my eyes, wanting to know just exactly where I am. I don't remember much ... I recall being blasted out of a window, Lloyd trying to save me despite the fact I just ... y'know, ripped apart our friendship and spat on it ... something corny about no more sacrifices ... and I remember Kratos. I remember his wings ... he saved us both. He saved Lloyd, I suppose ... I'm sure minimal saving would have occurred if I hadn't been run after by his son. Because his son is an idiot.

Right, where am I again?

It's bright – I can see that through my eyelids ... just a dull red shine. It's chilly too ... there's something cold and heavy encasing my wrists and ankles, and I realise my shoulders hurt because I'm upright, hanging by my hands. There's a soft clink of heavy chains above me, and my stomach sinks. I can feel the floor, but my ankles are locked firmly in place with padlocks in the cold stone wall behind me. My whole body feels dense and tired ... I doubt I've been out for long, after being put into the most unappealing of places to rest.

Looks like we got caught after all. I wonder if Kratos and Lloyd are in the same situation. Kratos would be able to fight his way out, but Lloyd ... with no Exsphere, he's quite screwed. Heaven knows what state he's in right now.

I squeeze my eyes shut against the light, letting them finally flutter open. Everything slowly melds into focus, and I look around.

Ahh, shite.

Everything is ... _dank_. And dirty, and it smells really weird in here. The stone walls and floor have cracks and chips in them, covered in dark stains I can only imagine is blood. I take a hasty glance above me and see that the locks around my wrists are also stained red. I try to ignore it and look around wildly.

This place doesn't look too well kept, and I tense in horror when I see another lock set on the opposite wall, a dry set of arm and hand bones hanging idly from a single chain. Where the rest of the body is, I don't want to know. The worst thing I realise after a moment? Lloyd or Kratos aren't anywhere to be seen, nor are the others from our group. I'm completely alone, completely vulnerable, and ... I don't think a certain cardinal is too happy with me right now.

The grey walls offer little warmth for comfort, and I shift against the rough stone behind me, looking around in a panic. There has to be something here ... keys, anything –

"_Charis? William? Are you guys there!?"_

No answer. I bite my lip, feeling tears of fear well up again. Oh god, you've cried enough here. Stop it, you look absolutely pathetic.

'Okay, alright ...' I mumble to myself, taking a deep breath and looking around again. 'Alright ... okay ... okay ... o-'

'_Prisoner 02 awake. Lord Kvar, prisoner 02 awake.'_

I freeze, head snapping up to see a camera in the corner of the room, and an overhead speaker right next to it. I'm being _watched_, dammit. Oh, that was a bad idea.

'_Prisoner 01 ready for __torture __initiation. __Lord Kvar, prisoner 01 ready for torture initiation.'_

I frown at the monotone voice ringing throughout the ranch, dropping my head. If I'm the second prisoner ... then I'm assuming either of the other two are the first. What the hell is going on? What's happening to everyone? Wait ... that torture that Kratos talked about a while ago ... could it be that? He said it was ... terrible, and left even him screaming. It takes a lot to make Kratos scream – I've never _seen_ him scream, that says enough. Even if someone stabbed him in the balls, I'm sure all he'd do is grunt a little. And then castrate said person, but that's not the point.

What if the first prisoner is Lloyd? Dammit, haven't I hurt him enough today? His Exsphere's been destroyed; last memento of his mother _gone_ ... he's had quite a shitty day if you ask me.

In the distance, I hear an electric door slide open and stiffen in terror. The distance must be quite far ... this torture basement must be at least twenty chambers long. I have a chamber all to myself, save for the arm hanging from the chain over there, but that'll hardly wave at me.

_Please_ don't let this person be Kvar. Let it be Kratos coming to save me, or something. Unlikely ... but goddammit, I can hope. Screw it – I can pray. I actually _pray_. I have no faith in any gods, yet I'm still begging whatever holy being is up there to have some sympathy and ... save my sorry, unworthy ass.

'Please ...' I beg, dropping my head to my chest. 'Please, please, _please_ ...'

I feel tears begin to run down my face while I beg to ... whoever. While I do, I begin to wonder – seriously, why _am_ I an atheist? I was brought up to believe in all this Christian stuff ... but it never appealed to me. I hated religion – _hated_ it ... but would it have made me happier? Would I be able to cope if I knew some holy being was watching over me, loving me, guiding me?

Bah ... doubtfully. I'm an atheist for a reason. Faith never helped me before, and it won't help me now. It never helped me, my family, and it will never help Colette, or anyone here. I can believe all I like, but it'll just hurt me again.

'I see Kvar is herding in the most unworthy of cultivation hosts as of late ...'

When I hear that voice, I honestly feel like someone just ripped my spine out through my throat. It's a voice I'd recognise anywhere, and it's the voice of a certain person I had to fight over and over and _over_ in the game. If the reliability of enemies being stronger in reality sticks, then I seriously have every right to scream and cry and beg for my life, because this certain individual will _not_ spare me, even if I do kiss their feet like a good little 'inferior being'.

I lift my head slowly to clarify this person's identity, trembling as I do. I try to clench my fists to hide my visible, shaky fear ... but I can't move. I can't move at all. It's obvious why this person might be here – Kvar has a score to settle with them about Cruxis related things like in the game. I remember them having a row ... but that was it. She's probably here in person to halt the false accusations and settle it for good, while finding out about Kvar's own secret plans.

Pronyma.

I hear the soft squeak of leather as she folds her arms over her, um, oversized ... almost visible chest. I gotta admit, I was expecting her to look like your average street corner hooker, but she's actually quite pretty. Right, she's probably about to kill me – let's not compliment her.

Anyway ... she doesn't have her giant gold armour thing that usually hovers around her, and she isn't floating or anything. That's ... one less threatening thing, I suppose. But she is freakishly tall, and her posture is just intimidating. Pale, sharp features ... I think she's the only person here I've ever seen wear makeup, too. Purple eye-shadow, purple lipstick, purple ... everything. She's ... really, really scary.

'Kvar's taste in humans must be fading,' Pronyma says clearly to herself, looking my chained body up and down. 'If he thinks such bodies would make good cultivation. A raw sphere wouldn't last a day on you before _rotting_.'

I don't say anything. I just stare at the floor in front of me, biting my lip hard.

'Even through his shortage of Exspheres ... I've never seen him employ hosts so ... _bland_.'

Charlotte, your angry sarcasm will do you no good here. Keep your mouth shut.

'Though if he honestly thinks this host should join the other prisoners in their cells for developing the Exspheres ... perhaps I could file back quite a degrading report to Lord Yggdrasill and have his scraped permanently from his title. Anyone who dares defy his word deserves to perish ...'

I'm quite sure I wasn't supposed to hear that, but hell yeah for good hearing. Hell no for the slow clack of high heels against the grimy floor as she approaches. Hell no.

She stops about three feet away from me, which is ... pretty damn close, from where I'm hanging. She gives me another look up and down, and I refuse to raise my head. Don't _look _at her ... don't _talk_ to her ... and you _might_ get through this without pissing her off to result in a violent death.

'Age,' she demands. I hesitate, opening my mouth slightly before snapping it shut. Not saying anything. Not getting involved. I'm sure, should she send a report back to Yggdrasill to get Kvar kicked off the team, I might be referred to as "that one human who was useful for fuck all", but still. Not getting involved. Not being mentioned in Cruxis. Not going to the Tower of Salvation.

'_Age_,' she orders again, louder. I bite my lip, squeezing my eyes shut. Don't say anything. Not a word.

I feel warm leather when she grabs my throat, wrenching my face up to look at her. 'Do you have any idea _who_ you're disobeying, you little wench!?'

'F-fourteen!' I exclaim hastily, eyes wide. 'I'm fourteen!'

'Good. Know your place from now on,' she snaps angrily, steel grey eyes glaring. I notice, with slight panic, how her hand doesn't leave my throat. Her grip weakens, but it still has quite an overpowering hold just in case. 'As long as you are within this ranch, you obey us superior beings without question. You will follow our every order, meet our every requirement, and you will _speak when you are spoken to_.'

'Y ... yep,' I say, nodding. Well, trying to.

'Now ... judging from your appearance, I'm assuming you were raised in poverty. You can't have a healthy body under such circumstances.'

Bloody hell, that's only half true! Yeah, my family isn't rich or anything – I come from a single parent family with a disabled mother who can't work, but geez ... I like to think I'm healthy, thank you very much. Healthier since coming here, at least.

'Raised ... in a non-working family,' I correct with a wince, still aware of the hand at my throat.

'Then what, in the name of our cause, is that blasted man thinking?' she hisses angrily to herself, dropping her hand hastily. I frown a little when she wipes her palm over her hip as though touching me just dirtied her hand up. That's ... really insulting, y'know. Can't she sense I've been dropped into a half-elven body here? I'm hardly inferior compared to her, seeing as she's a half-elf too.

Then again, I'm not really a half-elf ... but surely she can't sense that! Pointed ears? Mana signature? Anything? I scream half-elf! Damn Symphonian complicacies!

'It seems I'll be need to report back with my new discovery quite soon,' she murmurs to herself, finishing wiping her glove on her hip. I keep my frown in place, trying to ignore how she's purposely putting me down just because I'm "human". Wait, half-elf. Wait ...

'Oh, and do make sure you remain around,' Pronyma says with a small smirk, turning her heel and walking away, each echoing clack of her boots ricocheting off the walls around us. 'If Kvar's interests lie within torturing the minds of the vulnerable, then he must be extremely short on entertainment. How very sad.'

She pauses, looking over her shoulder with a final grin, eyes flashing roguishly. 'Do entertain him. Though I'm sure Lord Kratos' boy should do the trick.'

And with that, she clacks her way down to the exit, leaving me completely paralysed with fear and dread. If what she says is true, then we _are_ gonna get that persecution that Kratos talked about. Quite obviously I'm scared out of my skull, but even through that, I still have to think about the other two. With any luck that might grace this planet, Kratos can fight his way out of it. He's _strong_ – really strong. Surely he wouldn't willingly go through this again, but if he does ... four-thousand years of pain, the pain of losing Anna and Lloyd, the pain of having found Lloyd and not let him know everything ... it might just break him. If that happens ... then we're seriously screwed. I don't want to see Kratos like that.

And Lloyd ... honestly – I've hurt him enough today. If he has to relieve every terrible memory he's ever encountered, as well as say ... today's events, Iselia's destruction, Marble, Chocolat, Genis almost getting killed ... everything – he might eventually turn mad. I can't see Lloyd in such a state – hell yeah, I caused a part of it, but dammit ... I'm stupid. I didn't mean for that to happen. But it did, and it's my fault, and –

... Disregarding the other two, what about myself? Obviously I've barely faced half the pain Kratos has, and I could never go through what he's been through and walk out sane and alive. But still ... I'll admit – I've lived in a pretty shitty life-style compared to most people my age due to my family's past and present mistakes. I'm not going on a sympathy drive, but it isn't nice. My brothers are drug dealers, my mother's disabled, I don't have a dad, my eldest sister died a few years ago, and everything fell apart after that. Like I told Pronyma - we're kinda poor, I guess ... my brothers take all of our money to pay off their dealings, so it's not a very fashionable life-style, y'know?

I think it's kinda obvious why I was looking for an older brother in Lloyd now. I've never had that, and it would be nice. But I can't drag him into my own fantasies. He's already an older brother to Genis and Colette – I can't worm myself in there. I just can't – it wouldn't be right.

And if you throw in life's ups and downs along with that ... this won't be a nice ride. Hell, I might even be faced with pain I've forgotten to make it worse. Urgh, dammit ... not looking forward to this.

"_Charis? William?"_ I try again worriedly. I heard most of the computers crash while I was falling ... I wonder if they're okay. Well, I hope they are – without them, I'm doomed.

"_We're_ _fine_," Charis says quietly, and I sigh audibly in relief when I hear her voice. It does sound quite fuzzy as though she was speaking through an extremely old phone ... but I guess things aren't too well up in that noggin of mine. They might have to repair a few things up there.

"_We can't do much ... but there are things you need to see. We can se-"_

A grating buzz of noise overtakes her speech, and I wince. It seems she's been cut off ... but I realise it's not that bad when I feel something move by its own accord in my pocket. I look down curiously, and panic a little when I see the zenta crawl out of my pocket by itself and fall to the floor with a soft clink. I swear to lordie, if it wasn't Charis that did that, I'm deciding insanity already hit me. I think it was Charis though, so it's all good.

Quite helpfully, it starts itself up, screen hovering to my eye level so I can see. The keyboard doesn't come out this time, because ... well, seeing as I'm chained up and all, I can't really use it. Charis seems to be working behind the scenes though, and she sets up the camera all good, and sends it whizzing of in the direction Pronyma just left in. Oh lord, I hope she doesn't notice it ... I think because it's bound by my mana signature I'm the only one who can see it, but still ... she can see I'm not a half-elf, so what else might she be able to pick out?

While Charis looks for what she's searching out, I decide to pass on watching the cold, grey walls of the ranch flicker by on the screen.

"_That's better,"_ she says after a moment, restoring her connection to my mind. I sigh in relief when the camera goes straight past a familiar head of green hair, glad that Pronyma didn't notice it. But for now, Charis just has to find what she's looking for.

"_Okay, we've got an update or two for you,"_ she says, and I perk up slightly. I hope its good news. Sweet lord, I hope its good news.

"_Well, quite obviously, Kvar's noticed your Exsphere."_

_"Great,"_ I mumble. "_Maybe HE'LL be able to tell me why it's green."_

_"Well, you could ask him,"_ Charis says. "_But he's not about to tell you it's some magical, superior Exsphere. He'll tell you it's a defect."_

I pause, looking up to the Exsphere shining dully on my hand. Defect? Meaning ... faulty? My Exsphere sucks? So I can use that as an excuse for my crappy fighting?

"_No, you still suck,"_ Charis groans, and I roll my eyes. "_But it works just like a normal Exsphere. It's a little weaker than normal ones, but the reason he thinks it's a defect is because of __its__ colour.__ Sometimes, raw Exspheres are mined grey or a really greyish blue. If grey, they gain colour as they nourish. It goes from grey, to yellow, to green, and then to either blue or red. Because yours is green ..."_

_"It means it didn't nourish properly,"_ I say with a frown. "_Well that sucks."_

_"Kinda. And I don't really mean to kick you while you're down, but, uh ..."_

She trails off, and I thud my head softly against the wall behind me. Seriously ... I'm tired of it always being bad news. Can't I get good news for once? I hardly want to stand out and be told I'm secretly a princess, or I'm some other clichéd form of a Chosen one and destined to do something here, or I'm actually Martel already reincarnated ... but y'know I'd like something: "Charlotte, you are going to get home" "Charlotte, you're looking rather pretty today" "Charlotte, WE ACTUALLY KINDA LIKE YOU SORTA NOT REALLY". Throw me a bone, someone.

The second one has to be impossible while I'm here with no access to make up or cleanser, but goddammit, I can imagine it might happen.

"_You can kick me while I'm down now,"_ I say with a say, annoyed at her stalling. She sounds like she's ruffling through a few papers, and she stops with a final 'aha!'.

"_Alright ... you HAVE to keep this in mind,"_ Charis says, picking out a sheet of paper. "_Don't, for the love of all that is holy, DON'T go near pure mana."_

_"... What?"_ I ask, running that over in my mind a few times. Pure mana? Isn't everything practically mana?

"_Not everything strictly speaking,"_ Charis clarifies shortly. "_Mana is like alcohol. Good in small doses, but utterly pure mana can kill you__. Spells that Genis casts are composed of mana and magical energy in his blood. It's the same with everything else. The only encounter with pure mana in the game was in the Iselia ranch. Do you remember how they changed to sorcerer's ring?"_

I take a moment, and nod. It's been a long while since I last played, but I think ... yeah – the ring shot out pure mana, and it drained the group's TP as it did. Now putting that in a realistic sense, that might just be fatal. Whoo, better keep that in mind for when we get there.

"_Hey, hey, I said it'd kill you – not them,"_ Charis corrects hastily, and I groan, slumping forwards against my chains.

"_Whaaat?__ How?"_

_"Well, what is pure mana?"_

_"... Mana."_

_"And how much mana do people have in their bodies?"_

_"... A lot."_

_"And how much mana do you have in your body?"_

_"... Not a lot."_

Charis coughs in approval. "_Exactly. If you're faced with pure mana, you're body mana is going to think 'damn, I'd like some of that stuff'. Because it's pure and isn't bound by another signature, your mana can get all magnetic with it and try to pull it in. If it does that, your whole system will freak out and the end result won't be pretty."_

I pause for a moment, thinking that over. "_If my system goes haywire, isn't that like ...turning into one of those monsters?"_

It's Charis' turn to pause. "_Uhh ... not really. Bluntly, all of your mana would burst out of your body, gather as much pure mana as it can, and then try to get back in.__ It would fail, by the way."_

_"Great," I huff, scowling at the floor. __"__Don't I have enough disadvantages here as it is?"_

_"Well sadly, you're not super duper fighting fit hero material like these guys are. You're a lazy British teenager. There's a giant difference there, sweetie – you can't expect to adapt to everything around you, pick up a sword and fight monsters, and jump onto good terms with everyone you meet as soon as you get here. Y'know – you're in a magical world for one ... adapting to seeing monsters and dragons and elves is hard. Second, do you know how long it takes to learn how to use a basic sword? You can't just swing it around like an idiot – Lloyd is mind-staggeringly lucky because his mentor is a four-thousand year old hero. Third, they all hate you. Sorry."_

I grumble a swear to myself, leaning back against the wall and rolling my tense shoulders. "_I'm painfully aware of that last one."_

_"Well ... I guess that was a dramatisation," _Charis confesses with a small sigh. "_More people dislike you than like you. Colette is fine with you and probably always will be ... but the others – Genis finds you annoying, Raine is fed up with your attitude, Kratos – wait, let's not go there ... uh, Sheena doesn't know you too well, and Lloyd ... I honestly can't say after what you did to him. We'll have to wait and see."_

I abandon trying to ease the paralysing ache biting my arm muscles and slump down. "_Well ... what about _before_ what I did? How did he see me?"_

Charis pauses, but answers after a rather reluctant moment or two. "_If you ignore Sheena ... you were still last. But that doesn't mean he hated you. After you saved him at the ranch last time by shooting Kvar, he began to place his faith in you and accept you into the group because of your selfless act ... but as soon as you had his trust, you were juggling around with it like hot coal. Truthfully – how many times have you had a spat with h__im since last time at the ranch?__"_

_"Far ... far too many."_

_"Exactly. When you had his trust, something you never saw yourself getting, you didn't know what to do with it. And to be painfully truthful, you just threw it back in his face."_

_"That I did,"_ I admit, gritting my teeth. I am so angry at myself right now. If I had a free hand, I'd punch myself.

"_But the odd thing is that he still saved you when Kvar threw you out of his window.__ It's in Lloyd's heart to protect his friends, but I still don't know why he did it even after you said all those things to him. Like you said – he should hate you. But something isn't right ..."_

I bite my lip. "_I know he's angry with me. He may not show it, but it's obvious he hates me."_

_"What happens now simply resides on the shoulders of fate. Whatever will be, will be."_

_"Stop spying on Zelos."_

"_He's too sexy – now concentrate, because I've found Lloyd."_

I jerk suddenly against my bonds, head snapping up to the screen. I haven't seen Lloyd since the fall, and ... well, he's had time to let everything that's happened and been said sink in. I just want to know if what I said was taken truly to heart, or he's been able to pass it off as me being a retard. I don't think the latter will be the case ... but I can hope, can't I? Lloyd is strong in his mind ...

When I see the image on the screen, I can't help but bite my lip and decide Kratos wasn't being truthful when he said Kvar's torture methods were based on _mental_ torture.

Lloyd is in my exact situation – bound against a dark, murky wall, hung by his wrists with chains, but there's one big difference. Okay, a couple of differences, but the main would be that he's bleeding. _Every__where_. And oho, no surprise, Kvar is before him, arms folded behind his back as he stands tall in comparison to Lloyd's slouched figure. There are three other Desians with him, one with a whip I'll assume has inflicted most of the wounds.

I look closer, clarifying my own thoughts while I bite my lip harder. Lloyd doesn't have his gloves, and his sleeves have slipped down enough to show deep red welts on his skin. I glance to his left hand and see that his key crest still resides there, absent of its Exsphere. What Kvar plans to do now, I don't know ... he'll probably try to make a new one using Lloyd's body as its host. He _did_ say he'd make a good Exsphere ...

'Blast it all ...' Kvar grumbles to himself, turning to one of the three Desians. I notice, now that I look closer, that he's holding something. It's like a small bottle, but in a very odd shape ... I won't go into it too much, because I can barely see. 'How much longer until it can be applied?'

'Just ... a minute or two, sir,' the Desians says, hands shaking. I don't blame him – Kvar looks absolutely livid right now. Livid enough to fry his own men? Why yes. 'It hasn't stopped emitting fumes yet. If we insert it into the earpiece, it'll destroy it ...'

'Very well,' Kvar says stiffly, turning back to a rather injured Lloyd. 'A minute should be enough. Our little prisoner needs to spill his secret before it is applied, and we have no time to waste.'

Lloyd straightens against his bonds, coughing shakily as he does. When he finally lifts his head, I can see blood trickling down from his mouth and hairline. His eyes are brimmed with unshed tears of pain, and it's a wonder how he can keep them at bay. If I were in his state, I'd be bawling.

'I don't know what you're talking about ...' he mutters unevenly, spitting some blood into the floor.

'You know very well what we're talking about, you stubborn brat,' Kvar snaps, gripping Lloyd's tousled hair and wrenching his head back to face him. 'I suggest you start speaking the truth.'

Lloyd squeezes his eyes shut, and I can see him clenching his teeth behind his firmly sealed lips. If I could see through Kvar's thick black gloves, I'd be able to tell his knuckles where white from gripping Lloyd's hair so tightly. Still, Lloyd doesn't make any noise or reaction. I would – it's only pissing off Kvar further ... I know it'd be demeaning to yourself if you give in to the man who practically killed your mother twice (including Exsphere here), but c'mon ...

'I won't ask you again, inferior being,' Kvar says, unhanding Lloyd's hair. Lloyd slumps down, head dropping to his chest and shoulders heaving as he pants in pain. '_Where_ are you hiding the Exsphere?'

... Wait.

'You!' Lloyd answers with a shout, head snapping back up to glare at Kvar. 'You destroyed it, you bastard! What are you talking abo-'

'You humans must be dumber than I've heard,' whip-Desian says with a smirk, tugging on his weapon eagerly. I can tell he wants to use it again quite soon ... something in his face is just telling me that. And I'm sure, after the loudspeaker notification a while back, they'll be coming to me once they've finished with Lloyd. Or with any luck, Kratos first. That was mean, I know, but I don't want to end up like Lloyd ...

'What?' Lloyd asks, flinching as he turns his head to the man previously thrashing him into a pulp. Kvar answers for him, gripping Lloyd's chin and wrenching him back to face him.

'Exspheres aren't glass,' Kvar snarls, giving Lloyd's jaw an uncomfortable squeeze before dropping his hand in disgust. 'They don't simply _shatter_ once thrown to the floor.'

I'm quite sure my heart just thundered to a halt right in my chest. Not because of the news that what Kratos had handed to Kvar back there was an obvious fake, and that Anna's Exsphere is still safe somewhere out of the Desians' reach ... but mostly because when that happened, how Lloyd reacted ... when he flipped out, attacked me, when I said all those dreadful things to him ... it was all over something that never really happened.

Lloyd got angry because he thought Kvar had destroyed his mother's keepsake, but he _didn't_. There was no reason for him to get angry, no reason for me to retaliate and say those things ... and the thing that's making me most angry is because even though it's happened, even though it's been clarified as a mistake ... I can't take what I said back. The wound on my arm from Lloyd will heal, but the words I said to him? I don't think so ... it'll take more than apple gels to heal that.

Goddammit.

'Then ... if that wasn't my mom's ... then-'

'That stone was a fake,' Kvar sneers, brow furrowed in an irate scowl. 'Now where have you hidden the fruit of the Angelus Project!?'

Lloyd doesn't acknowledge Kvar's words, head still slightly dropped in shock. The tall cardinal's face tightens in a tense rage. Obviously he doesn't like being ignored when he's demanding things from people.

'Mom ... her spirit – it's okay ... it's still here ...'

'Shut up!' Kvar orders loudly, twisting Lloyd's hair in his shaking fist once again. Lloyd is ripped from his personal moment and gasps in pain, caught by surprise. 'Who has it!?'

Lloyd bites his lower lip, sore with blood. 'Even if I did know, what makes you think I'd say so!?'

'Oh, you will tell us,' Kvar says smugly, unhanding Lloyd's hair and letting him shudder, breathless from pain once again. 'Your friends' sanity is on the line, much like yours. Unfortunately, should we manage to _break_ you, you will be useless to us.'

The shaking Desian with that weird bottle seems to be getting help from the other one (the one doing nothing) to pour it into a small capsule type thing. The poor thing is shaking so much that little droplets are spilling onto the floor. Aww ... I know we don't like Desians, but aww ...

'Waste a drop of that, and I'll have your brain melted and leaking out of your ears,' Kvar says, not turning. His hand is crackling with purple energy though, proving his point. The Desian looks like he might simply faint, and the other snatches the bottle from his trembling hands, sealing it shut with a scowl. He drags a finger across his throat and points to Kvar's back, shoving the bottle back to his chest. The Desian fumbles with it, collapsing against the wall. Bless.

'The capsules are here, sir,' the braver of the two Desians says, taking it to the cardinal. He drops two of them into his outstretched hand, straightening up. 'I trust you have the rest of the equipment. May we be dismissed?'

'The bumbling fool can,' Kvar grumbles quietly with a scowl, taking a small metallic device from the front pocket on his heavy vest, carefully inserting a single capsule into a slot and snapping it secure. 'I need someone to watch the boy after we're finished here. Make sure he doesn't harm himself.'

The 'bumbling fool' sets the bottle carefully on the floor before ... running like fuck out of the room. Aww ... I'm feeling very sorry for this guy, even though I shouldn't be. Lloyd seems to be in the same style of torture chambers, but it's probably on the other side of the ranch. Meaning I won't be seeing him anytime soon, thankfully ... and it'll take that Desian a while to get out of the chambers if it's as long as this one. He'll probably go back to his quarters and cry for a while. Bless.

'Now, finally we are finished,' Kvar says with a smirk. He holds the earpiece up with two fingers before Lloyd's face, looking extremely smug at his confusion. 'Do you have any idea what I've put into this, boy?'

Lloyd doesn't answer – he just glares. Kvar straightens himself up (he has to crouch to reach Lloyd's eye level, because he's ... very tall, and Lloyd is extremely short in comparison).

'It's a rare substance – difficult to acquire under certain circumstances that bind us,' Kvar explains, casually tossing it up into the air and catching it repeatedly, smirking down at Lloyd. 'It is taken from a foul creature that resides within the Seal of Darkness, a seal lost from this world for thousands of years. Though I do have the appropriate connections to order it, it's easier said than done.'

'Seal of ... Darkness?' Lloyd mumbles mostly to himself. 'But that seal doesn't exist ...'

'In your extent of inferior knowledge, no, it does not,' Kvar says, taking firm grasp of the earpiece once again. 'The creature it is taken from is a wraithlike beast, one that carries a coffin on its back. When the coffin opens, it lets out a certain substance that can take hold of your mind. It renders you unstable, every pain filled memory you've experienced flashing across your blind vision for less than a second.'

Lloyd stares at Kvar in horror, and he just continues. 'Though the time is short, the overwhelming damage to your mind is enough to twist your being out of shape. To make you hate everything and yourself. Perhaps to even _kill_ yourself.'

Kvar catches Lloyd off guard again, snatching his jaw and holding his head in place while he fits the metallic device to his ear. Lloyd thrashes wildly, but Kvar is way too strong ... in a matter of seconds, it's fixed to Lloyd's ear, and he's stiff with terror. Nothing's happened yet, but ... I think the fear of experiencing that all is enough.

'Now ... I do have to ask that you _don't_ try to kill yourself,' Kvar says with a sneer. 'We need your body, should we fail to locate the Exsphere. You should be honoured that we are using you to make an offering to Lord Yggdrasill.'

'Ygg ... drasill ...?'

Kvar doesn't answer, turning on his heel and striding out of the room. 'Keep an eye on him. The shock from the device is set for ten minutes, sending the substance into his system. Be sure he does no harm to himself once it is complete.'

'Stop!' Lloyd demands, thrashing against his chains. 'Where are Kratos and Charlotte!? If you do anything to them, I'll kill you! Don't you dare touch them!'

A firm crack of the whip against his arm shuts him up with a shout of pain. Lloyd shivers, fists clenched as he slumps down for a final time. In all honesty, the only thing going through my mind right now is to get free myself, strap on a pair, and go rip that thing away from Lloyd's ear.

He's being strong. No ... he _acting_ strong. It's sad to say that I know the difference now ... you can just tell from the way he's speaking and acting ... he's truthfully in pain already. It's selfish of me to hopefully assume it isn't because of what I said, but I know that's gotta be some of the fuel behind it.

'Dammit ...' Lloyd hisses to himself, dropping his head. I see the glint of a tear creeping down his cheek. That last bout of pain probably let it free ... he's been physically tortured a lot – it's amazing how he's managed to keep a straight attitude. 'Kratos ...'

And the funniest thing happens. I don't wait for him to mumble my name afterwards, because I know I'm not as important and Kratos to him. The weird thing is, it doesn't hurt me anymore. Because I hurt him? Because it was revenge for all the times he'd chosen someone over me? I know now, even if Lloyd does every be all ... Lloyd-like and forgive me for what I've said, I won't be able to accept it. Why? Because I don't _deserve_ it, and I know that. I won't let him forgive me because either a) I'm stupid, or b) I'm actually brave enough to accept that I'm a horrible, horrible excuse for a human and deserve nothing from Lloyd. For once, I'll stick with "b".

I jump a little when the zenta disappears with a quick buzz as Charis takes it away. She doesn't say anything when I feel its weight in my pocket again, and I know something's up. Our connection goes dead again, and there's nothing left for me to do than wait for Kvar to come my way. He may or may not pick up another few Desians on the way ... so he might be coming alone. Regardless, he still has a capsule of that stuff with him. Unless he's using it on Kratos, I'll be quite screwed.

And ... I think I remember those monsters he talked about. Except in the game, a giant hand shot out of the coffin and sucker-punched you instead. He must have gotten it from Rodyle ... he's got access between the two worlds right now, so he could easily pick it up for him.

Anyway ... Lloyd's chamber is on the other side of the ranch. If Kvar is coming for me, then I have a few minutes to get myself prepared mentally for this. I think. Ugh, let's just hope it doesn't go too bad ... I doubt, like Kvar said, I have enough painful memories to render me suicidal. Even if it did, I can't do much here – all tied up and stuff. I just hope Lloyd doesn't do anything stupid.

... Y'know, if I escape and hide before Kvar gets here, it'd be so much easier.

Straightening up and deciding to set my mind to "spy" mode, I look around for anything I can use to loosen these bounds. I could try magic, but I'm sure nothing I have is powerful enough to cut through those chains. I should really start using magic a lot more ... I wonder what would have happened if I used magic instead of techs? Hmm ...

Whoa, bad time for this Charster. You have to escape, and I'd say you have about three minutes. Hop to it, woman.

I bite my lip, looking around again. I can't reach anything with my hands or feet ... there's nothing on my body I can get to and use. I even try to curve my hand together in an attempt to slip it out of the handcuff. Doesn't work, by the way. Still fairly trapped.

Okay, keep looking around ... key, knife, anything to use ... ugh, think about the movies! Spy movies! Gah, when was the last time I watched a spy movie that _wasn't_ Austin Powers? Now I'm not a professional spy, but I'm not taking advice from the spy who's car is named "Shaguar" ... I should really watch James Bond sometime ...

Charlie. Two minutes to go. _Do_ _something_.

Deciding I can get pretty much nothing to help me, I just tug against the cuffs at my wrists and feet. It probably won't work, but it's the only thing I can _do_ ...

And apparently I've been messing around in a panic more than I realised, because I hear the distant creek of a heavy metal door opening. Oh god ... oh _god_ – Kvar is here already!? Please God, no ...

For the second time today, I _pray_. Why!? What the hell am I doing!? I don't even know what to believe in! How do I know there's a god up there in _this_ universe!? What if it really is Martel? Haven't I dumped all over her religion enough her for her to, y'know, hate me? Ack ... this is so hard. I don't know what to do. There has to be something I can do ...!

The footsteps are getting louder. I can tell it's Kvar from his achingly slow pace. He knows just how to freak you out ... ugh, bastard cardinal.

Giving up any well thought out plan that might have helped, I tug violently at my chains to see if I'll get lucky. I feel like I'm trying to rip off my arm, and the ache in my shoulder is soaring back ... but c'mon, there's nothing else to do. If I can get free in the next three seconds, someone up there loves me.

Sadly, atheism doesn't come in handy when you rely on a holy being.

'There's no need for that.'

I freeze it what can only be described as pure horror. I feel like my insides just twisted themselves around and frozen, the chill making me feel physically sick. My fingers twitch in uncontrollable jerking, and I collapse against the wall in a shaking mess, braving myself to look Kvar in the eyes. He looks exactly the same as I last saw him in person, if not a little taller. And I notice now that he has small silver marks across his face where healed wounds sit. I guess it's from when Kratos and Lloyd attacked ... he must have a good healer employed here to heal it up that fast ... but then again, mana can do anything.

Let's keep in mind this guy _did_ throw me out of a window. I wouldn't put it against him to kill me off – Pronyma says I'd make a crappy host for an Exsphere, so I don't really have a reason to stick around here for him. Of course, he'd probably torture me and _then_ kill me, because he's _that_ sick.

'Now, I want to deal with this quickly,' Kvar says, walking slowly towards me while he reaches into his front pocket. Oh god, that thing is in there ... the capsule and the earpiece ... ugh, dammit. 'I have much more important matters to attend to. Kratos won't hold for long.'

'Y'know, if he gets free, he's gonna kick your ass,' I say, straightening up. 'How about you just skip me altogether and go ... do stuff.'

'It does sound tempting to finally secure him and claim my rightful name as leader of the grand cardinals,' Kvar says, inserting the capsule into the earpiece as he speaks. Oh man, he really means to get this over with quickly. 'But I do have a debt or two that needs repaying from you. Your crumbling sanity might suffice.'

With a smirk, he snaps the earpiece shut and holds it up so I can see. 'We shall see.'

'What ... _debt_?' I ask, glaring. 'You already beat the crap outta me and made Lloyd hate me – isn't that enough!?'

I think the reason I'm actually brave here is because I _know_ that there is no way out of this ... so if I'm going down, I might as well do it without looking like a sobbing wreck, which would feel a lot better right now. Kvar just folds his arms behind his back, smirking away again.

'I wasn't aware you held his friendship in such high regards. Perhaps the things you said to him were slightly _misleading_.'

I bite my lip, glaring at the floor. 'I didn't mean any of that stuff.'

'You meant every word of it,' Kvar says loudly and clearly so I can hear. 'And you can't take it back. How sad.'

'Lloyd doesn't care about any of that!' I protest, tugging against my bonds. If I suddenly get free by whatever reason, I'm going to feel a bit stupid standing before Kvar and deciding if I should leg it or collapse into a shaking ball of apologies. Knowing me, it'll be the latter.

'Hmm,' Kvar says with a nod, smiling. 'Yes, he doesn't care. Not at all. But then again, I shall let you decide for yourself in a moment to see if he "doesn't care".'

I don't know how to answer to that, and fall into silence. Kvar doesn't continue further, and simply moves his arms to fold over his chest, earpiece still in hand. He doesn't look like he's about to do anything suspicious ... it's like he's waiting for me to say something, or do something ... but what? I have to decide if Lloyd does or doesn't care what I said? Of course he doesn't! He's strong! He looked fine when I saw him through the zenta!

... And I also said he was _acting_ strong. Way to contradict yourself there, Charster.

'What ...' I start quietly, and Kvar just presses a finger to his lips. I glare, and wonder what the hell is going on. We're just standing (hanging, in my case) here in silence. Is this one of those corny times where I have to look into my soul and find the answer? Can't Kvar just bitch slap me and get it over with? What does he want me to say?

But of course, it's something I should have realised easily.

He's not waiting for _me_ to say anything – or do anything for that matter. It suddenly dawns upon me that ... how long has it been since I turned off the zenta? Roughly about ten minutes. How long was Lloyd's earpiece timer set for? Exactly. He's not waiting for me – he's waiting for Lloyd. But surely – Lloyd is on the other side of the ranch. He can't possibly pick up anything he has to say from here. We're so far away from him.

This of course, makes it all the more terrifying when I hear him _scream_.

I just stare at the floor before Kvar's feet when I hear it, crystal clear. Lloyd is on the _other side of the ranch_. It can't be that bad ... it can't be - nothing can make a human scream like that. _Nothing_.

But he's screaming – screaming for his mother at one point ... it's _horrible_. I can hear the absolute terror in his voice. I'm so far away, yet it sounds as if he's just a few chambers down from here ... and it's so clear. If I can hear it, surely Kratos can also. The man had better break free _now_ and go and save him, because heaven knows I can't.

'Oh god ...' I whisper to myself when the screams die down. I can only imagine Lloyd has collapsed into a sobbing mess ... and I think I should be doing the same, knowing I'm about to have one of those things put on my ear. I am _weaker_ than Lloyd, both mentally and physically. Whatever hit him will hit me twice as hard, perhaps even more. And I don't even have time to prepare for it when Kvar approaches with his everlasting smirk, device ready in hand.

'STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!' I scream, trying to wrench myself free. It's not happening – this is not happening. So many things have happened – this'll just tip me over the edge. What's beyond that edge ... I don't want to know.

I thrash wildly when he tries to grab me, trying to lean away rapidly from his hands while trying to knee him, or anything. He's so close – surely I can attack him in some way. 'DON'T TOUCH ME!'

Obviously, like before, nothing works. He clamps a hand over my mouth and forcefully shoves my head back against the wall. Luckily it wasn't hard, so I'm not severely injured ... but that doesn't make it any better. I feel a sharp pain shoot through my earlobe when he attaches to device to me, and I flinch at both the sting and the cold. The strong smell of leather and blood from his glove actually manages to make me dizzy, and he quickly wrenches his hand away before I start coughing. I dunno, apparently Desians don't like to touch people that aren't ... _Desians._

Damn it's on my ear.

'Oh ... oh god ...' I mumble, frozen with fear. Kvar just smirks at his success, taking a small step back to observe my terribly obvious fear.

'Enjoy yourself,' he says, turning and heading to the entrance to the next chamber. 'Excuse me for my awfully short visit. You're not worth my time.'

I can't bring myself to watch him go. While I'm here, waiting for my torture to begin ... I'd give anything to have someone here in the room when it happens. Lloyd had two other guards there with him ... and even if it might have been humiliating, they're still company. I don't want this to happen alone. Even if it _were_ Kvar ditching his visit to Kratos and sticking around to laugh at me, that'd be enough.

I hastily try to get the mechanism off my ear using my shoulder, realising I haven't been told just when it's going to set off.

"_Thr ...ts ..."_

That'd be Charis attempting contact, but our connection is still fuzzy because my head equipment is dead. At least she's making the effort ... but my heart still sinks when I pick up the words "three minutes".

Okay. Three minutes to prepare myself for this. I'll just go through everything ... I'll go through all the most painful things I remember and get them out of my system, and then it won't hurt so bad, right? I certainly know that genetically chubby thighs will be on that list somewhere among passed away family members, but damn I hate my thighs. My thighs _suck_.

Not doing this well, Charlie.

With every second that passes, my heart thuds more powerfully in my chest. I bite my lip tightly, feeling it quiver uncontrollable under my teeth. I need someone. Even that wussy Desian that ran away from Kvar – he'd be fine. Pronyma coming back would be dandy, someone coming to _rescue_ me would be dandier ... but nothing much is happening. I can't hear anyone in my head, I can't hear any movement in the set of torture chambers.

Dammit Charlotte, get over yourself. You're stronger than this. C'mon, you've put up with all the crap from Kratos in the past, and that was one of the hardest things in the world. You can get through this – it's just a second or two. It's nothing. Absolutely nothing.

... Right?

--------------------

_'Sis ...'_

_'Oh, Genis ... you're still awake?__ It's the middle of the night.'_

_'Yeah ... I can't sleep. I'm worried about the others.'_

_'I know it's hard for you, but you have to wait this out like the rest of us.__ We still have to escort all of these prisoners back to Luin – even setting up camp in an open field so they could get rest is dangerous enough should the Desians come looking for us.__ You need to be strong until they are safe.'_

_'I know that! But I thought that they would have finished by now ...__ it's been almost a day.'_

_'It ... has been rather long, I admit.__ But Kratos is with him – there's nothing for you to worry about.__ I know Lloyd is capable, but should anything have happened, Kratos wouldn't let any harm come to him. You need to stop worrying.'_

_'But Raine ... what if they're in trouble? We should go back for them-'_

_'Genis, you know we can't do that. Lloyd told us to stay away.'_

_'But Lloyd is stupid! Raine, something bad has happened, I know it has! What if they're really in trouble back there!?'_

_'We might enter the ranch while it's preparing for self-destruct. It'd be__ far too dangerous to go back now.__ We need to wait at Luin for their return.__'_

_'And if they don't return!?'_

_'We ... will give it a week. If it passes, we'll leave an authority figure with a message shoul__d they return when we leave.'_

_'So if they don't come back ... we're just going to carry on!? Me, you, Colette and Sheena? Raine!'_

_'I know this is hard for you Genis ... but we've held of Colette's journey enough.__ We can't keep stopping at every little thing.'_

_'Little!? You're calling this little!?_

_'Genis, that is enough! You need to start looking at this from a realistic point of view. If we wait for too long, what will happen to Sylvarant? More people will die because Colette's journey is being held off for three people.__ I know you care about Lloyd__, but can that really be called fair?'_

_'... I'm going to sleep. __Wake me up if Lloyd comes back.'_

_'Genis ...'_

_-----------------------_

I got through all of that, didn't I? Kratos, Lloyd ... everyone's little comments ... I'm still standing, aren't I? Sure, I've cracked a few times and said some stupid things, but we've always put that behind us, haven't we? We moved on, right?

... Right?

--------------------------

'_Colette, can I talk to you?'_

_'Oh, sure Genis! But ... why are you still awake? It's really late ... and we've got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow.'_

_'I could say the same for you ... why aren't you sleeping?'_

_'Oh ... I've got a little tummy ache, but it's nothing, really! I must have eaten something bad ...'_

_'Colette ...'_

_'Oh right, you wanted to talk! Um, what's up?'_

_'You don't think ... anything bad has happened to Lloyd and the others, do you?'_

_'I ... I can't really say for sure. But I know that they're all str__ong enough to overcome anything – especially Lloyd and Kratos. They've accomplished so much already.'_

_'Y-yeah ... but Lloyd ... it's not unusual for him to get into trouble, y'know?'_

_'Well ... if something goes wrong, Kratos is there, right? _

_'Ugh, Kratos can't fix _everything_! Especially with _her_ there annoying him ...'_

_'I dunno ... they're not as bad as they used to be ... but I think he can put that aside for Lloyd's sake, if he were in trouble ...__'_

_'That's true, but ... what if they're all in trouble? I know Kratos is strong enough to protect them both, but that Kvar guy ... he really seemed to get into Kratos' head somehow ...'_

_'Kratos would do anything to protect Lloyd ... I know that much from what I've seen of those two. He doesn't show it, but I know in his heart he'd do anything ...'_

_'... What about her?__ She's probably holding them back.'_

_'I know she can't really take care of herself ... but she sees things through. If she knows how much this means to Lloyd, she'd do her best.'_

_'She takes his friendship for granted! She never does anything in return for him! What makes this any different!?'_

_'She can't ... open up. She's scared because no one trusts her. But when Lloyd started to, just a little bit ... didn't you see her try harder?__ She knows how important this is for him ... I think she'd try her best to see this through.'_

_'And Kratos ... what about him? What is that Kvar guy got into his head? Lloyd would be-'_

_'Lloyd will be fine. I know he will.__ Genis, please stop worrying ... Lloyd wouldn't want you to be so __concerned__.'_

_'I'm trying ... but I keep imagining all these things ... when we rescued the prisoners, how some of them were tortured ... I just-'_

_'Genis ...'_

_'... I'm scared, Colette.'_

_'Do you want a hug__?'_

_'Y-yeah ... okay ...'_

_'Lloyd will be fine. I promise.__ He'll come back to us, and everything will be okay. He'll bring the other two back with him, and we can all continue on this journey together ... so no more worrying, okay? And no more crying ...'_

_'... I'm just so scared ...'_

------------------

Death, loss, heartbreak, pain, fear ... with time, you can overcome anything. But will I have that time after being hit with it all after a second or two? Will I have time to gather my thoughts? I have all the time in the world ... but how long before reliving it and finally snapping? Minutes? Days? Years? Seconds? Will I be able to collect my feelings up before I lose the will and just let them scatter? Surely never ... I'd be able to hold this out, won't I? I've got all the time in the world, haven't I? I'll be able to get myself together after this, right?

... RIGHT!?

--------------

'_Professor Sage__ ... I heard from Kratos about ways that Kvar tortures his victims.'_

_'Colette, not you too ...'_

_'No, no ... I was just wondering ... Lloyd would be able to stand that, wouldn't he?__'_

_'I ... am sure Lloyd would be fine.__ Living in Iselia has had its ups and downs, and since beginning this journey it's been slightly hectic for him ... but I believe he is strong enough to stand this.__'_

_'What if he relives memories ... from before he came to Iselia?'_

_'I don't know if he would be able to ... it was so long ago, Colette ... they might have been wiped from his mind.__ But even we do not know what has happened to him before his arrival in Iselia. We will have to find that out for ourselves one day ... I'm sure if Lloyd cannot remember himself, it wouldn't be shown to him.'_

_'Yeah ... you're right.'_

_'Kratos would be fine. I can't say much about his past, but I know he is strong enough to take whatever Kvar throws at him.__ I just hope, should things turn out badly on Lloyd's behalf, that Kratos would be able to bring him back to his senses. They will all be fine, Colette – you needn't worry yourself about them.'_

_'... What about Charlotte?'_

_'I ... can't say. I honestly can't.'_

_'... She has a weak heart.'_

_'__We can only hope Kvar doesn't get to her. If he does, I wouldn't like to imagine how she would handle it ...'_

_'But ... they'll be fine, right?'_

_'Colette ...'_

_'... Right?'_

_----------------------_

'_Prisoner 0__3 absent from cell. Surrounding equipment destroyed. All ranch on emergency alert. Prisoner 03 dressed in navy – capture alive.'_

'_Prisoner 03 has passed cell chamber line 04. Prisoner heading for cell chamber line 05, residents – Lloyd Irving. All active personnel to cell chamber line 05.__ Do not let him touch Lloyd Irving. This is a specific order from Lord Kvar. Do not let him touch Lloyd Irving.'_

I watch through the screen of the zenta everything play out. Not really – I'm just watching Lloyd slumped forward, staring at the floor. He's utterly unmoving, tears long finished running down his face. His eyes are still murky with confusion, pain, and tears he just doesn't have the strength to cry anymore. It's a shame to see him so broken up from what he used to be, but so goes Kvar's revenge.

I can hear screaming in the background, probably the Desians Kratos is slaughtering to reach Lloyd now that he knows he's been thoroughly tortured, both mentally and physically. There's choking, crying, the sound of snapping bones and ripping flesh ... yeah, Kratos is really going all out to find him before anything else happens. Wish I could say the same for me – the bastard ran right past my cell chamber line. Of course, I come last. I always come last when it's with Lloyd. But we'll get back to me later and focus on Lloyd – you'd rather not hear about the time I've had.

Lloyd still isn't moving at all, even though he can probably hear the massacre a few chambers down quite clearly. He's just hanging limply from his chains, looking absolutely lifeless. He's just staring at a space on the floor, not making any effort to move, call out for Kratos, anything. He looks like Colette when she had her heart taken away from her ... completely oblivious, emotionless.

I can't say I look any different right now ... but again, we'll come back to me later.

'Stop him!'

'He's too strong!'

There's more fighting, and the voices are eventually dimming down. There're fewer of them as Kratos kills them off, one by one. A few smart ones are probably keeping the hell out of his way or running in the opposite direction, because I honestly don't think a bunch of low-ranking Desians are going to bring down one of the four seraphim, especially when said seraphim's only son is in danger. The son in question still doesn't acknowledge a thing.

It's hard to watch. For a long time, I haven't seen the Lloyd I know. I've seen the person driven by anger and revenge enough to ignore his own "friend's" safety, and now this person who just seems to have given up on ... _everything._ Did the Lloyd we know used to be stronger than this? Did what I say really break a few walls around him? Did he really care?

'Lloyd!'

That's Kratos' voice alright. Still, Lloyd doesn't make any indication that he's deeper within the line of chambers. I can't hear any Desians – just the hurried footsteps of a certain mercenary looking for Lloyd before anything else can happen. I can't imagine Kvar is too happy about Kratos breaking free. But hey – remember how Regal utterly destroyed the prison bars up in Welgaia? I'm sure Kratos could do that with his fingernail. No half-rate prison is gonna keep him contained – not with Lloyd's life and sanity on the line.

'Lloy-!'

Aaaand here he is. Covered in blood, sword drenched in the stuff, and for the first time in my life seeing this, a look of absolute panicked dread on his face.

A horrible silence falls over everything, save for the soft breathing from Kratos after running the length of the ranch and slaughtering everything in his path. Still, Lloyd makes no movement at all, despite the fact he should be overjoyed that he's actually being _rescued_ here. I get completely skipped, and he's just ... ugh. A thank you would be fine, Lloyd.

Kratos can't actually _move_. He's just staring at Lloyd, waiting for something. Lloyd hasn't moved, he hasn't said a word, he's just ... he might as well be dead. Wide-eyed, staring, dead. I could mistake him for that, but I can see him breathing slowly ... even if it's just a little, you can see his lips trembling.

Kratos finally regains his composure, ignores his son's now vegetated state, and steadily makes his way over to free him. Good choice there – any sudden movements might set him off again. If someone just jumped into my cell, I would actually break down. The only thing keeping me sane right now is the silence. One word from Charis, and I'll be gone.

'Lloyd,' Kratos repeats quietly, working the lock at his right wrist. Lloyd still doesn't move, and Kratos observes him shortly before going back to the chain. Eventually it clicks open, the quick _shiing_ of metal resonating around the chamber as it clatters to the floor in two pieces. The sensors on the handcuff die, and the locks around his ankles snap open also. Lloyd slumps down heavily, held up by one chain at his left wrist, limp and motionless. Kratos grabs him quickly so he doesn't dislocate a shoulder, shattering the remaining lock hastily.

Lloyd just collapses against Kratos when he carefully lowers himself to his knees, resting the motionless body of his son against the wall. Still looking quite concerned at Lloyd's lack of reaction, Kratos pauses before resting on hand softly on the teen's shoulder. Lloyd just continues to stare at his knees, but the gentle tense of muscles barely noticeable under Kratos' hand is a good sign.

The bad sign is that Lloyd is now shaking uncontrollably.

Wasting barely a second, Kratos rests a second hand on his other shoulder, holding firmly. Tight enough to attract certain attention, but just enough so it won't harm him and scare him in any way. Heaven knows what's going through his head right now – the last thing he needs is to be jolted out of it by fear.

'_Lloyd_.'

Finally, the vacant look glazing Lloyd's eyes seems to soften and he slowly raises his head. Kratos breathes a small sigh of relief, but he's smart enough to know that they're not safe yet. Just because Lloyd is finally reacting, doesn't mean the thoughts in his head are calming down. If anything, not that he's fully conscious and able to let his own thoughts wonder, they'll become worse.

'Kratos ...'

Slowly, the mercenary takes his hands away from Lloyd's shoulders, satisfied at Lloyd's safer state of mind. 'Are you alright?'

'I ...'

Lloyd trails off, raising a shaky, uncertain hand to the side of his head. Another clatter rips through the silence as a small metallic object falls to the floor beside Lloyd's thigh. The instrument of torture lies broken, and Lloyd rests his hand over his ear where it previously sat. Kratos frowns, now fully aware of just _how_ Lloyd came to be this way. He doesn't look too happy ... but Lloyd luckily doesn't take any notice, raising a second hand to the other side of his head.

He draws his knees up and curls into himself tightly, hands immediately fisting tightly in his hair. 'Kratos – I -!'

'Lloyd, calm down,' Kratos orders, that tone of affection still present under his commanding attitude. It's probably the only thing that makes Lloyd's grip loosen and his muscles slowly relax. 'Now ... are you alright?'

Still trembling slightly, Lloyd lowers his hands to his sides, not raising his eyes. 'I ... I don't know ...'

Kratos sighs, hand returning to Lloyd's shoulder. 'Take your time. I don't want you under any pressure.'

Lloyd gives the tiniest nod, letting the hand rest there. He continues to stare at his knees, and I can practically see the broken gears in his head trying to get back into order, telling him how to feel. One of those gears had better be "ignore everything Charlotte ever said", because if it isn't, my own build-up of emotions is going to tumble over and crash.

Kratos takes his sword by the other hand, slowly returning it to its sheath when he's certain there are no more Desians around. Lloyd tenses all the way through, and the grip on his shoulder tightens reassuringly. If Lloyd actually thought Kratos was going to kill him, I don't want to know what kind of things his own torture planted into his head. That hand resting on his shoulder might just be scaring the living daylight out of him ... but he can hardly move and protest right now.

Kratos doesn't take his intense eyes off him, constantly checking for a change in his features that might indicate fear or pain. Right now, Lloyd just looks very puzzled and distressed, probably letting the mass of thoughts pass through his mind now that he has someone to help him through it, even if it is just by remaining in front of him with a comforting presence.

For the second time, Lloyd raises his head, meeting Kratos' eyes uncertainly with his own. Usually there's something ... like a spark. Lloyd always seems to feel better when Kratos is there, talking him through all these things ... but this time, something is missing. There is no spark. Lloyd just watches him, almost hopefully.

'Kratos ...'

And then it happens. Lloyd asks the question that makes the man's hand falter at his shoulder.

'Am ... am I really a murderer?'

As if realising his mistake in drawing back, Kratos clamps his hands down securely on Lloyd's shoulders. Lloyd flinches, head dropping to his chest once again ... but not before Kratos interjects his actions with his commanding voice yet again.

'Lloyd, look at me.'

'Am ... I really doing this all just to make myself feel better ...?'

'Lloyd.'

'Would Mom - did she really want me to turn out like this ...?'

'_Lloyd_.'

'Is everyone getting hurt because I'm too selfish ...? Do I really only care about revenge ...?'

'Lloyd, _look at me_.'

Finally, he raises his eyes a third and final time. I'm not sure why ... and I'm not sure what just happened, but when Kratos raises a hand from Lloyd's right shoulder to rest against the side of his face, I suddenly realise I'm not really looking at Kratos anymore. I'm not looking at the seraphim of Cruxis, the hero of the Kharlan war, the angel under Mithos' command. I'm not looking at the mercenary who's made my life a living hell the past month or so.

I'm looking at a father.

'You would never kill to purposely cause a good-hearted person grief,' Kratos says quietly, hand unmoving. 'You know the perish of the Desians will never ease your pain – it will never make you feel better about your mother's death. You are fighting them to protect your now living friends and all the good-hearted people who live in fear of the Desians' rule.'

Tears are creeping at the corners of Lloyd's eyes again, and he's just staring wide-eyed at Kratos, in utter awe of his logic. Kratos drops the hand to Lloyd's shoulder once more, squeezing it softly.

'Your mother ... Anna loves you, whoever you may be. She is proud of your determination to protect your friends. I know she is. Her spirit lingers within your Exsphere and your heart.'

It takes me a moment to realise Kratos has slipped something out of his belt, and is now fixing Lloyd's perfectly intact and shining Exsphere to the hollow key crest on his hand. Lloyd raises his hand from the floor when it's fixed in place, its soft blue shine emitting a comforting light.

'Mom ...'

Kratos drops his hands from Lloyd's shoulders, leaning back on one knee while Lloyd observes his real Exsphere now it's been returned to him, those tears dangerously close to falling.

'Your parents will never stop loving you.'

And in one fell swoop, Kratos seems to have kicked away whatever fragile support was holding up Lloyd's tower of emotions. The teen just ... _lunges_ at Kratos, throwing his arms around his neck and clutching fistfuls of the already torn cape between his fingers. Kratos almost falls over backwards, but manages to support himself before making sure Lloyd is still okay.

Lloyd heaves his first sob, the second, and then just begins crying freely into Kratos' shoulder. I'm sure if it were anyone else, Kratos would be shoving them away roughly and telling them to act their age, but ... some parental part of his that's been locked away for fourteen long years is finally escaping, and the natural father within him just seems to know what to do for now. I know Lloyd doesn't know – Kratos knows he doesn't know – but there's still something about a parent and a child that's just ... magnetic. I finally see that soft spot in Kratos I've been looking for all this time when he runs his fingers through Lloyd's hair, as his son sobs his heart out into his cape.

And that concealed part of Lloyd's being that's always needed a parent seems to be opening up ... and it's probably the first time that a true parent has finally been there to answer to it.

I'm glad ... through my own mountain of untouched emotions, I'm actually glad. I've never seen a kind of parental love like this from anyone ... and it's strangely shocking and satisfying that I can see it from Kratos.

I don't know how long they sit there, and I don't know how long I've actually been hanging here from my own restraints ... but the zenta shuts down, I'm left staring at the floor once more, and I'll be forced to wait longer for my rescue – for my "pull yourself together", and for my needs to go unnoticed once more by that bastard mercenary.

And heaven knows I will never settle with coming last, even if it kills me.

The problem is, I have more of a chance of being killed by the very person who will never put me first. And for once in my life here ... I honestly couldn't care less.

----------------------

Footsteps.

I take a shaky breath, not averting my eyes to the entrance of my chamber. It feels such an effort to even move my head ... hell, I can barely stand to move a muscle. All I need to know is that it's an all too familiar sound, and I'd recognise that steady pace and each soft clack of shoes anywhere, especially since coming to Sylvarant. With fear of being killed in the night of the owner of those feet, you begin to take certain precautions, like learning the exact sound of how they _walk_. You know, just in case. I'm not one for taking chances.

I don't know why, but I'm more on edge than when Kvar was coming down here to attach the device that's long fallen from my ear and shattered against the floor. In the past two hours or so, I've barely bothered to look at it. At least, I think it's been two hours. I feel like I've been here for days, just waiting for another person's presence to grace my area, even if it is that annoying –

_Clack_.

- Infuriating –

_Clack_.

- Downright rude –

'Harrison.'

Bastard mercenary.

I don't answer. Oh, I try – I make the effort to move my lips, but nothing comes out. Just a dry breath. To be truthful, I don't really want to say anything. If I let any word come out, I just know that my voice is going to crack, I'm going to cave in, and I might just attack something extremely violently. Seeing as Kratos is the only one here while Lloyd waits outside the line of chamber cells, he'd be my target, which is why I'm holding my breath. I can't deal with this right now.

Before actually _breaking me free_, Kratos observes me for a moment. Can't say I blame him. You see, since my torture initiated itself and I've relieved _every little fucking thing_ from my life, I was sent into a spiral of ... absolute horror. Trauma. Denial. Anger. Whatever disturbed adjective you want to use. I'm actually making this out to be a smaller deal than it is.

It should be obvious by now – when I'm under stress or tension, I bite my lip. Everyone knows that. I _always_ do it. Well, streams of blood are now trailing down my chin like I've been coughing it up. There's blood creeping down my neck and around my shoulder area, because ... well, when I was being tortured, I ... _thrashed_. Quite violently, as you would while you're crying, screaming, and just wanting to _die_ for five minutes because you can't fit _one_ good thought amongst all the shit you've just relived. And if anyone's cared to notice, there's quite a solid wall behind me. Yes, I do have a raging headache, and yes, it is accompanied by a giant wound in the back of my head because I've unconsciously been bashing it against the wall. You don't really notice the pain until _after_ you've stopped crying and screeching.

My wrists are raw with all the tugging I've been doing, but that really isn't anything worth mentioning ... not as bad as the blood, the stick hair drenched in the stuff, and just the general "fuck-the-world" look I've got going on here.

I short ... I feel really, really down right now.

Not just down. I feel ... horrible – I honestly can't stop shaking. Think ... just think of all the times people neglected you when you needed help, when you were made fun of behind your back, when people called you names, when you've picked out something you despise about yourself, when your parents were too busy to help you with anything, when you've felt utterly useless and pathetic, when people have utterly broken your heart and had you crying for weeks, when you family dies, when your friends die, the fear of _more_ of them dying, the fear of being alone, the fear of having to cope with things you aren't used to, to accept change, the fear of when your family finally begins to fall apart and you're old enough to understand _why_, when your parents fight and you're caught up, when people have hated you for no reason, when people put you down when you try your hardest, when everything is _your fault_ and _you_ can't fix it, when everyone is in pain because of you, when everyone makes you feel that it's your fault even though you want to convince yourself it isn't ...

_Everything_. All the pain you have ever felt ...

Two seconds. _All_ _repeated_ in two seconds.

Yeah ... I don't feel too stable right now.

There's a quick hiss of metal through the air, and I flinch when Kratos' sword rips through the chains above my head. The sensors on the handcuffs die and my ankle locks come undone, allowing me to collapse to my knees. I try not to move, the lump in my throat still quivering dangerously. After a few moments, the handcuffs click open and clatter nosily to the floor amongst the destroyed earpiece.

Kratos straightens himself, returning his sword to his scabbard. I don't know what to say or do. What can I do? Demand that he goes to get Lloyd so I can apologise to him? Hardly ... I don't even want to speak right now. I just want to let it out, but I'm going to show Kratos. I'll show him once and for all that I'm _not_ weak. I'll get through this, I'll blow up the ranch for them, and I won't cry. Not once. I'm not holding him back anymore. I don't ... want to be complained about anymore ...

I don't want people to hate me anymore.

'Harrison.'

My muscles scream when I move them, but I ignore their throbbing conflict when I draw my knees up to my chest, folding my arms across them. I bury half my face into my arms, just so Kratos can't see me biting my already bleeding lip. I stare at the floor just before his feet, not too keen on looking up at him right now. If I do, he'll tell me to just get over myself and put everyone else's interests first. Because that's _all_ I've been told to do here. Put _them_ first. Put _Lloyd_ first. He's more _important_ than you. You want to be his _friend_. If this is all I'll get in return, then ... I just don't know anymore.

'Hey, Kratos ...' I mumble softly so my voice doesn't crack, not looking up. He shifts slightly without a word to show me I have his attention for now, and I decide to just get it over with and take my chance. If I don't do this now ... I'll never have the guts to do it again. There's a time and a place ... and now's the time – just after I _realise_ it.

'When I was a little girl,' I say, lifting my head slightly so I'm not speaking into my arms. 'The only thing I ever wanted ... was to be special. Just ... to be unique. To stand out.'

Kratos doesn't answer, and I just continue, leaning back against the wall slightly, still curled up. 'Everyone else seemed to have something. All my brothers and sisters, all my friends when I first started school ... they all seemed to be special in some way that helped them become popular.'

I continue to bite my lip. 'I ... I was never popular. I was too plain. The little girl with curly hair who still had her baby-fat. That was me. I was just an embarrassing mess.'

I force a small smile, remembering those "First School Day" photos in my current classroom, and how we just make fun of ourselves. I'll always joke about myself with my friends, but there's always that part of me that thinks "at least I grew out of it".

'It doesn't matter how many plastic doll houses I had, how many paper fairy wings I made, or how many princess dresses I made out of pillow cases ...' I mumble, shaking my head again. 'I was never special. I had nothing. I was boring, and I always would be.'

I straighten out my legs slightly, wiping some blood away from my chin with a shaking hand. 'I got teased in my first year at school because I tried to fit in. I was only four ... but it still seemed to hit me somewhere deep. I was such a baby ... I cried all the way home.'

I laugh aloud, holding my head in my hands. 'I cried at everything. Mostly whenever my mum threw out those old fairy wings I kept making out of bubble wrap ...'

Though I still refuse to look up, I can feel Kratos staring at me. I don't know if he's taking any of this in, but it'd be nice if he did. I continue anyway, after another quivering breath. I'm nearing my edge ... better finish this fast.

'After my final bubble wrap incident ... my mum realised why I was doing all those things ... just because I wanted to be special – to have a certain quality to call my own. She sat me down and explained something to me ...'

I lean back fully against the fall, hands dropping into my lap. That lump in my throat is getting bigger, and it's about to force a few tears out. But I'm not going to cry. I'm stronger than that.

'She told me that I was born on the twenty-second of December ... the winter solstice. The first day of winter.'

I run a hand through my hair, flinching when I brush my fingers against the sticky patch of blood. 'She told me that I was born ... to make people happy when the winter made them sad. That I was born to get them through the cold, harsh times ... that I was born to light up winter.'

I smirk a little, trying not to laugh. 'It ... sounds really corny, I know ... but I was just a kid. I felt that actually meant something.'

I slowly ease myself to straighten up against the wall, legs shaking dangerously as I try to hold my balance. I lean against the cold stone to stay upright, and Kratos doesn't make an attempt to help me out. Not too surprising.

'I only realised when I remembered that through the torture ...' I mumble quietly. 'That what I really wanted to do ... was to make people happy. I honestly thought that's why I'd been born on that day – just ... to make people happy. And in making people happy, it'd make me happy ... but most of all, it would remind me about the only thing I ever thought made me special.'

And ... here comes the hard part. I give it almost a minute, fingers twisting around each other dangerously tightly while I gnaw on my lower lip, forcing the tears creeping at the edge of my eyes down. I'm not going to be weak here. Not now. Never again.

'But when I look back ... I realised the only thing I've ever accomplished is making people sad,' I say, almost trailing off to a whisper. I can't hold it much longer. 'I ... I have a few family problems ... nothing out of the ordinary ... but I've made them all the more harder for my family because I spent most of that time wallowing in self-pity when I could have been helping. I thought I was just being a teenager ... but I was just being selfish.'

I take another shuddering breath, swallowing deeply. 'A-and ... when I look back on my time with you guys ... I've just made things worse. If I was never here ... t-things would have been a lot easier for you guys. But I was too scared to go off alone ... I wanted to stay with you guys so I wasn't lost ... even if I only held you all back.'

I rub my eyes hastily, my lower lip quivering. 'I'm always making you angry ... Raine and Genis are always annoyed with me because I'm stupid ... all those things I said to Lloyd really, really hurt him. And now I've done all of that ... I can't go back. I can't restart it all and try again ... because this is real life. This isn't ... this isn't a game.'

I hold my head in my hands, clenching my teeth unbearably tightly so I don't start crying. 'I don't know what to anymore ... I can't do this anymore, Kratos. I can't keep hurting everyone.'

'Harrison-'

'I just want to go home ...'

By holding off my crying, I'm seriously wearing myself out physically. I'm so close to collapsing back to my knees, and my head is throbbing like there's no tomorrow. But before I finish, there's one more thing I have to do. Now is the only time to do it, or I'll never attempt to do it again.

'For all the times I've ever gotten on your last nerve,' I sniff, still holding my face in my hands. 'For all the times I've ever made you angry or sad or just made you want to kill me ...'

I drop my hands, drag away my unshed tears before the fall, take another deep breath, and raise my head to look Kratos in the eyes. Crimson stares back at me, and I hold back another sniffle.

'And though you'll never like me and I'll never like you ... I ...'

I can't do it. I squeeze my eyes shut, lower my head slightly, bite my lip back, and swallow a sob.

'I'm sorry.'

I breathe out slowly in a shaky whimper, holding back all the sobs in my throat.

'I'm so ... so sorry.'

My hands have moved to my hair, and it's just ... clutching extremely tightly. I know it hurts – I can _feel_ it hurt ... but there's nothing else I can hold onto. If I let go, I'll just break down completely. I've held up this long ... I can just have Kratos laugh in my face if I start sobbing on the spot after that giant speech I just delivered.

'But after this, if you ever say I don't know what it's like to feel true pain ...' I whisper, biting my lip, still screwing my eyes shut. 'I might just have to kill you.'

'Harrison.'

I open my eyes slightly, and see he's raising a hand. Without thinking, I smack it away violently. 'Stay away from me.'

He furrows his brow slightly, but he doesn't stop.

'I said stay away!' I exclaim, pushing him away as if he were about to attack me. It might be the built up of trauma, but I just ... I don't want anyone touching me at all right now, or being near me. He probably just wants to heal the wound on my head and usher me along so we can kill Kvar once and for all, but I can't ... I can't do this right now.

'Don't touch me!' I shout, my fist colliding with his chest.

When he grabs my wrist, I swear I hear glass shatter in my mind.

'DON'T _TOUCH ME_!' I scream, probably shocking him a little I do actually catch him off-guard ... and despite how I want my space right now, I'm not actually backing away ... I'm punching the crap out of him. Not his face, obviously – be reasonable, I can't reach there – but his chest area is certainly getting its deal of blows. 'DON'T EVER TOUCH ME!'

It's hardly Kratos to stand there and let someone batter his chest, so it's reasonable when he grabs my wrists and holds me still the best he can. I don't want to admit it ... but I'm hurting him and myself both physically because I can't stand what's going on in my head. Even if it's just biting my lip, cutting my head open, trying to pull my hair out ... I never realised how dangerous it could be leaving a traumatised person unattended.

Regardless, I'm not unattended to anymore, and I'm being held fairly still by quite the freaked out mercenary. I admit, my outburst was quite random ... but the only thing my mind let me see was him hurting me. I don't know why.

After a minute or so, Kratos slowly unhands my wrists. I let them fall back to my side, dropping my head and holding back my sobs once more. That outburst didn't do too well to the wall holding up my teary mess. I'm extremely near breaking point for the waterworks now. I think he can tell I'm trying to be strong here, because after a while, it does become physically painful to hold back much needed emotional outbursts. Dammit ... Lloyd cried, didn't he? But yes ... he's always been strong at heart and brave ... it was good for him to let it out. If I try, I'll just be being weak.

I collapse back against the wall, holding my face in my hands. My jaw is shaking like crazy now. If I utter another word, that'll be the end of it. C'mon Kratos, get it over with. Tell me to start acting my age, tell me I have to hold back my emotions because people need our help, tell me to pull myself together and stop being such a coward. You've got a giant list. Pick your favourite and let's go.

'Charlotte, listen to me.'

I actually drop my hands in shock, double checking that it _is_ Kratos in front of me.

Did he ... just call me by my name?

He shifts on the spot, folding his arms. 'You are a human. Not just a human – you are an unstable teenage human. It's common, and I won't deny the amount of stress this journey is facing you with is unusual for your age, and something someone like you is not expected to handle with such ease. I have respected that, and given you many chances. Sometimes you do like to stretch my patience to the point where I have none left for you.'

Shit. Tears.

'I acknowledge that as a teenager, your range of emotions will vary. You tend to have a grasp on the more negative ones, but that is something the group can live with if you keep them to yourself, or perhaps hold them in. It is in the best interest for the group and everyone surrounding you if you sometimes withhold those instincts, however human they may be. Just because they are human ... it doesn't mean they are acceptable under certain circumstances.'

My face is in my hands again. I'm heaving sobs back. I'm clenching my teeth tightly.

'_Charlotte_.'

I lower them slightly, and Kratos manages to fix me with his stern gaze. It still has the coldness it's always had for me, but I'll be damned if there isn't some form of tolerance in there.

'I expect you, as a responsible adolescent, to keep your interfering emotions at bay when it is in everyone's best interest.'

He finally takes a deep breath, averting his eyes to the space of wall above my head.

'But I will lose all respect for you if you think holding back your tears makes you stronger.'

Right. That does it.

I don't care if he punches me. I don't care if he slaps me. I don't care if he stabs me, maims me, and condemns me to hell forever, whatever the _fuck_ he wants to do.

Halfway through making a step over there, I collapse right into his chest, wrap my arms around his neck, and sob the most I've ever sobbed in the history of my _life_ ... right into his collarbone.

I feel his muscles tense when I ... _latch_, and he grunts uncomfortably when I wind him as I fall. But I don't care. I'm hanging on for dear life, and I'm just letting it all out right here, right now. I don't remember the last time I had a shoulder to cry on here ... in fact, I don't think I've ever had any comfort while crying here. Though I can't expect anything out of this man besides awkward anger while I snivel and sob and bawl into his shoulder, it's a start, right?

I have to ignore his tallness for now and move my arms, so I'm just ... clutching his shirt, really ... still sobbing quite loudly and pathetically. I know the last thing Kratos wants is a teary eyed, emotionally beaten, generally annoying teenager taking out a month of stress on his shoulder in tear form, but c'mon ... he's gotta give me a minute at least. Half a minute.

My heart slowly eases back down into my chest after throbbing painfully in my throat as I cry, because I think I'm now certain that when Kratos let out that fatherly side for Lloyd's sake, some humanity stuck around after it. Humanity and tolerance ... a _lot_ of tolerance.

Because I only sob more when I feel Kratos' arms gingerly make their way around my back in the most tedious hug I've ever experienced.

At least he made the effort. Took him over a month, the bastard mercenary.

* * *

Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking "oh, they'll be friends now, and it'll all be nice and dandy and OOC and sueish and aaaaaaaaaaruadgakjsdahk". Char and Krat will never EVER be friends, because ... then TWC just wouldn't be fun to write anymore 8D I love giving her people to hate, and making people hate her. It's insight to how certain characters would actually react to a person like that coming into the world. 

... Guys, if I ever DO get sucked into this game, please send me all the chapters of TWC so I know what NOT to do D:


	59. Of Hate and Violent Gourmets

Hey guys, look – TWC Chapter 1 preview ... ANIMATED LAMELY WITH FLASH 8D. (( tinyurl . com/3xx2c2 )) Because the deviantart address is too long and replacing stops and slashes is annoying D:

Okay, this is considerably shorter than the previous chapters, but it still breaks the 10K word limit I have going with each chapter lately D: I dunno if I should make them shorter or longer.

I'm sorry it's taken longer than usual to update D: It's been really hectic this month. My kitten ran away too. He's been gone for about a week, and I can't stop worrying. He's such a tiny little thing ...

Okay, another thing – look, if you're going to ask a question that you WANT answering, leave your email, or SOMETHING. If you review in your anonymous state demanding answers from me, how the hell can I give them to you? Guys, I'm all up for some Q&A, but just give me a method to get back to ya. I don't like flooding my author note with responses, but here goes. And since I was asked a lot of questions that you're all probably wondering about, I'll answer them all here:_  
_

_Why couldn't Charis and William keep in contact for a short while?_  
Char's panic overload screwed their computers, and they had to repair them.

_It's almost like the stronger people are aware that she's human, and the weaker confuse her for half-elf_.  
Spoiler kinda – explained later.

_Does it have to do with the Exsphere?_ _Or does it have to do with her origins?_  
No and no.

_Why didn't Kvar question her apparent knowledge of all things torturous and scary?  
_Because Char isn't a threat to him – he'd rather focus on Lloyd and the Exsphere he's been after for 14 years instead of some random kid D:

_Why did Pronyma, the scary lady, pay a visit to Char?!_  
She's seeking out crappy prisoners in Kvar's ranch so she can report back to Yggdrasill and get him kicked from his status as cardinal, because he's trying to usurp her leader status.

_I know that Charlotte isn't supposed to be very strong, but isn't it time to give the poor kid a break and have her learn some new techs?  
_She knows around the same amount of techs as everyone else. She learns more later on.Another explanation for anyone wondering – Char's technique pattern is around the same process as a Magic Swordsman's – she learns basic spells as well as her own set of techs, so it happens slower. I guess it'd be a bit like a Magic Gunner, or something.

For those thinking Kratos knows she's a human – he doesn't. He's not a half-elf, so he can't sense that powerfully. When he was calling her human, he was referring to her emotions. It'd be a bit awkward if he'd gone through the whole conversation calling them "half-elven instincts and emotions" rather than human instincts and human emotions. It doesn't sound right D:

This chapter didn't really have the feel I wanted to give it, and I rewrote the damn thing about five times. I've finally settled with leaving it how it is and cutting off early so I can start fresh with the Kvar battle chapter.

... GUYS THE REVIEW NUMBER IS NEARLY 1000 OHMYGOD OHMYGOD. Tell you what – how about I do something for my 1000th reviewer? Problem is, there's a limit on things I can do D: I will scream and shout and par-tay. Come on guys, let's see if we can hit that number 8D R&R!

* * *

Chapter 59 – Of Hate and Violent Gourmets

After Kratos' momentary display of affection (one I'm sure I'll never be getting again), we've both snapped into our respective roles as ... well, despising each other, really. It's not too bad though – after calming down, I did eventually get pushed away by the shoulders and made to straighten up when Kratos' uncomfortable-o-meter hit a new high. He's gone back to calling me by my surname, but that isn't something that bothers me too much. All in all, after the emotional and corny scene we've had ... I'm ready to get my act together. The rest of the ranch might be hard, but I'll damn well try before we get out, and I can attempt to start anew with everyone.

'Kratos.'

He just 'hm's in response, and I fold my arms as we walk down the line of cells.

'Is Lloyd waiting outside for us?'

'Yes.'

See? We're back to normal now. S'all good. I'm honestly not going to bother trying to start anew with Kratos, because ... well, I had my chance, I screwed up. Kratos doesn't want to know me, and that's fair enough. I don't really want to know him either, because it'll just get me into more trouble. I don't have to start anew with people like Sheena, because ... well, we've barely started. For the others, I can just clean up my attitude and try to get it right until ... well, until I go home, I suppose.

But for now, there's one person I need to settle things with. I'm not going to start anew with Lloyd, because I don't want _that_ to happen again. I'm just gonna say that I'm sorry, what I said was wrong, we don't have to try to patch things up, and its okay. It's up to Lloyd what he wants to do after that, but the answer isn't hard to see already.

We finally come into a cleaner looking chamber, and I gulp when I realise that this is the end of the line. I don't know how Lloyd is doing after all of that ... but I'm guessing he's okay if Kratos decided it was fine to leave him alone. I've started pulling myself together too, and I think we can finally get this over with. We need to kill Kvar, blow up the ranch, and get the hell out of here. I'm sure the others are worried sick about us right now.

And considering what that guy's done to us, we're really gonna let Kvar have it. And I trust that Lloyd won't go crazy again ... because if he does, and we do this all over again, I'm seriously going back to Asgard to sit it out until they come back from Tethe'alla.

Kratos pushes the chamber door open, and the comparison of cleanliness to the room inside and the hallway ... is just _bizarre_. Everything out there is so clean and shiny ... aught, my eyes actually hurt a little from the brightness.

I'm actually holding my breath when I step out into the hallway, closing the heavy rusted door behind me. Lloyd is leaning against the wall beside the entrance, and straightens up hastily when Kratos comes through. He looks relieved that we can finally start our objective again, but I notice how his face falls when he looks over to me. I can pretend in my head that he's worried about the abnormal amount of blood on my upper area, but we all know that's not the case.

I bite my already sore lip, and Kratos nods, giving us a moment to say what we need to say. He starts up the hallway silently, clapping a hand down on Lloyd's shoulder before he leaves. While he goes on ahead, I decide to get out whatever I have to say quickly so we can catch up.

Whoa, this is harder than I thought. Okay, here goes. 'Lloyd, I-'

'Look, just ...' Lloyd interrupts calmly with a sigh, looking up. 'Save whatever you have to say until we get outta here. We've got more important things to do right now.'

Holy crap. 'U-uh ... yeah, okay ...'

With that, he just turns and continues after Kratos. I pick my jaw up off the floor and follow him, furrowing my brow a little in discomfort. I've always thought Lloyd would be a little more ... y'know, descriptive during an abrupt fall-out. "This is why I now hate you" "we may/may not make friends again" "you can bugger off back to Asgard now, you betch" ... not just telling me to shut my yap and wait it out.

Then again, I've never really fallen out with Lloyd before, so I'll let it run its course and take it as it is. Who am I to say how he should act?

Kratos glances over his shoulder when Lloyd finally reaches his side, drawing his swords hastily. I frown and keep a couple of steps behind, knowing that the two of them don't really want to know me right now. Kratos probably wants to cleanse himself of Harrison-germs, and Lloyd is probably gonna ignore me the best he can until we get out of the ranch. It's a shame that the only thing I was counting on was Lloyd's friendship to get me through this, but I've royally screwed that up for myself. Again, I can't blame him. If he'd said all that I've said to him, I'd probably break his nose.

This makes it all the more harder, because in these tense silences, I usually try to converse. Right now, one of them dislikes me and the other is just ... trying to get the fact he (gasp) showed me some humanity out of his system.

It's ... still hard to believe that Lloyd hates me.

I dunno – I've always said that I'm not well liked and joked about it, but now it's happened so suddenly ... I've just thrown away what, a month worth of hard work? Geez ... I have to stop throwing it all away. I have a habit of doing that with everything I work for.

'How do we get to Kvar from here?' Lloyd asks when we come to a stop at another forked corridor. I notice that the lights are down all throughout the left passage, so I'm hoping it's the right. I don't like the dark, especially with the threat of Desians lunging at you from the shadows. Ugh ... I hate ranches. Ah well, just this one and then another ... two. Whoopie.

'Kvar should be easy to reach from our current location,' Kratos says, looking both corridors up and down. 'The elevator on the other side of the ranch has been destroyed, but the one in this sector should be functioning flawlessly. But ...'

'No. No buts,' Lloyd says with a scowl. 'I don't like buts.'

It takes all I can not to snigger at his wording, but I gotta keep in mind – no one likes me right now. It's best to just ... be quiet. Argh, I hate fall-outs. It's like when you get into a fight with someone you're doing a school project with, or someone you sit next to in class. You _have_ to be around that person, and it's _annoying_.

'There seems to be a prisoner left behind,' Kratos says, glancing down that darkened corridor. 'He was absent from the prison cells when Raine and the others were rescuing them. We have a choice to bring him with us, or leave him be and head straight for Kvar.'

He glances down to Lloyd. 'It's your decision.'

'Aw man ...' Lloyd grumbles, shoulders slacking. 'We can't leave anyone behind to die ...'

'Then let's collect him quickly and be on our way,' Kratos says simply, heading down the darker route. I watch then go for a few seconds before rolling my eyes, following behind slowly. C'mon, I could at least get my opinion on this! I exist also! Geez Louise ...

'It's just the one guy, right?' Lloyd asks, swords at the ready in case some random Desians come out of the dark and jump us. 'He's not gonna hold us back when we fight Kvar, is he?'

'I'm not certain,' Kratos mumbles, keeping a watchful eye on the rusted iron doors with their cell line numbers painted in red. 'The only information I picked up was that he had wondered into the ranch of his own accord, and was not recorded as a prisoner.'

'W-what!?' Lloyd exclaims, eyes wide. 'He just waltzed on in here?'

Kratos nods, grip on his sword tightening when the faraway sound of rusted hinges echoes down our way. 'He may be a spy.'

'Well if he just walked in, he's not a very good spy ...'

'That might explain why he was _captured_,' Kratos grumbles. 'Keep an eye out for the thirteenth room.'

'Right ...'

I _hate _not being able to say anything. Sweet lord, I can't even reply to Kratos with my usual "okie-dokie" ... not because it's physically impossible, but because ... well, if I open my mouth and say anything, I know I'll just be rewarded with long, tense silence until the other two start talking to each other. And seriously, do we need any more tension? Kvar is royally pissed off because we've all escaped _and_ because Kratos had Lloyd's Exsphere the whole time. Kratos slaughtered like ... half the ranch to get to Lloyd, I still have what I said earlier up in the air while Lloyd refuses to let me bring it down with an apology ... Christ on a cracker. My head _might_ just explode.

Ugh ... ignoring what's going on in my noggin right now, I wince and wrinkle my nose at our new surroundings. This end of the ranch is just ... augh. I don't expect them to keep a place suited for prisoners clean but ... this is just disgusting; I'd honestly be surprised if rats decided to live down here. There's the horrible musty smell accompanied by a regular echoing drip from somewhere. I frown and glance towards the ceiling, reaching behind my mess of bloody hair and tugging my hood up. Y'know, I've never used the hood on this shirt ... it's actually quite cool. Keeps whatever's dripping at bay, that's for sure.

'That smell ...' Lloyd mumbles after a moment, shaking his head and cupping a hand over his nose. 'Ugh ... it's like mould and blood ...'

'Hm.'

Lloyd lowers his hand slowly, still glancing around at the numbered doors. 'Hey, Kratos ... you don't think this could be a trap, do you? Kvar might be trying to lure us in ...'

'If Kvar wishes to fight those who oppose him, he does not dawdle with pathetic traps,' Kratos says evenly after a moment. 'He is after your Exsphere. I'm sure tricking us now is the last thing on his mind.'

'Yeah ... that was a really close call,' Lloyd mumbles, dropping his hand to his side. I notice the blue gen mounted on the key crest shines dully in response to Lloyd's thoughts, and I take a quick glance at my own. It's faulty, right? It wasn't made properly ... so would it contain the life of another person? Is there really someone watching everything I've been doing here through my Exsphere? Someone who's been analysing all my thoughts? Granted, they probably think I'm an utter nutcase by now...

'Is this it?' Lloyd asks, coming to a sudden stop. He swipes a hand over a nearby door, wiping some damp grime away from the numbers before shaking it off rapidly. 'Ewww ... uh, thirteen, right?'

'This is the one,' Kratos says with a nod, placing a hand on the worn handle. He glances to both of us through the darkness, eyes narrow. 'There may be guards patrolling. Are you ready?'

'Yep.'

I simply nod in response. Kratos pushes open the door as quietly as he can, but the slow grind of rust and hinges echoes throughout the area, making us all wince. Woohoo, plan going perfectly so far. Lloyd rolls his eyes, and Kratos cuffs his ear before heading in first.

'The sound would not have reached the prisoner's area. They start at the very back of the cell line.'

'So what ... are we sneaking up on them?' Lloyd asks, rubbing his ear with a small frown. Kratos nods.

'We don't want to cause a hassle. I doubt there is any machinery still working down here ... but keep your eye out for cameras regardless.'

Upon his command, both me and Lloyd glance around at the corners of the room. There's nothing threatening here right now ... nothing that is visible, at least. Perhaps the lack of technology down here is the thing keeping us safe from Kvar's detection. Once we rescue the deserted prisoner, I'll place my bets on the overhead speakers not booming out an alarm for the whole of the ranch to acknowledge. If we can keep the Desians off our track while we do this, we have a better chance of heading straight for Kvar's room afterwards.

Besides, Kratos probably butchered most of them already. Whoopie.

Not too far in, we begin to hear to hear activity down the line. I notice how Lloyd gulps and clutches his sword tighter, obviously not quite gotten over the whole ... torture thing. It's probably being in another place like this that's setting it off. I don't blame him – I would never want that treatment again, and I would never wish it upon anyone. Not even Mithos, or Pronyma, or ... any person. Honestly, I'd rather jaggedly slash off my own arm than have that happen again. I know they were just images of things already happened, but still ... it's what's inside that hurts the most, and the feeling of everything at once is just overwhelming.

"_Just a quick note_," Charis says quietly from up in my brain. Over layers of fuzzy noise still block her tone, but I can make it out clearly enough. I hope they fix everything soon. "_After this, you won't be too far from the Tower of Salvation. You might want to start planning what you're going to do there."_

_"Really?"_ I ask, still keeping a close eye for cameras as we proceed. "_What do we have left to do before ...?"_

"_Well ... after reuniting with everyone at Luin, you'll head straight for the Tower of Mana. The priests have given Raine the key, so don't worry about that,"_ Charis tells me, working on her only running computer. "_After that, you can get a boat straight to the Seal of Water to make the pact with Undine.__ Sheena will mention it, so don't worry about that.__ Just head northeast from the dock near the tower, and you'll reach the seal in a couple of hours."_

_"What about Pietro?"_ I ask, furrowing my brow. "_And Raine learning Resurrection?"_

"_Well ... his complications don't exist for now."_

_"Huh?"_

Charis pauses, typing away. I hear something sizzle in the background, and William lets out a high-pitched shout. Something probably exploded. "_Uh, well ... y'__see, some __thing__s__ had to be erased so it wouldn't take you so long to reach the tower. A lot of things have been __removed__."_

_"List,"_ I demand.

"_Later_._ You have some rescuing to do."_

'Harrison, focus.'

I blink, straightening up rapidly. 'I am, I totally am. No cameras, sir.'

Kratos simply gives me a disapproving look before continuing, and Lloyd doesn't acknowledge me at all. Argh, this is getting really frustrating. I wish they'd pay attention to me in a non-negative sense, because it's really dumping on my spirits. Not that I'd be in particularly high spirits considering I'm in a _human ranch_, but y'know. This could be made easier for me.

Krat-man holds out an arm to stop the two of us when we reach the end of the line. Well, not the end ... we're hiding in the chamber right before the one with our prisoner in, so we just gotta ambush, grab the captive-dude, and run like we're chasing gingerbread men. Except we're not, we're chasing angry, eyeless cardinal men.

The mercenary motions for us to stay back, waving a hand to the nearby wall. Lloyd presses his back against it, and I follow suit after a moment, drawing my pistols once again just to be safe. Kratos himself approaches the opening doorway, laying a steady hand on the side of the arc. We can hear the voices of the patrol – probably two Desians at least. Either that or one of them is a psychopath and is speaking to himself.

'He keeps randomly disappearing!'

'Right, he can't just _disappear_ – he's all chained up.'

'No, he _was_ all chained up. He disappeared, I swear! In a big puff of smoke!'

'That's impossible! Are you sure he didn't escape while you were slacking off?'

'I swear! I was making fun of his clothes, and he just disappeared! He said something about my chin being too big when I wear the helmet, too.'

'Argh! Just search the room! He hasn't left, because the door up at the front hasn't creaked. That thing needs oiling.'

'... John, is my chin really that big?'

'Yes, it is. Now search! Kvar isn't paying us to slack off, dammit!'

'Maybe if I took off the helmet ...'

'If you do, that ... Kratos-guy will stab you in the head.'

I look to Kratos, who just glares in response.

'Why the hell would he come down here?'

'To eat you.'

'What!?'

'Didn't you hear? Rob said that guy's a cannibal. I heard he killed David and started eating his arm. The man's a nutter.'

'He ate David!?'

Lloyd looks at Kratos in horror, and he just growls lowly in response to that ... accusation. I notice how Lloyd shuffles away slowly, back still pressed to the wall. Deciding that's enough, Kratter takes that as his cue and just storms in, looking quite pissed off as he goes. Y'know, if anything, those rumours floating around will keep the Desians off our cases if they think Kratos will start ... eating their eyeballs...

Lloyd and I glance to each other through the screams of "it's Kratos!" and "oh god, don't eat me!". Luckily, there's no crunching of bones or chewing of flesh, just two extremely loud _thwangs_ of metal crashing together. Two soft thuds follow, accompanied by simultaneous groans, and I'd wager that Kratos just knocked them both out instead of killing them ... probably to stop anymore rumours floating about. I have this horrible mental imagine of Kratos chewing away at Kvar's shoulder now ... Urrrgh, let's not go there.

'Let's just ... hope he's not still hungry,' I mumble, wincing right after. I suddenly forgot I'm not supposed to speak, and it'll be a lot more embarrassing if Lloyd just ignores me completely.

Kratos steps back through, and Lloyd immediately grabs my shoulders and shoves me in his direction. 'Eat her, she's scrummy!'

'Eat Lloyd, he tastes of chicken!' I retaliate, and Kratos just frowns at both of us.

'Enough. The prisoner is missing.'

Oh, so it was true? I take a peek in the final chamber, checking all around for cameras, chains, and most of all a certain captive. The room is just as dark and dank as the rest of them, save for a square overhead light flickering softly. It hardly does much, but I can make out chains swaying slowly in the corner, probably from when the prisoner disappeared. They're swaying, so I'd say he tugged himself free ... but they aren't broken, so how...?

Lloyd steps over the two bodies slumped beside each other, glancing around the room. 'He must have escaped ... but I didn't see anything on the way down here ...'

'He must be hiding in this room,' Kratos says, moving the bodies to a corner so we don't, uh, trip over them. 'Though the lack of space would make it difficult.'

I immediately start looking around for any sign of breathing, or anything. This includes listening closing, but the only thing I can hear is myself, darn it all. Charlie, stop breathing.

'... Hey, Kratos, you're not really a cannibal, right?' Lloyd asks, looking over his shoulder. I roll my eyes and consider shoving him into the pile of small, wooden boxes he's checking out. Our 'cannibal' straightens up, dusting off his hands.

'That depends if you taste of chicken or not,' Kratos mumbles jokingly, his tone still void of any emotion to signify that he is indeed JOKING. Lloyd backs away hastily, tripping over his own foot and landing quite loudly on the pile of boxes I just mentioned and tumbling to the floor with a yelp. Kratos massages his brow with a scowl, checking the exit to see if there are any Desians coming our way. There aren't any cameras, so I don't think anything we're doing is attracting attention. Plus, these were the only two guys down here, so...

'I am not a cannibal,' Kratos says firmly after a quick check, walking over to Lloyd lying rather uncomfortably in the pile of wooden boxes. 'I enjoy regular foods and find no satisfaction in such things.'

'R ... right,' Lloyd mumbles, letting Kratos help him out of the mess. He takes the hand he's offered and Kratos pulls him up from the mountain of dusted crates, coughing once or twice as he does. I notice how Lloyd places a hand on a peculiar coloured box to maintain his balance as Kratos helps him up, frowning a little. It's a lot lighter and cleaner in comparison to the old, grimy boxes littering the area. Doesn't that seem odd?

'Hey-' I start, deciding to voice my concern to the other two. I'm a little late and cut off apparently, because as soon as I open my mouth, there's a horrendous _whoosh_ and the whole area is plunged into a smoky mess. The box explodes, and like I said, lets out torrents of thick, curly clouds. Lloyd yelps once again is surprise and backs away rapidly into Kratos, who draws his sword and points it at the centre of the haze. Y'know ... as I hastily trip over my own ankles and attempt to retreat to the corner of the room, I can't help but get this odd sense of ... déjà vu.

There's a soft clink of steel as Kratos shifts his sword through the veil of smoke, searching around. I notice he's pushed Lloyd back further in case the smoke is a certain gas or perhaps poisonous, but it doesn't seem so. Maybe it's a bomb not quite working? If so, I'll bet the other boxes are rigged ... and we should like, get the hell out of here.

The smoke finally clears enough so I can squint through the fading clouds, picking out the silhouette of Kratos slowly coming into focus as well as the figure of a man he's pointing his sword at. I'd like to wager that the guy is the prisoner, but then of course ... things were never that simple, were they? As soon as I see the 'prisoner's distinguishing features, I begin to wonder ... why god, why? Why!?

'I'm not a Desian!' the familiar voice insists hastily, not sounding the slightest bit afraid despite the sword at his throat. 'Do these look like Desian threads to you!? And ... where the fudge is my fork!?'

Oh yeah. Just ... make my day easier, someone. My eyes widen when my ... "fears" are confirmed, and I stare at the prisoner.

'... _Wonder Chef!?'_

The blond man looks over at me, cracking a grin and waving. 'Hey, I remember you! Mind telling your buddy to, uh, back off?'

Kratos doesn't need telling by me, and lowers his sword slowly. The Wonder Chef hops to his feet with an odd kind of liveliness in comparison to where we _are_, and straightens his red cape out slowly. 'Ooh, my wrists are killing ... I won't be able to cook for days! Blasted Desians ...'

As he mumbles disgustedly to himself, he begins to rummage through the boxes that were previously stacked rather neatly. The three of us just stare at him in a kind of confused bewilderment ... and Lloyd seems to be shaking a finger in his direction, mouth fluttering as if trying to say something that won't escape his throat. Kratos slowly returns his sword to its sheath and brings a hand to his forehead, massaging it to relieve stress. Not only have we found our prisoner, but the prisoner is a complete psycho. I don't know if that's good or bad.

'Found it!' Wonder Chef exclaims, hopping up with his GIANT fork in hand. 'Woo, thought I'd lost it for a second there ...'

'Y ... you ...!' Lloyd finally manages, still pointing accusingly. 'What are _you_ doing here!?'

Wonder Chef looks over his shoulder as he straightens up, forcing his puffy chef hat back on the he summons out of thin air. Whoa, that's kinda cool. 'Well, I'm being captured. Aaaand now I have my fork, I'll be off!'

Kratos grabs the shorter man's cape when he tries to stride past him, yanking him back into our view. 'Explain to me how you hope to tread out of here without a swarm of Desians at your ankles.'

Wonder Chef just holds up his fork. 'Eye stab. Works wonders.'

'They will kill you,' Kratos snaps, pushing the fork out of his face. 'We'll be escorting you out.'

'Oooh, spiffing!' WC says with another large grin, reaching up to pat Kratos on the shoulder. 'Buuut I think I can take care of myself!'

For a second time, Kratos drags him back by his cape when he tries to walk past with a little more force. WC chokes as he's pulled, bringing a hand up to his throat while Kratos folds his arms, glaring down at the shorter man. His lack of teamwork must really be annoying our poor leader.

'I'm assuming, because you are not teleporting out, you have lost the ability to do so.'

WC falters slightly, grin fading from his face under Kratos' curious stare. 'Well, I can only teleport every hour or so-'

'Then stop trying my patience and start cooperating,' the mercenary demands, cold eyes flashing and actually making the Wonder Chef _flinch_. I honestly thought he was some air-head that couldn't feel anything besides a disturbing amount of joy, but apparently Kratos can whip him into shape. Good old Krat – I was beginning to get a little annoyed with WC myself. The sooner we get out of here, the better ... and I really don't want any interruptions. Ack, I'm starting to sound just like Kratos ... stop it Charlie, stop it now.

'You can either follow us while we finish our business here and escape before destroying the ranch, or you can wonder around trying to find your own way out,' Lloyd says, rubbing the back of his neck while glaring at the floor. I suppose the WC isn't just pissing off Krat and me after all ... I love people with a happy attitude, but there's a time and a place.

'Personally, I find the first choice to be a bit dandier,' I add with a nod, spinning my gun on my finger. Wow, if I accidently pull the trigger it'd be a shame. Unless it was pointing at Kratos in that second, but meh.

'It ... seems I'm narrow on choices!' WC declares with a small pout, pointing his fork at Kratos. The cold tip barely brushes his nose, and he grunts uncomfortably when WC pokes him. 'You're not leaving me much to choose from, good sir.'

Krat, his last nerve probably just poked right out of his head, snatches the fork from a startled Wonder Chef. WC flails when it's taken from him, held back by Kratos' hand on his shoulder when he tries to reach for it. Krat just holds it out of reach while the Wonder Chef whines.

'Make your decision. Regardless of what you choose, _we_ must be hurrying. Time is short, and there is a chance we'll be captured once more now Kvar knows we are all free.'

'Ain't that a kick in the teeth?' Wonder Chef mumbles, clawing at the air for the wooden handle a few inches out of reach. 'Don't hurt my baby!'

'Choose.'

'Bleehh ...' WC groans, slumping forward and hanging over Kratos' arm. 'Fine, I'll go with you. Fork please.'

'Get off.'

I simply glance over at Lloyd while the momentary spat plays out, and he just shrugs. I can't expect much else – WC's hyper attitude and tendency to piss us all off is really wearing us out. I rub my fingernails idly while the whole plan gets wrapped up by the older two, and WC agrees to accompany us until we get out of the imprisonment sector where he'll go off on his own. Kratos tries to convince him otherwise for about three seconds before deciding it'd be easier to leave him to himself. I'm sure WC can get out fine on his own, what with his teleporting abilities and whatnot. And if he gets captured, he can warp out when he can. Lord knows why he didn't do it in the first place.

We give WC a moment to straighten his hat out and arrange his cloak, and Kratos hands him his fork back. Y'know, I'm not sure how he got captured ... with a massive fork, the Desians have to be a _bit _wary at least. I mean, I'm scared of extremely sharp _small_ forks. Giant ones? Yeowch.

'Okay, I'm not so good at the whole fighting thing ...' WC says hastily as Kratos takes a few steps towards the door. We watch him pause, shoulders sagging slightly, clench his fists and continue walking. WC follows him with a merry bounce in his step, and Lloyd and I just stare after them. We may not be on the best of terms when this is over and we can finally stop forcing ourselves to work with each other, but for now...

'My brain just ... died a little,' I say, watching WC's red cloak flutter behind him.

'This is ridiculous ...' Lloyd sighs, following. 'We'll never get this finished ...'

'He's only following us until we're out of this ... dark, mucky place,' I say with a flinch, almost tripping on a crack in the floor before going after them. 'He'll be gone soon, and we can get back to ... doing what we're here for.'

Lloyd doesn't answer my attempt at talking to him again, and ignores me, following the others.

---------

It's taken about ten minutes for me to lose all my faith in humanity. And I swear on my life here, it isn't coming back. Not for a long time.

I look to Lloyd, who just looks terribly pale and shaky, eyes staring at the floor in horror as we move on wearily. Kratos is beside him, one hand resting firmly on Lloyd's shoulder while the other massages his own brow in anger laced exhaustion. Lloyd's lower lip twitches softly as if he were about to say something, but a gentle squeeze from the hand clamped on his shoulder just confirms that everything will be fine. Soon, everything will be okay.

Well I don't know about those two, but if the Wonder Chef sings _one _more line of "Lovely Bunch of Coconuts", I'm going to punch him in the crotch. I really, really am.

'Oh god, make him stop,' Lloyd whimpers.

'I have _tried_,' Kratos grumbles. 'I have _tried_ and I am _weary_.'

'... W-what are we ... why are we here again ...?' Lloyd asks softly, blinking slowly in confusion at the older man.

'We're avenging your mother.'

'Oh right ...'

'Harrison, perhaps you could do some avenging also.'

I look up at Kratos, perking up at the mention of my name. 'Huh? Why?'

'Because I am going to strangle that man.'

I look over my shoulder WC, trailing behind his while he begins to hum the tune still quite loudly, fork resting on his shoulder. He's still got that happy spring in his step as he walks, red cape fluttering behind him, and that disturbingly happy smile on his face despite our situation. His green eyes hold absolutely no fear as he just stares straight ahead past us three and down the hall. On one hand, I really admire his ability to still be quite enthusiastic in this place. On the other hand, I really, really, really want to punch him in the crotch. Maybe he'll shut up if we take his cape. Or go into a murderous rage and stab us with the fork, but as long as he stops singing...

Kratos' hand curls tighter around the hilt of his sword when WC hits a high note he can't hold. Time to step in, Charlie.

'Heeey!' I say, slowing down until I reach WC's pace, smacking him on the shoulder. 'Wassup?'

'Ah! Have you come to join me in song?'

I shake my head rapidly. 'No, no – I can't sing to save my life. I sound like a cat being strangled. Or probed. Or both. Anyway – where did you learn that song?'

WC purses his lips tightly in thought, glancing to the ceiling. Seeing as that certain song _is_ from earth and has no connection whatsoever to Sylvarant, I'd like to know. WC can travel to Tethe'alla, can't he? Maybe he can travel to Earth. Wait ... does that mean he could get me home?

'Y'know, I haven't the faintest idea,' he decides with a frown, planting his hands on his hips. 'Just seemed to ... pop into my head.'

'Ah, I see.' Charis, you're dead. You know how much I hate that song, betch.

'Well, that's not too important!' WC declares with another grin, looking around momentarily. 'So ... where are we?'

Lloyd's shoulders tense, and Kratos just gives him a quick pat to calm him down. I watch warily for either of them reaching for their swords, but all seems to be well. But seriously – Desians, prison chambers, general crappy atmosphere? Is it not obvious? If I hadn't crashed through that roof some month ago and landed right in a Desians lap in this place, I think I'd have some idea where I was.

'Well, we're, ah ...' I mumble slowly, gesturing awkwardly back at the prison chambers. 'We're ... in a human ranch ...'

'... Oh! Oh, I see!' WC exclaims, looking around more thoroughly. 'Golly gosh, I thought these places were supposed to be clean!'

'He talks like her. Kratos, he talks like her – make him stop-'

'It's alright, Lloyd. We're almost there.'

I just roll my eyes and turn back to this ... supposedly American-accented man using strange phrases that don't seem very American. Why is everything in this game American? Why? Except Botta, but why? I don't fit in! It's lame! Maybe I should start acting and speaking all American like ...

Nah, screw that. I'll stick with my crumpets and scones and trousers (not pants, self). Otherwise, I wouldn't be the Charlotte they all know and love.

Oh, wait ...

Urrrgh, forget it. At least WC likes me. I think.

'Well, these are clean places,' I say after a moment, answering to WC's confused logic. 'But this is just ... the torture area. So I don't think they'd give the prisoners any satisfaction by shoving them into a clean place.'

'That makes sense,' WC decides with a nod. 'But aha! Would it make sense to regularly patrol these areas?'

I shrug, thinking back to Lloyd. 'Kvar's screws them up so much they're practically trapped inside their own head. So ... no, I don't think there'd be many guards down here. We're pretty safe, I guess.'

'Ah,' WC concludes to himself quietly, glancing over his shoulder while Lloyd buries his face in his hands and Kratos continues to squeeze the hilt of his blade just in case. I sigh, glancing up to the man beside me, who is still glancing back. He tightens his lips in thought once more, and turns back to me with a quick tap on the shoulder. 'Because those two Desians have been following us for quite some time now.'

Quick as a flash, Kratos wrenches his sword out from its sheath and Lloyd follows suit a moment later. I place one hand on a gun when I spin to face our attackers, and WC jumps at our sudden movement, backing into the wall. I think, on some level, he expected the two behind to stab him at some point. Poor thing.

Anyway, the Desians WC indicated seconds ago come into view from their previous hiding place (behind a large metal crate slowly rusting in a corner there), hands held up in the air as if we'd just stormed in donned in coppers' outfits. Y'know, Kratos would look cool in police gear. Right, shut up Charlie – enemies ahead. I notice, after a moment, it's the same two that Kratos knocked out a while ago. I guess they came looking for us, but by the looks of utter horror on (what we can see of) their faces, they didn't really want to. I blame Kvar.

'We don't want any trouble!' the taller, more braver of the two declares shakily. 'We're more than willing to let you go! Just ... don't eat us!'

'For heaven's sake,' Kratos sighs, smacking a hand to his forehead.

'Look – we don't really want to be Desians!' the other one exclaims, and you can _see_ him shaking. I don't blame him – besides WC, we're all covered from head to toe in blood and Kratos is probably looking quite pissed off and vicious right now. 'We just, uh ... peer pressure, you see! All half elves have to be Desians or they're killed!'

'We have two half-elves with us,' Kratos says quite calmly, but the Desians jump in terror anyway. I look over my shoulder and wonder if he's referring to Genis and Raine – well, duh, of course he is. But still ... Lloyd doesn't know that they're half-elves ... surely Kratos wouldn't just say it so bluntly like that ... either way, we have stuff to deal with.

'We just joined this ranch! They dragged us here, I'm not kidding!' the shorter of the two squeaks (seriously, I'd say he's about nineteen). 'Y'see, we don't do that Exsphere making stuff they do up there – we just patrol down here, I swear! I didn't lay a finger on that freak!'

He points shakily to WC, whose mouth just drops open in shock. Kratos, still holding his sword, just manages a short growl of anger at this awkward scenario we have going on here and Lloyd is looking pissed off at this giant delay. True, they could be doing this just to stall us until some braver, stronger Desians wonder down here to help them out, but sweet lord.

'Okay, that was mean,' WC says with a slightly annoyed look, folding his arms. 'Calling someone a freak isn't polite.'

'You just walked into the ranch with a stupid grin on your face!' taller one declares. '_That _makes you a nutjob!'

'Excuse me, I _teleported_ in by accide-'

'You were stupid enough to teleport in right on our laps!' he continues in a shout.

'You still haven't apologised for taking my fork.'

'We – _what!?_'

WC pouts while the two guys behind him stare in absolute awe (besides Kratos; he's looking more angry than shocked). 'My fork. You took it. I want an apology.'

'You tried to stab me with it!'

'You were pulling my cape.'

'So!? It's a stupid cape!'

'That's not very nice. And you have a big chin.'

'My chin isn't big!'

'It is.'

'Shut up!'

I turn to the other two while WC continues his spat, jerking a thumb in the direction of the exit. 'Should we just go?'

'I'd like to, but we can't,' Lloyd grumbles, not looking over at me. He's still angry with me. 'Hey! Forget them, we have to go!'

WC presses a finger to his lips when he turns to Lloyd, shushing him loudly before turning back. 'Apologise.'

'No!'

'I'll hit you if you don't apologise.'

'With what? Your giant for-'

_THWANG_.

I honestly think my jaw hits the floor when the WC is suddenly no longer at my side. He charged at the Desian mocking him faster than I've seen _anyone_ run (I think he partly teleported), and ... he just ... pimpslapped the Desian's helmet with his fork. Behind me, Lloyd makes a sound that resembles a cross between a cough and a gasp, and I don't hear anything from Kratos. I actually find it physically impossible to turn my head to see his expression, because I'm watching in absolute horror and amazement ...

As the Wonder Chef beats the _crap_ out of these two Desians singlehandedly ... with a giant fork.

I avert my gaze slightly when the strangled screams start and the blood goes flying, but still ... Christ on a cracker. The Wonder Chef continues to stab and hack away, and I bite my lip a little when the squelches start and the clangs of steel bouncing off each other erupt into the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the remaining Desian unsheathe his blade from his belt, and Lloyd readies his swords in case he lashes out.

WC kicks the Desian ... um, right there, and proceeds to thwack the crap out of his head area with the fork. I have to screw my eyes shut at the resounding clangs echoing through the hallway, and Lloyd actually makes a small disturbed sound as if he were about to hurl. I can't blame him – for someone seemingly as ditzy and blonde-stereotyping as Colette, you don't really expect the Wonder Chef of all people to ... mercilessly slaughter two Desians because they pinched his fork.

I realise, when I can hear Lloyd gulp, that everything has fallen silent besides soft panting from the Wonder Chef as he straightens up, fork in hand. We all stare for a few moments as he brushes some hair out of his eyes, and he turns back to us with that usual grin, front covered in splashes of blood. He slaps his fork over his shoulder like a baton or something, and I notice with a shudder how it's still dripping red.

'We ready to go again?'

We all just stare. A few tense moment pass, and the Wonder Chef gives us a confused look, glancing down to his shirt.

'Oh ... these will take ages to come out. Darn. Ah well, not much we can do!' he declares with a grin, straightening up and marching right past us. 'I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts ...'

Again, we just stare as he continues down the corridor by himself, singing whatever troubles he may have away. Lloyd glances back to the two Desians strewn on the ground, winces, and turns away quickly. I just take a deep breath, scratching my cheek nervously. Kratos coughs in his fist, sheathing his sword quickly.

'Well, ah ... let's continue,' he says, grabbing Lloyd's shoulder and shoving his foreword. 'We've stalled enough.'

'Kratos?'

'Yes?'

'Is ... is there a phobia of chefs?'

'Not to my knowledge.'

'... There is now.'

----------------

Sometime later, after Lloyd as branded himself with his newly named WonderChefaphobia, said cause of the phobia has finally left us. Yes, it was a sad time – he shook all our hands (and stained them with blood, the oblivious ass), and warped his cooking self right out of the ranch. It was rather abrupt, too – as soon as we reached the hallway leading to the place that should direct us to Kvar's room, he magically seemed to get his warping powers back again, and left without a thank you or anything. Just a bloody handshake and he was off. Yeah – Charis, that crush is totally gone now. Friggin' psychopath gourmet. If Raine is living up to him, I swear I want to get out of this place as soon as possible.

Anyway ... besides our quick companion, we're now back on our main route to searching for Kvar. Well ... we're not really searching – we know where he is, it's just _getting _to him that'll be the hard part. I'm sure he's increased security in both Desian numbers and with his computers. Charis and William keep telling me over and over that Sylvarant's level of technology is way below Earth's and I should be able to handle something like this, being all twenty-first century and all. Still ... I'm a bit worried.

Plus ... there's _Kvar_. The actual ... y'know, eventual battle between us and him. It's not going to be easy, I can tell – he does have some good experience in battle – fighting him is going to be no frolic through the park, I guarantee. But how did he beat us last time? It was hardly physical damage – he screwed with our heads, stripped us down to our purest emotions. I still can't believe he actually managed to get me to break down my own walls of control and lash out at Lloyd like that, but ... he's a deceptive bastard. I can't let anything he says get to me anymore, and the others probably think that too.

'Hey ... Kratos?'

I look up slightly when Lloyd speaks, both swords still drawn in case some guards come down our way. We're in a cleaner more open part of the ranch, so we're not exactly prone to getting caught.

Kratos glances down at him for a moment, looking back to the corridor ahead when he's shown he has his attention. Lloyd pauses for a moment before continuing.

'Earlier ... you said we have two half-elves with us ... Genis and the Professor are el-'

'We _had_ to half-elves with us,' Kratos corrects, not averting his gaze from the path ahead. 'To be sharply precise, we only have one at the moment.'

Lloyd, he's talking about me. I'm right here. Stop _ignoring me_. _Look at me_.

'Then ...' I swear to god, Lloyd almost glanced over his shoulder at me but stopped himself. Does he honestly despise me so much that he can't even _look_ at me anymore?

'Yes. The Wonder Chef, as he likes to call himself, is a half-elf.'

I blink. Wow. Didn't know that. Well, he can use magic – must explain it.

'Huh. That's weird ...'

Lloyd. Stop ignoring me. You're going to make me _cry_. And I swear, I'm this close, I really am.

Lloyd is the _only_ person I could fall back on here for support, and I've just shoved him away in one fell ... kick in the back. Because yes – everyone hates me – _I know_, even Noishe hates me, dammit. Colette likes me, of course – but come on. She's the Chosen. She has enough to worry about for herself without burdening anyone else's burdens. I can't believe I was actually selfish enough to assume Lloyd would befriend me in an instant and then that'd be it – he'd give his life, do anything, and all that jazz. It's not that _easy_. This isn't a _game_. Because in all honesty – think of all your friends. Which of them would die in an instant for you? Close to none. I can't think of anyone who would die for me outside my family, and even then I've got a few wary people. I couldn't have expected that much out of Lloyd in just ... a month of being here.

... I was so stupid. So selfish. So ignorant.

Y'know, I'm looking at myself, and I'm feeling physically sick and disgusted. Didn't Lloyd have _enough_ to deal with himself without me expecting to break his back for my own needs? For god's sake, no wonder Kratos hates me. All this time, they haven't been progressing with me – they've been _putting up_ with me. Maybe I should go back to Asgard after all ...

Yeah. Like that's going to happen. I'm too afraid and selfish to do even _that_. I hate myself – I really, really do.

I sniffle quietly. Ah, shite – at least it went unnoticed. Actually, they probably heard it and don't give a crap. So goes the life of the Charster. Anyway, I hastily brush something out of my eyes, breathe deeply, and continue. I could pass this off as being terrified about Kvar, so yeah. Yippie-yay, what a day.

Call me batshit insane, but do you know how much I'd like to screw these guys over, storm on to Palmacosta and curl up with a nice mug of hot chocolate? With cream? And sprinkles? And a marshmallow? It sounds so appealing right now besides going to fight a zappy man with no eyes and far too many complexes.

I know I'll be given the choice to fight Kvar or not, but if I decline, there's a good reason and a bad result. Good reason? Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise Lloyd hates absolutely every inch of me right now, and if I say "no, screw you guys, pummel his lightning ass on your own", then seriously, how bad is it going to be? The only reason I did it before was because (gasp) I didn't want to come across as a self-absorbed bitch. Now we have that point clearly across, the guilt is just going to soar right past my ear.

Bad result? Lloyd hates me even more. I'm not in his head right now, so I don't know how that could be possible, but shitsticks – I can't be far off from "oh god kill it now".

Screw it. I'll get everything up and running, and if he asks ... well, we'll see. I'll go with my gut and see where it takes me. Sure, my gut wants to vomit up everything I've eaten in the past week (which hasn't been a lot, mind you), so yeah. Ugh, I'm going to be so sick as soon as we get out of this place, I swear. Hopefully not, but ARGH.

... Anyone notice we've been low on battles? I think the Desians are actually keeping their distance because of the whole cannibal-Kratos rumours floating around. Dunno about them, but I'd definitely bail out and avoid getting eaten by a blood-soaked man with two pissed off looking teenagers surrounding him. Well, I haven't seen Lloyd's face for god knows how long, but I think he looks pissed off. I think I look a mix of annoyed, upset, teary-eyed, painful, and general "I-hate-the-other-two". Which is weird, because in the past few hours, I've declared my raging and violent hate for one and hugged the other. Which really sounds like it should have been the other way around considering who it was, put Lloyd was the one who slashed up my arm, and Kratos was the one who slapped me to my senses when I needed it for all the wrong reasons. He's too determined to get this done and practically would have done anything. See, instead of bawling into his shoulder, I should have asked for the nightshirt. Goddammit.

As for Lloyd ... argh, y'know what? I'm going to stop thinking about Lloyd, because it'll just make me more upset.

... Lloyd is a dick, Lloyd is a dick, Lloyd is a dick, Lloyd lacks a dick, Lloyd is a dick, Lloyd is a dick.

Now I will stop.

"_What's going to happen exactly, one we leave Luin?"_ I ask Charis. "_I mean, assuming I'm still with them. Is it worth actually sticking around, or is this journey going to take too long and should I just drop out and play it safe at Asgard?"_

_"Well, assuming you don't leave ..."_ Charis mumbles, typing away at her keyboard. "_You'll go straight to the Seal of Light. It's actually under some inspection from the priests of Luin right now, because people want to go there and start praying again due to the whole ... Desian invasion and destroying of their whole city. While it's inspection is being finished up, you guys can go to the Water Seal, nab Undine, come back and do the Seal, and off to the Tower of Salvation you go."_

_"Question time."_

_"Shoot."_

_"What about Resurrection? And Pietro?" _

Charis groans. "_Pietro is fine. He's in a Hima and everything is cool. He'll be going back to Luin to help with the rebuilding, but he's not a main person here. Don't worry about him. As for Resurrection, Raine can learn it fine with just the book from the tower teaching her how. She only needed the unicorn horn so she could heal someone as screwed up as Pietro, who is fine."_

_"Right_ ..." I say slowly. "_So why are we going to get Undine if we don't need it to cross the lake? To get to the unicorn?"_

_"Because Sheena was brought up as a summoner being told that she couldn't learn how to summon Undine and the rest of the Sylvarant summon spirits.__ She's just curious, and besides – the Seal of Water is only a couple of hours a boat ride from the Tower of Mana docks. Notice how the tower is at the top of the map while the Water Seal is at the bottom? Better than just sitting around and waiting for them to clear out the monsters.__"_

_"True ... damn, if I do stay ... we're so close."_

_"Yeah. And I really have to say, once you get into the Tower of Mana, do some looking around at those books. Seriously. I can't tell you why, but you most likely won't regret it."_

_"Huh ...__ okay.__ Hey, where's William?__"_

_"Still in bed. But you have to focus now, because you're almost there."_

I just nod in response, biting my lip a little. She's right – this is practically the same layout as the other sector of the ranch, just opposite. This looks exactly like the play we were strolling along just before I went and emptied Lloyd's bota bag all over the computer. I'll actually have to concentrate on the computer this time, because if I ask he'll probably just bolo-punch me with it.

And finally, after what feels like an eternity in this place, we come to a stop at an all too familiar door. I can't read Elven – I really, really can't – but I do know what the room is. The door is kinda a dead giveaway, being exactly the same as the one on the other side of the ranch. Big fat metal double doors with an arch shape in comparison to the heavily rusted rectangular doors we've seen here and there in this ranch.

Kratos turns to Lloyd with a questioning look as if to ask him if he's ready, and if he's really up to this. After a moment, Lloyd just nods, giving the Exsphere on his hand a tight squeeze. I notice now that it's now under his glove for certain reasons (hopefully to avoid Kvar snatching it away while he's busy stabbing). You can still see the soft blue glue, and I wonder vaguely with my crappy Exsphere if I'll ever get that. Y'know, with the soul in my Exsphere going apeshit and allowing me to kick some serious ass. Doesn't seem likely, but I can always hope.

I don't get the look of "dude, you cool?" from anyone, and I just stand there, gun in hand (I only use one, and I like to think of the other as a spare now), and watch as the doors open painfully slowly. Seriously – they're just sliding out to the sides as slow as snails. It's like they're _preparing for drama._ Seriously, besides ass-kicking and whatnot, the only drama here is going to be me screaming and throwing tables over in a fit of womanly rage. I'll throw a table right into Kvar's smirking face and show him for pelting me out of a window.

'More computers ...' Lloyd mumbles as we enter, and I notice with a jump how the doors just seem to slam shut behind us waaaaaay faster than they opened. Regardless, and still not looking over at me, Lloyd looks like he's deciding to actually _look in my direction_ and _ask something of me_ like it's a sin or something. Yes, it probably _is_ hard to talk to someone when all you want to do is sucker punch them, so I'll make it easier for him. I shove my gun in its holster with a click and walk over to the computer top, practically smashing the on button with my fist.

It doesn't take long for it to whirr to life, and I can see the other two in the computer screen's reflection just ... standing around, really. Lloyd is staring at the floor, scuffing the toe of his boot against its super super shiny shiny surface, and Kratos is just watching what I do from under his fringe. Yes, now would be the perfect time to reveal that aha! I'm actually a renegade is disguise, sent to blow you all up in this ranch and effectively killing you guys and a Desian stronghold! Take that, Bastard Mercenary!

Dammit Kratos, I'm not evil. Stop staring – I'm not going to rip off the keyboard and beat Lloyd to death with it. I might, but I probably won't.

Alright, by the looks of it, I just need to get the elevator working. I can sort out the whole self-destruct/lock disengaging for escaping/turning off alarms and all that once we defeat Kvar. IF we defeat Kvar. Oh dammit Charlie, stop being so cynical. It'll work.

Aw crap, it's happening again. I'm seizing up and I don't know why. I can't move. There aren't any lives on the line, but still ... I can't move ... I can't type.

"_Okay, just calm down. Relax."_

I do what Charis instructs me to do, taking a deep breath in.

"_Good. Now just drop your arms to you sides."_

I do, slowly lowering them from the keyboard.

"_Now just keep breathing steadily, and just _relax."

And as soon as I start doing all these things, I suddenly lose all me senses. It's like the whole world was just dumped into a slow, numb universe. I can see my hands moving of their own accord, tapping across the keys and entering commands I can't see because they manage to go so fast. I try to move, and it's like I've been split from my body. I move my arm to my left, and even thought I can _feel_ it at my left, both my hands are still typing away.

Charis must have taken over control if my body and is doing it for me. It's rare I'll get such a easy-ticket from her, so this is really nice of her considering how she always upholds those "oh no I can't INTERFERE" rules.

But still ... it's kinda scary. Everything is so ... slow. I think some partly physical and mostly ethereal part of me has been shoved out of my body so Charis can invade, but I don't think I'm visible besides the actual Charlotte typing in commands to the computer like nobody's business. And ... everything feels so thick and it's painful to move like this. It's like I've been dumped into a vat of ... really really thick honey. I can barely move.

Suddenly, everything returns to normal. I snap back to my body with such force that I actually buckle over the computer counter, hands splayed at either end of the keyboard so I don't smack my face off the screen. I immediately feel nausea building at the pit of my stomach and swallow heavily, straightening up with a small tremble.

'D-done.'

I love how I don't get asked if I'm okay. They just nod in response, and the soft hum of the elevator coming down to us begins to get louder and louder.

My heartbeat starts to get rapid the closer it gets, and I know that as soon as we step onto that elevator, we are completely trapped in Kvar's presence. We lost to him once, and there's honestly no saying that we won't lose to him again. We've got this new kind of hatred for the guy, so who knows – it may or may not be easier to kick his ass all the way to Scotland. Should a combined power kick from all of his actually cause him to rip through time and space and land in the land of haggis and kilts and my dad's side of the family. "Hi, I just caused your granddaughter to have some sort of mental breakdown." Yep, awesome.

There's a loud clang when the elevator hits the ground, and we just ... stare at it for a while like some sort of evil prey that's just dropped from the skies. I dunno, Kvar could have been hiding in there, or he might have attached a bomb to it to blow us to pieces on the way back up. I'm sure he isn't _that_ lame, but come on. We almost kicked his ass last time; he could be taking some precautions.

'Are you coming or not?'

Probably the first thing Lloyd's said to me since we started walking around the ranch again hits me like a blow to the back of the head. I seriously do want to get right up to him and swear and spit in his face, but I can control myself. I'll let out all the rage I should actually be directing at myself, but am directing at Lloyd because I don't want to hurt anymore, on Kvar. With any luck, he'll go down fast. And yes, I'm taking out all the self-rage I have for myself on Lloyd. I'm being a bitch, but thanks to that torture device, I've come to realise I've always been a bitch. Not much difference – I'm just being more upfront about it because I don't _care _anymore. It's too tiring to care.

I just nod with a frown, pulling out a pistol again. We all step into the elevator, and make sure to go last just in case I change my mind. As I hesitate, Lloyd and I just stare at each other for a moment. He honestly looks like he's trying to glare, but it isn't working. He's probably worried about the fight.

I finally step in, and just like before when we did this, the transparent doors slip shut, there's a soft rumble as the elevator begins to move up, and I press my burning forehead against the cold glass walls with a sigh. It's exactly the same.

Only this time I don't get my "thank you".

I think that's when I realise I'm officially not a friend anymore.

* * *

Poor Char D: She really did have what was coming to her though. We'll see how it goes. Soooo, how was it? Good? Bad? Will Chikuto/VT's kitten ever come back? Hope so, he was so cute and I miss him and he's out there in the cold and rain ... 

Well, it's ... almost 10AM, I haven't SLEPT since yesterday evening ... so I'm going to catch up on some shut-eye. How about leaving me some nice reviews for when I wake up? I've had quite a crappy week trying to write this, find my cat, sort out school problems and the such, and it'd be nice to know that the work I put into this didn't go to waste, however lame it may have come across D: Soooo ... until next chapter! G'night. Kinda.


	60. Retribution

(Ah, fanficdotnet stopped being anal - I can finally post my author note. Sorry about that wait 8D)

Stop. Asking. Petty. Questions. In. Your. Reviews. And. Leaving. No. Contact. Details. It's. Really. Annoying. (Char's new outfit colour is undecided, for the person who asked).

OH FINALLY NO MORE ASGARD RANCH AFTER THIS CHAPTER.

Still haven't found my kitten. Oh well, I just hope he's safe.

Much blood and gore in this chapter, but the whole thing is just an extremely long battle scene D: there has to be blood. And it's been changed a lot, seeing as this scene doesn't follow exactly what happens in the game. Hopefully it's suffice though. And whey, almost at 1000 reviews. Not bad 8D And if you don't review just because you're waiting for 1000th, you're lame D: And I can't do much for whoever it is, what with the giant computer screen and vitual world in the way. Even lamer.

I started playing Flyff. That game is so very cute D:

I don't really have much more to say XD Hope you enjoy the chapter, R&R, and happy reading :3

* * *

Chapter 60 - Retribution

When the elevator shuddered to a stop and the glass doors slid open, I honestly thought the first thing I'd be seeing was Kvar's oversized office just how we left it.

If I remember correctly, a few computers were broken, a giant pane of window was broken, and Kvar's face was broken. We did a lot of violation and destroying, most by accident. We're hardly going to storm in, feck Kvar's entire computer screen collection in, and then start to battle. It's just not right. But anyway, this is all fully what I expected to see, as well as Kvar's smug face smirking away at us as we enter.

Its pitch black.

Maybe Kratos killed the electrician in his mad rage to get to Lloyd, but the overhead lights are dead, and I can't see a thing. It's the middle of the night, there's no light from outside at all. The only brightness is coming from the smallest of lights on the elevator, covering merely two feet of space into the room with a pale blue glow. Not nearly enough to see my hand in front of my face, and the fact that Kvar is _somewhere_ in this room, and we don't _know where_ is enough to make me want to hurl in terror. It really is. He could be right next to the elevator exit with a knife or something. I don't think he's that petty but ... still ...

I don't know who it is – but I grab onto someone's arm. Not ... grab as in yanking whoever back into the elevator and hip-bashing the "down" button, I just grip their upper arm. I'm sure whoever I'm holding onto hates my guts right now, seeing as they both do, but at least they're being nice enough to just let my cling while I trying to make my heartbeat slow down. I swear, Kvar can probably hear it; it's throbbing so painfully against my ribcage, and I can feel it in my throat.

'Get off.'

Ah, it was Lloyd.

Without a word, I just drop my hands shakily to my sides, pulling my pistol back out. I have to hold onto something or I'll probably start clawing out my own eyes. Let's hope I don't squeeze too hard on the trigger – I might accidently shoot Lloyd in the back. What a _shame_.

'We've found you, Kvar!' Lloyd exclaims into the darkness, but it isn't too hard to pick up the noticeable quiver in his voice. 'Stop being such a coward and show yourself!'

Practically on cue, a bang from above echoes around the room. I throw my head up to look, and overhead lights begin coming on noisily, fizzing and humming as they flicker to life one by one. I gulp as they travel in order from our side of the room to the other, slowly lighting up the dark room row after heart-throbbing row. Metal clinks as the two in front clutch their weapons tighter, and I just hold my breath, waiting.

Finally, the furthest set of lights clicks on and bathes the room in a decent amount of light for combat. It's still pretty dark, but we can at least see everything clearer now. Of course, there on the other side of the room is Kvar's enormous desk strewn with devices, papers and Exspheres (mostly broken from attempting the Angelus Project again), his giant chair, and most important of all, cloaked in the shadow of the furniture's towering back ...

... No Kvar.

After a moment (of expecting him to leap out from behind his chair or something), I slowly lower my guns, straightening up. Kratos grips his sword tighter, and Lloyd glances to him before turning back to the vacant side of the room. We've definitely got the right room, because one of the red windows spanning from the floor to the ceiling are shattered, there's a broken computer screen over there, and there are bloodstains on the floor. This all happened just hours ago. Surely Kvar isn't being trivial and playing hide and seek with us – we've done enough already.

My throat closes when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

Unable to speak, I just turn. Sure enough, I'm met with slit red eyes and a haughty smirk.

'Boo.'

I don't scream, but I'm sure all colour drains from my face. Before I can actually get the other two's attention and make it clear there's a Grand Fucking Cardinal right behind me, he shoves his sceptre into my stomach just like before. If I remember correctly, he did this to blow me out of a window, but I don't think I'll reach this time. Good point number one.

I fall forward with a "_ghack_". _Bad_ point number one.

'Some people just won't die,' he says, twisting his weapon in my stomach when the other two spin around at the small amount of commotion. Lloyd is the first to react, swords up.

'You-!'

'Lightning Strike!'

And _boom_, right back I go into Lloyd. He yelps in both pain and surprise, and we're thrown to the floor from the force of his attack. To be fair on Kvar's half, it probably was my weight slamming into his front at high speed which now has him on his backside. One of his swords goes skidding off, while the other remains in his grip. I should know, I'm lying on the bloody thing.

'Shit ...' I hiss, shakily picking myself up off his weapon. There's a nice thin red line on my arm now, overlapping the last wound he gave me. I know both were accidental, but Christ – is he trying to sneakily decapitate me or something? 'Ow ...'

Lloyd sits up, clutching his shoulder with his free hand. 'Dammit ...'

'My bad,' I say, grabbing his hand and forcing him to his feet. 'C'mon, Kratos needs help.'

Lloyd glances down towards my arm and to the new cut. I bite my lip and move it out of the way, and Lloyd looks quickly as Kvar is blown halfway across the room by Kratos. I miss that, with my back being turned and all. Ah well.

'You okay?'

'Hurts ... a little ...' I mumble. 'It was an accident. Everything was. C'mon, we have to-'

'Don't ...' Lloyd mumbles, turning to get his sword a few yards away. 'Don't be so clumsy. You'll get hurt.'

'Well, duh ...' I say with a shrug, turning to Kvar some meters to my right. I jump when I realise he's glaring right at me from the floor, reaching for the sceptre that seems to have skidded from his hand. 'Oh shi-'

'Lightning Strike!' he bellows, whipping his weapon up and pointing it at me. Streams of sizzling mana thunder in my direction, skidding along the floor and leaving darkened marks in their wake. As soon as they begin towards me, Kratos manages to take a well aimed slash at his arm to avoid anymore potentially dangerous acts. Problem is that doesn't really stop the lightning heading right for me.

'Protection!' I squeak, throwing my arms up and crossing them over my face. Just in time, I feel a surge of mana form a green shield in front of me and begin deflecting ribbons of purple and white lightning left and right. Eventually the attack does fizz away as soon as I feel a small pang of pain in the back of my head from using so much mana at once. The glassy green shield fades, but a small whip of electricity seems to get through at the final moment and prick my arm. Small as it is, it hurts like a bitch.

A sound somewhere between a hiss and a yelp forces itself from my throat and I clutch my repeatedly damaged arm. Okay, two cuts and a nice small burn; this arm is not loved today. Not to mention it's opened a portion of the larger wound and it's now bleeding quite a lot. Sword reclaimed and sleeve slightly burnt, Lloyd notices more wounds and bruises on my visible arm and stumbles over.

'I thought,' he grumbles, reaching his arm back and returning a second later, shoving an apple gel into my free hand. 'I told you not to be so clumsy.'

I just clutch the bottle I've been handed, wrenching my hand away from the bloody wound. 'Yeah, well, I'm trying my best, okay!?'

Then Lloyd says something I ... don't think I've ever been able to comprehend here. I've never been told it or been indicated to do such a thing in any way, especially when most of my advice comes from Kratos. Regardless, Lloyd frowns, turning to Kratos now in a sword-to-sceptre upfront battle with Kvar, and speeds off to aid him. I'm left with Lloyd's words still ringing in the back of my head.

'I don't expect anything more from you.'

... M'kay, he hates me, but the asshole's got a way with words.

"_You heard what he said,"_ Charis cheers from the sidelines ... within my brain. "_Don't worry about going all out – just do your best.__ That's all he wants you to do. Go girl, open a can of whoop ass on that bitch!"_

"_Charis, language,"_ I scold, tipping the apple gel into my hand. It wobbles a little, and I just slap it onto my wound, forcing it in with a flinch at the sting, and go to help the others. I'm sure they're fine alone, but I can't be completely useless. I have two friggin' firearms.

'Took you long enough,' Lloyd says after his third round of Demon Fang, interrupting Kvar's spell as Kratos advances on him.

I roll my eyes. 'Okay, you _just _started being relatively nice. Can we keep it that way?'

Lloyd just glares.

'... Apparently not.'

'Just ... focus on the fight, alright!?'

Don't shoot comrades, Charlie. You kind of need them to kill Kvar, because you can't really do it yourself. You could try, but he'd roast your ass so bad he'd be eating it for Christmas. If people in this world celebrated Christmas. I've checked, and there is no Christ in this world – they have a Winter Solstice Festival though, depending on which part of the world you live in.

Right, I'm rambling. Time to get to work.

Kratos is still up in Kvar's face, both of them deflecting each other's blows without fail. Whenever Lloyd tries to storm in and take some action with the whole 'avenge' thing, Kvar just takes a moment from locking weapons with Kratos, blows Lloyd across the room, and returns to the more threatening of the two. Third time it's happened right now, and Lloyd is currently jumping to his feet, still looking quite determined and enthusiastic despite the gaping rip in his sleeve and the burn on his arm.

The steel of Kratos' sword screeches when Kvar throws him off with his sceptre, and I quickly take a shot at Kvar while Kratos is stunned. Surprisingly, it hits him right in the temple and halts him as Kratos staggers back, sweeping a hand across his blade and coating it with burning white mana. Shooting from afar is much easier than what Lloyd's doing. It's easier to notice with a teenager in bright red barrelling towards you, rather than someone just raising their arms and aiming.

The plan works, and Kratos takes a quick swipe at Kvar which is easily dodged. As they continue to fight, a long line across Kvar's brow becomes visible where Kratos managed to slash and begins dripping with small red drops of blood. With any luck, he'll get some in his eyes and it'll be smooth sailing for the lot of us. Then again, this fight _just_ started – I doubt we're getting out of it that quickly.

'Harrison!'

I look up to see Kvar and Kratos once again locking weapons tightly, forcing against eachother for the upper hand. Lloyd pauses also at Kratos' seemingly random outburst, and the man gives another shove at Kvar before glancing to me from the corner of his eye.

'Disable any mechanism in this room!' he barks, gaining the initiative and forcing Kvar to stumble back with a sparking strike, and Lloyd runs, jumps, and Tempests Kvar to keep him busy for a second.

'Wha- how-'

'The main computer is at Kvar's desk,' Kratos says quickly, cocking his head in the direction of the sleek silver desk up an extremely short set of stairs spanning from one end of the room to the other. 'Disable the doors and vents. Desians are coming this way and there are Raybits and Energy Stones on standby in the ventilation shafts.'

Oooh, those last two hurt like bitches. 'Leave it to me!'

I don't wait around to get them angrier at me and head straight for the stairs. It doesn't take Kvar long to notice me already making my move towards disabling his advantages, and it doesn't make him a happy-chappy seeing as he's before two very pissed off swordsmen and can't really get to me. But when he does eventually get hold of me, oh boy is he gonna be pissed.

Yeah ... let's just pray the other two keep him busy for the remainder of this battle.

'Okay, okie-dokie ...' I mumble, wondering if I should take a seat while I do this. I glance back at Kvar's chair and change my mind, turning back to the screen in the desk. It's already up and running, which is good because I can't seem to see any buttons to turn this thing on or off. If I can't turn it off, I'm gonna have to do it the longer, harder way.

'Inferior being!' Kvar snarls, knocking away the three swords around him and pointing his sceptre at me for a third time this battle. I actually make a smart move and duck when lightning explodes from the head of the weapon, crashing against the back of his chair with such force that it rocks dangerously as if it were about to topple over. Geez Louise, someone has anger issues. Maybe he wasn't hugged enough as a child. Some good Char-hugs might fix that, but I'm quite sane and fear for my life right now, so ... no Char-hugs for Kvar.

I straighten back up, wrinkling my nose at the smell of burning ... leather, or whatever it is behind me and go back to the computer while the other two keep Kvar busy. I can see them both powering up Cross Thrust, but decide to y'know, actually do my job instead of ogling over the pretty attacks.

'Main menu,' I say, poking the button. Hey, touch screen! Awesome. The blue tinted screen lists its available commands, and my face falls. No idea what's going on here.

'"Overall Ranch Stats" ...' I mumble, dragging my finger down the side of the menu. 'No ... "Prisoner Machinery Control – Disabled" ...' Oh yeah, I blew that computer up, didn't I? Eheh ...

Right, time is not on my side right now. 'Okay ..."Cameras", no ... "Personal Files", no ... "Exsphere Files", "Prisoner Files", no, no, argh!'

'Take your time; we're doing great over here!' Lloyd yells sarcastically over the clashing of weapons and sizzling of magic. It's a good thing Kvar's magic is so limited, or it'd be much more of a pain to figure out how you're going to dodge. With lightning, you just jump out of the way. With say, wind, you're screwed. No one cares if you run like a cat on crack, you're screwed.

'Here we go,' I sigh finally, practically smacking a button in the corner I didn't see labelled "Enable/Disable". This should bring up a list of things I can cut off and enable, like locks on the doors to avoid any Desians getting in and locks on vents to get rid of any machinery that wants to kill us. I should look around for other things I can use to our advantage, but there isn't much unless Kvar is plugged in. So ... yeah, lame.

There's a loud crashing sound with an echoing click, notifying that the doors have been locked shut and the vents are closed off. I notice the glass of the elevator has been covered with a more solid looking white wall to prevent escape from either of us. After affirming that's all done, I go back to the list and check for more. Well ... I could shut down all the computers in case Lloyd gets thrown into one and fries. Yeah, doing that now.

I buzz I never really noticed quietens down, and lights lining the walls dim, falling dead after a few seconds. The overhead lights are still glowing strong, so no need to worry there. Alright, I think that's it ... I should get back to fighting.

But I don't wanna ...

Argh, just use Shockwave.

I dodge another stream of lightning coming my way and watch it spiral out of the already broken window, kinda glad that another one wasn't broken. That would have caught more attention, and more Desians would try to come to Kvar's aid. Kvar's a tough piece of work by himself – we don't need another bunch of Desians here to make it harder.

'All done!' I shout to Kratos, firing a round or two at Kvar which sadly misses. He glares in my direction as he avoids my attack, smacking Lloyd to one side with his sceptre. Sadly, he falls to the floor with a sharp ... squealing sound, rather than being a man and deflecting it away. I think my shouting might have distracted Lloyd anyhow, so I can't really blame hi – okay, there's a goddamn cardinal heading for me.

Seriously. He's actually running at me, and this bastard can outrun Kratos. Do something, Charster.

'Bollocks,' I say to myself when he raises his sceptre over his head. 'Ah, uh – S-Shockwave!'

"_Bad choice_."

Charis decides to tell me this _after_ the mana explodes from my gun, creating its blade shape on the floor and speeding towards Kvar. I just hold my breath and watch, hoping it'll trip him up at least ...

It doesn't. The goddamn thing evaporates at his feet, and he's still heading for me.

"_Explain NOW,"_ I demand, jumping to avoid a bolt of lightning heading straight for my feet. Time to run now, which would be a good time to give Kratos the chance to heal up Lloyd some. I think Kvar hit him in the stomach with his sceptre when he threw him aside, because he's looking kinda winded right now. Plus there's a bunch of bloody burns and bruises littering the skin we can see, so ... he'll need a nice warm mug of First Aid.

I'm acting all decoy-like and running as fast as my legs will take me to ... one corner of the room. Kvar is following me as planned, so that's "yay" and "aw crap" on the same level. Run Charlie, run! There's lightning heading for your feet!

"_Kvar's whole mana system is practically lightning-based. If you use a lightning attack against him, it's going to do nothing."_

'Shit,' I breathe, taking a glance over my shoulder. Holy f- he can run fast for an old guy. C'mon Charlie! Pretend you're running away from Yggdrasill! I guess in both situations I'm running for my life, so that really doesn't help!

"_Careful with unison attacks though. The two you have with Kratos and Lloyd are both lightning based, right? Blitz Spear and Shockblade. They'll do bugger all."_

'Why me?' I grumble, still running. I do eventually make myself useful when I see Kratos healing up a rather nasty looking bruise on Lloyd's stomach that is causing him to clench his teeth and screw his eyes shut in pain. Ouch. Anyway, I throw an arm behind me, gun in hand, and fire into his ugly mug. I miss, but if he gets close enough, I could probably pistol-whip him in the face. Interesting ...

'Fuckfuckfuck ...' I wheeze, dodging a bolt of lightning that soars right past my ear. 'Little help, you guys!?'

I don't get an answer. Lloyd glances up from watching the green light emitting from Kratos' palm as he presses it to his stomach, healing his wound so he can stand. He bites his lip with a flinch, bowing his head with a shudder. Great – wonderful help, guys. I hate you both, I really really do.

I'm eventually forced to back up to a computer when Kvar closes in before I can get away. I do the obvious thing: draw, turn around, and attempt to shoot him away with some good lead-to-face. But it doesn't work too well. Before I can even aim, he smacks both pistols out of my hands with his sceptre, causing both weapons to skid across the room to my left. I also now have a giant cut on my hand thanks to that, but that's the least of my troubles – Kvar's about to stab me in the face.

I scramble up onto the electrical-counter with a shriek, unarmed and in danger. I throw my arms over my face as if it would help and tense up.

I shriek again when a bang erupts right beside my ear, and I curl tighter into myself. When I realise I'm ..._ not_ in pain, I glance past the gap in my wrists.

Kvar's sceptre seems to have penetrated the flat-screen monitor behind me, and it's now ... smoking a little. I stare at it for a moment and realise he's _not_ dead because I turned off the computers, which is quite a shame ... it would have made it a lot easier for us.

Anyway, there's a pissed off cardinal towering over me with his weapon stuck in a broken computer screen, while I'm just ... kinda sitting here. So, I do the obvious once again.

Boot him in the face and _run_.

I'm able to pull my legs to my chest despite how his heavily-armoured-in-velvet-and-metal self is pressing my knees into the desk. I lunge both legs forward into his face, throwing him back and away from me so I can escape. He yells swears angrily as he clutches his seriously bleeding nose, and I dive for my guns some way across the floor.

I hardly take time to notice Lloyd is staring with his jaw practically hitting the floor at Kvar, and hastily go through a list of my techs in my head. Okay, one that isn't lightning based ... that rules out Shockwave and Blitz Bullet, and both unison attacks with the others. I can't afford to weaken myself, so that takes away Mana Beam and Mana Blast. Fire Shot it is.

"_Can I learn a new one yet?"_ I ask, watching four flame-engulfed bullets whizz through the air and hit dead on for once. "_One that ISN'T electrical?"_

_"Well, you've had one on standby for quite a while now."_

I remain on the floor, watching as Kratos finally finishes healing Lloyd up good. "_Then why haven't I learnt it yet?"_

_"You haven't used the core tech enough."_

_"Core?"_

_"Like Sonic Thrust. That branches out to either Super Sonic Thrust or Hurricane Thrust – in Lloyd's case, the latter. He uses both like hell, so it's no wonder he learnt it quickly. You haven't used your base tech a lot though, so it's been sitting on standby."_

_"Phooey,"_ I grumble, aiming once more at Kvar, who's still crouched over and clutching his bleeding face. Christ, can I kick or what? "_I'm taking it I'm overusing Fire Shot this battle."_

_"Go for it."_

Shockwave, I'm gonna miss you. 'Fire Shot!'

As soon as he's hit, Lloyd rushes over and uses Hurricane Thrust. He misses, but blades of green mana seem to do the trick at ripping open Kvar's flesh. This is seriously going to be a bloody battle ... but with any luck, that means it'll be over fast.

'It seems ...' Kvar hisses, clutching a wound at his side as he straightens up. 'That you have some fight left in you, inferior being.'

Lloyd just scowls at the title he's been given. 'You really think your stupid torture was going to bring me down?'

'I can see it worked on some people,' Kvar counters, eyes flicking in my direction. Of course – I'm still practically covered in blood from ripping my lip open from biting it and smashing my head against the wall. Awesome is me.

'Of course _some _people don't have friends to comfort them, do they Lloyd?' Kvar continues with a smirk, eyes still looking to me from the side. 'And you strut around claiming you're better than that ... such foolishness.'

Lloyd does exactly what Kvar wants him to do, and turns his head slightly in my direction. 'Th ... that's-'

Before Kratos can snap at Lloyd to pay attention and go straight for Kvar himself, the cardinal grabs his sceptre and shoves the head into Lloyd's stomach. As Lloyd doubles over with a cough, I try to shoot at Kvar before he can use Lightning Strike and injure our previously-healed Lloyd again. I use Fire Shot to add a point to my new tech possibility, but miss anyway. The flaming bullet soars past Kvar's shoulder and disintegrates quickly after missing its target.

Aw, shit.

'Lloyd!' I cry, scrambling to my feet when he coughs again. The reason I'm suddenly more willing to save his sorry hide is because it's not hard to miss blood splattering across the floor when he coughs. Yeah. He's in trouble, and I'm a lot closer than Kratos. C'mon self, actually do _something_ instead of run away from Kvar for once.

Kvar is too focused on pushing all his energy into his sceptre to let out a giant boom of an attack on our blood choking Lloyd, so he doesn't really notice when I, um, pistol-whip him.

Obviously, being the weak little teenager I am, I don't do it hard enough to knock him out or anything. It stuns him though, and his head snaps to one side when the barrel smashes against his cheekbone.

Soooo ... Kvar's whip'd, Lloyd staring at me bug-eyed once again, and I'm just ... kinda standing here with my gun pressed into Kvar's face. Yeah.

'That,' Lloyd coughs, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth, 'was so cool.'

'I know, right?' I say, shooting Kvar in the face for good measure when I feel him move and recover from the shock. He jerks with a roar of pain, dropping his sceptre to the floor with a clatter as he holds both hands to his head. Lord, he's bleeding, bruised, shot ... and I did all that! I feel so proud right now.

Lloyd sinks to his knees with the support of the sceptre gone, arm wrapped around his stomach while the other steadies his weight over the floor so he can, uh, cough up more blood. Kratos, we need help over here.

Coincidently (or not), Kratos' reaches Lloyd's side once again, hand glowing green as he presses it to his stomach. It takes a few tries to get Lloyd's hand away from the injured spot at first, but he's eventually being healed up nice and good once more.

Problem is, while Kratos is healing and Lloyd is receiving, someone has to distract Kvar so Lloyd doesn't get wounded anymore, and Kratos can focus on curing him of his owies. Mmhm. Off I go. Goddammit, I hate you guys. Yeah, Kratos has been doing most of the work against Kvar, but _come on_.

My ankles are shaking dangerously as I run over to Kvar, deciding to just dive into the action and hope I catch him off guard. Sadly, even without his sceptre, he's still quite a threat now that he's gathering his bearings and wiping blood out of his eyes.

At some point I decide to forget the guns and just punch him in the face. I'm pretty short, but I can still reach his ugly mug. And it actual _works_, because I've discovered though it's not as powerful as my mana-bullets, punching can stun pretty well. And if I want to distract him at all, it's no good attacking wide-range. Upfront and brutal it is.

Now I'm no martial arts master, but I think I'm doing pretty well! Uppercut, hell yeah. I kick like a drunk donkey, but I can handle my fists pretty well. I have sharp knuckles, which would make me useful being the _only_ person in the room not wearing gloves. I should really get some though, I hate the effect using guns all the time is having on my skin ...

While I ponder, Kvar grabs my wrists. Aw crap.

Taking one hand away from the wound at his side, he makes a grab for my throat. I manage to learn away at the last second, but it doesn't work. I choke when I feel the cold leather of his gloves wrapped around my neck, squeezing the air out of me. My legs are free, but I can't reach him to kick ...

And it might be the up-close murderous look in his eyes or the blood running down his face, but I don't think I've ever been more frightened.

'You've been quite a thorn in my side, rat,' he hisses, thumb pressing into the dip of my jaw, making me gasp in pain. His fingers tighten around my throat, and I let out a strangled cry. 'Making a fool of yourself before that wench Pronyma.'

'Why ... do you care ...?' I manage, trying to wrench my wrists free.

'Because due to inferior beings such as yourself,' he growls with a smirk, twisted my wrists back. I gasp in pain, biting my lip. 'My status as second in command to the Desian Grand Cardinals is being relegated. Having such weak humans in these walls caught attention, and you will pay for my efforts being diminished.'

I just clench my teeth, cracking one eye open to see what the other two people in my group are doing to help. Not much – Kratos is still healing Lloyd so he stops coughing up blood, and Lloyd seems to be keeping an eye on me. I'm sure, should I actually start to _die_, he'll give Kratos a pat on the shoulder and point him in my direction.

'D ... dammit ...' I hiss, trying to kick at him again. I can't reach him, and I'm feeling so weak and painful right now.

'Now I am third in command, my funds will fail to cover performing the Angelus Project enough times to create the perfect Exsphere,' Kvar says lowly, voice seething with anger. I can feel sparks of electrical energy on his palms over my throat and wrists, flinching at the string. It's getting stronger, and I can hear it crackling against my skin. 'It seems my only choice is to kill the lot of you pathetic insects and reclaim what is rightfully mine.'

He looks to Lloyd as he finishes, and I notice him put one hand over the gem protectively. Kvar snorts, turning back to me.

'Being the one solely responsible for my demotion, you have the honour of being the first to die.'

'Well fuck, aren't I lucky,' I hiss, trying to kick once more. It's quite obvious _where_ I'm trying to aim, but the constant crackling of sparks at my throat and above my head is making my flinch and shudder in pain. 'Shit ...!'

'Charl-!'

'Lloyd, sit down!'

I try to open my eyes through the building pain as Kvar powers up whatever attack he has prepared without a weapon in hand. I manage after a few seconds, but everything is blurry due to lack of air. I can see blood still running down Lloyd's chin, and Kratos still trying to heal him and make sure he isn't in any unnoticed danger. His non-healing hand is wrapped firmly around Lloyd's shoulder to keep him sitting, because is he so much as moves to stand, he'll be blood-puking all over the place.

... Still, I could use some help over here.

'Now,' Kvar says, dropping me to the floor. I stumble back, hands flying to my throat as I choke for air, trying to stay upright and keep my balance. 'Sparkwave!'

... Ugh, crap.

Does anyone remember back at the Palmacosta ranch when Rufus used that attack ... Ice Prison, or something like that? Sparkwave is just like that. Lightning surges from whatever source (Kvar's hands in this case) and some random pull of gravity makes it surround you in a spherical prison of electricity. It might as well be solid, because you can't get out once you're in – the extent of pain that is almost every cell on your body screaming with pain at the shocking burn ... well, it really goddamn hurts.

I don't think the people outside my electrical bubble of agony can hear me screaming, because the roaring crackle of lightning is extremely loud ... and trust me, I'm screaming very, very hard. Everything is just loud and painful and I have a headache and I can't hear and I can't _see_ and I'm choking and ... and ...

And ow.

The energy within the sphere seems to have gotten so strong that I've actually been lifted from the ground a few inches. Taking this as a hint, I immediately curl up and tense, trying to stop the pain. It feels like small, white-hot needles just stabbing you _everywhere,_ over and over while you're trapped. When the attack stops, I'm gonna fall about five feet and seriously damage my ass, but I just need to coil into myself right now and try to bear it.

Eventually, after the last few painful seconds, everything falls silent again. I stopped screaming a moment or two ago, and my throat feels absolutely raw and painful. I wouldn't be surprised if I'd lost my voice, but I don't have time to test that out. My back slams against the floor when the energy holding me up dissolves, and I cough once, extremely violently. Blood splatters against my cheek when I do, and I clutch my stomach.

Oh god everything _hurts_.

I grit my teeth to force down a sob, biting my lip. A bead of sweat runs down my face and I just lay there, panting. I can't move at all. I can't escape – oh fuck, I can't escape.

Before I can look over to the other two, Kvar's metal boot comes slamming down on my chest, holding me down. I choke again, and blood comes up once more to splash over his shoe. Yeah, take that, evil man. His heel grinds into the side of my breast and I let out a kind of shrieking sob. I must look absolutely pathetic. He's got his sceptre back too, and he points it at my face. My vision is getting clearer, but most things are still just a blur.

'How sad, that more half-elves must stray from their rightful path.'

Ah ... so Kvar can't see I'm a human. Just Pronyma.

I cough again, shivering. 'As what – cold-blooded murderers? Half-elves can do what they want, you have no righ – AARGH!'

Down his boot comes again. He's about to break my ribcage, he really is.

'I have _every_ right,' he snarls with a smirk. I kind of wish my blurred vision would come back, because I hate looking at his smug face. 'And what right do you have? You're despicable.'

I just squeeze my eyes shut at the heavy pain in my chest, feeling my heart beat rapidly again the sole of his shoe. 'Fuck you.'

'Such a rude mouth. Not that I'd expect any less from the girl who called her only friend a _murderer_.'

If I could move, I would actually kill this man.

'Oh but I'm _sure_ you didn't mean that at all,' Kvar continues, still smirking. 'Insulting the boy who chose your ungrateful life over his own _mother_, calling him murderous, mindless filth.'

'Shut up.'

'Then again, what have you ever done for him? Hm?' he says, the toe of his boot tipping dangerously close to my throat. '_Nothing._ You said it yourself, I believe. "The only thing I've ever accomplished is making people sad" ... and yet somehow, you believe your life was worth saving? When all you do is hold people back and bring them misery? Isn't that _exactly_ what you claimed Lloyd did?'

'Shut. _Up_.'

'I'm surprised he didn't just turn around and _leave you to die_. It certainly seems the best choi-'

'SHUT UP! SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!'

And I wish on very many levels that I was the one who had screamed that. It would have felt extremely satisfying to have that boldness, but instead I get rather a lot of blood splashing against the side of my face from above.

I just stare up, feeling the blood drip slowly down my cheek and into my hair. That's gonna be a bitch to wash later on, but ... right now, I'm quite scared. It might be the look of absolute hatred in Lloyd's eyes, the fact that one of his swords is pointing right at my neck, or it might just be the fact that the blade in question has been driven right through Kvar's shoulder.

More blood drips onto my cheek, and I stare right past Kvar's torn shoulder and into Lloyd's face. His teeth are clenched firmly to stop anymore furious screams, and I can see his jaw shaking. There's blood running down his chin, but he seems to be okay now ... Kratos might have healed him completely ... he looks fine ...

'L-Lloyd-'

'Shut up,' he demands, eyes flicking to my bloodstained face. 'Just ... don't say anything.'

He shoves his sword deeper until the hilt presses against Kvar's back, and the cardinal just chokes, dropping to all fours at my side. Each muscle still aching and burning, I do my best to get to my feet, or shuffle away at least. I don't want to be near the man who singlehandedly disabled me and threatened my life and told me I suck and don't deserve to live. I do want to slap him, but Lloyd's busy with him right now.

I gasp when I sit up, and try to mentally numb the pain in my spine. I bring a hand up shakily to wipe blood away from my face, watching as Lloyd rips his sword out from the man's wound. Kvar grits his teeth with a grunt, hand flying to the tear in his shoulder.

'I ...' Lloyd spits, hand shaking as he points his sword to Kvar's back. 'Would _never_ leave one of my friends to die ... so don't you _dare-'_

'Dare speak the truth?' Kvar says with a dry laugh, using the side of the computer-top to get to his feet. One hand is still clutching the rip in his shoulder ... I'm not sure if Kvar knows healing techniques, but if he does, his level of power could cure that wound completely in a few minutes. It's best to take him down quickly, but he's screwing with our minds again. Heaven knows I've lost the will to fight, both physically and mentally. He's bringing down Lloyd as we speak, but Kratos still seems safe.

'Torture, hurts, doesn't it Lloyd?' Kvar says, flexing his fingers as he picks up his weapon. 'But Kratos was there for you. So then tell me –' he points his weapon to me, and I tense up. He's either indicating me or preparing to attack me.

'Who was there ... for your "_friend_'?'

Lloyd bites his lower lip. Kvar smirks at note of his success and continues, hand still pressed to his wound. Oh crap, I think he _is_ healing it...

'Certainly not _you_, of course,' he says, straightening up. He takes a few steps to circle Lloyd slowly, while Lloyd tightens his grip on his swords and just glares at him. He's holding back another coughing fit, and blood is still trickling down his chin. Dammit, what the hell is Kratos doing!?

I look over my shoulder to find the bastard mercenary, who is kneeling right where he was before. I almost shout at him and ask why he's doing bugger all to help us, but stop myself when I notice his fingers are drenched with blood. He's holding a rather large wound on his side which is bleeding messily all down his shirt, trousers, and the floor. The blood coated hand has the green glow for First Aid, but nothing's happening ...

Shit, he's had that wound all this time and just focused on healing Lloyd? Now he's run out of mana ... ugh, what an idiot ...

Kvar speaks again, and I look over.

'You call her a "friend",' Kvar says, eyes wondering over to me for a moment before going back to Lloyd. 'And yet all this time you've been doing nothing to comfort her? My my, that doesn't seem like something a _friend_ would do ...'

'You're wro-'

'Am I?' Kvar comes to a stop behind Lloyd. 'Imagine how you would have felt ... had Kratos not said a word to you and just dragged you along to fight me. How would you have felt, hm? You would have felt _exactly_ how your "friend" feels now. And you do nothing for her. How sad.'

'You're WRONG!' Lloyd exclaims, lashing out behind. Kvar uses his sceptre to deflect Lloyd's attack, causing him to stumble. While Lloyd gathers his bearings, Kvar takes his hand away from the wound on his shoulder. Sure enough, all that remains there is a red mark. We're definitely underestimating him ... he's just toying with us ... and he's already stabbed Kratos in the side and rendered him useless (no offence to Krat-man), I'm ... still trying to _move_, and Lloyd's definitely taking Kvar's words to heart. Bad.

'I'm _right_,' Kvar hisses with a smirk. 'And judging by your anger, you _know_ I'm right. Stop fooling yourself.'

Lloyd opens his mouth to shout something else, but he stops suddenly. After a small choking sound, he drops both swords to the ground with a clatter and brings both hands to his mouth, coughing violently. I try my best to get to my feet when I realise Kratos is trying to move. If Kratos can't heal himself, I'm going to have to try at least.

Lloyd falls to his knees, blood splashing against the floor and dripping down his gloves as he coughs. This is getting really bad.

'You're an evil person, Lloyd,' Kvar says, pointing his sceptre to the top of Lloyd's head. He doesn't move, blood still dripping down his face. For God's sake Lloyd, don't get sucked into his words. You're stronger than that, I know you are.

Forcing myself to ignore him for a moment, I stumble over to Kratos who is trying to get to his feet, hand still pressed to his wound. Everyone in this room is an idiot, I swear.

'Oi. Move,' I say pointing to his hand. He ignores me, gripping the bloodied cloth of his shirt tighter as he tries to take a step forward. His legs buckle, and he falls to his knees. I frown at his stubbornness, glancing back over to Lloyd who hasn't moved an inch.

'Let me heal y-'

'An apple gel would have more effect than your healing abilities,' Kratos says quietly. 'Unless you have one to lend, I suggest you aid Lloyd before he is _killed_.'

I just shove a hand into my satchel, dropping three apple gels and an orange gel to the group before him. Luckily, they don't shatter and just clink noisily. He reaches for one, and I make a step towards Lloyd.

Yes, I do hesitate. Yes, I am still scared. Yes, Lloyd sitting there covered in blood with a weapon pointing at his head isn't going to make this easier.

'M'not ... evil ...' Lloyd says finally, a noticeable shake in his voice as he begins to slowly get to his feet. The sceptre follows him up, and he wipes blood away from his mouth, clutching his stomach as he stands. 'You slaughter humans ... you harvest them to make your stupid Exspheres ... and you call me EVIL ... !?'

'We may make sacrifices for our cause ...' Kvar says, flicking his grip on his sceptre, moving the head under Lloyd's chin and tipping his face up. 'But so do you.'

'That's a li-'

'How many of my Desians have you slaughtered here today?' Kvar questions with a smirk, evil glint alive in his eyes. 'How many lives have you sacrificed for the cause of someone who is already _dead_?'

'I-'

'But wait ... grouping them all together would be rude of me,' Kvar interrupts, lowering his weapons from Lloyd's chin. 'You've killed mothers. Fathers. Brothers. Sisters. Sons and daughters. Are you saying that there isn't the slightest chance that an individual related to the people you mindlessly kill might now be in your situation? Do you believe you alone must suffer the pain of a person whose family was 'sacrificed for a cause'?'

Kvar reaches out, grabs Lloyd's collar, and drags him closer. Lloyd doesn't move, and Kvar continues.

'Go to their families. Their parents. Their children. Tell them you killed their loved ones for your own dead mother, and your own mindless revenge. Because however much you want to deny it, know this-'

He leans in and whispers.

'We're _exactly _the same.'

My heart falls too when Lloyd drops his swords to the ground with a clatter, unmoving, voiceless.

Okay, screw this. Screw all of this. I don't care if Kvar attacks me or shoots me out another window – this is partly my fault, and screw how much I'm shaking, screw how much I want to cry, I'm sorting this out, and I'm doing it now.

'Lloyd!' I shout, straightening up, still clutching my wounded arm. 'You better be listening to me, because I'm not saying this again! _LLOYD!'_

He flinches.

'If you actually think what this bastard's saying is true, then I swear to god I'm going to punch you again, and I'm not gonna stop until I knock some sense into your goddamn head! So you tell me, when was the last time you laughed at people suffering? When was the last time you killed people not just for revenge, but to make yourself stronger!? Because that's what Desians_ do_, Lloyd! Not you!'

Kvar glares at me, still gripping Lloyd's collar. I continue before he can say anything to throw me off course.

'Yes, you do kill Desians, and do you know why!? Because if you didn't they'd kill more people! They'd turn more people into monsters, and they'd hurt Colette, and Genis, and Raine, and Kratos! You're doing it to _protect_ your friends, because if you didn't, no one else would!'

I pause when Lloyd tilts his head a little, staring at my feet. He can't look into my face, and I don't blame him – I don't care if he hates me, he needs to hear this.

'Yes, they _did_ kill your mother, and revenge is one of your intentions. But it isn't a bad thing, because you're stopping more people being turned into monsters and Exspheres! You're stopping more tragedies like Iselia, Luin, and Triet! You're saving thousands and thousands of innocent lives!'

I blink back something in my eye, gritting my teeth. 'And while all of this is happening, your mother is sitting on your hand in that stone, and she's watching everything you're doing, all the people you're protecting. And I swear on my life, she would be so goddamn proud of you Lloyd.'

I clench my fists. 'Because I know I am.'

Now I don't know if he heard any of that, but I'm worn out. Physically, emotionally – I'm done, I'm gone. I can't do or say anymore. I know my little speech just totally contradicted the one I said hours ago, but at least I know I'm in a right state of mind for this one. Last time I was just so angry at Lloyd for not being himself ... and now I'm angry because I know it's Kvar who's twisting his thoughts out of shape and not making him the Lloyd his friends know and love.

Finally, the gem on Lloyd's hand begins to glow. It's barely noticeable unless you look really, really hard, but it's getting stronger and brighter. Kvar doesn't seem to notice, and drops Lloyd's collar from his hold. Notice how he's looking quite pissed off, weapon in hand, and is making his slow way over to me with some kind of murderous twitch in his eye. Uh huh.

'Foolish words,' he hisses, grin suddenly coming back. Uh oh, I think he's really, really pissed or insane. I steal a glance behind and see that Lloyd's Exsphere is still shining – there's something rubbing me the wrong way about it this time, but ... the shine is a good thing. I just hope Anna is pouring her soul into whatever is about to happen.

'Regardless, your little speech was in vain if your plans were to save Lloyd,' Kvar says, that ... glint in his eye which just makes me thing bad thoughts. I hear something shift behind me and see Kratos is on his feet, one hand still hovering near the wound in his side. That was a dirty trick Kvar pulled, stabbing him in the side, but he's okay now ... we're okay ...

'And your speech was useless if you were planning to bring him down to your level,' I say, knees shaking. 'He's a good person. He's stronger than you'll ever be.'

'True, he is strong. He takes after his father,' Kvar agrees with a smirk, watching the colour drain from Kratos' face. Lloyd is far too busy on the other side of the room, on his knees and holding the back of his hand. 'But that doesn't matter. Without my Exsphere, he is still just a defenceless child with a sword to swing around.'

'You'll never have it,' Kratos spits, drawing his sword once more. 'I'll make sure of it.'

'Oh, don't fret,' Kvar says, leering. 'I'm not taking the Exsphere from him. He'll make it stronger for me, and then I shall take it back, improved. The perfect gift for our lord.'

I pause. What the hell is he talking about?

'Don't you notice anything _familiar_ about this, Kratos?' Kvar asks, arms folded over his chest. 'Take a good look at the boy.'

Both of us do as told, looking over to Lloyd. I can see he's been coughing up more blood, clutching his own arms and hanging on for dear life. The rip in his glove shows the Exsphere gleaming brightly, and I see just what's been nagging at the back of my mind. It's not a surprise I didn't notice it before, because ... well, I'm not used to this. Kratos is. Oh hell, he is.

I watch Kratos almost drop his sword, eyes widening as he stares at his son, shivering and clinging to himself. Kvar holds up a small golden mount, holding it tightly between his gloved fingers, smirk still in place on his face.

'This battle was over long ago. You just failed to notice.'

Lloyd's key crest.

The bastard removed Lloyd's key crest.

Lloyd's turning into a monster.

... Oh _god_.

I watch in horror as Lloyd lurches forwards on his knees, coughing up more blood onto the floor. Kratos doesn't seem to be able to _move_. I can barely move myself. Oh god, we have to do something – Kratos has to move, he has to fix this, he has to get Lloyd's crest back and put it back _now_, or Lloyd will die and he'll turn into a monster and Kratos will have to kill him and oh god I can't _move_.

Lloyd collapses against the side of the computer, panting, sweating, coughing. His eyes look dangerously glazed, and he's getting paler and paler. The flesh on his hand around the gem is tearing and bleeding, and what look like roots are pushing their way up from under the skin of his hand, all attached to the Exsphere. If we leave this any longer, there's no going back. We can't change him back.

Lloyd suddenly grabs his hand, coils into himself tightly, and _screams_.

That gets Kratos up and running.

First things first; he faces Kvar to get the key crest back. Now, surely Kratos can do this easily. He's backed up by four-thousand years of sword mastery and almost every physical art of fighting. I know he has needles and smoke bombs and quite possibly poison bombs hidden around his clothing, so it wouldn't be hard to use distraction to reclaim it either. Knowing Kratos, he would fight him normally and not waste time fiddling around with stupid sub-par weapons he has around. Kratos is a master with the blade, and he's way above Kvar when it comes to fighting. He's been holding back to protect his secret, but I have a feeling he's about to go all out for Lloyd's sake. And being right next to him, I know all of this, right?

Well, screw all that – Kratos punches Kvar square in the nose, swipes the crest and _runs_.

I watch wide-eyed as Kvar grabs his ... probably now-broken nose, sinking to one knee with a yell. I'm not sure if I should like ... finish him off or just watch and make sure Lloyd doesn't turn into a monster, but ... oh man, killing him is Kratos' job, isn't it? Lloyd just wants to see him dead ... Kratos wants to kill him for murdering his wife and ripping his life apart ... what reason do I have? He sucker punched me out of his window? Argh ...

Kvar seems to be quite, uh, busy, so I glance over to Lloyd and Kratos, clutching my guns tightly. Lloyd is choking and sobbing in pain, and the broken skin around is Exsphere has ... ugh, it's started turning black ...

No time for that, Kvar is on his feet and looking extremely livid right now. Must ... hold him down ... somehow ... ugh, I'm bad at this.

He glares at me, and I use Fire Shot over and over before he can actually raise his weapon and cast another spell. It doesn't do much, but after the fourth time, I hear a small ... chime sound in my head.

"_New tech,"_ Charis says. "_Comet Blast."_

'Hardcore,' I mutter to myself, trying to focus on using this tech for the first time. Just like casting Fire Shot, but I've gotta add a hell lot more mana. Urgh, I don't think I have any left. Let's try anyway.

I step back and aim, wondering what's going to happen exactly. Okay, here goes. 'Comet Blast!'

A flaming red rock the size of my fist materializes from the mana streaming from my gun, smashing right into Kvar's shoulder. The bang is tremendous, and the sound startles him before the actual attack sends him reeling back. Oh wow, that was so kickass. I can shoot comets now. _Cool_.

Now Kvar's, uh, on the floor, I take a look at how Lloyd and Kratos are doing. Lloyd ... looks like he's either unconscious or extreeeemely drugged, but the key crest is now fixed firmly to his bloodied Exsphere. The Exsphere is still shining dimly, but I think it's all okay now ... the black flesh surrounding it is starting to turn back to normal.

Of course, that's not really what is catching my attention the most.

It's ... raining _feathers_ in here.

Seriously. A white, blue-tinted feather just glides past my line of vision from above, and I look up. They're just fading in out of nowhere ... loads of them. Kvar's gathered his bearings, and is just looking around in a confused, angry rage. I would be too, but I'm far too puzzled right now. I'd usually be bothered that Kvar is like, eight feet away from me and could very easily just ... stab me in the eye, or something, but he's too preoccupied.

I look back over to Lloyd, leaning against the computer and still unmoving. Kratos is ... gone. Wait, what?

First things, first, I carefully sneak around the bewildered cardinal and make my way through the hundreds of feathers slowly raining down, going straight for Lloyd. When I successfully reach him (yay me), I take a good look at his hand and sigh in relief now that his skin has returned to its normal colour, despite how it's still bleeding quite a lot. Okay, let's ... use First Aid, or something.

I try to ignore how hot the Exsphere is against my palm and press my hand to Lloyd's, casting a quick First Aid. I still suck at magic, but it's managed to heal all those little cuts. That's one problem down; now let's try to wake him up.

'Yo,' I say, poking him. He doesn't move. Ah well.

'Kra ... tos ...'

Oh wait, it did work!

'Lloyd, you okay?'

He blinks softly. 'Head hurts ...'

'I'd cast First Aid, but that'd only make it hurt more.'

'Oh ... wh ...'

He straightens up a little, flinching in pain. 'Where's Kratos ...? Why are there feathers everywhere ...? Is ... is Colette here?'

Fine, let's answer those questions backwards. 'Colette's not here, I dunno why there are feathers, and I ... dunno where Kratos is either.'

'Kvar ... is he-?'

'Kvar's is being confused right now – let's just leave him to it.'

'... Is Kratos okay ...?'

'Lloyd, I don't know.'

'Okay ...'

'Stop saying okay.'

'Oka ... alright ...'

'Good lad,' I say, straightening up. 'Lloyd, I know we hate eachother, but I really did mean what I said back there.'

'Okay ...'

Urgh. He's like a broken record. Besides, this is hardly the time to try and make him see sense. Right now we have to work out where Kratos is, why it's raining feathers (and if it's Kratos' doing or Yggdrasill's), and if we need to do anything. Maybe Kratos has been called back to Cruxis and this is his way of saying "I'm actually an angel, m'kay bye"? Doubtfully, but still ...

'Harrison.'

Ho shit, that scared me. Still can't see him. 'Kratos?'

'Take Lloyd and move closer to the window.'

I open my mouth to answer, but notice Kvar not too far away who might just overhear us. I notice he's stopped looking around and is saying something into a kind of ... microphone on his collar. From what I can hear, he's telling Desians all around the ranch to lock every door and be on the lookout for Kratos. Full alert on Exsphere storage, secure the main gate in the courtyard, make sure no one gets out, blah blah blah.

'Okie-dokie,' I say, grabbing Lloyd's arm and tugging it around my shoulders. 'C'mon, we gotta move.'

'Wh-'

'I don't know why, but make an effort here.'

Lloyd slowly pushes himself to his feet with help from the computer desk behind him, wobbling a little when he's slightly upright. I wind an arm around his back to steady him, securing his own arm around my shoulders. This would so be easier if he wasn't taller than me. Only by a couple of inches, but it's still difficult.

'To the window area ...' I say under my breath, taking another glance at Kvar.

'Where's Kr-'

'Lloyd. I don't know. Stop asking.'

'Wh ... what happened to me ...?'

I bite my lip, glancing back at Kvar still giving orders into his little microphone. 'Kvar removed your key crest and you almost turned into a monster. Kratos saved you, and you're fine. Hopefully you'll stop vomiting blood now.'

'I – wha –'

'Lloyd, stop asking questions and just try to relax, okay? I dunno why, but I think this battle's almost over ... and you're in no state to move around and attack, so just try and get your energy back.'

'... Charlotte?'

'Yeah?'

'... Thanks.'

I bite the side of my tongue. 'Don't mention it ...'

When we're finally near enough the window, I stop near Kvar's desk and slowly lower Lloyd to the floor so he can rest against it. He leans back against its side, trying to even out his breathing. Alright, I've done what Kratos asked; is he gonna show up now?

... M'kay, he's not here, but now the overhead lights are dimming. What the hell is going on?

Okay, let's just take a good look at our situation. Kratos has disappeared. It's raining feathers, which is probably Kratos' doing even though we're not supposed to know he's an angel. Kvar's confused and is dishing out orders to his Desians around the ranch, seemingly forgetting about both me and Lloyd. The two of us are on the other side of the room via command from Kratos. Lloyd's now completely out of it, and I'm ... the only okay one here right now. The room is now dark, the feathers that are _still_ raining have a nice glow going on, and there is some BIG ASS circular white rune on the floor. Now there's no light in the room, it's becoming clearer and clearer with each second. It easily fills the whole of the floor, and there are thousands and thousands of patterns within it.

And Kvar is right in the middle.

What happens next jolts my heart up into my throat.

A blinding blue shine from the other side of the room finally illuminates the man who's been missing for the past few minutes, and as expected, his wings are out. I'd honestly do my best to look away in fear of any more threatening interrogations in the near future, but ... I can't. As a girl, it's in my nature to like pretty things, and ... oh my god, I want some wings right now.

They're massive. Nothing like in the game. There's more detail, there are small transparent feathers dropping before disappearing into the air, and ... and ... oh geez, I just hope Lloyd isn't seeing this. It'll make everything so much more complicated.

I glance over my shoulder quickly before turning back to Kratos. Lloyd's completely out. Thank god.

After a few seconds of staring at Kvar and wondering what the hell he's doing, I realise he can't move. He's frozen in place, probably thanks to the raining feathers or some side effect to the rune on the floor, still glowing. Kratos is mumbling under his breath, and I finally realise what's going on. I feel such an idiot that it took me long enough, but ...

Kvar's strong. Really strong. He's the leader of the Angelus project, so he probably owns one of the strongest Exspheres ever made next to a completed project. He's almost killed all three of us, almost turned Lloyd into a monster, survived and _healed_ a stab right through the shoulder ... and it's obvious this battle wasn't going to be easy from the start, but now it's just out of hand. Kratos has almost seen Lloyd follow the same fate as Anna, and ... I guess at this moment in time, the secrets don't matter anymore. Nothing does – everything but Lloyd's safety.

And that's why he's doing all of this. Just for Lloyd.

'_Judgement!_'

* * *

"_Self-Destruct Power Levels ... Maximum."_

_"Station Amount ... 17."_

_"Station Specification ... All."_

_"Time Limit ... 10__ minutes."_

_"Alarm ... Off."_

I stay silent, typing in command after command as fast as my fingers can go. I have sixty seconds before we're locked in this room and gassed, and that just took about ... ten. Not bad, but I've still got to find security details and enter those to prove I'm not a rebel program.

Kratos and Lloyd have been silent through this, or I just can't hear them – we're on opposite sides of the room. Kratos hasn't said a word to me since ... all that stuff happened, and he's been healing up Lloyd pretty good. Lloyd is now conscious and can finally stand and walk without any help. Kratos filled him in with detail about what happened to make him blood-puke and faint everywhere, and hasn't said anything at all about the whole Judgement thing, which I'm pretending I missed.

Oh yeah, and Kvar's dead. Dead as a doorknob in the centre of the room. He's just lying on his front, sceptre in hand as he bleeds everywhere. Not nice to look at, so I'm focusing y'know ... blowing this place up. I don't think the rest of the ranch knows about their leader's death, so that'll make things easier.

Kratos is all healed up and good too, and he threw me a quick First Aid to get me back on my feet. I'm actually feeling okay, despite the sickly feeling in my stomach. I learned a new tech, though Lloyd still hates me I still managed to say something that got into his head and made him not all ... self-hating, and Kvar's gone. I'm not sure about how I feel about that last one though – it's good, because it's taking a lot off Kratos and Lloyd's shoulders, and it's a sign that one more of our problems is gone ... but it's just making me realise how close we are to the Tower of Salvation ...

I shake my head, trying to ignore that all. Forty seconds left, I have all the information I need ... let's just focus on getting it into the computer so we don't get gassed.

While I type, I pick up titbits of conversation from the other two.

"_Computer Serial-Code ... 9274-8729-7891-8312-1312-3847."_

'How are we going to get out of here? I mean ... security's really tight, and this place must be swarming with Desians by now.'

"_Identification Code ... Kvar-4356-2245-3456."_

'We may have to use the window.'

"_Ranch Code ... Asgard-Luin-5431."_

The window!? We're gonna jump it?!'

"_Password ...-6923."_

'The walls surrounding the courtyard pass underneath this window by a few feet. We drop to the walls and make our way to the gate where we'll jump from there. Once the self-destruct sequence is complete, the gates will be locked.'

I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end suddenly ... I don't know why. I shake off the feeling and continue typing in information.

Everything's turned back to normal around here now the battle's finished. While Kratos was healing Lloyd up, I turned all the computers back on and switched on the overhead lights once again so I can see what I'm doing. In doing so, I was rather sickened to see Kvar's bleeding corpse in the centre of the room, but I'd rather see it dead than alive I suppose. Kratos was already at Lloyd's side when the lights came on, which shocked me a little. Well, it'd make you jump. Shut up.

I still haven't said anything to Kratos yet, but I saw Judgement happen. I didn't see Kvar actually ... y'know, because I think I was blinded by the light. Just ... pillars and pillars of burning light crashing down to the floor, shockwaves of runes spilling out wherever they hit ... and if he does that at the Tower of Salvation, we're all dead for sure. I don't think he will though ... I'm not sure – he didn't use Judgement in the game, but this _isn't_ the game, so I can't depend on that fact.

I still have to sort out something for the Tower of Salvation. One of my opportunities is waiting there for me, I just know it ...

'How can we be sure there aren't any prisoners still here?' Lloyd asks. 'Some might have been forgotten.'

'I believe there have been numerous checks and announcements that all the prisoners in the ranch are missing. Even so, there's nothing we can do now. I believe they are all with the others.'

'Yeah ... I just hope you're right. Do you think they've reached Luin by now?'

'If they've made the right choice and stopped for rest only for a few hours, they should have reached the city by now. If not, they'll be waiting there for us once we arrive.'

'Genis must be worried sick ... he always gets like this when something big happens.'

'I would have assumed the Chosen would be worrying over our wellbeing far more.'

'Nah ... Colette worries a lot, but in really dire situations she just puts all her faith in believing in us. The Professor's a mix of both ... worrying and believing in us ...'

'You have good friends behind you.'

'Yeah ... I do.'

I wipe something away from my eye and take a shuddering breath, typing in more information. Twenty seconds ... gotta work fast. I feel a small shiver up my spine, but something is telling me it isn't because of the time limit.

'How long will it take to get back?'

'... We should travel for a few hours to get away from the ranch and stop for rest. We've been working non-stop since we left the House of Salvation. If we start moving again in the morning, we should reach Luin before sunset.'

'Good ... I didn't really want to keep them waiting so long. They might have come back for us.'

'You told them not to. If anything, they will stick by that, however worried they may become.'

'If I know Genis, he's probably kicking and screaming to come get us ...'

'Hn ...'

'Are we ... are we gonna be okay? I don't want us to get back looking like disasters ...'

'The wounds I could not cure will probably heal within a few days. We may return with injuries, and your hand will be bruised for a while.'

'I'll just keep my glove on ... I gotta try and fix the rip, too ...'

'I'm sure they will be happy to see us all back in one piece. Don't worry yourself over nothing.'

'You're right, you're right. Sorry.'

Ten seconds. Aaaand ... done.

A small high-pitched beep indicates it's complete, and a blue window pops up on the screen reading "_Self-__Destruction__ Process Complete. Initiate? Y/N_In all honesty, I think I need a minute to take a breather. My heart is hammering against my ribcage, and I'm in shock that I actually pulled it off. Sure it wasn't too hard, but I had one whole minute and everyone's lives in my hands. Talk about pressure. Plus, we couldn't have high-tailed it out of the window – there are steel shutters that would have shut once I screwed up, and I'm honestly not too sure if they'll come down once I click yes. I hope not, or we'll have to find another way out.

Okay, I'm just gonna ... go over this quickly in my head, because I'm _this_ close to fainting. I set this up ... we have ten minutes to get out. We're jumping out of the window (the hell?) down to the walls surrounding the ranch, we're gonna walk around to the gate, and then we're gonna jump off. I may just snap both ankles and kneecaps if I jump, but I'd rather that than get blown up. But I would like to continue walking in later life – I like my kneecaps. They give me hope.

'I'm done!' I call over my shoulder. 'Are we ready to go?'

'How long have you set it for?' Lloyd asks.

'I changed it to fifteen minutes.'

'That should be more than enough,' Kratos says, looking out of the window. 'Alright, let's go.'

I take a deep breath, turning back to the computer and choosing the option I'm supposed to. Without so much as a goodbye, the computer just shuts down, and a red light flashes throughout the room silently for five seconds. Alright, quarter of an hour. It'll take about two minutes to get out, so no worries there. Hell, we could stop and see if Kvar has tea stored anywhere here and nab it. I'd kill for a cuppa after all of this.

I nod to myself after checking everything, try to shake off that horrible feeling that's been on me for a while, and walk over to the others. I'd run, but we're not bad on time and my legs kinda hurt from that battle. I've been thrown around a lot and ... yeah, despite the First Aids, there's still a dull pain throbbing through my body. It'll go in a while though, so no problems there.

I can't help but glance at Kvar's corpse as I near it, clenching my fists as another shiver forces its way through my body. I didn't do much this battle, but I'm still remembering everything he said about killing. We're not just slaughtering nameless Desians, we're killing people's family. There are some half-elven children who are left outside of human-ranches in shame, and they have to grow up in these places ... but still ... it's a life – it's a person. Despite how Kvar was an evil man, he made some kind of sick sense ... I just hope what I said to Lloyd makes more sense than he did. If not ... I tried. I tried hard.

I hold my breath when I pass his body, biting my lip. As soon as I make it a few steps away, something happens. Another shiver thunders down my spine, and I can't help but pause. I don't want to look back, but something in my head is telling me I have to. Some sense of instinct I never listen to is telling me to run and run _fast_, but I don't listen to it. It's like my legs are frozen in place.

I wish I'd listened to it when I see Lloyd's face go completely pale, and his eyes widen, staring past my shoulder.

'CHARLO-'

Before he can finish, I feel a deep, cold pain in my side. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened, but I'm not accustomed to this kind of pain, and have to shakily glance past my shoulder and hold in the scream of agony.

Kvar's on his feet, outfit stained red with blood. That's not all – it's dripping from almost every inch of his face, and that murderous glare is there, ten times worse. The knife he's been hiding since he used it on Kratos is planted deep in my side to the hilt, and I can already feel warm, wet blood pooling to the cut.

Believe it or not, all I can manage is a rather strained 'oh ...'

With a dry laugh, he yanks it out of my side. This kind of wound is all kinds of aching – it stings, it's throbbing, and I can't help but fall to my knees and grab it tightly, applying as much pressure as I can without shrieking in pain. I do manage a choked sob, and realise tears are pooling at the corners of my eyes. Hey, for a stab wound, I think I'm handling this quite well. My fingers are wet with blood and sure, that's scaring the heck out of me, but I'm doing pretty good.

Lloyd isn't though. He's rather pissed off.

'You BASTARD!'

Aww, I'm getting some love. Kinda. Well, not really, he's only angry that Kvar hasn't quite kicked the bucket yet. Urgh, shut up, I can pretend.

Lloyd doesn't draw his sword, but his Exsphere is glowing pretty damn brightly again. I'd suppose this is Anna's doing, because among the rage, there's an essence of confusion in Lloyd's expression. Hell amongst the pain and 'oh shit I'm gonna die', there's confusion in mine, because the glow isn't doing what it usually does.

Kvar looks like he's used all up the energy he could muster in stabbing me, so I don't have to worry about him. What _is_ worrying me is how Kratos' sword is beginning to glow a soft bluish colour, and Lloyd's Exsphere seems to be reacting to it. Both glows seem to be pulsating in rhythm, each growing stronger. I should really be focusing on my wound right now, but I hardly have the strength to heal a cut as deep as this. Kvar's knife is quite small, so it's shouldn't be too bad ...

Lloyd jumps with a yell at an explosion of light from his Exsphere, and the shine seems to finally have intensified to a limit. Ribbons of white mana are streaming out, and they're heading right for Kratos' sword and coiling around it as energy. Yep, this is definitely Anna's doing. Kratos has already started at a run towards the cardinal almost dead on his feet, the light from a shocked Lloyd's Exsphere following him. It's steaming around uncontrollably, and a bolt almost hits me. I'd move out of the way, but the only movement I can make would probably be collapsing.

I flinch from the crackling energy as Kratos nears, drawing his burning white sword back, and lunging right for Kvar's heart.

I can't look away. No matter how much I want to, I can't.

I do however almost heave at the crunch of bone, the splash of blood against the floor, and the white mana still sparking on the steel blade now plunged deep through Kvar's chest. Kratos hold it to the hilt, shaking as he does.

I hold my breath. Lloyd's eyes widen. Everything is painfully silent, save for the soft fizz of live mana.

It's broken after almost a whole minute by Kvar, laughing one final time as he raises a quivering hand to the hilt of Kratos' sword.

'I was ... so close,' he coughs, dark red and black blood streaming down his chin and dripping onto his chest. 'Even in death ... that inferior being is still ... getting in my way ...'

Still shaking in rage, Kratos twists the blade within Kvar's chest. He doesn't have the energy to scream anymore. Speaking of energy, mine is absolutely spent and draining. Before I can even think of easing myself onto my side, I simply collapse to the floor. Everything is blurring dangerously, and I think my vision goes white for a few moments.

Ever so slowly, Kratos begins to pull his blood drenched blade from Kvar's heaving chest.

'Feel the pain ...'

I flinch once more, fingers tightening into fists when Kratos slices his sword through the air, cutting a deep welt into Kvar's front over the deep stab wound. Lloyd sinks to his knees some meters away, watching in shock with his Exsphere still glowing and slowly channelling energy to Kratos.

Now with his new wound, Kvar reels back, choking up black blood onto the floor and clawing at the wound as if he thinks he can somehow save himself. Kratos won't let that happen though. Not on his life.

'- of those inferior beings –'

A final surge of energy bursts forth from Lloyd's Exsphere, coating Kratos' blade in tangible power. I know its coming. Kvar knows it's coming. Lloyd knows it's coming. And none of us want to see it, yet none of us can look away.

Teeth grit, jaw shaking, eyes alive with rage, Kratos draws his sword back, and plunges it once more into the same place. The white mana explodes on contact, and Kvar finally lets out his final strangled yell.

My breathing has gotten horribly uneven, and blood is pooling around near my stomach a little. I'm still holding it to avoid any major damage, but my vision is darkening, and I can barely see anymore. Lloyd is on his feet and rushing towards me after realising that Kvar might not be the only one about to die here, but I think otherwise when I recoil at the sound of Kvar's body hitting the floor. I squint to see, despite the instincts telling me not to.

Bleeding from the mouth, the ears, the chest ... already soaking in a pool of his own blood, face slack, black eyes as wide as they'll go. The smell of burning flesh makes me cringe just before almost all senses leave me, and the mana on Kratos' blade has left the wound smoking, flesh charred black beneath his ripped jacket.

Before I'm completely done, Kratos drops his arm to his side, sword swishing through the air and dripping dark blood onto the floor. All this death and gore is making me sick and tired, and finally, after a whole day of killing, torture, pain, guilt, fear, hate, and everything else ...

I'm gone.

'-As you burn in hell.'


	61. Forgiveness

I rewrote this thing a grand total of six times. I'm sure it was six. So seeing as I've pretty much lost all will to write, this will have to suffice. I feel it was the best out of the lot, and the easiest one to write. So if you don't like it, then ... who am I kidding, I obviously care, it'll just make me feel worse DX I hate this chapter, but it was the best out of six or more. Urk.

I'm aware there are a lot of friendship scenes here with Char and Lloyd trying to sort out everything that happened in the ranch, but I'll say this once again: absolutely. No. CharLloyd. Char will have no love. Because that will make her happy and we don't want that D: Okay, we want happy-Char, but we can use other methods. Blegh. I'm saying this because a lot of people keep asking me about it. So yeah. I'm clarifying now :3

Also ... I'm not happy about having to re-do the Water Seal so they can get Undine, so does anyone have any suggestions about that?

On that note, it took waaaay longer than it should have to get this chapter finished, despite the hiatus. If I continue or not probably depends on this chapter, so if everyone hates it, then I'll either have to rewrite it yet again or give up D: It's getting haaaaarder.

Thanks for all your support when I said I was taking a break XD I'm very thankful for that. The reason I told no one to review that note was because if you were logged in, then you'd be unable to review this chapter when it finally came up. Soooo ... yeah D: I'm not sure how that's going to go about now.

I have toothache. Bleugh. I shouldn't be eating minstrels.

Oh yeah. I said before that I was going to keep Lloyd without a love interest (and I am, because it's hard to write with lots of goddamn romance getting in the way), BUT ... his first kiss issue is going to get sorted out by a certain someone soon. I'm not going to say who, but when it happens, I don't want any "OMG THIS STORY IS (the opposite of what I ship)! RAGE D:" because that's happened before DX

Right, once more. This chapter is full of mushy friendship crap. This is just to tie up all the loose ends before they go to either the Seal of Water or Light. I'm not sure which to do first. So yep. Onwards. Please be gentle D: Come on, I need to be convinced that I can do this XD Read&Review please!

* * *

Chapter 61 - Forgiveness

Breathe.

Breathe.

... _Breathe_, woman.

... While I try to breathe, I think I owe some explanations.

Last we were ... about to blow up the ranch, if I recall correctly. As we all know already, that went both as planned, but not as planned at the same time. Sure, the ranch is gone, Kvar is dead (after about three goddamn attempts), the Desians are probably in burning their little souls away in hell with him, the prisoners are free, safe, and reunited with everyone back at Luin. Everything is good and dandy and _just_ how it was supposed to go, despite a couple of ups and downs. Y'know, Lloyd experiencing a breakdown or two, Lloyd almost turning into a monster, Lloyd just ... being an angst-bucket in general, Kratos reacting to Lloyd's bucket of angst and offering a big-healing-hug-of-fatherly-love which then came to me in a not-so-big-healing-hug-of-fatherly-awkwardness.

Oh, and me getting stabbed. Yeah, that was a bit of a bummer.

Obviously I was rather ... y'know, injured and stuff. Lucky for me, Kratos went all ... angel-judgement-shizzle on Kvar's ass before the battle finished, so healing me up wasn't too much of a hassle. Yeah, it still hurts like a bitch, but it's no longer fatal, bleeding, and ... icky. I'm fine now, but after I fell unconscious back at the ranch, I was out for a long while. I only woke up when we were an hour away from Luin. So ... I was either unconscious or asleep or both for ... almost a day? Yeah, that's pretty much screwed over my sleeping pattern.

To make things worse, when I woke up, I realised that the other two weren't prepared to wait around for me to wake up. So instead of letting me just sleep it out comfortably, they resorted to dragging me back to Luin. By dragging I mean getting a piggy-back from a certain Bastard Mercenary, and I shall tell you now, waking up to a face-full of fluffy, cinnamon-scented hair isn't the best of things I could ask for. But hey, it's better than being literally dragged. I think.

Kratos' immediate reaction to me waking up was turning to Lloyd with a "thank god, can I put her down now?" look. That he did, but as soon as my feet touched the floor, I toppled right over.

This resorted in more piggy-backs all the way back. Not good. But, to be fair, I _did_ manage to weasel out of the reunion between Lloyd and the others.

By reunion, I mean Genis running as fast as his little half-elf legs will carry him towards Lloyd, and launching himself into him.

Kratos and me just stood there for like, five minutes while Lloyd was lying flat on his back with Genis straddling his stomach, bashing his little girly fists into Lloyd's chest (not before asking if he was injured at all), screaming and sobbing and calling Lloyd a big fat jerk and a meanie and (wait for it) a bastard. As all things seem to do in this world, it resulted in a hug. Again, by hug, I mean Genis choking Lloyd with his surprisingly strong arms. So yeah, if Lloyd wasn't injured before coming back, he sure is now.

Then it was Colette and Sheena's turn, which is pretty much all of the above minus screaming, sobbing, name calling, and any violence. So technically, they just squeezed in next to Genis and hugged away. See, they were a lot more _sensible_ about it. Good grief, Genis.

So, between them all, they almost killed Lloyd. It was awesome to watch either way.

And Lloyd isn't the only one that got a hug! Nope, Kratos got one, too. See, when Raine came over (and after I'd finally been put down so I could get tackled by a Colette-hug), Raine's sense of ... adult-ness went away, and she raged at Kratos. She raged, raged, raged, hugged him (and me at the same time, because we're not special enough to get separate hugs), raged s'more, and then hugged Lloyd.

All in all, I honestly can't believe how worried they were about us. Lloyd won't be feeling his spine for a week, the Colette-hug winded me, and Kratos is probably off at some church for an exorcism from all the affectionate human contact he's had in the past two days. The horror.

So, um, that's pretty much it. We're all back at Luin, the prisoners are safe and sound, the ranch and the Desians are gone, Neil's sent helpers over from Palmacosta to help rebuild the city ... everything's fine.

I'm still deciding if I'm fine or not.

Since getting stabbed, I haven't really had a chance to just finally sort everything out with Lloyd. I want to apologise properly, and ... well, I'm not gonna say he wants to do the same, but I know he wants to just help settle it all so we can move on. I know it doesn't sound too hard to go up to him and say sorry, but since waking up, I've had to sort my own thoughts out, Lloyd's had to deal with an emotionally battered Genis who now seems eternally latched to his waist ... and let's face it, he's got a lot on his mind, too. Apparently I'm rather skilled at crushing people's self-confidence, so I'm gonna wait this one out.

To be fair to myself, I don't really have a choice but to wait. I'm a little busy myself.

When we got back, Raine explained everything that happened, everything that's happening, and everything that's going to happen. We also relayed back everything that happened back at the ranch, minus the Kratos-angel thing (that I'm sure he still thinks we know nothing about), the Lloyd turning into a monster thing, and the whole Charlotte-being-a-bitch thing. I'm glad Lloyd appreciates that I'm tired right now and that they can rant and rave and hate me later.

Seeing as when we got back to Luin it was almost night, we're cut everything short for today and decided to move onto the important stuff tomorrow. Both Kratos and Lloyd look absolutely shattered, Genis is tired for all the crying and shouting he's been doing, and Raine, Sheena and Colette have been busy all day helping out with the citizens, apparently. Noishe however is perfectly content just ... sitting on Kratos. Seriously, as soon as he saw him back, he just plodded over to him and _THREW_ himself over Kratters. He probably won't be moving for a while.

So, seeing as Luin is still being rebuilt, we're camping in an area just inside the city. It's rather spacious, so it's just like how we normally camp. Only it feels a lot safer with the city just a couple of yards away. Last time I saw them, Lloyd, Genis and Sheena were out cold, Kratos was still up and tending to Noishe's constant whining, Colette and Raine were talking quietly between themselves, and I was excusing myself to stumble over to the forest beside the city every ten minutes.

Now ... I don't know if it's because I worried, because a lot of realisations are dawning upon me, because Kratos might have done something funny to my insides when he healed me, or because I have so many break-dancing butterflies in my stomach ... but since we got back, I've been really, really sick. I'm guessing it's probably the Luin bug that's been mentioned over and over since I've been here, but I can't be entirely sure. Either way, I've been tossing my cookies non-stop. Not the nicest of things to do when you just want to _relax_.

This has been happening for hours.

And now we are ... where I was before starting the summary of what's been happening.

Quite the obvious has happened. I've given up on this whole "wondering back and forth" thing, and with the sole intention of trying to clear my mind and get some fresh air away from the smoky camp fire, I've gone for a stroll through the forest. These places are relatively safe, being so close to a city and all. So I don't really have anything to worry about. There's always the threat of puking a lung up, but that's unlikely. I hope.

So here I am. Slumped against a tree, shaking, panting, clutching my churning stomach, and ignoring the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. I think crying is mandatory when you're _this_ ill, so I'm easily let off there. Still, being alone this long has enabled me to clear my head and sort my thoughts out ... the problem is, I'm not liking what I'm seeing.

Suddenly, my stomach prickles hotly and my eyes widen. I slump over slightly, tightening the grip on my stomach. I don't have the strength to do this anymore. I'm tired.

Breathe.

_Breathe_.

I lurch forward onto my hands and knees and choke, but that's it. Nothing too ... disgusting happens. That's a relief – I think the icky part is over. Either way, I still feel like a sack of crap. I'm shaky, tired, and this whole ordeal and lack of settling things with everyone has just made me depressed. Yeah, I'm having the best time ever.

"_... What's going on up there?"_ I ask tiredly. "_I haven't heard from you guys for a while."_

"_We've been busy,"_ Charis answers, and I'm kinda relieved to hear her voice. I thought she'd disappeared at some point. "_You're so close to the Tower of Salvation, and there are hundreds of things that could happen. We could help you if we knew which out of the thousand or so situations you'd encounter."_

"_Smashing," _I sigh, leaning back against the tree and holding my stomach. "_And just how many out of these thousand or so situations wind up with someone dead?"_

"_... Just under six-hundred,"_ she confesses quietly. "_But those are unlikely. If you do everything right, everyone will be fine."_

"_Who has the highest possibility of dying?"_ I ask.

"_Genis_."

"_No, really."_

There's a pause. "_If you keep thinking you're going to die, then you probably will. If you really, really want to get home ... then there is something you can do at the tower that will let you."_

I straighten up on the tree a little, the arm drawn over my stomach tightening a little. "_I kinda guessed. Is it something linked to the Eternal Sword?"_

"_Yeah. Problem is, you probably won't be able to touch the thing for more than a second."_

I frown. "_Getting close to it isn't enough?"_

"_No. You could probably brush your fingers against the hilt, but Origin will notice that you don't have the pact with Origin after establishing that you're a half-elf."_

"_Pronyma could tell I was a human,"_ I say. "_What about Origin?"_

"_Here, your body is very complex. Listen carefully."_

I sigh, slumping back down against the tree. "_Go for it."_

"_On the outside, you're a human. On the inside, you're designed to be like a half-elf with all the mana and stuff. That was so no one would get suspicious about you being from another dimension, if you belonged to a race restricted to both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. In your core, your very heart and soul, you're a human again."_

"_So my mana design is fooling people like Genis and Raine to think I'm a half-elf?"_

"_Yeah. But people like Pronyma, Yuan and Yggdrasill ... the superior half-elves – they can see through it. They sense past your mana-signature and to your core. You can't trick them, but with Origin and other summon spirits, they tend to focus on the mana. If they see something odd, they'll go straight and examine the core."_

"_Wow, all that happened with Sheena when she was making pacts?_" I ask with a shudder. "_It's freaky."_

"_She'll get used to it, trust me. But, if you were to touch the Eternal Sword, Origin would take one look at your human-ickyness and blast you away. The fact that only half-elves can touch it would make him hesitate if a half-elf tried to use it. When he sees it isn't Mithos, his spirit retaliates."_

I sigh, flexing my fingers slightly and thinking through this information. There has to be a way around it. "_We can't get the Ring of Pact. Even if we did, I wouldn't know what to do with the sword. It has the power to transcend time and space, right?"_

"_Yep. And that's the thing that's getting you home. But only if you want to."_

"_Trust me, I want to."_

Charis snorts. "_I know. I guess I feel the same. I'm sick of living. I just want to be an inanimate object without emotions again."_

"_How lovely."_

"_It is."_

I bite my lip. "_Anyway ... the point is, we need to find a way for me to grab the Eternal Sword for five seconds, open a rip in time or space or whatever, skip through it ... and I'll be home."_

"_That's pretty much it."_

I throw my head back in distress. "_Yeah, how!?"_

"_There are a few possibilities. If Mithos possesses you for any reason, then you could touch it. But you'd be doing stuff against your will, and he wouldn't really do you any favours. Another is the possibility of confusing Origin somehow. Make him stop for a few more moments. But you'd have to make your mana signature even more complicated."_

"_What the crap? Isn't my mana signature already screwed up enough?"_

Charis pauses. "_Well ... we wouldn't have to do anything so your signature. We could just add."_

"_... Add?"_

She groans. "_You have 85 percent of mana as opposed to a normal amount. We could use the extra 15 percent."_

... Okay, this is making no sense. I have, like she said, 85 percent of mana where there should be 100. That means I have 15 percent empty to fill with ... something else. If I want to confuse Origin enough to give me time to use the Eternal Sword, then it has to be something powerful I'm adding to myself. I'm not too concerned what it is and if it will screw me up big-time, because if all goes according to plan, then I'll be home. Without mana. Without any stupid magic, or spirits, or angels ... and everything will be normal. If my body here dies in the process, then wouldn't that be okay?

"_If your body dies here, that's it,"_ Charis says. "_If you die, your soul is gonna rocket out of your body. There's no putting it back after that. Once it's gone, we can't get it back."_

"_If I do it quickly, I might get away with it."_

"_... I take it you realise what you might have to resort to."_

I lean forward slightly, still holding my stomach. "_You said it yourself. Pure mana will screw me up. If I can hold out just a few seconds, then maybe it can alter my mana signature enough to confuse Origin, just enough to give me some time. Even if it might kill me-"_

"_It will kill you."_

"_But I have to try-!"_

"_You don't. There are other methods. Just grab some books when you get to the Tower of Mana and read through them. You'll find something."_

I pout, slumping back against the tree. 'Dammit ... everything just keeps getting harder ...'

For a moment or two, I consider if I should go back and just try to sleep. With all this new information, it's going to be pretty much impossible. I mean ... I'm so close to the Tower of Salvation – to getting home – and all the ideas I have don't seem to work or fit. I can hardly just stride up to Yggdrasill and say "gimmie your Eternal Sword NOW PRETTY PLEASE", because he'll probably stab me in the face with it. And that'd like, hurt.

Of course, there are other methods of getting home. The Tower of Salvation could just very well be the first. But I'd rather take a shot at the first chance I have, because who knows when I'll screw up later on. I'm tired of making mistakes, and let's face it - I'm going to make more. I was never cut out for this, so going home at the first chance would be the best way to go.

Okay. Let's rule out all the ideas we've had about altering my signature and whatnot. What if I could do something to the sword itself? I can't touch it, so what if I could do something to it _without_ touching it? There has to be some way. Argh, if only it were remote controlled.

This isn't getting easier.

... Well, at least I stopped throwing up. I'll be living off water and crumbs for a week now, as I always do when I'm sick. Yay me.

'Charlotte?'

'AWFUCK-!'

I think I literally jump out of my skin when my name is _uttered_, probably showing just how much of a twit I am. I tumble sideways away from the source of the voice and land in a small pile of grass and leaves, still managing to keep an arm drawn over my stomach.

It's hard to see through the dark at this person, but the sound of the voice doesn't leave much room for confusion. My stomach feels like it drops heavily, and my heart shoots up into my throat. Yeah, gravity apparently wants to bugger my insides.

'Lloyd,' I gasp. 'Don't. Do that. Tosspot.'

The glint of moonlight coming through the trees outlines a side of him so he isn't completely engulfed in the dark, and he reaches up to rub the back of his neck gingerly. 'Hehe ...'

'Don't you "hehe" me, seriously, that wasn't goddamn funny ...' I grumble, pulling myself back up. 'Christ, my stomach ...'

My various cussing-fit seems to have stunned Lloyd into silence, and he hesitates before answering. 'You ... feeling any better?'

I roll my eyes, but I'm almost certain he can't see. 'Well, I just finished throwing up the last of my organs, so I'm feeling rather fabulous.'

'Really?'

'No.'

'Oh.'

I shift uncomfortably against the tree, one of the jutting roots digging into the small of my back. Lloyd just continues to stand there, looking off to one side. I can't blame him; if he can see me at all, I doubt I'm easy on the eyes right now. I'm _ill_ – I'm pale, shaky, and probably looking extremely gaunt around the eye and cheekbone area right now. Yeah, I love it when I'm ill.

'Uh ... the Professor ...' Lloyd starts quietly. 'She wants you to come back now.'

I just nod. 'I'll be back later. I just wanna finish off here.'

Lloyd blinks. 'Finish off? What do you mean?'

I shrug. 'Heaving. Crying. Pretty much everything you wanna do when you've come back from a place like Kvar's.'

More silence. Yeah, I shouldn't have said crying, but I'd get more of a hassle if he dragged me back and I broke down in front of everyone. The amount of hugs from Colette would be phenomenal. Given the fact none of them have ever seen me cry beside Kratos (because let's face it, he's the one that _makes_ me cry most of the time), I'd feel uneasy bawling in front of all of them at once.

'... You've been crying?'

I shake my head. 'I can't. Not yet.'

'What ...?'

'I'm too tired,' I laugh. 'I don't have the strength.'

Even more silence. I know, I've never really talked to Lloyd so openly like this, but I just can't be bothered to tip-toe around my feelings right now. It's too much effort to start lying again. Hell, I might as well just tell him I'm from another dimension completely, sent here to act as deadweight to his entire journey until the very end. That'd get so much off my shoulders for a moment or two, but just think how much it'd put on. I could imagine Raine and Kratos springing up screaming "I KNEW IT" or something. Kratos is leaving me alone, but he's still iffy about some of my aspects. I think Raine thinks there's something odd about my ever-altering back-story, and the others just can't clue in if they tried.

I suddenly feel the toe of Lloyd's boot bump against my hip. 'Oi. Budge over.'

I frown a little, but shuffle across slightly. Lloyd sits down on a root at a comfortably distance from myself, thumping back against the tree. Now I can see properly, he looks a little worn out himself. He was asleep when I left, but that was ages ago. Genis probably woke him up by latching onto his waist again. Bless him. It's still shocking how worried he was. Poor soul cried himself silly when we got back.

'So,' I say, now holding my stomach with both hands. Everything is still awkward between us. 'Wassup?'

'Well ... the Professor wants you to come back,' Lloyd says quietly. 'That's ... pretty much it.'

I laugh dryly. 'Awesome.'

Lloyd bites his lip. 'Or we could ... y'know ... talk.'

'... You up for it?' I ask, glancing down to my lap. To be honest, I thought I'd be the one initiating the situation where we could finally put everything to rest. But hey, whatever works.

'I can't sleep,' Lloyd laughs. 'Knowing I'm the reason another person can't sleep. Kinda messes with your head, y'know?'

I shrug. 'I dunno, I'm pretty good at crashing out when I need to.'

'I'm not. Genis was never good at it either.'

'Huh.'

Lloyd shifts on his root. '... I'm bad at this.'

'I gathered.'

I hear a small laugh from my side. 'Kratos is usually so much better at the whole talking thing.'

'Yeah. But Kratos doesn't have anything to do with this, so we're kinda screwed.'

'Not really. He did help me out a little.'

I glance sideways at him, and he drops his hands into his lap.

'He told me everything ... everything that you said when he found you back at the ranch.'

'... Oh,' I manage, shifting against yet another root pressing painfully into my back. Crap, what did I say? I was in such a state back then, I've pretty much forgotten ... I didn't say anything about me being from Earth, did I? I think I mentioned wanting to go home, but that would have just confused Kratos all over ... so he might have left that out. Everything else about my utter self-loathing might have come up though. I swear to god, if he told Lloyd I made fairy wings out of bubble-wrap as a child, I'm going to kick him in the face.

Lloyd folds his arms loosely, leaning back. '... Why do you feel that way?'

I grin, looking over to him. 'Because there's no one in any world I hate more than myself.'

To my surprise, I can see his eyes soften through the dark.

'I hate every little inch of myself. I hate my body. I hate my personality. Every day, I wish I was braver, or smarter, or stronger, or taller, or prettier, or skinnier, or ... y'know. Every day, everything I do reminds me of why I wish I wasn't myself. Every day ... Genis makes me feel like a bad friend, Kratos makes me feel worthless, the Professor makes me feel stupid ... and sure, maybe they don't mean to, but they do. Every day I see how inferior I am.'

I thud my back against the tree. 'And everyday it makes me hate myself more. More than I thought I ever could before this journey started.'

Lloyd falters. I don't expect him to answer right away, because let's face it – who would? Lloyd isn't on board with people hating themselves too much, so what I've just told him might have scrambled his brain a little. Now I just gotta wait for the Idealist-Rant-of-Self-Worth and we're all set to go? Nah, this is just the tip of the ice berg. I'm just not too keen on giving him more reasons why I ha-

_Scratch, scratch._

I look over at the sudden noise, wondering if a monster has decided to creep up on us or something. Instead, I see Lloyd hunched over his own lap with an extremely crumpled piece of paper, scribbling rapidly on it with a small broken pencil. What that crap – does Lloyd carry _everything_ in his magically bottomless satchel? Lordie ...

I realise I can't actually see what he's writing through the dark, as well as his arm being in the way. I decide to just leave it, slumping back down against the tree. He continues to scribble for a while, and I shift uncomfortably against the roots still digging into my back. I'm starting to feel a little nauseous again, but it's nothing I can't hold down. I grip my stomach, letting out a slow hiss of pain. Ow, it burns ...

I try to ignore Lloyd's actions, now with my curiosity getting the better of me. I slip on hand under my shirt and flatten it over my stomach. Seriously – if you're every sick and you have extremely cold hands, do this. It makes it feel better. Well, it does for me. I might just be weird.

Rather suddenly, Lloyd slaps the paper into my lap, returning the pencil to the small bag at his side. I move my hand (urk, feel sick again) and pick it up carefully, squinting through the dark. It's hard to read at night, y'know. I lean forward a little, moving the paper into the moonlight so I can get a little idea of what it says. Damn Lloyd's extremely small handwriting.  
_  
Gets flustered easily  
Annoys Kratos  
Short  
Knows what to say when the time is right  
Freckles_

I just ... blink. Lloyd's made a list. A list of ... something. If I knew what, I'd say so, but I'm just confused right now.

Lloyd rubs his forehead, brushing his fringe out of his face. 'It's kinda lame, but that's five things I've always liked about you. I don't know why.'

I fall silent.

'You may hate yourself,' Lloyd says, running his hand through his hair. 'But a lot of people like you.'

I look back to the list.

'I like you.'

This ...

'I can't hate you. I can try, but I can't. I couldn't.'

I look up, and he drops his hands into his lap again. 'When you said all that stuff to me ... and when Kvar tortured me ... I thought that was what you wanted. I thought you wanted me to hate you. If you really wanted to leave, I knew staying would just be more painful for you, and you'd have more reasons to be miserable. If I hated you ... then you would have left. I was sure you would have left.'

He buries his face in his hands. 'But I couldn't. Because I realised I couldn't hate you. And the reason for that was because I didn't want you to leave.'

He shifts again, folding his arms. 'I wouldn't have stopped you from leaving, but I would have missed all those things about you, even if they were only small, stupid things. I would have missed you and Genis always fighting about breakfast in the morning, I would have missed the look you could get on Kratos' face whenever you annoyed him, I would have missed you trying to hug Colette and Genis every day, or tugging on Kratos' cape, or stealing one of the Professor's books to read when you couldn't sleep. The stupidest things that I really wouldn't notice.'

Finally, he glances over to me. 'You say you were never meant to be on this journey with us. But that's not the point. The point is that you _are_ on this journey with us, and you've helped us out with everything we've done. I'm not going to deny that we wouldn't have been able to do it without you, but because you were there, things were done easier, and ...'

He shrugs. '... They were more fun. So if you left ... that it wouldn't be like you've never been here just because you were never supposed to be on the journey. We'd miss you. Genis would miss annoying you. Colette would miss those weird girly talks you have. The Professor would miss whenever you try to weasel out of doing schoolwork. Heck, Kratos would probably miss disciplining you after you screw up.'

I look to my knees, folding the paper up. I don't know what to say.

'When you said those things to me, they made me realise some things about myself that I didn't want to,' Lloyd mumbles. 'That's it's my fault for Iselia ... that I might have been doing things for the wrong reasons. That I was just thinking of Desians as this one group of evil people – not as individuals. Even though you said what you did out of anger, it made me realise ... that even though the Desians cause so much suffering, they're people too. They're human lives. I have to respect that when I fight them. Some of them don't want to be Desians, and it would be unfair to kill them just because I think they're all the same.'

Finally, Lloyd sighs, slumping back. 'I guess what I'm trying to say is ... that you shouldn't hate yourself. Everyone feels a little self-conscious sometimes, but everything that Kratos told me ... you just shouldn't have to feel like that. A lot of people like you.'

He grins, turning to me again. 'And if you really thought you were born to make people happy, then you should believe that. Saying the only thing you've ever accomplished is making people sad is just going too far. You've made me happy a bunch of times. Like the time you had those new swords made for me at Luin, or the time you made me feel better after we finished the Wind Seal when Genis was all beat up.'

He smiles sheepishly, looking back to his lap. 'And when Kratos told me everything you said ... I just – Charlotte, sometimes you make me so angry I could hurt myself. I don't hate you, and I don't blame you for what you did. I would have flipped out too if someone I made trust me had done something like that. Some of the things you said hurt, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit around and wallow in my own pity – I'm gonna try and fix those things. I'm gonna try and stop seeing things in black and white. There are good and bad people on both sides, and I have to respect that.'

Again, he sighs after a small pause. '... Whoa, I can talk a lot when I need to.'

I open my mouth to say "yes, you can", but my voice box seems to have disappeared. No sound comes out, and I close my mouth again. This is a bad time to be losing my voice seeing as Lloyd just went on some massive rant to make me feel better, but I think it's because he made _sense_ and that I'm _accepting _it ... I can't seem to speak. On some level, I don't want to accept it – I just want to keep believing I'm an annoyance to everyone. But it isn't working this time. Weird, I'm usually good at the whole self-loathing thing.

I take another look at the list. '... Freckles?'

Lloyd snorts. 'Yeah. Not many people I know have 'em, so I thought it was kinda neat. And ... I dunno – you have the good kind of freckles. Y'know, not too much, not too little ...'

I shrug. 'I think it comes with having reddish hair.'

'Yeah ... but Kratos doesn't have freckles.'

I look over at him, raising an eyebrow. 'Seriously, where do you get the time to realise this stuff?'

'I have a _lot_ of spare time on my hands.'

I nod, folding up the list again. I'll have to think about keeping this or not. 'I just find it odd ... how you can say all that stuff and have it mean something when if you think about it, we barely know eachother.'

Lloyd pauses. 'Well ... why don't we start? Tell me something about yourself.'

He folds his arms over his knees, resting his chin at the crook of his wrist. 'Something you've never told anyone else before.'

I pause, thinking. What can I tell him without regretting it later on? I'm from Earth? Nah, that'd be silly.

... Oh, I have one.

'Well, um ...' I mumble, twisting my fingers against eachother. 'Recently, I think I figured out one of the reasons I hate Kratos so much.'

Lloyd straightens up. 'Yeah?'

I make a face, glancing off to one side. 'I never really had a father figure. I had older brothers, but they weren't good examples.'

I look back to my knees. 'When I see him acting so fatherly towards you, and sometimes even acting nice towards Colette and Genis ... I dunno, I just feel really abandoned, even though I didn't have anything to feel abandoned from in the first place. He always hated me.'

Lloyd just nods.

'And it isn't just him. I feel like that when I see all my friend's dads. I mean, they complain about them all the time, but I'd do anything to have a dad. I think it's one of the reasons I'm so self-conscious.'

I pause. 'Wow, I flew completely off topic.'

'Nah, it's okay,' Lloyd says. 'It's good to get things like that out.'

I nod. 'So ... are you gonna tell me something about yourself? Something you've never told anyone else?'

Lloyd falters. 'W-well ... there's ... one thing. But if you laugh, I swea-!'

'I'm not gonna laugh,' I say, waving it off. 'Shoot.'

He frowns a little, averting his gaze to a patch of dark grass in front of him. 'I, um ... I ...'

'Lloyd, I'm not hearing you,' I say, straightening my legs out. 'Louder, please.'

He bites the corner of his lip, one hand tugging awkwardly at his fringe. 'I ... really like, um ...'

I roll my eyes. 'Lloooooooooo-'

'I really like flowers! There, I said it!' Lloyd exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air. 'Dammit!'

... Oh Christ almighty, don't laugh. Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh. Don't. Bad Charlie. No laughing. _BAD_.

'Uh ... wow,' I manage, eyes slightly wide. 'I ... didn't expect that from someone like you.'

Lloyd shifts uncomfortably. 'Yeah, well ... i-it's Dad's fault! He has flowers everywhere! Our house is like a giant shrub, o-or something!'

I grin a little. 'So ... what's your favourite flower?'

'Huh? Oh, uh ... well, I guess I like carnations the most ...'

'Very, very manly of you.'

He shoves me by the shoulder. 'Shut up! You said you wouldn't laugh!'

'I'm not laughing!'

'Well, you're ... making fun of me! Stop it!'

'I like lilies.'

'Wh ... what?'

I wrinkle my nose a little. 'I said I like lilies. White and pink ones. They're really pretty.'

Lloyd frowns. 'Y ... yeah, I guess. But you can't get them around Iselia, really ... I've only seen the mayor with them.'

'Is everyone from Iselia as manly as you?'

He shoves me again, and I collapse in a laughing fit. I know I said I wouldn't laugh, but I keep having these really weird mental images of Lloyd's bedroom looking all flowery and pretty and ... girly. Not that I've ever seen Lloyd's bedroom – I'm just going from what I remember in the game. Oh Lloyd, you're such a woman.

'You said you wouldn't laugh!'

'Oh come on, you can't tell me that and expect me not to laugh!' I exclaim, sitting up. 'Too funny ... well, whatever. You can piss off now, I wanna cry a little and then I'll come back.'

His face changes from angry to concerned in a second. Oh come on, I'm not gonna grab a razor and go slash-happy on my wrists, Lloyd. I'm not like that. But from the look he's giving me, it looks as if he expects me to hurl myself off a cliff. Urgh.

'... Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you cry,' Lloyd mumbles, taking interest in a tree somewhere to the right. I just shrug.

'Well I'm not gonna let you stick around for the show.'

'No, I didn't mean it like that,' he says quickly, looking back to me. 'I mean ... well, Kratos says you cry a lot. But whenever you do, you always run off somewhere so no one can see.'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Well, crying isn't the most graceful thing a person can do. I doubt anyone would want to see me red-eyed and sobbing all "I-hate-my-life-waaaah". Y'know, it puts people off.'

Lloyd smacks a hand to his forehead. 'Not the point, you dork. I'm just sayin' ... if you cry alone, then you'll probably feel worse.'

'Look, I've always been uncomfortable crying around people, and the other way around. I can't stand people crying, so I'll just assume they feel the same why when I start bawling.'

'Not everyone is you.'

'Yeah, but I'm paranoid. You go away now.'

Lloyd sighs in defeat (I hope) and straightens up, running his hands through his hair. 'Well, I can't stop you.'

'No, you can't.'

Aaaaaand he doesn't move. Seriously, he just sits there while I wait for him to get up and skip off back to the campsite so I can sob to myself about how life sucks right now and then skip after him and eventually sleep. I'd kick him in the head, but if I move that much in a sudden moment, then I'll probably throw up again. That's not an option, so I just decide to watch him fidget uncomfortably with his fingers weaved over eachother.

'Lloyd,' I say finally, really feeling that need to cry creeping on. 'Bugger off.'

And he does. He stands. Pauses. And looks down at me.

'Okay ... but I'm just gonna say this and hope you think it though,' he says before stepping over a large root. 'If you ever get tired of crying alone and you feel like you need someone to talk to, then ...'

He makes a face, shaking his head quickly. 'Just come and get me, alright? Forget all that stuff about feeling embarrassed ... heck, I'll even sit and cry _with_ you. I couldn't help or protect you in the ranch, and I let you get hurt. So ... think of this as the only thing I can do for you right now. I have two shoulders, and you're free to sob your heart out over either of 'em.'

I just snort, rubbing the side of my face. 'Yeah ... okay.'

'I'm serious,' he says quietly, joking tone gone. 'You don't even have to say anything. Just give me a tap on the shoulder or drag me away from the group, and ... I promise, I'll follow you in a heartbeat. You're not the first one to make themselves suffer alone, and ... if you do it for too long, it's really gonna screw you up. Promise me you won't let it get that far.'

I lower my head, tears already stinging the corners of my eyes. 'I can't make that promise.'

'... I know. But ... a tap on the shoulder. That's all it takes, and I'll do my best. I owe you that much at least.'

'... Yeah.'

* * *

'... You realise I have no leads other than this one.'

A nod.

'... So it's likely I'm gonna pursue this idea.'

Another nod.

'Meaning any information you're withholding concerning the Eternal Sword should be forked over by now.'

'Not technically. We're here to give out tips and advice. Not blatant information, even if we did know. Even so, it's something you're going to have to research on your own. I still think the idea is far too dangerous, so I would withhold information either way.'

I glare at the two sitting opposite me. 'You guys really know when to be the least useful to me.'

Charis and William just look to eachother before turning back to me. William speaks for the first time in a while, leaning back against his chair.

'If we give out information you have the ability to find elsewhere, then we're gonna do it. We can't hold your hand all the way through this – you have to do some stuff without our help, y'know.'

I link my fingers, leaning back in my usual chair. I dunno if it's because of the small, mature spat we're having right now, but it feels slightly uncomfortable. More so than it should be, but then again, they can control everything within my headspace. I wouldn't be surprised if they'd go to childish lengths to make me give up.

'You've hardly been of any help to me before,' I say with another glare. 'Since being here, I've almost been killed numerous times and almost had several mental and emotional breakdowns. And if you really wanted to help, you'd send me home already.'

'We can't. That's outside of our abilities.'

'Well, duh. So do the next best thing and give me any information I need about the Eternal Sword. You said you don't know the conclusion to my plans yourselves, but if I have all the info available, then I might be able to figure something out in time. And speaking of time, I'm running out of it. Tomorrow, we're getting a ride to the Tower of Mana, and when the soldiers and priests of Luin have completely cleared the place of monsters and stuff ... then we're releasing that seal, and that's it. We're getting a ride to Hima, and that's it. That's the end, and I don't have time. A week, maybe even a few days.'

I lean forward a little in my chair. 'So I'd appreciate anything you have to offer. I'd like to come up with a conclusion before I'm killed by Yggdrasill.'

Charis glances warily to her partner, dropping her gaze to the floor. 'We have nothing you haven't heard before. Now go back to your body and get some sleep. If you're out of it tomorrow, then you'll probably die _before_ you get to Yggdrasill.'

'I'm not _that_ incompetent,' I say, rolling my eyes. 'And come on! You guys know everything! You spy on everyone! Surely someone has uttered something about the Eternal Sword that we don't know!'

'Even so, we can't share _that_ kind of information.'

I finally rocket off my chair, glare gone and probably replaced with a desperate look. Heaven knows I _hate_ being desperate, so let's get this over with fast. 'Look! I'm at the end of my rope here! Can't ... can't you just pull a few strings here and there!? I mean, no one in this world needs help more than me, right!? What's so wrong with lending a hand between friends!?'

'We're not your friends,' Charis says, looking up slowly. 'We're your tools. You squeeze information out of us when you need it. That's all.'

My knees buckle and I collapse back into my chair, slumping down and brushing my fringe out of my face with a shaky hand. 'Okay, fine. We're not friends, if that's the way you want to see it. Even if you were just here so I could get information out of you, shouldn't you live up to that job and tell me everything you know about this?'

'Only when you _need_ it-'

'I _DO_ need it!' I exclaim, eyes widening. I'd jump out of my chair again, but my legs aren't working. 'This could cost me my freakin' life! I need to find out how I can use the Eternal Sword for more than a few seconds, and then I can go home!'

'When we define "need", we mean when you can't possibly get the information from another source. Because this information is so secret, we can't tell you straight out when a few nights of thorough research could tell you more than we can,' William answers evenly. 'Pick up a few books at the Tower of Mana – it'll teach you more than a lecture from us.'

'But then I'll have only the night at _Hima _to figure something out!' I snap, slumping down further in my chair.

'What?'

I furrow my brow. 'I can't research the Eternal Sword with Kratos nearby. He'll get suspicious and take precautions. I don't need any more doubts about me right now – not when I'm so close to my goal.'

'Then you'll just have to cope. Don't you think it'd be a bit more suspicious if you apparently plucked the information out of nowhere?' Charis says, spinning in her chair to face the computer screen behind her.

'That won't matter. If he sees me approach the sword without the knowledge of me researching it at all, then he'll either be back with Cruxis or I'll be back home.'

'And if you screw up and remain here, Yggdrasill won't disregard the fact that you have knowledge of the sword while you're still with Lloyd's group. He'll kill you straight away.'

I roll my eyes. 'So I have three options. Death, do nothing, and death.'

'Personally, I'd do nothing,' William says, nodding. 'Don't throw everything awa-'

'I've spent this whole journey doing nothing!' I exclaim wearily. 'Doing nothing, annoying people, and holding everyone back! I want to do _something_, even if it just benefits myself! Then I wouldn't feel so guilty, and Lloyd wouldn't be on my case for hating myself!'

'If Lloyd has a problem with you hating yourself, then that's his issue.'

I frown. 'Yeah, but doesn't he have enough issues already?'

William turns to Charis. 'She's got a point. The kid _is_ pretty screwed up.'

'What else is new?'

'Look, look, that's not the point,' I say, straightening up. 'The point is ... I know _what_ I'm looking for, but I don't know what direction to go in. The library in the Tower of Mana foyer is huge – there are thousands of books. How do I know if picking up one about the ancient war is going to tell me all I need?'

Charis spins on her chair once more. 'You are _so. Very. Stupid.'_

I open my mouth to protest, but she gets there before me.

'Eternal Sword. _Origin's_ Eternal Sword. Pick up a book or two about summon sprits or ask Sheena about it,' she starts, eyes narrowed in annoyance. 'Don't look at books concerning the ancient war – look at books concerning what happened _after_ the ancient war, when the Eternal Sword was created for Mithos. Look up stuff on _Mithos_. Look up stuff on _Martel_ and his other companions. Look up stuff on Cruxis. Look up stuff on how to stop being such a damn retard and using your head for yourself.'

William's staring at Charis with his jaw in his lap, and I'm pretty much doing the same. I'd answer back, maybe stride over there and punch her face into the computer screen, but before I can, the room starts dissolving around me. Very typical of her to push me back into the conscious world just so she can have the last word and automatically win. I can't really blame her – I can be a stubborn piece of work that deserves a slap sometimes.

Eventually, the whole room along with the entities of my game consoles dissolves into thick black space, and I drift off seconds later into somewhere between consciousness and unawareness. It's a nice place – it's all warm and floaty and fluffy-air-like. Like you're being bounced on a giant marshmallow cloud. Of darkness. I can still see jack, y'know.

... Well, I guess I sorted that out – even if it didn't end up how I wanted it to. I still got my info. Now there's just ... one more thing to do before I fall asleep for good, because that conversation didn't leave me feeling too good about myself or the other two. I think I annoyed them.

I eventually come to, thanks to the crackling of the fire which is ... miraculously still burning bright. It takes a few minutes for me to open my eyes, and after several tries, I'm eventually greeted by a sky full of stars to look at. My vision sharpens out of the horrible blur that always seems to overtake it when I wake up, and I wince as I shift around a little.

When I came back from trying to cry back in the forest, I didn't say much to anyone. Raine asked if I was okay and if I needed any medicine or water, and Colette asked me if I needed anyone to talk to. I declined the offer for medicine and told Colette thanks, but I'd already pretty much spilled my heart out tonight. That sentence went unnoticed by a snoring Lloyd with Genis latched onto his waist like some kind of huggy-parasite. Kratos merely ignored me while trying to gently push away Noishe who's been constantly nuzzling into his stomach. After that, I just fell over on my sleeping bag (which I swear doesn't help when it's just like, a giant brown sack which is _incredibly thin_) and crashed out immediately to talk to Charis and William. I'm still very tired.

Okay. Well, I'm awake. I'm no longer feeling sick, which is good. In comparison, I'm still feeling rather iffy about talking to Lloyd earlier ... I just still feel like there are things up in the air that he doesn't want to bring down because he knows it'll make me feel bad. I wanna apologise, but he's trying to convince me that it isn't my fault. Besides that, he's eventually going to tell the others everything what I said to him, and they're gonna hate me. I wouldn't be surprised if Colette slapped me for calling him a murder and ... well, Genis would probably rip out my organs and feed them to me. I'm gonna research the Eternal Sword, and there's a two out of three chance that it'll kill me in the end. If Kratos finds me looking it up, he's going to get even more suspicious. If nothing works, I need to get hold of some pure mana before we get to the Tower of Salvation. Then I need to practically inject it into myself, grab the sword, rip open space and time, skip through it, and get home all in under five seconds or the mana will kill me.

... And I won't be able to sleep with this all going through my head. I know what I need to do now, even if I don't want to.

I stare up at the sky for a few more moments before sitting up on my elbows, glaring down at my blood-encrusted shirt. I need to find my baggy shirt and shorts for pyjamas, but I don't know where they are. Argh, right – first things first. I look around, spotting everyone besides Sheena awake and huddled on the other side of the fire. Sheena, bless her ninja-self, is sprawled in her own warmer-looking sleeping bag with Corrine curled up at the crook of her neck, both sleeping soundly. She's been helping the people of Luin non-stop while we've been destroying the ranch and such ... she deserves some rest.

The others, like I said, are sitting a few meters away in a circle. Me being me, I immediately think they're planning some weird evil ritual with a giant pentagon and black magic and crazy crap like that. The fact that it looks like they're playing blackjack calms me down a little.

'Stand,' Genis says, glaring at his cards.

'Me too,' Colette sighs, sitting back on her heels. 'I'm not very good at this game. I like snap better.'

Lloyd rolls his eyes. 'Snap is for kids, Colette.'

Genis glares. 'Lloyd, we _are_ ki-'

'Hit!' he declares loudly, drawing a card. 'And this ... and that ... and this is ... um ...'

Raine drops her head as Lloyd counts up the value of his cards.

'Oh! Oh, I won! Ha, take that, Genis!' Lloyd celebrates to himself, ignoring a sleeping Sheena who grumbles and rolls over. Corrine scurries over her shoulder and curls back up to sleep, and I finally sit up properly. 'See, I totally rule at this game!'

'It would indeed help if your cards did not add up to twenty-two,' Kratos says quietly from Lloyd's left, peering over to his hand. 'You're bust.'

'What!? Wait ... l-look, three, two, three, a king, and a four! That's twenty-one, right?'

'That's twenty-two!' Genis announces. 'And Lloyd loses yet another game.'

Lloyd frowns, slapping his cards down to the floor. 'I suck at these stupid card games! Blah! Blah I say!'

'Blah indeed,' Raine sighs. 'Hit, and ... yes, I win once again. Now can we sleep?'

'It's not faaaaaaaair!' Lloyd whines, collapsing into Kratos' lap, who just grunts uncomfortably and drops his cards. 'Professor, you're way too good at card games!'

'Then don't challenge me to them when you're bored, Lloyd,' she yawns, gathering up everyone's cards. 'Alright, it's getting late and we have to leave early tomorrow. Everyone go to bed.'

'Aww, but sis-'

'Bed, Genis.'

Kratos rolls Lloyd off his lap with a first shove, and he lands on the floor with a small _oomph_. 'Yes, in your proper beds.'

'Noishe is sitting on my proper bed,' Lloyd declares. 'Gimmie your cape.'

'No.'

'... Plea-'

'No.'

'But I can use it as a blanke-!'

'No.'

'No?'

'No.'

'... No?'

'No, Lloyd.'

'... So really, no?'

'Lloyd, shut up,' I call over the campfire, getting awkwardly to my feet. Gods, I'm dizzy after just waking up. 'Sleep on Noishe if you're so cold.'

He looks up at the sound of my voice, jumping a little. Well, they do think I've been asleep all this time. Colette makes sure to wave at me when noticing I'm awake, and I wave back.

'Oh hey, we didn't know you were awake,' Lloyd says. 'We tried to wake you up to see if you wanted to play card games with us, but you just rolled over and told me to piss off.'

I nod. 'Yeah, I'll do that if you try to wake me up.'

'Then ... I won't do that in future,' he says, leaning back on Noishe's side.

'Lloyd!' Genis calls over suddenly, holding up the deck of cards. 'My sleeping bag's gone missing too, and we have one spare. I'll play you for it.'

'You're on!' Lloyd answers, getting to his feet. He turns to me quickly. 'Uh, we're heading out early tomorrow, so I'd suggest you just try and go back to sleep. The Professor won't be happy if you fall asleep on the ride there.'

'Yeah, uh ... sure,' I say quietly, nodding. 'That's, um ... Lloyd, can I talk to you for a quick sec? Just before I go back to sleep?'

Lloyd glances from me to Genis. 'Uh ... yeah, no problem, but I just need to go win a sleeping ba-'

I reach over and tap his shoulder. He falls silent.

'... Oh. Uh ...' he mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I see. Uh ... h-hey Genis! You keep that sleeping bag; I'll eventually wrestle Kratos' cape off him.'

Genis looks over suspiciously, but nods and returns the deck of cards to Raine's pack while fishing around for the extra bedding we apparently have. Kratos glares up, and Lloyd just gives him a weak grin before avoiding his piercing stare, turning back to me. 'Uh ...'

I just grab his wrist while he stands there clueless, dragging him away from everyone else before the sting of tears in my eyes gets stronger. I need to get all these negative thoughts about swords and death and dangerous risks out of my head, and Lloyd promised he'd help me with that. I expect him to live up to that promise, seeing as how his promise to protect me back at the ranch was pretty much screwed over within five minutes when he tried to cut my arm off.

Lloyd gently tugs his wrist away from my grip when I fail to realise it had been getting stronger as I try to hold down my emotions. Kratos seems to know what's going on, and stops anyone from asking about it or coming after Lloyd. I'd bet Genis expects me to drag him away and shoot him, but that's for another day. Right now I need help.

We go through the city, and I catch glimpses of people sleeping by their burnt down homes, children and loved ones cradled close as the sleep. I'd admire their strength, but if I did, I'd start crying right in the centre of the city. I don't want that, seeing as there are a lot of people out here.

Eventually we reach the bridge connecting the small islands of Luin to the dark fields spanning for miles and miles. In the distance, I can see the Tower of Mana with its beacon shining dimly. The priests must have finished clearing it of monsters, which means we're free to go there tomorrow afternoon. Or whenever we reach there. Aaaand if I look in the opposite direction, I can see the Tower of Salvation. Something I'd rather not look at, but ... damn that thing is high.

'Hey ...'

I look up at Lloyd's mumble, rubbing my eyes quickly. 'Uh, yeah?'

He snorts. 'You're the one that dragged me out here. I'm the one who should be asking that.'

'Oh ... right,' I say quietly, feeling my voice cracking a little. I think it goes unnoticed by Lloyd. 'Yeah ... that. Well-'

'Look, uh, I'll make this easier for you,' Lloyd says, looking up to the dark sky. 'You said you wanted to talk. So ... you take as long as you need. We can talk about anything. Until you're ready, we could just ... stand. Or walk, or whatev-'

'Walking sounds good,' I say quickly. 'But ... not too far. I don't want to get too far from the city, and Genis and Raine would probably get suspicious.'

'Suspicious?' Lloyd asks as I start ahead around the river bank. After a moment, he jogs to catch up. 'Uh ... what makes you say that?'

I just shrug, watching the clear water ripple softly in the wind. 'I'd assume by now you've told them everything I said to you back at the ranch about ... y'know. I don't wanna repeat myself.'

'... Oh,' Lloyd mumbles, looking down to the grass as we walk. It might just be me, but so far this whole conversation has been primarily made up of 'oh's 'ah's and 'um's. Geez, what the hell is up with me tonight? I'd like to bet it's because, if Lloyd hadn't talked to be earlier, I'd still be sleeping and just letting him and the other hate me. Because I'm too weak to try anything else – just letting them hate me is the easy way out, and eventually they'd ask me to leave. But instead, here I am doing something I never really wanted to do in the first place, trying to make things better. Y'know, it's a little sad.

Either way, no matter what I do, I'm not going to get past the Tower of Salvation. At that point, I'll be strong enough to just let everything go and try to get the Eternal Sword. Either that or the obvious is going to happen. When the time comes, I either go home, or I die. I have ... a few days left, and I'm trying to sort everything out now?

'I didn't tell them.'

I blink, looking up. 'What ...?'

Lloyd just raises his head a little. 'I didn't tell them what happened. And I'm not going to.'

I'd open my mouth to answer, but my voice box is taking a nap right now.

'I figured if I said anything, then they'd just get angry with you and it'd put a lot more stress on your shoulders,' he says with a small laugh, grinning weakly once again. 'C'mon, you don't need that hanging over your head. I forgive you anyway ... so can't you just let it go?'

_im obviously not too safe here with __you __chocolat was right you __are__ a_

I shake my head.

'Well ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'What if ... you forgave me?'

I glare at the floor. 'What?'

'I mean ... I was a jerk back there,' Lloyd says, looking over to me. Don't look up Charlotte _don't look up_. 'After you were tortured ... I just did my best to ignore you because I thought talking with you would just get you angrier and more frustrated. I didn't ...'

He drops his gaze. 'I didn't consider that it was what you needed. I'm sor-'

'Don't,' I snap. 'Don't apologise.'

'Charlotte,' he says firmly, grabbing my wrist to stop me walking. I stumble, turning back to face him. It takes me a few seconds, but I quickly realise we're in that place ... y'know, the place by the big lake space? Lloyd came here after he found out about Samuel, and after we came back from the ranch. Both times Kratos was there to help him out. I swear, there should be a sign here saying "Free TLC Here" or something. I glance warily at the dark lake and back to Luin. We're not too far ... you can still kinda see the city from here. They won't worry too much.

Why yes, I am avoiding the point. Why do you ask?

Right. I'm going to face my problems head-on. Applying directly to the goddamn forehead. Yes, that probably didn't make sense. Whatever.

'... Lloyd, you have nothing to apologise for,' I say, staring at his shoulder. I'm not quite ready for eye-to-eye yet. 'I was the bitch. You didn't call me a murderer. I did, and I was wrong. You're the victim, not me. Stop trying to make me out to be the one who has it bad.'

Lloyd balls his hands into fists. 'You're stupid! Look, just ... take a step outside of your body and just _look_. I'm fine. I don't care. I've been called a murderer before, and yeah, hearing it from you did hurt. But I'm fine. You made up for that when you shouted at me in our _last_ battle with Kvar, and I forgave you. _You're_ the one blaming yourself and hating yourself and expecting everyone to despise you. You're the one crying and making yourself sick, you're the one trying to distance yourself from comfort, and _you're_ the one that needs help!'

He sighs. 'So let me help you already.'

...

... Will someone please tell me why Lloyd is always right?

I just look away from his shoulder, glancing over to the lake. Like the first time Lloyd came here, it's got moonlight bouncing off the surface and everything. I swear I've never seen anything like this in England. It certainly _sounds_ like the kind of thing you'd find in England, but I've lived in the city all my life and to be honest, wildlife is hard to come by. I can hear cicadas and everything.

I've considered over and over what staying here would be like, only to start feeling sick to my stomach. I belong on Earth with my family and friends, not here with the people I'm struggling with. And in a few days, it's all over for me here one way or another. I'm either going to disappear off the face of Sylvarant, or I'm going to die.

I didn't really wonder about how the others would react to me leaving or ... well, dying.

I'm not really close to Raine or Genis ... I don't think it would affect them. Colette would probably be lifeless at the time, but I imagine she'd be sad once she snapped out of it. I wouldn't be surprised if Kratos set off streamers behind Yggdrasill when I'd finally kicked the bucket, and the thought makes me smile a little.

Everyone thinks that with Kratos ... he didn't want to get close to anyone because it'd be so much harder to betray them when the time came. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel that way. I know my life isn't vital to their journey, but still ... would it hurt them to see me disappear or die?

... How can I be so calm about this?

Have I accepted that I might die?

'We only have a few more days,' I say quietly, voice cracking again. 'After Colette becomes an angel, we're going to go our separate ways. We'll probably never see eachother again.'

Lloyd bites his lip in discomfort, and I look up at him.

'... Lloyd, why do you care how I feel?' I ask wearily. 'Why can't you just hate me like you're supposed to?'

'Because you're my friend.'

... Oh screw it; I'm too tired to convince myself that he's lying.

'Okay, I lied,' I say, looking back to the lake. 'I didn't want to talk at all.'

Lloyd blinks. 'Oh ... then, what did you want?'

I drop my hands to my sides after I realise I've been clasping them tightly behind my back. Why is this so hard? It shouldn't be, but its _Lloyd,_ who I called a _murderer_, and I don't have any right to ask this, do I?

'I was just thinking,' I say quietly. 'When Genis got hurt back at the Wind Seal. You were worried about him and I asked if you wanted a hug. You said no.'

Lloyd opens his mouth to defend himself, but I continue.

'Then when Max died and I came back, you asked if I wanted a hug. I said no.'

He nods.

'When we came back from the ranch the first time and Kratos dumped you this lake, I asked you again if you wanted a hug. You said no. When we were in the aqueducts, I offered to make you tofu curry, and you asked if I wanted a hug. I said no.'

I bite my lip. 'When we were hiding in the ranch, I asked if you wanted a hug. You said no.'

Lloyd nods, and I finally fall silent. After that was when all this horrible stuff with Kvar started. Our little playful chain was broken, and though I was aiming to get to Tethe'alla with no hugs, it made me a little sad that Kvar had even taken _that_ away from us, along with a healthy friendship.

'Charlotte ...'

_in a heartbeat you're not the first one to make themselves suffer_

I look up tears already running down my face. 'Yeah?'

_alone if you do it for too long it's really gonna screw you up promise me_

'... Do you want a hug?'

I don't need to be asked twice. I just nod and close the distance, wrapping my arms around his middle. When I feel his arms around my back, I take the time to realise that he's better at this than Kratos, and that Lloyd smells oddly like grass. Not the bad kind – I can't stand the smell of cut grass – but ... the really relaxing kind, like you're just lying back on a field and staring at the sky while watching clouds drift by.

Instead, I'm standing with Lloyd's arms wrapped around me while I sob and apologise over and over into his shoulder for ... I don't know what anymore. I do know that I'd rather this over cloud watching any day.

'Dork ...' Lloyd mumbles, the arm around my shoulders tightening slightly. 'You're such a dork. Why are you apologising?'

I just hold onto him firmly, clutching fistfuls of his shirt while I sob.

'You'll see why in a few days ...'

Lloyd doesn't ask. He just holds me securely.

... Yeah, things aren't going as planned.

* * *

Oh, that last scene. Someone grab me a bucket. Either way, reviews are much appriciated and loved :D


	62. Faulty Towers of Mana

Okay, can't say much here because I have to go get a train in like thirty minutes. Going on holiday for a week, so I'm gonna leave you guys with this loooooong chapter.

It's pretty much just a nice relaxing chapter away from all the previous drama and fighting chapters, so enjoy it while it lasts. More fighting next chapter, and a lot more drama 8D

Alright, this chapter has mentioning of both Colette, Genis, Lloyd and Char's first kisses, but because none of it develops past the two seconds of actual KISSING done years ago in the past tense, none of it is counted as pairings. People who kiss aren't going to run off and have babies, because if they did, I'd bearing the guy-who-I-haven't-talked-to-in-10-years's babies. Some people in the fandom take kisses and hugs between friends way too seriously / Go outside and see how many teenage friends do it with eachother. It's normal.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND I've already decided who's giving Lloyd his first kiss. No suggestions. And I'm not telling. And it'll surprise you 8D I hope. People on deviantart probably already know. And it won't happen until Tethe'alla. And it IS someone who lives in Tethe'alla. And if you think you know, don't ruin it. Blegh.

... OH GOD, TRAIN

HAVE FUN, GO EASY, AND DON'T TAKE THIS CHAPTER TOO SERIOUSLY UNTIL LIKE ... THE LAST FEW SCENES.

GOING ON HOLIDAY NOW.

* * *

Chapter 62 - Faulty Towers ... of Mana

'Argh, the sun is so bright today ... I can't see anything up ahead.'

'Yeah, it's giving me a headache ...'

'Oh ... then why don't you lie down for a bit, Colette?'

'I would ... but it's hard to relax on this cart ... it's so jumpy.'

I try to block out Genis and Colette's conversation, keeping focusing on trying not to replay last night and throw up over the edge of the cart we're currently hitching a ride on. Seriously, I've never been on something so jittery, and I've ridden in the back of a freaking van. This is just some kind of unholy experience I never want to try again. I've complained about it a bunch of times, but the guy up-front threw a cob of sweet-corn at me to shut me up. Screw him, I have his sweet-corn. I'm having this baby for dinner.

Anyway, everyone else is just keeping the complaints low for now. Genis has only complained about the freakishly bright sun today, and Colette's the only other one to complain about the cart's movements. But the guy up-front with the horses isn't going to throw things at the Chosen, because ... well, people seem to think that if they anger Colette, she'll go into a hissy fit and sit in a corner, refusing to save the world until she gets her way. See, that'd only happen if _I_ where the Chosen.

So ... Colette and Genis are just watching the hills and clouds roll by, Raine and Sheena are sitting upfront with the guy steering the cart (Sheena knows him, apparently), Kratos is sitting in one corner with his arms folded and looking all ... Kratos-y as usual, and Lloyd is crashed out on a haystack in the other corner. With Kratos' cape.

I guess I'm partly to blame. After Lloyd, um, hugged me, we just sat and talked for a few hours. Yes, hours. I'd already slept before, so I'm not too tired right now. Lloyd is currently catching up on his sleep, and hell knows how he can do it on a moving cart. But thanks to him, I'm definitely feeling a lot better. Though I'm still worried about the Eternal Sword and all that stuff ... I just guess I'm feeling better about myself. I'll have to do something in return for him. I'll ... make him cookies, or something. Or curry. I don't know. Curry cookies!

I need sleep.

'How long until we reach the Tower of Mana?' Colette asks no one in particular. Kratos glances up ahead for a moment or two before answering.

'An hour, perhaps.'

Colette sighs, moving to sit against the short wall of the cart. Seriously, it's like ... three feet tall. I keep thinking I'm gonna fall off it.

'Don't worry, Colette,' Genis says with a smile. 'We're lucky enough to have the Seal of Light so close to Luin.'

'Yeah ...' she says quietly. 'I'll bet Noishe is already there.'

'Probably ... he can run really fast without another person's weight on him.'

'Wouldn't it be cool if we had a big pack of Noishes?' Colette wonders, staring up at the sky. 'Then we'd get to places so much quicker!'

'I think the one is enough ...' Kratos says, giving her an odd look.

'I want a pink one!' Colette decides. 'But I think Noishe is the only dog I've seen that looks like ... well, Noishe.'

'Yes ... dog ...' Kratos mumbles. 'Though Noishe doesn't really resemble a 'dog'.'

Genis nods. 'I always thought he looked a lot more like a wolf. Or a horse.'

Kratos just smacks a hand to his face.

'He might be something we've never heard of before,' I suggest with a shrug, squeezing my eyes shut when the cart's wheel shudders over a large stone. 'Because he never really looked like a dog to me ... and he's too big to be a wolf, and too, um, weird to be a horse.'

'He sounds like a dog,' Genis says, joining Colette in staring at a random, thoughtful spot in the sky. 'But he doesn't really look like one. Maybe we're the first to see something like Noishe.'

'Maybe he's the only one left of his kind,' Colette mumbles. 'That's so sad ... he must be lonely.'

'Nah, he has Lloyd,' I say, gesturing to the sleeping member of our group still curled up under Kratos' heavy cape. 'They're stupid enough to be the same species.'

'I believe Noishe may in fact be a little smarter,' Kratos says, giving Lloyd a hopeless look. 'In some cases, perhaps.'

Lloyd just mumbles something sleepily, burying himself deeper under the cape.

'Hey, if we're the only ones that know about something like Noishe ...' Colette says, looking to Genis hopefully. 'Does that mean we can make up a name for his species?'

'I think so ...' Genis says with a nod. 'But what could we call him?'

Colette purses her lips thoughtfully. 'Maybe we should leave it up to Lloyd. Noishe is his, after all.'

'But Lloyd will call him something stupid ...'

Colette just agrees silently with a quick glance to their sleeping friend. 'We should ask the Professor.'

Genis shakes his head rapidly, and Colette snaps her mouth shut.

'Maybe I'll just be quiet for a bit ...'

Genis nods. 'Me too. Maybe until we get to the tower at least.'

I just snort, running a hand through my hair as I thump back against the wall with sigh. Ahh, today sucks. It's hot, it's early, and it's boring. No one's really up for a good, fun conversation ... and I'm sure the one we just had about Noishe was rather pulled out of nowhere and ... well, sucky. But hey, we got Kratos to say something. That's a record.

'Llooooooooyd,' Genis whines, throwing some hay at him. 'Wake up, we're _bored_ ...'

'M'asleep ...' Lloyd mumbles through a face full of Kratos' cape. 'Go'way.'

Genis just frowns, shifting closer and throwing more hay. Kratos doesn't look to happy about Genis getting his cape all hay-covered, but meh. 'If you were asleep, then you wouldn't be able to hear me. And you wouldn't answer.'

'Dork,' Lloyd declares, curling tighter into himself.

'Lloooooyd,' Genis groans again, collapsing over him annoyingly. 'We're booooooored ...'

'You're so childish!' Lloyd grumbles, trying to whack away the half-elf laid over his back. 'Go play with Colette!'

'Hey, Genis!' Colette exclaims suddenly with a handful of hay and straw. 'If we put this stuff in Kratos' hair, we could make him look like a scarecrow!'

Kratos immediately kicks his son in the shin. 'Lloyd, wake up and entertain your friends.'

'... You'd make a good scarecrow,' Genis says thoughtfully, tilting his head while giving Kratos a thorough look. 'I mean, all you really do is stand around silently. There's not much difference.'

'_Now_, Lloyd.'

Finally, after very little convincing, Lloyd sits up with a long groan, throwing the cape angrily into Genis' face as he does. Genis just grimaces, handing the cape back to Kratos who takes it quickly before anyone else can claim it. I'm not wondering how I'd look with Kratos' cape on. Totally not. Anyway, Lloyd shifts tiredly against the haystack he was sleeping beside, rubbing his eyes.

'Alright, I'm up. What are we talking about?'

'We were kinda hoping you'd tell us that,' I say, slumping back against the barrier. 'We can't think of anything. Hence, we're bored.'

'... What, Kratos couldn't think of anything interesting?' Lloyd asks rather disbelievingly. I just give him a long stare, gesturing to said man.

'It's ... _Kratos_.'

Lloyd pauses, giving him a quick glance before nodding. 'Good point.'

Kratos ignores him, but I can see his jaw tighten a little. That's it Kratos, keep all your rage inside until we get to the Tower of Mana so you can go batshit crazy on the monsters. Hey wait ... the priests and soldiers cleared out the tower! There won't be any monsters at all! Sure, the only points of the seals are the traps, puzzles and the guardian of the seal, but ... the monsters! Lloyd will get bored out of his skull ...

'Okay, uh ...' Lloyd mumbles, glancing around for a source of conversation. There has to be something besides the hills, the sky, the cart, and the hay to talk about. But none of us can think, so for some reason we're leaving it up to Lloyd? Is this a good idea?

Well, Genis is smart ... so if his instincts lead to Lloyd them I'm gonna stick with it.

Lloyd glances to both me and Colette. 'Soooo ... what's it like to have breasts?'

Genis, you giant wanker.

'It's ... not that great ... Lloyd ...' I say, and I swear to god the muscles in my lower eyelid are twitching. Colette disregards any embarrassment this conversation might have, and innocently looks down to her own non-existent rack.

'Well, I don't know ...' she says. 'I'm kinda flat.'

Lloyd nods at both our opinions, Genis has buried his face into the haystack, Kratos is staring intently at his lap, and Sheena is patting Raine on the shoulder up-front before she throws corn at Lloyd.

'What about you?' Colette asks, turning to me. 'Yours are a lot bigger than mine. What's that like?'

I slap both hands to my face, curling up into myself. 'I can't believe I'm having this conversation.'

'Oh ... well, we don't have to talk about that!' Colette says with a smile. 'We can talk about other girly stuff!'

I pause. '... Y'know, I haven't really had a girly chat in a long time. We could totally do that.'

'Sure!'

'Uh, yeah ...' Lloyd mumbles, nodding. 'You two do that. Me and Genis will have ... a guy chat, or something. Manly chat.'

'Ahhh ...' I say, leaning back on the barrier again. 'Hey, why don't you ask Genis what _his_ favourite flower is?'

'Y-you-!'

I snort. 'Come on, I was kidding!'

Lloyd just flushes brightly. 'W-whatever! Just have your stupid girl talk about make-up and hair and first kisses!'

'Oooh, first kisses!' I say, turning back to Colette. 'I haven't done that with you yet. So who was yours?'

I notice Colette's cheeks go a little pink. That can only mean one thing. 'Well, um ...'

'Oh god, it's someone on this cart, isn't it?' I ask while grinning madly, and Colette is just staring at her lap and smiling, trying not to giggle. Ah, we girls are silly.

'Okay ... so, I'm gonna assume it was definitely a boy,' I say, and Colette nods. 'Which meaaaaans ...'

I glance over to the two from Iselia, and it's really quite obvious. Lloyd is grinning like a maniac while staring at Genis' back, and the other tries to bury himself deeper in the haystack.

'Genis, you can't hide in a haystack,' Lloyd says, poking him in the side. 'You wear blue, you dork.'

Almost immediately (and making the four of us jump), Genis whips his crimson face out of the hay, straws clinging persistently to his hair, and glares right at me. 'It wasn't my fault and I didn't mean to! Well I did, but I totally wasn't going to! And it's not like I wanted to – w-well, I did want to – but I was totally joking around and Colette knew I was joking around and we were both just curious and it was LLOYD'S FAULT!'

He brandishes a finger in his older friend's direction, who has just _collapsed_ in a fit of laughter. I really, really don't blame him. Oh Genis, you are _funny_ sometimes.

'What_ever_, man,' Lloyd says, wiping his eyes and turning to me. 'Y'see ... Genis was getting all annoyed and pissed off with Raine's boyfriend-'

'Llooooyd!' Genis protests angrily, but he ignores him and continues.

'- So he talked to Colette about it, seeing as she's a girl, and she ... knows this stuff, and all. Anyway, Genis said he wasn't happy with how they kept getting close and kissing all the time, and Colette said that she didn't think kissing looked too bad.'

Lloyd leans back against the haystack. 'And Charlotte, seriously ... listening to these two go _on_ and _on_ about if they should try it out to see or not is just ... I swear, it's worse than doing homework. So I just helped them out a little.'

Genis glares. 'You grabbed the back of our heads and _forced_ us together! You call that helping!?'

'Aw c'mon!' Lloyd protests, still laughing. 'It was cute! Kinda ... well, you guys did it wrong. It was weird.'

'Well, _you_ would know,' Genis snaps sarcastically, and I see that trademark mischievous smirk crawl onto his face. 'After all, _you_ get kissed all the time, don't you Lloyd?'

Lloyd's face immediately goes beet red. 'H-hey! What is this, "Exploit Lloyd's Secrets Day"!?'

'Totally,' I say. 'Guys, we need another Hug Everyone Day.'

'No, we do not,' Kratos says firmly. I glare at him, turning back to Lloyd.

'So Lloyd, you've like ... never kissed anyone before?' I ask curiously. I mean ... sure, I'm not too surprised given Lloyd's immaturity when it comes to stuff like that, but he's not exactly unattractive or anything, and I could have sworn I saw two or three girls bat him the eyelash on this journey.

Lloyd just grabs his collar, tugging it up to hide his face. 'S-shut up.'

Colette turns to me. 'So, have you ...'

'Oh, yeah,' I say, waving a hand. 'I think I was about five or six – it was just this kid who lived in the street around the back of mine. One minute we were playing Lego, then the next minute he has his tongue down my throat.'

I grimace. 'Jerk made me cry.'

'Aww ...' Colette mumbles, putting an arm around my shoulders. 'I was thirteen when I had mine. The priests usually tell the Chosen never to get involved with anyone unless they're sure they could pass on the lineage.'

'Ahhh ...' I mumble, nodding. 'I see. Lloyd, what are you doing?'

We all look to him, and he's just ... resting back on the haystack and snickering to himself. He glances up, scratching his cheek. 'Ah, nothing. I'm just thinking about what Genis and Colette's kids would be like-'

'DAMMIT LLOYD!' Genis shrieks, jumping on him. 'I'M TWELVE! TWELVE, YOU SICK PERVERT!'

'Whoa, Genis, calm down,' I say quickly. 'It was probably an accident; Lloyd doesn't even know about se-'

'I – DON'T – CARE!' he declares, shaking Lloyd violently by the collar. Lloyd's trying to wrestle him off, but ... Genis is freakishly strong. It scares me.

Colette blushes dark, glancing to the floor as her arm around my shoulders stiffens. 'I think ... our children would be smart and cute.'

She smiles and giggles. 'And they'd have nice hair.'

Genis looks over his shoulder, unable to glare at Colette. He settles with a defeated look. 'Colette ...'

'Go for it,' Lloyd hisses, and Genis disregards the two of us and goes back to strangling Lloyd. It's an oddly entertaining sight, seeing the person due to save both worlds from terror and division being held down by his girly, twelve year old friend.

'Kratos,' Raine calls over her shoulder, causing the man to look up. 'You must tell me how you're keeping your mind with all their teenage talk.'

'I don't think I am,' Kratos answers, going back to staring at his lap. 'If I begin smashing my head into the wall, please notify me.'

'Will do,' Sheena answers, stretching her arms over her head. 'We'll be there soon, so you can hold out until then.'

Kratos just 'hmph's, folded arms tightening slightly as he continues to glare are his lap. He's been in a bad mood all day ... though I can't say I'm sure why. I mean, this is Kratos – it could be virtually anything. Like, the fact that we have no monsters to fight so he can blow off steam, or that soon the journey is over, or that he's discovered that his son is hella lame. Seriously, the next city we get to, I'm gonna just ... shove some random girl at Lloyd so the awkwardness lasts for like, five seconds. Then he won't have to feel so dorky, seeing as how he'll never see her again. Darn, I wish I did something along those lines. Ah well.

I bite my lip. 'Lloyd ... seriously, no first kiss? Like, ever?'

Lloyd glares from underneath Genis and I'm met with a face-full of hay.

--

'Wow.'

'It's ... tall.'

'Wow.'

'Cool, how high does it go?'

'Wow.'

'... Charlotte, stop saying "wow".'

'But it's like ... really, really wow.'

Sure enough, we've finally arrived at the Tower of Mana. Besides me being taken aback by its tallness and all, I'm quite surprised at the amount of people here. In the game, the place was completely deserted ... but here, there are groups of priests and soldiers everywhere, there are nurses tending to wounded priests and ... none of the soldiers are wounded that much? What? Did they just like, send all the fragile priests in all by themselves? Jackasses.

Colette smiles as she looks around, seeming a little relieved that no one has noticed she's the Chosen yet. I am too – I mean ... there's a _bunch_ of people here, and all of them running at us at once screaming "CHOSEN WE LOVE YOU YOU'RE AWESOME!"? Yeah, just ... no. It's too early for that.

'Hey, I have a question,' Lloyd says, stepping back quickly as a young nurse dashes past him with bandages and bottles in her arms. 'Colette's the only one who can do all that ... oracle stone stuff, right? So how can they kill all the monsters if they can't get in there?'

Raine looks over to the priests still at work. All they're really doing is chanting and spell-casting and stuff, so I'm wondering about that too.

'Monsters sometimes wonder out of the seal dungeons,' Raine says, folding her arms loosely. 'But it would be impossible to destroy them all in time if they just simply waited for every one of them to come out.'

'So what are they all accomplishing by standing around and chanting?' Sheena asks, glaring at a soldier who shoves past her.

'When people used to pray here, there were still monsters wondering around,' Raine says, nodding towards a pile of ... monster corpses, ew. 'Before the Chosen came and they could enter the seal, priests used to draw them out of the seal with a type of beckoning magic. It would be unsafe for people to pray if fiends continued to wonder into the lobby.'

'Oh, I see!' Lloyd says, looking over to the groups of people working. 'So the priests are bringing 'em out, and the soldiers are beating 'em up?'

'Yes,' Kratos confirms with a nod. 'But it looks like they are not quite finished yet ... a lot of soldiers are wounded and can no longer fight.'

Lloyd looks around, probably counting the number of alive and running soldiers waiting around for the next batch of monsters. 'You're right ... hey!'

Suddenly, he grabs Kratos' wrist. 'We should go help out!'

'We have to save our energy for the seal guardian,' Kratos disagrees. 'And climbing the tower itself will be a tiring chore. We don't need any more tasks than we are going to face.'

'Oh come on! It's just a few measly monsters!' Lloyd whines, dragging Kratos away to the group of active swordsmen waiting for the next wave of fiends. 'C'mon, we're here to kick ass and be cool!'

We watch them go, and Sheena quickly runs after them. 'Don't forget about me!'

... Okay, the _rest_ of us watch them go, looking rather tired. Isn't it weird that Lloyd immediately perks up when he has the opportunity to beat something up? Boy needs his head looking.

'...Mm'kay, I'm gonna go grab some food,' I say, looking around. 'I think I saw a bread stand around here somewhere. I'd kill for a baguette.'

'Yeah,' Genis agrees, nodding. 'We didn't have breakfast, and it'd be pretty stupid of us to go fighting monsters on empty stomachs.'

'... Genis,' I say slowly. 'Notice the big, burly swordsmen everywhere? What have they been doing for the past few days?'

'Oooh ... right,' he mumbles, smacking a hand to his forehead. 'I guess I'm just so used to us getting into a few battles whenever we come to a seal.'

'I think this is the last seal anyway,' Colette says, pressing her thumb thoughtfully to her low lip as the four of us wonder over to a food stand. 'And I think the Tower of Mana focuses a lot more on mind games and puzzle solving rather than fighting.'

'That's true,' Raine says with a nod. 'The first seals are a test of strength. The final must be a test of the mind.'

Genis pauses. 'So ... is it safe to take Lloyd along with us? His brain won't be able to take it all.'

Colette just giggles. 'He'll be okay ... we can solve all the puzzles just fine if we've come this far. If there are any monsters left that the priests missed, then we'll let Lloyd take care of them.'

'True,' I say, looking over my shoulder to the tower and the group of swordsmen including our own three standing around. 'But those guys have been working for days. I don't think they've missed any. They're doing a pretty good job.'

'There's always the seal guardian,' Raine offers. 'The ordeal won't go without a fight. I'm sure he'll manage.'

I just shrug, snatching up a bread roll from the small cart. The food is free for the taking, so meh. 'Lloyd's used to doing stuff when it comes to seals. He might throw a hissy-fit.'

'It'll last two minutes tops,' Genis sighs, taking his own food. 'He gets bored with even those.'

I shrug again, biting into my late breakfast. Y'know, besides Lloyd's eventually fits of waah-I'm-bored, I've been wondering about something. Lloyd and Genis still don't know anything about Colette's loss of senses, so what about when she loses her voice? That's a lot more noticeable. Sure, there is an endless list of reasons a person could lose their voice, and there's no doubt that it's normal for it to last until we reach the Tower of Salvation which would be ... a few days, if we go see Undine also. And the only people who have to believe it are Lloyd, Genis and Sheena. And if Raine and Kratos say it, they'll believe anything.

... Hoshit, Undine.

We haven't really needed her here, nor will we by the looks of it ... but still, wouldn't it be safer to have her along anyway? Considering we get to Tethe'alla should my plans backfire on me, then we'll probably need her. Ah well, tower first. Then maybe Undine. Wait, what if I have to hint at it? The only reason they needed to get her was to save Pietro, who ... isn't actually in danger here. Argh, I shouldn't be thinking about this.

'Hey look!' Colette exclaims suddenly, pointing over to the tower entrance. 'Some monsters are coming out!'

We all look over (Genis and I eventually decide to clamber up onto the cart to get a better look seeing as we're short) and sure enough, there are some things crawling out of the tower entrance. I immediately feel extremely grateful for the people taking care of this for us and Luin, because I would _NOT_ want to fight those things. They're like ... ghosts! But a lot more solid and gangly and ghoul-like. Urrrk, I'd be so useless if I were fighting them ...

Either way, they drift out and some hustle begins. It's immediately noticeable that Sheena is kicking most ass over there. It's probably with all her Pyre Seals and Life Seals she's dishing out, but they're disappearing rapidly before the soldiers can even get to them. Lloyd looks annoyed, bless.

'Go Sheena!' Colette calls over the noise. I'd probably be shouting too if I weren't afraid of attracting attention from the ghost ... things. I'll just ... stand here. Watching. Like Genis is. Yeah.

'More are coming out,' Raine says, trying to look over the crowd. 'This might be the last wave of monsters.'

'Well, at least Lloyd got to fight something,' Genis says, still eating away at his breakfast. I finished mine a moment ago ... I don't think they'd kill me if I grabbed something els – oh my god, they have croissants!

Genis glances over to me while I snatch up a croissant from near my foot, giving me an annoyed look. 'You're still eating!?'

'Hey!' I shout, poking him sharply in the shoulder while I take a bite. Ooo, yummy.

'We said avoid an empty stomach, but don't go overboard,' Raine says, giving me a hopeless look.

'I waff fick aw wast wight!' I protest through a mouthful of food.

'If you were sick all last night, then you might be sick again in there if you keep stuffing your face,' Genis says, folding arms. 'Seriously ...'

I gulp down my breakfast. 'Whatever. I didn't eat during my time in the ranch or back at Luin, and my hunger is catching up with me. Go away.'

'Well ... that's true,' Raine sighs, leaning back against the cart. 'But too much at once will make you sick again. Don't eat anything else after that.'

'Yes ma'am,' I say, saluting. She glares up.

'Yes ... Professor,' I correct, dropping my arm. 'Sheesh.'

Genis snorts, looking back over to the fighting. Wow, Lloyd's doing pretty good ... I mean, not as good as Kratos and Sheena, but he sure is showing those swordsmen. Then again, our three fighters have Exspheres, so it's a little unfair.

'Hey, did Lloyd eat at all last night?' Genis asks.

'No,' Colette says, jumping up to sit on the cart with us. 'He said he was feeling a little sick too.'

'Idiot,' Genis grumbles, grabbing two bread rolls from his side. 'People have to start eating properly again! What's with everyone lately!?'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Genis?'

'I mean ...' he mumbles, dropping the food into his lap. 'Lloyd isn't eating properly, you barely ever eat, and I don't think I've ever seen Kratos eat at all!'

'True, that,' I say, playing with the hem of my shirt. 'Well, Lloyd's been ill a lot since we started this journey. I worry about too much stuff, so I lose my appetite left and right. Kratos is just ... Kratos. He doesn't eat, sleep, or ... whatever.'

'I know that,' Genis sighs, flopping down onto his back. 'But it's going to make everyone ill! And if Lloyd doesn't eat, and if he gets ill again, then it might make him worse.'

'He'll be fine,' I grumble, reaching over to one of the bread rolls in his lap. 'You worry too much Geni-'

Immediately, he smacks my hand away. '-Ow!'

'They're for Lloyd and Kratos!' Genis snaps. 'Hands off!'

I just frown. 'Blah. Whatever. Anyway, I think the fighting is over.'

The others look over, and it looks like I'm right. The priests have gone back to their weird summoning to see if there are any monsters left in the tower, and the rest of our group is coming over. Sheena looks a little beat up, but she _was_ the one doing most of the work over there. Lloyd's helping her stumble over, but she's practically choking him with her arm around his shoulders to hold herself up. Kratos looks like he's pretending not to know them.

'Victory dance?' I suggest when they get here. 'Victory speech? Anyone?'

Colette immediately perks up, going for Kratos. 'Our weapons are-!'

'No,' he snaps, keeping her at arm's length. She pouts, but he shakes his head

'Lloyd, you can let me go now,' Sheena huffs when she loosens her arm around his neck. He just grumbles, grabbing her wrist and yanking her back. 'Hey! I said I'm fine!'

'Well you're bleeding leg kinda says otherwise,' Lloyd says, raising an eyebrow. 'That thing was practically chewing at your knee!'

'Yeah right!' she exclaims, trying to edge away from him. 'I can take care of myself, y'know!'

'Okay, okay, fine,' Lloyd agrees letting her go. She just wobbles a little on the spot before her knee gives out underneath her weight. Lloyd grabs her arm again before she hits the floor, helping her up. 'See?'

'I ... I got dizzy all of a sudden,' she snaps. 'Well at least _I_ did some work! You just flailed around like a pansy!'

Lloyd flushes pink. 'I don't like ghosts!'

Colette and I manage to take Sheena off Lloyd, who is still mumbling excuses about how ghosts are all ... scary and weird and occult-y. Raine tells us to let her sit on the cart while she takes a look at her injured knee, and Genis hops off with his armful of bread rolls. Urgh, I want another one. I know I shouldn't, but I've barely eaten in days and they're all fresh and warm and crustyyyyy ...

... I'll take one for later.

'Hey!' Genis shouts as I reach for one.

'For later! Calm down!' I respond angrily, shoving the roll into my satchel. 'Blah.'

Kratos hands Lloyd an Apple Gel when he can't find one anywhere, and he takes it with a small smile. Kratos mumbles something to him before he turns and heads back over to the priests, but I don't hear what it is. Lloyd's smile widens anyway, and he finally comes over.

'Were you guys watching?' Lloyd asks after downing the medical ... jelly stuff. 'Pretty cool, huh?'

'Well, you might want to relish in it a little longer,' I say, rubbing my cheek. 'That's probably all the fighting you'll be doing until we get to the seal guardian. The place must be empty now.'

Sudden realisation hits him, and his shoulders sag. 'Aw man ...'

'Hey, we need a break!' I declare. 'We fought our way through a whole ranch and some guy with no eyes! We deserve some relaxing puzzles to solve!'

'Which will eventually lead to a really big monster that we all have to fight?' Genis asks, giving me an odd look.

'Go away, you strange little man!' I demand, shoving him to one side. 'Anyway, what I meant was that we won't have to be constantly on the lookout. There won't be any protecting going on, just solving riddles and stuff.'

'I guess we could use a break from all the fighting,' Lloyd sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I suppose I worry about everyone too much ...'

'Aw, that's sweet,' I say, patting him on the arm. 'But you're the one leaping headfirst into battles you can't win most of the time, so we have to worry about you a lot too.'

'Yeah, I know ...' he mumbles. 'But it's my job to worry, right?'

'No, it's a mother's job to worry,' I say, raising an eyebrow. 'Is there something you're trying to tell me? Did someone knock you up?'

'Knock me where?'

I pause. 'Forget it. Um ... what were you saying?'

'Oh. I ... worry,' Lloyd says simply. 'About everyone.'

'Well, you don't have to,' I say, shrugging. 'We're fine, aren't we?'

'Yeah, but ...' he sighs exhaustedly, running a hand through his hair. He glances quickly over to Genis who is practically right next to me, but engrossed in conversation with Colette. Poor kid's been blushing ever since we talked about that thing in the cart ages ago whenever he talks to her. I blame Lloyd, but I also find it very amusing. Anyway, Lloyd just grabs my arm when he sees Genis isn't listening, dragging me to one side and out of earshot.

'Okay, ow,' I say, rubbing my arm when he unhands me.

'Sorry,' he mumbles. 'But ... like I said, I worry. A lot. Especially about Genis.'

'Oh ... Genis?' I ask. 'Why?'

Lloyd frowns a little, leaning back against another small cart. 'I know it's weird of me to say ... but we all have reasons for fighting here. Kratos and Raine are fighting to protect Colette. I was fighting to avenge my mother, and now I'd pretty much just ... tagging along and making sure everyone is safe. Colette has to fight because she's the Chosen. But Genis ...'

'Ohh ...' I whisper, nodding. 'So ... because Genis promised he'd never leave your side, you feel that you're kinda forcing him to fight?'

'Well ... sort of ...' Lloyd mumbles, scratching his head. 'I just don't want him getting hurt because of me ... and he doesn't have any reason to be here, and he didn't have a reason to be exiled from Iselia, and he didn't have a reason to ...'

Lloyd pauses. 'To ... get hurt like that at the Wind Seal ...'

'Lloyd.'

He looks up. 'Yeah?'

'You're a dork.'

'Huh?'

I roll my eyes. 'Okay. Concerning this whole ... Genis thing you have going on here. What's one of your main concerns on this journey?'

'To ... protect Genis,' he says, giving me a strange look. 'What-'

'And you're protecting Genis ... why?'

'Why? Because ... he promised to stick by me always, and he deserves that muc-'

I grab his wrists, pulling him away from the cart. 'Aaaaand by sticking by you and cheering you on, he also intends to – and say it with me now-'

I lean up, bashing his own hands against his forehead repeatedly. 'Pro - tect – you – too.'

I drop his hands from my grip. 'You're doing all this and risking your life for him, Lloyd. He's not just gonna sit back and be all "oh Lloyd is so awesome, he's so cool, he's really kickass and I want his man-babies". He's gonna protect you with his life too.'

I wrinkle my nose a little at my sudden speech, thudding Lloyd softly on the shoulder. ''Cause you two are all corny like that.'

Lloyd starts to answer, but his mouth falls shut and he just looks over to Genis standing some meters away. I've mentioned before how close these two are. I mean, Lloyd's closest to Genis more than anyone in the group. From what I've heard from Raine, they were the first friends eachother had ... ever. That definitely bolts down something special in their relationship. More than anyone, Lloyd would give his life for Genis' safety. He just doesn't seem to realise that Genis is willing to do the same in return.

Lloyd smiles a little, quickly dropping his gaze to the floor. He rubs the side of his head with his palm, glancing up to me.

'You know I'm right,' I say.

'Pfft,' Lloyd grumbles. 'You're always right, you dork.'

'Yes, yes I am.'

Lloyd sighs, jumping back up onto the cart to sit. 'Y'know ... being corny every once in a while isn't so bad. You should try it some time.'

'I dunno about myself, but you're not corny 'every once in a while',' I snort. 'You're made of corn. You're a giant corn man, Lloyd. You ooze corniness.'

'Oh come on, what's wrong with being a little corny every now and then?'

'It makes me want to smack you.'

'Lighten up a little!' he laughs, jumping off the cart and throwing an arm around my shoulders, tugging me roughly into his side. 'You gotta start thinking like me!'

'God forbid.'

'C'mon, just say silly stuff like ...' he pauses, thinking. '"The only weapon I need is love!"'

'Stop it Lloyd.'

'"With my friends by my side, I can do aaaaaaaaaanything!"'

'Now. Stop it. Stop corning all over me.'

He takes his arm off me, grabbing both my wrists. '"I'll protect you with my life!"'

'I'm going to kick you in the goddamn shin, Lloyd!' I shriek, shoving him away. I don't get around to any violent acts, because Lloyd has once again collapsed into a fit of laughter, falling against the cart and using it to hold himself up. I try to straighten myself out from my unwomanly rage, glancing over to the group to see if they heard any of that. Sure enough, they're all looking over as if we should be checking Lloyd into the nearest mental asylum. That's nothing new, but this time he isn't really helping by laughing madly.

'Stand up probably, you tit!' I hiss to him. 'People are staring!'

'Let 'em stare ...' Lloyd giggles, wiping his eyes. Wait, Lloyd just giggled? I swear, he's a girl. I'll prove it one day.

'You are ... _embarrassing_, Lloyd Irving,' I growl. 'And I _will_ kick you if you carry on. And deck you with a bread roll.'

'Lighten up!' Lloyd groans, grinning. 'C'mon ... I think the priests over there are finishing up. Let's go and sort something out with everyone else, okay?'

'Fine ...' I mumble. 'But one more word out of you, and-'

'I'm screwed, I get it,' he laughs. 'I'm not _that_ bad, am I?'

'You're the king of corniness, Lloyd!' Sheena shouts over. 'And I'll be the one hitting you if she doesn't get there first! You're giving me a headache!'

He laughs again a little nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Heheh ... I guess I went a little overboard ...'

'Yes, you did,' I say, twirling my finger around my fringe. Corniness just gets on my nerves, and with Lloyd ... well, he's very ... y'know! Screw the Eternal Sword business, I don't think I'll survive another day on this journey if he keeps saying all that stuff. My brain will melt out of my ears, and it will be _Lloyd's_ fault for yet another person's death, and he'll spiral into a giant vortex of emo and never say anything corny again. Well, that's the plan. See!? I'm sacrificing myself for the sake of others never having to hear Lloyd's speeches again! I'm like another Chosen, only not as awesome!

Lloyd thuds me softly on the shoulder. Urgh, I thought I told him to stop doing that. 'C'mon, we gotta go. The priests think they've finished, and we have a seal to release.'

'Yeah ...' I grumble, rubbing my arm. Lloyd notices and grins sheepishly, skipping on ahead. I watch him go, keeping the hold on my arm. At least he'll be quiet for a while, and the puzzles will probably keep his brain far too occupied to spurt up anymore rainbow and bunnies. Though I gotta say, it's not all bad. Though he was joking. Wasn't he? Why can't I stop myself from-

'Would you?'

Dammit.

Lloyd turns around questioningly. 'Huh? Would I what ...?

_protect you with my li-_

'-Nothing.'

--

'Five.'

'No, I think it's more around ... eight.'

'Seriously? I was thinking ten.'

'It's definitely five. I grew up with this, I should know.'

'Touché, Genis.'

We all just continue to watch Raine fumbling through the numerous bookshelves in the lobby of the Tower of Mana, whispering and mumbling to herself excitedly. She's thrown our main objective into the wind and begin reading her way through like, half the library. And apparently it's been going on for five minutes, but I swear it feels like ten.

Well ... to be honest, everything inside the Tower of Mana is the same as I remember it from the game. Like ... exactly the same, which is a nice relief from having to worry myself constantly about what kinda of new, scary enemy or trap might pop up. And now Sheena's is on our side, we don't have to fight her anymore. But I don't think she's staying on our side for long – Raine is really freaking her out, and she's taken up refuge behind Lloyd. Kratos still scares her a little, so no hiding behind him.

I don't think there are any monsters left in this place, anyway. Kratos can apparently sense monsters (remember the Martel Chapel back in Iselia? "An evil precense radiates blah blah blah"?), and if there were any snooping around, he's have said something by now. I vaguely remember flying swords as enemies in this tower, and I do NOT want a phantom blade zooming at me. I hate ghosts and stuff, and you can all fully blame Silent Hill. That's some scary crap right there.

Oh lord, imagine if I'd been sucked into Silent Hill instead? Ugh, I don't even want to imagine it ... zombies bleeding everywhere ... undead nurses ... Pyramid Head ...

Thanks to reminiscing on one of the scarier games I've ever played, a sudden growl makes me shriek.

'Monstersmonstersmonsters,' I chant to myself, pulling out a pistol.

I notice no one else is panicking, and everyone in the room besides Raine is glaring at Lloyd. He just bites his lip, lowering his head slightly. I suddenly notice the bread rolls from earlier are still in Genis hands, and he hasn't _eaten_ yet.

'... That was your freakin' _stomach_?' I ask, dropping my weapon back into its holster. 'Geez, Lloyd ...'

'Hey, I haven't eaten in a _really_ long time!' he argues, pointing at me. 'I think my stomach is trying to eat itself!'

Everyone goes back to what they were doing with a roll of the eyes. Genis just sighs, shoving the bread roll in Lloyd's direction. 'Well, you have to have something before we start fighting. If you can't fight because you're hungry, who's gonna protect us from the seal guardian?'

'Kratos?' I suggest, and Genis ignores me.

'So come on, just eat it,' he says, pushing the food into Lloyd's hands. 'I worry about you too, y'know.'

D'awww, Lloydie's embarrassed.

'Uh ... t-thanks,' he mumbles taking it. Genis grins at his success, turning to the Bastard Mercenary.

'Kratos, heads up!'

Krat catches the second roll thrown at him with a single hand, giving it an inspecting look before agreeing to take it. Urgh, it's not poison, Kratty ... I don't think Genis even knows how to use poison all that well! Stop being so suspicious of everyone!

'Thank you.'

Woo hoo, we're getting there. We're very close to redeveloping Kratos' human emotions. He's even started using his Ps and Qs again.

'Oh ... man,' Lloyd groans, slumping over on Kratos' arm, who just holds it up to support him. 'I can't stand this ... just waiting around with nothing to do ... I'm so bored ...'

'Be quiet and eat your bread,' Genis demands, folding his arms. 'You think we could just get to the final seal _without_ you losing interest half-way through?'

'We haven't even started and he's already bored,' Colette giggles. 'Cheer up Lloyd, the Professor will get bored in a minute.'

He gives her a sarcastic look, gesturing to Raine who is still practically climbing up the bookshelves for the older volumes of whatever she's reading into.

'... Or ... maybe not.'

'Hey, that's right,' Lloyd says, straightening up off Kratos' arm. 'This is the last seal, right? Which means after this, we're heading to the Tower of Salvation, aren't we?'

'Yeah, I guess so,' Colette says, smiling.

'Wow, this is gonna be so cool!' Genis exclaims, suddenly looking a lot livelier.

'Yeah!' Lloyd agrees. 'You're gonna be an angel soon!'

I deeeeefinitely remember Genis and Lloyd being a lot more worried about her at this point in the game. But then don't know about the toxicosis here, so they're still pretty much the excited idiots that they always have been concerning Colette's angel-ness. I can't help but think if this is going to affect the outcome of what happens at the Tower of Salvation. I'm pretty sure me striding up to the Eternal Sword and pull a King Arthur with it will screw something up, but if Lloyd and Genis aren't constantly flailing around trying to find another way to save the world, then I feel something will be different. But Colette is a lot happier without people worrying about her, so it isn't the worst of things. She _does_ seem a lot happier than I remember her in the game ... so yeah. I wouldn't like to spend the last days with my childhood friends all stressed out and angsty.

'Speaking of angels,' Kratos says, nodding towards the oracle stone in the centre of the room. 'It would be best if we got a move on. Raine might come to her senses if we open the way.'

Colette just nods with yet another smile, skipping over to the ancient relic, and slapping her hand down on the surface.

... And _bugger all_ happens.

'... Well that was rather odd,' I say quietly as Colette begins poking and prodding at the oracle stone.

'Did you break it?' Lloyd asks, and Colette smacks both hands down on the surface in a panicky frustration.

'I-I don't think so,' she says, rubbing her palms together and trying again. 'Does this mean I'm not the Chosen anymore?'

'Aww, things were just getting fun,' Lloyd grumbles. 'We have to go home now?'

'Weren't you just complaining about how bored you were?' Sheena asks, giving Lloyd a sceptical look. He just frowns, folding his arms in a huff.

'Well I keep trying,' Colette sighs, continuing to press her hands against the seal. 'But nothing seems to be happeni – AHH!'

She isn't the only one that screams – I shriek a little too for the second time. And with good reason.

A giant bolt of friggin' _lightning_ crashes down from the top of the tower (keep in mind the ceiling of the lobby is almost a hundred floors up, therefore very tall) and smashes into the floor before the oracle stone. I swear to god I go blind for five whole seconds, and lose my hearing for about ten. The bang was extreeemely loud and sudden, and the sharp white flash has just murdered my eyes.

'Colette!'

Woohoo, I can hear Genis! That's a start!

Colette isn't hurt at all, from what I can (finally) see. Rather the opposite, she and Raine are now fawning excitedly over something where the lightning had just struck. I'd suggest moving the hell out of the way in case it happens again, but trying to shift Raine away from her precious ruins and whatnot may cause her to foam at the mouth and bite you. Then we're all screwed and no one gets regeneration.

'Whoa ...' Lloyd utters, staring at ... whatever the other two are getting all giddy over. 'What the hell is that thing?'

The other five of us peer over to the thing. You know what, I have no idea what the hell it is. It's like ... this giant stone disk suddenly just embedded itself into the floor. It sure does look technical though ... it's covered in warp pads, magitechnology stuff, runes-

Ohhh, I remember now. I know what this is.

'How exactly do we use this thing to open the way?' Lloyd asks curiously, prodding the side of the stone disk with his foot. Yep, it's secure alright. 'I mean ... those are warp pads, right? Was this seal just really, really easy? Are Cruxis giving us a break for all of our hard work?'

'I doubt it,' I say, grimacing. 'They sure do like to confuse us, though.'

'It doesn't look too confusing,' Sheena says, making her own way to the disk. 'Look, there are three of these ... warp thingies, right? Maybe we gotta do something to them?'

'Smash them up?' Lloyd asks, and I swear he looks hopeful.

'I'm afraid not,' Raine sighs, becoming irritated with her most favourite student eveeeer. 'Look at this glow it's beginning to emit once I get close to it. It must react to a human touch.'

Lloyd cocks his head to one side, biting his thumb. 'Soooo ...'

Raine sighs again in frustration, standing. 'Honestly, Lloyd. Pay attention.'

She takes a step back from the glassy blue warp, and the soft glow begins to fade. 'You see? Once someone steps away from it, it deactivates.'

'Oh!' Lloyd perks up. 'So ... if we touch 'em all ... then the path will open up?'

'Touching won't be enough if it fades as soon as we step away,' Raine murmurs, standing full on the warp. It glows a lot stronger this time, and she nods to herself in conclusion. 'Colette, stand on that other pad. Sheena, if you could-'

'I'm on it,' Sheena says, hopping onto the third. Sure enough, once all three are active, a low rumble begins to echo throughout the hall. Colette and Sheena look around worriedly to see if they did something wrong, but a quick gesture from Raine keeps them in their places while she looks around thoroughly.

'Door opening!' I declare loudly over the rumbling sounds still filling the room, flailing in the direction of the door on the right wall. 'Door opening! There's a door opening and it's not the right one!'

'We get it already,' Lloyd grumbles when the noise finally dies down. 'But you have a point ... why didn't the front one open?'

'I hate to admit it, but I have to agree,' Genis says, walking over to the _main_ door. 'You'd really expect the big, decorative door to be the one that opens, huh?'

'Did you consider there might perhaps be a _point_ to how this puzzle works?' Kratos asks, arms folded and not looking the least bit phased about ... anything that's happened so far, the smug bastard.

'Go for it,' I say, and he continues just as the other three on the disk come over to hear an explanation (and notice how the door slams shut). I'm sure Raine already knows, but she's probably tired of explaining things over and over to Lloyd. She'll let Kratos have this one.

'In order for us to continue towards the seal room, three people must remain here so the others can proceed,' he says, looking over at the disk of warp pads. Okay, I have to stop calling them that – they don't exactly _warp_ you anywhere. 'Once the other four continue, the others must stay in their places and make sure that the entrance remains open.'

'Sooo ... the other three can't take part in this seal?' Lloyd asks. 'That ... kinda sucks.'

'Not precisely,' Raine comments.

'But he just said!' Lloyd argues, pointing to the disk. 'If the other three move away from there, then the door closes! How are they supposed to get through?'

Kratos takes Lloyd by the shoulders, turns him around, and points to the main door that Genis is standing by. Genis makes sure to wave so Lloyd actually gets the point.

'I don't get it.' Or maybe not.

Kratos thuds his forehead to the top of Lloyd's head with a hopeless sigh, pushing him away. 'There must be something up in the tower which opens that door. Once the group heading up first activates it, that door will open, letting the other three up.'

'Ohhhh,' Lloyd says, nodding. 'And then we just join up and go kill the bad guy?'

'That's the plan,' Sheena says, and everyone sighs in relief. No more explaining to Lloyd! Yay!

Raine looks around now that Genis has returned to us, and glances back to the three glass pads. 'Now that just leaves the decision of who we're leaving behind.'

Group-frown. Boo.

'Colette will obviously be in the group going up first,' Kratos says, indicated our Chosen. 'Which means Raine, myself, and another will be accompanying her. I believe that last choice will be made up to the Chosen.'

'Oh ... I have to choose?' Colette replies worriedly, glancing over to me, Lloyd, Genis and Sheena. 'Okay ... um ...'

Please don't choose me, please don't choose me, I suck ass at puzzles, please don't choose me, I can't even do Sudoku, please don't choose me!

'Um ...' Colette mumbles, biting her lip. 'I want ... to take Genis.'

Raine looks relieved, Genis looks happy, Lloyd and Sheena look insulted, and I'm dancing on the spot. Kratos doesn't care.

'Well,' Colette says with a guilty smile. 'I needed to talk to Genis about something anyway ...'

Lloyd looks down to his little friend, raising an eyebrow and elbowing him suggestively in the side. Genis goes red and smacks his arm. 'Shut UP, Lloyd!'

'I didn't say anything!'

'Genis is very good at puzzles,' Raine decides the excuse, coughing loudly. 'It would be wise to bring him either way, and it would all be finished quicker.'

'That's true, I guess,' Lloyd sighs, folding his arms behind his head. 'Still ... it's gonna be so boring down here.'

'Gee, thanks,' I snap sarcastically, and Sheena just gives him a small glare. It's always nice to know your company is unappreciated. Lloyd just gives us both an apologetic grin, and we simply decide to do the womanly thing. Rolls our eyes, ignore him, and storm away as loudly as we can. But we're being useful and storming towards the disk apparatus, so it's all good. Lloyd just follows, looking a little embarrassed. Well, he should. I hope Sheena slaps him with her cards.

Once we're all standing on the glowing glass circles (or sitting, in Lloyd's case), the door opens once again with more ease this time. Well, it hasn't been opened in decades, so I'm guessing that first opening was a little rough for it.

'Good look sorting out those puzzles!' Lloyd shouts over, waving as they head for the door.

'Remember, don't move!' Raine replies, giving him a warning look just as they leave. 'We may need to come back, and we're stuck if you've run off somewhere.'

'No worries,' Lloyd answers. 'I'll keep my keester planted on this spot.'

'Right. And remember, just come and find us when that door opens. We'll probably be waiting before the final room.'

Aaaaand off they go. Just like that, into the dark corridor beyond the door. Eventually we lose their silhouettes in the shadows, and we are left to ourselves until the find a way to open up the doors ahead. And until that moment ... we will be very, very bored. So very ... very very very very bored.

'Oh no ...' Lloyd mumbles, looking suddenly pale.

'What?' Sheena asks, starting towards him. Seriously, he's almost as white as a sheet. 'What's wrong, Lloyd?'

'I ...' he starts, losing his voice. He turns, giving the bookcase behind him a terrified look. 'I'm so bored ... that I'm starting to want to _read_ ...'

Sheena smacks him over the head before going back to her glass pad.

--

'The ceiling is really ... really high, huh?'

'Yes, Lloyd.'

'... I'm bored.'

'Yes, Lloyd.'

'... Do you think they're doing okay?'

'Yes, Lloyd.'

'Then why haven't they opened our door yet? You really think they're okay?'

'Yes, Lloyd.'

'... I miss Kratos.'

'Okay.'

'... I wanna talk to Kratos.'

'Okay.'

'... Oh ... GODS ...! It's impossible to be this bored! It really is! I want to go already! I want to talk to Kratos, dammit!'

I groan, rolling over to face Lloyd. It's been so long, and we've all lost the will to stand besides Sheena, who's just sitting with her legs folded, staring at the ceiling while we both answer to Lloyd's constant moaning.

'So ... what's up with you wanting to talk to Kratos so much lately?' I ask out of bored curiosity. Lloyd looks over, and I continue. 'I figured that Genis' leeching was rubbing off on you, but lately you've been joined at the hip with him.'

Lloyd pauses, rolling onto his back. He huffs softly as he folds his arms behind his head, staring up into the hollow tower. 'It's no big deal.'

Sheena drops her gaze, landing it on Lloyd. 'Are you two really close?'

'Uhh ...' he mumbles. 'It's ... complicated.'

'So, tell me,' I say, moving to sit up. The glass is making my arms cold. 'Why have you been so clingy with him lately?'

He doesn't answer right away, still staring up. Sheena and I watch him, making sure he can't weasel out of this by laying a long silence on us, because that's one of his usual methods.

'When this journey is over ...' he says finally. 'And Colette becomes an angel, she'll be living in the Tower of Salvation with Remiel and the other angels, right? Genis and Raine will go home ... I'll be going back to Dad's ... you're going back to Asgard ...'

He leans up on his elbows. 'And Kratos is gonna go back to being a mercenary. He's ... just gonna find another job so he can get paid, isn't he?'

I bite my lip when he looks to me, asking silently for an answer. 'Y-yeah ... I suppose so ...'

Lloyd thuds down onto his back again, spreading his arms out. 'I don't want that. I don't wanna think ... that in two or three days, that's just gonna be it, and everything is gonna be over. And that I'll never see him again.'

I run a hand through my hair. I can't do this. 'You'll ... see him again, Lloyd. It's not like he's gonna disappear or anything.'

'But ...' he mumbles softly, looking back over to me. 'He's a mercenary. He's got jobs to do ... to earn a living.'

He rolls over again, facing away from the two of us. 'He can't be my mentor anymore.'

Oh goodness, change the subject. Change it now, change it now, but keep the subject on Kratos so he knows you're not trying too hard. I really want to talk to Lloyd about this and maybe pop him a Prozac or two, but I can't say a lot without causing excruciating emotional pain for him when Kratos finally ... y'know. If I get his hopes up knowing just how harder he'll fall when he's betrayed, then I wouldn't be a very good friend.

'H-hey ...' Sheena says finally, probably thinking along the same lines as me. She flattens her palms against the floor behind her, leaning back. 'Kratos is a mercenary, right? So ... that means he's gotta got paid at some point, doesn't it?'

Lloyd rolls over to face her. 'Yeah, I think so ... huh, I never asked him about that ...'

'I asked Raine about it once,' I say, sitting up too. 'Phaidra is sending him a small sum of his final amount every week so that we aren't broke at any point during the journey. When the journey is over, he gets a giant up-front payment and then loads of small payments afterwards if they can't give him the full amount.'

'Whoa,' Lloyd mumbles, going back to staring up at the high ceiling. 'The Church of Martel is the richest resource in the whole of Iselia. If they can't pay him all at once, then he must be asking for a lot.'

'No kidding,' I say with a snort. 'The bastard's robbing them blind. Buuut it is all to protect Colette, so they'd give anything really. Can't blame 'em for going all out to ensure her safety.'

'Well,' Lloyd mumbles. 'The only time I ever remember Colette being really hurt was after the Fire Seal when she collapsed from exhaustion. She's been fine since then, so d'you think Kratos will knock off some gald from his price if she finishes the journey without a scratch on her?'

'If she finishes the journey fine, then his payment will probably get raised instead,' Sheena answers, shrugging. 'It shows just how good of a job he's been doing if she becomes an angel happy and healthy.'

'... Oh,' Lloyd sighs. 'Colette'll become an angel soon, we'll all go home, and ... I really can't believe it's almost over.'

He drops his hands to his lap. 'Disregarding all the violent and traumatic stuff that's been going on, it's been really fun, y'know?'

I laugh again. 'We have to pick apart everything that's happened to get the good stuff from the bad. But yeah, it's been fun.'

'Hey Sheena, what are you doing when this is all over?' Lloyd asks glancing over to the troubled ninja. 'You were trying to kill us and all ... and now you've joined us, so ... what are you gonna do?'

She grins a little, flopping down onto her back. 'Well, I'm gonna have to tell the guys I'm working for that my mission was a failure and that I ended up working with the enemy. Something tells me they aren't gonna appreciate that.'

'Whoa, I never thought about that ...' Lloyd mumbles, sitting up on his knees. 'You gonna be okay? I mean, they aren't gonna punish you or anything, right?'

'I'm not positive,' she says, shrugging. 'Failure wasn't supposed to be an option, so they didn't bother giving me to results for that. But if they were so set on me completing my mission, then I suppose I'll be getting the blame.'

Lloyd makes a face. 'That makes no sense! You were just helping us! They're gonna punish you for being nice?'

She sits up. 'You were supposed to be my enemy, you big dummy. Of course they're going to punish me if I'm helping out the people we're against. What would you do if Charlotte suddenly started working for the Desians?' She points over to me. 'You'd be angry with her right?'

Lloyd glances over to me, and I pretend to be a Desian. That includes sticking my tongue out, dragging my fringe over my eyes, and pretending to have a whip. He grimaces, turning back to Sheena.

'Well ... I'd get her back, smack her on the arm, call her a dork and demand an explanation,' he says simply, sounding quite firm. If he does the same when Kratos betrays us, I will laugh so hard. 'If you're on their side, then they can't be too hard on you, right?'

Sheena frowns. 'I had a lot of responsibility riding on this mission. It's kind of a big deal that I was supposed to succeed, so my going back there isn't gonna go without a fight or two.'

Lloyd folds his legs over eachother, sitting back with a determined grin on his face. 'Well, I've got nothing to do when this journey is over, so I'll come back with you and tell them what happened myself! And if they try and get you, I'll boot their sorry butts right over the moon!'

Sheena can't help but laugh, rolling onto her side and making sure to stay on the glass pad so the door doesn't close. 'I can take care of myself, but I guess its nice having someone stand up for you once in a while. Thanks.'

'No problem,' Lloyd says with an embarrassed grin, rubbing the back of his neck. I love how he realises he takes things overboard _after_ they've been ... overboard'd. 'Say ... who do you work for anyway?'

Sheena sits up. 'Huh?'

'First we thought you were with the Desians, because they're the only people who want to stop the regeneration,' Lloyd explains, resting his chin on the heel of his hand. 'But you fought against them with us, so who else wants to stop Colette?'

Sheena pauses, looking a little worried and stuck. She can't explain this without revealing Tethe'alla, can she? I should really do something to stop it. C'mon Charlie, you haven't said anything in a while and this would be a very good time to leap in with a random phrase and/or word to throw the conversation off course. No, not banana hammock. Don't say banana hammock.

Oh god, Sheena's opening her mouth to answer. 'Banana ham-!'

Luckily, the both of us are cut off completely by yet _another_ whatshouldbeclassedasan earthquake. Lloyd immediately jumps to his feet when the ground begins to shake violently, and books that Raine had been fiddling around with begin to topple from the shelves. Panicked shouting from outside isn't hard to pick up, but they don't have a chance of getting in here to 'help'. They probably have no idea what's going on and are assuming the worse, and if the door ahead of us weren't sliding open with the most annoying grating sound _ever_, I would be too.

Lloyd gets over to Sheena and helps her to her feet as the shaking ground becomes fiercer. If the freakin' door would hurry up and open properly, then the shaking would stop and we wouldn't all be falling over. I've flattened myself against the oracle stone to stop collapsing to the floor, and if this is angering any deities up there that I'm sprawled over their precious rock thing, well then ... bugger.

'Took them long enough!' Lloyd exclaims over the grinding and rumbling sounds echoing throughout the tower above. The situations have switched, and he's begun to cling to Sheena for leverage instead. Lloyd, I seriously wonder about you. By the end of this journey, I _will_ reveal that you are in fact a rather flat-chested woman. And I'll give you pigtails.

'Maybe they ran into some trouble,' I say when the noise quietens, easing myself off the oracle stone. Lloyd straightens up, giving the passageway ahead and disgruntled look.

'With Kratos there? I don't think so.'

'Well, we don't have Kratos with us right now,' I say now that silence has returned. 'You think we'll be okay if we run into trouble?'

The reassuring ring of steel sounds around the room as Lloyd draws his swords, dropping his arms heavily to his sides. 'We'll be fine. Trust me.'

'We're trying,' Sheena says with a small sigh, flicking her wrist. Several cards appear in her hand, all the same bland colour of beige. 'But you give us a lot to worry about.'

'Hey!' Lloyd snaps, glaring over his shoulder. 'If there are any monsters, I can take 'em just fine! I already defeated two Desian Grand Cardinals, didn't I?'

I frown a little. 'Well with Kvar, all we did was get thrown around before Kratos finally off'd the bugger.'

'Yeah, well ...' Lloyd mumbles, pressing his lips together tightly. 'W-we could have beaten him anyway.'

I raise an eyebrow.

'I-I said we'll be fine!' Lloyd announces loudly, storming through the newly opened door. 'Geez!'

Sheena and I just watch him go for a few moments. I fiddle with the barrel of my gun nervously, Sheena is picking at the corners of her main card, and Lloyd has already disappeared into the narrow corridor while shouting out for the remaining monsters to come and face him and quit hiding. The only response he gets after a few long moments is just the ringing silence that's accompanied us since we got here. So he rants even louder into the darkness.

'I feel that there's gonna be something smart enough to sneak up behind him while he's all flustered,' Sheena says with a long drawn out sigh while she juggles her cards. She looks down to me. 'Wanna go protect his sorry butt?'

'When are we doing anything else?' I say, and she laughs. I smile and we continue together to go after Lloyd. Y'know, screw what Charis said – I think Sheena and me are gonna get along just fine. She's cool and all, and she doesn't seem to have a problem with me. Corrine however ... well, he can just go straight to hell, the little rat. He hates my guts.

Bloody hell. Speak of the devil.

The little ... fox-rat thing poofs out of nowhere and perches itself protectively on Sheena's shoulder, snarling in my direction. I frown a little, and Sheena pats his head softly to get him to quieten down. 'C'mon Corrine, that's mean.'

'I don't like her!' he squeaks, crawling over her back to her other shoulder. 'She's suspicious! And she smells funny!'

Oh if I had sleeves, I'd be rolling them up right now. 'Excuse me?'

'She smells fine, Corrine!' Sheena declares, pinching his ear softly. She turns to me, looking a little embarrassed. 'Sorry ... he's not usually so-'

'Don't worry about it,' I say, waving it off as I look around the dark corridor we've entered. Lloyd has pretty much disappeared ahead. 'Besides, no animals here seem to like me. Noishe has hated me since we started this journey, and it's been ages since then.'

'Noishe ... you mean Lloyd's, um ... pet?' she asks awkwardly, probably not knowing what to call it exactly. 'He isn't too friendly with me either. Corrine however ...'

'I like Noishe,' the _rat_ declares, sounding happier than when referring to moi. He crawls to the top of Sheena's head, sitting down. 'Noishe is fun.'

'And who _else_ do you like?' Sheena asks, plucking him off her head and holding him at arm's length while she walks.

'Not her!'

'Corrine, that's rude!'

'Seriously,' I say, biting the corner of my lip to avoid spluttering out something rude. 'It's okay; I'm used to being ripped on here.'

Corrine wiggles out of her grip, crawling across her arm and back to her shoulder. 'I like Lloyd. He's warm.'

'Well then,' Sheena sighs, taking him off her shoulder and setting him on the floor. He sits down and looks up at her with a needy face. 'Go ahead and find Lloyd for us, and if he's safe and sound, then you can sit on _his_ shoulder.'

And he's gone like a light.

'Wait for it,' Sheena says, holding up a finger to silence me when I open my mouth. 'Count down from ... five.'

I do so in my head, nodding each second. We continue as I count, and the scuffling of Corrine's feet padding across the floor slowly seep into silence. It's not too dark in here, but I can no longer see Corrine at all. He's too far ahead.

'Two,' Sheena mumbles under her breath. 'One, aaaand-'

'OH MY GOD!'

The scream rings down the hallway, followed by even more panicked shouting. Sheena and I run to catch up to Lloyd's location.

'Get off me you stupid animal!'

'No! You're warm!'

'Argh! G-get out of my shirt!'

Corrine's voice is muffled now. 'No! Warm!'

'Your nose is cold! Face the other way! Stop nuzzling!'

'Waaaarm!'

I can hear Sheena stifling her giggles beside me when we finally reach our third companion, who is right now trying vainly to grab the moving bulge in his shirt. Corrine stops at Lloyd's stomach, curling up under the red fabric. With an uncomfortable sound, Lloyd shoves both swords back into their sheaths and begins to unclip the buttons of his jacket. Before he can, Corrine leaps out and successfully whips Lloyd's head to one side when he latches to his hair.

'Okay, what the-' Lloyd starts, but is immediately cut off by Corrine's annoyingly squeaky voice.

'Sheena! There're weird people in here!'

I pause, looking to Lloyd's stomach. 'In there?'

'I think he means around here,' Sheena mumbles, cards in hand. 'There must be monsters.'

Lloyd just yanks Corrine off his head and hands him back to Sheena, trying to look to one side when I give him an annoyed look. 'Y'see, this is why you don't run off alone.'

'Oh come on, I could totally have handled it,' Lloyd grumbles, tugging both swords out again. 'Besides, I don't see anything ... maybe he's just seeing things. This place is weird enough as it is.'

'Would you just shut up and listen out for anything suspicious?' Sheena hisses while she searches the area silently. Lloyd pouts and ignores the telling off he's receiving, readying his swords for anything that might jump out and eat us alive. I vote we use Corrine as a distraction while we run.

Sure enough, we hear something out of the dark. It isn't the echo of footsteps ringing through the halls or the haunting gasping of some of the ghosts the apparently roam the tower. It's not even one of our group members coming back to tell us that Genis had his head gnawed off by an evil teddy-bear doll. Which I totally expected on some levels; those bears creep me out when I play here on the game.

Anyway, the only thing we can hear is something being _dragged_. Something heavy and solid and presumably very, very large.

'It'd be awesome if we could _see_,' I mutter, not knowing where to aim my guns. Immediately, Sheena grabs for a small pouch strapped to her thigh, drawing out a deck of cards. I just watch as she fumbles through them, feeling a little better now that I know where they all come from. It was starting to scare me when they just popped out of nowhere.

'Okay, here goes,' she says, shoving all the cards back except one bright yellow card she smacks against the wall. Oh lord, if she's blowing us all up, I'm going to ... not do much, seeing as I'll be dead. But my ghost will give her a good smack.

'What is tha-' I start, but fall silent when the card just ... _multiplies_ by itself, countless copies soaring across the wall ahead and into the darkness like a giant, flat snake. Lloyd seems to have the same idea, and backs away slowly.

After a moment or two of cards zooming down the wall and into the blackened hallway, Sheena slaps a hand to the first one still at her side and stops it. There's a small ripple of mana that throbs through the room, and all the cards ahead ... um, burst into flame. I'm still a little freaked out, but the whole plan was to apparently light the way. The flames freeze where they are, and the pathway is flooded with light.

I kinda wish it wasn't, because now we can see what was coming towards us. Lloyd lets out a squeak beside me, like the little girl that he is.

HOLY FRICK IT'S A FRICKING SKELETON WITH A FRICKING COFFIN ON IT'S FRICKING BACK OH MY FRICKING GOD.

I try to say all that, but my throat isn't working right now.

'Whoa, a skeleton!' Lloyd gasps. 'Cool ...'

'NOT COOL, NOT COOL!' I shriek, unloading as many bullets as I can into the thing. 'It's that thing! It's that fucking thing Kvar talked about!'

'That ...' Lloyd starts, trailing off and falling unbelievably pale. 'But ... this is the Seal of Light, not darkness ...'

'Coffin on the back, Lloyd!' I exclaim. 'It's the same thing!'

I'm right, I know I am. This is the thing Kvar told Lloyd about – and when it opens up its coffin, that _stuff_ is going to come out and we're all going to relive our most painful memories and oh _god_ I can't do this again I can't- I can't go through that all again, and Lloyd can't do the same, and Sheena won't be able to cope and _Kratos_ isn't here to help us and ...

Oh god.

Still pale, and now looking alarmingly sick, Lloyd shoves both swords into their sheaths and grabs Sheena's arm. 'W-We have to get out of here ... we have to run-!'

'Lloyd, what's the biggie?' Sheena asks, trying to shake him off. 'It's just a-'

'We have to run _NOW_!' I demand, already backing away while still shooting. It's not working – my bullets are going straight through it and the red lights in its empty sockets are _glaring_ at me from under the hood of its cape and it's reaching over his shoulder for the coffin and _I can't move_-

... I can't _move_?

I can't look away from the glow. It's paralyzing me, and I don't know if it's magic (like when the Leviathan paralyzed Genis) or fear, but it might as well be both. Both my arms fall to my side, and my guns clatter to the floor. I still can't seem to tear my gaze away, and I can just see it staggering close and heaving the heavy stone coffin off his back. It grates against the floor as it drags it, its jaw tightening in what I can only imagine would be a _grin_ if it had flesh.

I feel gloved hands on my bare arm, tugging me vainly. Lloyd's panicked voice reaches my ears. 'Come on Charlotte, move! _Move_, dammit!'

'Can't ...' I whimper.

Behind me, Sheena is sending various stunning seals at it, but they only seem to be working for mere seconds. This thing is undead, so most things aren't going to have any effect. It still isn't breaking eye-contact with me, even through the sparks and rivers of mana swirling around it to stop it moving. Sheena's trying so many different things, she's panicking and mumbles frantically to herself that nothing works, Corrine is trying to gnaw at its wrist to get it away from the coffin's lid, and I can just see _red_ with Lloyd's voice at my side and his hands on my arm and shoulder so unbelievably tight that I know it's going to bruise.

'Snap _out_ of it ...!' he demands heatedly, voice shaking. 'Charlotte, we have to _move_ – we have to run! C'mon Charlotte, please ...!'

Half of me wants to tell him and Sheena to just get the hell out of here and save themselves, but the other half of me happens to be my human side with my common sense. I'm young and stupid; I'll be listening to my human side. Goddammit.

The skeleton's ripped, dusty black cloak flutters in some non-existent choking wind, and its bones creak sharply as it curls its fingers into the wedge of the coffin's lid. Black smoke is already spilling out in beckoning curls ... oh god it's starting and I can't move _oh god_-

Screw it.

'Just ... go,' I manage, still trying to move. Nothing is happening. My lips can barely move without shaking. Lloyd looks a little stunned at my sudden lack of self-preservation (seeing as that's one of my strongest characteristics, I suppose), but the hands on my arm still don't shift. He just tightens his grip, and if I was in the right state of mind, I'd tell him it's about to break my arm.

'Lloyd!' Sheena calls desperately; Corrine perched on her shoulder while hissing and spitting at the ghoul like some sort of angry cat. Sheena isn't moving. It must have gotten her too. 'What do we do ...!?'

I heave a breath, trying to stop my heart from hammering against my ribcage. I can't do this again, but it's going to be worse if we _all_ go through it, and Lloyd can just run away. He doesn't have to stay here. The golden locks on the coffin's side are snapping open one by one and the hinges are starting to creak and ... time is running out, shit shit _shit._

'Just ... _run_,' I gasp, trying my best to shrug his hands off, which have faltered slightly so he can reach over to Sheena also. I still can't move an inch. 'Dumb ... prick ...'

'I'm _not_,' Lloyd snaps, moving and grabbing my other arm, 'going to let you hate yourself again. I used up all my corny speeches on you back at Luin; I can't do it again for both of you!'

'Everything you bloody say is corny ...' I whisper. 'We'll be fine ...'

'But-!'

At this point, I want him to run away so much that my straining arm is broken free of the paralysation that engulfs the rest of my body, and I "accidently" backhand him. Hard. He blinks, holding his reddening cheek. Yeah, I can prove my point using violence sometimes. Stop judging me.

'Who would you rather this happens to ...?' I demand, voice coming back easier. 'Just us two, or all of us? Dammit Lloyd, be logical ...!'

'She's right, Lloyd ...' Sheena mumbles, paralysation getting stronger. It's affecting her speech now. 'I dunno what this thing is ... or why you guys are freaking out so much ... but it sounds like it'd be better if you just ran ...'

She grins a little. 'We'll catch you up, you got it ...?'

'Sheena ...' Lloyd mumbles, hand faltering on my arm again as he holds her wrist. 'You don't understand, this thing is-!'

'Opening its coffin ...!' I interrupt now that the smoke previously oozing slowly out of the cryptic container is now flying towards us in rivulets.

'Lloyd, run ...!' Sheena demands, arm struggling wildly to grab at a card hidden in ... well, a place no one is going to grab. I hide my mother's credit and debit cards down there when I go shopping, and it's quite useful. Makes the bra hurt more though ... poor Sheena.

'Dammit ...' Lloyd hisses to himself, just as Sheena catches the corner of the card between her fingernails. 'Goddammit ...! Why can't I do anythi-!'

'_SUMMON!_'

... I shouldn't be saying this, but it's so funny to see Lloyd jolted out of his angst-fest when he squeaks at the sudden shout from Sheena. He drops her wrist and my arm, clutching the area over his heart. Don't have a stroke, Lloyd – we're almost done here.

Oh god, I have to force myself to stop laughing when Sheena's guardian beast soars right through him. He goes dizzy for a second before stumbling away from us and falling against the wall.

Anyway, yeah – Sheena summoned one of her guardian things. I dunno which one, because it hasn't _appeared_ properly yet – it's only the spirit form, because Sheena can't do the hand signs to go with it ... and to be honest, it doesn't look too appealing. It's all airy and silvery and ... bright. Like some kind of drug-induced angel apparition.

'Damn ...' Sheena whispers, trying to move her arms so she can bring it to life. Right now it seems to be stopping the smoke from getting to us, but if it's an apparition, it can't hold out much longer.

'Nothing is working ...' I say, starting to get the feeling back to my upper body now that the ghoul has broken eye-contact for a while. It's still happening slowly, so it's not a great accomplishment.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and Lloyd stumbles over. He's still clutching his heart, the pansy. 'No ... mana and spells aren't working, right?'

'Yeah,' I say, turning a little. 'But we don't have anything else to use without getting clos-'

'Hold these,' Lloyd says, biting the tip of his glove while he unclasps it from his sleeve. I really just can't do anything except blink in confusion when he slides his hand out, handing me the glove while he works on his other one. He pries off his Exsphere and keycrest quickly, smacking it back onto his hand while he passes me the other one. 'Okay, this will hurt me.'

'Lloyd, what are you doing ...?' Sheena asks, arms dropping slightly. Dammit Sheena, keep doing the signs! Lloyd isn't smart! He's gonna get his ass kicked!

'Just something Kratos has been teaching me for a long while now,' Lloyd says, cracking his knuckles. 'I'll have to thank him later, I guess ...'

He leans back and whispers to me. 'Um ... if this goes wrong, blame Kratos.'

... Why oh why am I resisting the urge to smack my head off the wall?

'Alright!' Lloyd snaps, reading himself for ... something. 'Bring it, you ugly bastard!'

Sheena and I just watch in disbelief as Lloyd is stupid enough to start running straight into the smoke, dodging the ghostly guardian still floating around. Most of the smoke clears once Lloyd starts through it, but it mere seconds it's going to get him, and dammit, if he gets screwed up again then I can't help him – I really can't do anything – _I can't ..._

'Lloyd, _what the hell are you doing!?'_ Sheena practically screams when she notices the smoke curling around him as he runs.

_I can't-_

'-_LLOYD!'_ I shriek in fear. '_LLOYD, I'M BEGGING YOU, PLEASE STO-!!'_

He doesn't listen to me. And with good reason.

My jaw falls open, and might as well hit the floor when Lloyd brings his arm back and punches the thing's head clean off.

I hear Sheena choke on her oxygen in amusement when the ghoul's hood falls back. The skull goes ricocheting off the walls down the corridor in hollow smacks, and Lloyd takes a few quick steps back when the remaining body claws desperately at where its head used to be.

If this were our world, my jaw would probably have slammed all way through the earth and come out in Australia somewhere. Because I don't know the exact geography for Sylvarant, we'll go with that.

Because Lloyd does a run-up to the headless skeleton still draped in its cloak, and does a freaking _butterfly kick_. Perfectly.

Oh boy, Kratos must have been teaching him to do that for a long, long while.

The remaining body gets throw back into a wall, and practically crashes into pieces from the impact. Bones just clatter against the floor, rolling away from the heap of dusty cloak that flutters to the floor. Oop, there goes a leg bone. Ew.

The smoke begins to clear a little, and Lloyd straightens up and breathes deeply, wiping a hand across his brow. 'Whoa.'

He grins, turning to both of us and walking back over. 'Wasn't too hard, see?'

I'd smack him, but I'm still feeling a little numb. Sheena looks like she's just getting out of her paralysed state, and I've been out for a while. I just ... haven't moved, because I've been watching Lloyd become some kind of Mortal Kombat reject. I'm still waiting for "Finish Him!" to boom out randomly.

'Where did you learn to ... do that?' I ask, flexing my arm a little. Urgh, everything still hurts.

'Oh ... well,' Lloyd says as I hand him back his gloves. 'I tried to do martial arts and stuff when I was a kid, but I couldn't really get the hang of it. I still learnt some useful stuff, and Kratos just helped me perfect some moves.'

He clips his gloves back on. 'Pretty cool, huh?'

Sheena raises an eyebrow. 'That's the only one you can do, isn't it?'

He blushes a little. 'S-shut up! It's still awesome!'

Sheena walks over, looking a little whoozy. 'Well, it'd be nice if you could do that in the future _before_ we're in danger. Keep that in mind, got it?'

'Got it,' Lloyd says, nodding. 'But it's still hard to do ... I think I'll stick to my swords.'

'Great,' Sheena breathes, looking dangerously dizzy at this point. 'Lloyd, do me a quick favour?'

He drops his arms to his sides. 'Sure, what is it?'

Her eyes flutter shut, and she falls into him. 'Catch me ...'

Lloyd immediately snaps to attention and grabs her by the shoulders before she topples to the floor, and I place a hand on her back. After a moment of stunned silence, Lloyd carefully winds an arm around her back so she doesn't fall.

'Whoa, Sheena ... are you okay ...?' he asks, looking down at her. 'Sheena ...?'

'What's ...' I mumble, placing a hand on her forehead. She feels fine. 'Lloyd, she's out cold.'

'What!?'

He carefully lowers her to the floor, setting her against the wall. I kneel at her side also, brushing her hair out of her face. 'Sheena? Look alive, girl!'

'... Shit,' Lloyd whispers suddenly, hand frozen on her arm. I look up questioningly, and he just glances slowly over his shoulder. I do the same, and probably lose all colour in my face.

The coffin.

It's still open.

And it's still working.

A firm hand on my shoulder snaps me out of my terrified daze, and Lloyd turns to me. Shit. He's out of it.

'Just run ...' he breathes, eyes falling shut. 'Dammit, please, just run ...'

Horror washes over me when Lloyd falls limply against the wall, and my vision blurs dangerously.

I can't do this again.

We can't do this.

Lloyd can't ... not without Kratos here ...

I lose all sense of thought and fall into Sheena's lap, mind going blank every few seconds.

Kratos ...

Lloyd needs you here ...

Anna, help him, or something ... someone ...

... Goddammit.


	63. Doppelganger

I'm iiiiiiill.

Yeah, I've had a bad cough and a sore throat and a cold for a couple of days now, but everything is fine and dandy other than that XD This chapter was an utter bitch to write, but it got fun near the end. I got all nostalgic, because I remember writing a whole bunch of TWC when I was ill near ... well, when I just started XD Argh, it was written so carefree back then. Now it's become practically rule-bound. Can do this, can't do this, doing this will screw up the story line, eeeeeek.

I just wanna say thanks to any new reviewers, and all the people that reviewed last chapter while I was on holiday XD I got an internet connection for like, three seconds on my phone and went to check what you guys had said. I was very happy :3 Then I put my phone down and played on the DDR machine for the rest of the holiday XD Hoyes.

Oh noes, we're getting closer to the Tower of Salvation D: How do YOU think it's going to go down? I know Char is going back and forth between her choice to use the Eternal Sword in this chapter a little, but she settles on her desicion to keep things the way they are too.

Oh, and Char and Lloyd have another angst-talk. Because :x The angst stops in after the Tower of Mana, but then we have HIMA. Which is like, the calm before the storm. Then we have THE TOWER. Which is like, a tsumani of angst. Gawd, this game is so angsty. I notice how things in the game seem to pick up when they reach Zelos (omg yay), so we'll probably see happier writing once they get to Tethe'alla 8D I swear, I'm going as fast as I can, because I want to write the Tower of Salvation sceeeeeenes.

Oh yeah, about me skipping the Water Seal - I've decided to KINDA skip it. The chapter after they kill the big Mana Baddie (next chapter) will be them on a magical ride to Hima broken up in flashback scenes of the Water Seal. I'll pull it off, pinky promise :)

LLOYD'S DOPPELGANGER MAKES A COMEBACK OMG YAY.

* * *

Chapter 63 - Doppelganger

_Beep beep beep._

_Beep beep beep._

_Beep beep be-_

I slam my hand down on whatever is making that ... annoying alarm sound. It isn't too hard to locate, seeing as it's practically ringing from beside my head. I let my hand rest on the metallic device for a few moments longer before letting myself realise what's going on, what happened, and what is probably _going_ to happen.

To my knowledge, we all (Lloyd, Sheena and me) fell unconscious because of that ghoul thing's magic coffin. Lloyd practically killed it, sure, but the coffin's fumes were let out anyway, and it caught us all pretty quickly. The last thing I remember is Lloyd falling victim beside Sheena, and I followed a couple of seconds after. I'm waking up, I _know_ it's been a while since then, yet ... nothing has happened. I haven't relived any painful memories. None.

If that's so, then Lloyd and Sheena are probably fine also. Biiiiiig sigh of relief.

But that doesn't exactly mean nothing is going to happen. I mean ... it might kick in randomly at some point in the future. I'll ask Charis – I haven't heard from her in a while, but I think she's still up there.

"_Charis?"_

... No answer.

"_Uh ... William ...?"_

Nothing.

"_Guys? Come on, stop ignoring me."_

Zlich. Fine, they can be moody. Screw them.

... Wait.

I bolt upright, eyes snapping open. My head spins for a few moments at the sudden movements, but it doesn't take long for me to figure out just exactly where I am.

There's a cold, metallic alarm clock in my hand. I'm in a bed. The walls around me are faded purple, the desk on the other side of the room is messy with papers scattered and unorganized around it. The windows are dirty. The floor is cluttered with junk.

... I'm in my room.

This is my home.

This is ... _Earth_.

I immediately fall back on my pillows, screwing my eyes tightly shut. I open them again slowly, expected to see the cold, dank walls of the Tower of Mana with Lloyd and Sheena beside me. The only thing that greets me is my faded purple ceiling. This isn't a dream. This isn't the dream I've been having for months since I was thrown into Sylvarant. I'm home. I'm really home.

... I don't know if I'm happy or sad.

Does ... does Lloyd know? Has he just woken up to find me gone without a trace? Or was it all just some stupid dream?

I look over to my clock. 4PM. Barely any time has passed ... yet I've apparently been gone for months? It's still the same day, the same place, weather, time. So it was a dream. Lloyd, Kratos, everyone ... none of it was ever real. It was all just in my head.

I check my body for any lasting wounds I remember from my dream, and sure enough, I don't have a scratch on me. Nor do I have the necklace that Lloyd gave on my "birthday" around my neck. In the dream, I never took it off. I don't have my green Exsphere. So it was definitely ...

... Oh god, listen to me! I'm considering if being sucked into a stupid _game_ is possible? No. It's never happened, never will. I just fell asleep, exhausted from school, had a very long and imaginative dream about being in Tales of Symphonia, all because I never got around to playing the game.

... Which does make me a little sad, I guess.

'God ...' I whisper to myself, rolling onto my side. 'What the hell ...?'

Okay, calm down. All you need to do is go downstairs, phone up your brother, and see when he's coming over. Then you can just start again and forget all about this stupid stuff that's making you worry. Lloyd was never real. He never talked to you or told you those things. Kratos never hurt you. Genis never insulted you, Colette never hugged you, Raine never scolded you, and Sheena never had to tug Corrine away from clawing at your hair. You don't know these people. They aren't real.

Still sad.

I sigh, standing shakily and walking over to the door. It's strange – it felt nice to actually know them as people instead of characters controlled by computers. Dreaming about such interaction was ... well, fun. Because as I've heard before, playing games and using your imagination lets you go beyond any logical limits that this world – and universe - has.

Wow. When I was dreaming ... I could use _magic_. I could like, send Fire Balls at people! I don't remember if I ever made a big deal about it in the dream, but whoa ... and I could heal people! If they were hurt, I could just wave a hand and they'd be better! Well, kinda ... I remember sucking at magic. But honestly, I was in a world full of _angels_ and magic, and monsters and people that I never even considered meeting. It just ... all played out so realistically. Kinda scary, really ... knowing one of my dreams, Kratos probably would have mutilated me at first sight. Ahhh, I love me and my mind.

I stop halfway to my door and just pause for a moment. This is so weird. I remember thinking ... I remember going through thousands and thousands of theories in my head, of ways to get home. And I never actually considered that I was just dreaming? Did I ever actually _pinch_ myself, or anything?

... Y'know, in my dreams, I'm usually pretty, intelligent, and cool. I was _not_ supposed to be that lame. Dreams aren't for real life, darn it.

Still, that was a bit of a scare. It was more like a nightmare. Just this horrible, horrible feeling that I couldn't escape, no matter how hard I tried. Y'know, it's bad enough being stuck in the middle of the town and not knowing where you are. A couple of phone calls and bus rides can sort that out in no time, but being _stuck_ in another universe? That was terrifying ...

Barely registering what my hands are doing, I turn around from my door and start towards my Gamecube.

'Charis, huh?' I mumble to myself, poking the button that opens the lid. I pry out the game disk, giving it a double check. Yep, it's Tales of Symphonia for sure.

I look at the picture of Lloyd on the front. It was so strange ... all those things he said. They all made sense, they all helped, and they were really comforting. And now it's weird to know I'll never hear his voice directed at me again. I'll never hear him call me a dork, he'll never thump me on the shoulder, or ask me what's up when I sat alone from the group, or grin when I say something stupid, or hug m-

I promptly snap the disk in two.

Holding the two parts in my hands, I look down to the floor. The game case is lying by my feet. I bite my lip, screw my eyes shut, and thrust my foot down as hard as I can on it.

Something snaps within it.

They're gone.

Never again.

I don't want to hear Lloyd's voice ever again.

I don't want to see Lloyd ever again.

I don't want to smell _grass_ ever again.

There's a small clatter as I drop the remainders of the disk onto the broken case, shoving the wreckage away with my foot. It's going straight in the bin when I can catch my breath. Oh god it all just felt to _real_ ...

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

I rub my eyes, looking over my shoulder. That isn't my alarm ... it only goes off once. I stumble over and push some papers out of the way around my old TV, locating the source of the noise. My small black mobile phone playing off some old tune, notifying me that I have ... a text! Woo. It's probably from my brother, telling me he's just got off the train. Or bus. Well, he has to look after me either way.

_Unknown Sender._

I blink. Huh. Opening it anyway.

And I almost drop my phone at the message. I sit down on my bed slowly, furrowing my brow. What the hell ...?

_THE END?_

... My heart hurts.

I quickly snap my mobile shut, setting it down on the table. Okay. That was weird. It's probably a prank. Just calm down and phone your brother.

I pick up the mobile again, and jump when it vibrates in my hands. Another text. From the unknown sender, whoever he ... or she is. I debate between opening it or just texting back and telling them very politely to fuck off and stop creeping me out, but that probably won't stop them. People get these freaky senders whenever their phone number is overheard somewhere.

I open it, biting my lip again.

_OPEN YOUR DOOR. I DARE YOU._

... Oh fuck. There's someone in the house.

There's someone just outside my door.

_Beep. Beep. Bee-_

Hands shaking and eyes prickling with fear, I open the third text message.

_YOU WON'T DIE. I PROMISE._

Screw this, I'm phoning the police.

I slip down into the crevice between my bed and my bedside table, pounding in 999. I bite my knuckles to calm myself and wait. It's bound to be a murderer, or a rapist, or something ... it's always something bad, and my luck probably won't change now I've woken up.

Nothing is happening on my mobile. I take it away from my ear and look at the screen which plainly reads "_No Service"._ Okay. I can't phone out. I'm screwed. Maybe he doesn't know I'm here – he hasn't phoned directly. And this could be just some stupid prank, but it's still good to be safe. Maybe I'll just sit here and wait for my brother to come. Then he'll most likely beat the crap out of whoever it is. He does with most people.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep_.

I just thud my head back again the wall, tears rolling down my face. I take a shuddering breath in and try to keep quiet so the guy outside can't hear me, lowering my head and opening the fourth text.

_I PROMISED. I DON'T BREAK PROMISES LIKE YOU. OPEN YOUR DOOR. YOU WON'T DIE. IT'LL BE FUN._

'Oh god, save me,' I whisper, curling into my knees. 'Lloyd ...'

_Beep. Beep. Be-_

Fifth text.

_IF I WANTED YOU TO DIE I WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU MYSELF BY NOW. OPEN YOUR DOOR._

I take a deep breath and hit the reply button. I might as well give this a shot.

'Who ...' I mumble as I type out the words. 'Are ... you ...?'

Send.

I barely have time to lower my hand before I get a reply. Who is this guy ...? Is it one of those bots that sends texts?

_I'M YOU._

... Wh-

I get to my feet, practically stabbing in the letters with my thumb as I head towards the door.

'Is ... this ... some kind of ... sick ... joke ...?' I mumble as I write, sending it. Sure enough, I get a reply not even a second later. Hand on the doorknob, I just stare at the single word that this person has sent back.

_DOPPELGANGER._

Lloyd's doppelganger.

This has to be some kind of sick joke. Lloyd doesn't exist. His doppelganger can't exist. How is he sending me tex-

_Beep. Beep. Be-_

I open the message quickly.

_NOT LLOYD'S DOPPELGANGER. _

I drop my phone and shove my door open.

No hallway. No landing. No stairs. Nothing.

Just empty white space for miles.

My phone vibrates by the side of my foot while I stare into the space, hoping on some levels that I've gone partially blind. I'd step out to prove to myself that I'm just having some kind of hypo, and my house is still definitely there ... but I'm scared. I'm scared I'll fall forever, I'm scared I'll die, and I'm scared that I might be stepping away from the one _scrap_ of home I have left.

_This ..._ can't be the dream. It can't be. I'm home now. There's nothing after this. Nothing. I'm home, the end, I'm back! Leave me alone! I can't do this again!

"_Charlotte."_

I bite my lip at the familiar voice, hoping that this is just another dream. I have to be home after this. I can't just have so much hope and have it ripped away from me again. If this all ends and I wake up beside Sheena and Lloyd, I swear I'm going to go insane. I'm so close to escaping – I can't go back.

'Charis, do you really exist?' I ask, placing a hand on my doorframe and staring ahead at the white space. 'What's going on? Who's texting me these weird messages?'

There's a pause. I'm begging to God that she doesn't answer me.

"_It's your doppelganger. She must have been able to latch onto your consciousness when Kvar stabbed you."_

This is all just a dream. Just go with it.

'Am I going to have the same dreams as Lloyd now?'

"_No. She can't do anything after this. She just wanted to notify you of her existence. You'll see her again only if you die here."_

'... Does everyone have a doppelganger?' I ask tiredly, resisting the urge to step off my carpet and into the white space.

"_In the other universe, yeah. Not on Earth. They're the embodiment of the opposite of all choices that you've ever made, forced into the back of your mind. When you doubt and hate yourself, if they're strong enough, they take initiative and make it worse."_

'... Jackasses,' I mumble. 'What's going to happen now?'

"_The reason you're here is because of that ghoul Lloyd killed in the Tower of Mana. It wasn't the same thing Kvar talked about, seeing as this is the Seal of Light."_

'So ...' I mumble, slumping down to the floor. 'No one is having those horrible memories replayed in their heads?'

"_Nope._"

I thud my head back against the wall and sigh in relief. 'That's good. But ... then what's happening to everyone? Surely this must have something to do with the ghoul.'

"_Well, instead of reliving painful memories, the stuff these guys use are meant to slip some kind of supernatural substance into the mind that gives the victim a glimpse of the future, but it doesn't particularly have to make sense."_

I pause, dropping my hands into my lap. That would make sense as to why I'm not currently screaming and sobbing and clinging to someone right now, as well as why Kvar would make so much effort to get his torture materials from Tethe'alla instead of the Tower of Mana. But this also makes me try to convince myself further that I _am_ home. I'm dreaming. I'm just dreaming, and I'm home, and nothing is going to take that away from me, and if I wind up in Sylvarant in a few minutes, I'm seriously going to snap.

'Say ... I'm not dreaming,' I ask, twisting my fingers together. 'Pretend this isn't a dream, and that ... I actually ... _am_ in Sylvarant. Ha ... would that mean that if I'm experiencing the future ... then I'd be going home soon?'

Charis makes a small worried sound. _"It means ... that when the time comes, you're going to make the right choice. You're going to realise how precious your life is, and you'll see that there's no point of attempting something if it means your life. You're going to Tethe'alla, and you're GOING to get home."_

'... That's ... good,' I mumble. 'I wouldn't have liked the dream to end with my death ... it seemed kinda fun.'

Charis' only reply is a tense silence. I glance sideways into my bedroom, just how I remember it, and back into the white space ahead. I want to stay. I really, really want to stay here, but I know I'm going to have to go somewhere soon. Sylvarant, the Tower of Mana, waking up again, even going downstairs – I have to get up and move somewhere. I just don't want to.

I worked so hard to get home. Even if this is just a stupid illusion ... can't I stay here? Isn't that good enough?

"_This is the extent of your dream,"_ Charis says quietly after a second. "_Once you step into the white space, Lloyd's dream will start. I feel like you should see it ... so I fixed a couple of things so you could witness it."_

'Then ...' I mumble. 'Then can I go home?'

Charis doesn't answer. She's gone.

... Aw man, I don't want to have to make this decision. I'm tired. I just want to go back to my bed and sleep, and wake up to see that everything is normal, and I can phone up my brother, and maybe even my mother to see when she's coming home. Hell, I can even call up some friends and celebrate the fact that I woke up from a _nightmare_, and we could all go out and rave around town for a couple of hours.

That's what I want. I want my family. I want my world – my school, my city. I want my friends. I want the ability to talk to them and be with them whenever I want – something I took completely for granted. What if this is just a dream? What if I really am in Sylvarant, and I couldn't see everyone for another couple of months, maybe years? I think the only reason I survived this far is because I never really wanted to accept that it was nothing but a dream. What if it really _is_ my new reality? What ... what if Lloyd and the others do actually exist, and I can talk to them, touch them, and just ... see that they're as real and human as the people I've known my whole life?

No. It's too weird. I don't want them to exist.

I guess the question is, am I brave enough to convince myself I _am_ home by stepping out of my room?

... Yeah, sure I am. I'm certain. This is a dream, just a dream, and everything is fine.

I get to my feet, flattening my hand against the wall to help me up and take a final glance around my room. The broken disk is lying on the floor with the snapped case, and everything is left how it should have been.

I'm okay. I'm okay, I can do this, you can do this Charlotte.

I press one foot outside my room to see if the white space _is_ actually a solid floor. I don't fall or sink, and I quickly go over my decision. Yeah, I can do this.

As soon as I step out completely, my doors slams shut behind me. When I look back ... everything is gone. I'm greeted with even more white space.

So ... now I'm trapped in the middle of nowhere.

Aw fuck.

'Well ... I mumble to myself, taking a few slow steps forward. 'Now I just ... wait for Lloyd's dream to start, I guess.'

I'll admit, I'm a little worried. It isn't too hard to just ask Lloyd and Sheena what they dreamt about, so if Charis is taking precautions and letting me see this dream, then it's either something Lloyd wouldn't be comfortable talking about openly, or something to do with me. If _my_ doppelganger took this as an opportunity to contact me, then I wouldn't be surprised if Lloyd's did the same.

'Charis, what are Lloyd's doppelganger's dreams supposed to symbolise?' I ask, hoping she's still there. 'The first one I saw when we left Palmacosta was strange ... I mean, is Lloyd still strapped to the giant "X" shaped statue?'

"_Nah, that's gone now that the doppelganger is losing hold over Lloyd's mind,_" she replies. "_It was to show that Lloyd is completely able to be swayed by the doppelganger's words, but now after talking with Kratos and you guys, he's starting to win a little. A very, very little."_

'So ... what's he trying to do?'

"_He's just trying to show him how stupid he is. He's trying to convince him that his friends would be better off without him, that he's making all the wrong choices, and that_ ... _well, that he should have been the one to live instead of him."_

'So Lloyd's doppelganger is just sour because _Lloyd_ is living their life instead of him?'

"_Well, Lloyd would be pissed off too if he had to watch his doppelganger live their life and go around acting like a dick. The doppelganger just doesn't like how he's so soft."_

'Fair enou ... what the-?'

Charis disappears again at my sudden outburst. By the looks of things, Lloyd's dream has started ... as he's just morphed in out of nowhere. But ...

That's not Lloyd.

I bite my lip, trying to ignore how the doppelganger is just a few mere feet away from me. I mean ... I know he can't see me because I'm just viewing this dream, but he's still scary ... he's nothing like Lloyd. Visual wise, he is ... I mean, he just looks taller and older and is wearing different clothes. But his atmosphere is a lot different. I feel like I'm in the same room as Yggdrasill.

The doppelganger sighs, rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. Whoa, Lloyd would look good wearing a dress shirt. Dammit, this is not the time for fashion! Seriously though, it's all unbuttoned and casua – stop it, Charlotte!

I just watch silently as he folds his arms behind his head, taking a couple of steps forward. 'Llooooyd. Come out, it's time to play.'

... Oh god, he's freaky.

And he _smirks._ He's worse than Kvar. One minute I'm complimenting his fashion sense, now I want to run a mile. Good thing he can't see, I guess. I'm sure he's aware of our existence if he's convincing Lloyd that we'd be better off without him, and it's just scary to know that he _thinks_ about us. I bet he'd kill Genis and Colette in a second for 'getting in his way' or something. I'm kinda glad Lloyd's in charge. Evil Lloyd doesn't sound too good. He could use the fashion sense though.

Okay, they both wear suspenders. _One_ thing they have in common.

The doppelganger doesn't look too angry that Lloyd's hiding from him. He's definitely a lot more patient than the original. He drops his hands to his sides with a small sigh, shoving his hand into his pocket. 'You can't keep me waiting forever.'

'Like you'd care.'

He snorts at the sound of Lloyd's bodiless voice echoing around him, pulling a small carton out of his pocket. 'I don't, particularly. But you've been doing some _very_ bad things, and as your better half, I think I should be the one to inform you of your mistakes.'

'Bite me, jackass!'

He laughs again, returning the carton to his pocket when he's finished fiddling with it for a few seconds. I notice how he's now holding a cigarette. Huh, I haven't seen one of those in a _very_ long time. It's a shame they're back – everyone in my family smokes, and it was nice to get some fresh air. I know it isn't affecting me, but dammit evil-Lloyd! No smoking in Sylvarant!

'If you hide forever, you'll never wake up,' he practically sings, lighting his cigarette. 'Then think of how _sad_ poor Genis would be, losing his best friend.'

I see a small flicker of red in the white space. Lloyd's getting angry.

'I don't see why he's so dependent on someone like you,' he says, smirking again. 'Pathetic little bastar-'

In a giant blur of red, brown and white, the doppelganger is sent sprawling to the floor. I should be more surprised at how a now-visible-Lloyd is practically sitting on his chest and holding his wrists down so hard that his hands are shaking, but I'm astonished at how his doppelganger managed to keep the cigarette in his mouth while the ... pouncing went on.

'Shut up about my friends!' Lloyd demands, glaring fiercely down at him. His lookalike doesn't look surprised or stunned at all. 'You don't know anything about them!'

'I exist in the back of your mind,' he says quietly, angling his cigarette carefully on the corner of his mouth. 'I know everything about them. I know how Genis depends on you when he shouldn't. I know how Colette thinks you'll always pull through when you _can't_. I know how Raine thinks you'll learn when you're just as stupid and blind as ever. I know how Kratos thinks that maybe one day you'll be as strong as him, but we both know that will never happen.'

He grins wickedly. 'The four people who you love the most, and oh my, a shame that it will only hurt them.'

Lloyd punches him. Right in the face. The doppelganger just looks up, still grinning, and licks away a line of blood trailing down his mouth. God _dammit_, he's seriously creeping me out.

'Your violence is only showing you're angry. Angry that I'm _right_.'

'You're ... _wrong_,' Lloyd hisses, clenching his teeth tightly. 'I love my friends, and they love me – what the hell makes you think anything _you_ say will effect that!?'

'Oh, I know you all love eachother,' he says, casually folding one leg over the other while Lloyd remains perched atop his chest. 'I'm simply telling you that _you_ can't uphold what it means to be a true friend.'

'Genis is my closest friend,' Lloyd practically snarls. 'I'd give my life for him in a second. You're saying that I'm a bad friend!?'

'You'd give your life for Genis,' the doppelganger says, still trying to keep his cigarette in his mouth. 'But what about Raine and Colette? Kratos, Charlotte and Sheena? Would you give your life for them? Genis is your closest, most trusted friend. You saved eachother from your loneliness. But would you willingly give your life in a second to protect the others?'

He smirks, leaning up to Lloyd's ear. 'Knowing just how much it would hurt Genis? Your one and true friend?'

Lloyd can't speak. He's still holding his mirror-image down, but he's completely lost for words. It honestly scares me to see how easily the doppelganger can wrap Lloyd around his little finger. Come on Lloyd, you're stronger than this ... unless he's hitting a sensitive spot in Lloyd's life ...

'The Professor is my mother,' Lloyd says quietly after a while. 'Colette is my sister. They're my family, and they always will be. But Genis is-'

'So much more than that,' the doppelganger sighs, leaning away from Lloyd and thudding back down onto the white floor. 'He promised he would never leave you. He deserted his own home for you, and put your priorities above his own sister. He and Raine have nowhere to live. At the end of this journey, Colette can go right back to Iselia. How are you going to handle Genis' burdens on your shoulders?'

'I'd build a house for them with my own two hands if I had to,' Lloyd practically growls. 'Iselia was my fault, and mine alone. The Professor always took care of me when I ran away from home. Genis was always there for me when I needed help ... and no one was there for me _before_. I owe them that much, and I'd give it to them in a second.'

'You can't do that if you're dead, can you?'

Lloyd falls silent once again. The doppelganger's eyes widen ... his pupils are _slits_, and he's got this horribly freakish _grin_. He looks absolutely and pleasantly insane.

'What if you gave your life to protect the others?' he whispers, voice straining. He sounds darkly giddy with quiet excitement. 'To protect Raine, Colette? Kratos, Charlotte, Sheena – everyone? When you're dead for protecting them, you can't use your hands to rebuild their house.'

Some ash from his burning cigarette flicks onto his cheek. He doesn't even flinch. 'His life will crumble without you. Just which would you pick?'

Lloyd can't speak. He looks utterly terrified.

'Do you remember what you said? Just hours ago?' the doppelganger practically _giggles_, forcing himself up. Lloyd just falls off him, trying to back away. He seems to have forgotten how to use his legs.

'"_I'll protect you" ...'_

Oh shit.

There's a flash of blinding white light that seems to overpower the already bright area. It's just white for miles ahead. I flinch, covering my eyes. I can't see if Lloyd does the same, but a panicked yell seems to be proof enough.

'..."_with my LIFE_."'

The light dims, and I lower my hand from my eyes, looking around. Lloyd lowers his own arms, noticing immediately that his doppelganger is nowhere to be seen. Oh god. I'm not even part of the dream, and I'm actually _scared_.

'Y-you ...' Lloyd grumbles, getting slowly to his feet. He hisses, rubbing his eyes. 'Show yourself, you coward!'

'_Maybe you should stop making promises you can't keep. That is what makes you an untrue friend.'_

'I ...' Lloyd mumbles, screwing his eyes shut and shaking his head. He's practically fighting with himself. 'Th ... that was-'

'_You may have been overreacting, but how do you think people are going to feel when the dire promises you make are NEVER going to get even a chance? Are you prepared to let down the people who are depending on them with their lives?'_

Lloyd clenches his teeth, burying his face in his hands. 'Shut up! Just SHUT UP!'

'_Are you just going to sit there and watch them die while they're WAITING for you to live up to your untrue words_?'

'I SAID SHUT _UP!_'

'_Did I touch a nerve? Have you let someone down before? Of course ... and apparently, you're prepared to do it again.'_

Lloyd claps his hands over his ears, trying to block out his voice. 'GET OUT OF MY HEAD AND _LEAVE ME ALONE!_'

I really can't do anything but watch. Lloyd's hands fly to his sides, and he draws both swords. He just begins hacking wildly at the air around him. 'Show your damn face so I can slice it off, you bastard!'

'_I'd be careful if I were you,'_ the doppelganger says, and I notice a soft glow a couple of yards behind Lloyd, who has dropped his hands to his sides, shoulders shuddering as he pants. The negative 'bastard' living in the back of his mind slowly slides out of thin air amongst the glow, shoes tapping quietly against the white floor as he lowers himself to the ground. Lloyd hasn't noticed his presence, still staring at the floor while the grip on his swords tightens. I'd like to tap him on the shoulder and point out the pretentious prick behind him, but I don't really ... y'know, exist. I'm hoping it stays that way after the dream. I'm ... going home, after all.

'We wouldn't want people to get hurt again,' he says softly, voice still echoing as if he were hiding. I watch in horror as the doppelganger begins to ... _break apart_, to put it simply. His flesh and clothes are disappearing in small, glowing particles that just seem to fly off and disappear. But the reason why I'm struck practically disgusted isn't because he's disappearing as if he were made of sugar and just randomly _exploded_ in slow motion, but because of what's happening underneath.

Like he's shedding his skin. Shape-shifting into someone else completely, just to screw with Lloyd's head a little bit more.

The only thing that doesn't seem to fit the said person he's turned into is that ... well, a dress is being worn. A short, white one. Not too much of a biggie, but that just wouldn't happen.

It isn't hard to recognise the person I'm looking at when he finishes his transformation, final particle of "Lloyd-ness" leaving his original form, and long hair falls down to the small of the figure's back. Bare feet shift softly, and I notice he's using the traits as well. I notice a few mistakes in the image he was aiming for, but all the little signs make it obvious.

Small feet, sharp ankles, clenched hands, roundish face, _short_. And of course, giant-woman-hipthighs, though once again, that could just be me.

'Lloyd.'

Yes, I'm looking at myself.

I would like to stride of to ... doppel-me, slap him/her/it, and tell him/her/it that my chest is _bigger_ than that ... but I'm not going to. Lloyd doesn't need much more confusing crap going on.

He looks back, almost dropping his swords. It could either because 'I' have just randomly appeared in his dream, or it could be that 'I' am wearing a very ... shot ... _dress_. Just ... no, I don't wear dresses unless they're accompanied by something covering the legs. I don't like showing off my GWHT (GiantWomanHipThighs), and even though the dress is only short compared to _my_ standards and reaches down to 'my' knees, I still consider it short. Even though my GWHT are barely visible.

I will stop twatting around and talking about fashion every five minutes, I swear.

'Charlotte ...?' he simply asks as though he hasn't seen me in years. 'What ... what are you doing he-'

Doppel-me just ... smiles. It's creepy to watch.

'I'm not important, am I?'

Oh shitsticks.

Lloyd's eyes widen slightly, and he fumbles for an answer. 'W... wh-'

'I'm one of your less important friends, I guess,' doppel-me says, smoothing down the front of the dress. If he/she/it shows my GWHT at all, I'm going to smack the doppelganger so hard he'll shoot right out of Lloyd's brain and down his nose. 'As I'm not as important and Genis and Colette, I suppose it'd be silly of me to think anything you say to me is true.'

Doppel-me's smile fades. '... You did always say I was a dork.'

'This ...' Lloyd says after a moment, trying to place everything together and figure out what's going on. He slowly withdraws his swords, starting towards his disguised doppelganger slowly, looking uncomfortably puzzled. 'Charlotte ... this isn't like you; what's going o-'

'Not like me?' she ... he/it/urgh asks with a hurt expression. This is so weird to watch. Not because I don't generally _watch_ myself talking, but because it's like I'm watching the part of myself I've tried to keep down this whole time, and it's saying all the things I secretly consider every now and then. It's not lying at all, and it's scaring me. It's saying _everything_ I think.

'When you think about it, we don't know eachother well ... right?' doppel-me asks, clasping its hands behind it's back. 'How do you know what I'm really like?'

It smiles again. 'What if I'm really just an insecure brat consumed by jealousy and fear? Would you still think the same about me then? Would you still call me your 'friend'?'

Lloyd glares, striding up to doppel-me. 'Alright, what the _hell_ is going on!?' He grabs 'my' shoulders tightly, shaking 'me' slightly. 'I don't care what you say, this isn't like you! What are you talking about? What ... what's _wrong_ with you!?'

'... You've been helping me a lot lately, haven't you?' doppel-me says quietly, shrugging softly against that hands on its shoulders. 'Teaching me how to have some pride in myself ... telling me that even with my flaws, I'm okay the way I am ... and I can remain this way ...'

Lloyd's hands falter a little, and doppel-me folds its arms.

'You taught me what's important about trusting people ... and that I shouldn't hate myself ...'

It looks up, no longer smiling. 'But can you repeat in complete honesty those words? Or should you be more careful about promising so many things to people over and over?'

Lloyd's trying his hardest not to drop his hands.

'You're promising Genis you'll protect him, but he keeps getting hurt.'

'I ... I-'

'You promised Sheena that you'd protect her when she had to go home and give them news of her failure,' it says. 'But don't you also want to be with Kratos ...? You would choose Kratos over her, wouldn't you?'

'T-that-'

'You said ...' it says finally. 'That you'd protect me with your life.'

Lloyd's hands finally slip from its shoulders, shaking.

'Can you really promise me that? Or were you going too far and playing around?'

It looks up, glaring. 'Why are you making me dependant on you ...? When the time finally comes where you have to choose between my life and another, are you just going to throw all the trust I had for you back into my face? All the trust that you helped me realise I could give?'

Lloyd takes a wary step back.

'Why are you letting me put my life in your hands when you can't take care of it?'

He can only shake his head slightly. 'C-Char ... oh god ...'

I join Lloyd in staring in fear at the figure of myself, as it's begun to bleed. Everywhere. Eyes, ears, mouth, hairline, collar, stomach, feet, knees, hands – rivers of blood are just slowly _flowing_ from them and staining the white dress. It's happening so fast, and IT takes a shaky step forward, staring at Lloyd with wide eyes. It blinks, and blood trickles down its face like tears. It doesn't actually look like it's crying, but ...

'Lloyd ...' it breathes, clutching his wrist tightly. Blood oozes down it's ... her elbow, down to her wrist. It's seeping into Lloyd's glove. 'Would-'

'_-Would you?'_ comes my own true voice out of nowhere.

'_Huh? Would I what ...?_'

'_-Nothing_.'

The dangerously bleeding copy of myself grabs Lloyd's arms, while he stares down in absolute horror. 'Would you protect me with your life?'

The look in Lloyd's eyes gives the plain answer.

No.

Out of complete fear, Lloyd grabs doppel-me's shoulders and shoves her back roughly. She stumbles back and Lloyd clutches his own chest, breath shuddering. 'What ... what the _hell_ is going on!? S-snap out of it ...!'

I watch the copy of myself slump heavily to the floor, still bleeding freely. Now I know why the doppelganger decided on the white dress, because it's practically soaked and stained with blood. It's dripping off onto the white floor, and my copy is still coughing up blood – oh god there's so much of it – and clutches her stomach which is also bleeding heavily as though someone had shredded her flesh and insides.

'I'm not ... important enough ... so stop making promises ...'

'_Only one of you is getting out of this alive_.'

Lloyd looks around at the voice of his doppelganger, who has just decided to jump in at this second. 'Wh ... what?'

'_That ghoul has killed you both. Your bodies are in the Tower of Mana. Only one of you can leave this dream and go back. And it's up to you to pick, Lloyd.'_

You can hear the bastard grinning. '_Can you do that?_'

'You ... this is your fault ...' Lloyd whispers. 'Dammit, you sick ...!'

'_Screaming won't make it sort itself out. Now choose who gets to live.'_

'I _can't_ ...!' Lloyd protests, voice cracking.

'_You know how you feel about her. She's not as important and Genis and Colette, Kratos and Raine. You know in your heart, you would choose your remaining life with them over her own. So just give into your heart and chose the obvious one.'_

'If ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'If I leave here, is she really going to die?'

'_Yes. If you let her live, then you'll die. Genis will be sad. You won't be able to "build them a house with your own two hands" if you're dead. You can't protect him, like you promised. You can't stick by him forever, like you promised. You made so many promises, Lloyd – you simply can't keep up with them, can you? Now which is the most important?'_

By now, the copy of me is practically sitting in a puddle of its own blood, looking dizzier by the second. The answer is obvious, but Lloyd looks like he's trying to drag this out and come up with a solution.

'_You chose another person's life over our own dead mother, but you can't do that for Genis, can you? Genis is still alive. He's waiting for you. They all are. What are you going to do?'_

Lloyd grits his teeth. 'I-'

'_This isn't a matter of giving up your own life for someone anymore, is it? It's like you're choosing between Genis and another friend. You've tied yourself to him far too deeply, Lloyd. You should be more careful about making promises to other people that might get in the way of what your heart will choose.'_

He laughs. '_You're only hurting yourself. Maybe it's time to stop playing around and let your heart finally choose.'_

The copy of myself chokes, and dark red and black blood splatters across the ground. Lloyd's eyes widen. 'W-wait! I didn't-!'

'_Your heart already chose as soon as I asked you the question. She was always going to die, Lloyd. By ensuring her protection, you just made it harder for yourself.'_

'N-no, wait – this-' Lloyd rambles loudly as the blood seeping from the red body on the floor starts turning black. 'Stop! Please don't-!'

'_It's too late, Lloyd. Watch as you kill your 'friend'.'_

The copy of myself looks up, face dripping with blood that's still trickling down from her hairline. Lloyd watches in terror, and my copy just ... smirks. 'Lloyd ... didn't you promise?'

Finally, something seems to click inside of Lloyd's head. My vision blurs suddenly, only a little when the eyes staring back at Lloyd glaze over, and the hands clutching at her stomach drop. Wait ... what if I'm really –

Fear doesn't have enough time to grip my mind when I realise I might actually be dead, and Lloyd's blurred figure lunges right for the body falling heavily to the floor.

'_Charlotte!'_

--

'_Genis, is something wrong?'_

'_Oh ... Colette ... no, nothing's wrong. I'm fine.'_

'_Really? You keep drifting away ... I know there aren't any monsters around, but you still have to be a little cautious just in case. Kratos and the Professor can't do all the work, right?'_

'_Yeah, you're right ... hey, what do you mean they're doing all the work!? I'm the one that solved all those puzzles back there!'_

'_Hehe. But ... you've been quiet for a really long time now. Didn't you notice the professor trying to get your attention?'_

'_Uh ... she was?'_

'_... Genis, please tell me what's wrong. We're on this journey together ... so we all have to help eachother, right?'_

'_... I'm sorry. I guess I just didn't want to worry you.'_

'_Are you worried about Lloyd and the others?'_

'_... I just have this horrible feeling ... that something really bad might be happening. We opened the way for them a while ago ... shouldn't they be here by now?'_

'_They are taking a little long ... but I'm sure if they're in trouble, Lloyd can handle it.'_

'_... Lloyd may be strong, but he's still an idiot.'_

'_Well, Sheena's there too. I think if Lloyd gets into a fix, she'll take care of him.'_

'_She is a lot smarter than him ... but I just have this weird feeling that Lloyd's in trouble ...'_

'_Eh? Just Lloyd?'_

'_Yeah ... well, I mean – I know if Lloyd is in trouble then the others probably are too, but I can't shake this feeling off that he really needs our help.'_

'_Do you want me to go back and look for him?'_

'_W-what!? On your own!? You'll get hurt, o-or lost!'_

'_I'm the Chosen – I can take care of myself, right? I've been taking care of you and Lloyd for years now!'_

'_W-well ... maybe we could send Kratos, or something ... he can take care of everything, right?'_

'_Do you really feel that strongly? Maybe you two have a telepathic bond or something! That's so cool!'_

'_Eeh ... I don't think that's it ... but I still think he needs my help.'_

'_... If it's really worrying you that much, then I'll go and talk to Kratos, okay?'_

'_Yeah ... o-okay.'_

--

'...tte ...'

'... lotte ...'

'Charlotte ...?'

That's not Sheena's voice. It's not. I refuse to believe its Sheena's voice saying my name. She doesn't exist. None of them exist – they never did; it was all a dream, wasn't it?

I can feel my stomach twist uncomfortably - just ... probably something I ate at school today. It's cold – I probably left my bedroom window open. I can feel stone floor beneath me – probably just ... um ...

"_You can stop now."_

Voices in my head. Yeah, I'm totally sane.

I finally open my eyes to see the worried face of Sheena hovering over me. Yeah ... it's time to stop pretending. I suppose I just have to face it.

'Are you okay?' she asks. I don't know what to say at first other than "no I just watched myself BLEED TO DEATH", but I don't really want to say that because a) it'd probably scare her, and b) people don't usually go traipsing into other people's dreams. So I'll keep this to myself and hope Lloyd doesn't craze out at me or something. He should go hug Genis ...

I sit up slowly, holding my head in one hand and using the other to help myself up, flattened against the floor. There's a sting of cold against my palm – pain. This definitely isn't a dream. This was never a dream.

... Then goddammit, why aren't I still accepting it?

'Hey ... are you okay?' Sheena asks me a second time, and I flinch at the sound of her voice – so real ... too real. 'You're not hurt or anything, are you?'

'N ... no,' I answer quietly, digging my nails into my wrist. It's painful. 'I can't ... feel anything at all ...'

It's just a dream after all.

I drop my hands before I begin to bleed, refusing to turn my head and face the woman behind me. 'Is ... is Lloyd awake?'

'He just starting coming around a second ago before you did,' she says, noticing flat out that there's something up with me. 'Uh ...'

'Go see him,' I say, still not turning. 'I need to – I mean-'

'It's fine ... sort yourself out first.'

I hear her get up from her knees, moving away to tend to Lloyd, who really doesn't sound all that awake right now. I don't know, I'm still refusing to turn around. Is this really all real? Am I really here? Are these people actually ... _talking_ to me?

I drop my hands from my lap and push my palms against the floor. It's cold and gritty. It's so real. It's not a dream, or an illusion ... I'm really trapped in a world I can't get out of. This isn't one of those "phone the police/family and it'll all be fine" things ... I'm really here, aren't? All those nights going to sleep and hoping I'd just wake up in my room ... there was no point in that, was there?

"_Sorry reality was brought down a little hard,"_ Charis says, interrupting my thoughts and making me jump a little. "_We honestly didn't mean for you to see that. We didn't think you guys would get caught, and we couldn't do anything to stop it."_

I bite my lip, dragging my hand across the floor. "_It doesn't matter. That dream was supposed to show me my future. I'm getting home soon, aren't I?"_

"_Right. Just keep that in mind, and you can get through this."_

I nod, shuffling over to lean back against the wall and look around. I notice the coffin that let out that stuff, as well as the ghoul some yards away have turned completely to dust. Either it does that when it's dead, or we've been unconscious for a _very_ long time. Seeing as no one has actually been to find us yet, I'd say it's definitely been under an hour. We'd better get up there or the others will think we're dead.

'Lloyd ... hey!'

I look over to the other two, and see that Sheena seems to have dragged a semi-conscious Lloyd to sit against the wall and is shaking him roughly by the collar. Yeah, Sheena's a total pro.

'Snap out of it, you dummy!' she demands, and Lloyd's eyes just keep drifting shut. She sits back a little, one hand still fisted into his collar, and slaps him. Not hard, but apparently hard enough to send his head flying to one side. My side. Hey Lloyd, wassup?

His eyes immediately snap open wide. He takes one long look at me, opens his mouth and states quite blandly: 'You're alive.'

I immediately don a confused look just to throw him off course, and Sheena does the same. Lloyd does it for only a second though, and seems to remember exactly where we are, exactly what we're doing and exactly who is waiting for us. And the ghoul-dust some ... way over there.

'Oh ... man,' he mumbles, dropping his head and grabbing his brow. 'My head is killing me ...'

'I'm not far off,' Sheena says with a small sigh, unhanding his jacket and straightening up. 'That was a horrible experience ...'

Charlie, say something.

'S-so ...' I mumble, leaning back against the cold wall. 'Did everyone ... I mean, what did everyone see? What I saw was pretty personal ... so I don't think we all saw the same thing.'

Sheena just lowers her eyes, and I jump when I notice Corrine perched on her shoulder. I swear the little bugger comes out of nowhere. Sheena just shakes her head when I look to her for an answer, and Corrine shifts on her shoulder.

'There was an accident when Sheena was little. She saw it again.'

Ah. Volt. We saw our future, so she must have seen everyone going to get Volt but with Lloyd and the others. Apparently it started the same way, so she must think she's in line to kill everyone. Yeah, not nice.

'Wow ... I'm sorry,' Lloyd says quietly. 'That must have been rough.'

'Nah ... it's fine,' Sheena says, reaching a hand out to Lloyd. 'It was just an illusion, right? Nothing more, nothing less.'

Lloyd nods, taking her hand and getting to his feet. 'Right ... just an illusi – whoa!'

Corrine jumps to the top of Sheena's head when Lloyd falls into her, and Sheena grabs his arms. 'Hey! Watch it!'

I roll my eyes, standing slowly. Sheena practically holds him at arm's length, and Lloyd blinks once or twice. Come to think of it, he doesn't look too good. He's been ill like, a hundred times before, right? I thought it had gone away ... I mean, it been so long, but he does actually look a little off like he used to. Oh lord, another piece of crap in the bucket.

Lloyd leans back against the wall, pressing a palm to his forehead as Sheena eyes him carefully. 'Lloyd, you don't look too good ...'

'No! No, I'm totally fine!' Lloyd insists rapidly, hand snapping to his side. 'See?'

'Lloyd, maybe you're sick again,' I say, butting in. I'm not letting Lloyd keep getting away with this, because I know Raine worries about his health like he has "I'm Dying" stamped to his face. 'You should sit down for a few minutes.'

'I said I'm fine!' Lloyd insists, glaring at the two of us. 'I mean ... the others are probably worrying their butts off up there; we should get up to them as soon as we can.'

'There's also the chance of you dropping dead,' Sheena snaps, folding her arms. 'I'm not dragging you up this tower.'

'You won't have to, because I'm not sick!' Lloyd demands. Seriously, he's like a five year old having a fit. 'I'm totally-'

'How many fingers?' Sheena orders, practically pressing three to his nose. 'You have two seconds.'

'F-five!'

Sheena grabs his shoulders, shoving him down. 'You're dizzy! Sit!'

'I'm okay, I swear,' Lloyd groans, trying to resist. Sheena is freakishly strong. 'I just don't want to keep the others waiting any longer. What if they come down to find us and another one of those ... _things_ gets hold of them?'

Sheena pauses, hands still clamped down firmly on Lloyd's shoulders, and considers the image he's just put in our heads. I'm sure everything will be fine if they get caught ... I mean, if it shows the future, what's the worst that could happen? I mean sure, I saw myself getting home, Sheena saw herself killing everyone via Volt again, Lloyd's doppelganger hijacked his future-dream and screwed with his head for being a bad boy ... so what's the worst that could happen?

I just wonder ... if Lloyd _did_ have his future-dream, then would he have seen everything that happened at the Tower of Salvation? Would he have seen Colette becoming soulless, Kratos betraying them, and Yggdrasill being ... well, a douchebag? If so, then he might have seen me trying to get home. That would have been awkward.

'Let's compromise,' Sheena says finally, straightening up and letting Lloyd stand properly. 'You stay here with Charlotte and get some rest. I'll go on up ahead to meet with the others.'

'What!?' Lloyd snaps, grabbing her wrist before she can turn and go. 'I can't let you go by yourself! What if you get hurt, or caught by another ghoul!?'

'Lloyd, I'm a ninja,' she grumbles, tugging her wrist away. 'I'll be fine. I'm a lot more experienced than you, y'know. You should just be worried about losing your best fighter right now.'

Lloyd falters. 'But ... you can't go by yourself, I mean-'

'Mean what?' Sheena demands, stepping right up to him. Lloyd practically backs up to the wall while Sheena looms over him, and I have to stifle a giggle. Yes, Lloyd is totally going to get it now.

'W-well ...' Lloyd stammers. 'Back in Iselia ... they taught us that we have to, um, protect girls and women and stuff, and uh-'

'So I can't go up ahead because of that?' Sheena snaps.

Lloyd just flinches. Ahhh, life is good. Sheena is your stereotypical angry-PMS-woman that decides to hunt down men for the smallest comment that might somehow lead back to sexism. Not my cup of tea, but it's good to have one around for shits and giggles. Plus, she's just awesome.

'Y'know what?' Sheena says with a surprisingly sudden smile, clapping down both hands onto Lloyd's shoulders. 'You're right.'

'I-I am?' Lloyd asks.

'Yep,' Sheena says, nodding. 'Y'know, it's always useful to have a big strong kid like yourself flailing around and protecting me, despite the whole twelve years of combat training I've had, right?'

Lloyd opens his mouth to answer, but Sheena just smiles again, gripping his shoulders tighter, and turns to me.

'I'm gonna go ahead and find the others. Charlotte, stay here and look after Lloyd for a little while. He can't walk.'

Lloyd blinks. 'Huh? I can walk just fi-'

I actually have to _recoil_ when Shenna presses him firmly to the wall by his shoulders, brings her leg back and ... knees him in his nadgers. Oh my. Lloyd immediately lets out some inhumanely high-pitched squeak, crumpling instantly to the floor when Sheena unhands his shoulders. I watch him curl up, trying to form some words other than "HOLY OW", and look back up to Sheena. I probably look quite scared, and she just stretches her arms over her head. Corrine jumps down back to her shoulder, and she turns on her heel and starts down the dark hallway.

'That'll keep him put. Adios, kiddies.'

I watch her disappear into the darkness, and then realise that there _is_ a quivering Lloyd on the floor. Yeah, I should make sure he isn't dying or anything.

'... You okay down there, buddy?' I ask, stepping over as he tries to pull himself up to lean against the wall. 'You need an apple gel for down there, or ... or a life bottle?'

Lloyd doesn't answer at first, hoisting himself against the wall while he presses his legs together tightly. 'N-nah, I'm ... good ...'

Wow, his voice is so squeaky. He sounds a bit like Genis. Ahh, I'll never know what it's like to be kicked in your man-zone. Pretty glad about that, actually. I'm not complaining or anything.

'Okay, um, I dunno how that feels, so you just tell me when you're ready to get up and going,' I say, plopping down next to him.

'Damn, damn, damn,' Lloyd chants over and over, curling into himself again. 'Dammit, dammit, damndamndamn ow ...'

I just roll my eyes. I swear guys make a big deal out of this stuff. Then again, apparently women are supposed to make a big deal about our pains. Huh, men should get kicked in their Davids once a month to see what it's like.

Various bodily pains aside, I don't think it'll take too long to get Lloyd up and running. I'd like to say I believe he won't be brought down that easily, but still. Y'know, if it's _that_ easy to bring down a guy, why don't we just do that to all of our male enemies before they can start killing and casting spells and whatnot? Life makes no sense in my head sometimes. It's best for me not to think.

I leave Lloyd to hold onto the source of his pain for a while, twiddling my thumbs idly. I don't think it should take too long. I kicked a guy in the nuts once (by accident, shut up) and he was fine in like, three minutes. C'mon Lloyd, you're a big boy now.

'So ...' he says after a while, leaning back onto the wall a little. 'What did you see?'

I look up. 'Huh?'

'In the dream, I meant,' Lloyd clarifies. 'You _did_ see something, right?'

'Oh, that,' I say, waving a hand. 'Nothing big. I just saw myself in my house. I didn't get it, but yeah.'

'Feeling homesick?' he says, mustering a small grin. 'The journey is almost over, if you're still intent on staying with us. I'm sure everyone at Asgard misses you.'

I honestly can't help but snort. Yeah, no one in Asgard _knows_ me except the couple that owns the inn and Walter. But then again, I suppose it'd be silly of me to try and keep up that charade if I'm going to be jumping into a rip of space and time and home. Because they're gonna realise that I don't come from Asgard pretty soon, aren't they? I should still keep all the big secrets close to me – I mean, there's always the black-hole gig that might go down.

'Yes, they're all _dying_ to see me,' I sigh, examining my nails casually.

'I wonder what Dad's up to,' Lloyd mumbles, looking up to the high ceiling. 'You've met my dad, right?'

I shake my head. 'Nah, I don't think so. When I went to your house, I only talked to you and then left with the others. He's a dwarf, right?'

'Sure is,' Lloyd says with a smile. 'I guess I'm the one that's a little homesick ...'

'Hey, it's always okay to miss your parents when you leave 'em for the first time,' I say, reaching over and thudding him on the shoulder gently. 'You'll see him soon enough and you can tell him about all the awesome stuff we've been doing on this journey.'

'I guess I could always write him a letter,' Lloyd says with a shrug.

I nod. 'I think he'd like that. I'm sure he misses you too. Hey, what did you dream about?'

Okay, I completely threw that at him out of nowhere, but it's going to eventually start eating at him. Y'know, if he has to promise someone something or someone starts bleeding, he might flip out or something. Not that we're all about to bleed randomly all over the place, but hey, it might happen.

'Oh ... u-uh ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'Just ... I didn't really see anything ...'

'You sure?' I ask, still examining my nails. It'll be easier for him if I don't make eye-contact and make him feel pressured. I know the main focus of his dream was betraying all of his friends' promises, and seeing as his latest major 'promise' was made to me, I _am_ the one he practically killed. If he gets all angsty and upset over that, then I'm going to have to Falcon-Punch him in the head.

'Yeah, it was just ... black space, really,' he murmurs. 'Nothing much.'

'Ah, okie-dokie,' I say, dropping my arms into my lap. I look over and notice Lloyd shifting awkwardly, which could be one of two things – he's either uncomfortable about lying, or ... well, the whole being-kicked-in-the-whatnots. Bleh, screw it.

'Hey Lloyd, do you think dresses would suit me?'

He looks over, blinking. 'Wh ...'

'I mean,' I say straightening up. 'I never really wear 'em because it can get pretty cold where I come from, and I'm pretty self-conscious about my legs, 'cause they're all lame. I suppose if I spent a month or two just toning my legs up, then I could look pretty good in one, right? I'd need a tan too, I guess ...'

Lloyd doesn't speak.

'I suppose I'm just getting a little sick of wearing trousers all the time ... they're really comfortable and all, but there's some really cute dresses and skirts out there that I don't bother buying, even if I would look okay in them. I think I need to work on my embarrassment a little. It's like, I feel like everyone's staring at me when I show my legs off, so whenever I _do_ wear something like a dress or a skirt, I always have to wear tights underne-'

'I'm sorry ...'

I smile, leaning back against the wall. 'You didn't kill me. It's okay.'

Lloyd holds his forehead in his hand. 'You were just there ... bleeding everywhere, and I didn't know what to do ... I'm sorry ...'

I roll my eyes. 'Sorry for what? Having a best friend so precious to you that you'd die for him? That you'd kill for him?'

Lloyd just stares miserably at his lap. 'I'm a crappy friend ...'

I wrinkle my nose, straightening up a little. 'Hey Lloyd, come here a sec.'

'Huh?'

I get to my knees, shuffling over. 'Just sit up a little.'

He does so, looking a little confused. 'O ... kay ...'

'Okie-dokie,' I mumble to myself now I'm sitting in front of him. He's still looking rather befuddled, so I decide to deal with this fast. I grab his shoulders, make him sit down an inch, lean back, shake my good old right hand and blow in my palm.

And slap him as hard as I can.

I listen to the resounding ring of flesh and flesh echo down the hallway for a few seconds before looking up to Lloyd. Like the time I punched him in the ranch, his head has completely spun to the left and he's staring wide-eyed down the hallway with a rapidly reddening cheek.

I sit back on my heels after a few seconds. 'I'm gonna have to be a little corny to get through to your here, so don't you dare bring this up again.'

He raises a hand to his cheek, touching the sore skin as he looks back to me. He's been kicked in his junk and slapped twice in the last ten minutes. He's not having a good day.

'Lloyd, you're one of the nicest people I know. A little rude and loud, yes, but you're nice. You've got an honest and good heart, and you've got friends behind you that would do anything for you. I wish I had a strong friendship like the one you and Genis have, but I'm not brave enough to throw my life out there to protect someone ... well, not yet. The point is, you didn't _kill_ me. Your doppelganger just made you see that a lot of people mean more to you than me, and you shouldn't ... well, any promise you make to me will rarely clash with Genis and everyone else, and me bleeding everywhere.'

I get to my feet, brushing off dust from my trousers. 'You're a good friend, Lloyd – you just try to help everyone all at once. Sort your priorities out, think about who needs the most help right now, and focus on that. Now if your gonads are all good to go, let's get up there and meet up with everyone.'

Lloyd drops his hand from his still-red cheek with a small sigh. 'Y'know ... you make sense at times when you shouldn't.'

'Sorry for making you feel better,' I say, stretching. 'Point on my half being, I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. Iselia taught you to "protect girls and women" and all that stuff, but I think I can do pretty well myself unless I need someone to get me out of a fix. I'm just saying, you don't have to feel responsible if anything happens to me, because I should be looking out for myself instead of putting all my faith in other people.'

I grab his hand, pulling him up. 'Dwarven Vow 4: Don't depend on others. Walk on your own two legs. Right?'

Lloyd snorts, getting to his feet. 'Since when did you start reciting dwarven vows?'

'When you mentioned your dad,' I say. 'Dwarf guy, right?

'Yeah ... we practically live by them at home.'

'Even number seven?' I say, starting down the hallway. 'The one Genis and Colette love so much?'

'Argh, don't you start,' Lloyd says, wincing in pain a little when he starts to walk. 'That vow is just taking corniness to the next level.'

'True,' I say. 'If I were being chased down a dark alley and had to chose between love or a switchblade as a weapon ... yeah, switchblade.'

'Hey, how many vows do you know anyway?' Lloyd asks as he begins to walk properly, straightening. 'Not many people know 'em besides ... well, dwarves.'

'Ah,' I say, thinking back. 'Well ... I know, um ... one, two ... four ... seven ... eleven ... and one-hundred and eight, I think. So, not really a lot.'

'I know all of them,' Lloyd says, folding his arms behind his head. 'Dad made me learn all of them. Every time I refused to practice, he made me sleep in the barn with Noishe.'

'Sounds awesome,' I say. 'What's number twenty two?'

'Huh? Why?'

'My birth date,' I explain shortly. 'I was just wondering.'

'Ah, it's ... uhh ...' Lloyd mumbles, scratching his cheek. 'It's ... oh right! "We never lose by loving; we only lose by holding back". It's ... I mean, I never really got that one ...'

'It's okay,' I say, grinning a little. 'Thanks.'

'Eh? For what?'

'Nothing.'

'H-hey! Don't you use your "nothing" tactics with me! Lying is the first step to the path of thievery, dammit!'

'I'm not lying, I'm withholding information!'

'It's the same _thing!'_

* * *

Yeah, I'm pretty much making up dwarven vows here XD Ack. Reviews please! I really want to hear your thoughts about what you think the Tower of Salvation will be like D: I already have the plot down, but I'd like to know how you think Char should react to all the things that happen (Kratos betraying, Yggdrasill popping up, stuff.) Help meeee...


	64. Oh Bugger, Flying Horses

Lol for one of my longest chapters this was written pretty fast.

Okay um this is pretty much just a jibberishy fun chapter until the end, but you can totally ignore the last scene if you want. It doesn't really do much with the storyline - it just gives a look on how Lloyd thinks about Char considering if she should risk her life to get what she wants. Sorry if not much happens this chapter - the seal of light is boring as hell and not much happens besides Remiel pimping the place up and Colette losing her voice.

Urgh I don't have much to say here. I'm still ill and I'm a little tired now, and I have a test in the morning. Or studying. I'm not sure which. Uh, there weren't many reviews last chapter so I'll quickly clear up anything that was asked or mentioned.

Supergulo - Yeah, I already have the ending planned out. I just wanted to see what some people thought should happen :3

NiffStral - Lol I was dying inside when I wrote her snapping the game disks XD The gamer in me tried to stop me, but I needed the dramaaa.

Kitty-Katz-Katz - Yeah, Lloyd figured it out when Char mentioned the dress 8D Sorry, I know it was written pretty vaguely.

Metamorcy - Nah, Lloyd never said anything about his doppelganger to anyone except Kratos.

Okies, an unangsty chapter for once. I was getting pretty tired of the angst, and it isn't fun to write. So if you ignore eventual blood-vomiting and Lloyd flipping out at Char, then we have a good old unangsty chapter like we used to have. I'll try and keep the angst away until the Tower of Salvation, because this was a lot easier to write without all the emo clogging up my brain. It won't be too hard - it's not as angsty as the game without Colette's loss of senses being told to everyone left and right. Seriously, she does a crap job of hiding it in the game DX Christ Raine, help her out a little.

Thorough spell/error check in the morning. Too late. Can't be bothered to wade through 15thousand words.

Read+Enjoy+Review :3

* * *

Chapter 64 - Oh Bugger, Flying Horses

In the past ... hour or so, we've all been climbing the rest of the tower together. Apparently our meeting point with the others was only halfway up, so we had a lot more stairs to climb. Genis had solved all the puzzles to open the way, bless him, so the rest was just a lot of walking. And I'm not big on walking, but walking up _stairs_ is another thing. Lloyd got off pretty easy, because he pulled his dying act on Kratos and jumped on his back again. So ... he got a piggyback, and Kratos was probably too determined to get this thing over with to say no.

And you just can't say no to Lloyd when he gives you the "Lloyd-Eyes". He looks so helpless and girly. I swear, the devious bastard can create tears on cue. He doesn't cry, but he does that whole ... watery eye thing. Your pets do it sometimes when they want food, or something. Also, he's in the midst of teaching Genis how to do it so he can get away with things concerning Raine.

Speaking of Kratos, he and Genis came down looking for us before we could meet up with them. We ran into them pretty much five minutes after Lloyd recovered from being kicked in his manliness (or lack of). Kratos then tried to run all the way back, but he was caught by Lloyd and his "eyes". Piggybacks ahoy. Of course, he blamed Sheena and me to try and get Kratos to give in by telling him how we "beat him up". Kratos did not approve.

So, we got to the others after a while (I swear they were playing I Spy when we found them), and we continued our merry trek up the tower. I'd decided I was hungry at some point, so I started munching into my bread roll I suddenly remembered I had stored away. Good stuff, that.

Lloyd hasn't said anything about the recent visit from good old doppelganger to cause less worry, but I think he's been talking to Kratos about it. All the way up, Kratos has been pretty much avoiding closeness to anyone so he and Lloyd can whisper to eachother about stuff. Lloyd's been slung over Kratos' back the whole time, so it's pretty easy for them to look inconspicuous. Though I dunno if they're actually whispering about the doppelganger thing – they could be talking about styling each other's hair for all I know.

Anyway, it's been a while, we're at the top now, Kratos has dropped Lloyd, and Sheena and I are latching to eachother because it's PRETTY DAMN HIGH.

'Wow, the view is so amazing from here!' Colette exclaims, practically running over to the banister surrounding the rooftop. All colour drains from my face when she leans over it to look over at the rolling hills yonder that-a-way, but I quickly remind myself she has wings. She's pretty safe. I suppose Kratos will be fine too, but he has all his secrets to keep intact. Bleh, he'll probably wait to save himself five feet from going splat and run all the way back up here.

'Guys, doesn't this place look ... like, really not safe?' I ask, still with my arms wrapped firmly around Sheena. 'It's worse than the Wind Seal, and I think I died there at some point.'

'You got shot into a pillar,' Genis corrects.

'... There are no pillars _here_,' I say. 'We're doomed. Can't we like, lure it down or something? The monster, I mean?'

Kratos shakes his head, looking around. 'It won't follow us through the warp pad. It will only wait.'

'That's just great,' Sheena mumbles, and I feel her arms tighten around my shoulders. 'W-what if we fall ...?'

'Oh, that's fine!' Colette shouts over, waving as she comes back to us. 'I can fly, so I could probably catch you.'

'You sure?' I ask. 'I mean ... some of us are pretty heavy.'

Kratos glares when I glance to him.

'I think I can handle it!' she says, grinning. 'I can pick Lloyd up, so I think I could do the same for the rest of you.'

Lloyd turns to his blonde friend, pouting. 'I'm not heavy. And you totally can't pick me up.'

I quickly remind myself this is the girl who carried REGAL to Mizuho with her angel-powers and stuff, and seeing as how she's almost completed the whole ... angel-powers-and-stuff, she grabs Lloyd and practically slings him over her shoulder.

'W-whoa!'

'See?' she says, giving a quick thumbs up. 'Don't worry about it, Sheena. I'll do my best!'

Genis shoves his fist into his mouth to stop himself from laughing, because ... well, Lloyd will murder him if he does. Raine looks a little shocked, and Kratos just raises an eyebrow. Sheena arms slacken a little in shock, and I ... well screw Lloyd, I giggle a little.

'I don't like this, I don't like this, I don't like this,' Lloyd mumbles from out of view. Well Colette has him over her shoulder, so we have a good view of his ass. Huh. 'Put me down?'

'Ah ... right!' Colette says quickly, setting him down on the floor. 'Sorry!'

Lloyd blinks once or twice, looking a little dizzy. 'That was a weird experience.'

'Duuude,' I say, shaking my head. 'Colette could totally kick your ass.'

'S-Shut up!'

'Children,' Kratos snaps sharply, shutting Lloyd up. 'The seal?'

We all fall silent, and Sheena and I immediately let go of eachother. Kratos just has that kinda effect on people. D'aww, I'm gonna miss him a little, I guess. Urgh, no thinking about that for now. Let's just get the last seal over with.

Colette nods, not looking a tad effected by Kratos' "do-this-or-die" tone, and skips up onto the seal. I'll just say, like it was at the Balacruf Mausoleum, the space we have to fight is a _lot_ bigger than it was in the game. There's less of a chance of us being thrown off the edge than I'd pictured, so that's all good I suppose.

'Do your thing, Colette!' Genis cheers as the Chosen bounces up and down on the balls of her feet while waiting for Cruxis to kick in. Lloyd is just standing next to Kratos with his arms folded, pouting. Yeah, he's still a little sore that Colette's stronger than him. We'll gang-hug him after this and give him cookies. Well, Genis can do that – he makes cookies for people.

Oh my, Cruxis just kicked in! I think. Or some weird force of nature just felt like screwing us over. Y'see, it's ... dark. As in, it is no longer evening-time, as it looked like five seconds ago. One minute the sky is all orangey, and now it's just very, very dark blue. We all look to one another, and Colette spins on her heel to face us, looking about ready to rip her hair out. Whoa, calm down girl.

'I think I keep breaking things today!' she exclaims. 'Is this supposed to happen?'

'Stay calm, dear,' Raine calls over. 'It's probably all ... relevant.'

'But this didn't happen before ...' Colette says. 'It's never gotten dark when this happened, right?'

'Uhh ... well, most of the times we've been inside,' Lloyd wonders aloud, shrugging. 'Maybe we just didn't see it?'

'What about the Seal of Wind?' Genis asks. 'That was on a rooftop, right?'

'I didn't study all this Chosen stuff!' Lloyd exclaims, practically throwing his hands into the air. 'I studied how to make things out of wood!'

'We _know_,' Raine mumbles, pressing her palm to her forehead. Lloyd just resists a hissy-fit, and Kratos claps a hand down onto his shoulder to calm him down.

'Well, I can't see the moon or anything,' I say, looking up. 'And it wasn't cloudy two seconds ago, so I'd say it's definitely something Cruxis related.'

Colette still looks a little doubtful and comes back over to us, going straight for Raine who has pulled out one of her many books. I notice it's one she's used before to record all of her findings, and when she opens it up, I see that symbol ... d'you remember when we were at the Fire Seal? We found that chamber, and that sign was on the floor? It was like, a V with a line through it or something. Yeah, I never got that.

"_It stands for 'votum',"_ Charis tells me quickly. "_I pretty much means 'wish'."_

"_A lot of crap has happened since then, so is it still relevant? I mean, it's something to do with Earth, right?"_

Charis pauses. "_You haven't decided to use the Eternal Sword, right?"_

"_... Why?"_ I ask. I know they told me to research it if I was going to try getting home, but I've pretty much given the idea up out of fear for my life.

"_If not, then it doesn't matter,"_ she says finally, and she disappears. Huh, that was odd. Something from so long ago is actually relevant to something I was trying to do now? Didn't see that coming. I should make a note of it somewhere just to be safe.

... Oh right, it's still dark.

'Guys, the seal thing is glowing,' I say, pointing over. Sure enough, lots of glowing orbs have just started to drift upwards from the glass plate in the centre of the seal. 'Something's started to happen.'

That gets everyone's attention, and Genis says something about powerful mana. Why must he always do that when we come here? Yes, Genis, we get it by now, the seal vomits mana whenever Colette comes near it. You don't have to tell us all the time, geez.

The random glowing orbs of light start to shoot up faster from the seal, and Raine quickly mumbles something to Colette. She nods, and in a quick flash of pink light, sprouts her wings and hops up into the air, ready for when we all start getting thrown around like rag dolls. She can whack ... whatever-it-is with her chakrams while she's up there patrolling for flying bodies, so it's all good.

'Mm'kay,' I mumble, watching the light play around for a while with lots of pretty flying colours. Come on Cruxis, stop dicking around and give us our baddie, darn it.

'This is a weird seal,' Lloyd grumbles, straightening up out of his battle stance.

'Maybe the aim is to not have a seizure,' I say, shrugging. 'We're doing good so far.'

I quickly realise that _isn't_ the point, because the seal fricken' explodes in our faces and the random darkness that had enveloped the sky just fades in an instant. I could have handled that more maturely, but I end up grabbing my face and screaming 'awshit, my eyes'. I'm so smooth it hurts.

'What the hell is that thing!?'

I look up at Lloyd's exclamation, squinting through the sudden brightness. Some ... glowing white thing steps out of the light producing from the glass plate in the seal, and boy it's big. It's twice my size, and I know I'm short, but even Kratos isn't that big. Christ on a cracker, I'm turning around and running back down the tower. Well, I would be if Kratos wasn't blocking the way. The Bastard Mercenary can read my mind.

'Frick,' I say simply when all light fades, and our enemy is revealed. It's a giant-ass Pegasus thing.

'... It's a horse,' Lloyd says simply, and Raine slaps him on the back of the head. Okay, we shouldn't be beating Lloyd up today – he has to help kill the giant thing. It has wings – oh, that's just great. We're screwed, we really are.

'Let's kick some ass?' I offer, holding up my guns. Genis starts, sending a good dose of Aqua Edge at it. It does nothing. Okay, so water is out of the question. Let's tryyyy ... fire! I have my shiny brand new tech Comet Blast! Granted I've only used it once, but it was awesome. So who knows, it might actually do something and I'm getting a little tired of using Shockwave all the time.

'Comeeeeet Blast!' I sing as I charge it up, sending a molten rock spiralling through the air and towards the ugly horse currently trotting around in a confused daze. It shatters on its side, and the horse just grunts a little. Okay, so it didn't do much, but it did something. Take that, Genis!

'What would work against this thing?' Lloyd asks, looking up after a well-aimed Demon Fang bounces off its leg. Raine just holds her staff tightly, waiting for someone to get smacked around so she can go and heal them.

'Oh!' I exclaim suddenly, making Raine and Lloyd jump a foot or two into the air. Kratos does nothing, and I search around my satchel quickly. 'Magic lens, magic lens ... ding!'

I pull out the small magnifying glass ... thing, holding it up to my eye and looking at the horse thing that still hasn't _done_ anything yet. There's a small sign for darkness swimming around the glass with a significant glow to it, meaning yes, we could probably use that right about now. Three other signs for fire, lightning, and light drift around slowly with a darker look to them. Okay, so they'll do bugger all this battle. No more Comet Blast from me.

'Fire, lightning and light have just gone down the drain,' I say, dropping the now broken lens. 'What about any, um, unison attacks? The only unison attacks I know are Blitz Spear and Shockblade with Kratos and Lloyd, and they're both lightning and light. And most of my mana techs are light based, and my other techs are fire based and ... lightning ... based ...'

I flinch. 'Well, I'm gonna be bugger all use this battle.'

'Hmph,' Kratos mumbles in agreement. Oh, go away. 'The only elemental technique Lloyd knows is Hurricane Thrust. It'd be best for you to just use your normal abilities.'

Lloyd nods, and Raine says she'll just heal people up and support them while we try and kill this thing. Kratos has his whole array of spells and techs, so he'll be fine. Wow, this battle isn't going to be easy. I'd like to say Kratos could wait for us all to get knocked out so he can use Judgement like he did with Kvar, but again! Light! Argh!

Okay, this thing is called Iubaris. Yay.

I take one good long look at Iubaris and flinch. Its skin looks disgusting. Its wings and entire torso are covered by thick, messy looking beige _hair, _and its legs and neck are covered in leathery blue skin. It's gross, it really is. I dunno _what_ is going on with its head – to be precise, it's got some kind of pink, spiky crown fastened to it...

Speaking of spikes, this thing has a lot of them. They're on his legs, and his tail is ... it's a freakin' mace. His TAIL is a MACE. Oh god, I'm so screwed.

'Long range, long rage, long rage,' I whisper to myself, backing up a couple of feet. The Iubaris still looks insanely dizzy and out of it ... and it's really not doing anything. Is it stoned, or something? I demand explanations!

I shoot a couple of times, but like all other attacks that have been unleashed so far, the bullets just bounce right off it. Urgh, this is annoying. I just want to get this all over with quickly and relax. It's almost night-time now, and I'm honestly tired. The whole ghoul ordeal doesn't count as rest, because it wasn't very relaxing.

When a chakram bounces off its head, Lloyd drops his arms with a small growling sound. Eep. 'Nothing is _working_.'

'And it's not even _doing_ anything ...' Genis grumbles, holding the ball of his kendama in his palm. 'I've tried all my spells, and it hasn't reacted to any of them!'

'And it looks drunk, what's up with that?' I add randomly. Genis just rolls his eyes and Kratos motions for us all to pull back while the Iubaris just ... stumbles around on the spot. We all skip back to him (or trudge, whatever), and he massages his brow with a look of annoyance. Oooh, Kratman is getting pissed off. That doesn't happen often.

'It seems we aren't making progress,' he says, looking to the dazed enemy some yards away.

'It doesn't seem particularly threatening,' Raine says, frowning. 'But that doesn't matter if it means we can't attack it.'

'Maybe we're not supposed to hurt it?' Colette calls from a couple of meters up. Yeah, she's still flying around.

'It's definitely a seal guardian,' Genis replies loudly so she can hear. 'It's just ... not like the others.'

'What were the others like?' Sheena asks. 'This is the first time I've been to a seal with you guys when I haven't been trying to, ah ... kill you.'

Lloyd scratches his cheek a little, noticing the annoyed look in Raine's face at what Sheena said. Yeah, they're not really gonna get along. 'Well ... the first one we fought was pretty violent; it managed to knock out Charlotte and kinda dislocate her shoulder. We could only attack it by casting Icicle on it, because it had this weird barrier thing around it. The next one was this giant snake thing that we couldn't reach because it was in water ... so we had to lure it out, and it eventually, uh, tried to chew Kratos' arm off. The last one was a giant bird that was hard to hit because it kept flying around, and ... well, you saw what that did to Genis.'

'Um, yeah ...' Sheena mumbles, glancing down to our youngest group member. D'aww, he's so cute and I want to pinch his cheeks. But I won't because he'll cast Icicle on me. 'So we're gonna have to find out why we can't scratch this thing and work around that somehow?'

'That's the plan,' I say. 'But seriously, it looks completely off its tits.'

Lloyd blinks. 'It does what?'

I cringe. 'It means it looks drunk.' Dammit, slang. Go away.

'Its horn.'

We all look up to Kratos, who's just ... butt in randomly. You expect Lloyd to do stuff like that, but we _have_ been rambling for a while, and you can see Kratos is getting steadily annoyed with us. He's probably going to lodge his sword in Lloyd's head and bugger off back to Cruxis in the next few minutes. It really wouldn't surprise me.

'Horn,' I repeat. 'What about it?'

'It's using a barrier to protect itself,' Kratos explains shortly. 'Its trance-like state may explain why we can't touch it.'

'Ah ... is it because it's using so much mana to create a shield around itself?' Genis asks. 'Using a little too much can make you dizzy ... so ...'

'So it's creating a powerful shield at the cost of being completely rat-arsed,' I say. 'So we just have to throw off its concentration?'

'By attacking the horn!' Lloyd practically screams. Yes, Lloyd, you had your moment. Calm down. 'Okay, let's go bust it up!'

Kratos sighs, grabbing Lloyd by the back of his collar and dragging him back choking when he tries to run off. 'It would be best to attack it from afar.'

Lloyd looks up questioningly. 'Huh?'

'Once we disrupt its concentration, it will no longer be dazed,' Raine explains. Lloyd still looks confused.

'Its barrier will be gone, but it's gonna regain all its energy,' Sheena tries. Nope, Lloyd's still blinking. I roll my eyes.

'You get near it and it's gonna fuck you up, Lloyd.'

'Ah, okay,' he says, nodding. See? Easy. 'So, what do we do?'

'We're going to have to attack it from afar,' Kratos says, glancing down to Genis. He just nods, readying his kendama. Awcrud, I always get hit by his magic ... I'm just gonna shuffle a few yards to the left.

'Be prepared for this,' Genis says as runes start to appear at his feet. 'This seal guardian is pretty powerful, and it's probably going to go a little crazy once we anger it.'

We all spread out as Colette drops from the sky beside Genis, ready to protect him or grab him and take to the skies if the Iubaris decides to flip out completely and try to spear him. To be honest, I'm not too keen on actually getting this battle started. I mean, angry horses are dangerous by themselves – this thing is armed with spikes and wings and magic and is ... well, giant. A knock from that thing will do more than throw you to the floor. I'm not sure what comes after being knocked to the floor, but we just might find out.

By the looks of things, Genis is starting to cast Wind Blade. Fair enough – it's the only thing that it won't completely repel, and it's probably good enough to draw its attention if it hits the horn directly. I trust Genis' aim, so let's just hope this works.

I clench my gun tightly when Genis finally lets the ball of green mana free, and it soars toward the dizzy looking horse ... thing. There's a loud crackle of mana on impact, and the spell pretty much just explodes in the Iubaris' face. By Genis' shocked expression, I'd say that isn't supposed to happen, but ... we'll just leave that for logic to sort out. Anyway, it angers the beast as planned, and the Iubaris rears up on its hind legs with a ... whatever sound horses make, because that sure as hell ain't a "neigh". Yeah, I should really have studied horses more ... I have no idea what's what.

'It doesn't look too happy,' Sheena says warily, and I notice she's just a couple of feet away from me. 'Does everyone have defensive techs?'

'Sure do!' I yelp, throwing my hands up into the air. I don't know why, I'm feeling uncharacteristically hyper suddenly. That and I actually have something that everyone else has. No longer am I crippled by my painful inferiority! Take that, actual ToS characters!

Charis mentally bitchslaps me and I flinch. Huh, that's new.

Back to the battle, the Iubaris trots around for a few moments, looking for whom to impale on its horn first. Lucky for me, it decides to go for the person who caused its shield to break, and starts towards Genis. Colette takes this as her cue and wraps her arms around his middle, taking off immediately into the air to avoid the attack. Genis doesn't exactly go quietly – he swears once and clings to Colette's arms for his life. Raine doesn't look too happy about her brother's language, and looks to both Lloyd and me. What? We don't swear that much, geez. Even if we did, it's up to Genis if he wants to repeat it. So blah.

I jump when the two of them land next to me, and Colette puts a shaky Genis down with a small apology. I shoot at the Iubaris a couple of times before turning to Colette. She looks a little worried.

'You okay?' I ask, still firing.

'Ah ... yes,' she says quickly, and Genis gives her a concerned look. 'It's just ... I can't really do much this battle ... most of my abilities are-'

'Light and lightning,' I say, nodding. 'No biggie, so are mine. Well, that and fire, but it's strong against fire, so it hardly makes the difference.'

The three of us look over to the battle, and I unload another couple of rounds onto the horsey. Now its barrier is down, it's doing something at least. Not a lot, but it's distracting it a little so Sheena and Lloyd can get in close and smack him around a little. I notice how it's trying to get towards us, but Kratos is doing a good job of keeping it over there.

'Hey Genis, it seems to have a personal grudge on you,' I say, trying to avoid shooting Kratos in the back of the head. _Trying_. 'It's gonna kill you, man.'

'Gee thanks,' Genis mumbles, rolling his eyes. 'I destroyed its barrier ... so it probably thinks getting rid of me will bring it back.'

'Monsters are so stupid,' I grumble, lowering my gun. My palm hurts from all the shooting. 'Hey, I have an idea.'

The two of them look over to me, and I make sure to keep an eye on the Iubaris. Kratos can't keep it in one place for much longer, and it seriously looks like it wants to rip Genis in half. 'Colette, if you're not doing much this battle, then why don't you fly around with Genis on your back, or something? I mean, it'll keep him safe, we won't have to keep trying to stop the Iubaris running around after him while we attack, and Genis could cast spells from up there.'

Colette considers it for a moment. 'It does sound like a good idea ...'

'But what if you have to catch someone if they fall off the edge?' Genis asks, glancing from his friend to the Iubaris. 'Won't having me on your back make that a lot more ... difficult?'

I look over to Kratos. 'I think we'll be fine.' Not that Kratos would be against me plummeting to my death, but y'know. He still has wings, and he's not about to let any of us kick the bucket. He'll figure something out, even if it means quickly knocking everyone unconscious before saving the person falling to their death. Mmhm. Plus, unless the Iubaris has us like, up against a wall and just picks us up and throws us, then it's doubtful we're going to fall. The banister around the edge of the tower is pretty big, so ... yeah, we'll probably survive if we can keep it in the middle of the battlefield.

'Watch out!'

The three of us snap to attention at Lloyd's voice, and realise that they've failed to restrain the Iubaris and ... well, it's galloping towards us with a very, very angry air about him. I'd just like to repeat that he's covered in spikes, so that doesn't help my nerves.

Genis practically jumps onto Colette's back, and she supports him quickly and begins to hover before she can take off. Oh yeah, I'm totally screwed now. Yeah, that's fine, just leave me down here totally alone in its path of destruction. No, I don't mind, you go ahead, you guys.

Apparently not. I get the same treatment that Lloyd previously had, and Colette winds an arm around my waist and throws me over her shoulder, soaring upwards into the air at the last second. Seriously, a moment earlier and I'd be skewered on that thing.

'Sorry, sorry, sorry,' she repeats over and over, arm still wound tightly around my middle so I don't fall. 'This can't be too comfortable ...'

'Well, I'd rather this than being impaled,' I say, wrapping my arms around Genis' torso to support myself. We're just like a giant tangle of people in the air ... and I know this isn't the time, but Lloyd seems to think it's very amusing. Screw off, Irving.

'Wow Colette, I didn't know you had this much strength ...' Genis says, arms wound carefully around her shoulders so he doesn't fall. 'Maybe you get stronger when you turn into an angel?'

'Seems like it,' I say, wincing a little. I know Colette wears thick clothing, but her shoulder is digging into my stomach and it's kinda painful. We're just waiting for the other four down there to ... well, not calm the Iubaris down, but distract it again so Colette can put me down without drawing attention to Genis. I wish they'd hurry up – I don't feel too safe being up this high while casually slung over someone's shoulder. If it were Kratos and he weren't planning to drop me at any point for a giggle or two, then I'd feel safer, because he has giant shoulders and giant muscles. Yay him. Instead, I'm being carried by Colette, who to be fair, is bigger and stronger than me, but really ...

'Okay, go go go,' I say, pointing to a spot on the floor. 'They're distracting it.'

'Right!'

Genis grunts uncomfortably when I latch to him tighter as Colette plummets down to the floor. Urk, she could do it in a way that looks less like we're spiralling to our deaths, but meh. She practically throws me off her shoulder before the Iubaris notices, and I stumble for a second or two before landing on my ass. She apologizes quickly, and I wave it off as she takes back to the skies with Genis. Yay, flying mages now! This should be fun.

I get to my feet and rub my bruised rear, hissing a little as I draw my gun again. Okay, we don't want to be scooped up and flown around everywhere, so let's be a bit more careful this time.

'Is it doing anything dangerous in particular?' I shout, running over. 'I mean ... any specific attack to look out for?'

Sheena slaps a card onto its side and uses Pyre Seal to make it stumble for a moment so she can catch her breath, backing up a little. 'Not so far ... right now it's just trying to crush everyone, but I have a feeling it's just waiting to see if we're threatening.'

'It isn't using its full power yet,' Raine adds. 'If we begin to win, then it'll most likely-'

'Flip out and try to kill us,' Lloyd finishes. 'So, uh ... be careful.'

'Yessir,' I say, saluting. 'I notice how it has all these spikes, and wings, and ... well, it's not using them at all. I think it's just lazy.'

Well, it can't fly or attack properly, but apparently it can understand us, because as soon as I call it lazy it turns to me and snorts angrily. Oooh, shit. The pink crown on its head begins to glow slightly, and I can tell that this isn't going to end well. Note to self – don't insult monsters; you don't know who or what can understand you.

Instead of making that mad charge in my direction, it just ... lowers its head slightly. I wonder if it suddenly decided to leave me alone, but not even a second later am I struck by a quick bolt of lightning. It's not fatal – the best it does in make me jump about three feet into the air and yelp. Oww, burnie.

'Whoa, are you okay?' Lloyd asks quickly, smacking the Iubaris in the face with his sword. How sweet of him.

'Dandy,' I reply, smoothing my hair down. It's gone a little static ... huh, nothing to worry about much. 'Okay, I think it's noticed that we're not that threatening. That didn't hurt too much, but ... ow.'

Sure thing, the Iubaris looks a lot more riled up now. It rears up onto its hind legs again, wings stretching out with a horrible creaking noise and flapping heavily. The five of us on the ground have to practically race away from it to avoid being slapped a good couple of meters to one side. Small sparks of electrical energy begin to fizzle in the air, and I'm practically dancing around to avoid being struck by lightning again. It's not fun, dammit.

There's a shine of blue light from above, and I have to cover my eyes for a second or two. There are too many shiny things going on in this battle, and I _will_ have a seizure if they don't pack it in. I quickly realise where the blue light is coming from, and a sudden torrent of water crashes down onto the Iubaris, causing it to start ... um, freaking out. It _was_ practically surrounded by sparks of electricity, and if you mix that with water ... yah-huh, it goes bang. Well done Genis.

Lloyd has to duck to avoid the mace-tail that comes flying in his direction, and I swear to god it almost takes his head clean off. Eek.

Awshit, it's taking off into the air. Crappity crap crap.

Lucky for us, it just hovers around for a few moments, and Raine motions wildly at Colette to get back over here so we can figure out what to do next. It's still gonna be "beat the crap out of it", but y'know ... we need different methods, because this thing is changing its strategy left and right, which is not fun or helpful. Chriiiist.

'What do we do?'

'Lightning should be able to clip its wings,' Genis mumbles, looking over to the horse who seems to be having difficulty getting into the air properly. Okay, so it can't fly – it can just hover a good distance up, or it'd topple over and die. 'But lightning won't do anything to it ...'

'We could just forget all of the element mumbo-jumbo and beat its wings up, right?' Lloyd asks hopefully. 'It's starting to make my head hurt ...'

'That seems to be the easiest way to go about it,' Kratos says, relaxing his sword-arm. Huh, that sounds funny ... argh, shut up. 'Chosen?'

'Leave it to me,' Colette says with a confident smile, spinning a chakram on her finger.

'Be careful up there,' Lloyd tells her, glaring up at the Iubaris. 'If that thing tries to knock you around, you go right ahead and give it what for.'

Colette grins, hopping up into the air. 'I'll do my best!'

'Um, Colette?' I say quickly, tugging on her sleeve. She looks down to me, and I seem to catch everyone else's attention.

'What is it?'

'You might wanna fly around it and attack it from behind,' I say, nodding towards the flying monster. 'Because it's gonna cast Air Thrust on us.'

'What?' Genis interrupts. 'How do you know?'

I point up to its wings, which if you look extreeeeeemely carefully at, are glowing green at the tips. The pink crown on its head is also glowing slightly, and that's also a sign of it casting a spell. I should know, it struck me with Lightning, dammit. 'See its feathers?'

'It's not trying to attack us,' Kratos says quietly, watching its movement. 'It's going to try and send us over the edge.'

'What do we do?' Lloyd asks, looking a little scared.

'We can only wait for Colette to disable its wings,' Sheena says. 'Then it won't be able to fly or cast wind spells anymore – we'll be a lot safer that way.'

Colette, still trying to keep a low profile while she flies around to the other side of the tower, seems to pick up on the situation and beings to speed up a little. Kratos sheathes his sword, and everyone gives him a confused look. Maybe he's finally going to bugger off to Cruxis? And quite possibly kick me in the face before he leaves?

'It won't be brought down straight away,' he says, still watching it's movements to determine when it's going to start casting. I think it's gone back into its dazed state to power up. 'We'll just have to try to hang on while Colette assaults.'

Lloyd looks around after sheathing his own swords. 'Um ... hang on to _what_, exactly?'

Raine immediately grabs Genis and tugs him close to her. 'Someone else.'

I'd snort at the thought of Genis being swept away by the wind, but someone grabs me by the middle and yanks me down also.

'C'mere, you,' Sheena says. 'He's not the only one who's probably going to get blown away, and I've heard you have a knack for getting into trouble.'

'Now who told you that?' I ask, and she nods over to the others. I look over, and Lloyd is currently trying to bury himself into Kratos' cape while the other man winds an arm around his shoulders so he doesn't go flying off the edge. You can hide Lloyd, but I _am_ going to smack you when we get out of this place.

I don't have time to think about that, and watch Colette's chakram smack off one of the Iubaris' wings. Like Kratos said, it isn't enough to bring it down, and some unholy amount of dust flies up before we can even tell that the spell has been cast. I screw my eyes shut as Sheena and I cling to eachother, and I'm just gonna say – I don't think I've ever been in such a strong current of wind. It's an effort just to keep my arms in one place, and I can feel Sheena's hands fisting into the back of my shirt to stay put. Sadly I can't see how the others are doing, because I'll probably go blind if I open my eyes. Until the dust in the storm goes away, we're going to have to handle this a lot more dangerously.

Among the horrible sound of wind around us, I can hear the Iubaris' wings flapping heavily and creaking as they go. I doubt they're contributing to the spell in any way, but it's probably to keep the wind flow going straight at us. I can't hear anyone being thrown off the edge yet, so I'll assume everything is all dandy.

The sting of dust against my bare arms stops after a while, and I crack an eye open carefully. The Iubaris is looking dazed again while its wings work slowly at keeping us under its spell, and everyone else seems pretty fine. I dunno why I decide that it's funny that Genis and I are the only ones who don't have any excess clothing caught in the wind. Seriously – Sheena and Lloyd's ribbons, Raine's coat, Kratos' cape ... ah, they all wear weird clothes ... I don't get how they're suitable for battle, as Kratos would probably complain about. I'm glad I'm normal.

I inch closer to Sheena when something glowing and white the size of a large icicle goes shooting past my ear. I'd turn and look for it, whatever it was, but look back to the Iubaris instead. Its wings ... they've got glowing blades on them, and the zooming towards us in turn along with the wind. They keep reappearing ... what are th –

'Don't let them hit you!' Raine commands over the wind, still holding Genis securely. Lloyd looks up from Kratos' chest as if to ask why, but she saves him the effort. 'They'll drain some of your mana – it's hardly noticeable, but we need all we have!'

'Purified blades of mana,' Kratos says, and it's a miracle we hear him from over here. 'It won't injure you – it can flow through you without leaving a scratch. The worst it can inflict is merely taking your breath away.'

'That's not so bad,' Lloyd answers, but I'd have to disagree. Their blades of _pure mana_. I'm not allowed to touch pure mana. If it 'flows through me', then my own mana system is going to try and use it to fill the 15 percent of not-mana. Like Charis said – because pure mana isn't bound by a mana signature, my own will try and draw that in and make use of it by flying out of my body, picking it up, and trying to get back in. That's impossible, but dammit, my mana doesn't know that. I'll just have to avoid it.

"_Don't worry if it just comes close,"_ Charis says in the back of my head. "_It's going way too fast to have any effect on you at all."_

Okay, one less worry.

Finally, a loud groan from the Iubaris catches our attention, and the around us dies down. The flying horse seems to slack in the air, still dizzy from overusing its mana. I'll admit – this enemy isn't as hard as the other ones, but the face we're fighting on top of a giant tower kinda takes away that privilege. This seal guardian seems to focus more on ways to protect itself and disable us rather than all-out force like the others.

Colette is quick to get herself back to us, and I flinch at the blood dripping off her chakrams. She just gives us a smile and another thumbs up, and I pale a little. Scary. We all let go of eachother and straighten up (Lloyd practically rips himself away from Kratos with a red face), and the Iubaris stumbles as it hits the floor once again, wings twitching. Its breathing is laboured, and its wings are dripping with blood thanks to our apparently badass Chosen. Colette rocks.

'D'you think we've won yet?' Lloyd asks, watching the seal guardian stumble around. The glowing crown goes unnoticed. 'This is getting kinda tiring ...'

'I'm pretty sure that's the point,' Sheena answers, and Lloyd just pouts. Stop pouting today, Lloyd. Seriously.

The Iubaris is seriously going crazy now, and everyone rushes over to kill it or ... just calm it down so we can _eventually_ kill it. It's trying to trample everyone who comes within five feet of it, and it's snapping madly at the air around it. I notice how its one useful wing is still flapping around madly as if to actually do something, and I quickly consider shooting it down so it doesn't get in the way.

I raise my arms and begin shooting in its direction, and the wing twitches and convulses violently whenever a bullet hits, and it begins to kick and jump around again with a loud ... neighing sound. Sucky description, but that's what it sounds like.

My last bullet bounces right off. I stop for a moment to figure out why, but it becomes obvious when sharp, glowing blades being to line the end of its bleeding wing.

Aw shit.

Lloyd and Genis have to duck when the Iubaris swipes its wing with a giant cracking sound, probably breaking a bone or two. The loud, grating breath would probably confirm that, but screw that! Protection commence!

I luckily envelop myself in cosy green shield as the blade fly in various directions. A lot of them bounce off the surface, and Lloyd hacks away at the Iubaris' wing to break it.

And apparently, my shield weakens when I decide to observe other things.

I only realise my idiocy when the solid green mana around me shatters into shards, disappearing into the air almost immediately. The reason why?

A blade shoots directly through my stomach, bursting out of my back.

One or two people notice that I've been hit, but nothing is made out of it – they're not that fatal, apparently. The first thing I do is panic inwardly, and wait for Charis to tell me what's going on. I stay perfectly still, one hand flattened over my stomach. I don't feel dizzy, or sick, or ... anything. Maybe she was wrong...

Spoke too soon. My vision goes white, and I can't hear anything. Not even in my own head. I don't hear the clatter as I drop my guns to the floor, pressing the heels of my palms to my eyes. It's just white – everything is silent, I don't even know what everyone else is doing, or if they've noticed what happened to me. What _is_ happening to me?

I feel like my insides are bubbling ... my blood feels fizzy and I honestly don't know what to do or how to stop it. Is my mana doing this? What is it trying to do? Is it already leaving my body?

I can hear small milliseconds of sound every few moments. Part of it is Charis shouting, part is the Iubaris going crazy, and I think I hear the Professor shouting my name. I don't know – I can't ... _do_ anything...!

Like a hard slap to the face, it all comes crashing back. My ears sting when noise fills them, and I wince when I drop my hands to my burning stomach and look up at everyone. Raine is the only one paying attention to what happened to me, and the others are still fighting. Huh ... that wasn't so ba-

I crash to my knees, lurch over, and throw up what honest to god looks like half a litre of blood.

'_Charlotte_!'

I try to blink away the stars of light swimming over my vision, one hand fisted on the floor and one arm wrapped around my stomach. What the _fuck_ just happened?

There's a blur of red to the right, and Lloyd skids to my side on his knees. I feel his gloved hand grab my shoulder. 'Charlo-!'

'I'm ... fine ...' I gasp, trying to shove him away – oh god, when did it get so hot? - The last time he saw me covered in blood was ... yeah. Not letting him relive those memories.

'You sure as hell don't look fine!'

I feel a cool hand on my forehead, and notice Raine is at my other side, staff in hand. Whoa, I think this is the most attention I've gotten all journey. I should puke blood more often.

'You're burning up,' she tells me. Well duh, I feel like I just swallowed a whole vindaloo. 'What happened?'

I cough again, spitting out a little more blood. Urgh, tastes like copper. 'One of them, uh ... mana blades ... went through my stomach ...'

Raine lowers her hand from my brow, pressing the head of her staff to the floor at my knees. 'That's strange ... this doesn't usually happen; at least not to this dangerous exte-'

'Does it matter!?' Lloyd interrupts, hand still hovering near my shoulder. No, go away. 'Is she gonna be okay!?'

Raine doesn't answer, and presses her staff more firmly to the floor. A small glowing circle surrounds me as I wipe some blood away from my mouth, spitting out whatever's left in there. 'Ugh ...'

'This should help recover your mana balance,' Raine says, getting to her feet. 'The attack seems to have taken a lot more mana than it should have ...'

I shake my head, swallowing. Ugh, this is disgusting. 'Nah ... it's always been like that ...'

Raine checks on the battle for a moment before looking back to me. Sheena and Kratos are doing quite well, and Colette is pretty safe up above while she throws her weapon at it. The Iubaris is still acting pretty insane, and Genis is in danger and being trampled. Pretty much the same as all battles, but at least they're holding it down.

'What do you mean?'

I wipe my mouth again, sitting back onto my ankles. There's really not that much harm in hiding it – it's not like they're gonna know I'm from Earth.

'I just don't have as much mana as most people do,' I say with a shrug, swallowing again. Urgh, I could use some water. I forgot to refill before we left Luin. 'It's no big deal ...'

'A mana deficiency?' Raine asks. I shrug again.

'I wouldn't go as far as getting technical,' I mumble. 'I just can't use as much mana as others, that's all ...'

The circle around me fades, and I take that as a cue to start struggling to my feet. 'Okay, are we still killing stuff?'

'_We_ are,' Lloyd says, shoving me back to my knees. '_You_ are staying put.'

'Uh, no,' I snap, getting back to my feet. 'C'mon, I'm sick of being useless.'

'I'd have to say I agree with Lloyd,' Raine says, resting a hand on my shoulder. 'You're burning, pale, and you look dizzy. There's no guarantee you won't bring up more blood. It'd be best to stay put until you're sure you're feeling better.'

'But-' I start, face falling. Raine just sticks to her point and turns, going back over to the others. Genis is in need of some major healing, and the Iubaris seems to have gotten free from being cornered and is racing around that side of the roof. Colette seems to be distracting it so it doesn't storm over to Lloyd and me, and – oh god, I'm _not_ making this harder for everyone. Honestly, I refuse to be such a fucking deadweight all the time.

I lean down to pick my pistols up, shoving one back into my holster. I'm about to aim the other one and start shooting, but fingers curl around my wrist. I look over, and see that Lloyd is still at my side and looking rather stubborn. Goddammit.

'Stop fighting,' he tells me, holding my wrist down. 'Just let us handle the rest, alright?'

'No,' I insist with a small glare. 'I'm not holding everyone back again. I'm tired of being so useless.'

His fingers tighten around my wrist. I look up to him, and he's just trying to avoid my eyes. What-

'I don't want to see you like this,' he says quietly, unhanding my wrist. 'Don't make me do this again.'

I pause, looking down to my shirt. Covered in blood. Arm, hand? Covered in blood. I wipe my chin, and yes, sure enough, blood.

Genis and the others? Covered in blood.

'Don't make me promise and let you down ...'

Oh goddammit. I close my eyes with a sigh, thudding back to my knees. 'Fine ... but you are totally out of guilt-trips for a week, got it?'

He just grins before heading back to everyone else. 'Sure thing.'

I just sigh shaking my head as he goes to finish off the Iubaris. Why do I always make friends with idiots?

--

'Your journey has been long, Chosen one. You have done well.'

Gawd, don't you just want to deck Remiel with a boot or something? He's such an asshole.

'Thank you Lord Remiel.'

'Receive the final blessing of Cruxis, my daughter.'

'... Thank you, Lord Remiel.'

Seriously, I need a boot or something. I wanna smack him one while he can't reveal he's actual evil, because he can't kill me at this point.

... Oh god, focus!

Alright, well, seeing as you all care about ME, I'm ... uh, well, better than I was a while ago, but still feeling a little iffy. After the battle ended, everyone _then_ decided to care that I'd been blood-puking all over the battleground and came over to see what the matter with me was. Raine just hastily explained to them that I "suffer from mana deficiency" as she likes to call it, and I just got nods all around and two suspicious glances from Genis and Kratos. This might not be hard to deal with, but I can't exactly say "a bird swooped down one day and stole 15 percent of my mana, hurr hurr hurrrrr", because y'know. I don't need them thinking I'm more stupid than I actually am.

So here we are now - Colette is getting her final 'blessing' from Remiel, I've got an arm wound around Lloyd's shoulders so I don't cripple over and die, the Professor is healing everyone up, and Corrine is sitting on Sheena's head. I dunno what significance that last one had, but I thought it was kinda funny.

And back I am for wanting to pull off my shoe and lob it at Remiel's head. Or maybe Lloyd's – his are bigger.

'The final Guardian of the Seal has fallen under your power, Chosen One,' Remiel says in his sickeningly monotone voice. God I want to PUNCH HIM. Falcon Punch. Charster Punch. Whatever works? 'Here, your journey of trials draws to a close.'

Colette just nods, hands fisted at her sides. I gotta say she's done a better job at keeping this whole thing a secret than she did in the game. Lloyd and Genis seriously don't suspect a thing, but so far it's just been things that you really wouldn't notice. Now she's gonna lose her voice. Like I said – we could probably use any medical related reason to throw Genis and Lloyd off, because if Colette suddenly loses her voice, they aren't immediately going to think "loss of voice? She MUST be losing all of her senses under the influence and a Cruxis Crystal, holy scheiße". Because really, that's just unrealistic.

'The path to the Tower of Salvation will open to you now,' Remiel says, and Colette just nods again. 'The time for Sylvarant's long-awaited regeneration is at hand.'

'This is so cool,' Lloyd whispers to me. 'I can't believe we actually get to see the world regeneration!'

'I dunno; they could have sent less of an asshole to guide her,' I say, nodding towards Remiel. 'What a douchebag.'

'Huh?'

I just make a face. 'Something about him rubs me the wrong way. Ignore me – I'm probably wrong.'

'Way ahead of you,' Lloyd sighs, and I hoist myself up a little. I keep slipping away from Lloyd's shoulders.

'Are you prepared, Chosen One?' Remiel asks despite how I'm totally ripping on him some way down here. He's not really asking her – he's telling her to get her act together before she goes off and dies. 'The stairway to heaven is open for you.'

'I'm ready, Lord Remiel,' Colette answers firmly with a nod. 'I will ... become a true angel.'

'Good,' Remiel says, smiling. Hey, does anyone notice that Remiel looks a tad like the Wonder Chef? Just saying. Argh, I'll stop rambling. 'I shall await you at the final seal, my daughter.'

Aaaaand off he goes in his slow explosion of light and feathers. Christ, that was faster than usual. He really wants to get this over with, doesn't he? Ah, we've kept the poor bastard waiting for about two months – he's probably getting all testy that someone will find out he's trying to get a place in the four seraphim thing Cruxis has going on. Shouldn't it be three seraphim? I mean, it's Kratos, Yuan and Yggdrasill, and I'm guessing Martel too. But Martel doesn't really do anything – she just lies there all dead and such while she waits for another body to come along so she can give Mithos a quick bitchslap and die properly. Fun existence she must have.

Colette hops back down to the floor, looking a little uneasy. Lloyd takes quick notice. 'You okay, Colette?'

'Sure am!' she says quickly, smiling. 'It's just ... well, a lot of unfortunate things have happened on this journey, and it's been so dangerous. I'm just glad it's all going to be over soon.'

'Yeah,' Lloyd says, nodding. 'After this, we all get to go home and relax.'

'And not just us,' Genis adds. 'The whole of Sylvarant can rest easy.'

Lloyd frowns a little. 'Yeah, but we earned it. C'mon, let's get out of this place and regenerate the world as fast as we can. I'm not big on the idea of letting Desians roaming around while we sit and twiddle our thumbs.'

'I don't think we've ever just sat down and 'twiddled our thumbs', Lloyd,' I say as we all start towards the warp. 'Seriously, we've been slaying monsters, blowing up human ranches, and unleashing seals left and right since we started.'

'W-well, yeah ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'But we shouldn't let them stick around longer than we have to. I don't like dad being so close to a Human Ranch, especially seeing as how they're all coming after Colette and me. They might go after him.'

'Ah,' I say. 'True.'

'Well then, I'll regenerate the world as fast as I can for Dirk too!' Colette says, adding a little skip to her step. She's awfully happy for someone who's on her way to her death. 'Then you can all live happily!'

'You too, Colette,' Genis adds. She just smiles, and it's honestly painful to watch. Even Raine looks a little broken up.

'I'll be happy,' she says. 'As long as the rest of you can live in peace. That's all good enough for me.'

'That's enough chit-chat,' Kratos interrupts. 'It's almost dark, and it's best we leave before monsters begin to appear again.'

Lloyd pales a little, probably not liking the idea of going through meeting his doppelganger again. 'S-sure. Come on.'

'Yes, don't _drag_ me,' I grumble, still holding my stomach with one hand. Lloyd probably wouldn't appreciate me bleeding all over him. 'Geez Louise ...'

'C'mon, you gotta rest too,' Lloyd says. 'As soon as we get out of here, we could probably get a cart back to Luin.'

'I agree,' Kratos coincides quickly, looking a little grateful to Lloyd for getting this over with. Poor man. 'Now, may we leave?'

'Yeah, this place is giving me the creeps,' Genis mumbles. 'I can already feel a dark energy beginning to arise again ...'

'Move it, Irving,' I snap, tightening my arm around his neck and dragging him towards the warp faster.

'Ow, ow, ow, okay!'

The two of us step in with Genis first, and wait for the whole sucky-business to kick in. When it does, it definitely can't be good for my stomach. I keep a firm hold on it as if it would somehow stop me from puking blood if I suddenly had to. It just makes me feel a lot safer about it – I'm not entirely sure why. If I _do_ bleed all over Lloyd, then it probably makes me looks as if I _tried_ to stop it happening. Therefore he won't be as mad at me.

When we finally thump to the floor of the first warp, we all stumble. Never, ever believe what the game shows you – you can never just walk in and out of a warp like it's a revolving door or something; you always come out ungracefully. I honestly thought I'd get used to this, but apparently not. Urgh.

'Hey, this is ...'

I look up at the sound of Genis' voice, but quickly realise what he's talking about and glance around. We're in the Tower of Mana foyer. Huh, that wasn't right. Regardless, we're standing on one of those glass pads that we had to stand on to open the doors.

'Why are we at the entrance?' Lloyd asks, raising an eyebrow.

'At least we didn't have to climb all the way back down,' I say, shrugging. 'It saved a lot of legwork and monster threats. Excuse me for a second.'

I unwrap my arm from around Lloyd's shoulders, stumbling over to one of the many bookcases. I spread my arms and flatten myself against it. 'Love you, Tower of Mana. Thank you thank you thank you ...'

'Lloyd, what –'

'I don't know, Genis. I don't know.'

Oh, that reminds me! I pull away from the bookcase, scanning over the shelf in front of me quickly. Come one, something about the war or what happened before the war to help me out ...

"_Most books on the war are just scholar's conjecture,"_ Charis says. "_Everything else was destroyed. But if you're interested-"_

Two books fly out of the bookcase, smacking to the floor with a thud. I quickly look over to my shoulder to see if the others noticed the random flying ghost-tomes, but everyone has warped down safe and sound and are being all chummy with eachother while I glomp bookcases. I gather the two books up quickly. Okay, there's a plain one with a reddish cover, and an old looking purple one with a gold border. The cover is faded, but I can make out the imprint kinda. _Bo ... zm ...n_. Huh. Oh, oh, Boltzman! This is the book for Raine to learn Resurrection!

'Um, Professor?' I call over my shoulder, making my way back over to everyone with my books in hand. 'You know about Boltzman, right?'

'Master Boltzman?' she asks, nodding. 'Yes, I do. He conducted a lengthy study of magic skills, particularly in healing arts.'

I hand over the purple book. 'Here – it's one of his records. I thought you might be interested.'

'... Interesting,' Raine mumbles, immediately flipping through it. Oh god, she's got that glint in her eyes. She's trying to hide it, but oh lord it's there! 'I might be able to learn something valuable from his early works ...'

'No,' Lloyd tells her firmly. 'I am not gonna be your guinea pig again.'

Kratos looks questioningly to Genis who just frowns a little. 'Last time Raine found a book like that she started trying out the spells listed inside of it. She used Lloyd as her test subject.'

'My nose bled for two days,' he grumbles, folding his arms. 'Every two hours, it would just randomly start bleeding. I don't know if it was the spell or the fact that she smacked me in the face with her staff whenever it didn't work.'

'It's your own fault,' Raine snaps, still skimming through the book. 'You shouldn't talk back to your teacher.'

'You kept me at your house until 3AM!' Lloyd insists, failing a little. 'Then you gave me detention for falling asleep in class!'

'Don't talk back,' she demands half-heartedly, reaching over to ruffle his hair softly without taking her eyes off the book. 'Alright everyone, let's set up camp. There should be some provisions left outside. Genis, find some paper towels.'

'You're not making me bleed again!' Lloyd persists, pointing accusingly at his teacher already heading for the entrance. 'I don't like bleeding!'

I watch him run after her to try and pose some sort of deal, but she looks pretty intent on trying out the spells in the book. Huh ... poor Lloyd. With any luck, she might use Kratos too and share out the punishment. I dunno what the punishment is _for_, but ... y'know. Genis and Sheena run after them to make sure she doesn't pimpslap Lloyd with the book and cast Resurrection on him and turn him into a carrot. I hate carrots.

I feel a small tug on my hood, and look over my shoulder.

... Oh crap.

Colette's holding her throat, looking pretty worried.

'Colette ...?' I ask quietly. 'Is it your voice?'

She just nods, swallowing hard. 'I ca ... sti ... ta ... a ... bi ...'

I watch her flinch, taking a deep breath. 'You can still talk a bit ...?'

Kratos, oh so luckily right next to us, jumps in. 'Chosen ... do you still wish to uphold your secret?'

Colette sighs, still massaging her throat. 'I ... wa ... th ... o be ... ppy ...'

'You want them to be happy ...?' I try. She nods again.

'Don't ... ha ... uc ... ti ...' she manages. 'D ... wa ... he ... to ... b ... ad ...'

I pause. 'Don't ... have much time? You don't want them to be sad ...?'

She smiles. Hey, I'm good at this.

'If it hurts, don't ...' I trail off. She can't feel pain. Smack yourself, Charlie.

She shakes her head. 'I ... oka ...'

Kratos looks to the entrance to see if anyone is coming back to see why we're taking so long to leave. 'It won't be hard to come up with an excuse for you losing your voice. But it will have to work until we reach the tower.'

'Aphonia,' I say, snapping my fingers. 'A relative of a family friend had it when I was little. One of the reasons it can occur if through stress or fear.'

'We shouldn't make it too specific,' Kratos mumbles. 'But ... trauma seems to be the only reason we can use at the moment. As far as Genis and Lloyd know, Colette hasn't been under any stress _or_ fear lately.'

I point to the ceiling. 'Did you not see me throw up a bucket of blood?'

Colette just nods, dropping her hand. 'Pr ... ssor ...'

'Professor,' I say quickly. 'Krat, we need Raine's help too. She can come up with something, and Genis and Lloyd will believe her.'

'Alright. Go and get her.'

I nod, heading for the entrance. If I could get her attention without dragging over the other three, then we could tell her the plan so she can play along immediately. If we leave it until Colette loses her voice completely, then it's probably going to be a lot more difficult to sort it all out. Ugh, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be. In the game, Lloyd and Genis already know and start worrying about her constantly. But here, Colette's managed to keep it a secret _and_ keep Genis and Lloyd happy. That's what she wants. We all know that if they find out, they're going to spend the next few days worrying sick over her. I don't know what's going to happen at the Tower of Salvation, but I know that isn't how Colette wants to spend her last days with her friends. She wants to see them happy – not sad. I'll respect that.

'Professor!' I call, running out to the top of the stairs. She immediately looks up from her book, and I beckon her over quickly. The others seem to be talking with eachother ... okay, that'll give me a few seconds.

'It's Colette,' I say quietly when she reaches me. At that moment, Kratos and Colette emerge from the tower. 'She's lost her voice from the angel transformation. We need your help covering it up.'

Raine pauses for moment and nods quickly, snapping her book shut. As she goes over hastily to our Chosen, the other three still down there start to follow. Awcrap.

'Charlotte?' Lloyd asks. 'What's up?'

'It's ... um, it's Colette,' I say quickly, looking over. 'She can't talk properly ... w-we think she hurt her throat.'

'Wh ...' Genis mumbles, deciding not to finish his sentence and instead head straight over there. Lloyd and Sheena follow him with equally worried looks, and I decide to skip over myself. Okay, no skipping – this is a dire moment.

'Colette, are you okay?' Lloyd asks, quickly realising his mistake and smacking a hand to his face. 'Um ... nod or shake your head.'

Colette just nods with a smile, and the Professor presses a hand to her throat, feeling her glands.

'It does feel a little swollen,' she says, straightening up. 'Don't worry; it's quite common and not at all dangerous. I'd recommend not speaking for a while – it will only slow down the healing process if you talk properly.'

She nods again, and Genis looks a little ... well, not suspicious, but he probably wants more info. 'Sis, what's wrong with her? She'll be okay, right?'

'She'll be fine,' Raine assures, putting away Boltzman's book. 'It will only be for a few days.'

'Oh ... okay ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'But ... what – I mean, don't you need your voice for the Tower of Salvation?'

Colette shakes her head. 'It ... ly ... pra ...yer ...'

'She only needs to pray,' Kratos tells them for her. 'It will be fine.'

Lloyd still looks a little worried. 'But ... won't Remiel get pissed off, or anything?'

Kratos, presses a hand to Lloyd's shoulder, turning him around and making him walk. Thus, we all make our merry way down the stairs. 'Chosens in the past have dragged themselves to the Tower of Salvation with their legs hacked off and their bodies mutilated by the Desians who have captured them. A simple loss of voice won't be taken into account.'

Lloyd shivers. 'Creepy ...'

Genis looks up to Colette, who's walking with Raine's arm around her shoulders. 'So ... how can we tell what you're trying to say? You can speak a little, but there's no guarantee your voice might go completely.'

'Uh ...' Colette manages, pressing her thumb thoughtfully to her lower lip. I suppose the whole "writing-on-hands" thing hasn't occurred to her yet.

'What about if you use a notepad?' I suggest. 'Then you could write down whatever.'

'I think I have a spare,' Raine says. 'We'll sort this all out tonight. For now, we need to find a safe place to camp as well as organize the provisions that the people of Luin have left for us.'

'I hope the bread cart is still there,' I mumble folding my arms behind my head. 'I'm starving.'

'Oh ... Colette, you can still eat, right?' Genis asks. 'It won't irritate your throat, will it?'

Colette glances up to the Professor as if asking her opinion, but she just gives her a firm look. Raine nods. 'Perhaps only small doses. Nothing too big.'

Aaaand we continue. Genis goes up ahead to Lloyd to tell him so he doesn't start worrying again, and Raine joins him to talk to Kratos about ... something. It's probably all Colette-related right now, but at least she's still got her secret intact. I was worried for a second there, but it looks like Genis and Lloyd have bought it completely. If we _do_ end up going to the Water Seal and coming back, that'll be one day. Travelling to Hima will take a couple of days unless we can hitch a cart ride there, then it'll take only one day. I'm quite positive about the cart ride, seeing as we're going straight to the tower. We'll probably spend the night in Hima, and then ... that's it – we go to the Tower of Salvation. Wow, that's like ... two or three days away.

I clutch the book still under my arm tightly. Is there another way ...?

Colette tugs softly at my wrist, and I look up. She gives me a small smile, taking my hand. Ah, she's ...

I stand still, trying to keep the letters in mind as she spells them out on my palm. It takes a while, but I manage to pick it up.

_Thank you._

I look back up. 'F-for what ...? What did I do?'

She starts writing again.

_For helping me keep my secret. I just want Genis and Lloyd to be happy._

'Oh ...' I mumble. 'Well ... I do too, I guess ... and I want you to be happy, so-'

I trail off when she begins to write again. I bite my lip as she does.

_You should talk to Lloyd tonight_.

I glance over my shoulder and see that everyone is busy sorting out the stuff that the soldiers left for us. 'Why ...?'

_It might stop him worrying too much about my voice._

'That can't be the only reason,' I say, looking up. 'Or you'd tell me to talk to both Lloyd and Genis.'

She just smiles knowingly, beginning to write again with a nod.

_I know you want to talk to him about some things before we go to the final seal._

I pause. 'I ... n-not really, I mean. There's not much for us to-'

She starts again.

_You have something you want to do don't you?_

I pause, dropping my head. Just how much does she know? '... Yeah.'

_If you're worried about it then you should talk to Lloyd. He'll help you and I know you'd trust what he has to say._

'It's not that easy,' I say with an exasperated sigh. 'What I want to do ... I mean, I'm still deciding if I _want_ to do it ... but it's dangerous and it might end up with someone getting really hurt ...'

I sigh again. 'I guess ... I don't want him to start worrying about me, either. Especially when he should be worrying about you.'

Colette shakes her head.

_I don't need or want him to worry about me. I want him to be happy. If you need help then please don't let me get in the way of that._

'No ... no, you're not getting in the way,' I say quickly. 'It's just ... it's your journey, and I feel like you're the one people should be worrying about. I know no one is really paying attention to me at all, but I don't want-'

_You shouldn't keep your problems to yourself. Please talk to Lloyd before you do anything you might regret. He wouldn't want you to hurt yourself_.

I just stare at my hand. 'Colette, how much do you know?'

_I just know there's something you want to do. I don't know why or when you want to do it but you should talk to people you trust before you make any rash decisions._

I pause. 'Doing this thing might cost me my life. Do you think I should do it, Colette?'

She hesitates with a worried look before writing her answer into my palm.

_I don't think you should throw your life away. But if it's something worth so much to you that you're willing to give your life up, then you should try to find another way_.

I smile a little. 'You could do with taking your own advice Colette.'

She begins to write again, but I just curl my hand and drop it to my side. 'It doesn't matter. I know how you feel about regenerating the world. People worrying about you and trying to stop you is what you've been trying to avoid, so I won't start now.'

She nods again, and I bite my lip. 'Let's, um ... let's help out the others.'

I watch Colette go on ahead, holding the hand she's been writing on tightly with my other. She knows I'm trying to do something ... but if she wants me to tell Lloyd about my plans to use the Eternal Sword, then – wait, _do_ I even want to use the sword? Colette told me not to throw my life away, and I don't exactly _want_ to die or risk my life, but ... we're so close to the Tower of Salvation. What if it _does_ work? What if I do pull it off and I can go home? I could be back on Earth within three days. I want that more than anything in the world.

At least I think I do.

Would my life here matter if I could never get home? What would be the point? They ultimately don't need me, so shouldn't I just ...?

Yeah, Colette's right. I need help.

--

_Mithos was a great man who put an end to the Ancient Kharlan War. No one knows of Mithos' origin.  
A group of evil half-elves called Desians triggered the war by poisoning the king's mind with misinformation. After learning that the mana shortage was caused by the war, Mithos found a way to end the bloodshed._

_After Mithos' demise, the goddess governing over his actions disappeared in grief. The goddess left a prophecy to the angels to ensure that the world would continue to prosper from its tragedy. The Chosen One was born and followed in the footsteps of Mithos, ending the world's struggle for life._

I snap the book shut. What a bunch of bullshit.

Okay yes, I'm bitter, waaah, but I'm a little annoyed tonight. Um, I've done one of my "stray-from-the-group-to-have-some-time-along" things I always do, and am taking my nice little refuge in a small group of trees just a little way away from the camp. Plus, I needed to skim through this book to see if it's of any use, but so far it's just ranting on and on about how awesome Mithos was. If I do pull off getting home, please remind me to punch him in the crotch before I get sucked in the time/space rip.

I mainly wanted a little privacy because it's hard to read around those guys. If I'm gonna be researching this, then I don't want them being suspicious of why. That, and it's hard to concentrate when Lloyd and Genis are taking advantage of Colette's voice-loss and opt to play charades for hours on end. At least they're having fun instead of being all emo over Colette – she's a lot happier too, so it works out for everyone.

Colette dropped one or two hints at me to talk to Lloyd again, but I've decided not to. Not because I don't trust him, but I know he'll try to pursued me not to use the Eternal Sword. To him, I'll be using it for no reason; I can't tell him I want to use it to get home, so I'll just end up saying "I want to use it to see what happens". If I tell him it might cost me my life, then he'll be against it. I know I still haven't decided if I'd like to use it or not, but if there's a small possibility I _am_ going to use it, I don't need Lloyd reminding me of death and making me feel guilty. I said no guilt-trips for a week, dammit.

Though he might not react that way. He might just say "n'kay, go ahead and kill yourself hurr", but that's unlikely. I know it's been proven over and over I'm last on the friendship list (well, I'm above Sheena for now), but still ... it's not like Lloyd to be a _complete_ douche. I mean, he worries about everyone. If I'm prancing around and risking my life, he'll probably slap me and tell me to pack it in.

I swallow a little. Urgh, still queasy.

I flip to the back of the book to the blank page I've been using to take down notes. All it says so far is _what_ has happened to me so far when I've come into contact with pure mana, the 'votum' symbol and the word itself from the seal of fire, and how Origin will get confused so I don't forget. If I look at this properly, then it looks like I won't die at all. The worst that could happen is that I start puking blood all over the sword as I use it, or I'm a little ill afterwards if I fail.

I asked Raine and Kratos about pure mana, and you can get it by setting up a basic rune (like the start of a spell) and concentrating extremely hard to draw in mana from the air into a physical form. If I'm going to do it, I'll make it into a liquid so I can carry it around in a vial without getting hurt. I won't be hard to conceal, but I don't know if Genis and Raine can sense that kinda stuff.

So if other words, I'm all set. I just now have to decide if I'm going to _do_ it or not. Yes, I probably could use help sorting this out. I'm so confused with myself – I _could_ do it, and I _could_ go home, and all of this will be over. I can completely avoid the dangerous part of this journey. Either that all, or I could die. And that's it – I'm dead. There's no second chances, no Game Over Try Again, no warping randomly back to Earth – that's it. The thing I've been expected to happen when I was like, seventy and on my deathbed in some hospital. Not ... _here_. I doubt when I meet the Big Guy at the golden gates he'll give me a second chance, but ... urgh.

Someone sits down next to me and I have a fucking heart attack. A small one, but I fall over with a scream.

Damn that was sudden.

'Nice to see you too.'

I look up to see Lloyd sitting beside me, hands in his lap. Aw shit, Colette sent him down anyway. How long has he been standing around while I stare at my book? Did he see any of my notes?

'Wassup?' I say, playing casual and shoving the book ... down to hide somewhere. 'Does the Professor want me back now? I was getting a little tired anyway. Plus, we gotta leave in the morning, and-'

Before I can continue, Lloyd just hands me a small crumpled piece of paper. I let him drop it into my hands, giving him a confused look. He just nods towards it, and I unwrap and proceed to read. Colette's handwriting.

_You need to talk to her_.

Goddammit.

'Oh, this ...' I say, forcing a laugh. 'It's ... it doesn't matter anymore – it's nothing, promise.'

Lloyd just takes the paper back, leaning against the tree with a small sigh. He grins. 'You do realise I can tell when you're lying, right?'

My face falls. 'Eh?'

He folds his arms behind his head, yawning. 'You speak faster when you lie. And your eyes narrow. I noticed it a couple of times. It's not hard to pick out, y'know.'

'... Huh,' I mumble. 'So ... you can tell when people lie?'

'Kinda,' he murmurs with another yawn, rubbing his nose. 'Genis plays with his fingers when he lies. Colette does this weird giggle, and the Professor always looks off to one side. They're easy things to remember. I don't know about Kratos – he doesn't lie a lot ... at least I don't think he does. Maybe he's really good at lying.'

I snort at the irony, straightening up a little. 'Either way, even if I am lying, I don't need your help. This is something I can sort out alone.'

'You're doing it again.'

Frick. I bury my face in my hands. 'Oh god, you're not going to give up, are you?'

'No way,' Lloyd says, slipping down the tree to get more comfortable. 'You can take your time, but I _will_ get it out of you.'

I roll my eyes, fingering the corner of the book I've hidden from view. 'Yeah, yeah ...'

When nothing happens for a couple of moments, I glance over to him. He's just staring at the sky, lying down on the root of the tree I've been sitting against. Does anyone notice that whenever I have these talks with someone, there're usually trees around? Maybe they bring out the talkative, support-seeking side of me that I don't like too much. Huh, that's very strange. I shake the thought off, picking up my book and setting it my lap.

Lloyd doesn't know anything about the Eternal Sword, so ... none of this will make sense to him. It's safe not to say anything, but he isn't going to leave me alone. And let's face it, it would be nice to hear a couple of people's opinions on if I should risk my life or not. I still don't see how I could die, but Charis said otherwise, and until I have enough information then I'm just going to have to trust her word on it.

I slowly wrap my arms around myself. It's pretty cold ... which is weird. It's usually boiling in the day, but now it's night ... well, it's practically freezing. This sucks – I'd feel a lot better if I had a jacket or something, but no – I'm stuck with my sleeveless shirt. I think I should change my outfit at some point – it's been the same since Palmacosta. I know the others have kept theirs for like, forever, but c'mon – it gets boring after a while. And I'd like something more suited for ... well, the stuff I'm put up against here.

With any luck, I won't have to put up with it much longer. I just need the strength to make myself do it.

'Would you miss me if I died?'

Lloyd looks up to me immediately, eyes wide. 'Wh ...'

'If I died,' I repeat, staring at the book in my lap. 'Would you miss me?'

He doesn't answer, and just continues to stare at me dumbfounded. I'll elaborate for him.

'It's obvious and I refuse to believe-' I start, leaning back a little '- that I've had such an impact on your life in the past two months for you to grieve over my death for years. I know I'm not as important as the others, and their deaths would hit a lot deeper than mine ever ... ever will. But ...'

I dare myself to look over at his taken aback face. 'Would you miss me?'

Finally, his mouth begins to move a little and he begins to form words. 'O ... of course I'd miss you, you dork ... what are you saying ...? Does it matter that Genis and Colette and ... and everyone else is closer to me? If you die, then hell yes I'm gonna miss you!'

I grin a little, toying with the book. 'Can't say I didn't expect something like that.'

'... What are you trying to say?' Lloyd asks, giving me a firm look. 'And don't try and lie to me about this – I'll pick up on it straight away.'

'I'm not gonna,' I say, running a hand through my hair. 'You really wanna know?'

I only realised that Lloyd has pulled himself up from the floor during his little angry spat when he settles down a little back against the tree. '... If you're putting your life in danger, then I wanna know why. Nothing is worth that ...'

I rub my cheek a little. 'You mean you don't believe that I could care about something so much that I'm willing to put my life on the line?'

'I didn't say that,' Lloyd snaps, still looking a little pissed off. Wow, he's angrier than I thought he'd be. Then again, he's against the whole 'self-sacrificing' thing. 'There are always other ways ... surely you don't have to be so-'

'I'm looking for something,' I interrupt, picking the book up off my lap. Lloyd falls silent, and I continue. 'That's the reason I came on this journey. I thought that if I travelled around, then I'd find it.'

'... You're looking for something? What is it?'

'I can't say,' I mumble, dropping my hands to my lap along with the book. 'It's complicated. But recently, I've found out how I can get it ... but in doing so, I might have to risk my life. The way I see it, the possibility of keeping my life is greater than me losing it ... but that doesn't mean the possibility isn't there at all.'

I shrug a little against the back of the tree when my back numbs up. 'There are other ways of getting the thing I'm looking for ... but I want it now. I know it sounds stupid of me, but I can't stand this ... I need the thing I'm looking for. Only then can I stop worrying about everything around me, and I'd rather have it sooner than later. I don't know any other ways to get it ... I know there are others, but I-'

'You're an idiot.'

I get thrown off my sentence, looking over to Lloyd. Who is glaring at me. 'Wh-'

'_Nothing_,' he seethes. 'Is worth throwing your life away. If there are other ways to get this _thing_, then you can damn well wait for them. I'm not going to let you wonder off and get killed just because you're impatient. Do you even realise how ... how _stupid_ you sound!?'

'I'm pretty sure I do,' I clarify with a nod. 'But you don't understa-'

'_YOU_ don't understand!' Lloyd exclaims, jumping to his feet. I flinch a little, leaning away so he doesn't hit me with his sudden movements. He just glares down at me. 'Do you realise how many people would miss you!? And don't give me that stupid 'wallflower' crap! You can still do nothing on this journey and mean _something _to people! What about your family and your friends back at Asgard? Do you want us just to go back to them and tell them that you died trying to do something you could have _lived_ through!?'

'Lloyd why are you getting so goddamn upset?' I demand. 'In the big picture, my death isn't going to affect you at all-'

'That's not the _point!_' he yells, clenching his fists tightly. 'I'm upset because you're being completely serious about this! If you were joking around, then it'd be fine, but you're ... you're actually going to throw your life away for something you could do later? Without dying!?'

I place the book to my side, straightening up and getting to my feet. I'll be easier without him looking down at me. 'The thing I'm searching for is the only thing I've _ever_ been searching for in this world. Nothing else matters.'

I turn to him. 'I'd willing throw any of your lives away to get it. That's how desperate I am.'

Lloyd's face falls, and I scratch my cheek.

'That's how I thought until a few weeks ago,' I say, letting my hands fall to my side. 'Now I just don't know what to do.'

The look in Lloyd's eyes demand an explanation. I glance off to one side, but I know he won't accuse me of lying right now.

'When I first started, I fully expected everyone on this journey to hate me. I expected them to want to kick me off the group, to ridicule me, and to complain about how I'm not as strong or smart as anyone else. I concentrated too much on how Kratos viewed me, because I saw him as the biggest threat and I was only here because he let me be. If I pissed him off, I thought he'd kick me off the group. And he did.'

Lloyd's brow furrows a little. 'He ... when?'

'At Asgard,' I say. 'When I said I wanted to stay. It was because he told me to leave because I was holding everyone back. He eventually let me stay ... and that's when I stopped caring about how he saw me. I started to realise how everyone else saw me.'

I look to the floor. 'I'd been a complete bitch since day one, but I saw a lot of people willing and waiting to give me a chance. I felt so selfish ignoring the friendship they offered me, only focusing on one person who didn't care at all in the end.'

I bite my lip. 'So I took those chances. And I screwed up a lot, but in the end, I've come out of it all with friends. I never expected anyone to want me around or even _like_ me in the slightest, but I tried ... and I did things I usually wouldn't in order to make them happy ... and now I have friends here.'

I look up. 'I never thought I'd have a friend willing to put himself in danger for me. I know it's a long shot, but that's pretty much the gist of it, right?'

Lloyd opens his mouth to say something, but I get there first. 'You wouldn't put anyone else in danger for my sake, I know. And everyone else's priorities come before mine. But if it came down to it and I needed your help, I like to think you'd fight for me if I couldn't protect myself.'

I sigh. 'I know a lot of people would miss me. But you'd get over it. You'd carry on and do what's important for this world, because you guys are strong enough for that. If I die, it won't be a major setback – I know that. I'm not ... _important_. I don't have significance in the world.'

'You ...'

'I just don't know how to see things anymore.'

'Well ... would you listen to me for a minute then?' Lloyd asks, still looking a little pissed, if not a lot more understanding. 'If you want my help, then let me give my point of view on this.'

I sigh again. 'Shoot.'

Lloyd sits back down beside the tree, thumping the ground beside him. I sit also, waiting.

'You don't have to be important for people to miss you,' he says after a few moments, glaring at the ground infront of him. 'You're important in some ways – you're not in others. A lot of people don't have significance in this world – some people are just meant to relax and enjoy life. But that doesn't mean that when they finally die, no one is going to care.'

He looks to me. 'I don't know what you've accomplished in your life outside of this journey. But the past two months, you've done a lot for us. Maybe not as much as anyone else, but you still _did_ that stuff. You helped me out in the Desian base at Triet, you're the one that told me about Kratos' birthday, you're the one who shot Kvar in the head to save me, you risked your life to help me kill him, and did it again even when I'd let you down. If you die ... then I'm going to think back on all that stuff, and I'm gonna miss you. You may not have done a lot in your own eyes, but you've done enough.'

He looks back to his lap. 'So stop your stupid talk about risking your life for something stupid, because if I catch you trying it, I'm gonna have to smack you.'

I follow suit and look to my ripped trousers. To be honest, I _was_ expecting Lloyd's daily rant of righteousness, but I was also expecting to land on a firm decision. Which I haven't, at the moment. I guess ... it didn't work as well as I wanted it to this time. I still feel a whole lot better about myself though. Props for Lloyd and his confidence-boosting skills.

'You really care, don't you?'

'Yes,' Lloyd grumbles moodily, arms folded. 'Idiot.'

I manage a kind of twisted grin. 'Thanks for trying either way. At least now I'm thinking about it.'

'I don't want you to think about it,' he snaps, folded arms tightening. 'I want you to stop being stupid and wait it out.'

'I think I might,' I say, curling my legs to my side. Still cold. 'But if I find a way to do it without getting hurt-'

'As long as your life isn't in danger, you do what the hell you want,' he mutters. 'Idiot.'

I rub my thumbnail, waiting for Lloyd to loosen up and stop being grouchy. He doesn't, and I continue to rub my nail.

'Idiot,' he repeats. 'You're just an idiot.'

I rest my head on his shoulder. 'I know.'

'You seriously pissed me off, you know that?'

'I know.'

'I didn't think you could be such an idiot.'

'I know.'

'If you die, then I'm gonna carry on. But I'll always remember this stupid conversation. And all the stupid things you've done. And all the good things you've done. So you'd better get your act together and stop being such a-'

'-Idiot. I know.'

'... Dork.'

I shift against his shoulder. 'I know.'

* * *

Char finally accepts Lloyd as a friend XD Took her long enough. Okies, if you enjoyed, REVIEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. If not ... then thank you for getting this far at least D:


	65. Undine

(GO AND READ THE MANGA "20TH CENTURY BOY" RIGHT NOW. I MEAN IT. IT'S BETTER THAN FMA/NARUTO/BLEACH/YGO COMBINED. I HAVEN'T SLEPT PROPERLY FOR A WEEK SO I COULD READ IT ALL.)

Oh god, 16,000+ words, I AM SO SORRY D:

To Spiecas - Okay, I agree with the Len person D: I go out of my way to avoid Char/anyone, yet apparently spawn torrents of Charlloyd fans in the process. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG. To all you Charlloyd fans - SHAME ON YOU, YOU ARE COURRUPTING MY FRAGILE MIND D:

Speaking of non-existant TWC pairings, (fanfiction. net/ s/ 4372915/ 1/ Paradoxical) is a Doppelgänger-LloydxLloyd pairing fic written for giggles, because screwing with a potentially evil Lloyd's image is fun. Go read it. It's like, fanfic of fanfic. Time-paradox worthy, almost. But for all of you "omg gay yaois ew make it burn" people, don't worry - Lloyd doesn't get it on with his doppelgänger. All is pretty average here.

... I HAVE THREE KITTENS OMG AAAAAAH. Sorry, they're just really, really cute S:

Tower of Salvation soon, oh noes. Angst galore.

I went to the city festival the other day with like, a gang of 16 people altogether. It was pretty lame anyway - we all ended up getting soaked because England rain. How very horrible D:

Oh yeah, I play WoW every now and then (which automatically makes me lame I know, stfu), but if anyone is on the European servers, give me a buzz and we can go kill things for shits and giggles.

Enjoy :) Oh, and the threat of school is finally over for me until September, so I'm just going to have to run down to my old school and see if I can get a job there for two weeks. I'll have some free time to write regularly, so yhay.

* * *

Chapter 65 - Undine

'I can't believe you guys used WASHTUBS to get over the ocean.'

'Hey, _you're_ the one that dragged us out to the Thoda Geyser. And we got a boat anyway so what are you complaining about?'

'I'm not complaining! I just find it really ... really weird.'

I look over to Sheena and Lloyd having a small conversation. I'm doing another one of those things where I just stay on my lonesome and look around at what everyone else is doing. Which isn't a lot, to be honest; you see, we're back in the Water Seal, and Sheena has convinced us to come along with her to see if she can make a pact with Undine. As soon as "pact" and "Undine" and "can" appeared in the same sentence, there was really no point in saying no. Raine had already dragged us to the docks screaming "YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES."

The boat took like, 8 hours to actually get back though. It had left yesterday, so fun times were had waiting around to be picked up. No, I lie – Lloyd dragged Kratos away and asked for some training, Colette and Genis had been playing all day, and Sheena was off talking with Corrine. I actually got a lesson or two from Raine about how mana works in the body, and she's been trying to examine the whole ... me-missing-a-giant-chunk-o'-mana thing. I keep telling her it's no big deal, but she's veeeeeery persistent about it. She makes out like I'm going to randomly drop dead at some point.

I've only actually talked to Raine and Sheena today, which is weird you might think. Yeah, Lloyd's still pretty sore about what I told him about me risking my life for 'something'. But now he's talked to me, I think I can settle on a final decision. He's a very persuasive guy when he's shouting at you.

I _am_ going to use the Eternal Sword. I'm just going to wait until Lloyd and Sheena make the pact with Origin. Then I can pretty much tell Lloyd to ask Origin if he can let me have five minutes alone time with the sword, and I'll prance on home. So it looks like I'm here for the long-stay. Can't say I expected that, but Lloyd was right in the end. If I die, I can't try again, and I'll be missed.

... Plus I kinda-sorta-wanted to meet Zelos. Oh I'm such a fangirl.

Anywaaaaaaay. When the boat finally came, we all hopped on and went straight to sleep. Seriously, we'd been waiting THAT long, and it was getting dark when it arrived. We literally had to drag Lloyd to a hammock, and then back off the boat. Kratos practically carried him half-way through the seal, but then some jellyfish tried to attack Raine and he sliced it up into tiny pieces in an angry rage. Seriously – you touch Raine, and Lloyd will fuck you up.

D'aaw. I wonder if she knows that Lloyd sorta thinks of her as a mother-figure. That's what he told his doppelganger, at least.

'So ...' I hear Lloyd's voice, looking up. He turns to Sheena. 'Explain to me this whole thing again.'

'What!? I explained it all last night!'

'Yeah, but I was kinda ... fallin' asleep ...'

'Ugh, you ...' Sheena groans, rubbing her fringe. 'We're going so I can make a pact with Undine.'

'The summon spirit of water, right?'

'That's right. I failed my mission to assassinate the Chosen, and seeing as how my people are doing research on Volt and other summon spirits, I thought if I took back Undine then it could be of use to them.'

There's a small pause. 'Plus, it might lighten my punishment a little.'

'And ... we're here to cheer you on?'

'Well, pretty much. Colette didn't want me going alone ... and Raine wanted to see how all the pact and vow stuff works.'

'Wow ... this is so cool! I can't wait to see it ...'

'You'll just got bored halfway through, Lloyd,' Kratos calls over, not looking up from the map he's inspecting – I think he and Raine are sorting out how to get to the Tower of Salvation. I glance over, and Lloyd just makes a face and sticks his tongue out in Kratos' direction. Yeah, that'll show him.

'I only get bored having to walk all the way through the Seal again,' Lloyd sighs.

'It's been easier to navigate our way through this time,' Raine says, still scanning over the map. 'I left markings next to the places I'd studied last time we were here. We should reach the seal-room soon.'

'How long did it take you last time?' Sheena asks, looking over to Lloyd. He thinks, folding his arms behind his head with a withered look.

'About a day.'

Sheena's eyes widen. 'A whole day? Sounds pretty tough ...'

Lloyd waves a hand. 'Eh, it wasn't too bad ... not until we actually fought the seal guardian, anyways. It tried to bite Kratos' arm off.'

I watch Kratos shudder visibly at the memory. I know he's strong and all, but having a giant-ass water snake trying to gnaw into your biceps can't be too nice.

'Wow ...' Sheena mumbles, turning to stare ahead at the winding pathway. 'I sure hope he doesn't show up again when I'm trying to make a pact.'

Lloyd snorts. 'Don't sweat it – we'll protect you. I'll beat him to a pulp if he comes near you.'

Sheena manages a grin. 'I'm holding you to that, y'know.

'Heh, sure thing.'

I fold my arms, looking around at the dark, dank pathways just how I remember them. Lloyd and Sheena are getting along really well, considering it's only been about a week since she joined us. I can't really say I'm not surprised – they have a lot in common, and Sheena _does_ take a strong liking to Lloyd in the game. I don't remember too well, but I think someone told me that their scenes in Flanoir and Heimdall were really ... y'know, sweet and fluffy and aww (their words exactly). I don't remember – I think I took Genis' path when I played. Or Zelos'. Argh, I don't know!

Seeing as I'm here to stay until the very end, I have to wonder how everything will play out in those 'scenes'. This isn't really a game anymore – it's a reality, so things like exp, tech learning, gald and items randomly falling off monsters, building up affection, choosing certain paths – y'know, they don't really _exist_ here anymore. Like, Lloyd isn't going to build a break a friendship with Genis and Colette, because they've been his friends since childhood. If they do one little stupid thing, he's not gonna throw a shitfit and knock 2 points off some kinda list. That does make it a little harder for me, but blah.

'Hey ...'

I look over and quickly realise that wasn't directed at me, and watch Lloyd skip ahead (yes, skip) to Kratos' side. I wonder where Sheena's gone, and Raine seems to have finished reading maps with Kratos and has dragged her back to ask her about the summoning rituals and pacts and whatnot. Poor Sheena. She'll get used to it.

'Kraaaatooooooos,' Lloyd chants, finally getting his attention. He looks down, raising an eyebrow.

'Yes?'

'Uh ... nothing, really,' Lloyd mumbles with a small grin. 'I was just thinking ... you feeling okay?'

Kratos just looks back up to the pathway we're following so we don't run into monsters. 'I am perfectly fine. Why do you ask?'

'Well, you haven't said much in the past few days,' Lloyd says with a shrug. 'And we're back here, and I was just thinking about what happened last time we ... were here.'

Kratos nods, picking up immediately at how Lloyd is talking about the Leviathan trying to eat Kratos. Ah, memories.

'You scared?' Lloyd asks a bit too quickly. 'Though I guess you're not the kinda guy to get scared ... y'know, I don't think I've ever _seen_ you scared. I mean, don't you ever get frightened of stuff? Wha-'

'Lloyd,' Kratos interrupts firmly, cutting him off from his rambling. Kratos looks down at him again, and Lloyd hesitates to meet his eyes. 'Are _you_ scared?'

Lloyd's eyes fall, and he fiddles with the Exsphere on the back of his hand. '... Yeah.'

'We are here to protect you also,' Kratos says simply, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade. 'There is no reason to be afraid.'

'... I just don't want anyone getting hurt again because of me,' Lloyd mumbles, dropping his hands to his sides. 'It's happened enough.'

'You do not have to feel at fault,' Kratos tells him, going back to watching the path. 'It was my own choice to protect you from the guardian of the seal.'

'That's true,' Lloyd sighs, shaking his head. 'But if I hadn't been in its way, then I-'

'Wouldn't have been hurt in the first place?' Kratos finishes for him, folding his arms. He doesn't wait for Lloyd's answer of "yes". 'That may well be true, but perhaps you should be thinking about _why_ you were in its way, and what would have happened if you weren't.'

Kratos takes a quick glance at me, and looks back to Lloyd. He's right. The reason Lloyd got caught by the Leviathan was because I'd tripped over trying to escape and he came to help me. Kratos went over to help him, and well ... yeah. Oopsie.

'You get into most of your fixes by trying to protect your friends,' Kratos explains. 'It's only natural that they, as well as myself, would try to protect you also.'

Lloyd is silent for a long while, before finally flinching a little in discomfort. 'Man, why are we all so corny?'

Kratos just slaps a hand down on Lloyd's shoulder with a sigh. Yes, Lloyd, it _is_ your fault.

I hold in a hiss of annoyance when I step in some random puddle, shaking off the water and stumbling along with the rest of the group. I sure hope the battle with Undine isn't as wet as the one with the Leviathan was. To be blunt about my fear of water, I'm not so much scared of _it_ as I am being submerged underwater or drowning. I think if I get a little thrown over me then I'll be peachy, if not a little pissed off.

I think we'll all be fighting again ... I'm not sure. The only reason we have people stay away from the fight sometimes is so our stuff doesn't get damaged. Raine and Colette had to guard our stuff at the seal of fire so it didn't get all burnt, and since then we haven't really been in a place where our baggage could be in danger. We left our stuff in the caravan when we went to the Palmacosta ranch, Raine and the others had our stuff in the Asgard ranch, we left everything with Noishe in the seal of wind, and when we were here last ... um, I could have sworn we left it besides the warp before we went into the seal room. Yeah, we did. We could do that again, and then we could all fight.

Leaving our stuff with the soldiers back at the Tower of Mana was a bad idea. I could have sworn some stuff got stolen. Bad Noishe! You were supposed to be protecting it!

Ah well – Noishe is back at the boat right now, waiting for us to get back. I don't think he likes how Kratos and Lloyd are always wondering off into dangerous places. He still pretty much hates me, so he couldn't care less if I get maimed. Dammit, I was hoping he'd like me before we got to Tethe'alla. I wonder how long he took to get used to Anna ...

Ah well. I'll get him one day.

--

'Holy ... crap ...'

Oh gawd, we're back at the seal room, and this place is a _mess_. The floor and pillars are all cracked, there are shards of broken tiles and stone strewn all over the floor ... puddles of dried blood where Kratos was bitten is still there ... it's all very unattractive.

'You ever think that we should clean up whenever we come to seals and mess the place up?' Lloyd asks, scratching the back of his head. 'I think Cruxis should be a little pissed at us right now ...'

'Eh, let them be pissed,' Sheena says, waving a hand while she steps over a rather large chunk of pillar. 'They shouldn't make the seal guardians so strong if they want to keep the place clean and tidy.'

I make a face and shove some broken rock away with my foot. Surely we can't actually fight Undine here – we'll be tripping over everywhere! Colette can fly, so she'll be fine, but what about the rest of us? Geez ... but then again, we might not even have to fight her – y'know, a lot of things have changed, so who knows; the summon spirits might just hop right in Sheena's head and we'll be on our way to Tethe'alla. Well, Hima, then the Tower, then the Renegade base in Triet, but dammit I'm excited. I wanna meet Zelos already! Charis might explode in my head though ... eh ...

'You okay?'

I look up and notice Lloyd's looking at me weirdly. Hey, he's actually talking to me now! Well, we're about to have a serious battle, so blah. He'll be moody with me again right afterwards.

'Uh, yeah, smashin',' I say, rubbing my arm a little. It's cold in here – just like I remember, urgh. 'Why?'

'Nothing,' Lloyd says, shaking his head. 'You just kinda drifted off for a second.'

I snort. 'Ah. No worries, I was just having a small daydreamy moment.'

Lloyd huffs at my childishness and just sorta ... flails and storms over to Sheena. 'Can we just finish this!?'

'Hey, let me prepare myself, okay?' Sheena snaps when he comes all angry into her personal space. Lloyd immediately falters, settling down with an apologetic look. I watch as Sheena takes a deep breath, looking towards the seal.

'Okay ... here goes nothing.'

... Yeah, we're still waiting. Come on Sheena, move or something. The seal is right there, and we're not all gonna die. Go go go!

She doesn't listen to my inner rambling and grabs Lloyd by the upper arm. 'Uh ... y-you guys just ... stay back, alright?'

Lloyd just looks from our ninja to the seal, and ... does a double-take. 'Eh?'

'Stay back! Something could go wrong!' Sheena insists. 'I-I don't want you guys getting hurt too.'

Everyone's favourite bumbling idiot trips over his words. 'W ... weren't we supposed to be protecting you, or something?'

'Well-'

'Argh, it's fine,' Lloyd sighs, throwing his hands up into the air. He turns to us after he calms down, and I notice he's being _really_ testy today. Maybe he's still scared. 'Um ... everyone just be careful, okay?'

'Lloyd ... hey, what are you doing!?' Sheena demands when he walks right on up to the seal. He looks back at her, giving her a kind of ... _obvious_ look.

'I'm gonna be up here with you, duh.'

'Why!?' Sheena ... rages. 'I-I can do this myself!'

'Hey, hey, I'm not saying that you can't do it yourself,' Lloyd explains quickly, holding his hands up. 'You're really, really strong, I know, please don't kick me there again. But if something goes wrong, then I'll be here to protect you, okay?'

Sheena falls silent.

'You've been worrying about this all the way here, I can tell,' Lloyd sighs. 'So ... just let me protect you this once? Think of it as a payback for all the times you saved my sorry ass. Especially at the ranch.'

We all watch as Sheena snickers, stepping up to the seal platform with Lloyd at her side. 'That's gonna take more than one round of protecting. We'll see how this goes and sort something out.'

Lloyd grins. 'You can rely on me! I promised I'd protect you, and I'm sticking to that.'

Oh Lloyd, your doppelganger may be a jackass, but he's a jackass who makes _sense_; please start _thinking_ before you make anymore promises. To be fair, he didn't exactly say "yeah, I'm totally going to screw everyone over and focus on YOU, babeh", but still – if he winds up in some random situation where he can't protect her, he's gonna feel quite crappy afterwards.

I'm sure Sheena will be fine by herself. I'm just rambling. Blehplehpleh.

'Are we all set?' Sheena calls over, and we all hold up our weapons in a kinda of dorky group-"YES". Except Raine and Kratos, because they're _adults_. They just nod, and Sheena takes a deep breath. Yes, Sheenie, everything is fine, Lloyd is up there with you, we're all the way over here, Undine isn't Volt, she isn't going to zap us all up and go all "..." on you. She's a random water-chick. It'll be peachy.

God I love that word. Peachy. Peaaaaaaaaa-

Genis jumps when I slap myself hard. Focus.

'Okay, I'll do my best,' Sheena says, ignoring how we're already injuring ourselves and clasps her hands flat together. She shuffles uncomfortably when Lloyd just stares at her. 'Uh, it's like ... summoner's concentration. You have to call the summon spirit forth, or it'll just keep sleeping.'

'Oh ... so you're waking it up?' Lloyd asks, looking towards the seal already starting to activate and glow a slight blue colour. 'Won't it get a little miffed off? I mean, whenever Genis wakes me up for school, I-'

'Lloyd, that's not helping,' Sheena groans, elbowing him sharply without moving her hands. He flushes a little, looking off to one side.

'Eheh, sorry ...'

No Charlotte, throwing something at the back of Lloyd's head won't work. Just be patient.

After a while, the seal begins to glow a little brighter while Sheena calls Undine forth. I'd say she was having a pretty good 4000 year old nap, because as soon as the spiral of blue mana begins to form in the air before Sheena and Lloyd, the ground starts to shake a little. Genis immediately tightens the grip on his kendama, and I watch the water splash up against the sides of the platform. Oh god, why am I so close to the edge!?

I shuffle back to the middle of the area so I don't fall in, taking a quick glance to Sheena and Lloyd. Sheena looks a little scared – I can see her shaking. Well, the whole room is going a little weird, so she could be thinking about how this could all go wrong and how we could all _die_. Lloyd just steps a little closer to reassure her.

Finally, the spiral of mana ... um, implodes. Seriously. It all sucks into a little blue glowing ball for a second, and then bursts out in a flurry of light and ... more blue. I have to cover my eyes from the blinding light, because the last thing I need when (probably) fighting the summon spirit of water is a headache.

I wait for the light behind my eyelids to fade before dropping my hand. Argh, why do all holy things in this game have to do with light somehow? Y'know, what if there was an epileptic Chosen? Yeah, they're totally screwed then.

Finally, I lower my arms and squint through the fading light. Sure enough, floating there in the centre of the seal is one and only summon spirit of water, Undine. Scantily clad, hair and skirt a-flowing like water, blue skinned, purple-eyed and all. And shirtless. And making Lloyd look terribly uncomfortable. He's gone totally beet red, and Sheena just straightens up, arms at her side. She doesn't seem extremely panicked; Undine doesn't look all too threatening compared to Volt, so this is all good.

'That's the summon spirit?' Genis asks from my side. 'Wow ... she's-'

'Half-naked,' I finish for him. Raine pinches the lobe of my ear sharply and mutters something about respect. Undine straightens herself (more blushing from Lloyd), and gives Sheena a long, searching look.

'You possess the right of the pact,' she states quietly (well duh), examining Sheena closely. She just nods with her hands clenched tight, and Lloyd continues to try and avert his gaze NORTH of the most obvious area.

'I am Undine, bound to the summoner Mithos,' she says, continuing to float and be all watery. Seriously, it's getting odd to watch. She looks to both Sheena and Lloyd before carrying on her little introduction. 'What is your name?'

Lloyd's exact words are 'P-plebemphlum.'

'I ...' Sheena mumbles, slapping one hand to the side of her face at Lloyd's ... behaviour. 'I am Sheena. I seek a pact with yo – uh, Undine.'

She simply nods, ignoring Sheena's small mistake and folds her arms (Lloyd seriously has to look off to one side at this point). 'Due to certain circumstances, it is impossible for me to create a vow.'

Sheena just blinks. 'Eh?'

'You said you were bound to Mithos, right?' I call over. Urk, this should be Raine's job; talking to summon spirits and all. 'Is it because you already have a pact with that guy?'

She nods again. 'That is correct. Summon spirits cannot uphold two pacts at the same time. Because I am already bound to the summoner Mithos ... I shall have to deny your vow.'

Aaaaaaand she begins to fade. Christ that was fast.

'W-wait!' Sheena calls out to her, holding a hand up. 'You mean ... there's no other way? At all? Isn't there anything I can do?'

I notice Genis put his kendama away with a small grumble, hands on hips. 'You're the summoner – shouldn't you know all this stuff already? Didn't you say that you went to some kind of research institute to learn about summon spirits?'

Sheena makes a face, turning to us. 'W-well ... they only taught me how to create pacts and summon things forth ... they never said anything about what to do if someone else already had a pact with a summon spirit ...!'

She turns hastily back to Undine, who's very nicely decided to stop fading for us and stick around. Wow, I was kinda afraid that she was just this robotic summon spirit and wouldn't care about what we said. Okay, shut up and focus on Sheena. 'Uh ... could you give us just two seconds to sort something out?'

She just nods silently, hair curling around her as she just kinda ... sits down in mid air. Huh.

'Okay, uh ...' Lloyd says as Sheena grabs his arm and drags him to turn around. Eee, he's still completely red in the face – how the hell is he going to actually fight her without freaking out? 'S-so ... she had a pact with someone called Mithos ... right?'

'Do you think it could have been Mithos of the Kharlan War?' Genis asks, looking mostly to Raine at this point. She considers it for a second and just shakes her head, seeing as how Undine probably isn't allowed to give that information out. It's logical really – if someone comes trying to make a pact and the summon spirit gives out all the details, the person could just go and kill the first pact maker and then come back. Urk.

'It's doubtful,' Raine says finally. 'When Mithos died, his pacts must have been annulled. It isn't a rare name these days; it could be anyone.'

'Well ... I hardly need Undine's power more than that Mithos guy right now ...' Sheena mumbles, folding her arms in a small huff. Don't worry Sheena, you'll get your way.

'Couldn't we do anything to cancel the old pact?' Lloyd asks, turning to Undine. Bad idea. 'Is that po ... possi ...'

Sheena reaches over and covers his eyes. 'Ignore this idiot.' She turns back to us, pulling Lloyd along with her. 'So our only option is to find this Mithos and ask him to cancel his own pact?'

'Ain't that gonna piss him right off?' I ask, flinching. 'There's gotta be another way to do this without finding him and asking him.'

'That may be, but it looks like finding him is our only choice right now,' Raine says with a defeated look. 'We should ask around Luin to see if anyone has heard of a summoner named Mithos. Summoners are extremely rare, so he could be well known.'

'That's right,' Genis says with a nod. 'And there are soldiers from Palmacosta helping out in Luin right now. If there was a summoner around, then the researchers in Palmacosta would definitely know about him. We could ask them, too.'

Jesus tap-dancing Christ.

I slap myself mentally for what I'm about to do, biting my lower lip. 'Or Mithos could have broken his vow.'

... _That_ gets me some odd looks. I know I'm like, completely and utterly dumb in this world, so coming out with this would be weird. But I'm _not_ going to let them traipse around Luin asking people about Mithos, because it will get us _nowhere_.

'What do you mean?' Lloyd asks, and I just ... punch myself mentally. I have to do this _all_ in my head, or it'd freak 'em out.

'Sheena, you know about how summon spirits approve of a vow to make a pact, right?' I ask, and she nods in return. 'Then if there's a slight chance that Mithos could have broken his vow based on their pact, then it could easily be annulled, right?'

Oh god the _looks_ that Kratos and Raine are giving me right now are just urgh. Raine looks at me like I've just sprouted a new brain, and Kratos looks – you guessed it – very slightly suspicious. I know I'm not a threat to him anymore, so he probably won't do anything about it. A little knowledge of certain things here and there isn't dangerous.

'I mean ...' I say quietly, rubbing my fingers together a little nervously. 'The vow is what a pact is based on, so if the vow has been broken, so has the pact.'

'That is correct,' Undine clarifies.

'Even if the vow hasn't been broken,' Kratos says out of nowhere. 'There could always be a chance that the previous pact-maker has passed away. Summon spirits uphold their pacts even after death, and simply wait for a new pact-maker. But if he is still alive and his vow is still valid, then there's nothing we can do.'

'So I was right!' Lloyd declares. 'Awesome!'

He turns to Sheena. 'You should just ask her to annul the old pact! If it's that simple, then we can get this done in no time.'

She rolls her eyes and sighs. 'Something is telling me that it won't be that simple ... but I'll give it a shot. Stand back a little.'

Lloyd obediently shuffles back, now going back to averting his gaze from Undine's ... nakedness. Goddammit, I'm so glad Zelos isn't here right now. He'd have a field day.

'Okay, let's give this another try,' Sheena says, straightening up to Undine once again, who has thankfully materialized before us completely once more. 'I ... I am Sheena. I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos ... and establish a new pact.'

She winces. 'With ... me.'

Undine nods (she does that a lot – maybe she's not a good talker). 'Very well. But first-'

She waves a hand, and a GIANT DAMN WATER SWORD APPEARS. IT'S GIANT. DAMN.

'-I must test your worth, Summoner Sheena.'

Sheena's jaw practically drops to the floor. 'W-what!? I have to fight you!? Alone!?'

'You may choose three comrades to aid you in battle. I will fight alone,' she says simply, stepping off the seal and riiiiiight infront of Sheena and Lloyd. 'Inform me when you are ready to begin.'

Lloyd answers with. 'A-aplahbeh ...' God damn, they're only tits Lloyd- they're not gonna eat you. Calm down.

'Okay, guys,' Sheena says quickly, stepping down from the seal (and dragging the embarrassed puddle of mush that is Lloyd with her). 'Which two of you want to fight?'

'Two?' Genis asks. 'Didn't she just say three?'

'W-well ...' Sheena mumbles. 'Yeah, but I'm already picking Lloyd. It's not like he'd just standby anyway.'

'True,' Lloyd says nodding. 'So ... who else?'

'You pick someone,' Sheena tells him. 'Then I'll pick the last.'

Lloyd blinks, looking to the remaining five of us. 'Ah ... umm, okay-'

'I'd just like to add that I wouldn't ... be comfortable fighting in this environment,' Raine says quietly, looking around at the vast amount of water surrounding our tiny platform. 'But if you need my help, I'd be glad to give it.'

'Right ...' Lloyd mumbles, looking over each of us. 'Uh ... this battle will be a little difficult ... so I'll pick Kratos.'

To be honest, he doesn't look too surprised. He just nods and draws his sword.

'I'll pick Charlotte,' Sheena says a little too quickly, and my face falls. 'Hey, don't give me that look! Your Blitz Bullet would be pretty powerful here.'

'And Shockwave,' Lloyd adds, and I just frown. To be fair, if I'm here then I can pull off both Blitz Spear and Shockblade with Lloyd and Kratos, and Shockwave _is_ my most powerful tech. I think I'll do pretty well here, but I know that the next summon spirit we'll be picking up is Volt. Unless I learn a water based tech, then I'll be useless there. _Yay_.

I re-draw my gun, taking in a wide yawn. 'Mmm'kay. Let's get this over with – I didn't get much sleep last night.'

'Me either,' Lloyd mumbles offhandedly, turning to the professor. 'What are you guys gonna do?'

Raine takes a quick look around. 'To be honest, the fighting space is rather cramped and the location isn't safe for people to be standing around. We'll take the warp up and wait for you.'

I frown. Cuz y'know, Genis can be a good cheerleader when he wants to be, and Raine could probably sneakily have healed up from the side. Oh well.

We watch the other three go, and they all wish us luck before the leave (Colette just waves). When the light of the warp flickers out of sight. We all turn back to Undine, weapons drawn as she materializes her own. It really is just a big sword made out of water, but it looks like it could cause a lot of pain.

'Are there any rules for the battle?' Sheena asks. Well, she's never done this before, and seeing as everything else seemed to have rules it's a pretty logical thing to ask.

'I won't kill you in battle,' Undine tells us, and I sigh in relief. 'I will test you endurance and strength. If you manage to remain conscious, you win the fight. If none of you are able to remain awake, you shall lose.'

'So we just have to avoid being knocked out while we fight her?' Lloyd asks, looking over to Kratos. Well, he's looking anywhere that isn't in Undine's general naked direction. How he will fight this battle I do NOT know. 'That seems pretty easy ...'

'No more explanations,' Undine says sharply, raising her sword. I swear I can see some sort of confident smile on her face. 'Now is the time to prove your worth.'

Before we can even set out minds to "kill the nude blue chick", Undine has already dived towards Sheena, slicing at the air with her sword. Apparently I can only stand and gawk as Undine's sword rips right through Sheena's middle.

... And I mean _right_ through.

'_Sheena!'_ Lloyd cries, obviously in panic. Sheena just holds her stomach tightly, looking confused and a little winded. Undine straightens up and lets Sheena come to her senses while she explains again.

'This sword isn't designed to kill,' she says simply, letting her thin blue hand pass through it. 'It merely stuns you and inflates your mana.'

'... Inflate mana?' I ask, lowering my guns slightly. She might cast Spread on me – might wanna stay behind Kratos here. 'What-'

'Mana swelling is a skill used to make the enemy lightheaded,' Kratos answers quickly, lightning crackling in his palm. 'It causes the mana in the body to cloud the mind and tire the opponent.'

Sheena holds her head in her hand, whipping out a small hand of cards. 'So you're trying to tire us out as well as beat us up? Man ...'

I just try to ignore the conversation going on and juggle between Blitz Bullet and Shockwave. I settle quickly on Blitz Bullet and fire a few rounds at Undine, hoping that my second lightning-based attack will do some considerable damage.

... Yeah, it doesn't.

The small sparks of electricity _do_ seem to affect her in a small way, but my bullets zoom right through her. She can turn _into_ water – great. Just great. Well, to be fair to Undine, she doesn't exactly turn _into_ a great big glob of water – she just seems to be ... _made_ of water. So physical attacks are out, including my bullets. Well, Kratos can use spells, Sheena can use her seals, _I_ can use magic to some extent as well as Shockwave, and Lloyd ... well, poor Lloyd. He'll just have to flail around and try to avoid looking directly at Undine's chest.

Apparently the other three seem to gather that all, and Lloyd just ... um, he's not happy.

Kratos casts lightning hastily and catches Undine off guard so he can make a plan for Lloyd. Luckily the lightning seems to have worked more than I thought it would have; Undine shrieks and drops her sword, which just sloshes onto the paved floor in a puddle without her concentration making it solid. She's practically brought to her knees, bleeding water everywhere. Yes, you heard that right – she bleeds water.

'Harrison, help Lloyd attack. He won't be able to touch her alone,' he explains quickly. I just give him a withered glare.

'Explain.'

'Shockblade.'

'Oh. Oh, and Lightning Tiger Blade!'

Lloyd just gives me a look, and I frown. 'What? It exists!'

'Guys!' Sheena interrupts loudly, shoving Lloyd out of the way as a giant writhing pillar of water spirals towards him. I actually shriek and fall over backwards to avoid it, head snapping in the direction of Undine to see what the fudge she's doing.

... Her arm has turned into said giant pillar of water.

Seriously – from her elbow onwards, there's just a torrent of water thundering out in our direction like an enormous sleeve. She's on one knee, still looking a little wounded from Kratos' spell. She's just reaching out in our direction and letting the giant watery limb do the work for her so she can get herself together. Sheena's set up her own little shield of cards that spin in whatever direction the water is going on (pretty helpful), and Lloyd's just trying to avoid it the best he can. Well, it is still following him. We can't exactly slice it down because ... it's _water_.

'Mmm'kay,' I say, getting back to my feet and rubbing my sore rear. These floors are painfully hard. I point my gun at the area of water slithering rapidly past me, putting a lot of mana into my next spell while everyone flails around. Okay, _Lloyd_ flails around.

'Shockwave!'

The blade of electrical force rips through the column, cutting Undine's concentration once again. The lightning cracks down the pillar back to her, stunning her again. Wow, I don't think this will actually be so hard.

... Okay screw that – my stomach churns uncomfortably. I know why. Let me explain while everyone is regrouping (and drying themselves off).

The other day when I was stuck by that blade of pure mana, as you all know, it screwed up my own cosy little storage of mana. The professor noticed that it was going a bit odd, and told me not to overuse my mana for a couple of days – doing so would just screw it all up again, mana blade piercing my stomach or no. The others weren't told about this; and I'm not about to say it's for some righteous "oh I don't want them to worry about me teehee" reason – I don't want anyone getting suspicions if I start to slip up in my facts again. It's best to just leave it and hope they forget.

I taste blood in the back of my throat.

I consider alerting the others of the possibility of me blood-vomiting everywhere again, but I don't really get around to that.

I can barely see them. There's _mist_ everywhere.

'What the ...'

I hear Sheena's voice through the sudden fog and locate their silhouettes. I stumble over there to be safe, glancing in Undine's direction to see if she has any more tricks up her sleeve. I can see her getting to her feet, which means she still intends to fight instead of letting the mist do the work. What the mist is exactly meant to do besides make it harder for us to see, I don't know.

'This can't be safe ...' Lloyd says after a moment when he notices we're all here. 'What if one of us falls off the edge?'

I have to stop myself screaming when the sharp sword of water is thrust right through Lloyd's back. After a moment of complete silence besides a small gasp of pain from Lloyd, Undine's face comes into view resting near his shoulder as she keeps him speared on the end of her weapon.

Sparks of lightning curl around Kratos' fingers once more, fizzing in his palm as Undine forces her sword out through Lloyd's side, making him crash to his knees painfully. If that sword wasn't made from water and mana, we'd have a very dead Lloyd right now. Right now he just looks dizzy and stunned.

'There is a barrier around the edge of this platform,' Undine tells us, drifting back into the fog. 'You won't fall. You will only fight.'

Kratos practically snarls as Sheena goes to help Lloyd out, pressing a card to his stomach where he was sorta-stabbed. It must be to heal him. I look back to Kratos, who throws his arm out at the mist and lets lightning spiral over Lloyd's head and towards where Undine disappeared. After a moment, we hear it crash against the seal.

It missed.

... Oh boy, we're screwed.

'I think I'm gonna be sick,' Lloyd says simply while Sheena helps him to his feet. Note how Sheena wants to run away now. Lloyd just rolls his eyes. 'I feel like my stomach just filled up with water ... it feels weird!'

'You'll be fine,' Kratos tells him, glaring as he scans the mist-coated area around us. 'It's simply your mana swelling.'

'... Ew,' Lloyd mumbles, straightening up and holding his stomach. 'Anyway ... how do we see through this fog? It's so thick ...'

Sheena nods, looking around with a worried look. 'She's making us feel vulnerable by scaring us ... we can't see her, so it'll be harder for us to get a good beating on her.'

'Should ... we spread out?' I ask quietly, jumping when I hear movement around us. 'If we stay together like this, then she might-'

'It could be dangerous,' Kratos mumbles. 'It would be best to ...'

Kratos trails off softly, earning a very quick worried look from Lloyd and much panic from Sheena and me. Undine is coming, oh lord she's coming and she's got a giant sword on her and we can't see her and oh god I don't like water oh sh-

'Kratos ...?' Lloyd asks anxiously when the man raises a hand to his face, resting his palm against his forehead. 'What's wrong?'

Bastard Mercenary immediately drops his hand when he notices Lloyd's concern. 'Nothing. We must finish this battle quickly before we are taken advantage anymore than we already have been.'

'Y ... yeah,' Lloyd says, looking around. 'Dammit, how do we clear this-'

Another torrent of water thunders past Lloyd, and he actually _squeals_ as he jumps out of the way just in time. I would so make fun of him right now, but I need to _concentrate_ right now. I'll totally rip on him later for it though.

I use a small amount of mana for this, but it should work all the same. I use Shockwave on the pillar of water once again, and it disappears and stuns the owner with a small shriek of pain. Kratos immediately picks up on Undine's location, shoving Lloyd and Sheena back while he readies Lightning before she can move.

Well, she does move. She flies out of the fog and right at Kratos, sword raised and ready to strike. Sheena draws a card and dives in before she can hit, throwing it at the rabid summon spirit. It seals itself to her stomach, and for an extremely small moment, she becomes utterly solid. No water – just solid, like another normal person.

'Lightning!'

The spell hits her body as she falls to the floor, clutching the card on her stomach that's rapidly turning her human. The forks of lightning send her flying back into the fog with a wail of pain, and she disappears once again from our view. We haven't won yet ... but we're definitely getting there.

A small hiss of pain takes over the silence that suddenly enveloped us after our attack, and we all once again turn to Kratos. He's holding his head in one hand as if a sudden migraine decided to waltz in and piss us all off. If Kratos can't fight, then we're pretty much screwed; I can't use Shockwave too much, and Undine won't let us change party members.

'Kratos, are you okay?' Lloyd asks, looking genuinely worried. 'Did you hurt your head or something ...?'

'No,' Kratos insists a little sharply. 'I must ... be overtired. It's nothing.'

Regardless, he winces again and clutches his head. 'Damn ...'

'If you keep fighting like this, you might get caught off guard,' Sheena says firmly, trying to ignore the piercing look Kratos gives her for her tone. 'You should sit out of reach for a while until you feel better.'

Kratos just drops his hand once more, tightening his grip on his sword. His fingers go white. 'I'm perfectly capable of resisting my own caught up fatigue. If this persists after the battle, _then_ you can worry about my wellbeing.'

'The battle isn't everything, you dor-' Lloyd stops himself, '-You idiot.'

'That may be,' Kratos grumbles, powering up yet another round of lightning. 'But I'm not going to endanger my comrades because of a little tiredness. If you stopped worrying for a moment, then perhaps we could finish this quickly.'

Lloyd frowns, rolling his eyes. 'Geez.'

I half expect Kratos to come out with "you stop that attitude right now, young man", but sadly he doesn't, and Lloyd ends up pulling me over to them. I keep stepping around and wondering away from the group, so it must be ticking him off.

I almost shriek again (I have to stop that) when lightning soars past my ear from Kratos' hand once more, crashing through the air before it collides with the floor with a horrendous bang. Missed again. Kratos is getting piiiiissed.

'This ... _fog_,' Kratos practically hisses. 'Is becoming a nuisance.'

'_Really_?' I say sarcastically. 'Because I was under the impression it was as bright as day in here.'

Kratos ignores me and curls his hand into a rigid fist, purple sparks flying from his knuckles as he grits his teeth tightly. Oh boy, I hope he isn't sending that at me.

Lloyd jumps back when electrical energy explodes in Kratos' curled hand, and the man throws his arm back in the opposite direction of where he's been throwing his spells. 'Thunder Blade!'

We all get a quick glimpse of the lightning bolt in the shape of a sword thunders down from above (no pun intended) before disappearing into the fog and hurtling to the floor with a deafening crack.

Accompanied by an annoyed screech of agony.

Before Lloyd can even say "oh, there she is", Kratos has already disappeared into the mist and rockets towards the source of the scream, sword crackling with electricity as he goes. The colour drains from Lloyd's face when there's another strangled scream following a screech of steel through the air and a short rumble of thunder being cast. Yes, Kratos seems to have gone into some kind of murderous rage. It finally happened. I think I should run away now.

'... Y'know, I don't think I actually want Undine that bad,' Sheena whispers quietly. Lloyd just pouts.

'No. We're here now, and we're getting her whether you like it or not.'

'I thought you were afraid of her?' I ask, raising an eyebrow. 'Or of her chest, at least.'

'S-shut up! Okay, I'm just not _used_ to seein-'

_Clang_.

The three of us look up simultaneously at the clatter of steel against the floor, followed by a thump of clothed flesh against stone. Lloyd doesn't bother to spare us worried looks and immediately runs toward where Kratos disappeared moments ago. We just follow him, and I'm obviously expecting the worst.

'Kratos!'

When my eyes finally adjust, I notice Kratos on his knees and holding his head in both hands. Lloyd is crouching at his side, one hand on his arm. 'Kratos! Are you okay!?'

'I knew something was wrong with you!' Sheena insists shrilly, pointing an accusing finger at his back. 'Why didn't you say anything!?'

Kratos just takes in a shaky breath. '... The mist ...'

'What?' I ask. 'The mist ...? That's the thing making you-'

'It's affecting our mana,' Kratos breathes. 'It's intensifying it ...'

Sheena looks worriedly to him, moving around to his other side as he tries to steady himself, flattening one hand on his knee. 'What ... what'll happen if it keeps-'

Kratos answers promptly by collapsing. Seriously. He just slumps to his side on the cold stone floor, pale and ... looking extremely lifeless.

... Oh shit, Undine defeated Kratos.

Lloyd looks silently stricken for a few moments before diving at the man's unconscious body, shaking him by the shoulders. 'Kratos ...! Hey, snap out of it ...!'

When he gets no reaction, he sits back on his heels and stares down at the mercenary's white face. Okay, this is bad – very, very bad. Why the hell did he just suddenly faint? He said it's something to do with the mist, and it's affecting our mana ... but shouldn't he be able to withstand it? I don't know about the specifics, but ... it's _Kratos_. He just ... he doesn't get defeated. Ever.

Lloyd immediately gets to his feet, looking absolutely panicked. I don't blame him – this _doesn't_ happen. 'I'm getting the Professor.'

'Hey-!' Sheena snaps, grabbing his arm and stopping him. 'If you leave, then the battle is over!'

'But he could be in serious danger!' Lloyd insists, pointing down to Kratos (who they've left me to tend to, goddammit). 'Do you think we should just _leave_ him here!?'

Sheena frowns. 'No, we should find out why he suddenly collapsed on us and wake him up.'

Suddenly, Undine's surprisingly harsh voice drifts in out of nowhere. Okay, that has to stop happening. 'That man has an abnormal amount of mana.'

Lloyd looks around angrily, drawing both swords once again. 'What did you do to him!?'

'He has already explained. Remember his words.'

Lloyd is apparently too pissed off to listen to Undine, so I just glance around at the fog around us. Okay ... Kratos said that this fog is affecting our mana and 'expanding' it. Earlier, he said that Undine was trying to inflate our mana to make us dizzy ... that's virtually the same thing, so maybe the fog is tiring us out? The mist is slowly expanding our mana and clouding our minds, making us tired and faint! And because Kratos has so much mana, more of it expanded and clouded his mind, so he crashed out first!

... Goddamn, I should say these things out loud.

I hastily stand drawing my second gun and pointing both in the direction of Undine's voice. 'ThemistismakingustiredandfallasleepSHOCKWAVE!'

I don't think they register what I just said, because the two of them have to dive out of the way when my good old blade of lightning goes soaring towards the source of Undine's voice.

And crashes against a clouded pillar.

Darn it.

'Uh oh ...'

I look up at the sound of Sheena's breathless voice beside me. She blinks tiredly, running a hand through her fringe and pressing her palm to her brow. Oh crap.

I smack her arm. 'No! Bad assassin! No falling asleep!'

She just grits her teeth tightly, and Lloyd stumbles over (we can still barely see), resting a hand firmly on her shoulder. 'Dammit, not you too ...'

I watch as Sheena breathes deeply, reaching into the small pouch strapped to her thigh where she keeps her cards. She pulls out a white deck, immediately thumbing through them while her eyes glaze over rapidly. 'There's gotta be ... something in here to ... undo the mana expansion ...'

Lloyd helps hold her steady. 'Will it wake Kratos up?'

She nods, almost dropping a few of her cards. 'I should have a couple in here ...'

After a few more seconds of flipping through the deck, she pulls out three cards and shoves them into Lloyd's hand. 'Keep them with you ... use one on yourself if you get tired ... and use the other on Kratos ... it should wake him up, but it'll take a while ... because you're not meant to be using these things ...'

Just as Lloyd takes them, the cards slip from her fingers and her deck falls to the floor while cards flutter in every direction. Sheena slumps to her knees, and Lloyd immediately kneels to help her ... _not_ crack her head open on the floor.

'Wait! How am I supposed to use these things ...?'

Sheena flattens one hand on the floor and fishes a similar card out of the deck strewn across the ground, sealing it onto her own breastbone. She glances up to Lloyd, looking _extremely _dizzy.

'Just concentrate ... and put it in the right place,' she breathes, pointing to where she's stuck her own. 'I'll wake up in a few minutes ... _and_ ...'

She grabs his collar tightly in her fist. 'If you _ever_ come to my village, you _never ... ever ..._ tell _anyone_ ... that I let you use these things ...'

Lloyd blinks. '... Why?'

'Because,' Sheena mumbles, slumping heavily to the floor out of Lloyd's grip. 'I'll have to ... marry you ...'

And she's gone.

Lloyd just stares.

'... _WHAT!?'_

--

'I've heard about stuff like that ... I mean, old tribes and villages and stuff ...'

'Nn ...'

'I don't think it's _her_ fault. I mean, some people like that tend to keep their village or clan or whatever secrets to themselves. They can't just give out secrets they've been holding onto for maybe centuries, right?'

'... Ugh.'

'It's only if they found out you used it. If they think you know their secrets, then they'll try to reel you in. Just make sure you don't say anything, okay?'

'Mm.'

'You're still not forming proper words?'

'Nuh-uh.'

Lloyd and I are standing back to back in the middle of the battlefield, because ... well, we're the only two left that aren't unconscious yet. He's opened up his jacket and stuck the seal that Sheena gave him just at the base of his neck, and he gave one to me to use also. Lloyd's put Kratos' just on his neck, because it's quite obvious why he doesn't want to open up his shirt – scary Cruxis Crystal and all. It should work either way.

So hopefully, the other two should be getting up soon. Not that Lloyd and I have completely failed on our own so far – we've managed to avoid a couple of attack from Undine. She's started casting Spread now, so we can see the runes on the floor beneath our feet so we have time to run. The mist still lingering around does make it a little harder, but we're managing.

Aaaand Lloyd is still in shock.

... Well, I would be too if say, Genis had suddenly been knocked unconscious, given me his kendama, and told me not to tell Raine that I used it because I'd have to marry him. Geez, our kids would be freaks. He's better off shacking up with Colette or something; at least she has high hopes for their smart kids with funny hair.

'... You don't wanna get married?' I ask, not looking over my shoulder but still not really paying attention. It's been a while since Undine's done anything. 'Or just not to Sheena?'

I feel Lloyd shift behind me uncomfortably. 'It's not that ... I just think I'm a little too young, y'know?'

'My mother got married at seventeen,' I state softly.

'Yeah, well ...' Lloyd argues lamely. 'I-I still have things to do in my life before I settle down! I gotta ... um ... I-I gotta finish training with Kratos, I gotta make sure everyone here is okay after the stupid Iselia incident, I ... gotta ... um ...'

I snort. 'Don't worry – I have things I need to do before I settle down and get married too.'

And he turns back, watching the area he's supposed to be overlooking so we can avoid Undine again. 'Besides, you're gonna need to come to my wedding. I need to keep you around long enough for that.'

'You're marrying Sheena then?'

'H-hey! I'm only seventeen; I have TONS of people to meet still! Besides, she didn't really sound like she wanted to get married anyway ...! She told me never to tell anyone, so-'

'Lloyd, I get it,' I sigh. 'Stop blabbering.'

'I'm not _blabbering_! You asked a question and I answered it! Besides, Sheena Irving just sounds stupid compared to Sheena Fujisomething!'

'Fujibayashi.'

'Whatever!'

'Undine!'

'Undine Irving doesn't sound better either!'

'LLOYD, SPREAD!'

Apparently Lloyd isn't smart, so I end up shoving him roughly to one side when glowing blue runes begin to intensify underneath our feet. I only manage to jump away myself when a torrent of water bursts up from the floor, crashing against the roof of the platform.

'J ... Jesus Christ ...' I breathe when small shards of rock clatter down from the ceiling. Lloyd's on his ass some meters away, staring wide-eyed up at the battered roof. Okay, _that_ was a lot more powerful than the earlier spells. Not good.

Lloyd bites his lip, getting slowly to his feet after reaching to grab the sword that went flying as he fell. '... She's pissed.'

'Very pissed,' I agree, snatching my gun from the floor and hopping up. 'We need to get this over with ... the others will be awake in a moment, but the fog will just make them fall asleep again ...'

Lloyd stumbles back over to me, rubbing his sore ass. 'Ow ... how come we haven't fallen asleep yet?'

I point to the seals on our breastbones. 'That, and ... well, you don't use your mana a lot. You're like a dried up husk when it comes to mana.'

'Hey!'

'S'ture,' I say. 'You mostly just use your Exsphere. You only use mana when you use techs. Because Sheena uses a lot of special mana based attacks, and Kratos uses magic a lot ... well, they fell first.'

Lloyd pauses. 'What about you?'

I make a face. 'I don't have as much mana as other people. You heard Raine at the Tower of Mana, right? So it probably doesn't work as well on me.'

'Huh ... that sounds pretty cool.'

I snort. 'Not when I'm throwing up blood everywhere.'

He falls silent, and I shake my head. 'Forget it – let's just get this over with. I'm not allowed to use a lot of techs or magic, or the same thing will happen.'

'You'll get sick?'

'Yeah, pretty much.'

Lloyd groans. 'Ack, why does everything have to be so confusing ...?'

I roll my eyes, taking a few steps around. I don't really have a plan – if I see Undine coming at me with her sword, then I suppose all I can do is shoot like crazy. I know for a fact that this fog is composed almost entirely of Undine's mana – and if it's mana, then there should be a way to get rid of it. Spells in this world aren't completely of their own element – Fireball isn't completely fire, Lightning isn't completely electricity, and Aqua Edge isn't completely water. It's all mixed with mana of the caster so it can be controlled – how powerful it is, _where_ to cast it, how long for. It's all confusing, I know – but there has to be a way to get rid of this stuff.

... Cancelling it out?

Undine is the summon spirit of water ... so ...

'Lloyd,' I say quickly, grabbing him and dragging him up to the seal. 'We're gonna use Shockblade.'

He just stumbles after me. 'Eh?'

We come to a stop, and I look around carefully for Undine. She's still hiding. 'This fog is made up of condensed water vapour, I think. But because it's a spell, it's mostly mana holding it up and keeping it here, or it'd just disappear. Because it's been here for a while, it's mostly just mana now. Because it's _Undine_ and it's _water_ based mana, then using Shockblade – _lightning_ based mana – should cancel it out and make the fog disappear.'

Lloyd blinks. 'I don't understand a word you just said.'

I slap a hand to my face. 'There's a chance that because we're about to use a lightning spell that our own attack will get cancelled out. But if it's powerful enough, then it should make the fog disappear.'

'... Eh?'

I shove him down the stairs. 'Just get ready to use Shockblade!'

'On what!?'

'The _air!_ Attack the _fog_, dammit!'

Lloyd frowns with a groan, turning around. 'Okay, but hurry it up! I think Undine's coming again!'

Sure enough, runes start to appear underneath his feet. Aw crap.

'Okay, here goes,' I say, powering up Shockblade. I just gotta power it up and send the tech to Lloyd's weapons, gotta hurry, gotta hurry ...

'Quicklyyy ...' Lloyd whines as the runes begin to spin underneath his feet. Water begins to slosh around his boots. 'Cast faster ...!'

I just practically throw the spell at him. 'Go!'

Lloyd jumps out of the way just in time, and I see him slam his swords to the ground just before the giant pillar of water blocks my view of the battleground. I stumble back onto the seal at the force of the spell once more crunching against the stone ceiling. I can just watch the damage as I lay sprawled out on the glass disk in the middle of the seal.

'Shockblade!'

I sadly have to close my eyes for the firework display, because I'm pretty damn sure I'd be having a seizure otherwise. I dunno what the hell I did, but apparently there's something akin to a thunderstorm going on. Lloyd backs away rapidly when the torrent of water between us disappears, stopping only when the back if his legs hit the side of the seal. I have to cover my eyes again, gritting my teeth and trying not to focus on the horrendous noise.

Pleaaaase let this work.

After a while, Lloyd nudges my ankle with the tip of his boot. I lower my hand slowly, peering through the fog. The fog that isn't _there_. Oh good god, it worked – it actually worked – I made a plan all by myself and it actually worked! The whole place is completely clear, lightning is still crackling sharply in the air ever few seconds, Kratos and Sheena are laying slumped against a pillar while they start coming around, and Undine is standing in the centre of the battlefield and looking rather pissed and wounded. And _I_ did it.

'I'm _god_,' I say quietly, and Lloyd just yanks me too my feet.

'C'mon, the other two are waking up!' he says quickly, making sure I'm up so he can run towards a wounded Undine. 'Cast Lightning and I'll use Tiger Blade to stun her!'

Oh my, yet another Unison tech? He really wants to get this over with. Either way, I power up quickly and send my mana to him. His swords begin to crackle with energy, and he thrusts them at Undine's shaking form. The swords slip right through her watery form, but the lightning stuns her. We are so totally awesome.

'Kratos, wake up!' Lloyd demands while Undine sits speared on his swords. 'We've almost won, and we got rid of the f – ack!'

I look from the other two slowly gathering their bearings, and to Lloyd who seems to be having difficulty. I can see why.

One of Undine's arms is different. It isn't watery or spreading to become another column of water to attack Lloyd with – it's solid. From her shoulder, her arm has become complete flesh and blood while the rest of her body remains liquid. She's snatched Lloyd's throat to shut up him, and she's _lifting him off the floor_. Oh crap, she's strong.

'You have almost proven yourself formidable,' Undine breathes, and Lloyd drops his swords as his hands fly to Undine's, trying to pry it off his throat. His swords clatter heavily to the ground, and I watch him try to kick her once. His foot goes right through her. 'But I am not done yet.'

'We ... got rid of your fog ...' Lloyd hisses, trying to pry his hands into Undine's. I'd try to fire at her, but I could hit Lloyd. 'Haven't we proven ourselves ... yet ...?'

'Perhaps if you were a pact-maker,' Undine says quietly, hand tightening around his throat. 'Yet the summoner is barely awake.'

'Dammit,' Lloyd squeaks. 'S-Sheena ... you gotta wake up ...'

She just blinks hazily, rolling over and snuggling into Kratos' side. 'N'Orochiii, training later ...'

Kratos' eyes just snap open, and he shoves the ninja away without even looking at her. 'Get up.'

I jump off the glass disk to try and get over there with the intention of slapping them around and getting them to wake up faster. As soon as I straighten up, my stomach tightens uncomfortably and I feel a prickling hot pain churn my insides. My throat feels like it's on fire, and I cough quickly into my hand so I can get it together and hopefully not spread any infection I might have caught from somewhere. I should talk to the Professor after this.

Of course, when I lower my hand from my face and see blood trickling down my wrist from the pool in my palm, I decide not to.

'Shit,' I hiss, rubbing my hand roughly on my trousers. I've been overusing my mana. If I do anything else, then the others will notice.

'I'm ... not a morning person,' Sheena states softly, stumbling on the spot when Kratos drags her to her feet.

'It's evening,' he tells her sharply. 'Now focus and win the fight before anything happens to Lloyd.'

She blink drowsily up at Kratos, turning to Undine. 'Lloyd ...?'

Said swordsman's arms slump to his sides, and his head tips back. Unconscious. Sheena's eyes immediately widen. 'Lloyd!'

Undine just keeps him in her grip, looking to Sheena. 'Your time is running out, pact-maker. Spread!'

Kratos yanks her back from the attack while I can only watch. I can't _do_ anything, only Sheena can win this thing, and Lloyd is ... not looking too well. He's not moving at all. Aw crap, what did Undine do to him? Did she cancel out the effects of the seal on his chest?

'Let him go!' Sheena demands, drawing a new blood-red deck from her pouch. 'This is between you and me, right?'

'You chose to have allies fight by your side,' Undine tells her calmly. 'They are involved.'

With her still solid arm, Undine hoists Lloyd up further into the air and creates a rune on the floor below him with the other hand. 'You lose, summoner Sheena.'

I stumble down the stairs of the seal when water begins to slosh around the glowing blue circle on the floor, spinning like a small whirlpool. None of us have been hit by Undine's water pillars, but if they can screw up the STONE ceiling, then Lloyd is pretty much screwed himself. I cough harder into my hand when I attempt to power up _something_ to use, dropping my gun to the floor. No one notices, thanks to Lloyd's predicament.

Seeing that his son is in much danger right now, Kratos grabs for his sword.

And fails. Because it isn't there.

He looks up, and the two of us notice Sheena running right for Undine, Kratos' sword in her hands, blade raised over her head.

... Oh crap.

'Sheena!' Kratos demands, trying to get her attention. I'm betting she's never used a sword. What if she hits Lloyd? Aiming one of those things is hard, so ... Lloyd could –

What she does next doesn't really happen in slow motion, like dramatic things usually do. It all speeds up to what seems like a millisecond, and so many things happen at once that my mind reels.

The sword comes down, Lloyd crashes to the floor covered in blood, Kratos pales, Undine shrieks, and I have to promptly scramble over to the edge so I can barf.

She cut Undine's arm off.

She CUT. UNDINE'S. _ARM_. OFF.

I try not to watch as the clean-cut limb thumps to the floor, twitching. Blood flows freely from the summon spirit for a few moments before turning once more into water, and the arm lying on the stone ground melts into a bloody puddle mixed with even more water. I wince and throw my head over the side once more, coughing up more bile (and some blood while I'm at it). Okay, gross. So gross.

Sheena only seems to realise what she's done when Undine clutches the stump of ... well, what's left of her arm. It isn't bleeding or running with water anymore, so ... the scary bit is over. She lets Kratos' stained sword clatter to the bloody ground, staring wide-eyed at the partly-dismembered summon-spirit.

She fumbles for words and eventually comes out with. 'T-that'll grow back, right ...?'

No one speaks, even when Lloyd starts shifting against the wet floor. I watch his face immediately whiten even when he's not exactly awake yet. Undine keeps a tight hold on the stump of her arm, blood and water trickling through her fingers and dripping to the floor noisily through the silence. Kratos glances from Sheena too his sword, straightening up against the pillar. Sheena's holding both hands to her mouth in shock, probably waiting to see if Undine is going to flip out, and I just grab a fistful of my shirt and wipe my mouth with it. If anyone looked this way, they'd probably get a nice view of my bra. Yay for dismembered summon spirits.

Undine keeps silent, glancing from the unconscious Lloyd on the floor back up to Sheena. 'In time. When I am not tired, perhaps.'

She straightens up. 'Because I am tired ... perhaps you should state your vow before I decide to rest.'

I'm _that_ relieved, I actually faint.

--

'_So, Lloyd is talking to you again?'_

'_Eh? Oh, hi Sheena ... um, what do you mean?'_

'_Ever since last night you guys have been avoiding eachother. Did something happen?'_

'_Eeeh, not really. I said some stupid stuff and he flipped out at me, but it's okay now.'_

'_Okay. I just found it a little odd – he seems to be the only one you really talk to.'_

'_Well, uh ... I mean, Colette's nice and all, but ... no offence to her, but she's kinda nice by default. Genis and Kratos don't like me, and the Professor is just ... well, the Professor.'_

'_I thought you guys had travelled together for a long time?'_

'_... Yeah, I'm apparently not a likeable person.'_

'_I don't know about that – you seem pretty okay to me.'_

'_Heh, it's easy to say that, but I guess I'm just not like these guys. I'm not deep or corny or brave, so I pretty much just tag along.'_

'_I feel kinda the same. I mean, I _was_ trying to kill you guys ... and I know Raine and Kratos don't like me at all.'_

'_Well, Lloyd likes you a lot. Colette and Genis think you're cool. Hey, you've already got more friends than me!'_

'_Well, like you said, Colette is too nice ... and Genis goes by whatever his sister says from what I've seen, so I guess ...'_

'_... It's just Lloyd.'_

'_Um.'_

'_Uh.'_

'_... So, do you ever think Lloyd is driven by pity?'_

'_Most likely, yes.'_

_--_

Have you ever tried to sleep on a boat? Screw that, have you ever tried to sleep in a hammock _on_ a boat?

So not easy.

After falling out several times and silently thanking Colette for taking the upper hammock, I've just decided to give sleep a miss for tonight. I can't sleep anyway – net hammocks aren't exactly comfortable, Lloyd won't stop talking in his sleep (something about Undine, I dunno), I'm still feeling sick from earlier, and my stomach doesn't like me tonight.

I didn't tell Raine I'd been overusing my mana, because Charis decided to inform me that it'd die down soon because I hadn't touched pure mana or anything, and it's easier for my signature to slip back into its normal place just by relaxing. The ride to Hima will probably be okay if we can catch a ride from someone, so it'll be fine by tomorrow. Until then, I just have to deal with the whole ... "mana slipping back into place" process, which does sadly contain a lot of coughing.

Everyone's been asleep, so no one can really notice besides Colette, and maybe Kratos. He _does_ sleep, just not a lot.

Since we got back, Raine has been obsessing over Sheena and asking if she can see how Undine works. Sheena's had to tell her over and over that she cut Undine's arm off and that she is _tired_, and maybe tomorrow. Raine doesn't care too much – she only realised that Lloyd was covered in blood after Sheena finally pushed her away. Then she kinda flipped out and demanded to know what happened and why Kratos wasn't protecting us. The whole "I fell asleep" excuse didn't go down well.

Genis has been all "oh em gee Lloyd, are you okay?" all day since the battle. When Lloyd explained that it wasn't _his_ blood and that he was fine, Raine and Colette pretty much nodded and left it at that. Not Genis though – because apparently, Lloyd lies about everything. Which he _does_, but geez Genis – give him a break.

Well, that's pretty much it beside a few small things. Kratos scolded Sheena for using his sword, Noishe tried to bite me when we got back, everyone fell asleep, the end.

Aaaand now here I am standing out on the deck and watching the sea pass by. Which is actually pretty calming, considering my whole "ew-water" thing. I suppose I only freak out when I'm actually submerged, so this is just fine. And it's pretty.

Did I ever mention how seriously big the moon is in this world? If I haven't, then ... it is. It's massive. It causes me to worry a little about gravitational pulls on Sylvarant, but then I remind myself that a giant gnome with a bow and a shovel controls gravity here. So I really don't think I have anything to panic about.

I lean against the railing around the boat's edge, looking down at the dark water. I squirm and decide that's not the best thing, and look up over the ocean again. I don't know how long it is until the moon moves to the other side of the world, but it's casting that cliché get awesome glowing path over the horizon. Bleh, it's pretty.

'Uh ...'

I look over to the sound of a sudden voice, noticing a certain half-elf standing in the doorway leading to the sleeping area. Wow, this is rare.

'Hey Genis,' I say, raising a hand in a small half-hearted wave. 'Wassup?'

He just clutches the doorframe tightly, pouting a little. 'I thought I heard a noise. It doesn't matter.'

As quick as he came, he turns to leave. Well, that was a little rude. 'Genis!'

He looks back coldly, and I slowly lower my hand. Wow, I really didn't think he disliked me this much ... I still don't exactly know what I've _done_ other than take Lloyd's friendship for granted and cause Genis to throw some kind of inner-shitfit, but I think I've reached the point of actually respecting Lloyd like another human being. If that was his only beef with me, then why the hell is he still ...?

'Y'know what, forget it,' I say, turning to the ocean and leaning back on the railing. 'I can see you're uncomfortable – just go back to bed.'

I suppose Charis was right – this is reality, so not everyone is going to trip over their own feet to be my friend. Hell, I don't think anyone will – it's been almost three months, and it's taken that long for Lloyd to see that I'm not a complete bitch. I'd add Colette, but however awesome she is, she doesn't really count. If she's willing to make friends with people currently trying to kill her, then that doesn't say much for how good or bad of a friend I may be. I could be an alcoholic racist mass-murderer, and she'd still try to get along with me.

... It's all over in three days. After all this time, I've made one real friend. Boy do I feel shitty.

There's a thud of flesh against wood beside me, and I notice Genis slumped over the railing. 'What do you want?'

I snort. I'm _totally_ irresistible.

'I just wanted to say thanks,' I say, straightening up. He gives me a tired look, raising an eyebrow.

'Thanks? For what?'

'For today,' I yawn, stretching my arms over my head. 'If it weren't for you, Raine and Kratos constantly badgering me about mana and spells, then I wouldn't have had a clue how to get rid of the fog Undine used in battle.'

'I suppose ...' Genis mumbles, scratching his cheek. 'It's not like it matters now. That's probably the last battle we're gonna have.'

I nod. 'Yeah. Once we dock back at the Tower of Mana, we're getting a cart ride to Hima. After that, Colette becomes an angel and we all go home.'

Genis nods, and we fall into silence. Yeah, we're so conversable.

'Soooo ...' I manage, tapping my nails on the wooden railing before the silence gets too uncomfortable. 'What are you doing after this?'

The half-elf pauses for a moment. 'Well, seeing as Iselia was destroyed ... Raine and I can't go back there. Raine says she wants to take me to Palmacosta so I can attend the academy there ...'

I shrug. 'After the world is regenerated, do you really think Iselia is gonna care? You could always just stroll back in there and tell the mayor to do one.'

Genis shakes his head. 'No ... it wouldn't be fair to Lloyd. I know he already feels guilty about getting me banished from the village. If I try going back, they're just gonna do something else to make Lloyd miserable. They'll probably make Dirk move away so Lloyd isn't anywhere near them ...'

I wince. 'Ouch. The mayor's a real dickweed.'

Genis nods. 'I just want things to be easier for Lloyd.'

... Y'know, Genis is like one of those hardcore Christians, but he's more like a Lloydian. He worships that guy, I swear. I suppose I would too if I'd ever had a friend like Lloyd for years, but alas, I have not.

'... Hey Genis, why do you hate me?'

He looks up at the random question. 'Huh?'

I lean back on the railing, staring down at the water. 'Y'know, we were a bit iffy at the start of the journey, but somewhere around Asgard you seemed to get this weird sense of loathing for me. Did I call you a douche in my sleep or something? Because that's happened before. Only it was my friend and I called her a cu-'

'I don't hate you,' Genis says quickly. 'I don't think I ever did. It's just that some things you do get me a little angry, that's all ...'

'Care to offer an example?' I say, waving a hand. 'Y'know, if you just stay quiet and fume every time I do something stupid instead of confronting me about it, I'm always gonna piss you off.'

He just stares at the ocean, playing with his fingers. It's not easy to come right out and say 'you're a bitch and I hate you because ect', so I'll give him a hand.

'I know one thing is that I take Lloyd's friendship for granted,' I say quietly, and he looks up. By the look in his face, I'd say I've got it spot-on. 'Lloyd's an awesome guy, but I've never met a person who would do so much for his friends ... I'm so used to people who are, well, like me ... so I didn't really know how to act.'

I shrug again. 'And I can't pretend to be all corny and righteous like you guys, so if you don't like me, then I guess I'm just gonna have to live with it.'

'... Lloyd really likes you,' Genis mumbles. 'I'm just worried you'll do something to hurt him.'

He looks up. 'You seem like the kind of person that would sell out their friends for their own gain. When we run into monsters, you're usually hiding behind someone so you don't get hurt. You might think it's cute and funny, but you're putting other people in danger to protect yourself. You'd let people get hurt just so you don't have to face pain, and that really ticks me off!'

I blink. 'Whoa, easy there kiddo.'

'That too!' he exclaims. Dude, Genis is on a roll. 'You never take anything seriously! Whenever you do, you're just looking for sympathy from everyone else! It's like you think the world revolves around you and everything you ever do concerns yourself!'

He takes a deep breath. 'There, I said it. Happy now?'

I snort. 'Well, I'd be downright lying if I said yes, but I do feel better now that you've kinda-explained why you dislike me.'

I lean back, straightening up. 'You're right; I don't take things that concern me seriously. I don't use humour or silence to deal with problems. I just try not to make a big deal out of it and hope it will go away.'

'Why?' Genis asks, glaring a little.

I smile. 'Because I like to believe that none of this is real.'

He doesn't answer. I don't expect him to.

'I want to wake up to a better world,' I say quietly, turning to him. 'Haven't you ever just wished to wake up in a world where you feel completely comfortable? A world with everyone you love and everyone you can relate to? A world where you actually have a proper family that looks after you, a world without discrimination between half-elves?'

Genis frowns. 'A world can't exist without discrimination. As long as people with different blood and ideals live alongside eachother, there's always gonna be conflict. There's no such thing as a perfect world, so stop waiting and dreaming for something that won't happen and start living life seriously and stop hurting everyone around you because _you_ can't have what you want!'

'Okay Genis, you need to calm the fuck down,' I say a little sternly. 'There are _reasons_ I act the way I do – I'm not just some self-centred bitch because I feel like being one. It's the worst feeling in the world. Sadly, it is _my_ problem, _I_ need to sort it out, and until then, you're going to have to deal with the fact that I can't make close friends. It makes me feel uncomfortable when I know _I_ might be betrayed too.'

Genis glares. 'Lloyd would never betray a fri-'

'If there was a throw up between your life and mine, he'd let me die,' I shoot back. 'I'm not the only one who might be doing the betraying around here.'

He falls silent again. I actually think I poked a hole in his logic, but I'm not sure.

'You can go on all you like about me being an unfaithful friend to Lloyd, but I've known him for _three months_. I can't fully trust someone who I know would let me die at the cost of his friends. So before you start ripping on me for not kissing Lloyd's feet like the rest of you, think about that.'

I glare back at the ocean. 'You're his closest friend. It's easy for you to judge people who might make him feel crappy, but if he'd sacrifice you to save _me_, then you'd feel the same.'

I don't get an answer. Genis just goes completely red before turning rapidly and storming back over to the cabins, stomping as quietly as he can down the wooden stairs. Wow, did I just win? I know I shouldn't feel good about pissing Genis off, but ... eeh. I'll let him think about what I've told him, and if he finds any way to bitchslap me with my own logic, then he's free too.

'Hey Genis, what are you doing u-'

'I'm going back to bed!'

'Whoa-!'

I look over at the sound of a small scuffle on the stairway, and see Lloyd appear at the top of the stairs, staring down worriedly until the sound of raged footsteps stops. Geez, did I piss him off that much? Judging by the way Lloyd is nursing a newly bruised arm, I'd say yes.

'Is there like, a line of people down there waiting to talk to me or something?' I ask, pointing to the doorway. 'Seriously, it's one after the other tonight.'

Lloyd looks over, shaking his head. 'Nope, I'm only here for two minutes. I just wanted to ask you something.'

I sigh, slumping down over the railing. Yes, _now_ my body chooses to be tired. 'Shoot.'

'What's this?'

I look over sleepily, and my eyes immediately snap open fully at the object Lloyd has in his hand. My heart cannonballs to my throat, and my voice box dies. Lloyd knows – he knows exactly what's going on. He's holding a small red book – _my_ book. The one with all the notes in about Origin. Did he read it? Does he-

'I just found it and flipped through it,' he says quietly, walking over and offering it to me. 'I dunno why you'd be so interested in the Kharlan War – everyone pretty much knows everything about it, and it's a pretty boring subject.'

'Ah, I'm just studying,' I say, forcing a weak laugh. 'Y'know, no school for three months? I don't want my brain to die on me or anything, heh.'

Lloyd just grins, and I reach over to take it from him. His thumb turns white as he tightens his grip suddenly, and I look up at him. What's he doi-

Oh god, he looks deadly serious. I just swallow thickly, holding one end of the book. He looks away from my face, down to the fading cover.

'All the stuff in the back. It's about that thing you're gonna do, isn't it?'

His arms falls to his side, wrenching to book out of my grip. 'It's the thing that's gonna help you kill yourself.'

I glare, trying to ignore how I've probably gone completely white. 'I'm not trying to kill myself, I told y-'

'Then why do you still have it?' he snaps, holding it up again. 'I thought I'd talked you out of this stupid stuff!'

I can't help but roll my eyes, folding my arms and thumping back down onto the railing. Yeah, that didn't help his mood, but I'm pretty pissed off tonight. I already told him I'm not going to try and do "something" that might cost me my life, so why is he being so paranoid? The only reason I'm keeping it is so that if anything should happen to me, I'll know exactly what to do once we get Origin. I could get amnesia, or bump my head and think I'm someone else. Y'know, it's best to be safe.

I sigh after a second. 'I'm keeping it just in cas-'

'In case you decide you _want_ to die?' he interrupts, setting the book down on the railing. I quickly snatch it up so it doesn't fall over the edge into the ocean. He continues, glaring a little. 'You wrote that you start throwing up blood whenever you touch "pure mana", or whatever that is. It was only after that ... that you talked to Colette about this stuff.'

I wrinkle my nose in discomfort. 'Pure mana screws me up, so what?'

'So it obviously has something to do with how you're trying to get what you want.'

I groan. 'And? I'm fine now, and it won't happen again. Honestly Lloyd, I'm not that stupid-'

He snatches my hand from my side, holding it up. It's still got a faint bloodstain from earlier. Oh crap.

'And this?' he says, twisting my hand so I can see my palm clearly. 'This doesn't have anything to do with you or mana or whatever?'

I wrench my hand out of his grip. 'The Professor told me not to overdo it today. It's just a side-effect of my mana getting back into place.'

Lloyd furrows his brow. 'And if you try and do all that stuff you talked about, this is gonna happen more often? You're just gonna keep hurting your body until you get what you want? Is it _that_ important that you'd risk your own health – your own _life?_'

I clench my teeth, trying to keep down a shout of annoyance. Everyone is still sleeping, and if I suddenly flip out at Lloyd, then Genis is gonna come back up and dropkick me. 'We've been through this. It's important, it really is. But I've decided I'm not going to be stupid and risk my life, because I want to _live_. There's a chance of me being able to do this in a while without me getting hurt at all, and that's what I'm going to do.'

'Then _why-'_ he yanks the book out of my hands. 'Do you still have this!? Why are you planning it!? This is a list of things that'll go wrong, or –or things that will hurt you! If you can do it later without any of that stuff happening, then why are you still considering _this_!?'

'Lloyd,' I say calmly. 'Give it back.'

He holds it above my head.

'... Lloyd, that's not fucking funny,' I seethe. 'Give my book back to me.'

'If you can reach it.'

I say goodbye to my pride and jump for it. Goddamn shortness.

'Fine,' I grunt, readying my knee and aiming right for his weak spot. He catches me and grabs my shoulder, holding me at arm's length so I don't damage his manlies.

'You want the book that bad?' Lloyd asks, taking a quick step back. 'Then you'll have to go and get it.'

I squint through the dark. 'What are y-'

I swear I can only watch as he brings his arm back, and hurls the book as hard as he can out into the sea. What a goddamn asshole.

After a few moments of watching the small shape that is 'the book' getting further and further away and eventually coming to a stop with a small splash a good ... few yards away, I turn to Lloyd with a glower, brandishing my finger in the direction of my soaking notes.

'Go and get it.'

'Stop being stupid,' he shoots back.

'You ruined a book. Raine'll beat you up, y'know.'

'I don't care.'

'You do. You know you do.'

'... Okay maybe, but that's not as important as, oh I don't know, stopping you from getting yourself _killed_,' he retorts.

'Stop it,' I say finally. 'Stop it, stop it right now.'

He falters. 'Stop wh-'

'Stop _caring_ about what happens to me,' I reply angrily with a scowl. 'It's stupid of me to tell you to just stop being friendly, but if there was the slightest _chance_ that I decided to risk my life, then I most likely wouldn't _die_. I'd just get what I want, and everything will be fine for me. If I _did_ die, then you'd just have to get over the fact that there's one less person around for your group and get over, go about your life, the end.'

'That's really all you see yourself as? Just another person in the group?' Lloyd asks. '... _Why_ do you always think so lowly of yourself?'

'Well, Genis just made me feel like shit,' I say, frowning. 'I just know for a fact that deaths can be gotten over with in time, and we've known eachother for _three_ months. I want you to stop acting like you're going to be rendered brainless if I'm not here anymore.'

He sighs. '_Fine_. Sorry about worrying about you trying to get yourself _killed_.'

'Better.'

'... You do realise I was being sarcastic, right?'

I shrug. 'As long as you shut up about it, I don't care.'

Lloyd makes a kinda of ... frustrated, sighing sound. 'We've been over this before at Luin! I sat and ranted at you for five whole minutes about why you shouldn't think so badly about yourself! Do I have to do it again? Because I really don't remember what I said right now!'

'Very, very typical.'

'Look,' Lloyd snaps. 'I told you that if you _left_, then I'd miss you. I'd miss all the stupid little things you did. If you _die_, then I'm going to miss them and know that I'm never going to see them again. That's a lot worse.'

I sigh for what's probably the tenth time tonight. 'I know. I know that should I die at any point, then it'll hurt some people who have gotten to know me. I know I'm not just gonna disappear like that, like I was never meant to be here. You explained that to me, and I get it.'

'Have you _ever_ had a friend of yours die?' Lloyd asks. 'Do you actually know how much it hurts?'

'No,' I say lamely. 'But my sister died, and that sure as hell hurt.'

'Then think about how much it's gonna hurt us if you die.'

'Us?' I ask sceptically. 'I'm sure Genis and Kratos couldn't give two shits.'

'_Leaving_ the group is one thing,' Lloyd insists firmly. '_Dying_ is whole different thing. You wouldn't just be going away for a long holiday – you'd be _dead_, and we'd never see you again. Don't you realise how _big_ that is?'

_I'm not important I'm not important I'm not important._

Lloyd is silent for a while afterwards, and looking over the banister out into the ocean. The moon is getting lower in the sky now; it's almost touching the horizon. The book Lloyd tossed out into the sea has long gone by now, probably sinking to the bottom of the ocean. I shiver at the thought, remembering being submerged beneath the water not too long ago. What if I'd died then? Would Lloyd care that much? Probably not, but since then ... well, since the journey started we've probably done more for eachother than what normal friends would do in what ... a year? Two years? Why does he have to be so-

'At Luin, after the ranch ...' Lloyd says suddenly but quietly. 'When we talked ... and then you started apologizing.'

'And then you asked me why,' I mumble.

'And you said that I'd find out why in a few days,' he finishes, looking up. 'Is ... this what you were talking about? Making me think and worry about all this stuff?'

I shuffle on the spot. 'I knew that if you found out that you'd worry. That's why I didn't want to tell you.'

'... But if you didn't tell me,' Lloyd murmurs. 'Would you have tried to do ... whatever it was? Would you have risked your life?'

I shrug. 'Probably.'

'But now I've talked to you-'

'Now you've talked to me about it, I'm not going to,' I say, clenching my fists. 'Because of your stupid idealistic mind where everyone can be happy, I've changed my plans, and I don't know if that next few months are going to be good or bad because of it. You've screwed over the _reason_ I'm on this journey by convincing me that if I wind up dead, then people are actually going to think something other than "oh well, that's a bit shit" and carry on. Congratulations.'

I sigh. Again. 'And I'm sorry, just like I said I would be back at Luin. There, are you satisfied now?'

... Y'know how sometimes actions do actually speak louder than words? Like if you're angry, punching someone can tell them a lot more than "I disagree with your opinion, rage", and just maybe touching someone's hand while you speak to them makes some kind of extra connection so the other person feels more connected to you? As corny as it sounds, it does actually work sometimes.

All the times I've say, hugged people here – I've had to initiate it myself or ask for it. I made up hug-everyone-day, I collapsed on Kratos at the ranch, and it took a whole journey plus a speech from me as well as eventually jumping on him for a hug from Lloyd in Luin. All that makes me come across and horribly desperate for appreciation, or at least that's the way I see it.

So when Lloyd just steps up to me and pulls me into a hug without me even having to ask ... I really, really feel like bursting into tears.


	66. Quiet Little Mountain Town

Bleeeh, first half of Hima.

Not really much to say - life hasn't been as great as it should be lately, but I'm managing to wade through it and keep writing in the meanwhile. There WAS actually more to this chapter after the 'end', but I cut it out and pasted it into my document for the NEXT chapter. It was getting too long anyway.

Okay, I'mma answer any questions from the last lot of reviews. Yes, Undine's arm grows back.

Helsayx: If I wrote how Char would ACTUALLY speak in her accent, then the whole story would just be unreadable xD To be fair, there's no such thing as a British accent - there's Scottish, Irish, Welsh, English, and each city has their own speech patterns. It'd be hard to pinpoint her accent accurately.

Lunatic Pandora1: Lol, Shelloyd has a church now? I can't say I'm surprised, she practically wants in his pants in the game.

Eeee. Next chapter is the finishing up bits for Hima - Kratos/Lloyd talking, Kratos/Lloyd angst, Kratos/Lloyd fluff, Raine/everyone angst, Char/everyone panic. And maybe some awesomeness. THEN NEXT CHAPTER IT'S THE TOWER BY GOD I'VE BEEN WAITING THREE GODDAMN YEARS TO WRITE THIS. I'LL TRY AND MAKE IT NOT FAIL MISERABLY, I PROMISE.

This chapter is hella-choppy, but bleh.

* * *

Chapter 66 - Quiet Little Mountain Town

'Wow, I can't believe Nova gave us a ride all the way to Hima ... I thought we'd wind up only getting half-way here!'

We're in Hima.

'Yeah, I know what you mean. It's so lucky that we found him just as we were coming off the boat.'

'He was still searching for the ... bird thing he talked about when he took us to Palmacosta.'

We're in Hima.

'Huh, it's actually pretty cold here ... I thought it was supposed to be hot.'

'It depends on the time of year.'

Jesus fricking Christ, we're in Hima.

Okay yes, I'm stating the obvious and it really shouldn't be such a big deal, but ... it's _Hima_. Y'know, the _last_ place we have to visit in Sylvarant before ... Tower, soul-sucking, betrayal, flamboyant evil dudes, Tethe'alla. The other world is just a few battles and concussions away, and I _really_ don't think I'm going to be able to handle that. Goodbye, regular sleeping habits.

'Whoa, Colette, are you okay?' We all look over at the sound of Genis' voice. He's looking up to his blonde friend, and yes, she's extremely pale. 'You don't look so good ...'

'Are you feeling okay?' Lloyd asks worriedly. She just wave it off and smiles, jotting down something quickly in the notebook she's been using since the Tower of Mana. I gotta say, it's a lot more useful than the drawing-on-hands thing. She finishes writing, holding up the paper for us all to see.

_Cold, tired_.

'Tired already?' Sheena asks. 'But it's not too late yet ... didn't you sleep on Nova's caravan like everyone else?'

Colette goes back to her notepad, scribbling down words quickly. She holds the pad up again.

_It was too jumpy._

'True ...' I mumble, rubbing my arm; it really is freezing. 'Well, uh, why don't we find an inn?'

'Yeah, let's do that,' Lloyd says, shifting a bag on his shoulder. 'I hate carrying stuff.'

Noishe whines behind him, nudging his elbow sharply. Whenever we don't have cart-rides or boat-rides or washtub-rides, Noishe is always the one that's carrying out stuff. We pretty much got rid of any extra clothing we had when Noishe wouldn't stop whining and running away one morning, so we just dumped them at one of the Houses of Salvation for all the weary travellers and whatnot. We're so charitable. I did manage to steal Kratos' old nightshirt back, but he found it and snatched it off me. It now belongs to Noishe, who has fun sleeping with it. Poor thing – he'll need it when Kratos goes all angel-betrayal on us.

I glance over to the Bastard Mercenary as we walk over to the building nearest the Hima entrance blatantly labelled "inn". He looks just as calm and cool as ever. I really don't want to know how Lloyd is gonna take this – compared to the game, where they barely _talk_ to eachother, this is going to hit him really hard. He's practically acknowledged him as a parent or guardian. Not good.

Speaking of things that don't happen in the game, it seems that in this world Genis actually ... y'know, gives a shit about if Colette dies or not. In the game he was all "yeah okay, we can't do much, lame", and so where Sheena and Raine. I mean, what the _hell_ was that!? If Colette potters off to die now, Genis is going to fuck Remiel up big time. He likes her as much as everyone else does – I don't see why he should be fumbling around at the back while Lloyd is all "I'm totally a hero, yeah". Geez, logic.

No matter how much logic may like to burst in at random times now that this is real, there's no denying that Yggdrasill is still going to be a woman-man. I'm telling you – as soon as I see him, I'm running straight back to the warp and waiting for the Renegades to show up. If I get hit by any of his spells, I'm just going to curl up into a ball of pain and cry for a while.

... Oh god, I just realised – after the tower, we're probably gonna get rescued by the Renegades, right? If that happens, we'll be using Rheairds. I don't wanna use a Rheaird. What if I fall off? Seriously, there's nothing to keep you on those things! I'm totally panicking right now, agh!

... Well, after the Rheairds, we get to meet Zelos. Yay!

Nothing much happens as we skip to the inn. I don't think you were expecting anything to happen, but hey. We get there, we pay for three rooms, and that's pretty much it. I decide to check out the room me, Colette and Sheena are sharing before we do whatever it is we're supposed to be doing. I need to freshen up anyway; I feel so icky. If they don't have a bath here, I swear I'm gonna cry and stomp around Hima until they direct me to something akin to a hot spring.

I yawn widely as I trudge up the stairs of the inn with Lloyd and Sheena (the others are doing something downstairs – probably sorting out the prices of all the rooms). As soon as we reach the landing, I collapse on the closest door.

'Dibs,' I demand. 'Sheena, this is our room.'

'Fair,' Sheena yawns also, holding a hand to her mouth. 'Wow, I suddenly feel so tired ...'

Lloyd shrugs, walking ahead to the room beside ours. 'Eh ... it's probably because we haven't slept in a proper bed since ... well, since we left Luin before it was destroyed.'

My eyes widen. '_That _long? I didn't notice ...'

Lloyd shrugs, shoving his door open as he rubs his eyes tiredly. All this talk of beds and sleeping is enough to make anyone collapse on their feet, and if we haven't slept properly since _Luin_ was still standing, then ... then that's just lame. I think most of the time I've just been so tired from battle and fighting that I've just flopped down on my sleeping bag without much protest, but now that I think about it, I'd much prefer the bed.

'Sweet heavenly Mother,' Lloyd mumbles, staring wide-eyed into his room. I raise an eyebrow and skip over, peering in curiously. Sheena does the same, leaning over me to see what all the fuss is about. I don't see it – it's just a simple room with two beds against each wall, two cupboards beside each bed, and small vases with single white lilies. Simple, clean, and pretty. Maybe Lloyd doesn't like flowers. Wait, he loves flowers.

'I don't get it,' I say simply, shoving past him and into his room as he continues to stare inside. Ugh, the sun is setting right outside the window – the whole room is glowing a kind of orangey-red colour.

Sheena looks around for herself when she pushes past a dumbfounded Lloyd and into the room, arms folded behind her head. 'Huh ... either way, I hope our room is this nice.'

'It should be,' I say, sitting down on one of the beds. 'If not, we'll take this one. Lloyd, goddammit get in here.'

He finally shuffles in, and takes a long look at the free bed. He still looks absolutely in awe. 'It's ... a _bed_.'

Sheena jerks a thumb in his direction. 'He does know what a bed is, right?'

I nod, and Lloyd just gestures at it wildly. 'It's a proper bed! It's not ... _floor_, or a _sleeping bag_, or some flimsy little blanket!'

'... That's the idea,' I reply, staring at him. 'Wow, you missed this, didn't you?'

Lloyd sighs. 'I've just been sleeping on the ground for so long ... it's screwing my back up ...'

'Wow, these _are_ comfy,' Sheena says, sitting beside me on the bed opposite Lloyd's. 'I was thinking I couldn't sleep like this until I got back home.'

I shrug. 'Well, it's the end of our journey, so I think we deserve a little easy-sleeping. Sleeping on a floor is just ... augh.'

Lloyd nods, stretching his arms over his head. 'Yup. We've been killing monsters non-stop. Cruxis should send us a prize or something.'

I blink. 'They're regenerating the world when Colette becomes an angel. I think that's reward enough?'

'I suppose,' Lloyd sighs. 'Dad's been waiting for the world regeneration for so long. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I get back.'

'Who are you going back with?' I ask. 'Well, Genis said that he and Raine are going to Palmacosta, and you can't go alone...'

Lloyd just frowns in thought, eventually waving it off. 'I dunno. I guess I could always ask Kratos to take me back. Well, I'd have to pay him seeing as he'd have finished his job here ...'

I snort, leaning back on the bed. 'I doubt. If he's gonna slaughter Desians left and right to protect you, I doubt he'd let you walk across the Ossa Trail and Triet Desert by yourself. Besides, what would you do if you were alone and you get 'assaulted' by a bear again?'

He goes as red as his jacket. 'S-shut up.'

'Wooow,' Sheena sighs, leaning back on the bed beside me. 'It might be because we've all been travelling around for so long, but these beds feel amazing.'

'Yeah, I'll bet,' Lloyd yawns, falling back onto his own bed. 'We've be – _oh gods!_'

I jerk up to look at him, and he's just lying completely still on his bed and staring at the ceiling. Sheena glances to between him and me for a second and Lloyd hastily kicks his boots off after a moment and throws himself under the cover.

'Sleeping now. This bed rocks.'

'... Wow, you just had a tiny little orgasm there, didn'tcha?' I ask, sitting up.

'I don't know what that means,' Lloyd groans, burying himself deeper into the mattress. 'But probably.'

--

'Wait ... we're not leaving tomorrow?'

Raine shakes her head at my question as I stare at her from across the table. I don't know if I should be happy or sad, but I'll keep any obvious emotions to myself for now. I'm not sure why I feel so iffy around Raine when it comes to secrets. Sheena hasn't said anything about her being from Tethe'alla yet (not that I know of, anyway), but Raine was easily able to pick up on that. She could find out that I'm from Earth before the others, but unlike Sheena, I'm not blatantly obvious about it.

'We're leaving the day after,' she tells me, circling the rim of her coffee cup with her finger. 'We've been travelling a long while, and ending the journey so abruptly tomorrow would be ...'

'Too much?' I ask, shrugging. 'Well, I guess.'

I glance around quickly to see if anyone else is with us. We're sitting in the back room of the inn, so it's not too open to eavesdroppers. Lloyd's dragged Kratos out to look around the town (read as "buy him stuff"), Colette is off with Genis and Sheena while they make use of Colette's lack of speech (yes, charades again), Raine and me are here, and Noishe is probably sitting outside the inn in the stables. Yeah, we're alone.

'Does Colette want to use tomorrow as a day to say goodbye to everyone?' I ask quietly. Raine already knows about ... me knowing about this stuff. Colette told her a while ago.

She shakes her head. 'No. She wants tomorrow to go as if nothing would happen.'

Raine takes a small sip from her coffee. I get the feeling she doesn't even like it. 'I'd ask that you not make a big deal out of it.'

I frown. 'Well, I've been helping keep her secret up until now, so I don't really feel like making Lloyd and Genis unhappy after all of her hard work of ... well, _keeping_ them happy.'

'Yes,' Raine sighs with a nod. 'I dread to think how they would act if they'd known all along what was happening to Colette.'

To be honest, I do too. I know Lloyd went into a hero-fit of "waahh", but that's about it. They never really showed anything from Genis or the others. Again, what the hell is that? Tales of Symphonia is so crappy.

Hint hint, Charis. I want outta here.

'Besides ... Genis and Lloyd already have enough problems,' Raine says after a moment, staring into her cup. I look up to see what she's talking about, and she continues, raising her eyes a little. 'I would hate to see them have another issue on their plate.'

'I kinda get the feeling you know Lloyd better than anyone in this group in terms of ... well, just in an un-biased way ...' I mumble with difficulty. 'I know he's got more problems, and he's trying to shoulder the blame for everything so we don't have to feel bad.'

'Yes, he has a habit of doing such things ...' Raine grumbles, finally taking her hand away from her cup (she keeps fiddling with it). 'He refuses to let Genis take the blame for our banishment of Iselia. Though I do not blame Genis completely, I would prefer if he let Genis see that he is also somehow at fault so he can learn to accept blame.'

'Yeah ...' I mumble. 'Genis told me a while ago that Lloyd sometimes used to skip school so they wouldn't have to face eachother if Lloyd was feeling guilty about something between them.'

'Yes,' Raine mumbles bitterly. 'I was the one who eventually had to drag Lloyd back whenever he pretended to be ill.'

... Lloyd pretended to be ill when he did that?

I don't know why, but something in my head just ... clicks. Something Raine and Genis fought about so long ago just came back to me, and I'm trying to fit it in place with what I've learned in the past few months. All the things Charis said, all the things Kratos and Lloyd said, and that small argument that the siblings had ... oh god, why is it fitting in place now?

Raine looks to me worriedly as I stare at a spot on the table intently, eventually forcing myself to snap out of my thoughts and face her. She knows. She knows about Lloyd and his-

'Um ... Professor?' I say hesitantly after a moment. 'Can I ask you something?'

She looks a little taken aback at my sudden attitude, but settles down quickly and begins tracing the tip of her mug with her finger again. 'Of course. What is it?'

I take a deep breath. 'Do you remember ... when we'd just left the Ossa Trail and we were on our way to Izoold?'

She blinks. 'Well ... it was a while ago, but I do think I remember ...'

'When Lloyd was unconscious,' I continue, having trouble meeting her eyes. 'And you and Genis started fighting about that time Lloyd was ill with the flu when they were kids ... you said he was faking it, and Genis said he was bedridden for weeks, right?'

Raine falls silent.

'Lloyd was never ill, was he?' I ask.

'... He was extremely sick,' Raine whispers. 'Only for a week. He almost died. But for four weeks he failed to attend school, or even leave his house to come to the village.'

He almost died. That proves it. That's what Charis said when we were on our way to the Wind Seal.

'He didn't want to see Genis, did he?' I persist, clenching a fist on my lap. 'Because he was convinced that Genis didn't want him or need him. He was convinced that being with Genis would only hurt him. So he didn't want to go back to the village, did he?'

Raine just stares at me, eyes wide. '... How ... do you know that ...?'

Wow ... I can't believe I actually figured it out. When we were walking to Izoold, I didn't even consider that Genis and Raine fighting over if Lloyd was ill or not actually meant something _important_. Just maybe that's why I never saw it before. Man, I'm on a roll – first I figure out how to defeat Undine, now I find out this. Raine knew all along about Lloyd's dreams and his worries, so why hasn't she ...?

I finally manage to meet her eyes. 'That time ... that was when Lloyd first met his doppelganger, isn't it?'

I watch her face go as white as her hair. '... You knew?'

Uh oh, time to start lying again. Well, not really, but I might as well play it safe. 'I found out at the Tower of Mana. We ran into a ghoul and it did some funky stuff to our minds. Apparently I got a little insight into Lloyd's head, and well ... yeah.'

Raine opens her mouth to answer, but nothing seems to be coming out. She settles with taking a long swing of coffee. She is gonna need a _lot_ of that stuff tonight, so I should help her out a little. I reach out for her cup and swipe it when she lowers it back to the table. 'I'll make you some more.'

She leans back in her chair when I straighten up and head over to the small set of cupboards and the stove. I have to make do with one of those really old kettles ... it's so annoying.

'Did you speak to it?' Raine asks finally, not looking over. 'Were you able to make contact with it?'

'Nope,' I say, waiting for the water to boil. 'Only Lloyd can.'

'Lloyd was probably too young to remember when the dreams first started ...' Raine mumbles, running a hand through her hair. 'All he told me ... was that there was a boy who looked like him ... and he talked to him whenever he was sleeping.'

'Did you know right away?' I ask, tapping the silver kettle with my nail.

'No ... I looked through a few books describing the thesis of dreams and thoughts, and eventually-'

'You found the doppelganger theory,' I mumble. 'Did you believe it?'

Raine is silent for a few moments. 'No. I didn't think they existed. If they were only figments of the imagination, then the theory is extremely expandable, and perhaps mere conjecture. But Lloyd's description of him seemed so accurate to what I found in all the books and articles about them.'

She sighs. 'I didn't want to believe that people could be affected so heavily by just their imagination.'

I honestly can't help but laugh a little. 'Well, if Lloyd's doppelganger is part of his imagination, then he must be one sick and twisted person.'

Raine looks over her shoulder. 'Hm?'

'His doppelganger,' I say, turning and leaning back on the counter. 'When I saw it in his dream, it told him that Genis was too precious to him. It said that he'd sacrifice anyone's life to save Genis' because he's his closest friend, even if it was any of us.'

Raine falters. 'Lloyd would ... he would never-'

'The doppelganger turned into me,' I say quietly, folding my arms. 'And it started killing itself in my form right in front of Lloyd. It tricked him into believing that both of us were dead in the real world, and only one of us could go back.'

I try to ignore the horrified look on her face. 'He told him that if he died, Genis would be sad.'

'He didn't,' Raine says firmly, almost rising out of her chair. 'Please tell me he didn-'

I just kind of ... grin. I don't want to frown. 'He let me die. The doppelganger didn't listen to his words – only his heart.'

The kettle boils, and I straighten up. 'He didn't want Genis to be sad. So please tell Genis _that_ is why sometimes why I find it difficult to completely and utterly trust his best friend. Because he really likes getting on my back about that, it's weird ...'

Raine nods after a long, long moment of silence. 'Lloyd is shouldering the blame for Iselia's destruction and our banishment alone. Because he is doing so much for us, Genis feels that-'

'-Everyone should worship him like they worship Martel,' I finish, making a small face when I tap my hand against the scalding iron of the kettle. Owwie. 'I watched Lloyd choose Genis' happiness over my own life. It's hard for me.'

I look over my shoulder to her as I pour the water into Raine's coffee mug. 'But he loves you and Genis too much. Maybe to a fault, but it's nice either way.'

I turn back before I make a mess. 'He said he'd rebuild your house with his own two hands. He called you his mother. He called Colette his sister. But Genis ... he's really, really different.'

Raine sighs, and I hear her tapping her nails against the table. She does that when she's stressed or thinking ... maybe she's thinking about stressful stuff.

'I honestly, without a doubt in my heart-' she starts, turning her chair to face me, holding on hand in the other so she isn't tempted to tap at things. '-Believe that Lloyd is Genis' soul mate, and vice versa. Since I made Genis Lloyd's personal tutor, I've never seen them apart when they've had the chance to be together. When Lloyd claimed that his doppelganger had begun to appear and speak to him when he was ill with the flu, I knew something was wrong when he didn't want to see Genis.'

'Y'know ...' I mumble, stirring Raine's coffee as I turn on my heel and lean back against the counter again. 'If they didn't look so grossly unalike, I would immediately assume that they were brothers just from the way they act about eachother. Same with Colette kinda, but not so much ... she's more like an auntie looking after the two of them.'

Raine nods. 'Yes ... though Lloyd is used to acting like an older brother towards Genis, he found it much more difficult with Colette. She's still like a ... _big_ sister to the two, despite Lloyd's age.'

I hand her mug to her, forcing a small smile. 'Heh ... just like how you should be their older sister, but you really end up coming across motherly.'

She takes her boiling mug carefully, setting it on her lap. 'Genis can't remember our parents. Colette's mother died while Colette was still a child, and Lloyd's mother ... well-'

'Yeah,' I mumble. 'I know all about that.'

'I feel almost guilty,' Raine says, smiling a little while she stares into her cup. 'Anna never had the chance to watch Lloyd grow up into a young man, yet here I am acting like he's my own son.'

I snort. 'I really, _really_ don't think she minds. She's probably really thankful to you for taking care of him.'

'She must be thankful to Genis and Colette also,' she continues. 'They were always the ones keeping him out of trouble and bandaging his cuts and bruises.'

'You guys ... you're really like a family, y'know?' I mumble, hoisting myself to sit up on the countertop. Raine raises her eyes to meet mine, and I suddenly feel uncomfortable again. 'It's like you're a mother taking care of a bunch of brothers and sisters. Even Kratos has managed to worm his way into your little group as some kind of ... grouchy old uncle who you only ever see once a year.'

Raine laughs. 'Perhaps only to Lloyd ... but you have a point, I'll give you that. But ... what about yourself?'

I frown and shake my head. 'I'm not really "there" yet with you guys. I'm more like the _reaaaally _distant cousin that no one really remembers or knows about.'

I shift on the counter, trying to avoid knocking the kettle over. 'It's just ... pretty lame to think about how this is all gonna end in two days. Genis and Lloyd will have one less sibling.'

I kick the air softly. 'I've lost a sister. It's not a nice feeling.'

'Oh ...' Raine mumbles, a little shocked. 'I'm sorry ...'

I grin quickly. 'Nah ... it's okay.'

'Desians?' she asks, and I shake my head, leaning back against the wall.

'She was, um ... she was ill for a really long time,' I say. 'About a year and some more. But for the year she was ill, I was too scared to go and see her.'

Raine really shouldn't be looking at me with pity right now. 'Why?'

I stare at my lap. 'She had something wrong with her brain. It was kinda ... um ... well, I'm not sure of the details, but she started losing her memory, and I was too scared to see her in case she'd forgotten me.'

Raine just stares at me, and I wave a hand, jumping off the counter.

'You can call me a selfish bitch – I know I am one. I'd have felt crappy if I was lying there dying and everyone was too scared to come and see me.'

'Though I would not have done the same thing,' Raine mumbles. 'I don't hold any resentment towards you for your choices.'

I shake my head. 'Everyone ... went to see her. Everyone except me. She probably forgot she even had a sister called Charlotte.'

After a few moments of painfully thick silence, I take a deep breath and gulp. 'I was so selfish. And I still am. So it's okay if people don't want to trust or like me.'

I pick at the hem of my shirt. 'But it would be nice to be included in your little family someday. Maybe when I'm not such a –' (I call myself something beginning with 'c' that makes Raine's jaw drop).

'W-well ...' Raine starts warily, probably wondering if she should scold me for my language or something. 'You have proven to me on occasions that you do have some selflessness within you. It may be rare, but while I can see that you are truly willing to put yourself in danger for someone you care about ... then that's all I ask.'

I blink. 'I was totally expecting you to slap me. But apparently you don't hit Colette, so-'

She smiles softly, shaking her head. 'I would never lay a hand on another person's child, let alone a girl. Genis must be disciplined as my younger brother, and Lloyd is ... a special case.'

I tap the kettle with the back of my knuckles, checking to see if it's still hot so I can make myself something. 'I've noticed how you always refer to Lloyd as a "special case".'

Raine takes a long drink of coffee. 'He is a very, very special case.'

--

'_Hey Charlotte, can I ask you something?'_

'_Go for it.'_

'_What kind of flowers do you like again?'_

'_... What hell?'_

'_When you made me tell you about how I liked flowers back at Luin ... you told me what your favourite flowers were, but I forgot ...'_

'_... Why do you wanna know?'_

'_J-just tell me, okay!? Don't drag this on ...!'_

'_Geez Lloyd, it's not bad to like flowers if you're a guy. I mean, your dad likes them, and isn't he a big muscular Scottish dwarf?'_

'_... What-tish?'_

'_Uh, nothing. Anyway, I said I liked lilies. Pink and white ones. I think they're called "Silk Road" lilies or something like that ...'_

'_Oh ... well, uh ... it doesn't have a meaning for white and pink lilies ...'_

'_What is that thing?'_

'_It's a book on flower meanings. I found it in one of the Professor's bags, and I've been finding out everyone's to see if it has any connection to their personality.'_

'_... You're bored, aren't you?'_

'_Very.'_

'_Um ... well, just try white lilies. They're the biggest part of them, I suppose ...'_

'_Okay ... white ... aha! It means ... innocence and purity ...'_

'_... Um.'_

'_Uh ...'_

'_You can laugh, don't worry.'_

'_... Pfft-'_

'_Not that hard!'_

'_Sorry, sorry ... eheh ... it's just – you don't really seem like ... an innocent and pure person, y'know?'_

'_Well, I suppose not ... I mean, I've done a lot of mean stuff, I swear a lot and I've killed people ...'_

'_I ... I didn't mean it like that ...! Just because you've done those things, you did it for a good reason ... well, you did it for us, so-'_

'_It doesn't matter – like you said, I just don't seem like the innocent type ...'_

'_Well ... I suppose you just know a lot more about life, maybe. That's what takes away innocence, right?'_

'_Yeah ...'_

'_... But hey, you can be innocent and pure in your own little way! Sometimes you seem that way ... so, uh-'_

'_Lloyd, you can stop – it's fine, really. I can deal with not being all pure and innocent and all the flimsy crap like that.'_

'_... Well, whatever you say. I just think that-'_

'_Lloyd I swear to god, I'm going to shove that book down your throat in a minute.'_

'_Good luck; Kratos already tried.'_

--

For probably the fortieth night here, I can't sleep.

I turn sharply in my bed, glaring at the wooden ceiling. Okay, sorry Mr Ceiling, it isn't your fault, but I don't really want to be glaring angrily at the other two people in the room. Sheena is out like a light on the bed opposite mine, and Colette has opted to be the one sleeping on the small sofa on the other side of the room. She told me its fine, because she wouldn't be able to feel the discomfort anyway. Well, she didn't_ tell_ me, she wrote it on my hand. For anything that's private, she just uses the hand technique. But otherwise, she's been carrying the writing pad around with her everywhere she goes. I flipped through it, and most of it is just answers to questions and doodles that her and Genis have been drawing. Fun.

"_Hey ..."_

I hear movement within my head. Yeah, that just sounds weird. "_What?"_

I frown at Charis' pissed off voice. She's probably tired – she's been sorting out so much for Tethe'alla. "_I was wondering about Tethe'alla. Everything is gonna go fine in the Tower of Salvation, right?"_

"_Yeah,"_ she mumbles. "_Now that you've been given the options and chose to live this through to the end, things will be going smoothly. Everything but Kratos' betrayal."_

I wince. "_What's gonna happen?"_

"_Dunno. Lloyd's brain is gonna fry over though. If you compare the interaction in the game with the shoddy tower scenes to THIS ... then yes, it isn't going to go well."_

"_How have things changed?"_

Charis pauses. "_Well, the scenes in the game were very ... unrealistic, in a sense. The tower scene was portrayed to revolve around Colette and Lloyd, but now it's actually REAL, like you were thinking about today, more people are actually going to give a crap about Colette."_

I smile a little. _"Yeah. From what I've seen now, I can't just imagine Genis standing back and letting it happen. Him, Colette and Lloyd and Raine ... they're all a family. Things are so much deeper now ... it makes it scarier."_

"_Even Raine still has some regret. She might do something or change her ideals once Sheena reveals she's from Tethe'alla."_

"_When will she?"_

"_Tomorrow. I'm going to ask you to not be there when she does."_

I blink at the ceiling. "_Why?"_

"_Because you'll see her reveal she's from another world, you'll see the others accept it without a thought, and you'll start getting ideas and try to do the same in time."_

I pause, thinking it over. "_... True. I'll have to hide around tomorrow."_

"_Will do. Tomorrow, you need to talk to people and sort all your issues and things out before you reach Tethe'alla. We can't have anything hanging around in Tethe'alla."_

I nod. "_Okay. If so, then do you want to explain some things to me?"_

"_If it will shut you up, I'll say what I can."_

I pause in thought. "...'_Choose your saviour, Iriving'."_

"_I can't say."_

"_Why?"_

"_I can't say."_

"_It's something to do with the Doppelganger, isn't it?"_

"_I can't say."_

"_Yggdrasill is involved – you told me he is. Does he want Lloyd to die so he can use his doppelganger?"_

"_Dammit."_

"_So it's true!"_

"_No, but you're getting there. Just shut up about it."_

I frown, making a face while I continue to stare at the ceiling. I watch the beams of moonlight bounce off the walls in an eerie silver glow, considering my next question. "_Is Lloyd still ill? He hasn't been bad for a while."_

"_He's still ill."_

"_What's making him ill?"_

"_I can't say."_

"_You suck. Is there anything you CAN tell me?"_

"_I can tell you who to talk to tomorrow."_

I stretch in my bed, listening to each joint click in protest. "_Fine."_

"_You've talked to Genis lately and sorted things out with him, even though it doesn't feel like it. Just let him dislike you. You've talked to Raine, and that's fine too. It doesn't matter if you talk to Sheena or not, but don't get any ideas about telling everyone about Earth just because she spilt the beans about Tethe'alla. You don't have to talk to Colette, but if you're worried then she can help you out. She'll probably just point you in Lloyd's direction again, but she's only doing what's best."_

She takes a breath. "_And talk to Lloyd. But one thing ..."_

"_What?"_ I ask.

"_Don't make him promise you anything. And don't promise anything to him."_

I falter. "_Why?"_

"_Just don't. And finally ... you need to talk to Kratos."_

I roll my eyes, slumping onto my side and hugging my pillow. "_I haven't talked to him properly in ages. The last time was ... well, when we were in the ranch when he found me after the torture."_

"_He doesn't see you as important anymore. He's gotten you out of the way and now focuses on getting Colette to Yggdrasill."_

"_... I was important?"_

"_You were a threat. He didn't want Lloyd to know anything. That's why he threatened you all the time – he thought it would make you want to leave. But now you're not going to say anything, he's leaving you to your own thing."_

I clench my teeth. "_Ugh. Well, forget it – I'm going to sleep now."_

"_Try your best."_

I curl up, biting into my pillow. "_Yeah, yeah ..."_

_--_

'_Genis?'_

'_Oh, it's you. What do you want?'_

'_Aw, you're so loving. Anyway, I wanna know what everyone's favourite food is.'_

'_What? Why would you want to know something like that?'_

'_Because I'm bored. Lloyd's been finding out everyone's favourite flower, so I want to find out everyone's favourite food.'_

'_Ugh ... fine. Well, I know Lloyd likes any kind of meat ... but it doesn't matter if he's as sick as a dog; if you put steak-and-tofu curry in front of him, he'll eat it like it's the last thing in the world.'_

'_Yeah ... he asked me to make him tofu curry back in the Asgard ranch.'_

'_Yup. But he hates tomatoes and fish. He sometimes eats shrimp, but anything that looks big and slimy ...'_

'_Riiight. Well, what about the Professor?' _

'_Raine is ... really picky about her food. She doesn't like a lot of dishes, so she tries to style her own. But I do know that she likes spaghetti. It's the only normal dish she likes to cook.'_

'_Huh. Y'know, you and Lloyd should be a little more supportive of the Professor's cooking. Maybe help her out a little.'_

'_Hey, you're the one always pulling the queasy card whenever it's her turn to cook!'_

'_If it doesn't make me shit my own kidneys, then I'll eat it. Right, what does Colette like?'_

'_Colette loves cream stew, just as long as you don't put any peppers in it.'_

'_... Why the hell would you put peppers in cream stew?'_

'_Raine did it once.'_

'_Oh.'_

'_I don't know much about Sheena ... but when I was cooking, she told me she likes any kind of stew, and she loves anything with rice in.'_

'_I thought so, somehow. And this is totally a long shot, but ... Kratos?'_

'_Well ... he usually eats whatever I cook for him ... but I've only ever seen him properly eat anything with meat, rice or vegetables. He's probably allergic to tomatoes though ... he's always shoving them onto Lloyd's plate when he's not looking.'_

'_Okay ... then he'd probably like a vegetable curry ...'_

'_What?'_

'_Oh, nothing. Anyway, uh, what do you like?'_

'_I'll eat anything, just as long as it doesn't have too much onion in it ...'_

'_Yeah, but is there anything you actually, y'know, would ask for at a restaurant or anything?'_

'_Well ... I really like Raine's spaghetti whenever she makes it ... so probably just that if we were eating out.'_

'_Riiiight. Well, that's all! Thanks!'_

'_Hey!'_

'_What?'_

'_Well, you made me tell you all that ... so what's your favourite food?'_

'_I looove chicken stir-fry. With lots of noodles. It's so yummy. Anyway, I'll be on my way now, thanks for the tips!'_

'_... Tips for what?'_

_--_

'Whoa ... you look terrible.'

I glare at Genis from across the breakfast table after thumping down in my seat. I don't blame him for saying so, but he could be a bit more discreet about it. I've seen myself in the mirror this morning – I look an absolute wreck. I look like I've forgotten to take of mascara; there are dark bags under my eyes, my hair is a total mess from tossing and turning all night, my nightshirt is all twisted and crumpled, and to be honest ... I probably look rather stoned. I can barely keep my eyes open.

'Couldn't sleep,' I grumble, fumbling dizzily for a fork. Okay Charlie, that's a spoon – try again. 'Whenever I slept I had nightmares. Finally got to sleep when someone starting screaming about a spider.'

'Hey!' Lloyd snaps, poking at his omelette. 'It was huge!'

'Lloyd, we've fought spiders about twice our size,' Genis mumbles, stealing some omelette from the side of Lloyd's plate.

Lloyd frowns, poking Genis' hand sharply when he notices him nabbing his breakfast. 'That's true, but did you know some of the smallest spiders in the world are the most dangerous and poisonous? Those massive ones out in the fields don't mean squat compared to the tiny ones running around everywhere.'

I blink, trying to get my sight back. 'Who told you that?'

'Kratos, last night,' he grumbles through a mouthful of eggy goodness. 'When he threw the thing out the window. Did you know that one kind of poison from a spider can make your eyeballs melt right out of your face?'

I roll my eyes, wincing when it makes my head throb. 'He's probably just pulling your leg. If you see a spider in future, just crush the little bastard and go back to sleep.'

'Fine, fine,' Lloyd huffs, stabbing away at his omelette. I know those omelettes. They're _Genis_ omelettes. Therefore, the next five minutes is spent by me tugging constantly at Genis' black undershirt and begging for him to make me breakfast again like he did at Palmacosta. I know the little jerk hates my guts, but maybe he can have a little pity for my unattractive morning-self and make me breakfast. After a few good encouraging pokes from Lloyd's fork, he grumbles all the while as he stomps over to the stove and cracks open another egg into the used frying pan.

'So what were your nightmares about?' Lloyd asks, twisting his remaining breakfast on his fork. I scowl at the table, shaking my head.

'Just ... stupid stuff. They really didn't make sense.'

Really, it didn't make sense. I was just running away from something through some kinda ... marshy forest while wearing a black and white tracksuit. I do have a tracksuit like that back on Earth, but I sure don't remember living near any marshes with anything worth running away from. Eeh, I'll have to ask Raine if I can borrow that book she used to find out what Lloyd's dreams meant.

'I have stupid nightmares,' Lloyd agrees, still playing with his food. I glance over at Genis, and he looks almost done with cooking my own breakfast. 'I dreamt Noishe tried to kill me once.'

'Sweet,' I yawn, slumping down onto the table. 'Where's everyone else?'

Lloyd shrugs. 'The Professor and Colette are down at the local church to see the priests like they always do ... Sheena's still in bed, and Kratos is ... somewhere. I think he went shopping.'

I just got a mental image of Kratos trying on high-heels with about a billion New-Look bags in hand. Oh god, I need to sleep more.

'Here,' Genis mumbles, practically slamming down my plate infront of me. I jump, eyeing the food carefully. Well, as least he had the decency to cook it right.

'Thanks,' I say with a quick smile as he thuds back into his seat, looking a little annoyed. I'll have to thank Lloyd too, for convincing him. If he hadn't been here, Genis probably would have just stabbed me between the eyes with a fork and stormed off. Hell yeah for everyone loving Charster.

'What's happening today then?' I ask, taking a quick forkful of omelette. Yummy. 'I know Colette and Raine will be with the priests all day, but otherwise ... y'know, this is the last day of our journey, isn't it?' (Well, journey in Sylvarant, but they don't know that).

'Yeah, I guess,' Genis says quietly. 'I can't believe Colette has to stay at the Tower of Salvation now.'

Lloyd pulls a face. 'I know, it sucks. But just think about how happy it's gonna make her. All she ever talks about is how she wants to save the world. Don't let her see you down – be happy for her, okay?'

'I suppose you're right,' Genis sighs. 'It's pretty selfish of me to be all moody ... what Colette's gonna do is help everyone in Sylvarant. Dirk, Clara, Chocolat and her mom ... and it's what Marble would have wanted too.'

'Yup,' Lloyd says, finishing off his omelette quickly. 'If she didn't still have that sore throat, she'd probably be going through a list of people that we have to take care of when she's gone.'

'Raine, Dirk,' Genis starts, counting them off on his fingers. 'Noishe, Clara, Chocolat, Charlotte, Sheena ...'

'I love how Noishe comes before me,' I reply dryly, eating away. Lloyd just snorts, dropping his fork to the table.

'Colette's just used to protecting everyone around her. She was always helping Genis and me out when we were kids, and now she's helping the whole world ...'

'I'm still gonna miss her,' Genis grumbles, burying his face in his arms. 'Who am I gonna play tag with now?'

His _other_ friend raises his hand. 'I'm still here, you dork.'

'Lloyd, you don't have _wings_.'

'And what, that doesn't make me qualified!?'

'No, it just makes it less of a challenge!'

'But wings are cheating! Colette's a cheater!'

'It's still more fun!'

I listen to the two bitch out at eachother while I eat my breakfast, and I notice it's considerably smaller than Lloyd's omelette. Yeaaaah, Genis still hates me. It doesn't matter if he said he didn't back on the boat, but he does. It's okay though, I'll survive. Lloyd's friendship comes with the extra treat of being dumped in a sea-full of corniness, and that's enough to ride over almost any hate.

_Okay, talked to Genis and Raine,_ I think to myself, staring down at my food. _Shouldn't talk to Sheena for safety reasons ... talk to Colette tonight ... talk to Kratos and Lloyd later ..._

I stab my omelette. _Talk to Kratos now_.

'Uh, do you want this Lloyd?' I ask, holding my plate up. 'I've gotta go run a few errands.'

He's already forked the whole thing over to his empty plate before he can say yes, and I roll my eyes while I get to my feet. Genis looks a little pissed that I just made him make me breakfast and I'm now ditching it after two or three bites, but oh well. I have more important things to take care of, and if Genis is going to spend his time hating on me, well screw him.

I say goodbye to them both and trudge up the stairs in the other room, heading towards my room. Well, the room I'm sharing, but whatever.

I do the usual; brush my hair, slap on some foundation, tug my good old hoodie and trousers on, try not to wake Sheena up, and stumble back out of the door. She does mumble something and roll over, and I notice Corrine scurry over her shoulder and curl back up beneath her chin. Goddamn I hate that little rat. Sorry if I sound mean, but I can't wait until Volt fries that thing.

I skip back down the stairs (and trip on the last step, shut up) and shove open the inn's main door. Yay, sunlight and fresh mountain air!

After a good look around, I nod to myself in conclusion. Hima is the tiniest village ever. I don't know why – this place is furthest from a Human Ranch, it's all nice up here ... I don't get it. Either way, it _is_ small; there's the inn, a couple of houses, the church some ways over that-a-way, and just a few shopping stalls here and there. There's only a few people walking around this time of day – I only spot an elderly man and what looks like his middle-aged son, a woman with her young daughter, and some little kids playing with a slingshot or something.

I know I shouldn't be looking for entertainment at a time like this, but ... goddamn. I'm gonna be so bored until we get to Tethe'alla. But before that, Kratos! Time to talk with the bastard mercenary one last time.

... Now I just gotta find him.

"_Cliff."_

Well, that was easy. Now I just gotta find my way to the cliff. This includes going around to people and asking where the sleazy guy selling dragon rides is. I pick the woman with her kid to ask first, and then just start asking around from there. I do eventually get pointed in the right direction; the way there is located at the end of the street and around some houses and behind the church. I consider stopping in and talking to Colette and Raine, but I reaaaally want to get everything over with Kratos right now. Y'know, like ripping off a plaster – quick and painless. Hopefully. He might throw me off the cliff – I don't know.

I think to myself as I go along my way. What do I say? "Thanks for all the good times you jerk"? Because that doesn't sound too right ... it honestly doesn't matter if he's suspicious of me anymore. Once tomorrow comes, he'll be back at Cruxis, and he'll be looking for a way to make the Ring of Pact. He's hardly gonna think "hm, I wonder what Harrison is plotting" in the next few months. I can't convince him _not_ to betray everyone, because no matter how nicer things would be, it would screw the story right up and I'm not allowed to do that.

Okay, let's think properly. I have to say that I'll never say anything to Lloyd again, just in case he didn't get it first time. I'll also ask if he's sure he doesn't want to say anything to Lloyd, just to keep up the whole "I totally don't know anything about Cruxis" charade. Plus, I don't have anything to worry about when Sheena tells everyone she's from Tethe'alla. That itself isn't really a personal threat to him, and he'll probably decide it's far too late to do anything rash ... but hey.

I trudge my way up the cliff's pathway, glaring up. Okay, I'm annoyed – they don't really offer any kind of railing for the path beside some flimsy wooden fence that looks about fifty years old.

Screw that, found him.

I take a second to go over what I'm going to say. Besides that, I can't see any dragons around here or any giant hairy men selling them off as rides. Just Kratters standing on his lonesome and staring out at the tower. Whoa, it's such a good view from here ... this is the closest city to the tower, and now I'm finally so near ... everything seems to be crashing down on my head.

I'm in Tales of Symphonia. I'm in Sylvarant. I've survived two human ranches, two cardinals, four seals, and one summon spirit. I've done so much, and it feels like I've been here so much longer than just three months.

... Wow, I'm gonna be sick.

Goddammit Charlie, no! Talk to Kratos! If you vomit over him, then screw it!

'Oi!' I call weakly, waving as I practically stumble over there. Kratos looks over his shoulder, sees me, and turns right back to the tower. Bastard mercenary.

'Hm.'

I frown. '... Did I call _you _a douche in my sleep? Because apparently it happens a lo-'

'What do you want?'

I grit my teeth. 'You haven't changed at all. Not that I'm complaining. Anyway, this is probably the last time we'll see eachother for a loooong long while, so I thought I might as well get some things out and finish up anything left hanging.'

'Then I'll save you the pain of wasting your time,' he says simply, arms folded as he continues to eye the tower with distaste. 'I have no interest in your intentions, or what you intend to do with yourself now the journey is over.'

'Just _where_ do people get that you're an insensitive bastard? Honest to god, I can't find a trace of scorn in you anywhere.'

'Save the sarcasm,' he snaps. 'If you have anything important you wish to say, then go ahead. Don't expect me to listen to you babble on about any non-existent bonds I share with anyone.'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Even with Lloyd? So you're not going to say anything.'

His jaw tightens. 'Things are better this way, for both Lloyd and myself. Anything I do now would only hurt him.'

'Well, I won't pry,' I say with a shrug. 'I'm not exactly going to shove you into a room with him with a big "Daddy" sign tacked to your forehead.'

Kratos doesn't look too amused. I don't really mind that much. 'Well, despite the fact you shattered your funny bone as a child, can I at least rant and rave at you?'

'Don't expect me to listen,' he says shortly, continuing to stare out at the cloudy view. I bite my lower lip and hold back a swear or two, quickly thinking through what I'm gonna say. To be honest, I don't really _have_ much to say. Charis just told me to talk to him, and here I am being the awkward little Charster you all know and love. Wait ...

'I think ...' I start out of the blue, just deciding to dive right into the fray and let my voice box do the work. The floor looks so amazingly interesting right now. 'I think on some level, deep down ... I really wanted to like you.'

Kratos doesn't look away from the tower.

'I never expected you to like me at all, or even acknowledge my existence here,' I say, looking up to the blue sky. 'But I expected to like you. I didn't expect ... that I would hate you this much. It's impossible for me to hate someone and pity someone at the same time, so that's why I thought I'd be doing either. But I hate you. And I have to pity you despite that.'

I glare at the sky. 'You always made me so angry and sad. But even then, I had to pity you because of everything. I can hate Genis if I want to – I don't pity him for anything besides the fact that he's a half-elf. But I have to pity you for losing your wife and your son, and even much more than that.'

I turn to him. 'I don't expect you to like me. I expect you to hate me and have no pity for me whatsoever. Most of all, I don't expect you to care about what I'm saying now. You're not going to listen to a girl fresh out of preteen life bitching on about her feelings.'

Kratos still isn't looking down at me. I twist my hands together nervously.

'I think on some level you always knew when I was lying,' I mumble. 'Either that or you thought I was a complete retard that couldn't string together two straight sentences, and judging from your constant attitude, you always chose the latter. Or you just really didn't care about what I was or wasn't capable of.'

'You were capable of telling Lloyd something he should not know,' Kratos says finally. 'In reality, that was your only weapon. Without it ... you are just a child. You have taken back your threats and your blackmail. You have dropped your only weapon. And now you are nothing but a kid.'

'And I wasn't a threat,' I finish. 'And now you have things to do that will never concern things that _I_ have to do. You just waited for me to fade out of existence, and ... now I am.'

I straighten up, stop fiddling with my fingers, drop my arms boldly to my sides and look stubbornly up at him. He's still incredibly tall. For once, it doesn't matter.

'You are ... the most vile, disgusting, violent bastard I've ever met. I hate you and pity you with everything I have, and sometimes I even wanted you to keel over and die. I wanted you to see that I was more than just a kid, but when I tried you just threw in the harsh reality that it's _all_ I am. Just a kid, with no threat and no importance to you. I hate how you're unconsciously stringing Lloyd along knowing that one day it's just going to hurt him. I hate how you talk to me, I hate how you look at me, and I hate it when you don't even acknowledge me at all. I hate _you_, Kratos Aurion.'

I pause, taking a deep breath when his cold crimson eyes finally move to me.

'And I'm gonna miss you.'

... Yeah, that makes his eyes widen a tad.

'Because even though you're a big fat jerk, you're Kratos Aurion,' I say, turning to the tower. 'And it was nice to kinda get to know Kratos Aurion. I did find out that's he's a meanie, but I don't think I was supposed to expect much else.'

Kratos doesn't answer for a while. He just stares ahead at the tower where he may or may not kill his only son tomorrow. Hell knows if he's just ignoring me and hoping I go away at some point, but until he either acknowledges me or what I've said, then I don't think I'll be moving anytime soon. The fact that's its really early and I want to go back to bed doesn't help at all.

I wonder if I've finally said something that will make his tolerance snap. I'm actually very prone to being shoved off the cliff right about now, but I can't shuffle back because my feet are rooted in place. Dammit.

'You are no longer a threat to my cause,' Kratos replies quietly. 'But you have lied to everyone.'

He turns to me. 'You were never from Asgard, and you have no relatives there. Your parents never killed eachother, your mother never worked for the Church of Martel, and your father was not a Desian. I am however willing to accept that you know of my connections with Lloyd and Anna through looking at files held in the Desian's resource databases.'

I just nod.

'Harrison.'

He turns to me, and I look up.

'... Who are you?'

After a tense moment of silence, I fold my arms to break the strain.

'Y'know what? I'm going to tell you the truth.'

Charis throws an immediate shitfit in my brain, screaming for William to get to her now.

'You want to know who I am before we part ways?' I ask again, looking up firmly. 'Everything about where I live, who my family is, what I do, why I came on this journey, how I know about you and Lloyd and Anna, what my intentions are?'

The look in his eyes demands an answer before I can run off again. Charis is trying her hardest to take over my body, but I'm blocking them out the best I can. Both of them are screaming at the top of their lungs.

'Fine. I'll tell you. And this is the complete and honest truth.'

He nods, I gulp, and Charis faints with a crash.

'... I don't know.'

And he looks about ready to slap me.

'... It's the truth,' I say, staring at the floor now. Things just got a lot harder. 'If someone were to ask me where I came from and gave me a list of all the cities and villages in the whole world ... then I wouldn't be able to answer. Because I honestly don't know. I could search high and low throughout Sylvarant and not recognise a relative at all. Most of all, I don't know why or how I know about you and Anna and Lloyd, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it written down somewhere. Maybe in a document. But other than that, I just don't know.'

Besides that small lie (I haven't seen it in a document, but I _have_ seen it written down), everything I just said is true. I don't know where I came from in this world, because I _didn't_ come from this world. I wouldn't be able to recognise any relatives here, because I don't _have_ any. That's the truth, and if he can't take it, then ... that's for him to worry about.

After a moment, he turns back to the tower. 'Amnesia?'

'I don't know,' I say. 'I just know this stuff.'

'It may be the case,' Kratos says stiffly. 'But the point still stands – you are of no threat to me, and you have no effect on my intentions. No longer concern my motives with your own. Leave me to myself, Harrison, and do not try to return.'

'Can't see why I'd want to,' I finish, yawning. Back to bed for an hour, I think. 'Be safe, be happy, and for god's sake, don't hurt Lloyd tomorrow.'

He doesn't look back to me after turning to the tower one final time, keeping his gaze fixed upon it.

'That's pretty much all I wanted to say.' I thump him on the shoulder as I walk past, heading back to the pathway leading down to the village. 'Goodbye Kratos Aurion, you bastard mercenary.'

I fold my arms behind my head, stretching with another yawn and a quick groan. A couple of joints click into place as I stretch, and I notice the guy selling the dragon rides trudge heavily up the pathway I'm heading to with reigns wrapped around his shoulder under one arm, and two saddles under his other. I'm not going to enjoy that tomorrow – I can tell.

Just before I leave, I get my final reply.

'Goodbye, Harrison.'

--

'_Oh hey Sheena ... when did you get up?'_

'_When Lloyd burst in and started shaking me awake.'_

'_O ... kay. Any particular reason for that?'_

'_He was playing with my cards. After a while, he came in asking if he'd have to marry me.'_

'_... Ah. What did you tell him?'_

'_Well ... in my village, we have a lot of secrets that we want to keep to ourselves. One of the secrets is using cards with old, special charms written onto them to release powerful energies. If someone were to figure out how we did that, then they'd have to join the clan, or ... be killed.'_

'_... Uh-huh. Well, to be fair, Lloyd doesn't know how they work, he's just playing around with them ... right?'_

'_That's true, but it seems like he's studied charms before. He knows what a few of the cards mean, _and_ he can use them. To the village chief, that would be considered as a threat at least.'_

'_Sooo ... if they found out he was using them, what would they do?'_

'_They'd probably interrogate him first ... or make him swallow a couple of needles ...'_

'_Fun. But really, forced marriage? Isn't that a little ...?'_

'_It depends on the situation at hand. If someone knew a whole lot of our secrets with no intention of keeping them to himself, then he'd be killed. If he was in hiding, then we'd send a group to hunt him down. If it was someone like Lloyd, then they'd probably question him about it and see if his level of knowledge about our secrets is dire. It's usually if someone knows something but can't be trusted to a certain extent ... that we'd force them to marry.'_

'_And ... Lloyd is in that category.'_

'_Yup. And seeing as I'm the one who made him use them, I'd probably get some punishment too. Because I'm already a member of the clan, part of my punishment would be forced marriage, or another candidate would be offered. Our clan is small, so some mothers are willing to put their daughters through for any kind of marriage.'_

'_... Wow. Oh hey, you didn't answer my question.'_

'_What?'_

'_When Lloyd woke you up and asked if he'd have to marry you, what did you tell him?'_

'_I kicked him in the face.'_

--

'Oh god.'

'Wow, this is ...'

'Oh god.'

'Charlotte, did you ...?'

'Oh god.'

'You did all of this for us ...?'

'Oh god.'

'Lloyd, shut up.'

'Oh ... god.'

I just nod at each question directed towards me while I sit slumped against the stove, probably very red in the face and messy-looking. There's god knows how many types of sauces staining the white apron I found and am currently wearing, and the whole kitchen area of the room is a complete mess. There's a good few stains on the wall behind the equipment and things I've been using, I've broken ... about five different pieces of cutlery, one plate, and I've paid for all of them out of my own money I've been keeping safe. So yeah, it's been a very stressful ... three hours, maybe?

But away from the mess that is _my_ side of the room, on the very immaculate looking _dining_ side of the room with all the pretty wooden chairs and the giant table and the vase of flowers in the middle surrounded by ... about six different meals. That I cooked. All by myself. With no help from the Wonder Chef. Totally.

I shove the green note he left once again further into my pocket, wiping my forehead. It's so hot ... I've had to force open a few windows that seemed eternally lodged in place, but I'm just letting the cool air come in and hope that it doesn't ruin the dinners I've made.

Well, the Wonder Chef has paid off his debt for our help in the ranch, I've done something _right_ for once, and hopefully everyone is happy. Hopefully. Kratos _is_ staring at the table like it's made out of poison though. Goddamn.

'I ...' I start with a croaky voice. '... Am tired.'

'You've got ... burns all over your hands ...' Genis says, staring at me. I just raise them from my lap, looking over the front and back. Yup, they're a mess.

'They're only small burns ...' I say, grabbing my knee and forcing myself up to my feet. 'They'll be gone in a couple'a hours ...'

I gesture wildly to the table. 'Eat ... it'll get cold ...'

'How did you know all of our favourite foods?' Sheena asks, holding Corrine securely (he's trying to launch himself into the curry I made for her). 'I don't think we've even talked about it ...'

I point to Genis, who just turns bright red. I manage to get my balance without everything going incredibly dizzy, blinking a couple of times to get my vision straight. I swear my head just screws itself over whenever I get hot, and it's been so steamy in here the past couple of hours. I'm this close to just crippling over and fainting.

'I asked Genis about everyone's favourite food, because he's the one usually cooking for everyone,' I say, rubbing my eyes. 'I know we weren't going to have a proper dinner tonight, but I thought I'd at least try to do one thing right before our journey together finishes.'

Lloyd just looks over the table of food, eyes still wide. He's eyeing the beef-tofu curry desperately. 'So you cooked this all ... all by yourself?'

'I had a bit of help,' I lie, clenching my fingers and letting the joints click noisily. I had a lot of help, but they don't need to know that. 'So ... I'm sure you know which meal is yours – eat up, everyone. I'm going to lie down for a bit.'

Raine looks up as I head for the door, and everyone's pretty much already dove towards the table. 'You didn't make anything for yourself?'

I shake my head. 'Ugh, I'm too tired to eat. I just wanna lie down for a bit. I'll be up and running in an hour or so ... I'll eat something then.'

'Make sure you do,' Raine replies, heading to the table. 'Thank you for doing this for everyone.'

'Yes, that,' Lloyd says finally, pointing to Raine and then to me. 'You – this – curry - you're awesome. You're awesome. You're-'

He just cuts himself off and grabs my sides, picking me up and spinning me around. I almost screech at him before he plods me back down safely on the floor, but again, I'm too tired for shouting. I just wobble towards the door, too weary to smack him on the arm as he jumps into his chair beside Kratos and starts wolfing down his curry. Goddammit, if he chokes then I'm _not_ helping him.

'I don't want to see a single scrap of food left when I get back here,' I say, giving them all a playfully stern look while I clutch the doorframe for my life. Everyone pretty much just nods with their mouths full, and Colette smiles meekly at me and prods cautiously at her cream stew.

'Except Colette,' I add quickly. 'Because sure throats suck with food.'

'Eat the best you can, Colette,' Lloyd says through a mouthful. 'You don't wanna be before Remiel tomorrow with your stomach growling.'

'Yeah,' Genis adds with a small smirk. 'They don't let Chosen's who don't eat their vegetables become angels.'

'Hey, watch how much you eat too,' Lloyd says, glancing over at Genis. 'You said you were feeling sick earlier, so don't overdo it.'

'That's fine,' Genis mumbles. 'I'm just tired and hot. I've probably got a bit of a fever. I hope I'll be okay to go to the Tower of Salvation with Colette tomorrow.'

'If Remiel will let us,' Lloyd grumbles through another mouthful. 'Big ... holy jerk.'

Colette laughs silently at her friends' ribbing, and I just try to smile to myself when I leave, closing the door behind me. I want them all to be happy, I really do. I just can't shake the feeling that something will go wrong tomorrow. It is tempting to just travel to Triet alone and wait it out, but I can't help but think something is up ... like Charis said yesterday, things are different.

Yggdrasill is somehow connected to Lloyd's doppelganger? And "choose your saviour Irving?" is Yggdrasill trying to convince Lloyd to accept his doppelganger as his saviour and turn him into ... well, him? That _thing_ inside his mind?

"_Crap."_

"_So that's what it was,"_ I sigh, walking down the hallway and throwing my dirty apron into the washing basket at the end of the corridor. "_Now that I think about it, it wasn't too hard to figure out."_

"_Either way ..." _Charis grumbles. "_Yggdrasill's aim is just to make Lloyd less of a threat."_

"_... That's what ALL this crap has been about? Since his dream in Triet, that's IT?"_

"_Pretty much,"_ she answers, yawning. "_If he can make him accept his doppelganger's ideals, then Lloyd won't go on some justice parade and stop Cruxis."_

"_So he's just taking precautions and letting Lloyd ... well, screw with his own head?"_

"_Yep. That way, Yggdrasill doesn't have to do any work."_

"_Yggdrasill ..."_ I mumble, staring at my feet as I walk into the main room. I collapse heavily onto the sofa, taking a deep breath. "_Is he Mithos' doppelganger?"_

Charis pauses. "_In a way. Mithos the hero used peace to bring an age of peace. Yggdrasill strives for the same thing, but he is willing to hurt countless people in the process – the very thing Mithos the hero set out to abolish. So in some form, Yggdrasill is possibly a part of Mithos that he gave into and let consume him. Yggdrasill is the embodiment of Mithos' hate and desires, and the cruelty he's willing to use."_

"_So that thing inside Lloyd's head,"_ I say, rolling onto my side. "_It's like ... Lloyd's Yggdrasill?"_

"_Yep."_

"_... And my doppelganger?"_

"_Oh, don't worry yourself about her,"_ Charis yawns. "_You'll never meet her properly. She's batshit insane."_

"_Smashing,"_ I yawn. "_If she's my opposite, then it's good to know that I'm normal."_

"_Hey, if you're gonna sleep, you should go back to your bed. You don't wanna sleep here. Charlotte ...?"_

"_What's up?"_

"_It's ... she isn't answering. Charlotte?"_

"_Hey!"_

"_Charlotte!"_

_--_

'_Professor, are you okay? You look kinda worried ...'_

'_Oh ... yes, I'm fine Lloyd. I suppose I'm just a little concerned about everyone.'_

'_Geez, you're always worrying about us. Well ... I'm fine, and I'm pretty sure Genis is okay. I've been with him all day, and he seems alright besides that fever. He is a little sad about Colette going to live with Remiel though ...'_

'_Aren't you?'_

'_What? Of course I am! But this ... doing this is all Colette has ever talked about since she was little. I remember what she said to me the first time she ever bandaged my cuts and bruises after I got into a fight.'_

'_What did she say?'_

'"_I love helping people when they're hurt or sad. And when I become the Chosen and regenerate the world, I'll be helping all the people in Sylvarant. That's what I was born to do."'_

'_... Yes. That's true.'_

'_She was always waiting for Genis to fall out of a tree so she could bandage him up. She loved it just a bit too much ... it scared me a little at first. But then I realised she only did it because she wanted to keep us both safe. I think I accidently called her mom once.'_

'_... You called me your mother once.'_

'_Eh? I did? When? I don't remember saying that ...'_

'_When you were little and you caught that flu. You had such a fever; you couldn't see properly. You were so tired ... you probably saw me standing over you and thought I was your mother.'_

'_... I-I did that? Really?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_How do you even remember that ...? It was so long ago ... I almost forgot about it myself.'_

'_I had a little reminder yesterday.'_

'_And you weren't angry?_

'_Why should I have been?'_

'_W-well ... weren't you a teenager then? It's pretty much the same as calling you old.'_

'_Just feel lucky that I'm willing to blame the fact that you couldn't see properly.'_

'_Uhh ... okay. Oh right! So, why are you worried about everyone?'_

'_Well ... I suppose I'm just being paranoid and overcautious. I have no real reason to feel grief, yet I can't help be feel tension in the group.'_

'_Actually ... I didn't want to say anything, but ...'_

'_What is it?'_

'_It's ... Kratos. He's been acting really weird lately.'_

'_Kratos? I never talk to him enough to know when his mood shifts drastically, but are you sure?'_

'_Yeah, he's acting totally different from usual. Kinda. Sorta. Well, not really. But he seems really upset about something. It's like he's been in a giant mood since we left the Tower of Mana.'_

'_How so?'_

'_Well ... he isn't sleeping, he isn't eating ... he barely touched the dinner that Charlotte made earlier. He isn't talking to me as much as he usually does, and I really think there's something wrong with him.'_

'_Perhaps he has attached himself to you far too deeply.'_

'_Come again?'_

'_Tomorrow our journey is over. Judging from how I have seen Kratos portray himself ... it would be difficult for someone of his kind to get common, average work. He is a mercenary – a monster for hire. He can't simply stay in one place and work; he travels all around the world looking for his next pay. That's what mercenaries do. He's leaving you to continue his life so he can earn a living. I'm sure you aren't happy about it either.'_

'_... No. I don't wanna just say goodbye to him and let that be it. I definitely wanna see him again after this ...'_

'_That's something the two of you have to sort out for yourselves.'_

'_That's ... I wanted to ask about that.'_

'_What?'_

'_Would it be okay if we stayed in Hima just one more day? I've already asked Colette ... and she thinks it would be fine. I just want to talk to Kratos and see what's bothering him, and ... I want to ask him some things before he leaves tomorrow. So if I just had one more day to do all that, then-'_

'_I ... don't know. I'll have to think about it.'_

'_Professor-!'_

'_Staying in Hima one more day just so you can talk to Kratos is a little ... selfish. There are people still waiting for the world regeneration.'_

'_Agh, I know that ...'_

'_Perhaps if we had more reason to stay, I might consider it more. But for now, we'll just have to see.'_

'_Okay, that's fine. Hey, what are you doing anyway? You've been going from room to room.'_

'_Ah, I'm looking for Charlotte. I couldn't find her in her room, and I wanted to thank her once more for what she did.'_

'_Yeah, that was pretty cool of her. I'll come with you – I didn't really thank her properly. I think she went into the main room – someone mentioned that a teenager was out cold on the sofa in there.'_

'_That must be her. Then it's just this room.'_

'_I gotta admit, the sofas are pretty comfy in this pl – Charlotte!?'_

'_What's ...?'_

'_Charlotte, are you okay!?'_

'_She's completely unconscious. Lloyd, try to find another doctor in the inn.'_

'_Professor, is she-'_

'_Now.'_


	67. Secrets

This chapter is pretty much 20k + words, and I am _so sorry._

This is the last chapter for the Sylvarant half of the journey, so I really just had to shove everything in there before the tower, which NEXT CHAPTER. AFTER THREE YEARS. THE TOWER. YAY.

Sorry for anyone hoping that Char was going to see her doppelganger xD

Right, I'm going to be working really hard on the next chapter, but it might take a little longer than usual. School starts again soon, and my brother got taken into the hospital the other day, so RL is doing that evil little thing called "getting in the way of fun". Yeah, that.

Right, this was done through a course of a few very shitty weeks, so I'm just hoping it's accepted well. I had to cut a LOT out because it was getting so long, and this was the shortest I could get it. Again, sorry about that.

Okies, have fun reading, see you in a while :)

* * *

Chapter 67 - Secrets

... Ow. Ow my head.

I open my eyes and try to ignore the consistent throb of pain in the back of my ... well, everywhere actually. My head is obviously pounding, and ... I feel really, really hot. My brain is pretty much frazzled to realise anything else, so I just continue to lay on my back and wonder where the hell I am, what the hell I'm doing, and what the hell is on my forehead. Whatever it is, it's long and wet ... like a slug.

I immediately grab it and sling it across the room. Okay, it was just a wet towel. I want it back now, because oddly enough it was helping to keep the heat down. I feel like I'm in bed in summer with no windows open and no fans on and ... I'm almost choking on the heat. I'm so hot I want to vomit. Urrrgh.

I reluctantly force my eyes open. I wait for my vision to slip slowly into focus, and the mess of brown and white around me slowly sharpens. I'm in my room. Not _my_ room as in 'Earth', but as in 'Hima Inn'. Which does suck a little, but bed is good. I'm not complaining too much.

Okay, I _am_ complaining too much. Heat, headache, pain, blergh.

I slowly sit up, trying to ignore to constant shoots of pain to the back of my head and behind my eyes. It's making my vision swim uncomfortably to one side, and it's annoying. I'd shake my head, but I'd end up screaming in pain.

'... Fudge,' I whisper carefully, just in case there's someone else in the room that I'm not aware of. 'Holy fudge, ow ...'

Well, my room seems completely empty. Charis and William seem to be aware that my head feels balloon with a thousand needles carefully slipped into it. It I make any sudden movements, I _might_ just go into a coma.

I look over to where I threw the towel previously sitting on my forehead, and see that there's a small wet stain on the wall across from me with the white flannel bunched up in the corner of the floor. I can't exactly go and get it, so I'll pout at it for a bit. Yeah, that'll do.

Besides all that, it's now considerably dark outside. I know it gets dark pretty early now, but ... surely it can't be too late. Colette and Sheena aren't here, which means everyone else is still awake. Did I fall asleep? Did someone carry me into my room? Didn't I crash out on the sofa or something?

I really want to shout for someone to see what's going on and how long I've been sleeping for, but apparently my throat doesn't want to work that hard.

It's got to be night at least ... something between eleven or two in the morning. I can't have been out for long, and I _did_ make dinner for everyone a little late. There's no note around to tell me what's going on, no message, no nothing. Just a small cup of water on the table beside my bed along with a glass vase of white lilies that ... weren't there before, last time I checked. I think they're from Kratos and Lloyd's room. There's another vase with more lilies on Sheena's bedside table too. Maybe it was marring their manliness.

I become hastily frustrated with the heat, lean over to shove a window open, lean down to my bags and try to fish out that oversized shirt. When I find it, I hastily strip and yank it over my head. Ah, much better.

I kick the covers off again, lying back against the headboard. There's nothing much to do unless I can get to my feet without crippling over and slamming to the floor or call out for anyone. I'll bet someone's in bed by now ... obviously not Colette or Sheena, but c'mon ... it looks _really_ late.

Either I'm hallucinating or the water is looking extremely appealing right now. Either way, I reach over grimly and bring it over. Oh my, it's nice and cold.

After a good few sips and after making sure my head isn't going to fall off as soon as I move, I slowly and carefully swing my legs over the side of the bed and shakily get to my feet. Okay, all is good so far. I don't feel sick or anything, my eyes haven't fallen out of my face, I haven't melted from the heat, and ... everything is fine.

I take a step forward, my knee cripples underneath me, and I thump noisily to the floor with a quick, sharp shriek.

Goddammit. I am not crawling around. I just gotta get back up to my bed now, and I'm sure I'd be doing just that if everything wasn't in quad-vision right now. I fell a little too fast, and now my throbbing head is just ... killing itself from the inside.

There's no one in the room, screw it. '_Fuck_.'

_Knock knock._

Okay, scratch that. I quickly yank the hem of the shirt over my butt, trying to sit up straight. I hold a hand to the side of my head, hissing in pain. 'Come on in.'

The door slowly creaks open after my permission, and a head of silver hair pops in. Hey, it's the Professor! She quickly invites herself in, closing the door behind her with a small click and looks down at me. I just grin sheepishly back up to her, flattening a hand on my thigh and hoisting myself up slowly. Raine always has an issue with people pushing against their boundaries when they're sick. You see it clearly whenever Lloyd falls ill, or whenever Genis has a cough.

'Now,' she says firmly, arms folded. 'That wasn't the smartest idea, was it?'

'Ahh, nope,' I say, scratching my cheek while I collapse back onto the bed. 'Fff- ow.'

She sighs, shaking her head as she reaches down and scoops up the damp towel I previously decked the wall with. I shove the covers to one side of the bed and lean back against the headboard, rubbing my knee. Ugh, that'll probably bruise a little. I hope not – I don't want to face Zelos Wilder looking all blotchy and bloody. I dunno why, it'd just be pretty insulting if he fawned over Raine and Colette and skipped me completely. Which he probably will; I don't have high hopes for myself. Again, I just don't think I'm really that attractive ... it'd be nice to think I am or told I am once in a while, but no one has done so since I've been here, so ... I'll just live it out, I suppose.

I sniff a little, rubbing my nose. Right, back to reality. I look over to the Professor. 'Um ... did I fall asleep? How long have I been here?'

She straightens up with the towel, wringing it tightly. Huh, there's a bowel of water down there ... I totally didn't notice that. She sits down on the bed, placing the flannel on the table.

'Lloyd and I found you in the main room,' she starts, running a hand through her hair. 'You wouldn't wake up no matter how much we shook you. You had what appeared to be a high fever, and your unresponsiveness was rather serious.'

I just blink. '... Oh. Well, I was feeling hot and dizzy while I was cooking, but I thought that was just the heat of the stove ...'

'Yes, that's what I passed it off as before you left,' she says with another small sigh. 'But Genis has been ill also. You both appear to be suffering the same symptoms.'

'Oh ... Genis is ill?' I ask. 'Come to think of it, Lloyd did tell him not to overdo it with dinner because he was feeling sick ...'

Raine nods tiredly. 'Yes. I believe you may be a bit more ... unhealthy at the moment due to your mana signature restoring itself and working yourself too hard. You don't eat properly, you don't sleep properly ... and if you aren't careful, you're going to become dangerously malnourished.'

'... Okay,' I manage slowly. I really don't know what to say. 'So, uh ... where is Genis now?'

'He's in our room,' Raine tells me. 'Lloyd and Colette are with him now.'

I raise an eyebrow. 'I thought I was the one most at risk here?'

'That's ...'

I wave a hand quickly. 'It's okay, really. I was kidding. I'm sure someone was worried about me before Genis started being ill all over the place.'

She falls silent, nodding after a moment. I honestly don't know – Lloyd could have just waltzed in and found me all "oh hey Professor there's an unconscious Charster here OH GOD GENIS ARE YOU OKAY?". If Genis was all ill at the same time, then that's probably the case. Genis comes first, screw Charlie, don't feel bad about yourself because of it, yadda yadda yadda. I gotta start taking Lloyd's advice before he hurls more history books into the ocean. Raine would cannibalize him. Violently.

'It's, uh ...' I start awkwardly, looking out the window. Besides the dark sky, you can see the smooth plateau stretch out before the sharp dip cuts it off, plummeting down below into the misty mountain floors. I shudder at the memories of climbing up this goddamn mountain to get here. We had a couple of guides to help us up, and I swear to god – never again. 'It's ... pretty late, I think. Are Genis and be gonna be okay for the tower tomorrow? We're leaving early, so Lloyd should get some slee-'

'It's been postponed,' Raine sighs, rubbing her brow. 'For just one more day. I feel guilty asking such a thing, but ...'

I decide to ask why later, sitting up probably. 'Ask what?'

'What you and Genis have isn't serious,' she explains shortly. 'It will most likely be gone by tomorrow morning despite a small amount of dizziness and nausea. But I would like to ask that you ... _overreact_. Just a little.'

I can only manage to blink stupidly again, watching her shameful face. I know how iffy she is against people faking being sick, especially if it means putting off the journey. She's like Kratos, but more wordy and violent when it comes to the matter. I could count the number of times that Lloyd's woken up with the phrase "I feel siiiick" only to be cuffed on the ear and told to snap to it, but I'd be here all night.

'... You want me to be more dramatic?' I ask finally. 'Is my constant whining not dramatic enough? Because really, I thought it was.'

'Less whining, more acting,' she says sharply. 'At least ... try to pretend that you feel genuinely ill.'

I glance from the window to her. I still have time to sleep on this, but...

'... Why?'

Raine's lips tighten, turning as white as her face. She really looks like she's at war with herself, but I won't ask any further than the basics. 'Professor?'

'Lloyd is ...' she starts, cutting herself off quickly when we both speak simultaneously. She takes a deep breath, beginning again. 'Lloyd ... wants to stay one more day.'

I stare. 'Why? Aren't he and Genis in giddyfits about seeing Colette turn into an angel?'

'Yes ...' she says, looking solemn. 'But more importantly, there's one more thing he wants to do before we leave. Before ... Kratos leaves.'

Ohhh. Shit.

'Kratos?' I ask. 'He wants to do something with Kratos?'

Good god that didn't sound right in my head. Rewind, rewind.

Raine nods while I try and purge my mind of ... teenager-ness. 'Yes. He wants to talk to him.'

Okay, we're good. 'What?'

'Talk to him,' she repeats, looking darkly to the floor. It doesn't take a genius to know that she heavily dislikes Kratos, and I'm about as thick as they come. If I can see it, then everyone in the group (okay, besides Lloyd) can see it. She never really thought high of him when the journey started – I remember their first spat while we were crossing the Ossa Trail, and the priests that Raine had received the map of the trail from was outdated. Kratos was right in the end, and she was piiiissed.

'What about?'

I watch her eyes narrow. 'Kratos "isn't being himself". Lloyd wants to find out what is wrong with him.'

'Oooh. Right, right,' I say, nodding. 'Well, I don't spend any time around Kratos, so I really wouldn't know the difference. I just measure he moods as "pissed", "very pissed", "extremely pissed", and "kill".'

The forces a small smile to her face. 'No. Apparently only Lloyd can see that there is something troubling him.'

I rub my shoulder when it begins to sting slightly. I must have fallen onto it when I collapsed a second ago. 'Well ... Lloyd is pretty attached to him ... I suppose he just wants to say his final goodbye properly. I know I do, for all of you guys. But those two are different.'

'I can't say I am too comfortable with what Lloyd is doing, but ... it is what he wants. It will make him happy.'

I blink again, for the third time. 'I thought you were more onto what's good for people instead of what they want.'

She turns to me. 'Just because I don't like the idea ... it doesn't mean that it isn't good for Lloyd. It's probably the best thing for him after everything that has happened with Iselia and the Desians.'

'What is?'

She turns back to the floor, glaring at it as if it were the cause of all her grief. She never liked the idea of Lloyd being around Kratos – hell, that's one of the reasons she tried to kick him off the group back at Asgard. And again, it was there that Lloyd jumped to the rescue and convinced her to let Kratos stay, because ultimately it was what _he_ wanted. She calls him a thug and thinks nothing of him except for this kind of paid-murderer. After learning about what he did at Asgard with the whole "decapitating a good few Desians in the middle of town" thing, I don't think I'd let my "sorta-son" near him either.

'I think ...' she mumbles coldly. 'That he is going to ask to live with Kratos.'

My jaw drops into my lap. 'Whuzzat?'

Her eyebrow twitches, and she frowns. 'Lloyd doesn't want to part ways with him after this. I think he wants to stay with him. He can't return to Iselia. If he is near Dirk, the remaining Desians would come after him and put Dirk in danger. He thinks that anywhere he goes, the Desians are sure to follow.'

She fists her hands in her lap. 'With Kratos, he will be safe. Both of them will. With Kratos, he can finish his training ...'

Crap. Crap, crap, crap. This is not good – this is not how it's supposed to go – oh god, this is going to screw things up big time. Oh god. When Kratos betrays us – _Lloyd_ – then Lloyd's just going to _die_ on his feet. He really is.

'Y-you're sure?' I ask. 'I mean, are you sure he doesn't just want to ask Kratos if he can like, steal some of his pay? Or style his hair?'

'I'm certain,' Raine says in a melancholy tone. 'It's what Lloyd told me before we found you. He doesn't want to say goodbye.'

I take a breath. 'Wow. Uh, that's ... wow. I didn't know Lloyd felt so strongly about someone he's known, well ... less than me.'

'Hm?' Raine asks, turning to me. 'I thought Lloyd and the others met you both at the Martel chapel?'

'Oh no, I met them in the school house,' I say, nodding. 'Yeah, I came through the school roo-'

Shit.

'... _You_ were the one that made the hole in my school roof?'

Aw, she looks pissed.

'No. No, it was totally Kratos.'

'... Yes, I remember now. I thought it was Colette being her clumsy self, but Kratos _did_ tell me you travelled to Iselia on a dragon.'

'He lies. He made that hole in your roof, it totally wasn't me. Really. Professor, step away from the other bed. Get away from that pillow! Profess- mmmmph!'

--

'_Professor, what was it?'_

'_She fell out of bed. She's awake and fine now. I might have suffocated her. How's Genis?'_

'_What? Oh hey, he's doing a lot better. I was really worried about him, but it's passing pretty quickly. Is it the same thing?'_

'_Yes, but I've asked them both to overdo their symptoms like you asked.'_

'_Thanks, Professor. I know Kratos would probably force us to go on tomorrow if they only felt a little sick. This should make him stay quiet about it.'_

'_... Lloyd. Are you sure this is a good idea?'_

'_Huh? What do you mean?'_

'_Perhaps Kratos is simply worried about finding another job. When the regeneration comes, it will be hard for a mercenary to find work. He's being paid a staggering sum from Phaidra and the Iselia church, but when you lead your life like him, a lot of money can disappear in merely a few days.'_

'_Really?'_

'_Yes. People like him don't really _'live'_ anywhere. They travel around from place to place looking for work from different cities. He'd have to constantly pay for inns, food, survival equipment, travel expenses. Hiring a cart is extremely pricey these days with monsters crawling across the lands. That kind of life isn't ...'_

'_Isn't what?'_

'_... It isn't something I would want you to put yourself through. I know how you feel about Kratos. But if you were to perhaps spend more time with him even after he is dismissed, it wouldn't be as easy as this journey has been so far. You might have to kill people just to get money to feed both of you. Is that really something you would want to subject yourself to?'_

'_Professor ... I don't care about any of that stuff. Dad still has some money kept away for whenever I decided to leave home, I know Kratos is getting a lot from the church ... before all that money is gone, Kratos could probably buy two whole houses and enough food to keep him going until the next Chosen comes along. But besides all that, I just ...'_

'_Lloyd-'_

'_I wanna be with him. I don't ... I don't want to leave him to get sad again.'_

'_... Lloy-'_

'_He lost his whole family. I want to help him.'_

'_You want to be the only thing he has left?'_

'_W-well, not really ... but he doesn't deserve to feel sad like that. I know a lot of people don't like him and that they're always saying how much of a jerk he is behind his back, but maybe he just needs ... ugh, I don't wanna sound corny at a time like this, but maybe he just needs a friend, or ... or a student. Someone to be there with him.'_

'_Lloyd, Kratos isn't that type of person.'_

'_It wouldn't hurt to try. If he says no, then ... that's fine. If he says yes, then I could really be helping him out. After all the times he's saved my life and protected me from danger, I think this is the least I can do for him.'_

'_... I can't stop you, can I?'_

'_Haha, you can try. But I think this time I'm gonna have to ignore my teacher's advice and do what I think is right for myself, and for Kratos. I think he's sad because it all he ever thinks about ... but if he spends time doing something else for someone – like, um, training me – then it would ... stop him from thinking about it. It would make it easier from him. I think it's what we both would want.'_

'_... I just hope you're making the right choices.'_

--

Food. Need fooooood.

I stare angrily at the ceiling once more. The poor thing does seem to be on the receiving end of all my misery, but it's the only goddamn thing in the room I want to glare at. Sheena and Colette are still up (Colette's with Genis, and Sheena's out with Corrine; I think she's discussing if they should tell us about Tethe'alla, seeing as she hasn't done so already), Raine and Lloyd are with Genis too, Kratos is ... somewhere, Noishe is outside, and I'm mega bored while I lay here by myself. Doing nothing. Ugh.

I wanna sleep, but apparently it isn't that late, and I'm not really too tired. I mostly just want to let go of all my worries (whatever they are) and sleep them out, but I can't. We're staying for another day so Lloyd can talk to Kratos and possibly ask to _live_ with him, I'm aching to get the tower over with and get to Tethe'alla so I can feel safe for a while, Lloyd and Genis still don't know squat about Colette ... yeah, it's all iffy around here. I hate it.

And – and I need food. That's the _worst_ thing.

I think back to all the dinners I cooked today and wonder why I was stupid enough to not cook anything for myself. I didn't feel like eating because ... well, I felt ill without knowing it, but now I feel fine ... I'm starving and my stomach is _eating itself_.

'Nng,' I grumble, rolling over and clutching my rumbling gut. 'Shut up, asshole.'

It responds by making a louder clutching sound, and I curl tightly into myself while I drag the hem of my shirt back over my butt. I have to keep doing that ... I should find some shorts or something.

I do eventually manage to drag myself out of bed and rummage through the bags in the corner of the room, and I manage to locate a decent pair after a few thorough moments of searching. I slip them on and stumble back into bed, rolling onto my side and clutching tightly at my stomach. I wonder why I haven't gotten up, strode to the kitchen and cooked myself something yet, then I remind myself that I'm faking serious illness here. If Kratos catches me being dandy, he's gonna drag us all off to the tower tomorrow. And that would just suck ass.

'Fooood,' I groan to my pillow. 'Turn into a marshmallow and lemme eat'cha.'

Hm. I could call for someone and ask them to grab me something from the kitchen, but it isn't worth the possible "YOU SUCK" from whoever it is that I manage to call over. I've searched all through my packs and everything, and there's not even a grain of rice in sight. Nothing to eat, unless I consider eating my own shoes. Which are so stained with blood and mud, that ... it wouldn't really be too yummy.

'Arghflargh,' I grumble, wondering what the hell it means. 'So hungry ...'

'Oh gods, stop whining! You're making me hungry too!'

I blink, staring at the ceiling. That voice came from above. The ceiling is talking to me. Did I piss it off with all my rude stares enough to force it alive and make it bitch at me? Do I have that power? Could I tick off a table and make it go kill Kratos? Gee, I hope so.

Sitting up and wondering what the hell is going on, I look carefully around the room. Not a soul in sight.

'... God?' I ask out of the blue.

'Gee, you sure aren't with it tonight,' comes the voice, and no sooner does a head of brown hair pop into view from above the window. I do the normal thing and shriek loudly, falling out of my bed and crashing to the floor with the blanket I've decided makes an okay shield. Right, that sucked. 'Whoa, you okay?'

Scowling, I flop back onto my bed and rub my bruised knee, glaring at the person who seems to be sitting on the roof and _hanging_ _off_. That can't be safe. 'You suck, Lloyd. You suck hard.'

'Say again?' he asks with a raised eyebrow, one hand hopefully gripping the roof edge tightly while the other swings into view with a small baguette in hand. Where he got that, I don't know, but it's almost finished and it's _incredibly _small for a piece of bread. Was it made by borrowers or something? Geez.

'I said you're awesome and you should totally give me that bread,' I repeat, sitting up properly and grabbing my pillow, setting it in my lap. 'Y'know, because I'm so nice and all pretending to be sick for you.'

He shrugs, tossing the remainder of what apparently is his supper through the window and into my waiting hands. 'Fair enough. Here you g – whoa, you eat fast when you're hungry.'

'Shu'up,' I grumble through my single mouthful, swallowing hard. 'Ah, much better.'

Lloyd blinks sharply, quickly pulling himself up to the roof and out of sight. As anyone would know, hanging upside down seriously screws your head up and makes your eyes feel like they're gonna pop right out of your head from all the blood rushing down. I really hope I don't see two eyeballs sudden soar down past my window in a few seconds.

After a moment, he returns with a small "umph", checking around the room. 'You alone?'

I nod. 'Yup.'

'... Have you been sleeping?'

'Nope,' I say, shaking my head. 'It's too hot to sleep.'

'Oh, it's a wonder you haven't heard anything from up here,' Lloyd explains, shifting around uncomfortably. 'Genis and me have been on the roof for ages. You seriously didn't hear anything?'

I shake my head again. 'Dunno. If I did, I probably passed it off as coming down the hall. Raine's room is right next to this one, after all. Why, were you talking about me?'

Lloyd snorts. 'About Kratos. I was just thinking – if you couldn't hear it, then he probably couldn't either. That's a relief.'

He shifts again. 'Okay, you're going to have to come to the window or something – I'm getting dizzy.'

I roll my eyes as he pulls himself back up onto the roof. I sit up and lean against the windowsill, sticking my head out into the cool night air and looking up. Wow, the fresh air is so nice ... my room feels like a freaking stove compared to this. I prod Lloyd's legs dangling over the edge of the roof, and he pulls them up quickly, carefully leaning back down again.

'So, wassup?' I ask quietly with a raised brow, aware of the other rooms with open windows beside this one. 'Genis still up there?'

Lloyd frowns. 'Nah, the Professor wanted him back in when he started feeling dizzy for him. I tried to tell her that the fresh air was doing him good, but she said something about him falling off the roof.'

He snorts, pulling himself up. 'Like I'd let him fall off. I know he's ill, but he's not stupid.'

'Mm,' I mumble, nodding but not really listening.

'... Are you getting any of this stuff that I'm hinting at?'

'Eh?' I look up and blink a little when Lloyd's outstretched hand in my face startles me a little, almost making me fall back outside my window. That'd hurt. I look from his hand to his face, and he's just giving me an extreeemely pathetic look. Dammit, I'm _slow_ when I'm ill – he should learn to leave me alone and not make fun of me when I'm suffering and all. I still have a killer headache and raging hunger pains.

'Get,' he demands, flexing his hand in my face. 'C'mon, the fresh air will help you out.'

I tighten my lips, glaring up but taking his hand either way. 'I thought you were trying to keep at least one of us as sick as possible?'

He snorts, helping me up when I carefully straighten up, stepping onto my windowsill. I'll admit now, I've never sat on my own roof or ... any roof, to be honest. I live in your average council house, but it _is_ two storeys high and I don't have a lavishly green garden – it's all paving and grey stone. If I fall while trying to clamber up onto my roof, splat goes the Charster. Here though, it isn't as high ... there's still the stone ground below, but it isn't a big drop and there _is_ someone else helping me up.

Lloyd has to quickly grab my upper arm when my bare foot slips from the sill, and I just grab his shoulder and hastily yank myself up before I fall.

'The roof isn't steep; don't worry about that,' Lloyd says as I carefully stumble over to a smoother part of the roof just below the top, sitting back with a thump and a sigh. Well, Lloyd was right about two things – the roof is thankfully pretty horizontal, and the cool air is doing wonders for my prickling stomach. I don't feel as sick anymore, which is always a good thing.

I yawn with a nod, lying back on the cool surface of the roof. 'So what did you and Genis talk about up here?'

Lloyd just shrugs, thudding down beside me. 'I asked him what he thinks about me talking to Kratos about ... stuff.'

I scowl at the sky. 'Stop being vague. It's too late and I'm tired. What stuff?'

'Just ...' Lloyd grumbles with a pout. 'That ... maybe I want to finish my training before Kratos leaves. I mean, he can't exactly leave me hanging, can he?'

'Well, he could, being the asshole that he is,' I say, still staring at the sky. 'But ... if it were you, then I doubt he'd just run out on you if you really wanted his help.'

Good god, what am I doing? I'm making this all worse. I'm giving Lloyd hope, and he's going to ask Kratos if he can stay with him, and ... he's going to get betrayed. He's going to get so hurt, and there isn't a thing anyone can do about it.

'... What are we gonna do about dinner tomorrow?' Lloyd asks, eyes scanning the heavens for stars that he doesn't recognise. I roll my eyes again – we still have to reminisce a bunch, and he's thinking about food. My stomach growls in a "FEED ME YOU BITCH" kinda way, and I press a hand to it firmly.

'Always thinking about your gut, I see,' I sigh. 'It's been three months. You never cease to surprise me.'

'Hey, not eating for a whole day _hurts_!' Lloyd insists, sitting up and scowling down at me. 'When I was little and I had the flu, the Professor told me that I couldn't eat a thing! And if I did, I'd ... barf everywhere.'

'Smashing.'

'It wasn't nice,' Lloyd grumbles, lying back down. 'I think I cried from hunger a couple of times.'

I snort. 'I remember the last time I was really sick ... it was on my twelfth birthday. I couldn't eat or drink anything except water. My mum usually made bigass cakes for everyone when it was their birthday, and she was pretty miffed that she couldn't do it that year. She _did_ eventually – I just couldn't eat any of it.'

'... Wow, that sucks,' Lloyd mumbles, staring at the sky. 'Argh, I want cake now ...'

He pauses, and I wait for it. C'mon Lloyd, you're not that stupid. If you don't get the hint, I'm going to kick you off the roof.

'Wait ... didn't your mom die when you were eight or ... seven?'

I gasp dramatically, smacking a hand to my mouth. 'Oh my, it's happened again!'

He straightens up, staring down at me sternly. 'Charlotte.'

'Eh,' I mumble, grinning. 'Took you three months to figure out.'

'Figure out?'

I roll my eyes again, frowning up at the night sky. Yes, I know what I'm doing right now, but ... Tethe'alla is going to be a new beginning for all of us. A new journey to meet new people. That's when everything is going to really begin. Before it does, I want a clean sheet. No more lies. Well, not as many lies – I still can't say I'm from Earth. But either way, I can try my hardest to fix things once and for all.

'Lloyd, I've figured out why I can't trust you properly,' I say to the sky, trying to ignore how he's still looking demandingly down at me. 'It's because you can't trust me, and the reason for that is because I haven't been completely honest with you since the journey began. If I'd been my honest self right from the start, then you probably could have trusted me a little more.'

'You've ... been dishonest?' Lloyd asks quietly after a moment. 'You've been lying?'

I snort. 'Yeah. I don't come from Asgard. My mum wasn't a priestess and my dad wasn't a Desian. I don't know if I have any family around, and I don't know where I came from. It's not as if I've forgotten – the space of time between then and now is just gone.'

Lloyd just stares. Yeah, that was a lot to admit in the space of five seconds, so his brain is still probably getting around the fact that I've been lying to everyone for quite a while now. I'll let him process that for a while. Dum de dum ... sky sure is pretty tonight ... hell of a lot of stars. We're up in the mountains, so I'm not sure if it affects it or not ... but really, there's hardly a dark black patch in the sky. I know I've said that I don't see this a lot, coming from the city ... but really, it's beautiful.

'... You've been lying to me?'

I make a face, shifting a little on my back. 'Don't single yourself out. I've been lying to everyone. I'm not proud of it – I just had to do it.'

Lloyd still stares down at me, honestly looking a little pissed off and confused. His hands fist in his lap, and he glares ahead into the horizon. There's bugger all out there to look at, so yes – it's safe to assume that he's ticked off.

'Why didn't you just tell the truth in the first place?' he asks. Y'know, he's taking this better than I thought he would. After the whole ordeal back on the boat and after the Tower of Mana, he's had a knack for shouting at me lately. I'm sure he doesn't want to start yelling on the rooftops with an ill Genis under out feet.

I sit up a little, biting my lip. 'Because do you honestly think that Kratos would let me come along on the journey if I'd just said "oh I have no reliable background for you to judge but let me come along anyway?". Please, he'd pin me down as some underage Desian spy in a second.'

He glares to me, and I try not to look away completely. 'So ... you've been lying to all of us since this journey started?'

I shrug. 'Yeah ... I'm sorry. But now it's over, and now Kratos finally doesn't see me as a potential threat. I can be completely honest and hope that, well, we can ignore this.'

'You just want me to ignore this!?'

Awshit, the shouting has started. I just stare at him, noticing how it's a lot quieter than it was about three seconds ago. I'd wager that he's just stunned everyone in the inn to silence with his sudden outburst. I'll try and keep this argument simple, because I'm not big on having everyone listening in to something like this.

'Well, yeah,' I answer, shrugging. 'It's not like it's something big ... no one ever made a big deal out of it before. My background hasn't ever been a big topic-'

'You really think that's the issue here?' Lloyd demands, now on his feet. 'I don't care about any of that – I'm just pissed off that you lied!'

He clenches his teeth tightly to hold back some kind of remark, taking a deep breath and flexing his fingers to calm himself. Dammit, I really have to stop making Lloyd all angry and flustered at night. The poor bastard will never sleep.

He sighs, arms dropping heavily to his sides. '... You don't trust us?'

'I don't trust Kratos,' I correct. 'And he's the one who ultimately pulls the strings behind this journey. He was hired to protect Colette, and if I just waltzed in all suspicious then there was no chance of me being able to come with you guys.'

'So ... you just lied? You didn't even try explaining anything to him?'

I groan. 'It's not like he would have listened. When it comes down to it, I'm just a stupid kid. The only reason you and Genis are here is because Colette wants you here as her friends, and I really don't seem to fit into your group. Kratos wouldn't have let me just jump in at the last second.'

After a moment of silence, I frown and fold my legs over eachother. 'I don't fit here. You're all childhood friends, Raine is you Professor, and Kratos is your ... your teacher. I was never supposed to fit, and I wouldn't have had a chance if I came clean from the start.'

Lloyd stares at me, still looking annoyed at my sudden revelation. 'I just can't believe that all this time you've been lying to all of us ...'

I slap my hands to the floor a little too sharply, because it stings like hell when a get to my feet and stand right up to Lloyd. 'D'you wanna take a proper gander at _why_ I've been lying!? Because you totally don't get it, and I thought even _you'd_ be smart enough to see why!'

'You already told me why!' he retorts, still glaring down. 'It's so you could do that ... thing! You said that's the whole reason you're h-'

'Then _why_ am I _still_ here!? Why did I keep lying after I told you!? Why am I still travelling with you when I've decided to play it safe!? Tell me that, Lloyd!'

His mouth opens for a sharp reply, but nothing comes out. He falters.

'It was because I wanted to _be_ with you guys! This is the end of our journey, so it doesn't matter to anyone if I lied! But if I'd told you guys everything at Asgard or Luin, then Kratos would have booted me from the group _again_!'

I take a deep breath. 'After this, there's no more stupid journey, no more stupid Kratos, and no more _stupid_-' I kick the floor in anger – '_blackmail_ or _deals_ or whatever. I'm still Charlotte Harrison. I just don't know why the fuck I'm here other than that I want to _be_ with you guys. The end.'

If my only intention were to screw over space and time, I'd have left the group by now because honestly, what would be the point in putting myself in constant danger? It's easy enough to just sit back in Asgard or Hima or whatever and wait for them to finish the journey without so I can just waltz up to Lloyd in a few months time and ask to borrow the sword for two seconds while I warp myself to another world. But I'm not going to, because after everything I want to stay. I want to be with everyone.

'I've had ... a really, _really_ hard couple of months,' I say finally, dropping my stare to the surface of the roof. 'I'd really appreciate it if you could just give me a break now it's over. Because y'know ... if this _was_ our final night, then I wouldn't have wanted it to finish like this.'

I pick lazily at some loose strings in my shorts. 'I've made my peace with Kratos, I've talked things over with Raine, I've established that Genis wants to bitchslap me with my own liver, Colette and me have always been dandy with eachother ... so c'mon, I'm not about to let you walk away from me with a frown on your face.'

'... I'm still ticked off that you lied,' Lloyd mumbles, scuffing the roof with the toe of his boot. 'But now I can kinda see ... _why_ you lied. And even though I still think what you did was wrong, the fact that you did it just so you could be with us ...'

He full on kicks the roof sharply. 'How am I still supposed to be angry with you after that!?'

'Because I'm just _that_ awesome,' I say, nodding. 'I'm not trying to guilt-trip you over to my side, but if you wanna take it like that, then you go right ahead. I'm still Charlotte, you know.'

'I just ...' Lloyd grumbles, hands fisted at his sides. 'I don't like being lied to. Ever. Especially if I'm being lied to by a friend.'

Ugh, he's probably going to bitchslap Colette at the tower when he finds out she's been lying too.

'Okay,' I sigh, getting to my feet again. I think I'm going in after this; I'm tired and hungry. 'I'm really, really sorry that I lied to everyone. I'll apologise to them later. But I just want you to know that I lied to come on this journey to find that 'thing'. Then I continued to lie because I wanted to be with you all. I don't know where my 'home' is here, I _do_ know that I have a family, I _do_ know who they are, I just don't know where in the world they are. I don't have amnesia – I have all my memories. There are just some key things that I don't know. And that's all I can muster for tonight, because I'm shattered.'

Lloyd nods slowly, probably going through that all in his head. 'So ... you do know about your family?'

'Yeah,' I mumble. 'Right, I'm going to bed. We cool?'

Lloyd laughs. 'Sure. I gotta stop shouting at you all the time.'

'Bleh, you mean well,' I say, waving it off. 'C'mon then, you gotta help me back down. You don't want me to fall and crack my head open.'

--

'_Hey, Kratos?'_

'_What?'_

'_Gee, you're grouchier than usual today. Is something wrong?'_

'_I am perfectly normal. Don't concern yourself.'_

'_It's pretty hard not to do that. You've been acting weird the past few days. I know I'm the only one who thinks so, but I'm not completely stupid.'_

'_I won't deny that you are skilled at seeing through people's facades when they truly feel distressed, but I can assure that I am feeling fine.'_

'_I just ditched Genis to come and check up on you. If you don't tell me what's wrong, I'm going to play with your hair. All night. And I'll make everyone join in. I'll do it.'_

'_Lloyd-'_

'_C'mon! Just trust me! You've been acting like an anti-social jerk for the past few days and I wanna know why! Tell me so I can fix it!'_

'_That's enough. I want to be alone.'_

'_What ... now you're telling me to go away?'_

'_No, I just wish to be by myse-'_

'_Why are you acting like such a jerk!? I'm only trying to help you out!'_

'_I do not need-'_

'_-My help? Fine, then just sit around and feel sorry for yourself. Like I care.'_

'_Fine.'_

'_... Argh, dammit! You know I can't leave you to feel all depressed! I swear, if you don't tell me what's going on then I'm seriously going to climb on your back, and I won't get down until you spill it.'_

'_Lloyd, surely you are too old f- Lloyd! Get o-'_

'_Ha, I'm up now! And I'm not getting down. Not until you tell me. If you don't, you're going to have to piggyback me around forever. Or until I have to sleep. Or until I need the bathroom.'_

'_Lloyd, you are being very immat-'_

'_And you're being stubborn. So are you gonna tell me or what?'_

'_... If it bothers you to this extent, then I shall discuss things with you tonight. I'll give you your final lesson. We can talk then.'_

'_Fine. But you do realise I'm not getting down until tonight if that's the case, right? Now giddy up to the inn.'_

'_I will hurt you one of these days.'_

'_I know.'_

--

Okay I'm not gonna lie. My stomach is full of butterflies. I'm pretty sure I've used that phrase too much on this journey so far, but screw it, those little buggers love to party down in my gut.

I'm positive Sheena's decided to tell everyone about Tethe'alla tonight. She keeps trying to get a moment alone with Lloyd to try and explain something related to it, but Lloyd is currently being chauffeured around Hima by Kratos via piggyback. I don't know why, and I've decided not to ask. Kratos is so lucky that Hima is practically a ghost town today, or he'd ram Lloyd into the nearest house. I'm sure a family wouldn't want a teenager crashing through their wall all of a sudden. And it's _Lloyd_; he'd freak anyone out...

I also promised Lloyd that I'd tell everyone I was lying and apologise, so I'm pretty sure if Sheena reveals all then I'll be forced to either way unless I want to cope with Lloyd giving me the evils until say, Meltokio.

But yeah. Butterflies in the stomach. I suppose it's because of the whole tower thing. Lately I've just been thinking past it and focusing my worries on getting to Tethe'alla, but ... the Tower of Salvation is _right_ _there_. I can see it from where I'm standing, near the edge of the cliff. When we get there ... Colette's soul is gonna shut down, Kratos is going to betray u – _Lloyd_, and ... Yggdrasill's gonna show up for the first time. And he's gonna kick the crap out of us, and there's no way of telling if we'll survive it or not, or if Botta and the Renegades will get to us in time. Hell, there's no way of telling if _Kratos_ will kill us. For all I know, he and Lloyd being closer than ever might do the exact opposite of what I thought would happen.

Oh man, I'm scared now.

I stare out to the tower. The sun is starting to set pretty early behind it, giving it this ethereal glow. It's weird – this is all so real now. I don't like it.

'Hey.'

I look over my shoulder to see a short girl looking ... a _lot_ older than when I first met her at the start of the journey. 'Hey Charis. You don't usually come out. Something up?'

She fidgets a little, eventually pulling out a small satchel and tossing it to me. I catch it quickly and immediately hold it carefully when I realise there's glass in there – probably bottles or something. Dear god, booze? I hope not.

'I've been thinking about it for a while,' she says simply, glaring at the floor. 'I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I don't know if Kratos or Yggdrasill will kill Lloyd. No one does. And this is the only tangible help I'll ever be giving you, because I'm just as worried as you are.'

'If it's booze, then I doubt I could get Kratos smashed before the fight,' I say, unclipping the satchel. 'But it would be fun to watch him stagger around shouting "Jawdgemaunt" and all.'

Charis rolls her eyes. 'You're close, but try a little more realistic shot.'

I stare into the contents of the bag. Two vials rest neatly against eachother, and both contain a cloudy white liquid. My skin prickles sharply, and I know immediately what they are. I feel as if my blood circulation suddenly sped up a little, looking to Charis.

'... Pure mana?' I ask. 'You want me to throw this on Kratos or something?'

She nods. Wow, I was joking. 'Think about the fight with Undine. A good dose of mana in his system sent him straight to sleep. It doesn't matter if it's bound by a signature or not ... if you can hit him with this amount, he'll probably get something like a head-rush. If he starts casting Judgement, you'd better smack him with it fast. It's a lot more powerful than you're thinking.'

I close the satchel, biting my lip. 'How so?'

'Well,' she mumbles, folding her arms. 'In the game, it'd be unfair to have an attack that could knock you out in one hit. So it's power was made to a fair amount to still seem powerful but also to give a chance of being able to get it together afterwards.'

She frowns. 'He'll be holding back. The real thing will probably put you in a coma if it hits you head on.'

I look back into the satchel. 'There're only two vials. What if I miss? What if I get some on me and my body goes batshit and I choke up more blood? My mana signature is still getting its shit together – is this safe?'

'I wouldn't open them,' she says, waving a hand. 'Throw them at his feet and hope it works in time. He can't move much if he's casting judgement to maintain concentration. Either the pure mana will clog his system and he'll get dizzy, or he'll cancel out the cast and move away. Either will work, but you only have two shots. If you run out quickly and he starts again ... then just get everyone together and dog-pile him.'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Could work.'

'I gotta go,' she says, dropping her arms to her sides. 'I can't stick around for too long – someone might see me, plus I need to get a bunch of work done for Tethe'alla.'

'Ogling Zelos isn't work.'

'Screw you. Right, I'm seriously going now because a certain mercenary is making his way up here.'

'Oh god,' I hiss, shutting my own bag tightly as Charis disappears in a quick flash of light and oddly enough, a popping sound. I stare at the spot she was standing at for a second, shaking my head quickly and spinning on my heel so I don't look as if I was having a conversation with someone. That's it Charster, just stare out at the tower like the cliché worried female characters always do. You're doing great, girl.

It's weird, you usually never hear Kratos coming. I'm pretty sure he's some kind of warrior-slash-ninja, but that's for another day. Right now it's blatantly obvious that there's someone walking up to me from behind. He's been losing his Krattyness that past few days. Shame.

'Harrison.'

I pause for a moment before looking over my shoulder. Wow, he's managed to shake off Lloyd. 'Wassup Kratman?'

He frowns at the name. Not that he wasn't frowning before – his expression just gets a little darker. In a good way, he hasn't changed a bit. He's a lot more open with his emotions when it comes to Lloyd, but to the rest of us he'll always be that cold, unresponsive bastard. Good times.

'Everyone is meeting at the inn in an hour,' he tells me sharply with a cold look. Sheesh, hate much? 'The Chosen has decided that she wishes for us to dine out tonight.'

'Cool, I don't have to cook again!' I squeak, adding my own little jig. Hells yeah. He simply grunts, turning.

'Don't be late.'

I straighten up, tapping his bicep sharply before he can get too far away. 'Hey, one sec Kratters – I wanna ask you something.'

He merely glares at me over his shoulder, one hand wrapped around the hilt of his blade. Geez, I'm not about to question your sexuality or something – calm down, man. Though you could lose the wannabe-spandex cloth, you really could. He's doing better than Yggdrasill, who just might as well have a giant rainbow triangle stamped to his chest. Oh crap, that's gonna happen now.

'What?'

I blink once or twice when he snaps me out of my horrified daze and hastily get my thoughts together. 'Oh right, uh ...'

I take a sudden interest in my wrist. 'Uhh ... do you know when Lloyd's birthday is?'

... Yeah, he looks pissed. I don't know why, he just does. 'Have you not asked him yourself?'

I shake my head. 'Raine said that the birthday he celebrates isn't his actual birthday because Dirk ... the guy who found him doesn't know when it is. I was just wondering.'

Kratos actually looks a little stunned. After a second, he asks: 'Does he not know?'

'Well, no,' I say, fiddling with my fingers. 'That's what Raine said either way – he just goes by what Dirk said. Apparently he thought about using the day when he found him, but he changed it because ... well, I don't know.'

Kratos mumbles something under his breath that I'm positive I'm not supposed to hear, but I do pick up something. '_To celebrate on such a day ...'_

He closes his eyes for a moment, relaxing himself before he flips his shit and starts murdering me, though I can't say he'd be too against that one way or the other. 'What does Lloyd claim his age is?'

'Sssseventeen,' I say after a small thought. 'Yeah, he's seventeen.'

Kratos' eyes narrow. Oh man, this is freaky. 'Hmph.' And he starts to walk away again. Oh goddammit ...!

'Hey!' I snap, jogging along and smacking his arm again. 'You didn't tell me when his birthday wa-'

'Even if I were to tell you,' he snaps, glaring down. 'Where would you claim you received the information? I seem to be the only one left that knows Lloyd's birth date.'

'Oh fine, be grouchy,' I grumble, scowling and dropping my arms heavily to my sides. He's being extremely awkward, but now he's asked me what Lloyd knows about his age, he's just left me curious. I'll be thinking about it for a while, and I have enough on my mind; I'd like to drop whatever spare stress-baggage I can for tomorrow. 'Can you at least tell me one thing?'

I watch his angry look carefully, trying to pick out either a yes or a no amongst the frustration. He'll just have to put up with it – we're all parting ways tomorrow, so I'm sure he can cope for just one more night.

Deciding that I spot a small flicker of tolerance, I straighten myself. 'Is Lloyd really seventeen?'

He remains quiet.

'I mean, Dirk chose to have Lloyd's birthday on a random day,' I mumble, rubbing my thumb over my cold knuckles apprehensively. 'There's a chance that he didn't know his age from the beginning and just guessed, or the date he chose conflicts horribly with Lloyd's actual birthday. I doubt he could have found out every single detail about him.'

I shrug, dropping my arms again. 'So ... I was just wondering if you knew.'

Kratos doesn't answer. Thankfully he's stopped glowering in my direction and has averted his gaze to the rocky floor. I wait as patiently as I can while he just gives all the innocent stones beneath a look to kill. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the floor under his eyes just melted away. Oh, that's a scary thought; remind me to uppercut him if he looks over at me. I don't want to melt.

Okay, it looks like he's not going to grace me with a reply.

'Fine,' I say, holding my hands up. 'Forget it, I'll see you in an hou-'

'Lloyd is sixteen.'

I stare at him, arms still up in the air as if I'd just been pointed out by a cop. 'Say what?'

Kratos glares again. 'He is younger than he claims to be.'

I lean over and take a good glance down the pathway just to check if anyone is coming up. It's pretty empty, so I thump back onto both feet and look up to Kratos. 'So ... he's really sixteen?'

'Yes.'

'... Are you gonna tell him?'

His glare gets darker. 'Doing so would threaten the information I wish to keep private.'

'Ah, that's dandy then,' I say, rolling my eyes. 'Poor kid.'

'It isn't something he needs to know.'

'It's his _age_ – imagine thinking you're some age, but you're actually not? I mean, imagine if you didn't know your real age? Imagine if you _weren't_ actually forty?'

'I'm twenty-eight.'

'See? You're so confused.'

--

'_Hey Genis, I was looking for you.'_

'_Oh ... what do you want?'_

'_... Y'know, you could spend five seconds of your life _not_ being mean to me on random occasions. Come on man, I've been having a pretty shitty day. Don't make it worse.'_

'_Sorry ... I'm just feeling so frustrated.'_

'_Uh ... huh. Wanna talk about it?'_

'_No ...'_

'_Okie-dokie then. Anyway, I was just gonna ask which restaurant we're eating at tonight. I was thinking about going down there and picking up a menu to see if it was worth pulling the sick card and staying at the inn.'_

'_There're only two in Hima; the small one closest to the inn, and the bigger one on the other side of the plateau. Lloyd chose the bigger one.'_

'_I'm not surprised. Want me to pick you up a menu too? We are supposed to be playing sick after all.'_

'_I don't think Kratos cares. He knows Lloyd is up to something by now.'_

'_Whooooa, your face just got a whole lot more pissed off. Are you upset with Kratos or Lloyd?'_

'_No ... I just think that Lloyd is being stupid again.'_

'_Lloyd's always stupid.'_

'_Yeah, but ... living with Kratos?'_

'_Oh, so you know about that? Even so, it's Lloyd choice, and it isn't really any of your busin-'_

'_It is my business! I'm his best friend – how could he just ...!?'_

'_Hey, calm down there little fella. Seriously now, what's up?'_

'_... I don't ... I don't want Lloyd to live with Kratos. I know it's selfish and stupid, but ...'_

'_But what?'_

'_... Raine said that when the journey finished, she was going to ask Lloyd if he wanted to live with us in Palmacosta for a while. Just until Iselia considered lifting our punishment.'_

'_Oh ... well, uh, did he know?'_

'_No. Raine always wanted to ask him, but she kept seeing how close Kratos and him were getting. So she thought ... that maybe this would happen.'_

'_That ... pretty much sucks.'_

'_Yeah ... wait, why am I even telling you this?'_

'_Because I asked.'_

'_But ... ugh.'_

'_Look, Genis – Lloyd hasn't even asked Kratos yet. I _do_ know that he's gonna try asking tonight at some point, but we don't even know if Kratos will say yes or no. There's a chance that Kratos could want nothing to do with any of us anymore and just ... go around and look for a new job, then leave our lives forever. And if he _does_ say no, who do you think Lloyd is gonna turn to for comfort?'_

'_Raine?'_

'_You, you pillock. Dude, he's your best friend and you're his. Raine is practically his mother, but come on ... if he's gonna be bawlin' it out on anyone's shoulder, it's yours. You can ask him yourself if he wants to live with you guys then.'_

'_Um. Charlotte?'_

'_Yeah?'_

'_... T-thanks, I guess.'_

'_Hey, no problem. Don't be getting all friendly with me though – it might throw of the balance of love and hate I get from you guys.'_

'_Heh ...'_

_--_

Oh goddammit, I am so hungry.

No, I'm not at the pretty fancy restaurant with everyone else eating amazing food prepared for the CHOSEN ONE and her buddies, and that sucks a lot because they had chicken stir-fry there. Chicken freaking stir-fry, which I have no had since ... a week before I came to Sylvarant. And I would literally kill for some, I really would. But no, I'm not allowed to leave the inn until they all get back. No sir-ee, I have to stay in bed and wait. Why?

_Charis_.

She took the liberty of reminding me that she doesn't want me around when Sheena reveals all the Tethe'alla stuff. I'll admit that I could handle not being there for the speech, but I darn sure wanted the dinner. Also, I was gonna tell everyone about the whole "me-lying" thing, but after they get back they'll probably just want to go straight to bed. The only time slot I could use besides the one I'm missing is at the Sylvarant Base or at Tethe'alla. And oh man, would that be awkward. Plus, any brownie points I might have scored with Lloyd will just collapse into themselves and die, and all the brownie points I've scored with everyone else will just ... collapse into themselves and die, yeah.

So, Charis had pretty much just tried to escalate the "small amount of dizziness and nausea" Raine says I've got. Now I keep getting dizzy spells, I've thrown up a grand total of _once_ (hell yeah), and now my stomach is just trying to eat itself. Now if I even try to eat anything, I'll be hurling it back up again. I also blame this all on the stress, but ... mostly food. Aw dammit, I'm so hungry ... and I could have had chicken stir fryyyy. The world is cruel.

"_They're leaving right about now,"_ Charis yawns. "_Sorry you couldn't be there, but it's pretty much the same as the game's speech. Sheena will tell you about it tonight, seeing as you guys share a room and all. Try to act a little surprised."_

"_Sure,"_ I grumble, rolling over in my bed. Ugh, it's so hot in here ... it's a lot cooler outside, but it's _still_ counted as hot. And I'm not used to the heat; I come from a country where it's known to be cloudy, grey and rainy 24/7.

I'm sure if I bothered to go outside, it would be freezing. Can't find energy ... urgh ... gonna be sick ...

"_Just keep your window open. Oh, and set up your zenta. Kratos is taking Lloyd to give him his lest lesson. It's your choice, but Lloyd will be asking him if he can stay with him so you might wanna check up on that."_

"_Do it for me,"_ I grumble, rolling onto one side. There's a groan in my head, and I hear something buzz to life from my bedside table. The zenta rolls out of my satchel, immediately spinning to life. The screen pops up and does its usual static thingy, but this time around it doesn't seem to clear. I decide to give it a minute, rolling onto my other side and curling up. The heat is making me drowsy, and all the hunger and sickliness just makes me want to sleep.

"_It's broken_."

I sit up, looking over to the zenta's screen still flickering with noisy static. "_What?"_

"_It's not working. You must have broken it in battle or something."_

I thump down onto my back. "_Great. Can you fix it?"_

"_We can find out the cause, be we can't exactly fix it ourselves. You'll have to do it when we find out what's up."_

I yawn widely with a nod, curling up into myself. I want to sleep for a bit, seeing as I have nothing better to do. I don't really want to be talking to anyone once they get in, because I get extremely cranky whenever I'm tired and ill. The last thing I need is everyone thinking I'm a bitch because I didn't get to eat. I tap the zenta back into my satchel, closing it quickly and shoving it under my bed.

I want to sleep, I really do. But I know that if I sleep, as soon as I wake up we'll be heading _there_ ... there's nothing left to stop it. There's no detours, no seals, no ranches to blow up, no people to save ... this is really it.

'_Krato ... sk you ...hing?'_

I sit up again, rubbing my eyes. "_Charis, what are you doing?"_

"_We've followed Lloyd and Kratos with our own little cameras. We can only just pick up what they're saying, but Lloyd wants to ask him about that thing. You'll just have to listen the best you can and we'll try making it clearer_."

I lie down again, dragging my covers up over me. If I pretend to be asleep, it's doubtful I'll get disturbed, and I can't really talk to other people while listening to a conversation in my head. Wow, that sounded weird.

It's hard to pick up what they're saying because of all the static and muffled noise. I don't know what's happening to their computers up there, but I try to listen in anyway.

'_Kra ... at are y ... ng when ... rny is ov ...'_

'Louder,' I mumble into my pillow. I'm not sure what Charis does, but finally the voices become clear enough for me to be able to pick up what they're saying after a moment.

'_...acosta. There doesn't seem to be another option.'_

'_Yeah ... everyone's going to Palmacosta after this. Genis is going to the academy, Raine is going to look after him ... if Colette fails to regenerate the world, then she'll probably be going with them for a while ...'_

'_You are not joining them? I was under the impression that you were to live with your Professor once the journey was complete.'_

'_W-well ... that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about before we spar and you kick my ass.'_

I reach over and shut my window, blowing the candle on the table out before rolling back over. I just heard the inn's main doors open from downstairs. Everyone is back.

'_I still ... I mean, you've trained me a whole bunch and I'm definitely a better swordsman because of you ... but I still think there's some things that I have to learn, y'know?'_

'_I won't deny that. Though I have tried my best to train you thoroughly, there are still many things for you to learn.'_

'_Y ... yeah. And I wanna keep learning ... I want to be strong enough to protect everyone ...'_

'_Hmm.'_

'_I've failed to protect people I care about all because of my stupid decisions. I want to be stronger ... but I also want to be smarter, like you.'_

'_It wouldn't be wise to model yourself after me.'_

'_No, I didn't mean like that. I meant that I want to be able to make quick, smart decisions like you do ... even in the heat of battle, you still have a clear mind ... that's what I want. I panic a lot when things don't go right.'_

'_That is true. But it is your nature to let your hot-headedness get the better of you. It is not something that will change in a matter of days.'_

'_I know that! I ...'_

Lloyd trails off for a while, and I listen to people downstairs as he's quiet. No one seems to be coming up here, so that's good. Sheena will probably fill me in tonight about the whole Tethe'alla thing. I'll just have to fake my way through it.'

'_I don't think I'll ever be as strong as you ... and now I'm smart enough to admit that. But I want to be as strong as I can be. I want someone to teach me properly ... when I was self-taught, I didn't realise how many mistakes I made ... and when we sparred for the first time, you had me on the floor in three seconds flat. Now I can hold out for at least fifteen. And I know that isn't a lot, but it's enough to show that I'm progressing as long as you teach me.'_

'_... Lloy-'_

'_I want to be with you. I want you to keep teaching me. I want you to help me get stronger.'_

Something in my heart just pangs.

'_... I want to come with you as your student. Please be my teacher for just a little while longer.'_

Yeah ... that pretty much just made Kratos shut up altogether. He doesn't get stunned into silence that often, but through the static I can hear Lloyd shift uncomfortably. Apparently awkward moments can affect me even if I'm not there, because I'm twisting my hands tightly against eachother under the covers while I wait for Kratos to answer.

'_If you're gonna say no, just say it now,' _Lloyd mumbles after a few thick moments. '_Don't worry about sugar-coating anything. I just want to know.'_

'_However much I would like to answer and calm your nerves ... I cannot at the moment.'_

'_What ...? Why not!?'_

'_Lloyd, calm down.'_

'_I am calm! Look, if you don't want me around anymore then just say it! I don't wanna keep waiting for an answer!'_

'_Lloyd. I want you to do something for me.'_

'_... Wh-'_

'_I want you to ask yourself – honestly ask yourself – if you would kill a man because someone asked you to do such at thing.'_

Silence.

'_I ... no, of course I wouldn't ... I couldn't do something like that ...'_

'_Would you kill an animal like Noishe?'_

'_Of course not, never ...! Kratos, why are you-'_

'_If you wish to be with me, you are asking if you can follow my way of life. I am a mercenary, Lloyd; not a saint. I kill because I am told to and given pay when I have finished the job. I do not care for my clients or my enemies – as long as I am paid, then that is enough. Now ask yourself if that is a lifestyle you wish to live in the shadow of.'_

'... _I_ ...'

'_You must learn how to thoroughly examine the consequences of your decisions. If you were to accompany me, you would be subjected to that kind of behaviour. I do not adorn my work, and I won't be doing it to spare you the gruesome thoughts.'_

Before I know it, everything goes black for a few moments before a sharp light smacks me to my senses. I won't dwell on the matter, but I've been dumped inside my own headspace once again before the screen Charis is using. Charis herself is sitting before it and watching the image ahead carefully.

'You need to watch this,' she tells me without turning. I just nod quietly, getting to my feet (I fell on my ass, shut up) and stagger over there. It's pretty dark in here, and William is nowhere to be found. I consider asking about it, but Lloyd says something that makes me look up. They're standing in a clearing I remember being around here somewhere ... I think it stuck in my mind because it's the only place with grass and trees around here. It may not be a lot, but they're still there.

'I thought that I didn't care about any of that stuff ...' Lloyd mumbles. Things are a lot clearer now that I can see and hear properly. 'And I'm still trying to convince myself that I don't. I can't kill people like you can. I don't want the weight of death on my shoulders anymore ... and I definitely don't want to add to it. I couldn't kill another person even for all the gald in the world. Because even with all the gald in the world, you can't bring them back. You can't explain to their family why you killed them.'

Lloyd bites his lip tightly, glancing off to one side. 'I can't ... do that. And I don't want to understand why you can. But-'

'Before you make any rushed assumptions,' Kratos interrupts, arms folded as he leans against a tree. 'I am not chastising you or trying to scare you away from journeying with me. I am merely concerned that you wish to live your life like mercenary.'

He straightens up. 'You ... have a promising future ahead of you. I know you have dreams and ambitions, and you have discussed them with me. I know what you strive for.'

Kratos gives small sigh that looks more like a huff. 'I had just hoped that you were smart enough not to blind yourself from those dreams while you strive for more power. More than anything, I did not want to see your ambition for a peaceful life sully because of me.'

Lloyd is just standing there, still staring off to one side while he listens to every word Kratos tells him, fists clenched tightly at his sides. Yeah ... he's not taking this well. I really can't blame him – he's doing exactly what I did three months ago. I just wanted to come along with everyone because I thought it was safe and the easiest option. I never actually thought about killing people or almost getting killed myself when I blackmailed Kratos into letting me come. I just thought it would be normal. I don't know why I thought that – it's not like people are just going to disappear into a flash of light when you defeat them and respawn later. You're taking a life.

'I don't know what to say,' Lloyd practically croaks. He doesn't look well at all. 'I just know ... that I want to be with you. I don't want to kill anymore ... I don't want to be paid to take a life.'

He looks with frustration to Kratos.

'I just ... want you to be my teacher ...'

You can practically hear Kratos' brain shatter into pieces.

Lloyd grits his teeth tightly, glaring fiercely at the floor. He must be feeling so aggravated. He'd planned all this ... and the only obstacle he expected was Kratos saying yes or no. Instead ... Kratos has made the choice Lloyd's, and he doesn't have a clue what to pick.

'Chocolat and Charlotte ...' he mumbles. 'They've both called me a murderer ... I just don't want to hear that again.'

Kratos nods slowly. 'You are not a murderer, Lloyd. But if you become a mercenary at my side, then you will be called that often.'

Lloyd's eyes soften, and he looks up a little. 'You're not a murdere-'

'I've killed thousands of people,' Kratos says calmly. 'Perhaps something more drastic than "murderer" would be fitting.'

Kratos ... _smirks_. 'I'm a monster.'

'Shut up!' Lloyd exclaims, head snapping up to glower at Kratos who merely observes him casually. 'Don't you ever say that!'

'It is merely the truth,' Kratos murmurs, glancing to the darkening sky. 'I can hardly be called human after the things I have done.'

Lloyd clenches his fists tighter, and he looks like he's about to throw a punch at Kratos. He won't though – he's not that stupid.

'You had a family ...' Lloyd says clearly, fists shaking. 'You said you had a wife and son and a brother that you loved so much it hurt.'

I look to Charis questioningly, and she just mouths the word "Yuan". I nod, turning back to the screen when Lloyd starts again.

'I'm sure you loved your parents,' he says a little more quietly. 'And I'm sure you were close with whoever taught you how to use a sword in the first place.'

Lloyd takes a shaky breath. 'When you first came with us, I thought you were a real jerk. But you've done so much for all of us. You always watched Colette and cast First Aid on her bruises and scratches whenever she tried to fly when she first got her wings. You helped the Professor with teaching us about life and math and history and stuff. You helped Genis out when he didn't really know how to cook something. You helped Charlotte whenever she was scared in the ranches.'

He hesitates. 'And ... you've done a lot for me. You taught me so much about how to be strong and how to become a better person. You've taught me about life, and you've saved mine hundreds of times. I've seen you sad ... and I've seen you smile sometimes, too ...'

Lloyd rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. 'You're not a monster. You're a human, just like us.'

He drops his arm to his side. 'So don't say stuff like that ... and if I thought you were a monster, then I'd probably be too scared to ask if I could stay with you, heh ...'

Kratos just stands there against his tree, not looking too convinced. Lloyd shuts up, seemingly a little awkward and nervous as he fiddles with the hilt of his right sword. I don't really blame him – I've had my share of speeches and rants thrown at Kratos only to have him stand there and stare at me with a kinda "why aren't you dead yet" kinda look. That's not exactly the case with Lloyd, but he still looks a little "okay, but I'm still a monster roar".

'Hey ...' Lloyd mumbles after a while of silence, trying to catch Kratos' attention properly. 'How about you don't train me today?'

Kratos raises his head a little, the look in his eyes demanding some kind of explanation. Lloyd just gives him a kind of worried, half-hearted grin.

'How about,' he starts, drumming his fingers on the smooth hilt of his blade. 'We fight properly.'

He draws one sword. 'If you win, you choose if I come with you or not.'

And the second one. 'If I win ... I pick.'

Kratos obverses him for a second, honestly looking a little taken aback. Lloyd tries to muster a determined look, but it just cracks and fails when Kratos straightens up with what can only be explained as a very creepy chuckle.

'You know you will lose,' Kratos says simply, wrapping a hand around his own sword. 'Perhaps you are merely using this method to switch control of the situation to myself. You originally wanted this to end with my own choice instead of yours.'

'I might be,' Lloyd practically sings. 'But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna give it my all.'

He points his sword at Kratos. 'So ... this is a fight. That means no telling me what I'm doing wrong or giving me tips or anything. _Or_ casting First Aid on me when I'm not looking.'

'No spells or special techniques,' Kratos agrees with a nod, drawing his own blade. I have to wince at the scrape, shivering a little. 'Though I will not send you back to your teacher bruised and bleeding.'

'Eh, she might enjoy healing me up,' Lloyd laughs, shrugging. 'We haven't been injured for a couple of days.'

'Hn,' Kratos murmurs, angling his sword correctly. 'If you can make me bleed, you win. Are you sure about this?'

'C'mon, Master,' Lloyd jokes with a genuine smile. 'Beat some sense into me.'

I only see the first blurred rush of blades against one another, setting sparks alight everywhere before the screen I almost forgot I was staring into turns dark blue. I blink, leaning back from the chair I was slumped on and rub my head. Charis looks up at me, finger still pressed firmly to the "disconnect" button. I take solace that I know somewhere right now, Kratos is beating the living shit out of his son. Nothing like a good family smack-down.

Charis releases the button and drops both hands into her lap while the screen slowly fades to black. 'Invasion of privacy and all. You know enough about them already.'

'Fair enough,' I yawn, straightening up. 'So ... if – well, _when_ Kratos wins, he's gonna tell Lloyd if he can come with him or not?'

'Pretty much,' Charis says, swerving in her chair. 'He wanted it to be Kratos' choice from the start. I don't know what'll happen if Kratos says yes or no, so you'll have to ask Lloyd about it or something.'

She folds her arms behind her head, leaning back. 'Oh yeah – make sure you say goodbye to everyone tonight.'

'Goodbye?' I ask. 'I'm not going anywhere.'

'Yeah, but they don't know that,' she snickers, looking up. 'Over half the group think you're going back to Asgard after this, and Kratos and Lloyd think you're just leaving. Acting like you're going to be with them longer is just gonna look weird.'

'... Huh,' I mumble, sitting on the arm of William's vacant chair. 'Has Sheena said goodbye to everyone?'

Charis nods. 'She said goodbye when they were out at dinner. It was easier for her because she had them all in one place, so you're gonna have to find 'em all out when you wake up.'

'Yeah,' I mumble. 'I wanna sleep for about an hour anyway ... it's not that late, is it?'

'It's seven now,' Charis tells me, straightening in her chair. 'I'll force you awake at eight and you can do what you want then. But make sure you get enough sleep for tomorrow.'

'... Yeah,' I say quietly, already beginning to fade out. 'See you in an hour.'

She just nods, and everything slowly darkens away. Right ... work to do after this.

--

'So ... he beat you up.'

'Yeah.'

'... Because you _asked_ him to.'

'Well ... I didn't _ask_ him to, I just told him to fight me.'

I watch Lloyd worm his way through excuse after excuse for every mock that Genis throws at him. Raine just glares at the small cuts on his hand that she's bandaging completely. He hisses and complains quietly when she rubs her hands slick with an antiseptic lotion and massages it into his other hand, also covered with small cuts and bruises. Yeah, Kratos beat his ass.

'That honestly wasn't a smart idea,' Raine sighs in frustration when she works the lotion over a rather big wound that makes Lloyd whimper. 'Even for you.'

He just shifts uncomfortably on the bed beside Genis. 'It's not like I wouldn't have gotten a little hurt anyway; he was gonna train me.'

'Yeah, but look at you,' I say, gesturing. 'You look like you've been through a shredder.'

'A whatter?'

'... Ugh, nothing.'

Lloyd's about to reply, but a quick gasp cuts him off as Raine continues to heal him. 'Oww ... Professor, why aren't you just using First Aid?'

'Because you do not _know_ First Aid,' she tells him, dropping his (probably very much) stinging hand and reaches for some more thin bandages. 'And there will undoubtedly be times when I'm not around to fix you in a flash. Really Lloyd, you need to learn how to take care of yourself when no one with magic is around.'

He flushes, fumbling with his words. 'I-I can so take care of myself!'

Genis snorts. 'You ran to Raine crying when you cut your knee that one time a few years ago.'

'Hey, that really, really hurt!' Lloyd snaps back loudly, face going evidently pinker than he was a moment ago. 'And I totally wasn't crying. Not that much, anyway. A-and ... shut up.'

I honestly can't help but giggle at the mental image. 'D'aww. Did she kiss it better?'

Lloyd goes as red as his jacket and flops down onto his back. 'S-shut up!'

'I did, in fact,' Raine says with a small smile. 'Though please do remember that Lloyd was nine at the time.'

Lloyd rolls onto his side, letting Raine bandage his limp hand. 'I still can't believe you told Genis about that. He bought it up for weeks.'

'Hey, you were the one always torturing me with noogies every morning,' Genis protests. 'I needed something to use.'

'Yeah, but _that_?' Lloyd grumbles, folding his arms tightly when Raine finishes the bandages. 'You could have used something else ...'

Genis looks inquisitively to Raine, and she just shakes her head. 'Well, there was the time you and Colette almost killed Raine with that birthday cake. Remember the one you put nuts in?'

'Yeah, but she didn't _eat_ any of it ...' Lloyd argues moodily, sitting up. He looks guilty to his teacher. 'We never did have time to make you a new one ...'

'That's alright,' she tells him with a smile, smoothing some hair back from his face. 'Now are you hurt anywhere else?'

Lloyd hesitates. 'Uh ... no, I don't think so.'

'Alright,' Raine says, leaning over and planting a quick kiss on his hairline. 'Get some sleep you three – I'm going to get Colette from the church. She probably doesn't realise how late it's getting.'

'I'll come with you,' Genis says with a smirk, observing his unmoving and crimson friend. Lloyd just stares directly ahead with wide eyes, mouth clamped firmly shut as he gets gradually redder each second. Genis follows a calm Raine out of the doorway, sticking his tongue out before he leaves, closing the door behind him.

... I quickly remind myself I'm actually in someone else's room. Well, it's just Genis and Raine's room, so they won't be using it for a while seeing as they're going down to the church. Sheena's sleeping, Kratos is ... somewhere again, so there isn't much to do. I've still gotta say my goodbyes to everyone, so I'll get around to that.

'You're still red,' I decide to tell Lloyd, who's kinda fumbling with his jacket as he starts doing it back up.

'... Shut up.'

'Y'know, you've done nothing to tell me to shut up since you got back,' I say, leaning back on the bed I'm sitting on, staring across to Lloyd. 'Have I pissed you off or something?'

Lloyd pauses with his collar clasp. 'No ...'

'... You have a crush on her, don't you?' I ask, sitting up again. 'Raine?'

Lloyd doesn't flip out like I expected him to – he just continues to clasp everything on his shirt up. 'No ... not anymore.'

'Oh ...' I mumble. 'So ... you used to?'

Lloyd finishes working on his jacket, thumping down onto his back and staring at the ceiling. 'Yeah ... before I started school, she was always coming out to our house whenever I was ill. Dad was always helping her out because she had to raise Genis on her own, so she was like a family friend.'

He shifts a little, facing the wall. 'Then she became our teacher. All the guys in school had small crushes on her because she was so pretty.'

I nod, staring at the floor. 'So what stopped it?'

Lloyd pauses. '... I started seeing her more and more like a mom. It felt weird after that.'

'Yeah,' I mumble, kicking the floor softly with the toe of my shoe. 'Um, y'know, I had a crush on one of my teachers once.'

He looks over his shoulder. 'Really?'

I nod, grinning a little. 'Yep. He looked a lot like this famous guy ... you probably wouldn't know him.'

'Probably not,' Lloyd sighs, rolling over onto his back and folding his arms behind his head. 'Iselia's not really a main city when it comes to popular stuff in the world. It's about the same as Hima ...'

'Hmm,' I agree quietly. 'I think Palmacosta and Luin are the most ahead. I'm sure everyone will catch up to eachother soon.'

'... This is getting so tedious.'

'Sure is.'

Lloyd groans loudly, stretching his arms over his head and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. 'Alright,' he starts, getting to his feet. He strides over to the window and shoves it open with a firm push. 'This is the last night for everyone. I've already said goodbye to Sheena properly, now it's your turn.'

'... Huh,' I mumble, standing up slowly as Lloyd plants his foot on the window ledge. 'What about Kratos?'

Lloyd pauses awkwardly before hoisting himself up onto the window ledge completely, grabbing for the roof above. 'He hasn't made up his mind yet.'

I stare at him. 'What? So he beat the hell out of you and then didn't even give you an answer?'

'It's not like that,' Lloyd says in Kratos' defence. 'He just said that he'd tell me tomorrow. So ... I'm hoping he's either thinking it through or it's a yes.'

I frown, following Lloyd as he hoists himself up onto the roof again. When it comes to tomorrow, I'm sure it'll be less "telling" him rather than "showing" him. Kratos isn't exactly going to say "no, I'm an angel you retard", which honestly might be a better choice for Lloyd. Y'know, give him a minute or two just to think that Kratos is joking around ... then BAM, wings. Yeah, tomorrow is gonna suck.

I try not to look down when Lloyd helps me up. Tomorrow will suck worse if I'm limping to the tower with a broken leg. Then again, the renegades come and rescue us, so I could just fake unconsciousness if I'm not already and let them carry me out instead of limping all the way back. Okay, I should stop thinking about this crap.

Lloyd already thumps down onto his back at the top of the roof, so I end up carefully crawling up there in fear of falling. I know the roof isn't steep at all, but I could still just lose my balance and drop off.

'Ugh ...' I grumble, sitting on the beam. 'I hate having to get up here ...'

'Yeah, but it's a pretty nice view,' Lloyd says, leaning up on his elbows. 'Since the inn is on the high part of the village, the roof is above the cliff level over there, see?' He points behind us, and I look over my shoulder. 'You can see the Tower of Salvation clearly from here.'

Honestly, he's right. Now we're actually in Hima, it's a lot clearer to see from places like Luin or Iselia. You can really see how high up it goes ... hell, not even that – it doesn't stop going up; it just fades after a while.

'I wonder why it's so high,' I mumble, turning back around. I hate looking at that thing.

'I hope we don't have to climb all the way to the top,' Lloyd groans. 'That thing is way bigger than the Tower of Mana, and I don't think Kratos would carry me up that far.'

I snort. 'Yeah ... I don't know what it looks like inside. There might not even be that many stairs – maybe just en elevator or something.'

'Oh ... like those things Kvar had in his ranch?' Lloyd asks, glancing over before turning onto his back again. 'That'd be convenient.'

I nod, looking over my shoulder again. Why can't I stop looking at it? 'Y'know ... it's not that dark yet. The tower looks really eerie with the sunset's light.'

'Huh?' Lloyd mutters, craning his neck back to look. 'Well yeah, it does look a little creepy ...'

'Yeah ...'

Oh goddammit. 'Sorry. I'm really bad at this kinda stuff.'

'Hey, don't worry about it,' Lloyd insists with a grin. 'We've got all night.'

'No, we've got until you fall asleep and fall off the roof.'

'... That too.'

I can't help but giggle a little. 'Hey ... I have a question.'

'Shoot,' Lloyd yawns, closing his eyes and fidgeting a little into a more comfortable position. I lean back on the beam a little, playing with a loose piece of wood.

'When did you decide that you wanted to live with Kratos?' I ask. 'Or at least, when did you start thinking you might want to?'

Lloyd doesn't open his eyes. '... I suppose I first started considering it in Asgard. I wanted to say something about it in Luin, but I wasn't sure about what I was gonna do after the journey. After the Tower of Mana, I finally decided that I wanted to be stronger.'

He hesitates a little. 'And ... Kratos was the only one who could help me with that.'

I just nod, even though he can't see it. I just feel so bad now – Lloyd really wants to get stronger and finish his training, and tomorrow ... Kratos is going to leave, and from what I can see here, Lloyd is going to feel so lost and confused. The worst thing is that he won't be able to train properly when we reach Tethe'alla – he'll just have to work with what Kratos has taught him so far and start self-teaching himself again.

'If he says no ...' I start quietly. 'What are you gonna do?'

'Go back to Palmacosta with Genis and the Professor,' he answers tiredly. 'The Professor said she's going to try and talk to the mayor of Iselia so I can go back.'

'Really?' I ask, raising an eyebrow. 'Why would you want to go back there alone?'

Lloyd opens his eyes, looking up at me. 'So I can help rebuild. It was my fault Iselia was destroyed ... I have to take some responsibility other than just moping around and admitting it was my fault ...'

'Wow ...' I mumble, scuffing the roof softly. 'I'd just stay out of their way – but then again, I can't really handle too much pressure.'

'So what are you doing when this is over?' Lloyd asks, trying to hold in another yawn. We should finish this fast if he's getting tired. 'Are you still going back to Asgard?'

'Probably,' I lie. 'I'll catch a ride with Nova or something – he's bound to come across Hima at some point. They travel, so they have to restock regularly, and with Triet, Iselia and Luin destroyed ...'

'They've started rebuilding Triet,' Lloyd interrupts. 'I heard one of the soldiers from Palmacosta talking about it in Luin. They're sending the militia out to the villages that have been destroyed by Desians now that the Human Ranches are destroyed.'

'The only ones left are Forcystus' in Iselia,' I say, shifting a little. 'And I heard there's one under the ocean.'

'What?' Lloyd looks up, eyes wide. 'Really?'

I nod. Yup, Rodyle's ranch. I'm glad I haven't seen that guy yet – he's scary. 'I'm not sure if it's an actual ranch or just a manufacturing factory for Exspheres. It'd be nice to think we've helped out enough people from the Desians though ...'

'Well ... we can't save everyone,' Lloyd mumbles. 'Even with Exspheres, we're still just a small group of kids. When Colette regenerates the world, everyone will be happy.'

'... Yeah,' I mumble. I know it sounds incredibly cruel and selfish, but with Lloyd not knowing about Colette and what's going to happen to her ... it's actually made him smarter and more open to _what_ she wants to do. Because everything he says about it is completely true – all Colette wants is to make the world happy, and he wouldn't want to take that away from her. But if he found out she was going to die, his logic would do a backflip.

'I wish I had that kind of power ...' Lloyd sighs, closing his eyes again. 'To be able to make everyone in the world happy ... I can't imagine how Colette must feel right now.'

I can only clench my hands together tightly. 'She's ... really glad.'

'What about you?'

I glance down at him. 'What?'

'How do you feel about tomorrow?' he asks, cracking an eye open. 'C'mon, you haven't been yourself lately. I know something's up.'

'No, its no-'

'You're lying to me again.'

I clamp my mouth shut, looking away. Close your eyes and speak slowly, Charlie. 'No ... I'm not.'

'Hey,' he grumbles, poking my thigh sharply. 'You're leaving tomorrow, and there's no guarantee we'll see eachother again. You really wanna walk away with me worrying about what's upsetting you?'

I shake my head slowly after a second.

'So come on,' Lloyd demands firmly, leaning up onto his elbows again. 'Think of this as a thank you for cooking for us. What kind of a friend would I be if I couldn't help you out with your problems one last ti-'

'I'm scared.'

... Yeah, that shut him up. He doesn't answer for a few long moments, and I pull my knees up to my chest. I don't know why, but it suddenly got a lot colder.

There's a soft shuffle beside me when Lloyd moves to sit up properly on the beam. '... You're scared?'

I nod.

'... Why?'

'Because,' I start weakly, and I hear my voice cracking. Oh crap – three months of panic for tomorrow: go away. 'Because I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. I don't know if things will go wrong or if they'll be different, and who might get hurt ... I just don't know, and it scares me ...'

'... Hey,' Lloyd says softly after a moment. 'No one knows what's gonna happen ... I don't think the Professor or Kratos even know – it's not a bad thing ...'

I try to hold back a sniff, touching the corner of my eye. Goddammit emotions. 'It's not like that ... it's just that – I mean, I thought I knew what would happen ... I thought it would be fine, but now I don't think it will ... something might go wrong, and someone might get really hurt ...'

Lloyd falters uncertainly. 'What do mean ... "someone might get hurt"? Are you talking about Colet-'

'No!' I snap I little too sharply, making him jump. 'No ... she'll be fine, I know it. But when it comes to us, I-'

I stop myself quickly, swallowing. Okay ... I'm going to stop. I'm sounding like a kid having a selfish fit. In all honesty, I'm not worried about Colette. It sounds horrible, I know, but ... she's done a really good job of making me not worry about her. If she goes soulless, that's fine – that's what's supposed to happen. If we save her – fine, yay. If we can't – Sylvarant will be regenerated, it will be all she's ever wanted, it will make her happy, and she won't have to face all the crap that Tethe'alla brings. And god knows she gets kidnapped every five seconds for various things.

When Lloyd says nothing for a while, I push the heel of my hand into my knee and get to my feet, standing carefully below the beam. I just wanna leave, but I can only go when Lloyd helps me down. And I have a feeling he won't.

'Lloyd,' I say quietly, glancing back to the tower. I see him look up to me out of the corner of his eye when he lies back down. 'Everything is over tomorrow.'

He nods, and I continue. 'You aren't scared even just a little? You don't have any regrets?'

Lloyd doesn't answer – he just looks up to the reddening sky. I leave him to his thoughts, dropping my own stare to the roof floor. I don't know what reason Lloyd might have to be scared, but still ... all he's feeling is happiness that Colette can finally do something she's wanted to do forever, and he's happy that Sylvarant can be regenerated. It feels strange that he's not feeling on edge or anything.

'I'm terrified.'

I _almost_ fall over. Almost.

I look to him, but he looks as calm as ever. '... Really?'

'Yeah.'

'Why ...?'

He folds his arms behind his head again, yawning. 'Because by the looks of things, a lot of people don't have faith in me lately. I feel like I won't be able to protect everyone without that.'

I pause. Crap, guilt.

'Genis is always worrying about how we're gonna cope without Colette,' he starts, scowling half-heartedly to the sky. 'Even if I say I'll be there for him ... he's still worrying about it. The Professor thinks that what I asked Kratos was wrong ... I know that she didn't want me to do it, even though she felt like she couldn't say anything. Even Kratos thought what I asked him was stupid ...'

He sighs miserably. 'The only people that really have faith in me are Colette and Sheena ... Colette's glad that I'm so happy for her and that I helped her get this far, and Sheena's depending on me with helping her out from here on.'

I bite my lip when he looks up to me. 'And now you're saying that you're scared. Even if I say I'll help, you don't have faith in me.'

... I feel like my lower insides just disappeared and were replaced with fluff of some sort. It feels weird, trust me.

'It's not that,' I say firmly, kicking the roof. I think I may actually be right for once, so go with me on this. 'I could have faith in you – I really could. I want to.'

I quickly observe the chances of me falling, and turn a little. 'But you can't expect us to all have faith in you if you can't have a little in yourself.'

Lloyd's smartest answer tonight, people. 'Huh?'

I groan. 'Okay, let me explain this. Genis feels that things won't be right when Colette's gone – and that's fine. Because really, things aren't gonna be the same. Your group has three people, and even if he knows that what she's doing is to help the whole world, it's still gonna be a big change. Genis loves you – he really does, but he loves Colette as well. You know that. And in reality, you feel like a jerk because now you're going to live with Kratos and leave him like Colette is.'

I take a deep breath. 'Raine ... the Professor is really worried about you. She just wants to protect you and make sure you're okay. She feels like it's kinda her responsibility to look after you and watch you grow. And again ... now you're going with Kratos, you feel selfish because you _know_ what she's saying makes sense, but you still want to go against her.'

Right, last one. 'With Kratos ... like the Professor, you know what he's saying makes sense, but you're still trying to get him to cave in. And by convincing him that being with him would ultimately make you happy, he can't reject that. But because he probably has the same ideas as Raine – that being with him could influence you in a bad way and show you things you don't want to see – you feel bad because you think you're convincing him to do something he doesn't want.'

I take another deep breath, and Lloyd continues to stare at me as if I've sprouted another head. 'You seem like you're miserable that you're pissing people off by living with Kratos. The others can see that, and they just don't like to see you hurting yourself. It's like a cycle, so unless you have complete faith for yourself that living with Kratos _is_ what you want with no regrets ... then people will have faith in you.'

'... Oh.'

Yeah, great answer Lloyd. I've gotta stop ranting myself silly for you.

'I'm sure I've said this hundreds of times ...' Lloyd says after a while, tightening his arms behind his head. 'But you make sense when you really shouldn't.'

'Well, I'm good for that apparently.'

'Yeah,' he mumbles. 'But this time I think ... I really needed to hear that from someone. Thanks.'

I run a nail lazily down my cheek. 'No problem, mate.'

'So what about you?' Lloyd asks, leaning over to nudge me with his elbow. 'Why don't you have faith in me?'

'Because you know the drill by now,' I groan, considering if I should sit down. It _is_ getting pretty cold. 'I'm scared, I don't know if everything is going to be okay, and I don't want you to protect me. It's easy to say that you will if I'm scared, but we both know that everyone comes first and my priorities come last.'

I drop my arms to my sides. 'If we're all in danger, it's obvious who you're going to be saving first. I'm sorry, but my faith can't stretch that far for you.'

'Oh ...'

Dammit Lloyd, you suck at this.

'So ...' I say, coughing a little. 'Put everyone else's minds at ease. Don't worry about me – everyone else needs to have faith in you tomorrow, and it's your job to enforce that. Now ... I doubt I'll be sleeping much, but I'm going to bed.'

'Hey, wait-' Lloyd starts, hastily getting to his feet and wobbling a little. 'Sure, I can fix things with everyone else, but I can't just leave you hanging-'

'Lloyd, it's fine,' I say, raising my hands a little. 'I promise. I _am_ scared, but I think my mind will be at ease if you know you can protect everyone. So put faith in yourself and help me out?'

Lloyd opens his mouth to answer, but once again he just falters and gets halfway through forming a voiceless word. I lower my hands to my sides again, and he just sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

'I'm trying to remember,' he mumbles with a small laugh, letting his hand fall. 'When it stopped being easy to say no to you.'

After an uncertain pause, I can't help but just laugh in reply. 'Yeah, well ... maybe I'm just so pitiable. But everyone else seems to find it easy to treat me like crap, so you might be on your own here.'

'That doesn't matter,' Lloyd mumbles, glaring off in the tower's direction. 'But ... I'm tired.'

'Me too,' I yawn. 'It's getting la-'

'No, I don't mean that,' he grumbles, stepping up to the beam. 'I'm tired of all these ... _rules_. I'm constantly being told that I can't protect everyone, or that I have to pick who needs protecting more than other people, or sort my priorities out or just ... act like a tool.'

He sighs deeply, turning to me. 'Look ... I don't want that. I don't want to be bound by all these stupid rules. You're scared, you think we're in danger, and I want to help you, so I just-'

_don't make him promise you anything don't promise anything to him just don't_

'I'll protect you. I promise.'

I swear all I can do is stare. '... Oh.'

... Dammit, self.

'So!' he exclaims suddenly, stretching his arms over his head. 'I'm totally done with corniness for tonight. I think we had just a little overload.'

'You think?' I ask, raising an eyebrow. 'Well, I'm tired anyway, so I'll be going in.'

'Yeah, me too,' he yawns. 'So, I guess all that's left is, uh ...'

He holds out a hand. 'It's ... been really fun these past few months. We've had ups and downs, but all the same ... I'm gonna miss you a bunch.'

'You'll find someone else to annoy the crap out of you after a while, I know it,' I laugh, taking his hand and thinking about Zelos. 'But I'll miss you too.'

'I doubt,' Lloyd says, rubbing the back of his neck when he drops my hand. He just looks like he's handling this situation really awkwardly. 'Y'know, I'm thinking we should have hugged or something, but we do that too much.'

I shrug. He's true; if this is our "last time talking", then it does seem a little odd to leave it with a lame formal handshake. I'm not exactly aching to make this as realistic as it can be (I _do_ come off as a bitch most of the time, so this won't make a difference), but I'm thinking I probably would have been more emotional and clingy if it _were_ our last meeting. I think I freaked at primary school on the last day and hugged everyone. 'Well ...'

I don't wait for him to look up for this, but I step forward, place a hand on his upper arm, lean up and kiss him on the cheek.

... He doesn't freak out. Good, Lloyd no longer has the mindset of a nine year old.

'Right, bedtime,' I say, smacking him on the arm for good measure. 'G'night.'

I watch for his reaction as I step down, and after a moment he just touches the side of his cheek, laughing like he always does.

'You're such a dork.'

--

'_Charlotte, what are you doing up?'_

'_I'm praying.'_

'_Why?'_

'_... I don't know.'_

'_... Just go to sleep. William and I will look after everything.'_

_--_

'Harrison.'

I don't move from where I'm kneeling. I keep my hands clenched together tightly, head bowed before the statue of Martel. The church is so cold.

'Praying at the last moment will not save you. Would you offer salvation to someone only out to save their own skin?'

I bow my head further.

'It's useless.'

'Just shut up and wait for Colette quietly,' I hiss, squeezing my eyes shut.

'I'm not going to stand around and let you make a fool of yourself before the eyes of the deity.'

'Like you'd care.'

'Charlotte, get up.'

'If you're not going to save me, then I can just pray that someone will. Until then, shut up.'

'Do you even know why you're praying?'

I straighten up, sitting still. 'Because you're going to hurt us all.'

'Praying will not save you if you chose to accompany us. Colette and I are leaving alone now. If you don't wish pain upon the others, you would do best to keep them away from the tower.'

'I'm not taking orders from you, you traitor.'

'That may be, but I wish no harm upon Lloyd and the others. It is not their place to suffer.'

'They're going to suffer if Colette goes through with this anyway.'

'Colette will not die. She will become the world's awaited savoir. If she fails, only then she will be struck down. That ... is her own choice.'

I hear him shift against the wooden pillar he's leaning against. 'It is a common misconception. If the Chosens succeed, the do not die. Their conscience is merely replaced while their true self lingers.'

'If Colette is reborn as Martel like the scriptures say,' I mumble, hands fisted on my lap while I continue to kneel before the statue, staring up into its still white face. 'She will be able to observe the world become a better place from behind Martel's eyes?'

'Yes.'

I get to my feet. 'Is that really what you want, Colette?'

I turn, and our newcomer just stands motionlessly in the doorway. Kratos nods in her direction, straightening up. Before answering me, she starts towards Kratos, taking his hand and writing.

After a while, Kratos drops his arm to his side. 'I do not wish to tell him goodbye.'

She gives him a final pitying look, turning to me. She shakes her head knowingly, and my face falls.

'I'm coming,' I tell her firmly. 'I know what's going to happen, but I feel like something will go wrong. This is all I want.'

She shakes her head again, and I take a last fleeting look at Martel's rigid figure before stepping up to her, trying to remain resolved and convincing.

'Colette ... I just want to make sure everything will go like it should,' I tell her, ignoring Kratos as he steps up to the statue behind me. 'I won't get in the way. And I'm scared ... but I was promised that I'd be protected. I won't hold you back, and I won't try to stop you, but I just need to know that everything is the way it should be.'

I trail off, sighing. 'I just don't want you to get into something that you'll regret, because you might not be the only one that'll get hurt.'

I look up to her. 'I don't trust Cruxis one bit.'

Colette looks up to Kratos standing behind me, but before I can turn and see what's happening she just nods at him, turning back to me with yet another pitying look and takes my hand. I wait patiently as she writes, and Kratos walks past us towards the entrance of the church, sword clinking noisily against its sheath.

_I love Sylvarant and its people. I would put myself through anything to ensure its happiness and prosperity. Please understand that I'm not scared or uncertain. _

I notice how she clutches my hand just a little tighter.

_This is all I've ever wanted. Let me go with a peaceful mind._

I continue to stare at my hand, even what she lets go. I clench it softly, dropping it to my side and stare at the floor. I scan the swirling blue patterns in the marble ground while I think of what to say.

'... Fine,' I whisper. 'But if everyone wants to come after you, I'm not going to stop them. I'm sure they all want to say goodbye.'

Colette just smiles.

'I'm coming to see you off either way,' I mumble. 'Y'know ... just because I don't really want to go back right away. It's way too early, and everyone's asleep.'

Colette nods, and I follow her out of the church. My ears sting at the echo of footsteps on the smooth floor, but I try to ignore it and focus on the painful silence. I glance back to Martel's statue. I don't actually know what I was praying for. Maybe for protection, maybe for courage ... maybe just to be able to keep a right mind if I panic. I just hope they're going to be answered in the next few hours.

I step outside into the cold air, folding my arms tightly. Kratos is leaning against the outside of the church, and Colette hops down the stairs. It's weird ... she really is happy, even though I wasn't expecting her to be.

I continue to hug myself as I follow her down the small stairway, looking around. It's kinda windy this morning. It's still pretty dark and the sun isn't anywhere in sight. I peer through the thick morning fog, but I can't make out anything in the sky besides the tips of mountains towering over in the distance. Hima is located just above a gorge, so it's still pretty dangerous around here.

The drapes hanging from the church flap noisily against the worn grey brick, and I dig my nails into my arm. 'Colette ... are you leaving or-'

She turns suddenly, forcing a smile. I try to smooth my hair down, but the wind is making it billow around. I didn't realise it had gotten so long since I've been here. Before I clutch my other arm again, Colette catches my hand and brings it down again. I wait for her to start writing against, but she hesitates.

Kratos shifts against the wall, and I listen to the scuff of his boots against the dusty floor. 'Chosen.'

She just nods quickly, beginning to write. She pauses before the last word, dragging her finger over my palm before dropping my hand. I let it fall to my side, looking up to her.

'You're sorry?' I ask, suddenly painfully aware of the sharp metallic screech as Kratos draws his sword behind me. 'Sorry for wh-'

The whole world spins to one corner, adorned with glowing white lights that spread over my vision. When I slump to my knees, I feel a bruising pain beginning to prickle around the back of my neck where Kratos thumped me with the hilt of his sword.

The white light currently claiming my vision begins to fade. Everything slowly darkens, and the world continues to spin until I feel my shoulder smack against the cold, sandy floor.

Before I can claw myself into a right state of mind, I'm dragged off once again to unconsciousness.

--

_Now we play the waiting game._

* * *

Review please, and I'll get right on with the tower chapter :)


	68. Here Goes Everything

Longest chapter ever. 24k+ words. SORRY.

The reason I apologize for long chapters is because I know some people probably don't have time to sit around for so long on their computers xD And to Supergulo - yeah, there was some guy who threw a shitfit at me when he thought my chapters were too long and not funny enough. Ah well.

I won't say much more, because the chapter IS PRETTY LONG.

Read, enjoy, and pleaaaaaaaaase review. I work so hard for you people D:

* * *

Chapter 68 - Here Goes Everything

_I've always longed for someone, somewhere in my heart  
Who'll say that he needs someone like me_

_--_

'Hey!'

I've never woken up so quickly in my life. My eyes snap open, and I bolt upright. I consider untangling myself from my covers, but quickly realise that I'm not ... tangled in them like usual. I'm not ever near them, it's freezing, and I'm not surrounded by plain wooden walls I've grown accustomed to the past three nights.

The pain of waking up hits suddenly like a boulder, and I reel back onto the surface of whatever I'm lying on, clutching my hands to my head. One hand still flattened across my face as I groan, I delicately touch the spot on the back of my neck that's started to bruise a little. What happened?

I sit up again, slowly this time as I flatten my hand behind me for support. I feel cold, smooth wood beneath my palm and look back, wondering what the hell is going on. Everything is light ... it's broad daylight now, but just a moment ago it was extremely early morning, all dark and foggy ... what's-

... I'm in the church.

I look around hastily and realise I've been dumped on one of the long wooden benches, and Genis is standing at the foot of the seat with an annoyed expression on his face. If I'm here, then Kratos must have wanted to stay away from the inn ... dammit, I didn't know they'd be leaving so quickly. I smooth some hair out of my face, flinching. 'Ugh ...'

'Where have you been all morning!?' Genis exclaims, and I squint when the light blazes through the tall stained glass windows behind him. 'Don't tell me you fell asleep at the church – everyone's been looking for you guys!'

I slowly drop my legs over the side, hissing as I straighten up. I hold the back of the bench for support. 'You guys ...?'

'Colette and Kratos are gone too,' Genis tells me with his arms tightly folded, observing me sceptically. 'When Sheena woke up this morning, the two of you were missing, and Kratos wasn't in Lloyd's room ... we've been really worried!'

'Colette and ... Kratos ...' I mumble, rubbing my eyes. Dammit, I can't jump to it this fast in the mornings.

'Yeah,' Genis repeats, arms slumping heavily to his sides. 'So do you have any idea where they others are?'

I clutch my head tightly again, shoving past him and stumbling toward the entrance. 'Hey-!'

'Colette came here last night ...' I hiss as he follows me, rubbing his shoulder. 'To meet Kratos ... they left ... Kratos knocked me out ...'

Genis gawks at me. 'Wh ... they _left_!?'

'Genis, it's too EARLY!' I shout, shooting him a glare. 'Stop yelling at me for fuck's sake!'

I don't know what I just did, but his mouth snaps shut. I take a deep breath to ease my throbbing heart and continue to head for the church exit in a more ... non-sluggish fashion. I pull my hair back out of my face, but once I step outside the wind doesn't do much justice for it. The fog's gone, the sky's blue and just a tad cloudy, and the sun is casting a bright orangey glow across the whole village. The church is located above the plaza, and from what I can see the town is still sleeping. The sun isn't that high – it's got to be about ... eight, nine, something like that.

'So ... Colette just left?' Genis asks a little more quietly, still sounding a bit rushed and panicked. 'Without saying anything at all? Why did Kratos do that to you ...?'

I rub the back of my neck, cringing. '... He must have wanted to distract everyone. He really wants to get this over with.'

'What? He really wants to leave that badly?' Genis asks, and suddenly his eyes widen. 'Wait ... he didn't give his answer to Lloyd!'

'He said he'd find out today,' I grumble coldly, trudging forwards while I flatten my hair down over the back of my stinging neck. 'This must be his answer.'

Genis makes a disgusted sound, following me. 'That's terrible ... how could he do that to Lloyd ...?'

'After everything we've been through, I honestly don't know,' I sigh truthfully. I thought something would change, but so far it's all the same. Everything besides Kratos and Colette hijacking a dragon and flying off a good few hours early, but besides that it looks like all the main things are going to happen. Colette's going to complete the regeneration, Kratos is going to betray the others (he can't really betray me seeing as I know already and I think he's a douche), and Yggdrasill is probably going to JudgementSlap us. I just hope the Renegades get to us in time.

'Genis, when did everyone get up?' I ask. 'How long have you been looking?'

'Not for long,' he mumbles, still seeming a little wary of me flipping out and swearing again. 'Lloyd noticed that Kratos was gone, and he was looking for him in the inn ... when Sheena woke up and said Colette and you were gone too, we started searching the village. The church was the first place I checked, because I thought Colette might be there ...'

'And the others?' I question, looking over my shoulder. 'Where did they go?'

Genis looks down toward the lower village. 'Lloyd is looking around the stalls to see if Kratos went to get last minute supplies ... Sheena went to check the cliffs, and Raine's checking near the village entrance ...'

'Sheena might notice first,' I say, looking around. The streets are completely empty, and all I can see is the wind blowing up dust from the worn ground. 'They must have taken one of the dragons.'

'But ...' Genis starts, walking a little faster. 'They didn't say anything to you? They just left, and Kratos ... he knocked you unconscious?'

'Yeah,' I mumble. 'Colette just said she wanted to go ... I told them I wouldn't stop you from chasing them, so that's probably why he ...'

I grit my teeth. 'I'm just one big distraction.'

'Charlotte!'

I look up when a voice calls me, wincing when some dust finds its way to my eyes. Genis darts past me, and I shield my view from the dust and peer forward. Lloyd's running toward me with Raine close behind, but still no sign of Sheena. Lloyd gets about two yards away before skidding to a halt, clutching his knees and panting. Wow, he's been running around looking for the others a lot, and Raine looks pretty red in the face too.

'Where ... the hell ... were you?' he pants, looking up and brushing hair out of his face. 'You and the others ... worried us ... man ...'

He gulps deeply, taking a breath and straightening up. 'Where were you ...!?'

Genis glances between the two of us, and Raine just looks down to him. Poor Genis is looking as worried as hell, so I might as well say something before he explodes. Christ, they all look a mess ... Raine hasn't fixed her hair, Lloyd's jacket isn't buttoned up properly, his collar is hanging open ...

'I was at the church last night ...' I say, walking past them. I grab Lloyd's wrist and drag him along, and Genis follows suit with his sister, grabbing her arm and yanking her along while she drags a hand through her hair in an attempt to control it. 'Kratos and Colette came ... Colette wanted to leave, and I was going to come and tell you guys but he knocked me out and left me there.'

Raine freezes in place, and Genis stumbles and unhands her before he falls flat on his front. Lloyd pretty much does the same, but he yanks his arm away from me, spinning me around and catching my shoulders. '_What_!?'

I decide not to punch him for shouting, but grit my teeth tightly. 'Colette left to become an angel, and Kratos went with her. I couldn't stop them.'

Lloyd continues to stare at me intently, looking hopeful that I might just suddenly whip both Colette and Kratos out from behind my back all "only joking, harr", but I just glare back at him. I hate it when he does this. No, it's not a joke, they really have left Lloyd. Accept it.

I shrug his hands off my shoulders, clenching my fists. Both Raine and Lloyd are just staring at me, and I wait for an answer.

'Hey!'

Thank god for silence breakers. I look over my shoulder, and Sheena leaps down from a few cliffs up. I'll always be thankful for her ninja ways at times like this, but she does stumble and wobble a little when she hits the floor behind us, straightening herself up and dusting off her skirt thing. Geez, even Sheena doesn't look right today – her bow isn't done properly, her hair is messed and falling out of its binds ...

'The guy who's selling dragons up there is freaking out,' she says, clutching her chest and gasping. Dammit people, stop running around everywhere. 'He said one of them was stolen last night and hasn't been returned yet ...'

Lloyd's face falls. 'Then ... it's true ...'

Sheena blinks, and Raine steps in to explain seeing as Lloyd and Genis look pretty at loss for words right now. 'Colette and Kratos left early this morning. She must have wanted to finish this alone.'

Genis snaps. 'But why!? Didn't she know that we wanted to see her become an angel!?'

'Yeah!' Lloyd adds, finding his voice (and sorting his jacket out, thank god). 'We told her ... we wanted to watch her regenerate the world, so why would she go and do it alone?'

Raine looks like she fighting with herself, she really does. I don't blame her – I wouldn't know what to say, and now Genis and Lloyd are flipping out and probably considering going after her, it's going to hurt more if they just find her all red-eyed, soulless and unresponsive. Plus, the whole thing with Kratos – urgh, this is not going to go well, I can see it.

'Last night,' Raine says finally after a while of confused silence. 'Did Colette say anything to you two?'

Genis and Lloyd look up. They know what she means by 'say', but the just glance to eachother. Lloyd starts. 'Well ... we were talking in the kitchen, and Colette just came in and hugged us ...'

'And, uh ...' Genis adds in a mumble, fishing around in the small satchel on his side. 'She gave us ... this-' he pulls out a crumpled piece of paper, handing it to his older sister. 'It just says "please take care of eachother".'

'She just made out that she was bummed about having to stay at the tower and leave us ...' Lloyd murmurs. 'Professor ... what's going on?'

'Colette didn't want you to see her turn into an angel.'

Four pairs of eyes snap to me. Yes, I know I'm taking a big risk, but if Raine isn't going to say anything, then I might as well. It's not like anything is going to get screwed up majorly – hell, everyone is supposed to know she's losing her senses by now, but no one does. Things actually _couldn't_ get any worse or mixed up than they already are. With my heart throbbing in my chest, I grit my teeth once more as the three who don't know just stare at me.

'What do you mean ...?' Genis asks, and I try to relax. It isn't working.

'Colette just wanted you both to be happy ...' I say quietly. 'That's why she didn't say anything.'

'Say anything about what!?' Genis persists, stepping up and grabbing my arm. Raine just gives me a knowing look, and Lloyd joins Genis.

'Was she hiding something from us?'

I drop my gaze to the dusty floor, trying to ignore the dirt swirling around on the wind. 'With your help, she's found the courage to finish the journey ... that's what she's been saying. Thanks to both of you, she's been able to get this far and create a perfect world for you all.'

I shake off Genis' tight grip. 'But to do that, she needs to give herself to Martel.'

Even Sheena's started to look a little shocked and out of it, and Lloyd and Genis are just getting progressively confused. I don't know what to say, and Raine takes over for me, straightening her coat out.

'Colette chose this from the beginning,' she says looking to Lloyd. 'You know this – you said to Genis so many times, that this is all she's ever talked about and all she's ever wanted to do. Don't try and stop her.'

Raine furrows her brow, glaring to the floor. 'I tried already. Before this journey, but she knows what she must put herself through to ensure Sylvarant's regeneration. She wouldn't listen.'

Genis looks like he's started to clock on, but Lloyd is having trouble. For the moment, the smarter of the two is starting to look a little scared while Lloyd remains confused.

Raine folds her arms tightly, finally managing to look up to their faces. I honestly don't want to see their reaction, so I avert my eyes somewhere off to the left. You can almost hear the conflict in Raine's mind.

'The oldest scriptures say that the Chosen must give their body to Martel,' she explains finally, sounding a little choked up. 'That the Chosen must cleanse out anything that makes them mortal for the goddess to inhabit. Over time, Colette's been losing her mortality. She's becoming inhuman, and this is the final stage.'

I can't help but glance ... and Genis and Lloyd look absolutely horrified.

'... Professor-'

'Martel will take Colette's body and use it for herself so she can regenerate the world, and then she'll have to wait and move onto a new body when the world starts declining again,' I finish for her.

Genis tries to drag himself away from a state of terror, but he still looks sickened. 'And then ...?'

'That's what the scriptures say,' I reply, gritting my teeth again. 'Martel inhabits the body of the Chosen to regenerate the world. When it's done, she leaves and waits for the next Chosen when Sylvarant begins to decline. That's what it said.'

'And ... when the goddess leaves Colette's body ... when Colette's watched with Martel as they regenerate the world, her conscious will be lost forever.'

Raine is just biting her finger tightly, and I've seen her do this _once_. She does this when she's about to cry, and I saw her do it when Genis got injured at the seal of wind. Sheena, Genis and Lloyd know where this is going by now, so I don't know why they're waiting for us.

I look up to the tower, holding the back of my neck. If only Kratos hadn't done that, things might have been easier.

'Colette will die.'

The silence chokes me. I can only watch a tear roll down from behind Raine's hand as she covers her face, lips clamped tightly together. I never realised how against this she really was, and how much it's really shaking her up.

I look to Lloyd and Genis, and I just feel so clammy. Sheena herself looks appalled, but she hasn't been friends with Colette since she was little. Just imagining what's going through the other two's heads right now is hard, now that they've been told everything that's been kept from them for the past three months. Colette's lost her humanity, and once she gives her body to Martel, she can only watch as the world is saved. When it's finished – once Yggdrasill tries her body for Martel properly, once he's reversed the mana flow – Colette's body will die, along her with conscious. Unless it works, whereas she'll become Martel and shit will happen.

'No.'

We all look to Genis, who's staring at the floor and _shaking_ so hard that I want to reach out and hold him still. Lloyd's just staring wide eyed to the tower above us. Genis shakes his head, hands balled up into fists. 'No ...'

It's Lloyd's turn, and he just drops his head a little. Raine clutches her hand tighter over her eyes, and Sheena looks honestly at loss for words amongst the rest of us.

'Why ...' he whispers softly, losing his voice. 'Why didn't she say anything ...?'

'You would have stopped her,' Raine says, dropping her hand and controlling her emotions firmly for the sake of the others. 'Both of you would have convinced her to stop the journey and find an alternate route for Sylvarant's safety. Genis, she didn't want to see you cry ... and she knows that you would have let go of your smarts in an attempt to stop her.'

She looks to Lloyd, dabbing the corner of her eye with the tip of her sleeve. 'Lloyd ... she was happy whenever you defended her by telling people that this would make her happy, no matter what. She knows that if you knew, you would go back on all you'd ever said to support her and try to stop her. She didn't want you to do the very thing you stopped us all from doing.'

Raine lowers her arm slowly to her side. 'So many times I have thought about asking her if she would rather stop the journey ... but whenever you mentioned how happy it would make her to save the world from its constant danger, it stopped me. And that ... that is what Colette wanted. This is her final hour – do not try to stop her from doing what she has strived for her entire life.'

Genis and Lloyd just stare helplessly, and Raine looks a lot calmer now she's had her tiny breakdown. 'If the two of you were to convince her to stop, she would never forgive herself. She could never face the people she had promised to save while she denied the world's salvation just for her two friends to be happy.'

'She's right,' I say quietly after a moment, not keen on letting the silence take over again. 'She just wanted to get it over with in peace ... that's what she told me.'

'But ...' Genis whispers, voice cracking. 'Without even saying goodbye ...?'

Lloyd's jaw tightens, and he finally falls away from his daze. He looks at loss with himself, looking between all of us. Genis slowly comes to his senses, looking just as distressed as everyone else now he raises his head.

'We ... were we the only ones that didn't know ...? All this time, you and Kratos ... you knew what was going to happen?' he demands, looking majorly tense. 'Any no one said anything to us!? No one even tried to stop her!?'

'Don't you think I tried!?' Raine snaps lividly. 'Don't you think she knew!? It isn't our choice, and it isn't Sylvarant's choice either. It's Colette's choice, and her right as the Chosen of Regeneration.'

'Even so ...' Lloyd mumbles, fists clenched tightly and mind probably reeling with grief. 'Even if we didn't want to stop her, even if we did let her just go and regenerate the world ... I still said all those stupid things ...'

He paces a couple of steps towards the mountain path, and Sheena rests a hand on his arm to stop him silently.

'I kept saying that we could go and visit her ... that she could tell us everything about the angels ...'

'Me too ...' Genis mumbles, clutching his hands together tightly. 'I told her I didn't want her to be lonely, and that I'd stay with her as much as I could ... but now this is happening ...'

'We can't just leave her like that,' Lloyd snaps firmly. 'Even if she does regenerate the world, we can't just let her go like that ...'

'We have to tell her we're sorry,' Genis finishes for him, stepping up to his friend. 'We have to tell her goodbye properly, right!?'

Lloyd nods, glaring up ahead at the tower. 'Right! She's our friend, and she doesn't deserve this! All this crap with Cruxis ... it's sick ...'

'It's too cruel,' Sheena agrees, still holding his arm and looking rather pissed. 'She's such a good person ... she doesn't deserve to die like that ... she doesn't even deserve any of this at all!'

'I just know that this is what she wants to do,' I mumble. 'I didn't try to stop her, because I knew she wouldn't stop me if I wanted to do the same thing ... even if it is disgusting ...'

Genis is the first, darting out underneath Sheena's arm and making her jump. 'Come on! We're wasting time! If we just stand around talking, we might be too late! We've got to stop her!'

Lloyd nods, following him at a run. 'There has to be another way ... there has to be a way for both worlds and Chosens to be happy! We can't just let her die!'

I watch them sprint towards the mountain path leading above, and Sheena follows them close behind. Raine takes a last glance at me, and I just nod for an answer. She goes on ahead, and I clutch my hands together, looking up at the Tower of Salvation looming dauntingly above Hima. So many people have waited for this day ... the people in Iselia, Palmacosta, Asgard ... Harley and the others, the innkeepers, the guy who treated me when I was sick ... all the people in Luin, all the people we rescued from the ranch ... they've waited for this. Sylvarant has been waiting almost three-hundred years for its regeneration, and we're about to go and screw it all up.

I look out over Sylvarant, and back up to the tower. With my heart hammering in my throat and all my nerves alight, the wind scoops up dust once more and billows it around the village as I run after the others.

--

'_... Lloyd, promise me something right now,' I say sternly. He looks up, the fond expression on his face immediately dropping to be replaced with a worried look at my tone of voice._

'_What? Are you okay?'_

'_Yes. No. Shut up. Look, just promise me,' I start, sitting up straight and clutching my knees, looking him straight in the eye. 'Even after this journey, when I go back to Asgard and you go back to Dirk's or wherever, you'll be careful about who you trust.'_

_Lloyd just stares, looking a little freaked out, worried, and ... concerned for his safety. I must sound pretty serious. '... Wait, what?'_

'_You trust people too much,' I say, trying to resist every urge to start gnawing on my lower lip. 'One day, it's gonna get you hurt, emotionally and physically. I want you to be careful, because you'll have no one to blame but yourself.'_

'_... Why did you bring this up all of a sudden?' Lloyd asks, raising an inquisitive and suspicious eyebrow. 'What's up with you?'_

'_Your idiocy is becoming more noticeable to me, and I'm realising how it could hurt you in the future,' I say simply with a small nod. 'That's all.'_

'_... Are you worried about me?'_

'_No.'_

'_... You __are__ worried about me, aren't you?'_

'_Shut up, jackass. Now promise.'_

--

Screw the tower, riding a dragon is effing scary.

I'm sitting behind Sheena with my arms wrapped tightly around her middle, trying to not look down at the rocky chasms beneath us. Luckily, a grand total of two people in our group know how to ride these things, and the rest of us just sit behind in a terrified daze. Kratos and Colette already took one dragon, leaving us with only two. Raine has taken one because apparently she learned how to care for them for a while when she was travelling back and forth from Palmacosta and Iselia. Sheena says the dragons are the same as riding her guardians around which she has done before, to it wasn't too hard to kick it into gear.

Lloyd and Genis are with Raine on her dragon, both of them clinging to her for their lives (Lloyd is afraid of unstable heights and Genis is a wuss), and I'm just clutching to Sheena the best I can while she guides our ride toward the Tower of Salvation, which is a lot further away than it looks.

'This is taking forever ...'

'We'll be there soon,' Sheena mumbles in an attempted comforting tone, tugging on the dragon's reins slightly. 'We have to stop Colette before she-'

'Does what you came here to do yourself?' I ask, forcing a small laugh. Sheena falls silent, and I straighten up a little. 'Don't worry, I know you were doing it for a reason. I probably wouldn't mind killing a person if it meant the whole world could live in peace.'

'So you agree with what Cruxis is doing?' she asks, tugging the reins a little too sharply and making the dragon growl. 'You think it's okay that Colette's just going to die like that!?'

'Weren't you?' I ask. 'You came to this world to do the exact same thing Cruxis is doing now; kill the Chosen, and let one world be at peace. The only real difference is that you're doing it for Tethe'alla, whereas Cruxis is doing it for Sylvarant.'

Sheena pauses awkwardly. 'So ... you know about Tethe'alla? Who told you?'

'I had a sneaking suspicion,' I mumble. 'Back at the seal of wind you said "this world will be saved", and I ... I overheard you talking about it with someone last night. When I heard it, it all just seemed to fit together. I didn't really need to ask.'

'You're not angry that I lied to everyone?'

I frown. 'I've got my own share of lies. I doubt I could judge you for keeping something like that to yourself. Even so ... I don't support the way Cruxis does things, but I can understand why.'

'How could you accept something like that?'

I frown. 'I don't like the idea of people dying, but if it's just one life for the entire would – billions of other lives – then its fair. It's better than a whole bunch of people dying for the cause.'

There's an uncomfortable silence, and Sheena just tugs softly on the harness to direct our dragon closer to the others. I don't add anything and remain quiet myself, but I still believe what I said. Call me cold, but I really do think that if it's just one life to save the entire world, the most selfish thing a person can ever do is try to stop that. I'm sure if it took one person to end poverty, pollution, famine, war and every other problem back on Earth, hordes of people would be supporting that.

When you're a friend of the person sacrificing themselves however, it's a different story. It hurts to see them go, but if they had stopped them, thousands of people would continue dying, and just that one person's sacrifice could have prevented that.

I'm sure the only reasons I'm really here doing this is because it's Sylvarant – it's Tales of Symphonia – and fuck all is going to happen. We're gonna run in, grab her, get beat up, get rescued, then go save the world again with a new group leader. Yeah, that'd be Zelos guiding us around Tethe'alla. He'll be the leader for a long while there on out, so we'll have to deal with that.

'Y'know ... Tethe'alla has a Chosen too.'

Whoa, speak of the devil. I look over Sheena's shoulder and notice we're pretty close to the tower now, so it'd be good to get this out of the way before we land. 'Yeah ... I kinda guessed.'

'He's ... completely different to Colette,' she says quietly. 'We were friends when we were kids, but ...'

'But what?'

Sheena sighs. 'I never really went to the city where he lived a lot, but whenever I did I'd always stop to say hi to him. When he got older, he just ... changed.'

'Huh ...' I mumble, reminding myself that I'm not supposed to know anything about Zelos right now. 'How so?'

Sheena tugs the harness sharply to turn the dragon, and it lets out a rumbling growl in protest. 'He turned into such a jerk. Now he doesn't care about anyone but himself. The only things on his mind are sex, drinking, and his own wellbeing. And still ... all of Tethe'alla worships him, just because he's got the title of Chosen tagged to his name.'

She falters, shaking her head. 'I hate him. I hate everything about him. And I just thought ... how I'd feel if it meant he died for Tethe'alla's sake as our Chosen.'

I brush away some hair whipping around my face as our ride flies faster. 'How would you feel?'

'It's scary ... but I don't think I'd be too against it,' she mumbles, and I strain to hear her. 'In reality, someone like that doesn't deserve all the praise he gets ... and if he sacrificed himself for all the good people in Tethe'alla that suffer every day because they're poor or because they're half-elves, then ... it'd be good for the world. Our church of Martel just flourishes the Chosen with wealth, and when they're gone ... nothing more is said about them, and we wait for the next one to come.'

'And the church can afford all that?' I ask. 'There's a Chosen every fifty years, right? Even then, I've heard that here in Sylvarant the church just sends the Chosen on their way without any special treatment at all. I'm sure Tethe'alla is a lot richer, but ...'

'Our current Chosen ...' Sheena says, glancing over to the others some ways across. 'He's the first proper Chosen we've had in a while.'

'Proper?'

'His father was the previous Chosen, but the oracle of Cruxis ... it was different, because Tethe'alla was still flourishing. Now that Sylvarant has the Tower of Salvation here, Tethe'alla has probably started to decline, even if it is just a little bit. If the time comes for the journey of regeneration to be completed in Tethe'alla, then he'll be the one sacrificing himself ...'

I nod. 'It sounds pretty tough for him ... I wonder if he knows what happens at the end ...'

'I think he does,' Sheena says solemnly. 'The church explains everything to the Chosens. Though I don't know what he'd do ... I don't think he'd have it in him to get out of his giant mansion and leave all his fan girls behind to travel around the world and die.'

'He doesn't care about other people, so I'm assuming he doesn't care about Tethe'alla as a whole?' I ask.

Sheena grumbles. 'He's selfish ... because he loves his own life too much. In his eyes, he's the only one with worth. I've only ever seen on person get under his skin and be worthy of his praise. Even if all the attention he gets is because he's the Chosen, he likes having the power to command the people and have them do exactly what he wants ...'

'A Chosen consumed by his own greed and self-righteousness ...' I says, staring up at the clouds flying past. 'So much different from Colette. Hey ... who's the person who can get under his skin? You said ...'

'It's ... his main attendant,' she says softly. 'He's got a bunch of servants in his mansion that work while he's out during the day and partying in the evening, but I only know of one that never leaves the house ... even in the middle of the night, he's always there cleaning and making sure our Chosen is okay.'

Sebastian.

'He worked for his parents when he was young,' Sheena mumbles. 'They must have told him to take care of him while they were still alive.'

She tugs on the reins again, and the dragon starts getting a little pissed off with how she's constantly craning his neck back. 'I've only talked to him a couple of times, and he's a good guy ... I just don't know how he can stand to be around Zelos for that long ...'

'Zelos?' I ask. 'Funny name.'

'Tch, yeah ... but when it's all you ever hear around Tethe'alla, you get used to it.'

'Mm ...' I hum silently. 'I can't ... judge him. Not like you can.'

Sheena looks over her shoulder, and I almost scold her for taking her eyes off the dragon but I don't think I have it in me.

'If I ... were Chosen ...' I mumble, staring down at the cloudy mountains below. 'I wouldn't ... I couldn't bring myself to die for the world. I'm not strong enough for that yet ...'

Sheena nods slowly, turning back. 'You're still just a kid, right? You don't have to worry about being a little selfish.'

'But Colette's only two years older than me,' I say thickly, clutching her middle tighter. 'And she has so much strength ...'

'She has people she loves enough to die for them,' Sheena says with a small sigh. 'Raine, Lloyd, Genis ... she gets her strength from them, not from her own ideals.'

'Is that why you came to Sylvarant?' I ask, still holding on firmly now that we're almost there. 'You're like Tethe'alla's unofficial Chosen ... you came here to fight so that Tethe'alla could live in peace ... right?'

'Heh ...' she snickers, tugging the reins again seeing as the dragon is playing up. 'I'd make a better Chosen than Zelos any day ... but like you said, I get my strength from the people who believe in me ... not just by knowing that I'm coming here to save them all.'

'But this ... Zelos person ...' I question. 'Does he have anyone to believe in him when he goes and dies for Tethe'alla?'

'The hordes of girls back at the capital would probably be worshiping his feet all the while,' she grumbles. 'If not ... I'm sure there's at least someone in the whole of Tethe'alla he feels is worth dying for. If not, then I don't know where he would get his strength to fight ...'

I glance over to Lloyd, still clutching Raine for his life and burying his face between her shoulder blades.

Looks like we'll have to bring in someone to give Zelos strength to fight, or this isn't the only visit to the Tower of Salvation that's going to terrify me.

--

_'Uh, by the way,' he says awkwardly, opening the door and looking over his shoulder. 'What you did today back at the ranch ...'_

_'Hah, someone finally noticed,' I say, running my hands over my face with a smile. 'It was nothing. Go to bed.'_

_'No ... no, it wasn't nothing,' Lloyd says, leaning against the door and forcing it shut with his weight. 'I ... I don't really know you ... but I know that you wouldn't usually do something like that. And you did it to save me, so I guess all I really wanna say is ... thanks.'_

--

I won't lie – I fell off my dragon less than gracefully, but that's to discuss for another day. Right now we need to be saving some soulless blondes. Everyone got here safely, and Genis and Lloyd were happy to get onto solid ground again. I'm sure flying Rheairds will be a lot easier than riding something very living and dangerous looking who won't guarantee your safety. And possibly eat you if it gets bored.

I get to my feet and spit to one side, rubbing some dirt off my cheek as I observe the two dragons. Well, three now – it looks like Kratos and Colette left theirs here. I'm sure Kratos was planning to take it back, but look at us all getting in the way and such. We're so mean.

Either way, we're here now. At the Tower of Salvation. It's been a long journey full of good times, bad times, painful times ... more painful times, but now here we are. Quite possibly the halfway point until I get home.

... We're really here.

'Oh god,' I breathe, looking up at its endless height. In there ... that's where everything will go wrong in this game. Kratos will betray us, Zelos might in the future ... I hadn't even started to think about that ... but we have to fight so much from now on. Remiel, Kratos ... Yggdrasill ...

Goddammit I wanna barf over the edge of the cliff just to stop my insides collapsing in on themselves. But I won't, because I honestly couldn't feel any worse at this moment.

Charis and William are playing the tower music. That's not funny – it just makes my nerves worse.

... Shit, can I really do this?

'C'mon, we gotta go!' Genis snaps when Raine's settled the dragons down and made them stay. 'We might be too late!'

'Dammit!' Lloyd hisses, following Genis at a run. 'When did this Cruxis stuff get so complicated!?'

Probably when I got here. Damn ... if I weren't here, would things have gone exactly like normal? Would Genis and Lloyd _know_ about Colette's loss of humanity beforehand? I really don't want to believe everything that happened here if my fault, but ... isn't it? Triet being destroyed can't be my fault, can it? Chocolat dying can't be my fault, right?

If Colette dies today ... if we all die today ... that won't be my fault, will it?

'Charlotte!'

I look up and snap out of my daze, spotting Raine and Sheena already ahead. Raine takes a fleeting glance at me before hurrying on to join her brother, and Sheena looks to the tower and back to me.

'C'mon, we're wasting time standing around here!'

'Y ... yeah!' I call, jogging over. 'Sorry ...!'

I catch up to everyone at the glowing blue steps leading up to the Tower of Salvation's entrance ledge. Lloyd is the first to test them out for us, seeing as all the really seem to be are just bars floating in mid air. If they just disappear on us, then we're going to die extremely painful deaths before we even get to Yggdrasill.

Lloyd presses his weight firmly on the third step up. 'Okay, it's safe – c'mon, we gotta hurry!'

I watch Genis and him risk whiplash as they bolt up the stairs, and Raine just follows them hopelessly with nothing else to do. She can't exactly stop them, because it's _Colette_. Even she doesn't want her to die. She wants Sylvarant to be regenerated, but I'm positive she doesn't like the way it's happening. If the Chosen had been anyone else except Genis or Raine, none of this crap would happen because Lloyd would just accept it. But seeing as it is one of the three people he loves more than anything in the world, he's going to be breaking a few necks.

I don't know what exactly happens once I step into the Tower of Salvation, but every tiny hair on my body stands on end. My body just seems to decline itself, and if it's possible, I feel three stages worse than when I got here. The others are rushing ahead, but my feet are planted to the floor.

It's all here. The endless turquoise clouds that frame the entire area, the glass slab pathway held up by _nothing_, a giant looming pillar surrounded by a spiral of stairs, and ... the coffins.

It doesn't take the others long to skid to a halt when the notice the oddly shaped caskets slowly circling up throughout the tower, and Sheena is the first to let out a strangled noise of disgust. I take the time they're wasting being horrified even more to walk over there, clutching my upper arms tightly. It's so cold ...

_I'm_ so cold.

I try to rub away the goose bumps on my skin, but nothing works. My body is tensing up too much, and my whole frame is just shaking so hard that I can barely catch my breath. My chest is tight, my insides are frozen, and my head is absolutely spinning with fear.

'Bodies ...' Lloyd whispers unevenly after getting a good look into one of the coffins as it glides lifelessly by underneath out feet. 'What ... what the hell are all these corpses doing here!?'

I clutch myself tighter, glancing down to one of them. The casket is just grey stone with golden straps crossed over the top to keep the bodies in. They bodies themselves are wrapped tightly in light blue cloth like mummies, and their dark Cruxis Crystals are just lying broken on their chests. I look away, but it doesn't help. Thousands and thousands of them are just circling around the whole tower endlessly.

'Chosens that have failed the world regeneration,' Raine says softly. 'This must be their resting place.'

'"If she fails, only then will she be struck down" ...' I mumble, digging my nails into my arms when more motionlessly pass us by. 'That's what Kratos said ...'

Genis' eyes widen, and he tries to grasp a breath to speak. 'Wh ... so even if she fails the regeneration, she can't come back to us ...!? No matter what she does, Cruxis kills her!?'

Raine shakes her head. 'It's said ... that Chosens are only judged after the spirit of the goddess has inhabited their body. If they are unable to regenerate the world, their conscious is lost in the same way. But if they simply cannot completely release the final seal, then it is their choice to return or die.'

Lloyd looks around at the coffins with disgust. 'Who ... who would chose to die and stay here forever ...!?'

'Chosens,' Raine sighs. 'Can they really face the world they have promised regeneration? Can they really face the people who have looked after them, paid everything for them and ensured them luxury ... all for a moment in time they cannot complete?'

'That's ...'

'They die ... in shame,' Raine finishes in a whisper. 'The faster they die, the faster a new Chosen can be born. That is the way it's always been. Nothing we do can change that.'

Genis shakes his head, biting his lip back sharply. 'No ... there's really nothing we can do ...?'

'The only thing you can do is support her,' Raine tells him, walking past us all and towards the stairs spiralling up. 'And let Sylvarant flourish. As for Tethe'alla ... I'm sure she will ask Remiel about a method to save both worlds.'

Genis grabs Lloyd's arm. 'Well we're not letting her die alone! If there really is no other way ... then we still need to tell her goodbye ...'

'No!' Lloyd snaps. 'There is another way! There has to be!'

I feel blood pooling at my fingernails. 'You two ... four-thousand years of tradition won't change just because you want it to ...'

'Maybe the other Chosens just didn't think it through!' Lloyd decides in frustration, once again sprinting after Genis who is already heading towards the stairs leading up. Damn, Genis can run fast when he's pissed.

'They won't listen, will they?' Sheena asks, turning to Raine. The Professor just sighs, shaking her head and running a hand though her hair.

'No ... but I can't leave them. I have no idea if they will be punished for trying to interrupt the regeneration.'

She follows them at a run. 'I can't lose any more students.'

Sheena joins them quickly after trying to say something supporting, but her voice just fades in her throat. I try to step forward, but my legs feel like stone. This is all really happening, and I'm just drifting along after them without doing anything. Why aren't I freaking out or running away? Yes, I've been promised protection if something goes wrong, but this was _before_ Lloyd and everyone else found out. When fighting Remiel and Kratos, Lloyd is hardly going to single me out for protection when Kratos is coming at us to _kill_.

My stomach just drops deeper into my body and I feel nauseous with panic. I'm actually having trouble breathing.

'Charlotte, what are you doing!?'

I look up, blinking back tears as Sheena stops once again to call me over. 'Stop messing around and hurry up!'

'O-okay ...' I whisper, voice cracking sharply. I try to run over there the best I can now that Sheena is practically zipping up the stairs, but my knees just feel like water. I can barely walk, let alone run.

Dammit ... I'm being so selfish and slowing everyone down just because I'm scared. I have good reason to be scared, but shouldn't I really just suck it up and get myself together for everyone else's sake? They don't have the time to hold my hand through this and tell me everything is gonna be okay.

I have to do this myself.

I have to be strong for once.

--

'_If you ever get tired of crying alone and you feel like you need someone to talk to, then ...'_

_He makes a face, shaking his head quickly. 'Just come and get me, alright? Forget all that stuff about feeling embarrassed ... heck, I'll even sit and cry with you. I couldn't help or protect you in the ranch, and I let you get hurt. So ... think of this as the only thing I can do for you right now. I have two shoulders, and you're free to sob your heart out over either of 'em.'_

_I just snort, rubbing the side of my face. 'Yeah ... okay.'_

'_I'm serious,' he says quietly, joking tone gone. 'You don't even have to say anything. Just give me a tap on the shoulder or drag me away from the group, and ... I promise, I'll follow you in a heartbeat. You're not the first one to make themselves suffer alone, and ... if you do it for too long, it's really gonna screw you up. Promise me you won't let it get that far.'_

_I lower my head, tears already stinging the corners of my eyes. 'I can't make that promise.'_

--

'Colette!'

The first thing I hear is Genis' voice quickly followed by Lloyd's as I step out of the final warp. This is it – we're here.

'Colette, wait!'

Oh god, we're really here.

'Dammit!'

I clutch my hands together tightly, looking around at the final room – the place where everything goes wrong and all the secrets become unveiled. It's just like I thought it would be. This giant floating platform somewhere in the tower is exactly the same, and thank god it is. I run after the others on the blue glass pathway leading up to the final area. Now we're in both Sylvarant _and_ Tethe'alla, and it just feels odd.

Lloyd and Genis have already dashed ahead, coming to a stop before the circular glass platform that the Eternal Sword should be encased in. That's still there ... the giant stage where the final seal is released is still there with stairs on both sides leading up to it, and long moss coated roots encase the whole area, curled around the pillars surrounding the dais. It's weird ... I was expecting this place to be cramped, just like it was in the game ... but it's about five times bigger. This whole area is just the right size for, oh I don't know, and extremely big battle? The whole floating platform is probably bigger than four tennis courts cramped together, and the dais is far too high up to see over it.

On that dais are Remiel and Colette ... and by the looks of things, we really are too late. Colette's wings are lighting up the whole area with a soft pink glow, and she's floating before her 'father' ready to accept her final blessing from Cruxis.

Oh god. This is my fault. This is all my fault. Lloyd and Genis can't say goodbye to her and it's _all my fault_.

Remiel merely observes our arrival, brushing it off and turning back to Colette. Colette is still herself – she _knows_ we're here ... but she isn't turning around. Did she not want to say goodbye? If she sees us all here for her, does she think she'll regret leaving everyone and change her mind? If she does, the whole system of things will get screwed, and then I'm really going to be lost.

I take a fleeting look at Remiel, and once more at the glass circle where the Eternal Sword lies. Yggdrasill's going to use that to try and kill Lloyd – Remiel's going to try and kill all of us, and we don't know how strong he is – once we kill him, Kratos comes, and then _Yggdrasill_ is going to co-

I can't breathe.

Drawing attention to myself would be bad right now, but everyone is too focused on Colette to notice thankfully. I sink to my knees when they begin to shake so much that I can hardly stand, flattening one hand on the floor and pressing one over my chest. My stomach is twisting, my body won't stop shaking, my head is thick with horror – what if I'm having a panic attack? Oh god ... oh god, I really can't do this.

I want to go ... I want to get out of here – I want to go home. _Now_.

"_Charis ... please,"_ I try. "_I want to go home ... I want to go home now, I can't stay here, I'm gonna get hurt ... Charis please let me go ..."_

There's no answer, and tears continue to fill up behind my eyelids. Dammit, if I stay here I'm going to end up going insane ... I have to get out – I'm not ready to face Yggdrasill and Kratos like this. I need more time – I want more time ... I want to go back...

'Colette!' Genis tries again, shouting up at his friend. 'Colette, please don't die!'

Raine buries her face in her hands, and Sheena looks out of place here. There isn't much she can do other than ask about Tethe'alla, but this isn't the time.

'Colette, stop!' Lloyd tries, sounding rushed and panicked. 'Why ... why didn't you tell us about this ...!? Why did you keep it from us!?'

She lowers her head slightly, and the other two try to catch their breath. They _have_ just sprinted up a giant pillar of steps, so they're probably not feeling too good. Colette's prepared to go now; all Remiel needs to do is call down her final blessing, and that'll be the end of it. He can even do it in mid conversation, and then they're really screwed.

'You really ...' Genis starts, fists clenching tightly and shaking hard. 'You really think that we would just leave you to die here!? Your our friend – we can't just accept this!'

'Genis is right!' Lloyd adds. 'There has to be another way – we just need more time!'

'There is no more time,' Remiel cuts in sharply with an icy tone, staring the two of them down. 'By holding off the regeneration, Sylvarant continues to exist in despair. Plants continue to wither, lakes continue to drought, and people continue to die.'

I watch from the cold floor as Lloyd and Genis fumble for their long-lost logic, but Remiel ignores their sad attempts and turns back to Colette, who still refuses to look at her friends in fear of being swayed from her decision.

'The Chosen knows what will happen to her ... and when it does, Sylvarant will reside in peace once more,' Remiel says formally. 'Yet still, you try to rob Sylvarant of its salvation just for your own happiness.'

'It's not like that at all!' Genis insists angrily, glaring up at Remiel. 'We want Sylvarant to prosper too ... but there has to be a way for Colette and both worlds to live in peace!'

Remiel ... does not look amused. Genis just let slip that we know about Tethe'alla, and I doubt he'll take it with a grain of salt. Sheena, it's your turn.

'If Colette completes the regeneration,' she says, stepping forward so she doesn't have to shout over to Remiel. 'Then the mana flow will just be reversed, right? Isn't there a way for the worlds to stop fighting over mana?

Remiel glares. 'No such thing exists.'

Sheena's shoulders sag in defeat, and Raine drops her hands from her face probably trying to think up a solution. She used to coming up with the answer for everything, so she must feel so hopeless now.

'But ...' Remiel continues, green robes fluttering lightly as he ascends higher, ready to call the final blessing for Colette. 'If the Chosen is reborn as the goddess, then if she wishes it, surely the two worlds can achieve equal reconciliation in their struggle for mana. All it requires ...'

Colette drops her arms to her sides.

'... Is one sacrifice.'

'No ...' Lloyd interrupts. 'NO! There has to be a way for Colette to live too! There has to!'

Remiel glowers, shaking his head. 'In the past four-thousand years, such convenience has never existed. After thousands and thousands of people chosen to become the vessel for the Goddess Martel, it is not about to change here today.'

Genis ignores him, staring up hopelessly. 'Colette ... we'll find a way, we will! We just need more time, right?'

'_There's nothing you can do.'_

Remiel blinks in surprise, staring down at Colette. Her voice ... just resonated throughout the whole tower. She couldn't have spoken – it didn't sound like it came from her own voice ... it sounded like an echo. Raine and Sheena apparently heard it too, and the Professor looks around before turning back to Colette. I'll assume this isn't normal, but Genis and Lloyd don't look too shocked. They just look relieved that they might be able to talk things over properly with her.

'Colette ...' Lloyd says desperately. 'You can't ... you're our friend – you can't just die and leave us like this!'

Finally, Colette flicks her wings softly and turns to both of them, lowering herself slightly. The Cruxis Crystal on her chest is glowing brightly, and her eyes already look red from the light. I shudder, clutching my own chest tighter. Can't breathe ...

'_I'm sorry. I didn't want you to worry like this at the end.'_

Genis clenches his hands into fists again, shoulders hunched tightly as he glares to the floor. 'Everyone knew except us, right ...?'

Colette just smiles. '_I know you would have tried to stop me ... and I know that I would have listened.'_

'Then come back to us!' Lloyd demands quickly. 'We still have time – w-we can work something out! You don't need to do this!'

Colette shakes her head, weaving her fingers together over her Cruxis Crystal. '_No_. _This is the only way ... and what I'm doing will make everyone happy_.'

'We won't be happy!' Genis insists, almost screaming now. 'We'll only be happy with you here and both worlds saved! I know you're doing this for a good cause – you and Lloyd told me that ... but if there's a way, then we have to try, right?'

'_Then ... I'm doing this to make me happy,'_ Colette voices, still smiling as if her friends weren't yelling themselves silly below. '_I'm tired of seeing people suffering and the Desians causing everyone pain. When they're gone, people can live in peace only if it is for a while. Knowing that I'm the only one that can stop the suffering and make people happy is a privilege. Lloyd ... I know if you had to give up your life to save thousands of people from the Desians, you would do it too ...'_

She turns back to Remiel, head bowed before him. '_The power to make people happy is a gift. The power to save the world ... is the most precious thing a person can have. I want you both to live in the world that I've saved. Everyone can be at peace.'_

Once again, Colette lowers her hands to her sides. '_The Desians will be gone, and you two can return to the village. Everyone will be happy – the Professor, Dirk, Chocolat ... and all of my friends, here and back at Iselia – all the people we've met on this journey, all the people we've saved from the ranches ...'_

Lloyd shakes his head with a sobbed 'no ...', and Genis just buries his face in his hands. They know now ... that they truly can't stop her.

'_If giving up my life would make them happy ... then I will do it. I'm sorry for making you sad ... and I'm sorry for hurting all the people that love me. Tell Father and Grandmother that I wish them the best, and ...'_

Colette hesitates. '_Lloyd ... you're going to have to look after Genis for the both of us now. Please ... please live happy lives for me. Please don't be sad.'_

She clutches her hands together. '_I love you both ... more than anything. If you love me too ... then you'll let me do this.'_

Lloyd thuds to his knees, defeated. Genis just stands there silently. It's over.

'_Thank you.'_

Remiel takes this as his cue, and a rain of light immediately thunders down from above, striking Colette head-on.

'_Goodbye ...'_

_--_

_Colette hops back down to the floor, looking a little uneasy. Lloyd takes quick notice. 'You okay, Colette?'_

'_Sure am!' she says quickly, smiling. 'It's just ... well, a lot of unfortunate things have happened on this journey, and it's been so dangerous. I'm just glad it's all going to be over soon.'_

'_Yeah,' Lloyd says, nodding. 'After this, we all get to go home and relax.'_

'_And not just us,' Genis adds. 'The whole of Sylvarant can rest easy.'_

_Lloyd frowns a little. 'Yeah, but we earned it. C'mon, let's get out of this place and regenerate the world as fast as we can. I'm not big on the idea of letting Desians roaming around while we sit and twiddle our thumbs.'_

'_I don't think we've ever just sat down and 'twiddled our thumbs', Lloyd,' I say as we all start towards the warp. 'Seriously, we've been slaying monsters, blowing up human ranches, and unleashing seals left and right since we started.'_

'_W-well, yeah ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'But we shouldn't let them stick around longer than we have to. I don't like dad being so close to a Human Ranch, especially seeing as how they're all coming after Colette and me. They might go after him.'_

'_Well then, I'll regenerate the world as fast as I can for Dirk too!' Colette says, adding a little skip to her step. 'Then you can all live happily!'_

--

It's over.

It's really over.

I've long since struggled back to my feet as silence reigns throughout the entire room. If Lloyd or Genis were going to cry, they've obviously decided not to now. The silence is actually painful ... it's the kind that rings harshly in your ears, reminding you just how much tension is in the air. Remiel has said nothing since bringing down the final blessing, and Lloyd has remained on his knees with Genis at his side, hands covering his face. Raine is biting the side of her finger, and Sheena looks absolutely bleak.

I don't know what I'm doing right now. I really don't. It's still hard to breathe.

Colette's just ... floating there. She's completely unresponsive, and her eyes are just a deep, dark red. I don't know what the final transformation is supposed to do, but she looks sickly and pale ... her face is gaunt and shadowed, and she just looks utterly ill. Hell, even her _hair_ doesn't look right. It doesn't look bouncy and fluffy like it used to do – it just looks stringy and lifeless. What ... what the hell happened to her?

Everything went like it should have, right? I haven't screwed this up, have I? No ... I haven't done anything ... I don't control what Cruxis does – this can't be my fault. It's just different – more realistic. That's all.

'Dammit ...' I hear Sheena whisper, one hand wiping her eyes and the other clenched at her side. Raine is just completely voiceless, and I notice a small line of blood trail down her finger from where she's biting it. She really does have to hold herself back so Genis and Lloyd don't completely lose it, and the sad thing is that she's doing a good job. If she needs to cry, then she should just cry ...

There's really nothing else we can do until Remiel ... well, _unless_ Remiel reveals his true intentions. If not, then we're just going to leave ... and _I_ can't say a damn thing about it.

Without lifting his head, Lloyd silently gets to his feet. Genis immediately drops his hands from his face, fumbling for Lloyd's arm to hold onto. Raine immediately turns away, other hand flying to her eyes and holding it there firmly.

'It's time to go,' she manages softly, but I'm pretty sure Sheena and me are the only ones that heard it. Lloyd might have heard _something_, because he turns slightly. Genis just takes this as an opportunity and clutches to Lloyd securely, burying his face into his chest. Lloyd slowly winds one arm around his back in a comforting gesture, but Genis just shakes his head, arms tightening around his middle.

I notice Lloyd's eyes are slightly red ... so he must have cried a little. I'm sure Genis is doing so right now, but this is the first time I've seen any actual emotion from anyone in this scene other than shouting. Those two are really messed up right now ...

With Genis still crying quietly into his chest, Lloyd finally looks up to Colette's soulless figure still floating above.

Apparently just seeing her is enough – he screws his eyes shut, wraps the second arm around Genis, and lowers his head.

'I'm sorry ...' he whispers, and I'm surprised I can hear it even through the silence. 'I'm so sorry, Colette ...'

Raine wipes her eyes hastily on this side of the room, looking desperately to the warp. The sooner she can get out of here and go cry in a secluded place, the better for her. But we still have a lot to do here.

Remiel places a hand on Colette's shoulder and she drifts back a little to his side. Lloyd looks up again, places a hand on Genis' arm and gently pulls him away.

'Remiel ...' he starts softly. 'Wait!'

'You have been told before,' the angel answers coolly, hand still planted firmly on Colette's shoulder. 'There is no way for the Chosen and both worlds to all live in peace. Only by sacrificing the Chosen do the two worlds have a chance.'

He glares down at Lloyd. 'And even now ... you still try to deny Sylvarant the peace it has sought so long for.'

'That's not it at all!' Lloyd shouts, hot-headedness quickly streaming back. 'I want Sylvarant to prosper! I want Dad and everyone else to live happily away from the Desians! Of course I want that! But there has to be a way for everyone to be happy ...!'

Raine wipes her eyes again, turns on her heel and storms over to the two of them. Sheena reaches out to stop her, but Raine just brushes her off hastily. Lloyd hears her coming and looks away from Remiel, still holding Genis' arm comfortingly. With a glance to Genis to make sure he's okay, Lloyd steps forward to his teacher as she gets nearer.

'Professor ...' he says when she almost reaches him. 'There has to be a way, right? We can't just leave Colette like thi-'

_SLAP_.

My jaw drops as Raine delivers what has to be _the_ hardest smack that I've ever seen. Lloyd actually stumbles back as though he'd been punched, and Genis snaps out of his teary phase to grab his arm again, holding him steady. Lloyd straightens quickly so he doesn't fall on Genis, both hands flying to his right cheek already burning as red as his outfit.

'Stop being so foolish!' Raine practically shrieks, and both Lloyd and Genis wince. Sheena and I are just staring wide-eyed while Remiel observes the scene tiredly, and I'm surprised he isn't buggering off with Colette while he has the chance.

'Professor,' Lloyd starts carefully, still holding his face. 'I-'

'I have tried for _five_ years to stop Colette from sacrificing herself!' Raine shouts at him. '_Five_! I know very well that Sylvarant could survive another fifty years with its available mana, and things would have been easier for all of us! Do you know _why_ I have given up!?'

Lloyd shakes his head and Raine strides forward, gripping his shoulders tightly. He flinches again, trying to avoid her eyes.

'Because ... there is _no_ other solution,' she breathes, sounding suddenly a lot calmer. 'It has been this way for _four-thousand_ years. Countless people have gone through what is going through you right now.'

She raises one hand to his sore cheek, and the other remains on his shoulder. 'Both of you ... people have lost children, parents, lovers ... and _siblings_ because of this, and nothing you do can change it.'

One hand goes to Genis' shoulder too, dragging him closer. 'I'm sorry I couldn't tell you both... Colette made me promise not to. But now it's over, you have to continue living. That's what she did this for ... so please don't let her sacrifice be in vain. If this was all for naught, I would have stopped her, and I would have expected you both to act as you are now. But ... because of this, the whole of Sylvarant will begin to flourish once more. And I'm sure if she wishes it, Tethe'alla will live in peace alongside us.'

Lloyd and Genis look back to Colette, still floating unresponsively at Remiel's side as her newly coloured eyes just stare ahead, arms flat at her sides like a soldier. And right now, that's really all she is. Genis bites his lip at the sight, turning back to Raine and Lloyd quickly does the same. It must be hard to see your friend like that.

I can't stand this. Lloyd and Genis look so ... I've honestly never seen them look so hopeless and broken. Lloyd's just relishing in the comfort of the Professor's hand on his shoulder, and Genis just looks so pale and shaken that I'm afraid he might faint at any given moment. Both of them are just staring at the floor with nothing else to really do besides stand there and hope they can come up with a solution in the next few seconds.

I hear a quick slap from my side, and turn to Sheena to see if she just clouted herself or something. Instead, there's a card hovering between her palms as she makes different hand signs. Wait ... what is she doing? Is she going to outright attack Remiel?

My head snaps in the direction of the others, and towards Remiel to see if he can see what Sheena is doi-

Shit.

'Professor, move!' I scream, and Sheena immediately sends one of her guardians hurtling in the direction of them all. The glowing arrow from Remiel's makeshift spell-bow ploughs into the guardian's chest, thankfully missing Lloyd's back where it would otherwise be planted deeply in. My heart shoots to my throat, and the blue-skinned guardian writhes in the air through the pain, letting out a screeching cry. The light from the arrow envelops it, and the shield on its back clangs to the floor noisily where Genis was standing, now sprawled in his sister's lap as Lloyd dragged him away.

The bow in Remiel's hands disappears, and the guardian still protecting the other three from harm slowly begins to crumble, turning into dust and falling to the floor as the light fades. Panting, Sheena drops the now grey card to the floor, and it does exactly the same. She shoves it away with her foot, pulling out another card.

Lloyd draws his swords without a second thought, standing before the pile of dust and shielding the others from harm. 'What ... what the hell was that!?'

The bow appears again, newly generated with an arrow between the angel's fingers. 'You know of Tethe'alla, do you not? If word was to spread too wide between both worlds, problems would occur for Cruxis.'

He arms the arrow, pointing it directly at Lloyd once more. 'By ensuring the secrets are kept, I will undoubtedly hold position for one of the Four Seraphim!'

The arrow heads for Lloyd once more with a sharp _twang_, but a quickly cast Guardian reflects it off. The arrow dissolves before it can hit the ground, but another appears in Remiel's hand.

'Why would Cruxis kill innocent people!?' Sheena demands, running to the others in case they need another guardian to do some work. 'Just what do you think you're doing!?'

'All that matters is the revival of the Goddess Martel,' Remiel sneers, arming the third arrow. 'Why should we superior beings care about filthy humans like you? Once I am of the Four Seraphim, I shall help see to it that all of your kind is eradicated!'

'So you won't be helping Tethe'alla either!' Sheena snaps, more cards in her hands. 'I knew it ...!'

Lloyd just snarls. 'You really think we're gonna let you take Colette after this!? You'll pay for this, you bastard!'

'Martel's new body will remain with Cruxis!' Remiel snaps, letting the arrow go once more. It's Genis who uses Force Field this time, and the silver arrow ricochets off the shield once more. 'We have no further use of you! You have protected the Chosen this far, and that is all we needed of you!'

Raine shoves Genis out of the way, holding her staff out horizontally and casting a rather ... big Force Field. Big is an understatement. It's giant. And Raine is glowing black. What hell?

Wait ... this is Over-limit, isn't it? This has only happened once before ... it was with Genis in the fight with Magnius. It's something to do with emotion and mana – I don't actually know that well.

'Plan,' Sheena tells us, hand gesturing rapidly in panic. 'Now!'

'Uh ...' Lloyd starts awkwardly, tearing his gaze away from Raine who is successfully holding Remiel back unless he wants to take the time to fly around or over the Force Field. 'Um ...'

'Wait ...' Genis mumbles, kendama in hand. I remind myself this kendama has _spikes_ since he gave me his almost broken one earlier. That should hurt Remiel if he can't cast spells for some reason. 'Colette isn't technically dead ... so we could still save her!'

Lloyd jumps with a squeak when a torrent of light hits the shield Raine is casting around us, but thankfully it doesn't falter. 'Explanation, stat!'

'If my theory is right, then Colette hasn't technically lost any of her senses!' Genis shouts over the strangely loud surges of power coming from the shield, as well has the crashes of attacks that Remiel is sending at it. I try to hold my hair back, because the force flying back from the wall of mana protecting us is quite powerful too. 'They've just been locked away because of the Cruxis Crystal! This all started when she got it, right? And the reason she couldn't do the journey earlier was because she didn't have it! So it must all be related to that, and now the crystal is grey!'

'What's your point!?' Lloyd shouts back, covering his ears from the loud noises.

'I mean that if her senses are locked away, then all we have to do is use the Cruxis Crystal!' Genis yells. 'If we take her to Dirk, then he might be able to do something to the Cruxis Crystal to reverse the effect!'

'And that'll get her back?' Sheena asks, wincing against the wind.

'Probably! If not, then it's worth a shot!'

'But if we do this, Sylvarant won't be regenerated!' Sheena adds. 'Are you sure you guys want that?'

'Cruxis is a lie, apparently,' Raine says, forcing the shield forward now that it's getting smaller and the dark glow around her is fading fast. 'It would be best not to trust them with her. If we could study the Cruxis Crystal more in its current state, then maybe ...'

'Okay, the Professor is on our side!' Lloyd cheers "seriously". 'Let's kick ass and get our friend back!'

'Get real!' I snap. 'All we need to do is get Colette and get out of here!'

'Wait, you're still here?' Sheena asks. 'I thought you'd left ...'

'Oh for f- this isn't the time!' I grumble. 'Look ... we just need to get Colette away from him before he can whip her up to Cruxis!'

'You're right ...' Lloyd mumbles, and it's easier to hear him now the shield around us is becoming more ... normal. 'Genis ... you're pretty small, right?'

'Hey!'

'I'm just saying! You're small and fast, so it'd be easier for you to get up there and grab her!'

Genis glares a little at the horrible, horrible truth but nods anyway. 'Yeah ...'

'So, how about this,' Lloyd starts, looking up to Remiel to see if he's listening in. 'Sheena, Charlotte and I can distract Remiel ... the Professor can keep protecting us with shields if things get too bad, and you get Colette in the middle of the battle!'

I feel like saying "wait, Colette is bent on protecting herself now she's soulless, she might rip out Genis' liver and shove it up his ass", but I don't. Not because I'm mean, but because Charis is quietly confirming that if we don't leave it too long, Colette's self-preservation tendencies won't kick in until later on. So ... as long as we can get this done in the next hour, it should go without a flaw.

Except ... y'know, it won't. Because it's me.

Finally, Raine's Force Field shatters into shards that suspend into the air and disappear. She seems to get her role in all of this, and immediately casts a small amount of mana to act as a shield around Genis from a small blow of light sent from Remiel. As long as we can keep the plan up, we might actually get out of this early ... I know I don't want to screw anything up, but I'm sure my safety means more. Selfish, but ... I'm human – I'm allowed to be selfish sometimes.

'Okay, let's do this,' I say weakly, drawing both pistols. I know I usually use one ... but I have a feeling I'm going to need to go all out for the next few battles.

Remiel just dodges my Comet Blast by drifting to one side, whipping out another arrow from the air and firing it in my direction in a second. I freeze in panic, but a hasty shield deflects it and sends it skidding along the floor before it dissolves. Raine nods towards me, and I take a deep breath and try to get my cool back. Sheena has already summoned another one of her guardians, and I _think_ this is her last one. She told us she had a few left, but I'm not sure. This one has dark red skin, and all it seems to be doing is gliding slowly from side to side behind us.

'If Raine can't shield you in time, this guy will,' Sheena says, jerking a thumb in its direction. 'It's pretty powerful defence-wise, so it can take most blows.'

Okay, the discussion plan has obviously been shoved down the crapper, because Lloyd has already dashed halfway up the left staircase and has used Demon Fang. Remiel just avoids it by floating around once again, pulling another arrow out of the air. The shield comes quickly to deflect it, and Remiel just scowls at Raine who is saving us all one at a time and rendering him useless to attack

'Don't worry, my guardian's got your back,' Sheena confirms, black cards in hand. I power up Blitz Bullet as Remiel glides up once more to avoid a carefully timed Stalagmite. Dammit, we can't keep him still ... and it must be so easy to dodge with wings. We're going to have to render his wings useless if we even want a chance of him warping anywhere or hitting him at all.

Dammit, how did we hit all those flying enemies!? Sure, most of them just tried to attack us head on, but still ... this should be no different. Except Remiel isn't retarded.

Blitz Bullet should help, and if not then maybe a cautiously aimed Shockwave will. We need to use attacks that take up a wide area so he doesn't have time to dodge. I know Genis can use Air Thrust, Stalagmite and Thunder Blade, and I know ... well, Shockwave and Blitz Bullet, so unless Sheena and Lloyd have any tricks up their sleeves, the two of us are doing all the work. And when you single out Genis to nab Colette when Remiel isn't looking, _I'm_ doing all the work.

Hopefully Lloyd can ... distract him from me trying to distract him. Dammit plan, you're weird.

Quite luckily, Lloyd seems to have drawn Remiel over to one side of the stage, and the eternal shield Raine is casting around him is working pretty well at deflecting his blows. Upfront, all Remiel seems to be doing is dragging mana from the air around him and using it to create an orb which he practically ... slaps with. That's a bit lame, but it deals a considerable amount of pain, as Lloyd seems to have lost the ability to use his right arm.

"_He's not in pain – he just can't move it_," Charis tells me as I fire Blitz Bullet. All I manage to do is catch the side of his wing, but it doesn't do much.

"_Explain_," I demand, powering up Shockwave as Genis prepares Air Thrust. Hopefully this works a little.

"_Do you remember when you guys left the Water Seal and Kratos helped you with your homework? He told you about mana points and stuff in the upper body?"_

"_... Yeah," _I say slowly, trying to remember. I think I got it ... it was something about certain points in the body that control the flow of mana?

"_All he's doing is attacking those points and disabling them,"_ she explains. "_All it's really like is really bad pins and needles, but it makes the body part uncomfortable. Lloyd can't move his arms right now because his shoulder point has been disabled, but he'll get back into once the flow starts again."_

Shit. I'll have to stay away from him, because I throw the biggest fits when I get pins and needles. If I get one in the midst of battle, I'll probably just curl up on the floor and cry.

We all need to stay away from the upper platform except for Lloyd, who is helping us get Remiel further and further away from Colette. Genis is at the top of the opposite set of stairs from Lloyd and Remiel, ready to grab their soulless friend once the angel warps somewhere.

... Okay, this is taking way too long.

Sure Remiel can dodge a few upfront attacks and drift away from long range ones, but let's see how long it takes him to get pissed off with a barrage of bullets.

I make sure I'm close to the guardian Sheena summoned so I don't get arrow'd, and immediately aim as carefully as I can so I don't hit Lloyd and let my fingers go crazy on the triggers.

Luckily, I do land a few bullets on his back before he can strike Lloyd again because Raine is looking tired after using so much mana to shield us all from danger. Remiel looks ready to just brush me off with a quick flood of light in my direction, but these bullets are doing a swell job at annoying him and stopping anything he might try to cast. Unlike real bullets, they can't hurt him properly. I'm smart enough to leave my real guns back in Hima. In my luggage. With Noishe. We'll have to ask the Renegades if we can go and pick our crap up before they, y'know, try and kill us.

Remiel finally creates a small shield for himself, and all of my bullets start rebounding and clicking against the floor. Crap. Not good.

Lloyd raises his swords to strike, but Remiel's hand just darts out and grabs Lloyd's throat to hold him in place. Apparently Remiel has an iron grip, because Lloyd immediately has to drop both swords and claw at the hand choking him.

Crap, why does Lloyd always get strangled?

'Big fat ... unison!' I shout out. 'Everyone cast some random shit!'

Apparently I get listened to a lot more when I'm yelling. Purple runes spin at Genis' feet, Raine forgets all about the shield role in all of this and starts up what looks like Photon, and Sheena fumbles through the pack strapped to her thigh, eventually pulling out a dark purple one. I don't actually know how different colour cards work, but I expect the worse when she calls her guardian over and flattens it over his beak. What, is she going to make him self-destruct or something?

'Everyone aim your spells and techs at the card!' Sheena demands loudly, gripping the top of the shield on her guardian's back and climbing up onto it. 'Don't worry about us – it should absorb everything!'

'Should?' I ask sceptically, but decide to go all out and use Mana Blast in its general direction. It doesn't take long to cast, and I'm quite surprised when the card on the guardian's beak throbs the air with power slightly before sucking in the mass of mana heading for it. Okay, I'm thoroughly confused, but the other two seem fine with it. Photon gets sucked into it, as does the giant Thunder Blade hurtling down from above.

Sheena pulls out a generic white card with one hand and curls the other around the top bar of her guardian's shield. 'Okay, go!'

The beast flattens both hands on the floor, quickly observing its target and the person being strangled by said target before forcing itself into the air. It zooms towards Remiel with the card on its beak continuing to pulse with energy, faster and faster like a time bomb about to go off.

Lloyd clocks in at the last second, and actually grabs Remiel's wrists to keep his hands at his throat so he can't fly away. Brave move – we'll have to thank him for it later.

Remiel eventually manages to shove Lloyd back at, who lands less than gracefully on his ass. Thankfully it wasn't late enough, and Sheena rams her guardian's head right into Remiel's stomach.

Oh hell yeah.

Remiel keels over, coughing up blood over the guardian's neck. Sheena keeps a firm grip on the shield, smacking her white card to the angel's shoulder before yanking up the shield sharply to compel the guardian to fly upwards. I watch it do a kind of backwards somersault in the air, wonder how the hell Sheena is still holding on when it lowers itself back to the ground beside us all, and turn back to Remiel.

Pyre Seal seems to have exploded from the card Sheena placed on Remiel's shoulder, stunning him so Lloyd can scramble away, grabbing both swords up off the floor as he goes.

Remiel stumbles to the edge, and the purple card now fixed firmly to his left rib doesn't seem to be coming off.

It _does_ explode though.

The force of Photon, Mana Blast and Thunder Blade all seem to stream out from the card in some giant blast that sends Lloyd sprawling down the rest of the stairs (there were only three, so he isn't hurt much), and Remiel is just sent reeling back off the edge of the stage. With both wings effectively _fried_ from the explosion, he plummets down below into the endless blue clouds with an angered yell of pain.

The guardian grunts softly as Sheena jumps off back to the floor, and the rest of us are just staring at the stream of feathers slowly drifting down from where Remiel was before Sheena ... well, killed him.

To be honest, that battle was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Granted, I didn't do much ... but still I thought a few of us would be knocked unconscious at this stage at least.

'Is he gone?' Genis asks, already ascending the right staircase towards Colette. 'What do we do now?'

'We get the hell out of here before he comes back,' Lloyd breathes, rubbing his bruised neck while he trudges up the other staircase. 'Or before more angels come. We've gotta take Colette to Dad to see what he can do about her Cruxis Crystal. Then we can get her back to normal.'

Raine nods, holding her staff tightly and looking back towards the warp. 'I wonder ... if it would be wise to reveal Cruxis' true nature to the priests back at Iselia.'

'Are you kidding?' I ask. 'They've spent four-thousand years believing this crap and sending people off to die – they're hardly going to accept what we tell them. Even then, they'll try to justify everything they've done.'

'That's true,' Genis says, taking Colette carefully by the wrist. It's weird to see her just drift after him lifelessly as he leads her across the stage and back to us. 'I doubt even the priests would chalk up thousands of Chosens that lost their lives to a mistake.'

Lloyd warily shuffles to the edge of the platform, looking down at where Remiel fell. He quickly pulls back with a shudder; falling down there can't be nice. 'But we can't just let Chosens sacrifice themselves after this! All this time, Remiel was just deceiving us ... we can't let other people go through this!'

'I agree,' I mumble, scratching my cheek. 'Remiel was stupid enough to reveal the truth about Cruxis in some self-righteous fit, but now we know the truth ... do you really think Cruxis would leave us alone?'

'That's a good point,' Sheena mumbles. 'Even if I went back to Tethe'alla alone, I doubt I'd be safe there ...'

'And there are churches all across Sylvarant,' Raine adds solemnly.

Lloyd stops at the edge of the stage above, wrinkling his nose uncomfortably. 'So what you're saying is that we're on the run from a worldwide religion? _Two_ worlds wide even?'

'Pretty much,' Genis says, coming to a stop beside his sister with a motionless Colette still in hand. 'Well, we got Colette back ... how do we get to Iselia from here?'

'Wait a sec ...' Lloyd mumbles, head snapping up. His eyes widen. 'Kratos ... wait, where the hell did Kratos go!?'

'Fell off his dragon?' I suggest with a shrug, and Lloyd pouts.

'That's not funny ...' he mumbles. 'Seriously ... I completely forgot about him through all of this crap, but he's disappeared ... he came here with Colette, right?'

Sheena folds her arms with an annoyed "tch". 'Well ... getting Colette here was his job, right? Maybe he just went back to Iselia to get the rest of his pay.'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'No,' he says firmly. 'Kratos wouldn't do that ...'

'That's right,' Genis admits with a nod, letting Raine take over as Colette's leader. 'He still has to give his answer to Lloyd – he wouldn't just leave without answering him.'

'Lloyd, be careful up there,' Raine snaps, changing the subject quickly. 'You could fall.'

He just toes the edge of the upper platform, and Raine rewards him with an annoyed glare. Lloyd's probably thinking about if he can jump it or not. It's not a _giant_ drop – it's probably the same height as an average room from floor to ceiling, if not a little smaller. Still, even if Lloyd fell from that without focusing, he might hurt himself.

'Yes, we wouldn't want any inferior beings to BREAK their NECKS, _would we_?'

Lloyd freezes, spinning around to the source of the voice. Raine grabs Colette, pulling her back closer to the warp in case we need to make some grand escape from the Tower of Salvation. Genis and Sheena are first to rush forwards to see what's happening, and Lloyd is already attempting to yank his swords back out of their sheaths. So this can't be too good.

There's a crackle from ahead, and just before Lloyd can get his sword even halfway out a surge of light pierces his chest. And by the looks of the way he dropped his sword and curled into himself with a startled gasp, I'm guessing it hurt. A lot.

Remiel's back.

And now he's come forward, he looks pretty pissed. His wings are singed but still working, there's a giant burn mark where the card was, his hair is a mess and his hat is ... gone.

This is judging from just the look in his eyes, but he looks desperately insane. Oh fuck, he's gonna kill us all.

'Lloyd, run!' Sheena shouts, sending a card at Remiel before he can do something to our friend writhing slowly in pain on the ledge. Remiel just whips out his bow and arrow again, firing it at the card before it hits him. Sheena has to jump out of the way before the card _and_ arrow hit her dead on, and both projectiles just explode on impact with the floor. Alright, crap.

Bow still in hand, he conjures another arrow and aims it at Lloyd's head as he begins to sit up. Sheena is already racing up the stairs, shoving Genis out of the way.

'Ha ...' Remiel pants, still holding the arrow tight. 'Haha ... did you really think ... that the ultimate being could be defeated ... with a few _card_ tricks?'

'Well if he hasn't, he will be now!' Sheena shouts, smacking another card to Remiel's back. He stumbles, and the arrow shoots off somewhere with a _twang_, embedding itself in the floor beside Lloyd's head.

'Power Seal!'

As the other two deal with that, Genis runs back over to us to hopefully convince Raine to get out of here with Colette. The Professor keeps a firm grip on Colette's arm in case Remiel warps over here to attempt to wrestle her back, slowly edging back towards the warp.

'Lloyd, just forget about him and run!' Genis shouts. 'We have to save Colette, remember!?'

Lloyd looks from Remiel to Genis, one hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword. 'But ... but he-!'

'Forget it and run!' Sheena snaps, shoving a stunned Remiel out of the way and winding an arm around Lloyd's middle, practically picking him up and jumping down off the stage. Lloyd stumbles a little and falls on his ass again, but Sheena is quick to get back over to us. My heart is throbbing in my throat again as Lloyd tries to rise dizzily to his feet, and Remiel starts to regain himself. Dammit Lloyd, hurry ...

'You,' Remiel growls, pointing to Lloyd. Blood trickles down from his hairline, and both his shoulder and side seem to slowly be dampening red. Why the hell isn't he dead yet?

I aim and shoot quickly to distract him so Lloyd can get away, but Remiel just _catches_ my bullet in his palm. He throws it to one side, hand now bleeding slightly. He conjures a final arrow, arming it on his bow and pointing towards Lloyd.

'I knew you would become a nuisance,' Remiel growls to the boy still sprawled on the floor. Dammit Lloyd, get up and _run_. 'I'll take pleasure in this!'

Raine shoves Colette to Sheena, yanking out her staff and sprinting towards her injured student. Genis lets out a panicked shout as he tries to grab her, and Sheena just clutches the soulless Chosen by her shoulders, staring after the Professor.

Remiel lets the arrow go with a rush of air, Lloyd throws his arms up in defence, Raine tries to cast something ...

... And I decide this has not gone well so far.

--

_The waiting game ... is so long ..._

_--_

I watch in horror as blood splashes noisily against the floor.

Raine stops dead in her tracks, staff still clutched firmly between her shaking fingers. Sheena and Genis pale beside me, and I honestly feel like throwing up.

Lloyd stares up from the ground wide-eyed, blood dripping down his side slowly. The arrow embedded in the floor beside his arm gradually begins to crumble into glowing dust that rises up into the air and disappears. Leaning up on his elbows, he doesn't bother to move even as more blood drips down from above.

Remiel is standing above him on the stage; his bow long disappeared in a flash of light and effectively stopping anymore attempts on our lives. Blood runs down his chin freely, and he chokes a third time. More blood splatters against the ground below and at his feet, and a considerable amount of it runs down his front and stains his burned blue robes. Lloyd continues to stare up in horror, Raine takes a step back, and us three just ... watch silently.

The sword sticking out of Remiel's chest is shoved deeper and the owner wrenches him to one side, ripping a clean cut through his chest and arm as he pulls the blade free.

With an agonized shout, Remiel collapses off the stage, clutching his bleeding body as he lands on his knees. Lloyd doesn't move – he just remains where he is, still staring up at his 'saviour'.

Dammit. It's starting.

Kratos jumps down from the stage, cloak fluttering behind him as he lands gracefully on the floor before his student and the dying angel. Bloodied sword in hand, he merely observes Lloyd on his back for a moment before turning to Remiel, who is bleeding profusely while he tries to struggle up. He chokes up more blood, and I notice Sheena wince and clutch Colette's shoulders tighter as it splatters against the floor.

'My Lord ...' Remiel rasps with a heave, blood coating his jaw. 'Pity me ... spare me, please ...'

Kratos just glares at him, and I swear to god I hear a small chuckle. 'The ultimate being would beg for his life? From a human, no less?'

I don't know what Kratos does, but Remiel's eyes turn glassy and lifeless. 'My Lord ... you are no-'

'Pathetic. Get out of my sight.'

Kratos casts something, but I don't take the time to listen to the chant. Light just envelops Remiel's bleeding body, and after a few moments of straining power, the light fades and explodes in a flurry of golden feathers. Raine watches in absolute horror, and I'm guessing she's the first to realise just who and _what_ Kratos really is.

Not Lloyd though. Never Lloyd.

'Kratos!' he exclaims quickly scrambling to his feet. 'Wh ... what was that? What did you just do!?'

The Bastard 'Mercenary' doesn't answer and just watches the feathers as one slowly disappears after another, most of them sticky and wet with blood. It's safe to assume that Remiel is finally gone and dead, seeing as Kratos pulls the strings behind this guy and can virtually chose if he lives or dies. Seeing as Remiel was stupid enough to reveal most of Cruxis' secrets to us without making sure we couldn't escape first, he's very much dead for his idiocy.

'He was ... truly pitiable,' Kratos says quietly with a glare at the remaining feathers that glow softly, sheathing his bloodied sword. 'He has been exterminated for his foolishness.'

Lloyd just breathes deeply, running a hand through his hair. 'O ... okay, I guess. But ... Kratos, where the hell have you been?'

Dammit, Lloyd. How can you not see this yet? Better yet, what about everyone else? Sheena and Genis just look thoroughly confused, and Raine is absolutely speechless.

Kratos doesn't answer Lloyd's question, looking past him and towards us. He eyes Colette who just remains unresponsive, floating silently in Sheena's grip.

'I see the Chosen has become a vessel,' he says evenly, not looking the slightest bit phased. 'Now Sylvarant will prosper.'

'You ...' Lloyd growls, striding up to Kratos. 'You knew all about this too, didn't you!? And you didn't say anything to me!'

'It was not my place to say,' Kratos tells him, staring down at him with an almost bored expression. I bite my lip tightly, watching Lloyd clench his fists in anger.

'But ... you trained me!' Lloyd shouts in frustration, grabbing Kratos' shirt. Yeah Lloyd, you're not to threatening to someone about a foot taller than you. 'You helped me to become stronger so I could protect everyone! And now ... I couldn't even protect Colette from this whole thing! I couldn't even think straight!'

Kratos just watches as Lloyd thuds him weakly with the side of his fist. 'I ... I couldn't protect her ...'

Raine drops her staff to the floor when Lloyd clutches Kratos' shirt feebly, burying his face into his chest. 'I couldn't do _anything_ ... nothing you taught me came through ... and I couldn't remember anything ... I had to watch as Remiel turned her into that soulless vessel ...'

Kratos flattens a hand between Lloyd's shoulder blades to calm him down, and the pointless babbling eventually stops and the grip in his shirt weakens. Raine is still staring, probably looking for the right words at this point. Genis, almost as smart as his sister, is starting to pick up that there's something just not right about Kratos suddenly talking down to Remiel and killing him via feathers.

Lloyd is currently trying to drown out his frustration in a wussy attempt to apparently claw off Kratos' shirt, but thankfully he's just standing there with his shoulders hunched, waiting for Kratos to say something along the lines of "yeah you suck ass at not being able to protect your friends, you eejit" or "hell no, you just lucked out, better luck next time".

He just looks up from Lloyd to the rest of us. 'The final seal is not yet broken. When the Chosen is brought to Derris-Kharlan, only then will the regeneration be complete.'

'So there's still time to save her?' Sheena asks. Kratos shakes his head.

'No. Now that she is here, we will summon her to Derris-Kharlan to complete her task.'

... There it is.

Lloyd doesn't move, forehead still pressed against Kratos' breastbone. Genis and Sheena finally catch on with Raine and stare at the two, looking utterly dumbstruck. I can't speak for them, but after all that's happened since this journey began ... it must be a lot to take in, especially after what just happened to Colette and now discovering Kratos is practically behind it all.

Lloyd ... still doesn't move.

'... We?' Genis asks quietly, glaring. Sheena just holds Colette tighter, slowly pulling her further back.

Dammit I can't _breathe_.

'Lloyd,' Raine says thickly. 'Get away from him.'

Still, Lloyd doesn't budge. Kratos' hand drops from his back, and he just lets Lloyd stand before him while his mind tries to process this through all of the trust he had for him. Without taking her eyes off the two, Raine slowly leans down and picks up her staff. She points it toward Kratos threateningly, making sure that Colette and Genis are out of his reach should he decide to retaliate and kill us all.

This is really happening.

I couldn't stop it.

He's really betraying us.

'All this time,' Raine hisses coldly, hands shaking. 'You've been watching us from behind the scenes. You've been guiding us all blindly and wrapping Lloyd around your little finger for your own amusement.'

'Save for the ill-phrased explanation,' Kratos retorts calmly. 'I was sent to lead and watch over the Chosen so no harm would befall her on her journey. Anything besides from my duties could merely be passed off as an act – I won't deny that much.'

Sheena grits her teeth. 'A ... an act?'

He just nods, interest apparently lost for the teenager latched to his front who still remains as unresponsive as Colette. 'There was no need for me to overplay my part as her protector and reveal myself. As it is, remaining quiet about it seems to have been the best choice.'

'The be ...' Sheena trails off, staring at Lloyd. 'You ... just who the hell do you think you are!?'

Sheena immediately falls silent, and any attempts at shouting from anyone else just fall dry when Lloyd pulls himself away a little, hands still clenched into Kratos' shirt. Kratos glances down, waiting for his say in this before continuing. Genis and Raine look absolutely livid at what Kratos might have caused to go through Lloyd's head right now, and to be honest ... I'm pissed off myself. After all the things that happened between them, _this_ is still the outcome.

Lloyd finally just shakes his head. '... It's just a joke, right? This ... it's just a big joke ...'

Raine clutches her staff tighter, taking a step forward. Lloyd looks up to his 'teacher'.

'Kratos ...?'

'... Who _are_ you?'

I can only watch as stray blue feathers fade in out of nowhere. The first one drifts past Raine, who just pulls back her staff now her question is answered. A second glides past my face, disappearing before it hits the floor. Soon, tens are just fluttering down from the sky. A torrent of glowing feathers stream up from a circle of light around Kratos' feet, enveloping both him and Lloyd in a strong light while the other can only watch in despair.

I just stare, and for some reason unlike at the Asgard ranch, I actually feel utterly horrified when long blue wings uncurl slowly out of Kratos' back. Like before, they're a lot bigger and majestic than Colette's wings which I've grown accustomed to seeing. Kratos' feathers are thinner and longer with more colour and glow to them.

Such can be expected from a seraph, after all.

The feathers stop suspended in mid air once Kratos' wings are finally still, and then they begin to glide slowly to the floor. I drop both guns with a clatter, effectively breaking any silence save for the calm sound of mana pulsing around Kratos, which sounds oddly like soft chiming.

Lloyd just shakes his head slowly once again, obviously refusing to believe what is standing right in front of him. His reliability and trust for Kratos is just crashing down in his mind and shaking him to his core.

I can't look away. I want to, but I can't. Everything that Kratos has ever said to Lloyd is probably running through his head a mile a minute right now. I can just remember everything – all the forced piggy-backs and tickles tipped off by Genis, all the training sessions that always ended up with Lloyd on his back in the dirt or somewhere in a bush, all the times Lloyd stayed up when it was Kratos' night watch and talked for hours about his life back at Iselia, only to pout in annoyance when Kratos wouldn't share anything back ... when Kratos promised he'd train him in Izoold, when he took him to get a injection in Palmacosta and Lloyd tried to crush his hand, when he protected him from the Leviathan in the Water Seal, when they fought about Kratos 'son' in Asgard, when he helped him handle his problems countless times in Luin, all those stupid hugs and talks and affectionate ruffles of hair, all those words and all the times Kratos _smiled_ ...

... And now this.

Lloyd attempts to step back. He just collapses heavily to his knees.

'I am of Cruxis,' Kratos says coldly, ignoring Lloyd and looking out to the rest of us. 'One of the Four Seraphim sent to guide the Chosen.'

Lloyd has his answer now.

He isn't happy about it.

'Wings ...' Genis whispers, glaring ahead at Kratos. 'They're just like Colette's!'

Sheena holds her cards firmly just in case, hands shaking with rage. 'You were deceiving us all along! You were just pulling us along like dogs and laughing behind our backs! You ...!'

'Regardless of what happens beyond this point,' Kratos interrupts, bitter voice echoing throughout the whole area. 'Once the Chosen has completed her purpose and become one with Martel, the world will surely reach prosperity. A mistaken identity is hardly accountable for 'deceiving' when the result is what you have all strived for on this journey, as well as the Chosen herself.'

Raine just points to Lloyd, still on his knees and staring at the floor. 'You look my student in the eyes ... and you tell him your 'mistaken identity' isn't accountable for what he's feeling now.'

Kratos just glances down at Lloyd, folding his arms. 'I would hardly think so. Lloyd's aim – as well as your own – was to bring the Chosen to the Tower of Salvation and have her complete the regeneration. I have merely aided you from behind the scenes as a constituent of Cruxis itself.'

He narrows his eyes in Raine's direction. 'You fail to realise we have been doing the exact same thing since the journey began.'

'_I ..._' Raine starts lividly, trying to keep herself calm, '... don't recall hiding behind the facade of a common thug and stringing along an innocent boy who only wishes to become stronger ... with vague promises of spending the next few years training him.'

'Perhaps not,' Kratos answers. 'Yet I was willing to use any essential resources to enforce my identity as a simple mercenary.'

Genis snaps. 'Don't you DARE call Lloyd a resource! He trusted you! He wanted to _LIVE_ with you!'

'And now you just turn around and throw it back in his face!' Sheena adds furiously. 'Just what kind of sick, twisted person are you!?'

'I am one of the four who lead Cruxis,' Kratos answers simply. 'That is all you need to know.'

I quickly realise that I haven't said anything for a long, long while. I don't think anyone has heard my voice since Remiel fell off the platform. I really don't have a lot to say; I've always hated Kratos, and nothing will change now that he's betrayed everyone. I just hate him a whole lot more.

'How sad,' Raine snaps, knuckles white. 'That someone of such a high status can take the time to simply toy with the mind of a "_lowly, human"_ boy. And you call yourself an angel – a guidance for this world. How privileged Lloyd must feel.'

'The Chosen belongs to Cruxis now,' Kratos says sharply, taking a step forward past Lloyd and leaving him on his knees, hands clenched and shaking on the floor. 'She will be reborn as Martel, and the world will nourish. Tethe'alla will fall into decline, and the pattern will repeat itself.'

Raine holds her ground as Kratos comes closer, clutching her staff and getting ready to smack him one if he comes any closer to us four behind her.

'There is nothing you can do to stop it.'

Steel rings throughout everyone's ears as Kratos draws his blade, still coated in Remiel's blood.

'But I assure you, I will not be holding anything back if you wish to fight. Now move.'

Raine's grip tightens, and she takes a deep breath as Kratos stops before her, still remaining where she is despite his warnings. Kratos just observes her courage with boredom, waiting for her to give in. 'Did I not make myself clear?'

'I won't hesitate to fight you,' Raine says darkly. 'But you will answer me one question.'

Kratos just waits, and Genis is already fumbling for his kendama while Sheena remains infront of Colette to protect her from Kratos. If needed, she could run away with her and wait for us to follow, seeing as she's probably the fastest in the group.

'Do you not feel a hint of remorse at all?' Raine demands, glaring. 'All these months, have you felt nothing for any of us and the trials we have suffered together? You yourself have had your own dosage of pain on this journey that you have shared with Lloyd.'

She grits her teeth. 'Have you truly felt nothing in your time with Lloyd? Have you not suffered your own share of pain with him?'

'Move,' Kratos snaps icily. 'Or I will move you myself.'

'No you won't.'

Everyone shuts up when Lloyd finally speaks. I gotta admit, he scared me a little with that. He hasn't spoken properly for a while; most of it has just been hopeful rambling before shutting up and accepting that Kratos is actually a bigger douchebag than he lets on.

Strangely enough, Lloyd's sudden switch in attitude stops Kratos from killing his teacher in an attempt to get this over with, and he turns his head slightly. Just enough to see what Lloyd is doing, but also so he can keep an eye on us should we decide to run away with Colette.

Shoulders still hunched tightly, Lloyd slowly rises to his feet with one hand flattened on his thigh to support him. He stumbles a little, hand hovering over his leg before straightening up after a pause. I quickly take notice of how dark Lloyd's right trouser leg looks and see that he's been injured and is bleeding pretty badly. Dammit ... he can't fight like this.

Genis takes a few hurried steps forward, but I grab his arm tightly to stop him.

Lloyd finally turns, and it takes him a few moments to draw a single blade. He looks up, glaring at Kratos' back furiously.

I bite my lip harder when I notice the glint of tear-streaks down his face, and he clearly refuses to let anymore fall.

'You've taken away two of my friends,' Lloyd whispers, voice cracking dangerously. 'You're not taking my teacher too.'

Two? Colette ... and wh – oh ... wait. Kratos too. Dammit.

'Hmph,' Kratos grunts simply, waving a hand in our direction before walking towards Lloyd. Raine tries to run after him before he can harm her student, but something rather big, solid and transparent stops her.

Oh crap. Kratos created a Guardian wall to stop us.

Sheena takes a few hurried steps back with Colette, but another wall just behind her has been erected too. We're trapped. We're actually _trapped_ here, and we couldn't escape if we wanted to.

... Okay, I'm a lot more scared now.

'You know you will be defeated if you fight me,' Kratos says simply, adjusting his glove. Lloyd just glares up at him, holding his sword firmly. 'And you still wish to fight?'

'I want the world to be revitalized,' Lloyd attempts, voice uneven and shaky. 'I want everyone to live freely without having to fear the Desians and lie awake in bed every night in horror. I want that more than anything.'

His jaw tightens, drawing his second sword. 'But Colette spent her whole life trying to make us happy. She deserves to live in that world too. So I'm not letting you take her to Kerris-Dharlan or whatever.'

'If the Chosen does not complete the regeneration, there will be no flourishing world to live in.'

'We'll find another way.'

'There is no alternative.'

'Then we'll find one,' Lloyd retorts, readying his blades. 'And until then, I'm not letting you or anyone else in Cruxis ruin anymore lives.'

'You are the one who chose to trust me,' Kratos says quietly, and _that_ ... that makes Lloyd's sanity finally snap.

We can only watch from behind the wall as Lloyd throws his whole weight into the blow he sends with his blades to Kratos, trying to force him down. Kratos just shoves him off easily, and Lloyd stumbles back.

'Using too much energy in the beginning of a fight can render you useless later on,' Kratos tells him, landing a heavy blow speedily blocked by Lloyd's swords. 'Even now, you would do well to remember all I have taught you.'

I grimace at the sick irony of taking into account everything someone has educated you while you try to kill the very same person. Lloyd just breathes heavily, clenching his teeth.

'Taking too long to clear your mind when your enemy will not wait is also a mistake,' Kratos explains when the second blow almost hits Lloyd's shoulder dead on. Lloyd manages to catch the blade on his own and shoves it back, wincing at the sparks flying through the friction. 'Find a pace that isn't too predictable and allow your mind to clear while you let your body do the work.'

Lloyd grits his teeth harder, growling. 'Wh ... why the hell are you helping me!?'

He has to dodge the third blow while he lets his mind stray, darting to one side with a startled gasp. Kratos forces his blade to the side from the miss, and Lloyd is quick to deflect his blow once more.

'Why not?' Kratos answers with the faintest hint of a smirk. 'I believe this could be our last time fighting. I wouldn't mind a bit of a challenge.'

'I'll give you a damn challenge,' Lloyd grumbles, slamming both swords to the floor. 'Demon Fang!'

The crackle of energy thunders across the floor towards Kratos, and he merely glides up off the ground with his wings to avoid it. Dammit ... Lloyd is going to find this incredibly hard if Kratos starts using the same tactics as Remiel. Maybe if he could catch Kratos off guard, then the wall stopping us from helping him would shatter and we could probably win this thing. Then again, it _is_ Kratos and I doubt he'd pass up the opportunity to kill me off once and for all.

Raine has stopped thudding the invisible wall with her fists and has taken to thwacking it with her staff. Yeah, not gonna work Professor. Nice try though.

Lloyd is landing blow after blow upon Kratos and a frustrated rage, and each one is being easily deflected. It's not hard to see that the swings Lloyd is taking now are considerably lighter than before, and faster too. Kratos isn't exactly having a hard time keeping up with Lloyd to parry each hit, but it _is_ stopping him from getting in any attack of his own. Right now Lloyd just needs to wait for the right time to make his attack so he can get some leverage in this fight. All he's doing now is wearing himself out, and Kratos knows it too.

Finally, there's a burst of orange light when Lloyd uses Tiger Blade to knock Kratos back and hopefully stun him. Instead, Kratos avoids it by taking a swift step to Lloyd's side, spinning on his heel and landing a heavy strike to Lloyd's back. It cuts past the thin material of his jacket and into his flesh.

Lloyd thumps to his knees in shock from the sudden blow with a gasp of pain. Raine is bashing the wall harder now in an attempt to get to Lloyd and heal him up before he's killed.

'Dammit ...!' Lloyd hisses, setting one foot firmly on the floor and twisting through the air between him and Kratos, throwing his full weight once again into his attack. Kratos finally seems caught off by the sudden heaviness of the hit besides the previous ones, and a horrendous shattering sound immediately fills the air.

Raine stumbles forward, managing to catch herself before she hits the floor. The shield is gone.

Genis is once again the first to act with white runes immediately flying around his feet while the Professor and I rush in to help our injured friend. Sheena remains back with Colette, looking from the fight to the seal. I'll assume she's staying to make sure we're all okay, and I have to hurriedly side step away from the path Genis' spell should take. Kratos is managing to keep up his defences again now that Lloyd has gone back to mindless hacking at the steel of the angel's blade.

Raine joins me on this side of the platform, pointing her staff at Lloyd. A soft green glow shoots over his back to heal the worst wound for now.

Kratos takes quick notice as Genis finishes his spell, and a stream of icicles thunder up from the ground with horrendous crashes in his direction. He glares, forcing Lloyd back quickly and taking flight to avoid the attack that just misses his knees. Lloyd lands flat on his back, eyes screwed shut in pain as he lets out a hissed swear. Raine's First Aid probably hasn't kicked in properly, and the wound must be a killer.

Lloyd gasps for air, forcing himself back up before Kratos can get to the floor and once more claim the control in this fight. While Lloyd does that, I scan the area above for our Bastard Mercen – Seraph, even.

I quickly spot him near one of the pillars, aim before he can fly off, and send a barrage of Fire Shots his way. Annoyingly enough, he's quick to avoid and lets them explode in small bursts against the pillar he was drifting by.

Kratos glares at me, and ... there's just something different about it this time around. It definitely isn't like all the previous times he's given me angry looks during the journey, but there's a big distinction for his suddenly more deadly look this time around.

He's _allowed_ to hurt me.

'Grave!'

... Okay, I know what Grave is.

'Dear god, RUN!' I shriek to the Professor, already darting off in one direction. She picks up quickly and takes the other way, and I swear to god she's almost caught in it. The ground below where we were standing grinds around itself in a circle, and a sharp pillar of grey stone bursts out of the ground with a deafeningly crack. It doesn't stop there – even more shoot up and pierce the empty air before slowly crunching in on themselves and crumbling into rubble. The Professor and I watch with horror as the rubble turns into dirt, slowly fading away.

A pained yell draws my attention away from the scene where both Raine and I could have been killed, and Raine gasps in shock as Lloyd is sent skidding back a good ten meters or so from Kratos. I dunno what he did, but lightning is crackling in his palm and snaking around his fingers. It slowly flickers away, and Lloyd lies sprawled on his back with one hand clutching his singed and bleeding chest, rasping for air once again. There's blood trickling through his fingers and down his face, and I honestly don't know what to do.

Genis deserts his spell, practically barking at Sheena to stay back and protect Colette when she tries to rush forward herself. Genis gets to Lloyd's side quickly, helping him to sit up.

'Lloyd ...!' he breathes, kendama some five feet away. He must have dropped it while running over. 'Lloyd, are you okay!?'

'Can't breathe ...' Lloyd chokes, trying to heave a couple of heavy breaths. 'Ack ...'

Kratos sheathes his sword, staring all of us down. Either he's admitting defeat, or ...

Oh ... oh shit.

I'm already fumbling through my bag for the vials.

'This is becoming tedious and inane,' he grunts, and the circular rune glowing white is appearing slowly. I remember it vividly, just how I saw it back at the Asgard ranch. There's just one difference.

The rune is high above us.

My hands are shaking as I fish through my bag. Dammit, where the hell are those vials!? I have to stop him ... I have to distract him – I have to do something before he kills us all! _Dammit!_

'Fuck,' I whisper breathlessly, hand still rooting blindly through my things. I look from Kratos to the warp – Sheena's left Colette beside it and has joined Genis to help Lloyd get up before Kratos can finish the spell – and I think on my chances. I could run. I could just get out of here, but I doubt I could live with myself in this world if the others were to die here. Dammit ... what do I do!?

... Well, I do something. And it's probably the stupidest thing I've ever done.

I shove past Raine and start sprinting as fast as I can towards Kratos.

Raine shouts out my name, and I just shove both guns into their holsters. Gotta stop Kratos, gotta stop him fast. Gotta stop him before we all die. I don't know why Charis chooses now to tell me that the vials are in my other satchel, but fuck it, I'm running now.

About two yards away from my target, I learn that Kratos is probably the only person in the two worlds who can fit in a quick spell of Lightning as he casts Judgement.

The spell crashes down to the floor infront of me, and I fall back with a startled shriek. Okay, that plan sucked. We're all going to die.

I can only watch as I lay frozen with fear on my back, staring up at the runes above glowing bright and ready. Raine is already beside the other three, Sheena's fumbling for her guardian's card, Lloyd is human-shielding Genis ...

And we're all officially screwed.

'_Judgement!'_

I can't even think as the pillars of light begin to rain down towards us.

--

'_Hey ...' Lloyd mumbles after a while of silence, trying to catch Kratos' attention properly. 'How about you don't train me today?'_

_Kratos raises his head a little, the look in his eyes demanding some kind of explanation. Lloyd just gives him a kind of worried, half-hearted grin._

'_How about,' he starts, drumming his fingers on the smooth hilt of his blade. 'We fight properly.'_

_He draws one sword. 'If you win, you choose if I come with you or not.'_

_And the second one. 'If I win ... I pick.'_

_Kratos obverses him for a second, honestly looking a little taken aback. Lloyd tries to muster a determined look, but it just cracks and fails when Kratos straightens up with what can only be explained as a very creepy chuckle._

'_You know you will lose.'_

--

I can't feel anything.

I can't feel my legs, my arms ... nothing. Everything just feels an incredible kind of pain like nothing I've ever experienced.

I don't know if I've been drifting in and out of consciousness, but my mind just goes blank every few moments from the terrible ache in all of my limbs. My vision keeps slipping in and out of blurry and plain white while I lie on my front, trying to pinpoint the basic things for as long as I can keep my eyes open.

... Still in the Tower of Salvation. Colette's still soulless ... Kratos hasn't taken her back yet ... everyone is on the floor ... don't know if anyone is dead ...

I've tried to move. My limbs are just heavy and numb, and they aren't responding to anything my brain tells them to do.

How long have I been lying here? Kratos is still standing there, watching all of us for signs of life. What if he's killed someone? Has Yggdrasill already been while I've slipping into unconsciousness? Dammit ... I need to wake up and find out what's happening. I need to get up ... I need to get out before _he_ comes ...

Charlotte, _get up _... you need to get out ...

Someone's moving ... someone in the group of people I can't name. It's a guy. Brown hair ... it's –

... Lloyd. Dammit, he's gonna get himself killed. I have to heal myself. I have to cast First Aid or something. We have to escape before he gets here and kills us for interfering.

Everything is going right. _Why_ is that not a good thing?

"_You're just thinking that because you're in pain,"_ comes the voice from inside my head. "_You need to escape with Colette and you'll meet up with the Renegades outside if you're fast enough."_

Thankfully the speech directed at me seems to force my mind into focus, and I begin to calm down a little. Charis is right, but I also need to find a way to get everyone up and healed in the next minute or two so we can just run away. We're going to need to hold off Kratos too, because he'll undoubtedly be coming after us. If we can get far enough, the Renegades can hold them off. Botta is pretty strong. Okay, Kratos kicked his ass, but whatever.

First Aid ... gotta use First Aid ... dammit, how do I cast spells again?

Alright, I'll start with ... my chest. I can draw my hand closer without catching Kratos' attention, and I just need something to practice on. I haven't healed anything in a very long time, and to be honest I absolutely suck at it.

As I start casting, I notice Kratos has his attention fixed firmly on Lloyd who is still trying to move. I see he's managed to get shakily to his elbows and is trying to force his legs to start working and respond. The others just lay motionlessly around him.

I keep healing myself as I watch the others, keeping an eye on Kratos too in case he starts killing when he sees we're still alive. Lloyd is still trying his best to fight the pain and get up. I have to squint when my vision starts fading into white again, and I manage to hold it off. Lloyd slowly reaches for a sword, hand shaking hard, and grabs it. I hope he's not planning to continue fighting, because when you compare a big bad seraph to a group that's half dead, we're not going to have a chance in hell.

Lloyd uses his sword as a leverage to help pull himself up, and he manages to drag himself to his knees. He grits his teeth hard through the pain, and I try to quicken my healing. I can't cast First Aid on him from here; it wouldn't reach in this state, and I'd probably miss.

Still using his sword, Lloyd tries to pull himself unsteadily to his feet. His whole body is shaking in strain, and I honestly don't think he'll be able to stay upright even if he does get up properly. Kratos is still just watching lazily for Lloyd to do something.

Raine's fingers curl tighter around her staff. Alright, we're actually getting somewhere. Now if Kratos is nice enough _not_ to finish us all off while we're still down, we might get through this.

Lloyd is finally on his feet. His movements are sluggish and dizzy, but at least he's trying. With blood trickling down his face and neck and all through the rips in his clothes, he takes an unsteady step forward.

He coughs, shoving his sword into the floor to keep himself up as more blood trickles down out of the corner of his mouth. Kratos still just watches, arms folded over his chest.

Lloyd pants, one hand flattened over a wound on his chest while the other still grips his sword. He takes a second step, and his movements are becoming more unstable.

'Kra ... tos ...' he chokes, hand tightening around his sword. Surely he isn't going to try and fight again.

'I will give you a final chance,' Kratos says simply. 'Leave this place, and the Chosen will remain here.'

Lloyd just breathes hard, hands shaking. 'Kratos ...'

He looks up, fresh tear streaks down his face. I don't blame him; in his eyes, everything is going to horribly wrong. He's let his friend become soulless, he's lost Kratos ... and now all there is infront of him is a seraph of Cruxis, a man he doesn't know at all. The Kratos _he_ wants is gone, and unlike what he believes with Colette ...

He can't get him back.

There's a clang as Lloyd's sword falls to the floor, and I look up at him. He's shaking so hard.

'Kratos ...' he breathes. 'Tell me ... this is all a lie ...'

Kratos just watches him.

'Tell me everything ... will be okay ...' Lloyd whispers, trying not to fall to his knees. 'Tell me we can get Colette back ... that you'll come back with us ... that this is all just a stupid dream ...'

Kratos drops his arms to his sides, drawing his sword. 'I'm disappointed.'

Lloyd grits his teeth. 'So am I.'

With what honestly looks like the last of his energy, Lloyd grabs his sword from the floor, rushes forward to Kratos and attacks the best he can. I watch him bring down his sword, and in a flash Kratos just cuts through the air.

Raine immediately pulls herself away before Lloyd's blade impales itself were she was lying.

I finally struggle to my elbows with a gasp of pain, leaning up and trying to see through the immediate rush of colour infront of my eyes. After a moment, things become clearer.

Kratos lowers his arm again, and the tip of his sword screeches as it scrapes against the floor. Lloyd is lying a few feet away on his side, staring straight ahead. I try to make eye-contact with him, but he just continues to watch the blue clouds around us spin and pass by. Maybe he's not even focusing at all – either way, we need to get him out of here so he can ... well, cry about it and then kick some ass.

Raine is already struggling to her feet, her hand pressed to her stomach as she casts a long drawn out First Aid. Hers are a lot more powerful, so it's no surprise she's up so quickly. Kratos doesn't do anything to stop her; he just continues to watch Lloyd as she casts what looks like Nurse.

Thankfully the scantily clad nurses don't come out of nowhere and start healing us in a comical manner – there's just a soft white glow beneath all of us that spreads to our wounds. Most of the light below me goes to my left side, which I quickly realise has been bleeding quite badly. Well, it isn't anymore ... and I feel a lot better thanks to that.

Genis and Sheena have started coming around, clutching their most painful wounds as they try to move. Kratos still doesn't try to attack us, and just keeps watching even as the light around Lloyd fades. Even if he _is_ properly healed now, he still isn't moving.

I manage to get slowly to my feet after a bit of struggle, feeling the satchel on my other hip to see if any of the vials have shattered. No, they're still there. If Kratos uses Judgement again or even if _he_ comes and starts using it, at least I have a distraction so we can all escape.

Raine is helping Genis up and casting more First Aid spells on Sheena and him. Sheena is quick to get back to Colette before Kratos can take her away.

Jesus ow. My head is spinning. I cast a final small First Aid on myself, staggering a little on the spot. Dammit, what do I do now? Go to the others? Help Lloyd? Escape? Throw a vial at Kratos anyway? I don't know ...

I just kind of sway on the spot, unsure of what's going on exactly.

Lloyd has started to pull himself up when he realises Kratos taking a few slow steps towards him, sword in hand. Lloyd's own weapons are still over by Raine and Genis, and both of them are looking extremely tired right now. Genis is still in pain; his right arm is bleeding pretty badly, and Raine is worn out from all the sudden healing.

'Kratos ...' Lloyd tries again, managing to get to his knees before he has to stop completely, jaw tightening in pain. 'Why are you doing this ...?'

Kratos doesn't answer. He just stops before Lloyd, and there's a soft _swish_ as he raises his blade over his head.

Lloyd just stares up at him, hurt in more ways than one, and looking absolutely broken. 'Answer me, Kratos ...!'

The seraph just stares him down, and Lloyd waits for the final blow. Kratos' hand is shaking. Dammit, please say he doesn't go through with this. Please ...

There's a sharp clatter as Kratos' sword hits the ground beside him.

--

'_I'm scared.'_

_... Yeah, that shut him up. He doesn't answer for a few long moments, and I pull my knees up to my chest. I don't know why, but it suddenly got a lot colder._

_There's a soft shuffle beside me when Lloyd moves to sit up properly on the beam. '... You're scared?'_

_I nod._

'_... Why?'_

--

'I guess not even you could bring yourself to fight against such an opponent.'

I can only stare up into the light above, eyes wide and tearing. Yes, I'm _that_ scared.

Lloyd has managed to shove himself to his feet now that Kratos has deserted his plans to kill him. Kratos himself is on one knee, bowed before the figureless light upon the stage pulsing with power. Everyone shields their eyes as the glow swirls into itself, shaking the whole platform. I just watch through my hair as it billows around me from the force of magic letting itself free from above us all.

Kratos bows his head further, gritting his teeth. Lloyd isn't bothering to try and attack – he's just shielding himself from this unknown visitor, arms thrown up in sudden panic.

... _He's_ here.

He's really here.

The ball of light implodes, illuminating the whole area. My blood runs cold as it begins to fade. My hands are shaking. My insides are like ice. My eyes are so wide it hurts. My heart is hammering hard in my throat.

... I can't ... breathe.

Pain shoots through my thighs when I thud suddenly to my knees. Everyone lowers their arms, staring up at the newcomer floating above us at the edge of the stage, wings unfurled in a light rose glow. Sheena says something about too many angels, but I don't acknowledge or answer to it. Genis adds a comment, but I don't hear his words. Lloyd looks to Kratos on his knees, and back up to the man above.

Kratos said he was one of the four who led Cruxis. If he's bowing before this man, then it must be clear to everyone just who he is exactly.

Blond hair spills down his back and covers his narrow eyes as he watches Kratos. His white suit is draped tightly over well toned muscles in his arms and legs, and its gold lining comes to frame the dark green Cruxis Crystal in the centre of his breastbone.

His cold eyes scan everyone in the room, lingering a little longer than they should on Lloyd. He smirks before moving on, and any colour that might have remained in my face pales into white when his eyes meet mine.

... It's really him.

'Lord Yggdrasill.'

He's really here.

Charis cuts me off before I can even start begging her to send me home right this second.

Lloyd jumps when Kratos straightens up, vanishing from infront of him with a quick zipping sound. He appears once more at Yggdrasill's side, hand on the hilt of his blade and ready for his next command. Yggdrasill just smirks when he spots Martel's new body on the other side of the room, blond hair flurrying out softly behind him as his wings flutter. I don't know why I take the time to realise that they're a lot bigger than Kratos, but they are. They're wider and longer than his whole body, and by the looks of it, Yggdrasill is taller than Kratos.

His sharp azure eyes land on Lloyd once more, and he looks sickly amused at the amount of blood and cuts littering his body. It's obvious to me that he knows about him and Kratos, and the fact that he made Kratos fight him ... it just makes me sick. I'd be angrier if I weren't so terrified.

I never ... want to look him in the eye again. I feel like I just _died_.

'You are Lloyd,' Yggdrasill says, voice deep and demanding as he watches the teenager clutch his injured left arm. 'Are you not?'

Blood still trickling down his chin, Lloyd holds his ground ... and tries not to collapse. 'Give me your name, and I'll give you mine.'

Yggdrasill's eyes narrow, but he responds with a short laugh. My breath catches itself short and I try my best to tear my eyes away from the man above us. I don't like this ... this all feels wrong. Something bad will happen if we stay.

'I am not required to introduce myself to such a lowly _dog_,' Yggdrasill drawls, taking pleasure in Lloyd's infuriated reaction. He clenches his fists, wincing slightly at the pain in his arms. 'And I believe _I_ asked first.'

Yggdrasill sneers. 'Common courtesy has been long lost amongst humans, I see. How sad.'

'Fine,' Lloyd growls. 'Who are you, and why should I care?'

The corner of Yggdrasill's mouth twitches, and he reaches out to the air before him. With his palm facing Lloyd, he whispers something under his breath that even Kratos probably couldn't hear. I can only see his lower lip tighten into a smirk, and his outstretches hand clenches tightly.

I have no idea what Yggdrasill is capable of, but Lloyd just crashed to the floor with a shriek of pain.

'I ...' he starts, twisting his fingers tighter into his palm and watching Lloyd coil into himself, gasping desperately for air. '... Am Yggdrasill.'

Raine's eyes widen, and the similarities of the name immediately swim to her mind.

'Leader of Cruxis,' he continues, raising his hand a little. I watch in horror as Lloyd's limp body is picked up off the floor by an unseen force, and with a casual wave of the hand, he throws him to the others. Raine catches him by his shoulders, stumbling slightly and helping him up.

'_And_ ...' he hisses, lowering his hand to his side. 'The Desians.'

Genis and Sheena take the job of being shocked while Raine heals up Lloyd _fast_. Sheena's first to find her tongue, and tries to think up a suitable answer.

'Wh ... what!?'

Great skills there, Sheena.

'We have no time for this!' Raine snaps finally, glaring up at Yggdrasill. 'If we stay here any longer we'll all be killed.'

Genis looks between the two upon the platform and to his sister. 'But ... Colette-'

'We'll take Colette with us!' she explains quickly, forcing Lloyd to his feet. 'We have to get out of here now!'

Yggdrasill snorts as Sheena races towards Colette again to keep her safe. 'I won't allow it.'

It becomes suddenly very noticeable that I'm the closest to the stage. Okay Charlie, run fast before he hurts you. Thankfully (kinda), Yggdrasill takes the easier option to getting what he wants and sends a ball of light swimming in Lloyd's direction.

Everyone remember Sheena's guardian? He's back. Damn I love that thing.

The thin red body twists into the spell's path, taking the hit. Sheena was right when she said it was defence-powerful; all it's done is make a pissed off squawking sound as the light fades. The shield on its back shatters from the spell's power, but that's virtually the worst of it.

'He'll distract him!' Sheena snaps, slamming the card she's using to control it onto the floor. 'Let's escape while we can!'

I'm already running over to avoid anything Yggdrasill might send my way, and the guardian takes a few hits for me. It isn't going down easily, but it is getting kinda beat up. Yggdrasill isn't too happy with our giant meat-shield and scowls in its direction.

My heart plummets down from my throat into the pit of my stomach when a blur of purple shoots past us all, cutting the guardian clean in half.

Its lower body and a clawed hand thud to the floor, and its upper body writhes through the air with a piercing shriek. Sheena and Genis are already running to the warp while the guardian distracts Yggdrasill, exploding into dust infront of everyone to block us from sight as we make our escape.

I don't get too far.

No, Yggdrasill didn't catch me or anything. I didn't get hit by a spell, Yggdrasill didn't use his freaky hand-movement thing on me, Kratos hasn't raced over and started hacking away at me. Nothing like that.

I slowly come to a stop before the glass pathway, looking over my shoulder. Lloyd races past me, skidding to a halt when he notices that I've stopped running.

... It's there.

The blur of purple stops before Yggdrasill, floating over the glass disk.

The Eternal Sword.

... Goddammit, what am I _doing_?

'Charlotte, run!' Lloyd snaps desperately, and everyone's stopped at the warp to see what the holdup is. 'What are you waiting for ...!?'

Even Charis is screaming at me now. Behind me, everyone is at the warp ready to escape, and when we do we'll find the Renegades outside. Then we'll go to Tethe'alla, we'll meet everyone, we'll journey, defeat Cruxis, grow the Giant Tree and I'll go home.

And infront of me ... it's just home.

No more being scared. No more fighting for my life. No more trying to forge new friendships against my will. No more waiting ...

Just home. Home, family, friends, school, life. Everything I've ever wanted. Everything I took for granted.

It's right there.

'Charlotte ...!' Lloyd shouts, and his voice just drifts past my ear. Oh god ... oh god, what do I do?

I look back at him and everyone else. They're all just staring at me. If I leave ... will they carry on? Will this whole world just stop? It's just ... a game, right?

What do I do? Do I run? Run and desert everything I've strived for here? Or ...

Dammit ... _DAMMIT_!

'_Charlotte!'_

I look back to Lloyd again. Back to all my friends. Away from the sword, away from Kratos, away from Yggdrasill, away from the link home.

... And I run.

I'll regret this. I really, really will.

--

_I always searched for you somewhere in my heart  
The person who said that I can remain the way I am_


	69. Charlotte

This chapter will most likely be slightly rewritten in the next week or so, as it won't come out how I want it to.

Read, enjoy, review.

* * *

_If I meet a person like that under this vast sky  
__I feel that then, I can carry a little bit of pride_

_The wind blows, the trees rustle,  
And even that can make my heart feel uneasy_  
_--_

Chapter 69 - Charlotte

_"I'll protect you. I promise."_

I run.

'Charlotte!'

I'll regret this. I really, really will.

'Charlotte, what the hell are you doing!?'

I'm far too ashamed to even look back. I'm deserting all the friendship I've ever strived for here just to escape. Just for my own selfish desires.

My thoughts are racing so fast that I don't even know who's shouting anymore. The fear that I'm running towards _Yggdrasill_ – Mithos – in an attempt to use a sword that I shouldn't even be able to touch is numbing enough to stop any train of logical thought.

God ... what am I doing?

I just need to get away – I need to escape from the stress and the fear. I need to go home, go to school, get a job, marry, have kids and live a normal life. I can't stay here slaying monsters and killing angels. I'm screwing up the natural order of things just _being_ here – and from what I've seen, it's done nothing but hurt people. Chocolat is dead, Triet has been destroyed, Kratos means so much more to Lloyd and it's _hurting_ him ...

Everything is my fault. I'm not staying here to get them all hurt.

'_Charlotte!'_

Lloyd's voice, I think. Maybe Genis' ... I don't know. I can't think. There's just the sword – the thing I need to get home. The only way out of here without facing all the challenges ahead.

Yes. I give up. I'm done. I can't do this anymore.

I already have a vial in hand. Kratos' hand is on his sword, and Yggdrasill just watches me as I near the stage. I don't expect him to do anything to stop me – he knows Origin's power will just shove me back. Not with this though ...

'What are you doing!?' Raine.

'We need to save Colette!' Genis.

I just need to finish everything before the pure mana almost kills me.

I need to escape before then.

'_Dammit, stop!'_

Lloyd, shut up! You're making this so much harder! Just get out of here with Colette and save her! Just carry on and get the journey over with so you can all live in peace! I'll probably be in college by then, and I won't care about Sylvarant or Tethe'alla anymore! Things ... will be easier ...

With Charis' voice screaming through my head, my feet slamming against the floor as I run, I bolt up the left staircase. I almost trip, but I keep a firm grip on the vial. It's the most important thing right now if I even want a chance of getting this to work or at least stunning the two angels so I can do as I please. Charis gave me two vials ... it should be enough to pull this off.

I take my eyes off the sword for a second to see if the two angels are planning to attack me, and I catch a glimpse of the others. Sheena is still holding Colette protectively, Genis looks shocked out of his head, and Lloyd is struggling like a wild cat against Raine's grip. Good call, Professor; if anyone falls through this universe's fabric rip I'm about to create and winds up on Earth too ... yeah, black holes would be popping up everywhere.

'Charlotte!' Lloyd practically screams, trying to wrench himself free and oh god he looks so angry- 'Get back here!'

I realise why he's screaming when I look back to the angels, and Kratos is coming right at me with his sword raised, crackling with energy. If he thinks he's going to Lightning Blade me, he's got another thing coming.

Okay ... I can do this.

Half afraid that the tightness of my grip might shatter the vial before it has a chance to hit the floor, I hurl it at Kratos' feet.

My eyes immediately water as shards go flying and the white liquid spills out across the floor before the two angels. Kratos looks like he's about to ignore it, but the next step he takes is awkward and he staggers to one side, pressing his palm to his forehead. Oh ... oh god, it worked. It didn't do a thing to Yggdrasill, but damn does he look pissed.

It feels like ice fills up my stomach when he glares at me, and the cold blue stare pierces any logic I have and shatters it. What am I doing here again? Sword ... sword! Get the sword before he KILLS YOU.

Yggdrasill casts a quick something on Kratos to probably calm down his mana flow, and I dip under his arm and head straight for the sword once again.

With both of them behind me, I decide I really have no time to lose. No time for goodbyes or thank yous. No time for the truth. I just have to get out and hope they figure it out on their own. Kratos mutters something, and I shove my hand back into my satchel and pull out the last vial. This will work. This _has_ to work.

I steal a glance at Lloyd and the others, and he's stopped struggling in Raine's grip for a few seconds. It's pretty obvious that what I'm using is pure mana, because he's seen it in action before. Knowing Lloyd, he's probably chalking this up to what we've been fighting about the past few days – he read my notes in the back of that book, didn't he? He should know what I'm doing.

I watch his mind click, and his eyes widen. Raine grabs his arm when he starts struggling again. 'CHARLOTTE!'

Raine looks at me as if to silently work out just what the hell I'm doing. Here I am with something potentially dangerous that could have me coughing up half my body weight in blood, and I'm willingly throwing it around everywhere. Even the pool behind is making my stomach clench uncomfortably.

'Don't do this!' Lloyd yells, trying to shove Raine's arm off from around his middle. 'You can wait! You don't have to do it – you don't have to risk your - dammit, LISTEN TO ME!'

I just shake my head, biting my lip back. Panic flashes over Raine's face when I shatter the vial at my own feet.

... Nothing happens.

I wait silently, eyes screwed shut. It probably won't work right away ... I have to wait for my mana signature to shift around, Yggdrasill is still behind me, oh god _hurry _...

Kratos straightens up, one hand pressed to his face to ease off the dizziness and the other still curled around his sword.

Fuck it. I need to leave _now_.

Barely thinking anymore and trying to ignore the mana that's begun to smoke at my feet, I reach out towards the sword's hilt.

The tip of my finger barely brushes the cold surface before everything turns a dangerous shade of red. I feel my own mana pulse as it leaves my body, but it isn't doing what it usually does. All the previous times I could feel it go toward the pure mana and try to take it before trying to return, but now it's just ... flooding out aimlessly. Oh god ... this isn't right – this is wrong, what's happeni –

'Pathetic ...'

I look over my shoulder just in time to see Yggdrasill raise his arm, and the mana at my feet explodes.

Another scream of my name is the last thing I hear before rushing fills my ears. My whole body convulses upwards harshly, chest first. I don't know what Yggdrasill is doing, but the light is twisting - soaring up from the mana on the floor like a tornado. My body is completely paralyzed within it, but I manage to look up. The tower of light is pulsing noisily, heavily ... it almost looks like the oracle back at the church in Iselia. The shards of glass that were on the floor cut sharply into my arm. I wince, but that really isn't the worst of it.

I now realise just what the soaring light is as it gets higher and higher, still pulsing to the tempo of my racing heartbeat. It isn't coming from the dangerous liquid on the floor, and I'm not being attacked.

Yggdrasill is forcing all of the mana out of my body.

A knot in my chest I've been feeling uncoils sharply, and an abrupt surge of light rockets out of me, dragging the energy out of me. My head snaps back with a scream of pain, and blood streams down my chin and neck. I can't see, I can't hear, everything is just white and hot and painfully loud. I feel like I'm caught in the middle of a burning twister.

Need to do this ... need to get the sword ... oh man why won't my body MOVE!?

I'm starting to see again ... I can see my hair billowing around me and my loose clothes beating against my skin, and all of the light continuously flying up in a straight pillar. Dammit, if this carries on I'll be dead before I can even grab the Eternal Sword.

I ignore the blaring pain in my muscles and move my arm. Mana cuts into my flesh as it flies up, and my blood just joins it with the current. I'm bleeding ... a lot. Not just on my arm, everywhere. This thing ... this bad reaction – it's literally tearing me apart.

OH GOD CHARLOTTE _GET THE SWORD_.

I twist, ignore the pain cutting into me, draw my arm back and punch Yggdrasill in the stomach as hard as I can.

Caught him off guard. His hand drops. The mana is calming down; get the sword _now_.

Still bleeding from all the cuts on my body, I cough heavily once and watch more blood splatter against the floor. Ignore it – keep going.

I can feel the remaining mana in my body fizzing desperately. My signature has to be altered by now.

The last thing I see before I wrap two hands around the hilt of the Eternal Sword is Lloyd finally shoving Raine back, feet pounding against the floor as he sprints towards the stage.

'_CHARLOTTE!'_

As soon as I yank the blade away from its resting place, a horrendous shockwave thunders out and spreads throughout the entire width of the tower with a crash, dousing the room in light. I feel my clothes and my hair beat back against the surges of wind, and I screw my eyes shut while I wait for it to end.

Nothing's happening. I'm holding the sword and nothing's happening. Origin isn't doing anything. Oh god, it's working. It's _working_ – I can go home.

I ignore Lloyd still running, and pull the sword up. I know what I have to do. Ever since the start of this journey, the hints have been there. The secret room in the Fire Seal – the symbol with the meaning "votum" – wish - it all connects to this.

I draw a V in the air before me, and Charis is still screaming at the top of her lungs. Lloyd is still running, mana is still twisting around me and shooting up into the air, and my signature is still shifting back into place. I feel Origin's presence begin to stir. I have to finish this all now.

The symbol had a horizontal cross through it ... so that means –

With the last of my strength, I drag the sword across the air through the invisible V.

--

_I shuffle on the spot. 'I knew that if you found out that you'd worry. That's why I didn't want to tell you.'_

_'... But if you didn't tell me,' Lloyd murmurs. 'Would you have tried to do ... whatever it was? Would you have risked your life?'_

_I shrug. 'Probably.'_

_'But now I've talked to you-'_

--

Sirens. Car screeches. Traffic.

I stare into the ripped vortex before me, tears running down my face while the sword lies forgotten at my side. Blood still drips down onto the floor from my chin and every other cut.

The rip ... it's dark with night and filled with small lights and outlines of things I can't make out. But it's the view of a city from above while streetlights and buildings and car headlights brighten it up.

It's _my_ city.

It's there.

Lloyd has stopped running, and he stares up with wide eyes at the dark tear suspended before the stage. The others probably have no idea what it is they're hearing or seeing, but I do. For fourteen years of my life it's all I've ever known, and now it's all I'll ever want. It's there – it's all there; England, with no monsters or angels or evil organisations trying to make a world of mindless drones – no magic, no mana, no summon spirits ... no bastard mercenaries, no twisted Cruxis leaders, no Renegades –

Just Earth. Just home. My family, my friends – my mother, my sister, my nephew ... they're all there. I can see them again after three months of waiting and wondering if I'd _ever_ get to see them again.

It's been so long ... I can't wait anymore ...

'What ... what the hell is that thing!?' Lloyd shouts in panic, hand on his sword. 'What did you do!?'

Oh god ... I'm sorry – I can't even explain this to everyone. After everything here – after so long trying to get his help and appreciation, I'm just escaping without a second thought. I couldn't turn back now even if I wanted to. Everything I want is right in front of me – I'm alive, the others are fine, everything will start going right again as soon as I fall through the rip ...

'Shit ...' I whisper, reaching out slowly. Cold, biting air hits my palm. 'Shit, this is really happening ... this is real ...'

I allow myself a final glance at the others. Genis and Sheena look terrified at the giant cut in the air billowing out freezing wind and noise, Raine is staring at it with an undertone of curiosity, Colette is still goddamn soulless, and Lloyd is ... still waiting for something.

More blood trickles down my arm as I reach out for the tear. I'm shaking so hard, I'm still crying, and damn do I look a mess. But none of that will matter ... because it's there – it's really _there_ ...

I'm finally going home.

My finger burns with the cold as it slowly passes through the rip. The vortex swirls harder.

'Don't touch that thing!' Lloyd demands loudly, glaring up at it with a hand still on the hilt of his blade. 'What the hell is it ...!?'

It's the '_thing'_, it's all I wanted, and it's all you told me never to strive for. But now it's here ... I can't even bring myself to say goodbye, no matter how much a nagging voice in the back of my mind is telling me to. I want to thank everyone for taking care of me and putting up with me for so long, but I can't ... I just need to get out while I still can. I need to get home – I need to wake up, I need to destroy every game console I own and every game on my shelf. I don't care who flips out at me – this can never happen again.

I can't go through this again.

"_You ..."_

... Origin.

I reach over further, leaning over the edge of the stage and burying my whole hand within the rip. It's freezing – just how I remember my city. It was always so cold ...

"_You are ... not Mithos."_

Just give me time ... please, I just need _time_-

Something stops me from finally hurling myself into the icy stretch of air. It's almost as if I can feel hands on me – wrapping around my wrist, my arm, my waist, my neck – all pulling me back and stopping me. I struggle wildly against the invisible force that's now repelling me from my own creation, clawing desperately for my way home. No ... after all this, now that it's right in front of me ... I can't be stopped here.

Origin's seal is repelling me.

'_NO!_' I screech, and I can see the silver outlines of ghostly hands pulling me away. '_GODDAMMIT, NO!'_

"_You-"_

A bright flash of light blinds me for a moment, and I feel something burn in the centre of my mind. What the hell is Origin doing to me? I try to ignore and reach out again for the rip slowly starting to splinter away into the air. No ... I can't let this opportunity pass me by – I can't stay here after having a chance to go home ... I can't screw this all up.

The wind from the vortex is getting incredibly strong, and I just stand here clutching my chest, heaving and choking blood while I reach out desperately. The tears are coming harder, the gasps are coming ragged, and my mind is twisting out of control.

I manage to shove past the cold hands dragging me away and shove my arm into the rip. Almost there, just jump, just run, JUST FUCKING ESCAPE-

The burn in my mind uncoils and throws me back as though I'd been hit in the forehead. I don't actually feel pain until I land with a smack on my side at Yggdrasill's feet, a good meter or two away from the rip showing me my city in all its cold, polluted glory.

And the edges are still collapsing.

I ignore the leader of Cruxis staring down at me with some sort of sick, twisted amusement and hurl myself at the edge of the stage, and I hardly feel the pain of all the reopened cuts and all the blood still running down my arms and face.

Origin is still twisting my thoughts around eachother, and I try to reach out once more. Memories flood my mind as I keep stretching out towards the crumbling vortex.

I can't ... _THINK--_

_Oredais ioren Lloyd will die __I'm not sure how, I'm not sure when, but he'll die There's nothing we can do When you wouldn't move, it was because- You were protecting someone, alright - _ I have to – _I'm jealous Because I was never meant to be here What you did today back at the ranch I guess all I really wanna say is ... thanks I can't face Kvar I know this means a lot to you Lloyd, but I just can't –_ I have to take this chance - _then you have to courtesy to flip your shit and try to KILL ME YOURSELF YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROTECT ME you are a murderer Lloyd I am so sorry No more sacrifices I'm not letting anymore people die –_ I have to end it here - _what I really wanted to do ... was to make people happy I honestly thought that's why I'd been born on that day It would remind me about the only thing I ever thought made me special I can't do this anymore Kratos I just want to go home –_ I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE! – _Dork You're such a dork why are you apologizing? You really care, don't you? I'm gonna carry on but I'll always remember this stupid conversation –_

I'm almost there ...

_It was because I wanted to be with you guys._

I just have to resist ...

_You're such a dork._

... Looking back.

_I'll protect you. I promise._

There's nothing left for me here.

"_You have not the right."_

_--_

_The waiting game ... must end ..._

_--_

All of a sudden, my thoughts settle back into place rather abruptly. My head has stopped spinning, my blood has stopped boiling, and the air around me has become breathable again. The only sound filling the tower is the slow drip of blood from the tips of my fingers onto the smooth floor below the stage. It's like everyone has stopped breathing. Everyone is just staring at me with wide eyes.

I feel a drop of blood run down my jaw line and drip onto the floor. I really am a mess, aren't I? I'm so bruised and battered and breathing so hard it hurts ... and I've barely done a thing. This is Yggdrasill's punishment? Origin's punishment? Maybe. I don't know.

The liquid mana remains still beneath my legs, long gone of its power. I can just feel peculiar signature mana floating around everywhere ... it's making me dizzy. I don't blame that for why I'm grasping thin air. Maybe I really am just _that_ stupid.

I'm begging it to come back.

God ... Martel, anyone.

I'm kneeling with one hand flattened at the edge of the stage, and the other reaching out for ... nothing. The vortex has closed, disappeared.

I'm still here.

I couldn't escape.

And there's nothing ... left for me here.

Lloyd and everyone else are just staring at me. I'll bet a good majority of them have no clue what I've just done, or if I ever had the will to do something so dangerous. They're used to me hanging around in the background and being quiet, so this might have shocked them a little. I just don't know. I don't know what they're thinking.

Charis said I'd die, but I'm still here. I pulled it off, but I didn't get the result I wanted. I'm still alive, so that should make everything right, shouldn't it?

... No. No, I just had the chance to leave. It was staring me right in the face, and I literally let it slip through my fingers.

... Oh god. _OH GOD-_

I want to scream. I want to be sick. I want to rip my own hair out. I want to punch something.

I thump back heavily onto my ankles, both hands falling limply to my sides. The slow drip of blood stops, and I'm kinda wishing it would come back. I hate this silence. If someone doesn't break it soon, I know I'll scream. Someone say something ... someone bring the vortex back ...

The silence remains, hindered only by the blood pounding in my ears. The ever-shifting clouds around us just swirl on slowly, the coffins below the platform continue their constant circling, and everyone needn't dare speak and shatter the silence before I go insane.

There's a sharp clang when Lloyd drops his sword to the floor.

... No, that didn't work.

'_GOD-'_ I scream, punching the floor as hard as I can- '_FUCKING_ –' My knuckles split and bleed- '_DAMMIT!'_

Raine's voice. 'Charlotte-!'

I just coil into myself and scream hard. Why is this happening? Why the hell can't I catch a break? WHY THE HELL AREN'T I HOME?

'Charlotte, get up!' It's Lloyd. 'You have to run, now!'

I can't. I can't move. I don't want to move. My mind won't-

'Get up and _run!'_

The Eternal Sword isn't at my side anymore.

'No ... oh go – _CHARLOTTE! RUN!'_

I hear the soft crumple of material behind me, and out of the corner of my eye see a blond strand of hair slip past my shoulder. I'm terrified, but I can't even move ... I just want it all to be over – it was supposed to be over. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be at home in bed. I just want to _sleep_.

'That was a rather foolish, albeit unusually well thought out plan,' I hear Yggdrasill's quiet voice drift out brutally close to my ear. 'Though from what I've seen today, I highly doubt another one of your personal crusades would damage the roots of my plans. All you have seemed to do is damage yourself.'

I can't even turn my head. I can't even shake anymore from the fear. I just stare down past the stage's edge.

'Humans are ... truly pitiful creatures.'

He straightens up.

'Though ... it never hurts to be safe.'

Sound pricks my ears sharply at a metallic ring.

I feel a burst of mana explode out of my chest, and another draining pillar of light surrounds the area where I'm standing. I don't have the strength to fight it anymore, and my body jerks upwards while my head arches back in pain. I can't even scream.

Lloyd's eyes widen. He ignores his forgotten blade on the floor, and once again he's sprinting towards the stage, feet pounding heavily against the floor as he runs. One hand is shielding himself from the constant throbs of mana ripping through the air, but he's still running. I just had to stand and watch as his legs tore after the stage to grab me and run ...

He'll never-

'_CHARLOTTE!'_

Raine shoves Genis and Sheena back with Colette, and bright white circles are spinning on the floor at her feet. She's glaring up past me at Yggdrasill, and I still can't look back.

Kratos ... he's waiting for everything to finish as quickly as it can with no concern for me ... none at all.

It all stops. I thud heavily to my knees.

I just stare at the floor below, still crying and bleeding and wondering what the hell went wrong.

Voices barely even reach my ears anymore. Not even Charis or Yggdrasill's. Barely even my own thoughts.

I just want this all to end. I want to go home. I want my family. I want my life back.

I want to live again.

_'CHARLOTTE!!'_

I can't do that in their world.

--

_In the world that you laugh in  
I learned what's important ..._

--

I just stare at the floor below, still crying and bleeding and wondering what the hell went wrong.

The air around me is clammy and hard to breathe in now. I can't clench my hands in anger or fear anymore. They're just ... cold. Everything is cold. My head is swimming again, and I don't know when or if it will calm down this time.

I barely have the strength to even lift my head now. I just stare down at the floor between my knees smeared with blood and damp with tears. How much have I cried today? This time I can't blame it on anyone but myself, and that just makes me want to cry more. I don't think I have the strength to do that either.

I just want to sleep. I'm too tired.

Too tired to move.

Too tired to cry.

Too tired to even scream in pain.

Raine's staff is on the floor at her feet, and the circles of light have faded. She just stares up at me with wide, horrified eyes with Yggdrasill long forgotten. One hand is flattened against Genis' shoulder to keep him back, but he looks equally as aghast as his sister. Sheena's knuckles are white and they clutch Colette's arm hard. Shock, maybe ... fear – I don't know.

Lloyd's just stopped dead in his tracks, still far enough from the stage for him to reassure himself of his uselessness. I know he'll be doing that when we get out of here. My eyes finally flicker to his face, and ... well, yeah. He looks sad.

It's never ... how I imagined. The burning pain, the overwhelming grief, the sharp fear ... I just watch Lloyd as blood streams heavily down my chin when it bubbles up my throat, and all I can feel is guilt. He almost stopped me taking this chance.

Now I've had the chance ... I'd rather I listened to him and ran.

He just continues to stare at me in a horror that drinks the colour away from his face. He doesn't even have to speak. When I look at the eyes staring back at me, dark with distress, I get the silent question that now ... I just don't know how to answer.

Something glints at the corner of his eye, refusing to fall down his face.

The question comes again, and I remain without an answer that can please either of us.

_This ... this is what you've been striving for all this time?_

No. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be with the people I love. I wanted to live my life how it should be lived, grow and maybe raise a family. That's what I've been striving for.

I never wanted this, Lloyd. Do I look like I want this?

Do I look successful on my knees?

Do I look successful covered in blood?

The very instrument that could have granted me that success stands diagonally with its tip buried in the stone floor just before me.

I didn't look very successful when all my chances came to a crashing halt.

The sword shifts slightly, and I gasp in pain.

'A-ah ...'

I doubt I look victorious now as I sit with half of the Eternal Sword shoved through my back, crunching against the floor between my knees.

'Ch ...'

... Death never really looks successful, does it?

All I can do is stare at the half sword I can see, coated thick in blood and ... something I can't think of right now. I can't dare myself to look at my ripped middle. If I did ... I'd probably just faint from the hopelessness and maybe never get the chance to wake up again ...

If I close my eyes ... they'll open again, right?

If I let my thoughts wonder, they'll come back to me, right?

This isn't the end, right?

... Right?

'Char ...'

I still have a lot of stuff to take care of. So of course I can't die. There'll be a way around this – there always is. Whenever Colette gets ill or kidnapped, there's always a solution to that, isn't there?

I consider asking Charis for what she has in mind, but I don't get an answer. Actually ... everything is gone.

... Y'know, now that I _am_ staying here, I still have a whole bunch of adventuring to do. I have to meet Zelos and Presea and Regal ... I have to try not to faint when I meet Zelos, try not to slap Presea, and try not to climb up onto Regal's back and demand that he carry me all over Tethe'alla. I don't think he'd appreciate it much. I have to meet Altessa, Tabatha ... we have to keep running into Kratos while he drops hints at us constantly, we have to play trust ping-pong with the Renegades ...

So it's not like I can miss all that. It's not like I can just die here.

There's a soft thud to break the silence when Lloyd thumps hopelessly to his knees, arms limp at his sides while he continues to stare up at the sword lodged through my entire body. His eyes are utterly blank and void, and I can tell his thoughts are going a mile a minute. I don't know what he's thinking about ... but I think this finally tipped his emotional scale over.

I can almost hear a thousand words caught in his throat, just for _something_ to say.

His mouth moves as if to say something, but more words and emotions are clogging up his throat.

Why ... why are they all so real now ...?

Yggdrasill shifts the sword again, and I just slump back a little. My hand hurts ... my Exsphere is doing something. The edges of the sword at my flesh seem to be glowing a little ... so I'll guess it's using everything it has to maybe hold off the inevitable.

It can't really end like this, can it? There has to be a way ...

When Lloyd clenches his teeth, fists his hands hard, lets those first few tears spill down his face ... uncoils all the emotion in his throat...

I realise there really is no way.

'**_CHARLOTTE!!_**_'_

_--_

_I learned how to trust ..._

_-- _

I just sit and listen to my name echo sharply around the tower, final syllable dragged. I can't stop this.

I can't fix this. No one can.

Do I really just have to sit back and accept it?

... No. This can't be happening. It just can't. I'm ... I'm fourteen – I can't _die_.

I feel blood trickle down my stomach from the wound when the green light falters, but it restores itself quickly and holds it off. I just lurch forward and choke on the thick air.

I gotta do something ... I gotta say something ...

'Lloyd ...' I whisper, staring at him. 'Profe-'

I have to cut myself off when more blood bubbles up my throat, and I spit it out before choking up a mouthful. Dammit ...

Suddenly, there's a soft fizzing sound in the air and the Eternal Sword disappears from within me. My body convulses out sharply in shock before slowly falling in blind pain.

The light moves to my wound and gets immediately brighter, and there's a soft clink of metal as the sword reappears in midair before the stage once more. I look down to my ripped body, and the green light from my Exsphere is just coating the entire wound.

... Is it trying to save me?

The world spins, and I'm not quite sure ... which way is ...

My mind drifts off for a few moments in pain, and before I know it I'm plummeting down off the stage like a rag doll.

I crash limply against the glass floor on my side, hands clenched in pain. I can't really do much else. I don't feel the shock that should have soared through me when I hit the ground ... I think I'm far too tired at this stage to even think about how much _everything_ is hurting.

... Why is this happening? Didn't I do everything right and play everything safe? I thought finally taking a chance might reward me, but-

No. No, it's not ending like this. It's not. I'm going to live through this – I don't care what it takes, I'm going to do it. I deserve to live my life, and it's not ending like _this_.

I won't let it. I swear.

I struggle to crane my neck back, trying to look at the others. Everything is so blurry and distorted. Lloyd ... he's the closest – he's on his feet now and I think he's looking extremely panicked. I hurt my shoulder ... I can't stretch much to see.

The others ... Raine – oh man, she hates watching people hurt when she can't do anything. Genis, Sheena – they just look shocked.

I flatten one hand on the floor and try to shove myself up, ignoring all the pain that gets through my green shield and tries to force me back down. I try to avoid moving my aching shoulder to look back at the others. Yggdrasill is looking quite bored, albeit rather pleased with himself at probably cracking down Lloyd's sanity.

He's lost two people. Colette, Kratos, and goddammit he isn't losing me too.

Kratos ... he – I don't know. He looks like he's trying to hold back shock. It's probably more for what I've managed to do with the Eternal Sword rather than me lying on the floor and probably bleeding to death if it weren't for my Exsphere. I doubt he ever thought I had it in me to do something so outrageous. I doubt anyone did. Even I didn't think ...

Get up ... I have to get up and get out before something bad happens. I need help; I can't do this alone.

Lloyd ... he's still the closest.

I draw a knee up to my chest, choking on a scream as I force myself up. God, that hurt. Stop making it hurt – stop making me suffer.

I bring my second leg up, pressing a hand shakily to my thigh as I try to gradually straighten up from the cold glass disk. Almost up - oh goddammit, it hurts so much -

I don't bother to stand properly and force the first step. I can't see. Everything is so hazy and spinning so hard. Just keep going ... just keep forcing one foot infront of the other ... head towards Lloyd – just get to the nearest person, or even the Professor. Just get help ... get healed, get out-

The green light flickers softly at my wound, disappearing for a mere second before coming back. It takes a moment, but the pain from that one second thunders throughout my body. I clutch my stomach with a raspy shriek, stumbling. I hear Lloyd utter something, and I see his blurry outline step closer uncertainly. Dammit ... oh goddammit ...

Can't ... can't do this. I can't.

I slump sharply to my knees, still holding my ripped stomach with one hand. I'm tired. I just want to sleep - it'll all be over. I'll wake up in my bed, or even in the Renegade Base ... or maybe in Hima, and this will all turn out to be some stupid dream. It has to be, because this ... oh man, I don't know. Everyone talks about what happens after you die, but I'm not ready to face that yet ... I can't.

I want to sleep. I want my old bed – I want all my worn pillows and duvets, and I just want to wake up, call into school sick for Monday and just _sleep_.

I can almost feel it. I feel warm ... and everything is soft ... and red ...

Wait.

I try to open my eyes. It takes a few tries to get the strength to even move a muscle, but eventually I manage. I blink slowly and realise there's dark brown staring back at me.

I just stare up into Lloyd's watery eyes from everything that's happened here today, and slowly come to realise that if there really is a goddess, then she obviously doesn't have a soft spot for me.

Want to sleep ... just so tired ...

I let my head tip to the side when the thought of sleep saps away my will, and it bumps softly against Lloyd's arm. I glance to my other side and see his shaking hand wrapped firmly around my shoulder. He's got one arm around my shoulders to hold me up, and the other is hovering hesitantly over the giant tear in my middle. I just lean back.

... Wow, I could _not_ be in a more cheesy position right now. Trust typical Lloyd to pull out his corniness in this kind of situation.

The green glow doesn't feel as strong anymore. I just hope it can last until we get out.

I thump my head against Lloyd's arm again. I need to say something.

Lloyd doesn't answer to my silent beg for him to speak first, and just continues to stare down in disbelief. I think he's thinking along the same lines I am – this is all a dream, we'll wake up, everything will be fine. Colette will be fine, he can still live with Kratos, and I won't have ignored all the advice he gave me about avoiding this.

The light flickers again, and my knees lock together in pain as my shoulder's hunch tightly.

I don't want this to end. I don't want all my opportunities taken away from me. It's not fair. Why is this happening? What have I done wrong to deserve this all ...?

I feel the fingers tighten around my shoulder. Lloyd swallows thickly, blinking something back. 'Hey ... you're not gonna die, alright?'

I wish I could believe him.

... It sounds childish ... but I want my mother. I want my sister, my brothers, my nephew ... I want my family. I want to say the things that I never could. After realising how much I really need them, there was so much I wanted to say. All I really am ... I'm just a kid. I'm not supposed to be thinking about how I could have said goodbye to everyone, but here I am, alone. No family. No friends.

Just ... Lloyd.

My lips tauten softly, and I just realise that I'm crying. Yeah ... I'm just a stupid kid. Just a scared, confused kid.

My emotional strength ebbs away, and I'm left with my natural, childish needs.

'Lloyd, I don't wanna die ...' I sob, lowering my head. 'I don't wanna die yet ...'

'Hey!' he snaps suddenly. 'I told you ... you're not gonna die, right? We can save Colette ... so-'

I shake my head. 'Don't ... don't promise me again ...'

Lloyd falters. Whenever he does promise me something, it never comes through ... Asgard Ranch, the Tower of Mana, last night – whenever he promised or said he'd protect me, it always ends up the same. This time it was my own fault, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel some sadness. He tried to save me – I saw him running at me. But he didn't expect this ... I told him I wouldn't do this, so I can't blame him for everything, can I?

You're going to carry on. You're going to do all the things I know you'll get through with all your friends behind you. You're going to stop Yggdrasill and save everyone. I know you will, because I've seen you do it once before. I won't make a difference in your life from here out, and for once ...

... I'm glad.

'Lloyd ... you can do everything right ...' I reach up slowly and tug sharply at his fringe. 'You're gonna save the world ...'

Because ...

'You're gonna stop so much suffering ...'

If you can't -

'You're gonna be a hero ...'

- Then no one else can.

I let my arm slack, and my hand drops limply back onto my chest.

I notice the air I breathe is getting colder and sticking to my throat. I feel so thirsty ... it must be because of the blood-loss. I'm having trouble focusing on Lloyd's face. Not yet ... I don't want to go yet ... I want to stay – I want to live.

I feel Lloyd's arms jerk a little, and my body follows their movements weakly. 'H-hey! I still have things I need to say to you ...! Don't you dare –'

'I'm so tired ...' My body heaves with a stressful sob. 'I just want to go to sleep ...'

'Char ... Charlotte, opens your eyes ... c'mon, don't-'

I don't open my eyes – I just lean against his arm and wait.

'You ... you're so stupid ...!'

I feel like I'm breathing in ice. It feels as if every limb is getting heavier, and it's like I'm slowly sinking away like a stone in water. It's weird ... it's just like how you hear about it in novels and movies. With an ounce of strength that renders me unable to move my body at all, I force my eyes open one more time.

... Everyone is still here. Kratos is staring down at me, and it's sinking in that the little girl who's been annoying him for quarter of a year is actually on her last breath.

I tried so hard for their friendship ... I'm so tired now ... but I did it. Lloyd, everyone ... they actually taught me how to trust people in return for their friendship ... they changed me for good.

'Stupid ... you're so stupid ... you goddamn stupid dork ...'

We were supposed to save the world together ...

'Lloyd ...'

Can't – can't say goodbye. How can I sum up everything I feel ...?

To everyone? For everything?

'... Thank you.'

Okay ... yeah, that works.

'Thank you for helping me ...'

I slip deeper.

'Thank you for being there ...'

I can only hear blood pounding in my ears – thousands of voices in my memories overlapping eachother in the back of my mind. My heart hurts so badly, and I can't feel anything but the cold, sinking sensation.

'Hey ... wait-!'

I reach up shakily to Lloyd's face and close my fingers around his fringe, tugging it softly once more.

Anything – I need to hold on ... I need to stay ... I want to live-

'Thank you ... for being ...'

Darkness eats away at the corners of my vision and I feel myself plunging deeper into an icy trance. My body, my mind – I'm so exhausted from the crying, and not just the stress of today ... everything I've experienced in this world is hitting me, and I just need to rest now. With my sight slowly fading with everything else, I manage to keep my eyes open to see Lloyd's own widen, and to see my hand slip away from his fringe.

Everything turns white.

_My friend ..._

'_Charlo-!'_

I feel my hand thud past my torso and land limp against the floor.

--

_I learned how to love ..._

--

* * *

_Valhalla, the soul will reside forever in peace  
Hel, the soul will reside forever in ruin  
A fate chosen by those who abhor  
Those who have watched  
Those who exist within_

_They wait and suffer the lives we lead  
While do nought but abhor  
Chose our final respite_

* * *

'Doppelgangers wait. That's what we do. We wait for you to die, and once you have finally taken your last damned breath, we face you armed with the hatred we bear for you. But we can do nothing. If we have the power ... we are forced to watch you live your mistakes and let the anger grow while we can do nothing. In your lifetime, we do not exist at all. We are your own creation – the embodiment of all the traits you never wanted, and all the choices you never made. Self-doubt; that's all we are.

Imagine the sheer anger you would feel, watching your rightful self live so horrendously while you do nothing but cringe in the background and hate more and more every hour. The disgust builds up.

At death, you come here. You face the entity of everything you have never experienced – your doppelganger – and you are judged. You are sent through Death's Door –Valgrind - and you are sent to Valhalla, where you will exist in peace, or Hel, where you will exist in pain. That is our choice.

After watching and hating and being punished for so long, it is our choice where to send you. The waiting game is a vengeful one.

Charlotte, I will send you to Hel.

I decide the end.'


	70. Salvation

Due to popular demand, new chapter. Whether I continue it or not is if this goes down well.

Well, it's currently undecided to myself if I'm continuing or not, but for the love of god, if you ask me about the sequel it will piss me off. So don't. At all. It's taken over a number of months for people on deviantart to realise my hate for it, so no, I can't be bothered to drag it out here either.

More info at the bottom of the chapter because I don't want to spoil anything. Sorry if the spelling and/or grammar is off, I've been writing this chapter on and off for a while and I get an assload of complaints about my spelling and/or grammar being off. Yes, I'm sorry about that, but it is REALLY frustrating and boring to scan through chapters usually over 15k words for every little mistake.

/pissy rage.

Okay, read, enjoy, review.

* * *

'_Would you miss me if I died?'_

_Lloyd looks up to me immediately, eyes wide. 'Wh ...'_

'_If I died,' I repeat, staring at the book in my lap. 'Would you miss me?'_

_He doesn't answer, and just continues to stare at me dumbfounded. I'll elaborate for him._

'_It's obvious and I refuse to believe-' I start, leaning back a little '- that I've had such an impact on your life in the past two months for you to grieve over my death for years. I know I'm not as important as the others, and their deaths would hit a lot deeper than mine ever ... ever will. But ...'_

_I dare myself to look over at his taken aback face. 'Would you miss me?'_

------------

Chapter 70 - Salvation

I can't feel anything.

I can't even feel the shiver that should be crawling up my spine right about now.

Well, I'd assume it's difficult in my current state.

I don't feel like I've woken. I can't feel the stiffness of sleep in my bones or the groggy sensation behind my eyes that makes me want to slam my head back down onto the pillow. I can't feel anything like that. I don't even feel the disturbingly vacant blaze in my stomach that should be churning at the moment.

Oh god ... this is too weird. You're never supposed to experience something like this. I can see, but I can't feel my eyes watering – I can hear, but I can't feel my ears sting at the thick silence.

Nothing is worse than looking around this place again. The coffins, the blood, the cracked floors and walls, the sword ... it's all just as it was only moments ago. Kratos and Yggdrasill are still standing upon the stage and staring down at the others. The sword itself is still suspended above the floor, and the only sound piercing the thick, cold silence is the sharp tap of blood dripping against the floor.

Everyone is still here. Genis, the Professor ... everyone.

And me.

All I can see of myself from behind Lloyd's kneeling form is messy hair damp with blood, and a white scarred hand resting still against the floor.

When I get closer, I stare down aghast at my body lying limp against Lloyd's arm. Oh god ... I just look like I'm sleeping, but there really is no sign of life at all in me. Sure, I'm drenched in my own blood and there's a giant rip in my middle, but ... it's been only moments – why does my body have to look so ... ?

I didn't notice it when I was still ... when I was slipping away, but it looks a _lot_ worse on the outside. I don't know what this is – I don't know what I am right now, either a spirit or a ghost or a soul, but now I can actually see my body I can see how bad it looks. I don't know if the blood has stopped flowing yet or what, but it's _everywhere_. My corpse looks _terrible_.

If I possessed the ability to breathe, the last one would have shuddered hard as I watch Lloyd shake my body softly.

'Lloyd ...'

I glance over at Raine, and she's just staring hopelessly at Lloyd's back while he continues to stare into my dead face, and it isn't doing him the favour of staring back. Everything is just distressingly still. I watch his lower lip tighten a little, and he furrows his brow. C'mon, don't do this Lloyd. You're stronger than that, I know you are.

Kratos and Yggdrasill stare down apathetically. Yggdrasill is actually looking pretty bored, and Kratos ... I just can't put my finger on it. He looks a little shocked, but he's not sad at all ... just surprised. Genis and Sheena ... I don't know – they just look as shaken as everyone else. This is too hard – why can't they all just leave? I can't stand to wait around and watch them look at Lloyd like that ... just to know how much he's suffered today and actually have it end in a death. We almost got through it without a scratch, but I just had to go and –

'C'mon ...' Lloyd says softly, grip tightening into my shoulder. 'You ... you gotta wake up ... we have to get out of here and fix everything that went wrong ...'

'Lloyd, stop,' Raine demands, scowling at the floor. 'You know better than that.'

I raise my hands to my face as Lloyd falls into silence again. I can't see them. I look down to my current body, and all there is there seems to be some kind of white ... mist. Am I a ghost ...? Can they see me? Didn't Charis say once I died, my spirit would rocket out of my body? What's going on?

I try to shout out, but no sound pierces the silence around the tower. Dammit ... this isn't good.

I've never wanted to cry harder in my life at the sheer incapability I feel. I can't do anything. I can't say anything – I can't comfort anyone and tell them Lloyd will be fine in a while, and I can't reach up and smack Lloyd myself to tell him to get out while he still can. I can't cry – I can't do anything.

Lloyd just shakes his head, still staring down.

'Lloyd-' Raine hisses furiously, but he just won't listen to her. Oh god, why won't he listen to her!?

'_... _Not cold yet ...' Lloyd murmurs. 'Professor ... you – you can fix this, right?'

'Don't ...' Raine snaps harshly, fingers curled tight into her palms. 'Don't let me see you like this again.'

I watch Lloyd's face carefully from under the long strip of hair hanging infront of his eyes. After a moment, his mouth just twists into a desperate grin.

'C'mon ...' he says, not even looking straight at my body anymore. 'This isn't happening, because you said ... you promised you wouldn't do this. You said that ... that you'd keep yourself safe, that you wouldn't take any stupid risks ...'

Genis tightens his grip around his sister's waist when she buries her face in her hands, fingernails digging into her skin. She hates Lloyd when he does this.

'I don't ... I don't even know why I care so much ... everyone's just ...'

The arm around my body's shoulders rises a little, but it just lies unresponsive and still. The blood on my face is getting sticky and dark, and my hair and fringe are clinging to it. Lloyd doesn't seem to even want to take notice of how pale and blotched my skin's gotten.

'As soon as you wake up, you can do everything over ... you can try everything again, you can get everything back ...' he promises my corpse. 'You don't need me anymore ... I have to take care of everyone else, like you told me ... I have to get Colette back for Frank and Phaidra, and for us all ... I have to be Genis' friend, I have to be the Professor's son ... they still need me, but you ...'

He squeezes his eyes shut, shoulders shuddering. 'If you ... if you were strong enough to do that alone, then you're strong enough to start over alone! You can start everything again, you can find your family, you can find everything you ever told me you wanted! You ca – you can do everything right! This was just a slip-up, right!? C'mon Charlotte, you ... you gotta wake up!'

I've never wanted to hit him so hard.

'Just think about all the things you'll be leaving behind if you give up now!'

His teeth clench.

'You ...!'

His eyes widen, and I can finally see tears streaming down his face.

'You promised me that you wouldn't _DIE_!'

---------------

'_But Lloyd's doppelganger said-'_

'_Lloyd is a fool. He's too wrapped up in his own secret justice to realise that.'_

'_Lloyd? But ... his doppelgang-'_

'"_Doppelganger" Lloyd doesn't exist. It's just Lloyd. There is no other Lloyd.'_

'_Then ... you-'_

'_There is no other you, either. I'm not another Charlotte. I'm just your thoughts.'_

'_Then how are you and Lloyd's doppel-'_

'_Lloyd wants nothing to do with what his "doppelganger" portrays. He doesn't want to believe he could ever be that person – a murderer, a self-proclaimed god, a sadist, a mental rapist. So he believes with all of his heart and mind that this "doppelganger" is just a separate person - another entity within his mind. That they have no ties together, where in reality, this "other" Lloyd is just the thoughts that were never blossomed.'_

'_But ... he's so-'_

'_Lloyd is easily swayed by his own negative thoughts. There is no man behind his mind making him do these things. Because of that, he likes to believe that there _is_ someone controlling him when he's weak. But ... he's really too weak to realise there's no one in his head but himself.'_

'_Then why are you here?'_

'_Because you think I am.'_

_----------------_

It hit me when Lloyd uttered that last word.

I'm dead.

I'm actually _dead_.

I don't know if I should be collapsing to my knees and sobbing, ripping my hair out, fainting from shock or something, but I can't seem to do anything but move. I'm a ghost. I don't have a body anymore. I can't touch anything anymore, I can't sleep anymore, I can't eat or drink or cry anymore. I can't do anything. I want with all my heart and mind to scream out and sob, but I just can't no matter how hard I try. There isn't even a knot of tension in my chest or a lump in my throat, because I don't have a_ body_.

I just exist.

Is this what it's like to be an Exsphere? I suddenly feel a lot more respect for Anna at this point, but oh _god_ why am I thinking about her? She's not here anymore. I'm not either. Things are finally the way they should be. Just Lloyd, Genis, Colette, the Professor, Sheena ... this is how it should be.

'Lloyd ...' Raine starts again, straightening herself. She's a lot calmer now she's gotten over the fact that her student might be having some kind of mental fit. 'You have to stop this. Even you can't deny what is right in front of your eyes – just like it was with Kratos.'

I'm sure I'm the only one that notices the small shake of Lloyd's head.

'... She's-' Raine begins, but she cuts herself off from delivering the final blow to Lloyd's denial when his fingers clench tighter into my bloody shoulder. Genis has resorted to simply biting his lower lip, still staring with wide eyes at what he can see of my pale corpse. Sheena is still holding onto Colette securely, Yggdrasill and Kratos still don't _care_, and I-

'She's dead, Lloyd.'

-------------

'_So ... I thought you up?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_So how can you send me to Hel?'_

'_I'm not. You are.'_

'_What?'_

'_I'm not doing anything. You truly believe with all of your heart that you are a bad person. I embody that thought for now, and with it you will send yourself to Hel.'_

'_I chose to go to Hel myself?'_

'_If you had the choice, you would go to heaven – Valhalla. But you know that you belong in Hel. You died a pathetic death – it's where you justly belong.'_

'_That's not true!'_

'_It's no use fighting with your own thoughts.'_

'_Well ... what if I believe I'm supposed to go to heaven?'_

'_Your mind can think that. But your heart won't deny that you have killed, hurt, and scarred others. You can't deny that you died for your own selfish reasons. That is what will send you to Hel.'_

'_What about all the times I helped people?'_

'_You believe that your small amount of good deeds weigh out your evil selfishness?'_

'_I'm a teenager. I'm selfish by default.'_

'_That's a pathetic excuse. You know that.'_

'_Of course I do, or you wouldn't be saying it if you're just my thoughts.'_

_------------_

Something happens to Lloyd as Raine says those words. I don't know why – maybe he just had to hear it bluntly from someone like her, but he just looks a lot different from how I've seen him the past few minutes.

He looks a lot calmer, even though he still has my dead body resting against his arm. Raine's words must have shut off all those panicked sirens in his mind and cleared the way for some rational thought once and for all. I suppose most of the time Lloyd was always there to calm me down when I got upset or angry, so seeing him in such a state since Colette's soul was taken away was kinda scary. Most of all, it's probably what fuelled my fear of remaining here with everyone – knowing that I can't rely on them to always be in the right state of mind to protect others. That eventually, I really would be fending for myself without them. And why wait?

I shouldn't have done that. Not with them all here. That was selfish. It's made everything just a little bit worse and harder to take in. I should have come alone, and then just maybe it might have worked. I might be at home right now in my bed, breaking all the games on my shelves, shattering the disks in my GameCube, and throwing the console out of the window. I might be phoning mum in tears, or getting ready to go out and meet my friends.

But instead my body is laying ripped and bloodied in Lloyd's arms, and there's no chance of going back. I've really fucked up.

And now Lloyd has slowly slipped back into himself, it's becoming harder and harder to deny as he begins to accept it. The tears have stopped, the stressed mutterings have silenced, and there's nothing left but the Lloyd I've known since I crashed through that school roof months ago.

I look down to my current 'body' again, and I see that whatever it is I'm composed of right now is losing its human shape. It's just all fading out. When I fully accept it, will it all just ... go? Will I go to heaven or hell, or ... whatever the system is here? Will it even work now that I'm in a whole other universe? Will I go to God or Martel?

... I'm scared. I'm really, really scared. I just want to reach out and grab someone to know that I'm not doing this alone, but I can't.

I'm not used to doing things alone.

I don't want to die alone.

And I know this will do _nothing_, but I slowly start to walk ... glide, whatever it is towards my body.

I try not to look at Lloyd while I do this and slowly reach down, pressing what should be my hand to the top of my body's head. I hesitate a little when it slips right through but manage to hang on just to see if it will work. Something's gotta happen ...

"-_Can't – it's all broke-"_

"_-till secure, right? She's still ther-"_

"_-ot it just before she was stabbe- should work-"_

"_-urry up before-"_

I wrench my hand back.

Charis and William. They're still there.

... I'm dead. My brain should have shut down.

I don't know why, but I press my hand back to my body. I want to know what's going on.

"_-oes she know?"_

"_Yeah – told her at Lui-"_

"_-t will work if we can get her bod-"_

"_-lready have her soul, righ-?"_

Everything sounds so faded and static ... I can barely make out what they're saying.

"_What if –doesn't wor-?"_

"_Then we wait – Marte-"_

"_-ill she meet her?"_

"_Maybe – don't kno-"_

"_... It's cras-"_

"_Wh-"_

"_-CRASHING, FIX IT-"_

The noise has gone. No ... dammit, everything is slipping away ... I'm still losing my normal shape – I don't think I even have a hand anymore. I can't feel anything anywhere, so I can't really tell.

I stumble across the floor on my knees and press my hand to Lloyd's arm, shoving my hand in until it reaches somewhere in his chest. Sound floods my mind.

"_-ead she's really dead Colette is gone can't get her back Kratos betrayed everyone me Kratos betrayed me Colette is gone Kratos is gone Charlotte is gone-"_

... Yeah, he's screwed up. With my ethereal hand still lodged into his chest, I try to speak. Nothing comes out, but if I can hear _his_ thoughts, then maybe ...

_Lloyd, come on, you gotta get out ... please, take my body and just go, don't leave me here with them, don't let anyone else-_

Something shoves me back, and I just fall onto my ankles. If he heard, that's fine, but by the looks of things nothing happened. Wow, I really do have all the luck in the world right now. Even so, I don't want my body left here. Who knows what will happen to it. My original plan back on Earth was to be buried next to my sister, but it looks like my luck ran out back there too. I don't know what happened back on Earth, and to be honest I don't want to. Maybe my body suffered brain death, or it's in a coma.

I want to cry at the thoughts racing through my head of my family coming back to find me dead in my room, but I can't.

I press my hand to my corpse's head, but still nothing. I can't get into Lloyd's thoughts anymore. Oh god, what do I d-

I doubt I'll be doing anything related to Exspheres right now to save myself from the inevitable, so I suppose the only thing left to do is wait until ... I dunno, the Grim Reaper comes to get me or something. He sure is taking his sweet time, but I'm not making any complaints. I need to figure something out fast. I need to keep living – I need to find out what will happen after this. I'm not from Sylvarant or Tethe'alla – I'm not even from this dimension. I wasn't _born_ into this universe. Surely this won't even work right.

I need to do _something_.

I have to stop myself reaching out for Lloyd when he finally starts lowering my body to the floor. If he accepts this then I really am screwed. I can't do this. I can't die like this. Not alone.

Someone ... someone do something!

---------------

'_If you're a thought, then won't you disappear if I stop thinking about you?'_

'_Not particularly. You will always have that loathing for yourself. As long as you have negative thoughts that you don't want, you're continue to suffer whether you think of them or not. But that is not a speciality – everyone faces that pain.'_

'_So how come everyone doesn't have a doppelganger?'_

'_Lloyd has tried to split his bad thoughts away from him and pretend they have nothing to do with him. In turn, that has made him believe there is someone within his mind who embodies those thoughts so he can live with himself, thinking that he's perfect. It's a common thing – a lot of people do it. Sometimes it just gets out of hand.'_

'_So how are you here?'_

'_You saw the embodiment Lloyd had created for his negative thoughts and believed it was custom for everyone to have one. You believed you had your own. I'm that thought, but in reality, I wouldn't exist if you had never seen or heard of Lloyd's "doppelganger". I'm only here because you believed you would have one by default.'_

'_... If I accept that I was wrong – if I don't believe you're here and accept that you're just a thought I created by mistake ... will you disappear?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_... And you'll accept that? You won't flip out and try to hurt me like Lloyd thinks his own will?'_

'_I'm not like you. I'll accept that I'm nothing but a thought. I'm sure you would do otherwise.'_

'_... You're strong.'_

'_Only as strong as you wish you could be.'_

_------------_

I watch hopeless as Lloyd just turns wordlessly once risen to his feet, and without hesitation just heads straight for the others. I do a double take from him to my corpse left alone, and remain on my knees at the body's head. I finally feel the horror wash over me when I stare down now that Lloyd has left. My lower lip is coated in dark blood and the rest of it has run down my chin and is pooled at my neck. The blood from the wound has spread everywhere like a dark red blanket – my hair is messed and sticking to the damp crimson patches around my neck and shoulders and the side of my face. What I can see of my skin is getting paler by the minute.

If they leave, there's nothing I can do. I can't do anything like this. Charis and William are gone – there's no one left to help me, and I can't do anything alone.

I look up to Lloyd and the others again when I hear something, and I just see that Raine's hands are shaking as she clutches Lloyd's shoulders. Her knuckles turn white.

'I'm sorry,' is all she says, hands moving to his face. 'I'm so sorry ...'

Lloyd shakes his head and touches the back of her hand. They drop from his face and back to her side. 'It's fine ... you didn't know Kratos would do ...'

He hesitates, swallowing hard. 'You didn't know ... its fine ...'

'I should have realised his intentions sooner,' Raine admits softly. 'I'm sorry I couldn't help you in time ...'

'Professor, it's fine,' Lloyd mumbles, looking absolutely worn out.

'Lloyd ...' Genis starts quietly, finally getting past his sister. 'There's still time for Colette. We can save her, but-'

Lloyd nods. 'Yeah ... we need to save Colette before anything else happens. She can't stay like this. It's not right.'

I cast a wary glance to Yggdrasill and Kratos, but they don't look too threatened. Yggdrasill actually looks pretty pleased with himself for creating such havoc, but I know it won't be difficult to snatch Colette back at any second unless the Renegades get here soon. Speaking of which, they should have been here by now. I'm haunting Yuan if he stopped for coffee or something on his giant Rheaird.

I'm about to look back to the others, but Yggdrasill holds up a finger. I watch as a white flame ignites from the tip, spreading out rapidly.

'Don't forget you have something that belongs to me,' he says simply, swiping his finger in Lloyd's direction. I try to shout out, but once again ... nothing happens. Raine doesn't even have time to shove past him and cast Force Field or Barrier.

So I just watch as Lloyd shoves Raine back and casts his own shield with his sword and Guardian, slamming the flame right back into Yggdrasill's shoulder with a livid look on his face. Awshit, I hope he didn't finally snap.

To be honest the rebound did bugger all, but at least Yggdrasill is shutting up.

'If we stay here we're all gonna get killed,' Sheena says, glaring over at the two angels. 'We have to escape with Colette and get her to your dad before he can take her away again.'

'Then we can find out what Cruxis really is,' Genis whispers, pulling out his kendama. 'I'll stall them with magic, so let's get out while we can.'

Raine doesn't stop her brother when white runes begin appearing on the floor like always, but she casts a quick look to my body and back to Lloyd. Lloyd just clenches his fists, shaking his head. No ... no dammit, they can't think of anything!?

Genis finally casts what looks like Icicle, and I think he's been heavily underestimated by the other two because it actually _does_ something. I can't see through the cold mist emitting from the giant icicles that have sprung up from the crunching floor, but something's definitely happening up there judging from Kratos' pained hiss.

Another blast of light crashes through the thick pillars of ice, but Raine pulls her badass card and swoops forward, casting her giant Force Field once more like before. The light dances around the green barrier, crackling and thrashing. The others take this as their opportunity while Raine holds them off. They're really leaving? It's been about five minutes since Yggdrasill killed me, and they're just _leaving_? I know Colette comes first, but I'm actually DEAD while she is very much ALIVE.

'Wait-!' Lloyd snaps when bother Sheena and Genis turn to escape. Genis skids to a stop, but he doesn't look too happy at the constant hold ups and gives Lloyd an annoyed look.

'Lloyd, if we don't leave now then Colette-!'

'I know!' Lloyd responds desperately. 'I know ... but-'

I watch Lloyd clutch both hands tightly to the side of his head, fighting with himself over something. He looks so drained and emotionally spent. Kratos, Colette, everything – he still has to get his head around all of it and find out how to live with it.

The mist surrounding the angels begins to fade, and he finally lets his arms fall to his sides. 'Professor-'

'I know,' she says simply with a nod, not looking back for the moment, glaring to where Kratos should be. Lloyd looks to both Genis and Sheena, and then to Colette. He hesitates and then continues.

'Professor ... look after Genis and Colette for me.'

Genis' jaw drops. 'Wh ... Lloyd, what are you-'

'Take Colette to dad and explain everything to him. The dragons are still outside and Noishe should still be at Hima. Take him back too. The bridge connecting the Hima province and the Izoold region should be fixed by now – you can use that road.'

'Lloyd-!'

Sheena rests a hand on Genis' shoulder while his sister shakes her head. 'Genis, stop.'

'No!' he insists frantically, shoving Sheena away. 'Lloyd, what the heck are you trying to do!?'

He just falls silent while Genis and Sheena continue to stare at him with utterly dumbstruck expressions while Raine tries to remain calm and considerate to Lloyd's decision, which I'm slowly starting to realise.

He turns his head a little to the side to avoid Genis' irate, puzzled stare.

Lloyd heard me.

'... I can't just leave her here.'

Genis' jaw drops. '_What_!?'

'Genis, that's _enough_!' Raine snaps, but he just ignores her and steps right up to Lloyd. He is _pissed_.

'No! I'm not letting you do this!' he argues with a frustrated glare. 'I'm not letting her mess this up again! She doesn't need you – you said it yourself! Colette needs you! My sis needs you!'

He grits his teeth tightly. 'I ... I - we all need you here! You can't stay here for this! It's stupid!'

'I know ...' Lloyd mumbles, stepping back. 'But ... I'll be fine. I'll catch up to you guys in a little while. I won't die, Genis – I promise.'

Genis shakes his head hopelessly. 'No ... n- Raine, you're just going to let him do this!?'

Raine forces her barrier forward as the light fades, lets it crumble and turns to face her brother with an explanation. A gloved hand just holds her back.

'Hey, don't get angry at her,' Lloyd says quickly. 'She doesn't want me to do it either, I can tell. But it's my fault this happened – I have to do something.'

Goddammit.

'You can't stop me right now,' Lloyd mutters, looking down at Genis. Well, kinda – Genis has actually gotten a little taller since the start of this journey. 'So don't make this harder for me. The faster you guys get out, the faster I can do this without worrying about what might happen to you. You're my best friend, so I ...'

He scratches the back of his neck. '... I don't wanna lose you too, Genis.'

And Genis does exactly what a best friend should do in this situation. He ignores the tears of frustration pooling at the corners of his eyes, clenches his teeth hard, and curls his hands into fists.

And punches Lloyd in the face.

'Stupid jerk!' he shouts and points an accusing finger at Lloyd, who clutches the side of his abused face. With that, he turns on his heel and runs toward to warp without looking back. Raine reaches out for him and calls out for him, but he just disappears down through the glass without another word.

'It would have hurt more if you told him the truth, wouldn't it?' Sheena asks, and Lloyd just gives a small nod, rubbing his cheek.

'... Wow, that really hurt,' Lloyd mumbles. 'But ... whatever – go and protect him. Don't leave him to get out of here alone. Protect him for me just for a little while. I-'

Lloyd swallows hard. 'I just ... need to talk to him.'

Raine nods, casting a final look to her student. 'You're sure about this? I know this isn't just for her, but Kratos ...'

She grimaces. 'Lloyd, he's your enemy now. You can't change that. Don't get killed over that "thug".'

After looking to the other angels still encased in their ice prison for now, she presses her thumb firmly to Lloyd's nose. 'Promise me.'

Lloyd just grins weakly. 'I'll be right behind you. You're not getting rid of me that easily.'

'You'd better be,' Raine sighs, taking Colette from Sheena who has otherwise been utterly silent through this all. 'Don't you dare get yourself killed. If you do I'll never forgive you.'

'I won't,' Lloyd promises to her as she's already sprinting down the pathway to the warp with Colette following her. His grin fades as she does, and he just casts his stare to the last person here.

'... Hurry up and get going,' he tells her. 'I don't want anyone else getting hurt, and I think you'd do a better job at protecting everyone than me.'

Sheena follows suit after Genis and slaps him.

'Ow!' he snaps, holding his face. 'People need to stop doing that! Geez!'

'You're an idiot for doing something this stupid,' she tells him simply. 'But you'd better come back alive. Kratos isn't worth this, and they really do need you.'

Sheena wrinkles her nose in discomfort. 'I guess I wouldn't mind needing you a little either.'

'Just go!' Lloyd snaps, blushing furiously. 'And tell everyone to stop being so corny when I try to do stuff like this!'

Sheena snickers. 'Got it. Be safe!'

Lloyd watches her go, and Kratos has finished hacking away the last of the Icicles encasing both him and his master. Another quick blast of light from Yggdrasill finishes it off, and I really do commend Genis on his powerful magic skills. Damage wise, no, but distract wise, yes.

With the last of them gone, now leaving just Lloyd, the other two angels and my own dead body ... I'm really regretting this. Because Yggdrasill's noticed that they've escaped with Colette, and he does _not_ look happy. It's only a minor setback for him, but otherwise ... it's going to take him a while to get her back with the Renegades swarming all over the place.

'We have a courageous dog on our hands, Kratos,' Yggdrasill says, grin slowly twisting its way back on his face as he straightens up, kicking away some shards of ice. 'Finish him off. I needn't waste my energy on a mongrel.'

Kratos looks uncomfortable being told to twat his son with a sword until he's dead. 'My Lord-'

'He's only here for the inferior being's corpse, I'm well aware of this Kratos,' he snaps. 'A dog he may be, but even _dogs_ can bite. He'll become a nuisance. Kill him.'

Kratos pushes the thought from his head with a last look to my mangled corpse, probably imagining Lloyd in that situation, and moves his hand uncertainly to the hilt of his sword. He hesitates once more. 'Lord Yg-'

'Kill him now or I will beat him within an inch of his life as many times as I feel fit until he screaming for your help,' Yggdrasill tells him, still sneering down at Lloyd. 'And I will make you watch every second.'

'I'm never asking that traitor for help,' Lloyd buts in, trying not to look down to my dead body as he nears the stage. 'Even if you did torture me.'

'How mature, that you can let immediate hate run so deep,' Yggdrasill taunts haughtily. 'Yet I believe merely an hour ago you were waiting to live with the very same man.'

Lloyd glares, clenching his teeth tightly.

'Truly, you are still just a child,' Yggdrasill adds, still sneering. He holds out his palm, and my mind clicks. 'And I have no time to play with children.'

'I wanna know everything,' Lloyd demands firmly, and his infuriated tone echoes throughout the tall room. He looks to Kratos who, bless his bastard soul, just attempts to glare back before his stare gives way to pity. 'Kratos ... you owe me that much at least.'

Kratos' superior just waves a hand lazily in his direction, smirk slowly spreading and giving him that ... maniac effect. 'He owes you nothing. You were foolish enough to trust him and try to break down his barriers.'

Lloyd doesn't look impressed by Yggdrasill's wit. 'I wasn't talking to you.'

Yggdrasill clasps his hand into the air, and Lloyd instantly goes rigid with a sharp cry of pain. I forgot he could do this – he did it when we first met him.

I watch Lloyd shudder against the invisible grip around him, fingers digging into his palm so he doesn't drop his weapons. He kinda needs them, but unless Yggdrasill willingly lets him go over crushing him to death, he won't be using them anytime soon.

Yggdrasill tightens his index finger, and Lloyd almost drops his swords. He manages to catch them at the last second though, and Yggdrasill just smirks. 'I would choose against anymore smart remarks or brave crusades. I could crush you in a second.'

Lloyd just shakes, legs getting weak by the looks of it. 'It'll ... take m ... more than that ...'

Yggdrasill raises an eyebrow. 'I doubt you'll be standing when your ribcage collapses and I have you bleed to death.'

A sharp glint comes alive in his eye. 'Why, you might even end up like your little friend down there.'

-----------------------

'_I'm still confused.'_

'_I'm not surprised.'_

'_Are you sure you don't exist? Even a little?'_

'_... No, I do not. I exist as a THOUGHT ... but not as a being.'_

'_So ... you do kinda exist.'_

'_Yes, but I'm not a person living inside your head. I'm just a thought among your other feelings.'_

'_So like, we're not gonna fight it out for control over my body or anything? If I die, will you birth?'_

'_Goddammit.'_

'_Sorry, am I really that stupid?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_... Okay. So, you're a thought that I created ... JUST because I thought you were supposed to be there in the first place, where in reality, you weren't supposed to be there.'_

'_Yes.'_

'_And in reality, you have no power over me whatsoever.'_

'_The only power I have over you depends on how much self-confidence you have. The thought I embody is your self-loathing. I rival that in a way.'_

'_So if I had no self-confidence, you could waltz in and stamp all over me?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_Is that how Lloyd's is?'_

'_In a way. His is largely based on how gullible he is, even to his own self-loathing.'_

'_... How did Lloyd create his doppelganger?'_

'_Probably by chance. Maybe he just needed someone else to blame for not being strong enough.'_

'_Like when he couldn't look after Genis. He blamed it on the doppelganger ...'_

_-----------_

Yggdrasill doesn't go batshit. Kratos doesn't go batshit. Hell, _Lloyd_ doesn't even go batshit.

His mum does though.

I watch his Exsphere, still kneeling beside my own corpse's head. It's flickering and crackling just like all those times before – at the ranch, like Genis' at the Seal of Wind ... all those times, it was Anna and Marble fuelling their power with their own anger, and I think Anna is pretty pissed right now. I assume she can only withstand so much – watching Yggdrasill off Lloyd's friends one by one, watching Kratos betray their son, feeling all of Lloyd's pain with him, and now probably the panic of Lloyd standing up to the LEADER of CRUXIS on this TODD.

Yggdrasill doesn't look terribly bewildered – I'm sure he's seen this happen a lot of the time with people equipping Exspheres. I just hope he doesn't have a way around this, or Anna's influence is stronger than he thinks. Lloyd does apparently own the perfect Exsphere, after all.

I kinda wanna stand up to Lloyd, shove my hand back into his chest and tell him to fuck off to safety, but apparently even in death I'm still a little self-centred. I really don't want my body left here for Yggdrasill to do what he wants with it. Who knows, maybe he'll tear it apart and use it for research, though I'm sure he can do that anytime with anyone. Maybe he'll throw it off the edge of the Tower – behead me and stick it in one of their beds. If I can't be buried next to my sister, than I sure as hell want to be buried at least. Then ... then I'll accept that there's nothing I can do. I just need Lloyd's help for a bit longer, and then he can go on and forget me. It's not what I want, but it's what needs to be done. For him.

I look down to my body again and try wearily to wipe away some blood dripping out of the corner of my mouth. I don't know why I expect it to work. I just want it to.

'The dead can't help you here,' Yggdrasill mocks, tightening his grip. Lloyd jerks in pain, but manages to keep himself from panicking too much. 'Not even your mother, who I heard myself was quite the violent fighter.'

I watch Lloyd grit his teeth again. 'Mom ... I'll fix everything for us ... I promise ...'

Before Kratos can finish stepping forward with his sword in hand to stop Yggdrasill killing his son, Lloyd manages to get there first.

He uses Tempest, and all I see is a red blur fly the air toward Yggdrasill like a rabid bird, slamming both swords into the angel's front. Yggdrasill manages to raise a hasty shield, but he looks quite taken aback by the sudden surge of power from the 'dog' he's been putting down. Lloyd tries to force everything into his first blow, almost managing to shatter Yggdrasill's defence completely. The angel regains his usual demeanour and throws Lloyd back with a quick swipe through the air.

Lloyd almost falls flat on his back below the stage, but he manages to catch himself on his feet with nothing more than a stumble. He quickly straightens himself up, taking a hasty glance behind him to my body which he almost landed on.

He looks back up to Yggdrasill, who once again looks _pissed_.

'Sorry, Charlotte,' Lloyd mumbles. 'I just need a little while longer.'

It's weird, but I kinda comprehend. I know he needs to understand for sure what's happening with Kratos before he leaves this place. After everything they've been though as 'friends', it'd be weird _not_ to. I know he can't just leave him like this.

So even though he's not doing this all for me, I still feel okay with it. I'm not always yearning for attention, but this time I just want Lloyd to understand why Kratos did what he did, even if it is too early to tell him. There's just been too much between them to let it be how it was always going to be.

Maybe Anna's choice to join this fight will help. I just don't know, but I can hope it will.

----------------------

'_So what's going to happen?'_

'_You'll go to Hel. I can't stop it or fix it.'_

'_... Do you want me to go to Hel?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_... Why?'_

'_Self-loathing works as such. I believe you've made the wrong choices the past months, and you'll pay for them with Hel.'_

'_So you really have no power over where I'll be sent?'_

'_Doppelgangers are created to put the blame on someone else for your own weaknesses. It would be essential to believe you could blame a doppelganger for sending you to Hel with that mindset. You still want to blame me for you going to Hel, and that is why I haven't disappeared yet.'_

'_Because I still blame you? So that's like believing you exist still?'_

'_Yes. If you can accept that you'll go to Hel through your own fair judgement, then I'll disappear. But it appears you aren't strong enough for that even now, when you have nothing to lose.'_

'_I really have nothing else to lose?'_

'_You're dead. You're going to Hel. That's your existence now. There is no personal or material gain you can achieve from this point on. You've lived your life, and people will continue to live theirs. They'll continue to make friends, marry, have children, and gain material goods while you yourself ... you're finished. You've played your short role and now will pay for your wrongs in Hel.'_

'_... There really is no chance, is there?'_

'_No. So if you continue to feel like this, "I" will send you to Hel. And you can't change it.' _

-----------

I watch in horror as Lloyd continues to try attacking Yggdrasill one-on-one, while Kratos stands silently to the side looking the most surprised I've ever seen him. I'm sure Yggdrasill could tell him to help and then Lloyd would be dead in a second, but Yggdrasill looks like he's having too much fun.

Lloyd really is proving a challenge for him – the only time I've ever seen him fight like this was with Kvar, and we all know that almost got me killed. _Then_ he was fighting for his mother. _Now_ he's fighting for his own peace of mind with Kratos, Colette, and hell even me. He's fighting for everyone.

His Exsphere is still crackling away with power, and every time a long strip of white energy slams into Yggdrasill he has to stop for a few moments to get his act together. Anna really is going all out for her son.

Come on Lloyd, just stop this and leave. You can sort everything out later – you don't have to get killed over this.

But Lloyd thinks he'll never see Kratos again after this, doesn't he? That's why he wants to know now, but he can't even get near him with Yggdrasill here. That's...

After another series of hacking and slashing from Lloyd, Yggdrasill finally decides to take initiative and grab Lloyd by the neck to stop him. I'm not surprised when Yggdrasill slams his palm into his throat and Lloyd immediately drops both swords, because I know men who would rather take a kick in the nadgers than get punched in the throat. Though Lloyd does gather his bearings quite fast afterwards, it doesn't look like he's going anywhere.

I really would like to know what it is with all the bad guys we see grabbing Lloyd by the throat. Maybe it's his secret weak spot.

'Well Kratos, I must say you've taught him a few good tricks,' Yggdrasill compliments, and Lloyd goes absolutely rigid in pain when Yggdrasill's hand tightens around his throat.

'Ack ...!'

'Maybe a slight too many, but it matters only little.'

Yggdrasill tosses Lloyd to the floor at Kratos' feet, but Lloyd just lies still and unresponsive. Oh god, what happened? Did Yggdrasill snap his neck? Is he dead? Please, please say he isn't dead.

'I was expecting less of a challenge,' Yggdrasill admits, dusting off his hands. 'But I wasn't expecting him to fall so soon under the influence of Kvar's Exsphere.'

'... Yes,' Kratos answers thickly, staring down at the disturbingly motionless body of his only son.

Yggdrasill notices Kratos' discomfort and smirks. 'He is powerful. And with that Exsphere, his power will only grow over time.'

Kratos nods slowly, and Yggdrasill just looks more and more amused.

'Tell me Kratos, would you be utterly opposed to making him into a combatant? Of course his humanity will have to be remodelle-'

'No,' he answers sharply. 'He is ultimately no threat. Leave him be.'

I'm extremely glad Yggdrasill is the only one who hasn't noticed how Lloyd has slowly began to stir from his momentary black-out.

'Is that because he is truly weak?' Yggdrasill persists, smirk in place. 'Or because you wish to preserve his life?'

Kratos answers with a quiet 'tch'.

'You're getting soft, Kratos,' the angel says with a sneer, glancing down to his former comrade's son.

'My allegiance lies with you, Lord Yggdrasill,' Kratos states in a monotone voice with absolutely no joy. 'No one else.'

'We shall see,' the leader of Cruxis says, sounding slightly bored now that Lloyd is down for the count. And hell is he.

'Kill him.'

------------

'_... What now?'_

'_We wait for Valgrind to open.'_

'_Valgr ... the – that door?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_... What's gonna happen to me?'_

'_You'll be sent to Hel. You'll stay there. You'll never see your family, your friends, anyone ever again. You'll never return to your own world, and it's your own fault for being selfish and thinking your life was boring and terrible.'_

'_... So, that's what'll happen?'_

'_Yes ...'_

'_... Or is that what you _want_ to happen? Is that what another part of me wants?'_

'_... You-'_

'_A part of me wants to end it all. A part of me wants to sleep forever and just forget anything ever happened. A part of me doesn't want to face Sylvarant again. You're feeding from that, aren't you?'_

'_Don't you da-'_

'_And THAT ... is feeding from my want for that part. What happens when I don't want that part anymore? What happens if I want to go and face it all again and apologize?'_

'_DON'T YOU DARE-'_

_----------------_

'We don't have all day, Kratos.'

I watch Kratos stand stone still with his hand resting on the hilt of his blade.

'It seems that our current Chosen's mana signature matches that of Martel's a rather great deal. I could feel it.'

'Yes ...' Kratos murmurs. 'Martel was -'

'None of that matters anymore,' Yggdrasill cuts in smoothly, brushing a long bang of hair out of his face. 'Soon her life will enter that body and anything of this _Colette_ will be but a memory.'

And with that, finally some real movement from Lloyd. His fists clench, and he tries to draw an arm back to hoist himself up. Kratos tries to avert his eyes from Lloyd's injured form so Yggdrasill doesn't notice, but he can't really stop him from killing him anytime soon unless he chooses _now_ to start betraying Yggdrasill, and that will just fuck everything u-

... What the hell am I saying?

It doesn't matter if everything gets screwed up now. I won't have to witness it. They can do whatever they want. Kratos could scoop Lloyd up, kick Yggdrasill in the face and fly right out of here declaring that Mithos is a douche and he's Lloyd's dad.

... It would still screw things up though. Did none of it matter just because _I_ would have been there? Didn't I honestly not really care about how this could have affected the others? If Kratos doesn't kill Lloyd now, Yggdrasill will. Genis, Colette and Raine won't get him back. Sheena might never get home either. They might capture Colette again, nothing would change, her body might deny Martel's soul and the cycle will happen again, again, and again.

And why?

Because Lloyd cares too much about Kratos. Lloyd is staying here and trying to save both my corpse and his sanity with Kratos. He won't leave without an answer, and I don't think he's going to get one. He's going to die here.

Lloyd is going to _die here_-

"_Lloyd will die I'm not sure how, I'm not sure when, but he'll die It might be soon, it might be after the events we're used to, but it's inevitable now. There's nothing we can do."_

Charis was right. She's been wrong about everything here, but she was really right this time. I can't even try to stop Kratos _or_ reason with him. He can't hear me or see me, and even if I were alive and in front of his eyes he wouldn't listen to a word I had to say.

'Kratos,' Yggdrasill says curtly, obviously losing patience with his hesitant subordinate. Yggdrasill is one sick fucker, he really is. If someone told him to kill his sister he'd throw a fit, so where the hell does he get off telling Kratos to kill his own son? The bastard's a madman. I thought he was just run-of-the-mill evil, but he's really crazy. He can't see through his own desires; he's completely blinded by four-thousand years of self-centred pain.

He has no right to do this – any of this. There must have been thousands of half-elves in Mithos' position in the war – millions of half-elven children with their family killed and ... _nothing left_. Mithos had Kratos and Yuan. Mithos wasn't completely alone. Martel was his rock, but what he's doing – what's he's _done-_

... I have honest to god never been angrier.

I told Lloyd there was no one in any world I hated more than myself, but when I look at his insane eyes and haughty smirk ... I might just have to start rethinking that.

I want to kill him. I want to kill Mithos Yggdrasill.

Half-way among realising that, I finally begin to notice something through the rage screaming through my mind, my new found hate, at the fact that Yggdrasill has killed me first.

Lloyd Exsphere is going _insane_.

It's glowing – it's echoing screams – there's light streaming out and thrashing around. But ... those screams –

Blue light is dousing the entire area and filtering out from Lloyd's hand as he tries to rise to his knees, apparently oblivious to everything that's happening around him. Yggdrasill has finally noticed that Lloyd is getting it together, but at least he's distracted by the light of the Exsphere while both him and Kratos try to figure out what the hell is happening. I wish I knew myself, because I've _seen_ Genis and Lloyd's Exspheres do this before, but ... I haven't heard them scream before.

I watch Kratos' expression switch rapidly from morbidly hesitant to ... god knows. I've never seen his face like that, and I've seen the bastard _cry_. I don't know – he doesn't even look sad, he just looks absolutely stricken and horrified, and that does _not_ look right on Kratos. The cold blue glow flowing out just makes his skin seem lifeless as colour drains away from his face. Shrieks continue to echo harshly around the three of them, and even Yggdrasill looks slightly taken aback. I doubt he spends every waking moment watching Kvar and the others create Exspheres, so I doubt he knows much about what might be happening now.

I decide none of us know, especially when Kratos drops his sword with a quiet clatter in comparison to the harpy-like screeching and slams both hands to his ears.

... It's Anna.

Lloyd uses his other hand to grab his wrist and try to stop whatever it is that his Exsphere is doing, but the force seems to be more than he can take. I watch him stagger dangerously close to the edge of the stage, trying to clamp his hand over the gem and get the screaming to _stop_-

'Mom-!?'

A deafening crack splits the air and a blaze of light floods the entire area. The next thing I know, Lloyd lands with a painful looking slam right behind me and my corpse, sprawled out on his back with his Exsphere still glowing merrily away. The screams have gone, and I look back up to Kratos when I'm sure Lloyd hasn't broken his spine, and slowly begins to attempt sitting up.

... Kratos does not look well.

Yggdrasill doesn't take notice and keeps his eyes locked firmly on Lloyd still struggling to compose himself behind me.

'Kvar's handiwork certainly seems to be living up to his promises,' he ponders aloud, staring down at the Exsphere attached to Lloyd's hand. 'It could use some supplementary work to stop these hazardous flares of energy.'

He takes a quick sideward glance to his seraph. 'Kratos, when Lloyd is dead deliver his Exsphere to Forcystus.'

Kratos doesn't even nod or offer Yggdrasill a glance for his answer. He just remains still with both hands clamped hard to his ears even though the screaming has stopped, staring wide-eyed at the floor.

Yggdrasill shakes his head. 'I had almost forgotten.'

'Kratos!'

I look back to Lloyd, who's finally struggled back to his feet, clutching his bleeding hand and staring up at Kratos with, which can't be hidden no matter how much he tries, a look of awkward concern. Hell, I've hated Kratos since I came here and even I'm a little worried. The twat let me die, so I shouldn't be, but you just don't see Kratos like this.

'Kratos, tell me everything!' Lloyd shouts desperately, struggling to stand straight. His knee is absolutely screwed up and he just looks terrible. His lower lip is bleeding, there are dark patches all over his jacket from where the flesh beneath has been torn open, there's a dark bruise forming on his cheekbone and on his jaw ... and that's not even the worst of it. He's fought Remiel, Kratos on his own, Yggdrasill on his own, taken a hit of Judgement, and he's _still_ standing. I don't know how he does it, but he really does look like he's done here. Carrying on is just suicide.

'Just ... just tell me why,' Lloyd breathes, clutching his hand hard. What the hell is his Exsphere doing? 'Tell me why you did this!'

Kratos doesn't move an inch.

'Tell me why you strung me along and let me put my faith in you! Tell me why you told me all those lies about you and your "family", everything about you being a mercenary! What was the point!?'

He's still not moving.

'Tell me why you spent your time training me, talking with me – just being my friend! Was it all for this!? Was it all so you could just throw it back and laugh in my face!?'

Still not budging.

'Tell me why you let Colette get her soul taken away! Tell me why you let Charlotte die!'

Still nothing.

'Did you even have a family!? Did you even have a son!? Did I even remind you of anyone at all to make you "care" about me!? All those times I came to you and I cried, were you just laughing at me on the inside!?'

Anna's voice still probably tearing through his mind, Kratos slowly lowers his hands from his head, letting them fall to his side. I wasn't expecting Anna to come along and blotch his unemotional posture, but apparently she has that effect.

He raises his eyes from the floor, staring down past the edge of the stage at Lloyd while Yggdrasill observes with some kind of sick amusement. Kratos is back to his normal self, but even so ...

Yggdrasill begins readying some kind of spell with white mana pooling around his hand, but Lloyd doesn't take notice. He just looks spent and emotionally wasted.

'Kratos, stop being this person ...' he says, voice sore from shouting. 'Tell me why ... answer me ... talk to me like you used to ... I just need to know ...!'

Yggdrasill is getting ready to kill him. Oh god Lloyd, what the hell are you doing!? Kratos isn't worth this, what are you thinking!?

Before Kratos can even open his mouth, a blast of light bursts forth from Yggdrasill's hand and heads straight for his son. Kratos was ready to kill him himself earlier, but now –

'KRATOS, _ANSWER ME!_'

----------

'_... I did it, didn't I?'_

'_I'm still here. You failed.'_

'_I'm getting there ...'_

'_Valgrind will open soon.'_

'_I can feel a desperate part of myself wondering why I'd want to keep living in this world. That's you, isn't it?'_

'_You'll die soon.'_

'_We both will.'_

_--------_

I watch as Yggdrasill clutches his bleeding arm, and Lloyd sits slumped on his knees in a teary daze.

Kratos looks worse than before, and so does Lloyd. He wasn't hit by Yggdrasill's attack. It rebounded – his Exsphere reflected it and sent it back to him, almost ripping his arm open. He managed to avoid the worst, but Yggdrasill is actually _bleeding_ and _hurt_. If it takes Yggdrasill's level of power to hurt himself, they'll never stand a chance in the future.

Kratos doesn't take much notice. He's staring with yearning horror at the bright silhouette standing infront of Lloyd with its arm outstretched in Yggdrasill's direction to deflect anymore attacks like the last.

I don't know what it is exactly. It's just a white figure, and it's hard to make out any detail through the ethereal apparition. I know who it is. I just want to know _what_ it is, and _why_ it's here.

... She's a lot different than I thought she would be. I thought she'd be this small, gentle meek thing, but this ghostly image of her shows everything but. She looks tall and confident, maybe even more so than Kratos himself. I didn't think she'd have short hair, or muscle on her in the slightest, but it just goes to show that I really didn't know everything.

Lloyd stares up at the woman shielding him from anymore harm. Yeah, he knows who it is too.

'... Mom ...?'

I watch the figure slowly lower its arm. If it's a ghost, can it see me? Can she help me? But if I make contact with her, will she drag me into Lloyd's Exsphere too? What do I do? I don't want to go and by the looks of it, I don't have much time left until ... I don't know. I have no idea what will happen when I finally accept that I'm dead and I've moved on, but if there's something I can do while I'm still here then I have to try.

I try calling out her name, but nothing sounds through the room. I can barely even move now – it's like wading through thick mud with nothing weighing me down but my own acceptance.

... I really shouldn't be trying this. She's here for Lloyd, not me. But even so, if there's a chance then I want to try. I have to. I can't die.

_Lloyd_.

The guilt crashes down on me and I don't move. Lloyd needs her more than I do. I can't butt in for my own gain. I've had my run, and it's over now.

'Mom ... what-' Lloyd manages weakly, voice strained and thick with disbelief. His own shock chokes him and he makes a noise something similar to a short sob. 'Mom-'

The ghost looks over her shoulder, eyes passing me completely, and she looks back to her son still on his knees and trying his hardest not to cry.

_Put the people who need your help first. _

She looks back to Kratos, gazing down at her with longing.

_Always protect the people you love, even if they don't love you in return._

'Mom, please don't – please don't go-'

It's so hard to watch Anna fade and Lloyd turn utterly desperate, and whatever was left of that three-year-old and his absolute need for his dead mother engulfs Lloyd entirely. Whether he drowns beneath it is up to him.

Lloyd struggles to breathe as more of Anna disappears and his Exsphere throbs with pale light on his hand as she returns. Lloyd would always be fine with Anna still being with him in that sense, but after _seeing_ what she looks like for the first time after he'd long forgotten and hearing the voice of his mother after fourteen years? He's not about to take her rapid disappearance sitting down.

'Wai – wait!' he calls out desperately as though she'd never hear him, scrambling to his feet. I wince when I see the wound on his knee hold him back momentarily, but he grits his teeth and pushes out his physical pain to make way for his childish instincts. He reaches out a hand to her fading form, but it just slips past her shoulder. Lloyd lingers with pain before he clenches his fist and pulls his arm back, looking at an absolute loss with himself.

I really don't want to watch him lose her again.

Lloyd bites his lip. 'C ... can't you stay ...?'

Anna just turns back to him before giving Kratos a final fleeting glance, and Lloyd just stares up at her.

Anna's ... taller than Lloyd. She's got a lot of his features too. From what I can see now that my own vision of betraying itself, he's got her nose, her ears, her shoulders ... I don't know, it just looks strange to see Anna for the first time.

I think Lloyd is thinking along my lines and trying to remember everything about her for all it's worth. I wouldn't want to forget either.

... It then hits me that I can't remember my own mother's face clearly.

Anna places a hand over Lloyd's Exsphere, and she begins to fade faster. Lloyd almost yanks his hand back to prevent her leaving him again, but the looks she's giving him just stops him. He knows that he can't keep the dead around, even if it hurts that much.

Lloyd screws his eyes shut to stop himself breaking when what's left of Anna just leans forward and kisses his hairline.

And then she's gone.

--------------

'_Your mother ... Anna loves you, whoever you may be. She is proud of your determination to protect your friends. I know she is. Her spirit lingers within your Exsphere and your heart.'_

-----------

Before I know it, everything turns to havoc.

There are beams of pulsing light flying everywhere and slamming into the floor with horrendous cracks, throwing up shards of stone and dust. One flies over my head and slams into a pillar, and when the dust clears it's left with a dangerously deep looking dent. I don't even have time to judge if it would topple and fall or not before the next wave of rays are sent hurtling down in Lloyd's direction.

I don't know what the hell Anna just did, but Lloyd is ignoring every wound on his body and darting around the whole room for his life. At one point I see both his ribbons flutter past my line of view before he's pushing himself and lands on the other side of the room via what looks like Tempest.

I'm finally able to pinpoint the red blur that is my former friend when he collapses to one knee, hand flattened against the floor while he breathes heavily for air. He doesn't have time to sit long before another bolt of light thunders in his direction and smashes a split in the floor where he was once sitting.

Yggdrasill is not a happy camper.

With Kratos on his knees and looking absolutely destroyed from the inside, he's not much help to his master right now. Even so, his master is extremely close to killing his son yet again while Kratos remains unresponsive and practically lifeless while his mind tries to get over the fact that he just saw his dead wife _talking_ to him again for the first time in fourteen years. Ironically, she told him to protect Lloyd even though he hates him right now, which is very much the opposite of what he's doing.

I look to Yggdrasill who is just hurling ray after ray of light at Lloyd to finally _kill_ him, which he's been trying to do for a good fifteen minutes now and failing miserably. He's not exactly succeeding right now though, as Lloyd is doing a swell job of avoiding everything that's being thrown at him with his apparently excellent agility. Exsphere and all.

I just watch it all, even though everything seems to be going faster than I can comprehend. Lloyd's on one side of the room, then he's one another, beams of light are hurtling over my head in every direction, and the only things I can really seem to notice are the loud explosions and the gusts of dirt soaring into the air before disappearing after a few moments. I don't even have time to listen to the shards of broken stone clatter back to the floor before another crash somewhere else gets my attention.

I finally notice a line of blood from the last explosion to where Lloyd is now crouched, and I realise his wounded knee is getting seriously worse. It's hard to notice the blood mingling with the red colouring of his boot, but you can see the light glint off the damp streaks down his leg. He really needs to stop this and get out, but Yggdrasill isn't making it easy for him. If he starts running down the pathway to the warp, then Yggdrasill is going to have a clear hit on him and it _will_ kill him.

A misguided beam of lights soars down past the stage and the platform, and I watch in horror as it slams into one of the coffins swirling around us. I should feel more disgusted when I watch the limp corpse of a dead child wrapped in bandages plummet down into the dark blue clouds, but I seem void of the sickly sensation that usually arises in my stomach.

Lloyd notices it too, but only for a moment before he has to start avoiding Yggdrasill's attacks again. I watch his face carefully, and I just know thoughts of Colette and Genis are flooding his mind. If he dies here, he can't help them get Colette back. I want him to shatter my expectations of him dying here like Charis told me, and I want him to get the fuck out of this place and save her with the others. If he dies, Colette isn't the only one that might suffer never getting her emotions back. Genis and Raine might just break down too.

Finally, Lloyd's Exsphere begins crackling with power again, and I try to keep up as I watch him avoid the last beam of light heading towards him. When the next one goes for him, he just disappears. Completely.

I can finally listen to the clatter of stone against the floor when Yggdrasill stops destroying his Tower of Salvation, hand rose beside his head with the next attack ready. Where to send it, he has no idea. I join him in looking around, but I can't see anything.

Then I decide to look up.

Just in time, that blur of red slams into Yggdrasill's hesitating figure from above, and I watch the orange bursts of light from Tiger Blade crack against the whole stage. Yggdrasill falls back and clutches his still bleeding arm, catching himself on his feet just in time.

... Wow.

The blur of red zooms past me again, but I finally sit up and take notice when I realise he isn't a blur anymore.

I know I'm a ghost. I know I can't feel butterflies in my stomach or aching in my chest, or even feel absolutely sick with fear when I look around at everything even though I should.

But I think I feel something pang hard when Lloyd slips one arm under my body's knees and one around its shoulders, hoisting it up into his arms.

Idiot.

While Yggdrasill recovers from the shock of being caught off guard, Lloyd _finally_ decides to escape. Okay, so he didn't sort things out with Kratos, but I'm just glad he knows when to quit. At least Kratos taught him that much.

While I consider following (I'm not keen on watching my corpse get buried if I still can't accept my death), Yggdrasill gets his act together. Sadly, just at that moment, Lloyd's wounded knee betrays him and he has to stumble to a stop with a shiver of pain, almost collapsing to the floor.

I look back to Yggdrasill, who just continues to look absolutely livid with failure. He sweeps his hand in Lloyd's direction, but no light streams out towards him or anything. I'm forced to snap my view back to Lloyd when painfully loud crashes sound from that side of the room.

Colossal stalagmites block Lloyd's getaway, lining the whole edge of the side of the escape route. He has to jump back a little when one of the smaller ones jutting out almost catches him, and with another shudder he crumples to one knee, only just managing to keep himself upright through the pain. I look at his wound carefully, and it's going to need some serious medical attention after this.

If he gets out, that is.

He finally turns to face Yggdrasill with some difficulty though his injury, still clutching my body. It's weird how his decision to protect me finally kicked in after I'd _died_, but my life practically revolves around Murphy's law. If something can go wrong, it will go wrong.

If someone can die, they will die.

If someone decides to screw up his knee in an attempt to settle things with his former teacher-friend-dad-enemy and rescue his friend's dead body, then he'll probably die too.

Yggdrasill doesn't attack Lloyd, which is ... extremely odd. He just glares, and Lloyd glares right back at him. Kratos is actually getting it together and is back on his feet, and he still looks hesitant and at loss with what to do. It's hard to notice seeing as it's _Kratos_, but you can tell he looks a bit iffy about watching his son get beaten within inches of his life repeatedly and now by the looks of things, not being able to escape after all.

It's so frustrating not being able to do anything. I want to help, I really do. If I were alive, I'm sure this would be one of those moments where I hopefully just ignore the danger and do my best, or collapse in a ball crying. I hope it wouldn't be the latter, but you never know with Yggdrasill. He did just _kill_ me after all.

I'm the first before Lloyd to realise it's started to get strangely dark. Lloyd looks around frantically for something to clue him in, but I quickly realise he never experienced this before. I remember that one time where it got dark like this. I remember watching with horror.

So I slowly start looking up with dread, and sure enough, I find my answer.

Lloyd follows suit after a moment when a strong glow begins filtering down from above, and giant white runes are twisting around in the air above, with Yggdrasill holding a hand up to control them.

I think some subconscious part of Lloyd clicks when feathers begin slowly raining down.

... Yggdrasill is going to use Judgement.

Judgement _will_ kill Lloyd.

Renegades, you suck.

The whole platform begins to shudder, and Lloyd just grits his teeth in frustration. The injury on his knee has by now fully disabled him from walking and even getting up, and the stone barbs behind him blocking his escape aren't helping.

His Exsphere is glowing brightly, but even that can't help now.

Kratos just lowers his head, squeezing his eyes shut while he waits for it all to end.

When I finally get over there and try to listen to Lloyd's thoughts, his mind is completely blank. I actually can't hear a thing. I look back to Yggdrasill and up to the runes above, and they're just spinning faster and the ground is shaking and it's going to happen any second now-

That force from Lloyd pushes me back once again when he screws his eyes shut and bows his head, muttering something about the Professor, Genis and Colette. Whatever is left of my ghostly form touches the side of my body's head for a moment and-

"_-ust try it-"_

"_-ere's no ti- she'll di-"_

"_-AVE TO TRY-"_

And before I can even try to work it out, I feel butterflies in my stomach, aching in my chest, and I feel absolutely sick and dizzy with fear and confusion.

My muscles tear in pain I reach up and grab Lloyd's collar, yanking him out of his stupor for a moment – the one moment –

'_Lloyd-!'_

He just stares back at me, eyes glazed with disbelief. 'Cha ...'

"_It's crashing again. It's not working, what were you thinking-!?"_

"_Dammit-"_

Whatever darkness of death I felt before floods coldly through me again, and my hand slowly slips from Lloyd's ripped collar.

'Charl – Chalotte, wait-! Don't-'

I don't even return to my ghostly self after Charis and William dragged my soul back into my body. I can see why it didn't work for more than a few seconds when you consider the state of my corpse, but through the blackness creeping into my view and darkening everything, the light above finally thunders down.

And finally, I pass.

----------------------------

'_The waiting game is over, sweetie.'_

_----------------------------_

'So you think you've finally got it?'

I just sit cross-legged with my back to the woman I've been nagging for the past hour or so. She finally seems pretty interested in what I have to say now that I've apparently cracked her logic and started working out how to sort things out for myself, but she's not making it easier.

'I don't know,' I mumble, dragging my finger across the floor. At least, I think it is. Most of this is just white space. 'I think I do, but I think it's impossible to just dismiss all the self-loathing I've ever had in just an hour. I've pretty much worked out that's not all you are.'

'Well your time is almost up. If you want to think by yourself, you'll have to make your move soon.'

'Everyone has that nagging voice in the back of their head. Most people are just smart enough not to manifest it into another being so they can ignore it completely.'

'It's good while you're alive, but yes, you have to face your entire being here. Including what you've created yourself.'

'Huh ...'

'I don't know why you're bothering. You can't change things.'

I thump down onto my back. 'I know. I'm just curious.'

She leans down over me. 'Admit it. I'm only here because on some suppressed level you want to die.'

I give her thin face an annoyed look. 'I don't want to die. I just know it's inevitable. I may not like it, but that's why you're here. And until I work out just exactly what thoughts I'm manifesting you as, you won't go away.'

'Good luck with that.'

I pause and look past her to the door that still refuses to open. Valgrind, I think it's called. I don't know what exactly it's for – it's just a giant circular gate – but I've been told when I die it leads to Valhalla or Hel. I remember being taught it only led to heaven – Valhalla, whatever, but apparently it goes both ways now.

I'd be less confused if the door didn't have _SYMPHONY_ written on the edge along with some words I don't understand. It's probably referring to how it leads to both 'resting places', but I haven't bothered to ask. My doppelgan – okay, she established that doppelgangers don't exactly exist because we're the same person but whatever - she knows bugger all. She's knows as much as I do, to be honest, what with her BEING ME and all.

It's weird though, she doesn't exactly look like me. Well, she does, but she's different like Lloyd's is different. She's a lot taller and she's got sharper features than me. She got longer hair in a plait too, but that's really it. Weird thing is that she's got a tiny bit of a Russian accent. I don't know why, maybe I had this weird urge to be Russian when I was alive.

So we've established she's not my doppelganger because they don't exist, Lloyd's doesn't exist either, I'm going to die because on some level I don't want to go back to Symphonia-land, she's pretty much taken form of that thought as a person because I dunno, apparently I thought she would when I was alive or something, we're waiting for Valgrind to open so I can follow my logic over desire and go to Hel, and then ... I dunno.

Death is confusing here. I'd rather be at the big pearly gates, but then again I might have been set for hell back on Earth too.

'Hey.'

She turns to me again. She's getting really pissy about Valgrind not opening. Maybe she's also embodying my suppressed impatient thought of wanting to know what's going to happen. 'What?'

'What happened to Lloyd and the others?'

'I don't know. I know as much as you do, and by the looks of things I'd say Lloyd is dead.'

I pause. 'Can you find out?'

'What do you think I am, really? I'm a cluster of your thoughts – I can't go jumping into other people's heads.'

I cringe. 'Right, right.'

'Why do you even want to know? I shouldn't matter. You don't exist with them now. You don't care what gets screwed up, so why should you care if Lloyd is dead or if Colette can't get her soul back, or even if Genis and Raine can't handle Lloyd's death? What is it to you?'

I hesitate. '... I don't know.'

'Tch.'

'Hey, you're me. Shouldn't you care about them too?'

She makes a face. 'Do you remember when you started out here and you would have traded their lives for anything useful to you because they were "just game characters"?'

I feel the guilt stir when I think back. 'Yeah.'

'You still think that, but only a little. It's diminished as they've become real to you, but I embody that thought also.'

'I have a question.'

'Another one?'

I sit up a little. 'When I work out what it is exactly that you're manifesting as then you'll disappear, right?'

'Probably.'

'That's a yes. If so, then why are you giving me tips?'

Strangely enough, she falters for the first time before answering. 'Hm. I'm not sure.'

I flop back down onto my back. 'You embody my suppressed thoughts, don't you?'

'Yes.'

'So then are my main emotions ... your own suppressed thoughts? You're literally me in another light, so you're going to have every thought I have, even if some are stronger than others and some are weaker.'

She doesn't answer.

'So in a sense, you really do care about the others, and in some way, you don't want to die either. I don't like you being here, which is why you're not going away. It's weird, but I can't help but acknowledge your existence.'

I look back up at her, and she's just avoiding my face and folding her arms tightly while waiting for Valgrind to open.

'It's like trying to convince myself I don't have giant woman thighs or something like that. I can still tell myself that I don't, but I'll always acknowledge that I do.'

She shifts uncomfortably.

'On some level, you don't want to be here either.'

'You're working it out, but you're sure not making it easier for yourself.'

'I don't mean to make things complicated, I just do.'

Silence.

'This all means that I kinda want you here too,' I say after a moment. 'It's easier to realise just what kind of thoughts I need to erase completely with you. I needed to stop thinking of the others as just game characters, because they'd been given their own lives, pasts, futures ... everything seemed to be set in motion in a completely different way before I got here. Thought ... everything was the same at first, but then it all started changing.'

I pause again, thinking it over as I speak. 'I made you ... because I didn't want to admit that I myself would think all these selfish things. The others are so selfless, and I'm just really, really not. I wanted to pass all my selfishness off as a doppelganger like Lloyd was doing, because I didn't want to face up to it.'

I sit up a second time, spinning around to face her. 'I made you and gave you all my selfish thoughts because I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be one of the heroes to save the world with them amongst all that fear and wanting to go home. I still wanted to make an impact, and bitches can't be heroes.'

I grin a little. 'I'm more of a bitch and a hero anyway. I'll accept that. It got me killed in the end, but I never would have made a good hero here.'

'Heroine,' she corrects me thickly, looking back to Valgrind. It still isn't opening, and I think I know why now.

'I made you to try and shun you, and I thought that then maybe the thoughts would disappear. I thought that it would make the others accept me.'

I drag my finger across the blinding white floor again. 'They never accepted me. Even when I died, Colette still came first. It sucks, sure, but ... a childhood friend in danger over a bitch they've known for three or four months in danger and dead? Colette will always come first. Genis, Raine, and for some reason probably even Sheena soon ... they'll always come first.'

I should be crying. 'It just kinda shows that I was never cut out to be their friend, let alone help them save the world.'

'I should have come first.'

I glance over to her. There it is.

She clenches her fists into her arms. 'I needed more help than the others ever did. Lloyd should have been sticking his neck out and risking everything for me, not them. I did all the right things, I said all the right things, and even Kratos hated me. Even when I stayed out of his way, he, Genis, Raine – everyone hated me. I was only trying to protect myself and they didn't give me any help at all.'

She shivers. 'I hate them, and that means you hate them too. Even if it's small, you still hate them.'

'I do,' I admit quietly. 'I hate them because they don't do everything for me and are at my beck and call whenever I want them. That's selfish, I know, but I've been able to suppress that. Everything you just said was disturbingly selfish, and it's strange to know that I think it too.'

I fold my legs over eachother again, leaning back on the heels of my hands. 'But I don't think you realise that you spent that whole rant referring to us as the same person, instead of seriously acting like another person.'

It doesn't happen right away. I wasn't really expecting it to, but I suppose my own doubt of whether I succeeded or not is bearing down on me, therefore on her too. She doesn't bother to turn back to me, and she just keeps starting the giant circular door Valgrind, even though she and I know now that it's probably not going to be opening anytime soon. I'm glad I've held it off for a while, but I can't avoid the inevitable now. I've literally just condemned myself to Hel.

I'm going to miss everyone, sure, but there's still the chance that I might not posses emotion when I get to wherever I'm going to go. I'm going to keep wanting to go back to my mother, my sister, I'm going to keep wanting to carry on with school and get a job and have kids and die on Earth, but I'm also going to just accept that fact that being an unbelievably egocentric headache to everyone got me killed. Lloyd's stupidity got himself killed, so I don't feel too guilty about that.

... I'm quite sure he's dead too. I don't know why, I can just feel it.

I watch my own creation's shoulders sag, and after a moment she just folds her arms behind her head while she watches the unmoving stone door with longing. I'm glad she's doing it for me, because I sure as hell don't want to.

'We were getting a little tired of this anyway.'

I nod. 'Yeah. We want things to be normal again.'

She just nods. 'Forget the embodiment, but stop being a coward and face up to your own selfishness once in a while. We might need it in Hel.'

'We're really going there then?'

'Seems like it.'

I nod, looking back to the floor when I get to my feet. The thing that surprises me most ... is that I'm not surprised when I turn to her and she's gone.

I sigh deeply, rubbing my eyes. 'At least I accomplished something before I got sent to Hel.'

Speaking of which, Valgrind begins shaking. It really is colossal in size, so it's making horrible old groaning noises. I don't know why it's scaring me, because I've already accepted this would happen. I suppose I'm just afraid because I don't know what might happen. I don't know what Hel will be like – it might hurt, maybe it's different from Norse mythology just as Valgrind itself was changed ... everything taken from Norse in this world is different, so I have no idea what it's going to be like in the end.

I just hope Lloyd's going to Valhalla or something, because he seriously deserves it after the crap he's been through. If he's inside his own Exsphere though, well that's another situation altogether. If I'd been dragged into mine or Lloyd's, then I probably wouldn't be passing on at all. I wouldn't have liked to live forever while watching Symphonia change, or at least until the Exsphere was destroyed.

Well ... after everything that happened here – blackmailing Kratos, being hated by Kratos, being shunned by Genis and acknowledged by Raine and Sheena, being friends with Lloyd and Colette ...

Getting this far at least, helping them reach here, even if I did die in the end ... I'm glad I developed out of most of that selfishness. I really needed them to show me who I was before I could become someone else.

The shuddering from Valgrind gets louder. It's over now. And I'm sad, but I'm accomplished. That's more than I could ask for.

I screw my eyes shut through a sudden surge of anticipant fear, and I wait for anything. I wait for Hel, I wait for the end, I just wait for everything to finish.

-------------

'_Charlotte, what are you doing up?'_

'_I'm praying.'_

'_Why?'_

'_... I don't know.'_

-----------

I don't know how long I stand with my eyes closed. If I'm in Hel, I don't really want to open them and look at the place I'll be spending for eternity. If I open my eyes and it's just darkness, then I don't really want to spend forever in dead space either. I know I can't stand like this eternally, but I suppose I'm just scared of accepting what's finally happened. I know I'm not in the presence of Valgrind anymore – the shuddering has stopped, and I didn't even see what was beyond it, and now what I'm afraid of facing.

At this point I concede to the fact that I'm truly alone right now, and I want nothing more than to be in my room again and run into the arms of a family member.

I'm scared. I'm alone. I need someone.

I need _something_ to hold onto – hope, leverage, anything.

I hope Lloyd isn't this scared.

... Lloyd would never be this scared. That was a stupid thought. Dammit, I should really think more like him instead of going down like a complete wuss.

I'm not Lloyd, I'll never be as strong as Lloyd, and I'd honestly feel gutted if I had even an ounce of the strength that he has, both mental and physical. I should put use to what strength I have remaining after facing all of the crap today and use to it accept what is inevitably my final and only fate.

So when I open my eyes and see nothing but darkness, I immediately believe the worst has happened and I'm going to be spending eternity in dead space. I've always been afraid of that and now it's happening. Fuck you, Murphy's law.

When I actually get over the fear of spending eternity in black nothingness, I finally realise that everything around me seems ... limited. It's not exactly space, because the floor I see is glowing an extremely dark shade of blue, and if I strain my vision I can see the edges fading out some yards away. Everything else around the floor is utter darkness besides these tiny blue lights floating around like dust particles. They're not completely obvious, and it takes me a moment or two to realise they're actually there.

I try to take a step forward, but I can't move. I don't know if it's a mental thing, but I just can't seem to move at all. I don't really want to, either. I just want to sit down and cry for a bit before working out why the hell ... Hel is blue and dark and not red and fiery and painful.

... Shit, did my doppelganger trick me or something? No, that's stupid. She doesn't exist. Now that I've practically dragged her back into my mind and broken her up into separate thoughts again and all.

I don't know why I try this. I don't know if it's because Yggdrasill killed him too and he's got a supposed doppelganger, but I just think on some level it might work, even if it is an extremely long shot.

'Lloyd?'

I can still speak, kind of. I can't physically move my mouth because I'm virtually just a shadow of my body – ghost, whatever – but the thought echoes around the space. Even so, he doesn't appear anywhere. Dammit, I really don't want to be alone here. I think my common sense is slowly turning back into a child and caving into the need of someone to hold their hand, kind of like Lloyd when he saw Anna. Of course, he got through that, kicked some ass, tried to escape then got killed by Judgement, but still. I can try to get over it too, can't I?

Lloyd told me himself that I don't need him. If I can cope without him, then I'm sure I can cope without anyone here to guide me through this.

Now I don't know if it's my fault or not, but one of the blue lights starts moving irregularly in comparison to the others and glides slowly towards the floor. I watch it out of curiosity, and the floor itself ripples on contact as if it were water. The ripples create a small glowing circle that slowly begins to spread, and my first instinct is to run away before it can reach me as if something terrible would happen if it did. But once again, I just can't move at all. I'm watching it spread with an odd sense of bewilderment, because I honestly want _something_ to happen, and I want to know what will happen to me.

----

'_Harrison.'_

_I don't move from where I'm kneeling. I keep my hands clenched together tightly, head bowed before the statue of Martel. The church is so cold._

'_Praying at the last moment will not save you. Would you offer salvation to someone only out to save their own skin?'_

_I bow my head further._

'_It's useless.'_

_----_

'What ...'

I cut myself off. I don't know why, I just get the feeling I shouldn't be swearing right now, which I'm very close to doing. I don't know why all these things keep happening – I don't know why it's taking so long for me to just die completely. I don't want to go to Hel or Valhalla at this point – I just want to rest. That's what happens when you die – your body stops functioning, you don't have to think for feel anymore. That's what I want. I'm tired of all those blocks in my way, and they just keep _coming_.

First I was a ghost, and I just had to wonder around the tower for a while watching Lloyd get his ass kicked over and over before Yggdrasill finally cracked and killed him with Judgement, because the Renegades never arrived in time. I don't know, that's _probably_ my fault as well. I don't know how, but it probably _is_.

The "doppelganger" deal was my own fault because I created her to save myself from the shame and being so selfish, but that's been sorted out. If I hadn't created her, then I would have just sat and waiting for Valgrind to open alone, but even so it was effort.

And now this. Now this ... stupid dark space and the figure that's slowly forming above the water-like ripples in the floor. It never ends. I can't do this anymore – I'm not taking part in anymore of this confusing crap. I'm dead – I've earned it.

It's weird that I'm not happy or surprised when the figure moulds into the shape of a tall woman, large staff in hand. Yes, I know who it is. Yes, I've ceased to care about what the hell she wants to do with my soul or whatever.

The ripples stop, the light dims, and finally she's stood before me with an expression bleak of emotion. I probably look pretty much the same if not pissed off.

I don't care about the secrets anymore. I don't care that I'm not supposed to be saying anything about Earth or whatever. I'm tired of this stupid game.

I let my shoulders sag, and I just glare up at her. 'You're Mana, aren't you?'

After a moment, she just answers me with a small nod.

'Right – well – that's just great,' I say with a sigh. 'I don't care anymore. I'm not taking part in any more of your Symphonia crap. I just want to end it. I'm tired of being made to endure chore after chore while I'm dead, so just end it. Make it stop.'

I clench my fists tightly. 'Just ... just make everything stop.'

She doesn't say anything.

I watch the blue floor and miserably wonder had I the ability, if I'd be crying now. I probably would be. I'm just stressed and worn out from everything. After three months here and breaking my back, I just want to rest and no one is letting me. I really need to disappear from this world _completely_ and just let everyone else get on with saving the world, because I'm sure I'd be nothing but a nuisance all the way through. I have been up until now, and I'm dead because of it. I've accepted this countless times, but even still, I just can't seem to get away. Even after _death_, I'm still stuck in their world.

I don't think I was ever going to get home. I was never going to see my family or my friends again. I don't know what I did to deserve being dragged into a dangerous world where I would eventually get killed and then remain forever here, but whatever it was must have been really bad.

_You are not from here_.

I look up with difficulty. I don't want to look at anything that will remind me that I'm still trapped here.

'Figure that out all by yourself?' I chastise shakily. I'm just tired – I can't be bothered to be nice. Mana doesn't answer to my rudeness, and just continues to watch me with her staff in hand.

_You prayed for me_.

'Is that why you're here now? Because I prayed for your help in the last minute?'

She shakes her head.

_You are beyond my help._

Charlotte, you're dead, but for god's sake don't punch the real goddess. She might send you back to Hel. Either way, I'm actually confused as to what Mana is exactly. I honestly can't remember – I've forgotten almost everything since I got here. Wasn't she inside the Great Seed? Or was that just Martel? Aren't they practically the same person? No wait, Martel's soul was just inside the Great Seed, maybe where Mana was trapped too? Wait ...

I hesitate a little before asking this and think it over, glaring at the floor. This ... all of this is familiar, it was when Tabatha –

'Am I inside the Great Seed?'

Mana doesn't answer me. She's such a social person.

'Listen ... this isn't right,' I say, waiting for all the information to come back to me. 'This isn't ... no, _you're_ not supposed to exist yet. No, Martel, Tabatha, everyone ... nothing-'

I stamp my foot in frustration, clenching my fists into my hair. 'What the hell is going on!? Tell me!'

_This is a manifestation of your own beliefs_.

I fall silent for a moment, trying to comprehend what she's saying clearly. Another manifestation? Is anything after death _not_ a manifestation? My doppelganger (or lack of), Valgrind, this ...

'So ... you're here because I thought you would be? Like with my dop – my negative thoughts before?'

Again, I'm rewarded with a long silence.

_People have accepted Martel as their goddess_.

I grit my teeth. 'So ... what? What are you?'

_The dream of thousands. People have formed me through their own faith_.

'And what's that got to do with me?'

_This dream ... is what the people rely on to send them into eternal peace_.

I decide to give her the silent treatment for now and scowl at her some more. What she's saying is kind of making sense, but I'm not liking it. It's true – the past four-thousand years, people have believed that Martel is their goddess. If enough people believe it and place their faith in it ... then if this is just a dream they all must face after death, then that's why she's here now. That's why I'm here. I prayed for her help – I let myself succumb to that faith, and now I'm part of the dream.

_But I cannot take you_.

I wait for it all to wear down on my before I look up to her face again. '... What?'

_You are not from here._

I groan. 'You told me that, but ... explain, because I can't think – I'm tired, I just want it all to stop. I can't keep going, I'm _tire-_'

_I cannot let your soul pass_.

I just keep trying to think. It's hard; I can't process anything properly. 'What ...'

_This is not your world. You cannot die and pass on to eternal peace here. _

That's it. I'm stuck here forever.

_You do not belong here_.

I clench my teeth hard and just sneer. 'Tell me something I never knew.'

Finally, she stops explaining things to me and falls back into silence.

So this is it. I don't belong here – I never did, my selfishness got me shanked, and now because I was never meant to be here in the first place I don't even get to join the dead and all the poor bastards I've killed while I've been here in "eternal rest". I just stay here forever on my own. No one even has the chance of getting caught out and staying here with me, because they're all going to go straight to this stupid eternal rest. Lloyd is probably already there living it up with all his dead friends and relatives.

_Your soul does not belong to me_.

'I know, would you just shut up and leave me alone?' I snap, still glowering at the glowing floor.

_I do not have the right to take your soul._

'I ... _kno_-'

_I am forced to pass your spirit to the one with those rights._

My head snaps up and I look to her again. 'You're sending me to Hel?'

_There are people close to you with the rights of your soul. It is up to them how to help you pass, or to aid your own revival._

... What.

'Wait, what do you mean revival?' I ask hastily, ignoring how she's gradually getting closer. 'Revival as in ... I go back, I live again? Or my soul just wanders around, doing nothi – are you even listening to me?'

She's closer.

'Look, just tell me what's gonna happen – who has the rights to my soul? Is it Lloyd and the others? Yggdrasill killed me, is it him?'

Wait, Charis and William. They were hanging onto my soul while I was in the Tower of Salvation so I wouldn't pass. They were trying to fix something ... I know whatever they did worked for about three seconds, but then it crashed and they lost it again. That must be why I had to face my own self-doubt, the embodiment of my knowledge of what Norse death might be like with Valgrind, and now ... this. Because I joined the whole of Sylvarant in placing my faith in Martel, I'm facing her or ... Mana, but she can't do anything to my soul? I'm beyond her help? So that means Charis owns the rights to my soul right now. My _GameCube_ owns my soul.

... Okay, Mana is right in front of me.

'Um.'

She raises her arm and extends a thin hand towards me.

_I have no choice but to leave you in their hands. You have my consent of life. In return-_

'What do you mean by consent of life?' I interrupt. 'Just explain things to m-'

_In return, if you lose your life once more, the rights to your soul will be passed to me_. _I will send you into eternal rest._

Before I even realise her palm is pressing against the base of my neck, I realise I can _feel_ it. I can't feel her skin, but I can feel _something_.

_But it is your own choice_. _You may remain here in death if you so chose._

------------------

_I run._

'_Charlotte, what the hell are you doing!?'_

_God ... what am I doing?_

'_Dammit, stop!'_

_Nothing happens._

_Yggdrasill is forcing all of the mana out of my body._

'_CHARLOTTE!'_

_It's __my__ city._

_It's there._

_I can't go through this again._

_Origin's seal is repelling me._

_There's nothing left for me here._

'_Get up and __run!'_

_The Eternal Sword isn't at my side anymore._

'_CHARLOTTE!'_

_Thank you – _

'_CHARLOTTE!!'_

_For being - _

'_**CHARLOTTE!!**__'_

_My friend._

_------------_

Am I really prepared to face everything again? Can I? I'm still tired – I just want to rest, but I can't. But I can stay here forever – I don't _have_ to face everything again. I don't have to fight for my life or yearn day after day for getting home. I don't have to worry about when Cruxis might show up, I won't have to worry about the impression I make on the people who may or may not join Lloyd in the future. I don't have to worry about when Lloyd will or won't protect me when someone else's life is on the line. I don't have to fight Kratos or Yuan or Yggdrasill, I don't have to invade ranches and try to kill grand cardinals. I don't have to make myself sick with worry, and I don't have to slowly kill myself with stress.

That's _everything _I've wanted here as one of them. To avoid it all. As myself, my only goal was getting home.

I can succumb to all my self-centred desires here. There's no one here to judge me.

No one but the voice in the back of my head that not so long ago I accepted as part of myself once more. I don't think I can fight with myself much longer.

What am I leaving behind? What am I accepting now?

There's light, there's wind, and strangely enough there's pain. It's not physical, but every thought inside my head is twisting itself around eachother and screeching with the effort of thinking straight at all.

Mana ... Martel is gone.

Is the dream over?

_Make your decision._

I don't know. I don't know what to do.

Do I stay here forever? Do I let Charis try to save me? Will it even work? Do I really want to face everything again? Can I face the others at all? Will they have already gone to Tethe'alla? What if I go back and Lloyd really is dead? If not, how can I even face _him_ when I ignored everything he said about not risking my life? Well they even let me back?

If I die again, I'm stuck here forever. It won't be easy, and I can't face it all again.

After all, there's nothing left for me here.

'_As soon as you wake up, you can do everything over ... you can try everything again, you can get everything back ...'_

I clutch my head in the pain soaring through my mind, try to ignore the howling wind around me and the light burning through my eyelids-

'_You don't need me anymore ...'_

- And I scream my answer to Martel.

* * *

Yes, I'm very aware that if Char comes back to life then it will be the most sueish thing she's ever done. That's why I'm still deciding. Soooooo go ahead and throw your input at me, it'll be helpful. Promise.

**Is dat sum edit:** okay it looks like i've got the okgo from a bunch of people about Char jazzhanding her way back to life, so i'll probably be churning out another chapter in the near future. i say probably because i'm gonna play through the tethe'alla half of the game for a bit to see if i can think up anything good to write along the way amongst the actual flow of the story, because right now it's just particles floating around in my head lol. so it might take a while.  
so yeah thanks for everyone's input, i know char hasn't really been sueish up until the latest few chapters, and i was just wondering if her coming back would tip the scale seeing as i've been told it's the most sue thing you can have a character do.

thanks for the yays and nays, but there's a lot more of the former and i'll see what i can do. cheers for the opinions *heart*


	71. Burning Sands

Ahaww, I'm 16 in five days. Noooooo. I'm getting too old for this.

Anyway, chapter 71. Frickin hell, this is getting long. I don't really have much to say here - I might do in the next chapter.

Read, enjoy, review (:

* * *

"I think I had a dream.

I'm not sure what it was exactly. I was with a lot of people, and we travelled all over the world. All of them were really nice, but I don't think they liked me. It was still really fun.

Things started out okay. It was a little scary, but I just thought I'd wake up soon.

Things got a little worse. It was still scary, but it was okay, because I'd be waking up any second.

Things got really bad. It was really, really scary. I kept telling myself to wake up, but it was weird, because I still hadn't.

Things ended up terrible. No one liked me, no one wanted me around, and everything was terrifying and getting worse with each passing day. I got into more battles, I got more bruises, and less people seemed to want to help me bandage all my cuts. It was okay though, because I was just going to wake up.

I don't know why, but one of the people started being nice. I really liked him a lot. He always made me smile and laugh. I still wanted to wake up though.

Even though this person was really nice, we got into a lot of fights. I was really stupid. He stopped liking me for bit, and I started feeling uneasy because I wasn't waking up. It had been a while now.

It wasn't okay. But that person was there, so it would have been bearable if I could get him to want to protect me if I got into any danger.

I tried to say the right things, but he started to dislike me more and more. It was frustrating.

I didn't want to try and be nice if he wasn't going to protect me.

I made him hate me.

I realised that I wasn't going to wake up from this dream-turned-nightmare.

Before I could fix things, it was too late. He didn't want to protect me. He only wanted to protect his friends. But it wasn't frustrating.

He could still make me smile."

_

* * *

_

Chapter 71 – Burning Sands

"_It should hold out like that for a while. We can't get back into contact with her for some time though, so let's just hope she doesn't get her ass killed again."_

"_You sure it worked okay? She's not gonna have trouble walking or speaking?"_

"_No ... it's a little different from a coma, so she should be fine when she wakes up."_

"_What about the wound from the Eternal Sword?"_

"_It's gone, but I don't know if she'll get anything along the lines of phantom pains or anything."_

"_What about all the wounds and things she had before the tower?"_

"_They should all have been transferred okay."_

"_If the slightest thing is off, Raine will throw a fit. They won't believe her."_

"_Of course they won't, her body now is ... well, y'know. Because of the 'coma' it kinda ... aged a little."_

"_She's gonna kill us when she wakes up."_

"_That's why we're not contacting her. Plus it's only while she's here, so it's not that bad is it?"_

"_William."_

"_She's gonna kill us, I know."_

_-----------------------_

Fresh air, clear blue skies, rolling hills of white ...

... I fucking hate sand.

No really, like ... it always gets stuck in your hair and your teeth and I usually throw a little fit if I get some in my eyes or my mouth. Seriously, it's annoying.

I also kinda love how I'm trudging across a desert on my own with the threat of oh I don't know, bandits, scorpions, um ... vultures, other things, and the only thing I'm complaining about is the gallon of sand that may or may not have entered various orifices on my face and is now lodged in my brain. Oh, or standing on a stray tiny cactus. Yeah, that'd be a killer.

I hate the Triet Desert. I really, really do. I'm gonna ask Yuan why he decided to build his base in the middle of the freaking desert, and then I'm gonna head-butt him in the chin and break his neck. I'm sure I'll do the same when I ask him why the hell he built his second base in the middle of a snow field, but who knows, he might have kicked me in the face at that point.

I hate snow too. I sure as hell love me some grass though. If Yuan built his base somewhere like Iselia, then we probably wouldn't have this problem, and he wouldn't be in future danger of having his neck broken by a short pissed off kid with a surprisingly strong head.

... So yeah, hi, look who's back.

I don't know what I was thinking when Martel made me make that choice. Apparently some human part of me got through and made me want to try everything to get home. So I don't know – when I was planning to scream "just leave me the hell alone", it kinda sounded like "I want to go back". Maybe Martel is hearing impaired, I dunno, but here I am again, trying to get home the PROPER and LESS DANGEROUS way by ... well, trying the find the others first, then sort everything out.

I haven't really heard from Charis and William in a while. When I first woke up, I was on a shore near the desert's edge. I think I sat there for a while in shock while dragging my fingernails down my arm to see if it was real, but then the feeling of the sand, water, the pain in my arm and the fact that I was _bleeding_ ... I dunno, it all just kinda hit me at once. I did sit there screaming and crying for about an hour, but I'm feeling totally dandy right now. Okay I'm not, but definitely less hysterical and ... well, dandier.

Since then, I haven't been able to hear them at all. I'm guessing they're still there, because the rights of my soul were passed to them to do whatever, and with Mana's ... well, telling me to fuck off, here I am again. I don't know what they've done to my body, because ... well, I don't have the scar from the Eternal Sword, and everything just feels weirder. It's like it's different. I feel taller, so that's always an upside, but I don't know if I have a new body to look exactly like my old one, or if my old one is still at the Tower of Salvation (god that would be hard to explain), or ... I dunno, so I really would like some explanation, but for now I think the best thing is to find the others before they go off to Tethe'alla. I doubt Yuan would let me use a Rheaird, seeing as last time we met I kinda ... y'know, shanked him.

I've been thinking for a while about what I'm gonna say to the others when I get back. They ALL saw me die, Lloyd saw me die TWICE, so ... well, I might be able to pass off to Lloyd that I never died again and that I actually came back to save some explaining, but even so there's the whole lack of wound and ... well, if Lloyd isn't alive either, then I don't know. I do have a lot of things to explain, and I don't think "I dunno" will go down well, especially with Raine. They might even think I'm a monster pulling the same stunt as Kilia back in Palmacosta.

There's just this whole back of guilt I'm feeling. I dunno, I died and now I'm alive again, but people like Anna, Marble, Martel? Yeah. I doubt Yggdrasill would want to hunt me down and send armies of Cruxis after me because I cheated death, seeing as he's got his own thing going on with the Chosens and he's unlikely to drop four-thousand years of building the Desians, Cruxis and a whole religion just to capture my ass and make me help him, so I don't think I'll worry about that. He'll hardly drag me up to Welgaia and do what they do in the movies – interrogate, test, test some more, and repeat. But anyway, I'm sure if Lloyd had the choice of who to bring back between say, Anna and me, I'm sure who he'd choose. So if I pop up all jazz hands and "ahoy I'm back" after he's seen Anna again, then he'll probably be pissy.

But anyway, yeah, back to ... endless fields of sand. I haven't gotten into many scuffles since I've been back and travelling – I think I stepped on a rather small scorpion or something and ran off screaming, I've found a few little oases on the way, so I think I might be nearing Triet or something. I hope so, and I hope not, because it'd be nice to see some civilization as the last I heard they were rebuilding, but it'd still be pretty shit to see it all destroyed again.

I try to ignore those thoughts and keep walking, cursing my dark clothes. It's so hot. And if it gets late anytime soon, I'm screwed. I can't handle desert cold at the night, so I'm just going to panic. I might be okay though – Triet desert is harsh, but it isn't very big. If I just keep walking in the right direction (thank you, small and old "Triet is this way" signs, thank you) then I should be okay.

I smack myself to stop thinking and keep going. I have sand in my shoes and my hair and my teeth and god I hate sand so much.

After half an hour of shooting out anything that tries to get near me (snakes are hard to shoot, ugh) I feel pretty good again. Sure it's still hot and I'm not near any town or city yet, but at least I'm getting there and all those terrible thoughts are out of my head.

So nothing could make this worse. Y'know, unless I got jumped by a random monster, and then that would really suck.

I decide just to start swearing quietly and drop my head when the sand beneath my feet begins rumbling slowly.

Okay, just ignore it and run. Easier said than done, but I'm not sticking around to fight what sounds like a small underground army of scorpions. Last time one of those really got on my nerves was when we were all here together and one stabbed Lloyd in the leg. That's when some douche decided to magic a big fat wound up my arm, and I'm guessing by now it was probably Kratos or something.

I grit my teeth through the heat pulsing down from above and just run as hard as I can through the sand, which I've discovered is yes, extremely hard. The rumbling seems to be going down, so I'm getting further away. That's always a good sign.

I slow to a stop when it goes completely, crouching down to the burning sand to catch my breath. God I hate running in the heat. I don't really want to be wasting my energy through running seeing as I haven't seen an oasis in a while, but I'm sure there'll be one further up somewhere. I can live until then unless that little scorpion army comes ba-

I'm cut off rapidly by something that I'm quite sure makes my brain shut down for a few seconds.

The thing that was making that noise bursts out of the sand with a horrendous gurgling sound, soaring up into the air. And hell, it is not a scorpion.

I watch in horror as what can only be described as a giant ... sandworm with very sharp teeth explodes out of the ground and sends sand spraying everywhere. I watch it for a while as it continues to wind itself out of the sea of sand, and I realise that it is very ... very, very big. Big as in "Leviathan" big. Not as long, but definitely thicker and more ... gross looking.

I don't look at it for long, because I decide that coming back from Mana has been rad and I'm not about to go back to her with the excuse "I got eaten by a giant worm". Time to run, Charlie. And run fast, because those teeth don't look merciful, and that gurgling sound it keeps emitting is giving off the impression that he's a hungry bastard.

I jump to my feet and immediately begin sprinting in the opposite direction, swearing to myself through ragged breaths. I take solace in the fact that the sandworm gave me a head start, but it isn't long before I feel the sand rumbling again and hear the grind of his leathery skin and the bristly appendages on his front against the floor. I dunno if he's fast or not, because I'm not looking over my shoulder and tripping up. Every chick EVER trips up in these situations, and I'm so not going to. Well, I hope I'm not.

I consider fighting back as an option, but I'm too tired and I have no idea what I'm like in serious combat after ... well, everything that happened, so running should suffice right now. I turn a little bit when I realise that while I'm running back the way I came, I'm wasting more energy and more time, so I might as well run in the direction of Triet. Who knows, the Palmacosta militia currently helping out there might be able to kill it.

A sudden blanket of shade covers the ground a good few yards infront, and I betray my logic and look over my shoulder. Okay, it's picking itself up off the ground and I'd say it's getting ready to lunge.

'Shiiit,' I hiss to myself, trying to run faster. Goddamn these giant woman thighs weighing me down.

I decide to do something stupid and throw myself to the left to keep running in that direction, and seconds later a horrific crunch behind me blows sand everywhere, and the power of it sends my falling onto my face. Thank god for soft sand right now. I ignore the pain jolting through my front and struggle back up to my feet, spitting out some grains.

The sandworm seems to have smashed itself headfirst where I was standing a moment ago, but it just eats its way down below the sand again. I'm hoping it's gone, but I don't think it'd be that nice. As I back away while watching the rest of its body slip down beneath the desert, I quickly look for my footprints from before and starting running as fast as I can in the direction of Triet again.

'Can't ... catch ... a break ...' I gasp to myself when the rumbling starts again, and I feel it travelling beneath the sand. 'Frickin' ... sand ... worm ... bugger ...'

It gets louder and I quickly try to think of ways to avoid it. Like ... I might be able to find somewhere where it can't get back up, but that'd be grassland or a cave or something. Right now I'm sorta smack-bang in the middle of a desert, so that option is very out. I could hope my still-green Exsphere might randomly evolve into a Cruxis Crystal, give me wings and let me fly away to safety in the next five seconds, but that is very unlikely.

'Hate you ... Mr Sand ... worm ...' I grumble when the rumbling quietens down, and no more than a few moments later does it burst up from the ground again right in front of me. I reel back and land on my ass so I don't get eaten as it soars up into the sky once again, and I throw my hands over my face to avoid the sand spraying everywhere from the sudden burst. The goddamn worm seems to be right infront of the sun, so it's hard to see him when I have sunlight blaring into my eyes.

After a second or two of trying to adjust to the brightness, I have to scramble desperately to my feet through the sand and dart off in another direction, because Mr Sandworm is losing balance and decides to take a dive towards me again.

It almost hits like last time, but I barely even manage to pull my leg away before it might have chewed it off. I really am trying to find something to compare its size to, so I'm just gonna say it's like ... the size of the average garage. And then stack twenty of those garages on top of eachother. You have Mr Sandworm. I just hope he doesn't start spitting cars at me or something.

'There is like ... a city full of delicious people near here!' I shout to him as he starts eating his way down into the ground again. 'What is your problem, seriously?!'

It answers by bursting out of the ground again before it's even finished fully getting back in there, and I just shriek and start sprinting off again. Okay my thighs are burning, and I'm sure my kneecaps are gonna fall off any second now. I'm quite sure both of my lungs are currently occupied by several litres of sand, and I'm so not doing well here. I'll be okay with fighting on my own from now on, I really will, but I have _just_ been told by Mana to practically get lost and not to die again she doesn't have to deal with my sorry ass, and I am NOT fighting a giant sandworm. Just NO, okay?

'Frick – frick – frick,' I pant, still running as fast as I possibly can at the moment as it starts sliding after me again. I have no idea what direction I'm running in now – I just want to get away from it. 'Frick – on – a – stick ...'

I finally let out a stressed scream, gritting my teeth. 'Would you PLEASE give me a BREAK Mr SandWORM!!'

The shadow looms past me again, and I decide that there's only one thing I can do. There's absolutely no chance of me being able to dodge this, so I'm gonna have to try and hold him off for a while. Then I can make my escape.

I draw my guns, spin around, aim and shoot and hope to my new goddess that this does _something_.

---------

'_Sis-'_

'_Genis, you've woken up ... good.'_

'_I've been awake for a while now, but ... Raine, where are we?'_

'_You probably wouldn't remember. This is that place in the Triet Desert where Lloyd was captured when you two followed us at the beginning of our journey.'_

'_Huh? You mean ... we're in a Desian base? That's right ... outside the Tower of Salvation, those Desians that ambushed us-'_

'_Genis ... they-'_

'_But ... what about Colette? Did they take her back to Yggdrasill?'_

'_No ... she's safe here with us.'_

'_Well ... what about the others? Sheena? And are you okay? They didn't do anything to you, did they!?'_

'_Genis ... everyone is fine. Sheena still hasn't woken up yet, but she isn't in any immediate danger. It seems we've all been unconscious for a while ... apparently the beating Kratos gave us took a larger toll on us than I thought it would. But ... Genis, how are you feeling?'_

'_My head hurts ... but I'm fine.'_

'_Good ... that's good.'_

'_... Raine, what happened to Lloyd?'_

'_... He ... I – ah ... Genis, he-'_

'_Raine ... have you been cryi - Raine, what happened to him!?'_

_--------------_

Okay I can't say I'm not surprised when I shoot and the sandworm arches back with a gurgle of pain, head almost touching his tail. It thrashes after a moment, letting out the scratchy grumbling sound as it tries to compose itself. Wow, I have like ... super-bullets or something. That's awesome.

I raise my arm and shoot again, but miss. I quickly put the other one into action and fire like there's no tomorrow with both pistols, still backing away while it continues to gargle and choke. Okay I think I pissed it off, and now my aim is terrible. Well I'm shaking a bunch now that it's a lot closer to me, so I just have to start focusing before he slams into me and starts to omnomnom at my face.

'Oh ... sugar,' I hiss still firing away. I try Comet Blast and Blitz Bullet, and I'm glad to see that all my techs seem to be working still. I remember my first few battles on the way here, and I used Mana Beam for the first time to blow up that bird. Who knows, maybe it'll work on a giant worm twenty-thousand times its size.

Well I use Mana Beam, which also still works, and watch in dismay as it bounces right off its sandy skin. Oh my buggermuffins, I'm screwed.

Oh wait, Mana Blast? Will that work? It'll probably hurt like hell seeing as I'm in such a state already, but it might shut him up so I can escape to Triet in time.

I grit my teeth again when the sandworm starts up again, and begin powering Mana Blast as fast as I can. If this knocks me unconscious through the heat then I'm screwed.

Before I can even fire, the enormous monster reels back in pain with another grumbling screech. Wow, am I really that good? I decide to ignore whatever the monster is doing to itself to cause so much pain and look for the right direction to start running in.

Everything around me seems to be just sand and blue skies spanning forever, but I take on my gut instinct and just start running where I feel right.

'I'mma murder all your kids,' I tell it as I run. 'If they're smaller than you, that is ...'

I almost trip over my feet, but that isn't the worst to happen when a sharpness beings to blossom at my middle. Oh shit, cramp. CRAMP.

'No, no, no,' I gasp, clutching my side. 'Bad body, bad!'

I don't look back but I can hear it shrieking again and zooming after me.

The sound of the worm's skin grinding against the sand as it slithers after me gets louder, and I throw one arm back and start shooting as it nears, hoping I might catch it and it'll start magically writhing in pain again. I'm trying to remember what tech I used to get it to start freaking out. Blitz Bullet, I think ...

I keep running, and draw my arm forward again, trying to concentrate a little through the panic and cast Blitz Bullet. After I decide I've used all the energy I safely can, I throw my arm back and prepare to start shooting again.

The bullet crackling with thunderous energy swims right past the worm altogether.

_Yay_.

However, Mr Sandworm does start freaking out again. Okay when I hit it does nothing, and when I miss it starts shitting itself. Seriously, what's going on?

I think I get my answer when small blades of light start slashing up the length of the monster's front with clanging sounds, causing it to start jerking harshly in pain. What the hell is going on? Whatever is causing that, it's definitely not me. Is it the militia? Are they firing at it?

I look over my shoulder to see if there are people helping to kill this thing, but I'm greeted with nothing but vast yellow sand. Light ... is it Cruxis? Oh shit, are they coming to kill me again?

There's a terrible groan from behind, and I snap my head back around to see what's happening to Mr Sandworm, but then I have to start running _again_ because giant Mr Sandworm is collapsing, and I think he might just land on me. I am not becoming a Pancake Charlie. Screw that.

The shadow from above starts getting larger as it nears the floor, and I try what I did first time around and bolt to the right. I can almost feel the rush of air as it nears, so I just take a chance and lunge myself away as hard as I can.

Then I turn into a giant wuss, curl up, and throw my hands over my head while I wait for everything to finally calm down. Also so I don't get sand in my face, because it's flowing everywhere like water from the impact.

After a few moments off everything slowly falling back into silence, I peer through the gap between my hands. I'm greeted with the long, thick body collapsed and limp against the floor, harsh cracks in its skin dribbling something vile out onto the ground. I almost gag, but I manage to hold it in.

Whew, dead Mr Sandworm is only a few meters away. That was so close.

I take a deep breath after escaping what seems to be my second near-death experience in two days (I don't know if the first one counts because I actually died, but I did fight Remiel and Kratos). I'm glad I'm still young, because if I was older this would be doing terrible things to my heart.

I struggle to sit up, and now the adrenaline has started to decline I can actually feel the tight knot in my chest and the burn on my legs. I don't think I'll be standing for a while, even if it'd be ultimately safer for me to get up and start towards Triet before night falls. I just need to take a breather for a second, so after making sure Mr Sandworm is definitely dead by staring at him for a few moments, I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and thump down onto my back on the burning sand.

As I catch my breath, I start thinking. I think, if you ignore whatever it was Mr Sandworm was doing to hurt himself like that, then I just survived a very, _very_ dangerous experience. I wouldn't say that means I'm cut out for this after all, but it's definitely the good start I needed. Surviving something like this on my own? God I'm so awesome.

After a moment or two of catching my breath via deep gulps of air leading into steady breathing, another shadow falls over me. Oh shit, Mr Sandworm's wife has come to get revenge.

My eyes snap open, but the sun gets to them first before whatever this new monster is, and I try to sit up and scramble for my guns some feet away. 'Frickin' ...'

I didn't catch much but the silhouette, but it's not big. It's probably just your average desert wolf – I can take those things without a sweat thanks to Mr Exsphere, but I'm definitely too tired to be at my best right now.

'I am not tasty!' I shout, grabbing my gun (still practically on the floor and sitting here) and aiming up to the new fiend. 'Go eat the Palmacosta people in Triet! They probably taste like fish or something ...!'

'On the contrary, I would assume they taste rather like humans.'

Oh shit talking wolves. What the hell – is the heat getting to me? I knew it, I'm finally gonna die from being devoured by a talking wolf who tells me how chewy my legs are while he eats them.

'Wolves don't talk, fuck off!' I shout, clenching my hand into the sand below and firing a few shots. I'm still not seeing straight (I'm getting dizzy at this stage), but whatever it is just avoids them by ... not moving much; my aim is crap.

When I realise the silhouette is nearing slightly, I being to finally pick out the details of the form with my gun still risen in case whoever it is takes a lunge at me. The glare of the sun gets dimmer as I adjust, and I shift slightly in discomfort. I don't know if this thing will hurt me or just sit and have a chat with me for a while, so ... I dunno, I'm uncomfortable.

I finally see the _person_ come into view, starting down at me with an expression that can only be described as pure and utter confusion and annoyance.

'Oh ... oh shit.'

--------------

'_Sheena, are you feeling alright?'_

'_Nng ... uh, my back is killing me.'_

'_Well you did pull a rather foolish stunt back at the Tower of Salvation.'_

'_Back? You mean we all got out okay?'_

'_Well ...'_

'_That's great ... I'm so relieved.'_

'_Sheena, you've just woken up – it would be best for you to remain down for a while. I haven't been able to properly heal everyone yet. It seems the wounds we all suffer are far too severe for my current abilities.'_

'_Well ... I'm feeling a lot better than I did before those Renegades knocked me out, so I'd say you've done a good job. Oh ... wait, you didn't know about the Renegades, did you?'_

'_I have spoken with their leader's aide. He explained everything to me. I believe he called himself Botta.'_

'_Oh, that guy. I've met him a few times. He talks weird.'_

'_Yes ... the tone he speaks in is rather similar to ... no, never mind.'_

'_... Oh. Right. Ah, that – is Lloyd okay? I think he'd be pretty screwed up after everything that happened ... Colette, Kratos, Charlotte ... everything just seemed to happen at once.'_

'_Sheena, Lloyd is ...'_

'_... Raine, is something wrong?'_

----------------

'Um ...'

I keep staring up at the person towering over me, and I feel very ... _very_ small right now.

'S-so ... you killed that thing?'

He nods. 'Yes.'

I nod, biting my lip. I'm not wasting my energy like this. 'Okay, well, thanks, I'll be off now.'

'Don't move.'

I clench my teeth hard, slowly rising to my feet. I know it's too soon for me to be moving because my legs are absolutely screaming with the heat and the strain, but I seriously don't want to stick around here for too long. I don't wait around to cast First Aid and just turn, walking off and trying to ignore the agony from my lower body telling me to sit this one out and take whatever he's gonna throw at me.

'I told you not to move.'

'Was that because you thought it would put me in danger or because you wanted to kill me without making the effort of following me to the Renegade base?' I snap back in sarcasm. No, bad Charlie – not wasting energy on anger. Just ignore him and he'll go away. Last time we met there was stabbing involved, and I still don't think he likes me much. 'Seriously man, just piss off.'

'I have a question in need of answering.'

'I really don't care.'

'Would you like me to make you care?'

I stop, drawing in a deep breath and hoping I didn't add to the mountain of sand in my lungs. I give my legs a short rest, and turn around to face the guy following me. I feel like it's been years, I really do. 'Don't you have more important things to take care of?'

'Think of this as a personal task if you like. It doesn't matter to me what you think of my work.'

I nod slowly, gulping. Don't waste energy. I don't really plan on fighting my way into the Renegade base, but I can't exactly just ask to stroll in and talk to Lloyd and the others if they're still there. If they're not, I might end up creating a kinda hostage situation in return for Lloyd. Which won't pass through at all and I'll end up getting killed again, but hey. I wanna be ready for anything, and I'll need the energy for it.

'I ... really don't think ... that you're in a position to be asking me questions and expecting me to answer,' I start shakily, and I try to push the rage down so I can let it all out later at some poor scorpion. 'Because I don't owe you any favours, and I think any favour I might have owed was immediately erased by that _shit_ you pulled earlier.'

Okay Charlie, calm down.

I curse my own dark clothing again and blame the heat for getting to me and making me angry, but I only get pissed off more when I watch him stand there fine while I stand here burning. I bet the white of the twat's outfit is reflecting sunrays right at me.

'Even so, I would appreciate an answer,' he demands, glowering at me. 'Now tell me everything.'

Ooooh no he didn't.

'Alright, you know what?' I say, letting the rage bubble up and consume me as I step up to him. He's taller, but screw that. 'You know w – fuck you. Just _fuck you_. You have _no_ right to come to me and ask me to sit down like a good little girl and have me explain some shit to you that _I_ don't even understand myself! What ... what the _fuck_ is your problem!?'

Yes I'm overusing that word right now but goddamn. He makes me so angry.

'I honestly don't give a shit about what you want to hear or what you need,' I persist, jamming a finger against his chest. 'You think after what you did, you can just – you can just expect me to be all "oh look at me I'm so timid and submissive, I'll tell you everything you want to hear because I have no FUCKING BACKBONE!?" _NO!!'_

I'm short but screw that, I reach up and slap him as hard as I can. Oh yeah, I went there. He unfolds his arms and touches his cheek as his head snaps to one side, and I just ... I don't know, I'm just so pissed right now.

'Now you know what? I have some killer headache, so I'm not gonna rant at you for much longer. Maybe the effects of walking for hours through a desert on my OWN are taking a toll on me, I don't know, but do you think after _EVERYTHING_ you've done, and _EVERYTHING_ you've put me through, you could be the TINIEST bit polite when you ask me to explain why the hell I'm here, seeing as you had to go and be a _FUCKING ASSHOLE_, and you _FUCKING-_'

I punch him hard in the chest.

'-_LET ME-'_

And he doesn't stop me.

'-_DIE!'_

Kratos just remains still while I continue to pound my fists on his chest like the sissy I am, swearing and name-calling and on the verge of frustrated and painful tears. He doesn't really make a move to stop me, seeing as it really isn't hurting him in any way and from my experience, he isn't good with sobbing and emotional teenagers unless they're called Lloyd.

'When you're quite done,' he says with a sardonic tone, and I finally decide to stop wasting my much needed energy and save the rest to get to Triet (if I have any left at all after that).

'I hate you so much ...' I finish, giving him a final smack on the chest. 'I'm not answering any of your questions, so just leave me alone.'

'Why are you here?'

'You're unbelievable!' I exclaim, throwing my hands up in frustration. Oh god, I can't stop. 'Are you listening to a word I'm saying? I'm not answering your stupid questions when I can hardly answer my own!'

'You died,' Kratos tells me curtly, glaring through his fringe. 'I saw Lord Yggdrasill kill you, and I checked myself. Your remains hadn't been moved from the tower, yet it disappeared and I find you wandering around the Triet Desert alone as if nothing had ever happened.'

I watch his scowl get darker. 'Do you even bear those wounds?'

'I'll bloody well give you wounds in a minute,' I grumble, turning and starting off again. 'Just go away, you're making my headache worse.'

'Harrison, why are you still alive?'

I groan when I realise he's following me. 'I don't know, maybe Martel is hot for me.'

'Harrison-'

'Look,' I snap, spinning around to face up to him. And when I say up, I mean _up_. Tall bastard. 'Whatever the reason I came back for is none of your business, especially now you've buggered off back to Cruxis. Even if I considered you a friend when I travelled with you guys, you're not now. You're my enemy. So I'm not telling you anything.'

'So you were dead.'

I frown. 'What?'

'You said you came back. So you must have died at some point.'

'_You_ told me that,' I tell him. 'Look, why do you even c-'

Anna.

My voice dies and I stop yelling when I start to hit realisation head-first. I'll still assume he's doing what he's doing out of sheer curiosity as for why I'm deceased one minute and alive the next, but I technically came back from the dead. If he thinks there's a chance it can happen again, then he might want to try applying the method to Anna. After seeing her in the tower, I wouldn't be surprised.

I drop my arms to my sides (apparently I make major hand motions when I'm pissed) and take a deep breath. 'Right ... okay, look – if it will get you to leave me alone, then ...'

'Cruxis has no interest in you,' Kratos confirms sharply when he senses my discomfort. 'Only the Chosen. It would be worthless to chase another method.'

'Right,' I mumble, taking his word for it ... for some reason. 'Well ... all I know is that I was told that it wasn't my time, but this chance to live is my last. The goddess wouldn't accept my soul.'

Kratos' scowl becomes darker. 'That's absurd.'

'Well if you want, you can go get killed and then ask her for yourself,' I reply. The heat is really starting to stress me out, and I don't think Kratos realises I'm not as strong as him. 'She didn't accept my soul and sent me back.'

'Then a goddess governed your revival?'

No, it was Charis and William. 'I don't know. I told you, most of these things I have no idea of myself, so if you ask me then you're just gonna get assumptions. I don't think it's a method you can use on people, so ... if you're looking to revive the dead, then I can't help you.'

I start walking again after guessing that he'll hopefully leave me alone that this point. 'I think it was a onetime thing, so just leave it.'

'I am not looking to revive the dead. What you have done isn't exactly common, whereas curiosity would only come naturally.'

I try not to slow to a stop. 'Okay my brain is absolutely frazzled right now so I didn't understand a word you just said, so just answer me something in return for telling you why I'm alive again.'

Kratos looks like he's considering just flying away when I glance over my shoulder at him, but he just settles with folding his arms loosely. 'If I can answer it, feel free.'

'How do I get to the Renegade base?'

He extends an arm and points in the direction a little left of where I'm standing. 'It's straight ahead from here. You should come across Triet on your way. If you stop there, ask for north-eastern directions.'

'And why did you answer?'

'You are not a threat and I happen to believe in equivalent favours. Consider this the last time I willingly have you in my company.'

'One more question then.'

He glares again and doesn't respond, but I decide to ask away anyway, because it's something that's been nagging at my mind since ... well, since when I was dead, and I figure Kratos might know the answer.

'... What happened to Lloyd?'

Kratos doesn't respond. Before I can even catch the emotion on his face, his wings burst out in a flurry of light, feathers and sand. I can't even attempt to shout after him in time before another gust of sand glares out behind him and he takes off rapidly into the sky.

'Oh, you bastard mercen – wait a sec!'

The sun hits my eyes when he flies overhead, and I have to throw my arm up and flinch to shield the glare of the light. I blink a couple of times to stop the black and red spots dancing around my vision, but when I can see straight Kratos has already gone.

That bastard mer ... angel. Seraph. Bastard seraph. Yeah, sounds good enough.

'Bastard seraph,' I grumble, trudging on in the direction he pointed me in.

-----

'_How's Genis doing?'_

'_Better ... although he's still extremely angry and upset.'_

'_I hate to say it, but I don't blame him. Lloyd made some pretty stupid choices, and ... well ...'_

'_It's alright; you don't have to say it. But if he had just left, Lloyd would have hated himself for it.'_

'_Yeah ...'_

'_Yes ...'_

'_H ... hey, uh ... do you wanna hear something funny?'_

'_Sheena, now isn't really –'_

'_No, I mean ... I just remembered it. It was a stupid thing I made Lloyd do when we were making the pact with Undine.'_

'_That's right; Genis, Colette and I weren't there with you all.'_

'_Undine started knocking us out one by one with her magic, and the only way to stop it making us so sleepy was with these charms.'_

'_Oh, those ... you carry them around with you everywhere. Do they contain various magical properties?'_

'_Yep! They're really useful – they can do almost anything. A-anyway, Undine's magic was getting to me, so I told Lloyd to ... use some of the cards on Kratos and me, and on himself too.'_

'_Lloyd was able to use them?'_

'_Yeah, it kinda shocked me too ... but where I come from, making those charm cards is a secret art bound to our culture. Only people from my village can use them, or the secrets get out and our society is threatened.'_

'_That sounds rather extreme ...'_

'_You could call it that, but we use a lot of old traditions.'_

'_So if Lloyd ever visited your village, would he have to face a penalty for using your cards?'_

'_Y ... yeah. Mizuh – my village is really strict about who they trust, so if they find someone on the loose with our secrets then there are really only two options.'_

'_I'll take a guess and assume at least one of them is execution.'_

'_You got that right. The other ... well, if they believe the execution would be unjust, they have to become a part of our village by force through, um ... marriage.'_

'_Forced marriage?'_

'_Yes. That makes them a member of our village. Marriage is technically the easier option, but if they try anything fishy from then out it's a straight out death sentence.'_

'_So ... you told Lloyd that if he used your cards-'_

'_Yeah. Because I was the one who forced him to use them, I probably would have to accept some form of punishment too, so ... that all sums up easily.'_

'_I see ... your village sounds fascinating. To employ such ancient methods to maintain a culture ...'_

'_I just made him promise not to tell so we wouldn't have to get married.'_

'_If Lloyd ever visited your village you can be sure he would have blurted out something.'_

'_Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised.'_

'_... Would you like to go and see him for a while?'_

'_I ... I think I'd like that.'_

_-----------------------_

Deserts are hot. Like, really, really hot.

Well, I stopped off at Triet to try and find some water or a bota bag or something, and I've gotta say: they've done a really, really good job at rebuilding this place in just three months. The inn is practically back up, most of the shops were stalls anyway so that's been fixed pretty easily, most of the houses are still being rebuilt but the tents lined up outside look really cosy. They're doing a lot better than Luin right now, I'll say. Luin has a lot more to be rebuilt, so I'm just glad Triet wasn't that much of a giant town.

Most of the people here are families of the ones killed when Triet was destroyed by the Desians, and a good few are people who were visiting away from Triet while it happened. There are a bunch of Palmacosta guards walking around and trying to bear the heat, and a good few of them are helping to reconstruct some of the major buildings. A lot of them are complaining, but at least they're doing their work. I found one off on a break so I asked him how things were going at Palmacosta after Dorr died, and it seems that a lot of citizens are vouching for Neil to become the next governor-general. Apparently he was a really good replacement whenever Dorr wasn't there or couldn't do things, so I suppose it's the best idea.

My mind immediately flew into the future when everyone severs the mana links between the worlds, and the giant tree throws a pussyfit and destroys the whole of Palmacosta, but I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. It'd be nice to warn people and get them out if there's nothing we can do, but I don't really want to go up to someone and say "by the way, Martel and her pet tree are totally gonna get on your case in a month or two", because ... y'know, they won't believe me. If I can find somewhere to shove in "oh well a giant tree MIGHT come out of the ground and MIGHT destroy Palmacosta" in the future, then sure, I will. Can't worry about it now though.

I was pretty quick to leave after resting, because apparently I've been whining about it being night soon when it's only been morning, so I have another ... four hours before night sets in. I still need to figure out just how exactly I'm going to get inside the base, because walking through the front door will _not_ work unless I get captured, thrown in the prison and pull a Lloyd to get out. Sadly I don't have the Sorcerer's Ring on me, and the Renegades don't have a reason to capture me alive. They'll probably just kill me on sight, especially after I stabbed Yuan and all. To be honest, if I hadn't, I'd be a very dead Charlie. This isn't like last time, so I have to be more careful.

I think about how Raine and the others broke in to rescue Lloyd last time, but that wasn't explained. Fun.

I consider asking around to see if anyone randomly knows how to break into the Sylvarant base, but I really doubt anyone would. I got my zenta from that group of bandits at the start of the journey who must have broken in to steal stuff, but I'm not keen on tracking them down and asking for a quick favour. I vaguely remember Kratos breaking someone's nose in that fight.

... Yeah, I should have asked Kratos how he and Raine broke in too. I just had to go and ask about Lloyd and make him flip out, and I still have no idea what happened with him. Once I get inside the base, I'll find out. I have to get in there and then find the others, which will be a task in itself. I was so flippant on my last visit because I was still utterly convinced that this whole thing was a game and that I had _no_ chance at all of being in actual danger. Sure, I faced Yuan, but I just though "oh he wouldn't kill me, that doesn't _happen_". Now I'm not so sure – eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth; he'll probably be hiding behind a door so he can jump out and shiv me.

What if I'm really too late and they're all in Tethe'alla by now? I have no way of getting there – I'll probably have to hang around at Palmacosta until they get back and try to rejoin. They went to Palmacosta, didn't they? That's where they landed when they went through that ... portal thing. Was it a portal? I can't remember; it's been so long since I've been through everything.

I decide to stop thinking and start doing. I've been sitting around near the oasis (which is now thankfully cleaned of all the corpses) and watching the little kids play around and help rebuild like this whole destruction was just a game. I just wish it was, but I've accepted that this is all very, very real now that I've actually died and been given a second chance because Martel doesn't want my soul. It's all dirty and non-Symphonia.

I get to my feet (my legs are feeling much better) and start walking towards the town square where most of the commotion is. It's mostly just Palmacosta soldiers chatting or sorting out rebuilding plans, but it's crowded nonetheless. I have to find out how to break into the Sylvarant base before I actually go there, and if I judge how long it took to get there on Noishe the last time I was here ... it'll be about an hour's walk. So I have two or three hours to figure out how I'm gonna get in, then I gotta get there and try it out. There's no point going there without a clue – I'll be killed or captured for sure.

Okay, there has to be someone besides Kratos who knows something about the Sylvarant Base, because it really is a stone's throw away. A stone that can travel for an hour, but shut up. A traveller must have stumbled across it one day or something. I can't exactly stand in the middle of the town square and shout out the question "does anyone wanna take my sorry ass to the 'Desian' base?", because ... _y'know_.

In thought, I do the usual and bash straight into someone. I'm that awesome.

'Oh shi- sorry!' I exclaim quickly, straightening up when I realise the person I bumped into was carrying a lot of scrolls and papers which are now scattered amongst the sandy floor. 'Sorry, let me help y –'

I cut myself off quickly when I realise just who it is I've bumped into. Or _what_ it is. Oh god. Oh dear god, oh dear god no. I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here before it _speaks_.

'It's okay meow, I've got it!'

_KATZ, OH DEAR GOD._

'Aflahfla,' I manage, clicking my tongue quickly to get it back in working order. 'Um, yeah, sorry about ... that ... and all.'

I watch the dude in the giant pink cat suit just scoop up his papers and scurry off without giving me a second glance towards a nearby stall where – oh god, _more of them_. Just a group of people in pink cat-suits (and not the sexy kind) with papers and gems sprawled out over their one messy stall. Oh man, I've totally forgotten the purpose of Katz. I never talked to them in the game – not even with that one little side-quest that involved them. I think they had something to do with GRADE, but I don't think we even _had_ any of that. So why are they here if those tiny game-mechanics don't exist? Just to look stupid? Is it worth finding out so I don't suddenly stop in the final battle against Mithos and think "hmm, I wonder what those katz were for?"?'

I try not to seem awkward and just ... peer over there. I don't know what they're doing – I think they're just sorting out all their papers and stuff. They've got notes, maps, more maps ... even more maps –

Wait, didn't they go on searches? Yeah, I think you paid them gald to go and find things for you, like items you'd missed or to complete maps or ... something, I don't know. Maybe they know something about the Sylvarant base? They might know how to get inside!

... Okay, I just have to ask them now.

'Uh ... excuse me,' I ask uneasily, not very keen on talking to grown men wearing ... giant pink cat suits. They're just the kind of guys you hear about on the news who hijack school buses of children with promises that they're going to KFC. Paedophiles ahoy.

Okay, to be fair they look more like teenagers or young adults, but still. Cat suits.

'Meow? A customer?' one of them says when I catch his attention. The other three look up at the mention of someone willing to give them money (oh shit, I don't _have any_).

I try to handle this as gracefully as I can. 'Um ... yeah. Do you guys do, like ... expeditions and searches?'

I feel kinda stupid asking that now when I realise _just_ how many maps they have scattered everywhere, but they don't seem to bothered and the apparent 'leader' practically starts jumping with joy. 'We sure do! Welcome to the Triet branch of the Katz Exploration and Expedition Network!'

'Katz ... Exploration and Expedition Network,' I repeat slowly, starting at him.

'Meow! Yes-sir-ee! That's K.E.E.N! And we Katz are KEEN explorers!'

'Oh dear god,' I say plainly. They're batshit insane and cheesy to boot. 'Uh – yeah, that's ... dandy – look, how much is an expedition?'

'It depends on what the expedition is for!' the receptionist starts as another Kat hands him a small list. He looks over it as the other one goes back to sorting out maps and gems. 'The price is risen or lowered based on the purpose of the expedition, the whereabouts, how many days it will take, if information or goods will be brought back-'

'Okay, fine,' I cut in quickly now that I've realised I'm getting awkward glances from some of the townspeople. Maybe they don't talk to the Katz much. I couldn't imagine _why_. 'It's, um – there's a base somewhere near Triet, and I just want to know if there's a secret route inside. The front door is guarded and I can't get in.'

'Meow! That sounds dangerous!'

'... Yeah,' I mumble. 'Look, um, how long will it take? And how much will I have to pay?'

The Kat wearing the explorer outfit over his suit (Symphonia, seriously) rummages through a few papers while the receptionist waits for him to get out some necessary paperwork or something. I have no idea what they're doing, so I'll just settle with waiting for an answer.

'Meow! It looks like this expedition was carried out before!'

I perk up. 'Eh? Someone already tried to get inside?'

The receptionist nods while looking over some papers and maps. 'Meow. Before Triet was destroyed, a pretty elven lady asked how to get inside! And before that, a big group of people!'

He probably means Raine and the bandits. The bandits from before wouldn't have just been able to get inside by themselves, so they probably just threatened the Katz. I can't see them forking over a bunch of gald for info. Raine must have asked too when Genis told her Lloyd was kidnapped by the 'Desians', and she probably asked the Katz because she's a _lot_ smarter than me. I'd be dead since then if it weren't for Charis clearing up everything so I didn't stupidly get my ass killed. That was when she was still in control of how things worked, but she let go of the control so the world could carry on just after Palmacosta. So this time won't be as easy.

'So ... the other entrance is probably sealed off by now if there have been two break ins,' I say quietly. 'Could you search for another way in?'

'Of course! Meow!' the receptionist ... meows, ugh. 'It should take a few hours and cost-'

'-Five-hundred gald!' the cashier finishes. Man, that's cheap compared to their usual prices in the game (I think they charged like, twenty-thousand or something), but it's still expensive for me. I've searched through everything on me already, but I never carried around the group's money and I only have about thirty-two gald on me right now.

'Uh ... five-hundred,' I repeat quietly. 'Yeah, that, um-'

'If you can't pay, meow, then you could use some information collected from the previous two customers! It's free to discharge, meow.'

I nod slowly. It looks like that's my only option right now, but the Renegades are more likely to catch me if the two entrances have been used before. I don't really have a choice ...

'Which entrance did the bandi – the other group of people use? The ones before?'

The explorer-kat hands the receptionist more papers. 'They used an air-ventilation-shaft entrance at the side of the building. There's a copy of the maps here, meow.'

'Ventilation shafts ...' I mumble, taking the papers. 'Ugh ... okay, fine. And this is free?'

'A donation is always welcome, meow.'

I grimace and shove my hand in my pocket, pulling out thirty-two gald. 'That's all I've got.'

'Wow. You're poor, meow.'

------------

'_Genis, how are you doing?'_

'_...'_

'_Genis, stop this. There's nothing we can do, so there's no point in moping around.'_

'_I hate this ...'_

'_... Genis-'_

'_Everything went wrong. This isn't what Lloyd and me hoped for. We thought Colette would just become an angel and we could visit her whenever we wanted. We didn't know she'd actually ...'_

'_I know, Genis. I couldn't tell you – you both would have stopped Colette, and even I thought some good would have come out of the situation.'_

'_Yeah ... but now Sylvarant is still in danger, and everyone ...'_

'_Genis, I know it's upsetting, but we have to-'_

'_Raine, there's only three of us left! Colette's lost her soul, Charlotte is dead, and Lloyd ... Lloyd-!'_

'_Genis-'_

'_It's her fault! It's all her fault! If he didn't stay behind to try and rescue her, then-!'_

'_That wasn't the only reason. He wanted to talk to Kratos. He wanted to settle things.'_

'_Then it's both of their faults! I hate them! It's because of them that he ... that Lloyd-'_

'_Genis, stop it. Lloyd wouldn't like to see you like this-'_

'_Well he CAN'T now, can he!? I want to talk to him! Raine, I want him back ...!'_

_--------------_

"_Whoa, we're back."_

'HOLY SHIT!' I scream, bolting up from my bed. I sit utterly still and listen for a few moments to see if I woke anyone up or if anyone is running down to my room to see if I'm being murdered in my sleep or something, but everything remains silent in the inn besides the hacking cough of the old dude next door.

"_Chill out, geez."_

I rub my eyes and drag myself up to sit on the headboard, flattening a hand over my racing heart. 'Jesus Christ, you guys scared the hell out of me.'

"_Use your inside voice or people will think you're insane."_

"_Wouldn't be much of a step down," _I reply harshly. When I finally gather my bearings, I look around to see if anything has happened in the past few hours of sleep I've had. Yeah, I decided to ditch the whole "going today" thing. It's probably really unhealthy for me to be dragging myself around a desert all day, so I'm going to get my energy back and _then_ go. If they've gone to Tethe'alla, I'm going to wait in Palmacosta for them to get back and then break the news that I'm ... y'know, alive.

The inn is taking free customers while the rebuilding is going on, so that fuelled my intention to leave everything until tomorrow and grab a room. It's still pretty early, but it's not that dark outside either. I don't know if it's worth walking across the desert in the night, because I'll probably get jumped by another sandworm and I don't think Kratos will save me again.

"_So, what's up?"_ Charis' voice asks.

"_What do you think is up?"_ I reply sarcastically. "_I died and now I'm back – I want to know what the hell happened. Do you own my soul now or what?"_

"_So you saw Martel?"_

"_Yeah_," I say quietly. "_She gave you the right to my soul because she couldn't do anything with it other than keep me around for nothing."_

"_I don't know what those rights are exactly,"_ Charis explains tiredly, and I can hear clicking of keys on a keyboard in the background. She must have got the computers up again. "_All I know is that we were able to keep your soul earthbound for a while after you died, and we tried to fix everything before it could slip away."_

So that's why I stuck around afterwards. They must have been doing something with it to try and bring me back, but it looks like it failed. "_So what did you guys do when Martel gave you the rights to my soul?"_

She hesitates with a groan, and the typing stops. "_It's ... really hard to explain. With Martel's consent of life, it SORT OF gave you a new body. But it didn't work."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well, it's practically your old body but fixed so you can live. That's her consent of life. But you know how Colette is now?"_

"_Soulless?"_ I ask, shuddering and pulling my covers higher up. "_I was like that?"_

"_Yeah. But your body was completely clean – no scars, no bruises, no thoughts or memories. You just existed, kind of like an Exsphere."_

I pause, staring at my hands. "_That's ... disgusting. But now ... I have all those wounds from before, all except the one from the Eternal Sword. And everything feels strange and different – what did you guys do?"_

"_We transferred everything to your new body from just before you tried to use the Eternal Sword. That's the safest we could do it without it crashing and you dying again. You have all your memories, scars, and thoughts now, but there is ONE thing."_

I know for a fact that this will not end well on Charis' behalf. She sounds extremely on edge, so there must be something that I haven't realised yet. And when I do, I'm going to get into my head and kill her. Hard. That didn't make sense, but I will try.

"_What did you guys do?"_

She falters awkwardly, making a few odd sounds in her throat. "_Well, the transfer kind of ... took a while. And your body was aging, kind of ... while we were doing it. We tried to stop it age, we really did. But, uh we did it all as fast as we could. Do you remember what I told you about in Luin? The little capsule thing William made so we could put you in it if something went wrong? Yeah, we did that, and we applied all the thought processes from your old body and-"_

"_Charis, how old is this body?"_

A pause. "_It's sixtee-"_

"_CHARIS-!"_

"_It's not our fault! And it only jumped forward like, two years. You don't even look different. And I WARNED you back at Luin that it might age a bit, so you can't complain. You're still mentally fourteen, I guess, and you'll be in your normal body if you get back to Earth."_

I falter. "_Charis, that means I've practically aged three years since I got here! And ... I don't look different! I'm not taller!?"_

"_Okay, you're a little taller, but Charlotte – you _look_ fourteen still. We fixed that. Chill out. We made it so you look the same and no questions will be asked. We fixed your body, put you back on Sylvarant, and now Martel has the rights to your soul. If you die now, you're screwed and we can't get you back. So be careful, for god's sake."_

"_You don't have the rights to my soul anymore?"_

"_Kind of. We're still fixing things, but you're governed by Sylvarant's dream now."_

"_Martel."_

"_Yeah. I don't know what will happen if everyone stops believing in Martel as a goddess and the manifestation dies, so just try to keep your chin up."_

"_Yeah ..."_

"_But like I said, until we've finished everything, we still have some control. So we need to finish that fast."_

I flop back down onto my bed. "_... Is everyone else okay?"_

"_You could go and check."_

I pause. "_What?"_

There's a squeak of an office chair. "_We still need to fix some things on you, and it will probably take ... about three or four hours tops. To be honest, it would be easier if you were apart from your body, and seeing as we have some rights to your soul at the moment, we can send your soul to the Sylvarant base to check things out. When we're done, you should just pop right back into your body."_

"_That's awfully convenient."_

"_Thanks to Martel giving us rights for a while."_

I drag my covers back over myself and watch the darkening sky outside, thumping my head down onto my pillow. "_Okay, go for it."_

"_I need to warn you of one thing though."_

I turn onto my back. "_What?"_

"_When we're done, you won't be able to talk with us for a while. Seeing as everything in your head screwed itself over when you died, we need to start from scratch. I don't know how long it will take, but you're going to have to bear with it for a while."_

Before I can even start protesting against the possibility of being completely alone in this world without a clue of what to do, I can already feel a cold flood through me, and the last thing I see of my body is the life draining from its eyes as my head thudding limply onto the pillow.

Stupid GameCube.

---------------

'_How's Genis?'_

'_He won't listen to me at all.'_

'_His own sister? Raine ... I don't want to offend you or anything, but he's being a bit of a brat.'_

'_I can't blame him ... it's like he's lost his two best friends in one day. I've asked him if he wants to go and see Lloyd, but he doesn't want to see him like that ...'_

'_Yeah ... I went myself, but seeing him like that ... it really scared me. I don't know how you can do it.'_

'_Lloyd is ... a special case. I don't know what happened at the Tower of Salvation or what Kratos might have said to him, but even now ... I just want to be by his side. The only logical thing I can do now is wait, but I can't seem to-'_

'_It's okay. I don't think it's really the same, but someone really special to me is in a coma right now. Sometimes, I just like to sit with him and tell him about my day, even if he can't hear me. I like to think that he can sometimes, and if ... and when he wakes up, he'll remember it.'_

'_I suppose its nature to do silly things when people you love are involved. That must be why Lloyd stayed behind.'_

'_Raine?'_

'... _Kratos was very special to Lloyd. He wanted to live with him after all of this. But now I've seen him betray Lloyd's trust and throw everything back into his face, I hate him more than anything ... that he could do that to such a kind boy-'_

'_You really love him, don't you?'_

'_Lloyd ... is my child. I would protect him from anything, even if he thought he was the one protecting me all the time. I was jealous of Kratos, and now that he's shown his true colours and made Lloyd do such a thing, to see that everything has turned out for the worst ... it hurts me to know I can't do anything anymore.'_

'_... When we were at the Tower of Salvation and I tried to go back for him ... I felt the same. I knew something would have gone wrong – I don't even know why I was running away with everyone else. I should have stayed."_

'_Yes ...'_

'_Hey ... how did you meet Lloyd?'_

'_How? Well ... whenever he or his father were ill, I would come and help out. I was friends with his father before I got to know Lloyd. He was always hiding upstairs whenever I came out.'_

'_Really? That's strange.'_

'_I got to know him better when I started teaching at the school. I suppose it was mostly through detentions seeing as he never did his work ...'_

'_Haha, that sounds about right. Lloyd's a good kid, but he isn't too smart.'_

'_No, he's not ...'_

'_Was there anything apart from the school?'_

'_Yes ... the first friend he made was Genis when he started attending himself, and they both soon become friends with Colette after she ended her education at the church and started in real school. I usually found them all at our house playing with things on the washing line ...'_

'_... Wow, they were really strange children.'_

'_Yes ... but when Lloyd got a little older, his relationship with his father got a little more aggressive ...'_

'_Well, that's teenagers isn't it?'_

'_Yes ... but since Lloyd didn't know his real parents, things were different. Lloyd ran away from home a lot, but he always ended up at my doorstep in the dead of night sobbing his heart out. His father always knew he'd come to me, so he left Lloyd alone while he waited for him to settle down and return. He always did, but there was one night where we stayed up until morning and Lloyd told me everything.'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_Everything about what he could remember before he came to Iselia, about how he felt living with his adoptive father, about living in Iselia ... everything. After that, I almost felt responsible for him. I know I never needed to, but to have someone tell you things that they've never told anyone else ...'_

'_So you're mothering both Genis and Lloyd?'_

'_I suppose so ... Genis is my little brother, but sometimes it's easy to forget when he feels so much like a son I'm trying to whip into shape.'_

'_Or slap, if you mean literally.'_

_------------_

I hate the Sylvarant base, I really do.

I've searched around the outside for the ventilation shaft so I know where I'm going tomorrow (or tonight), and I've found it. The downside is that it's an extremely tight fit, and I have no idea if it's going to get tighter or wider when I get in there. I managed to brush all the dirty thoughts filling up my teenage mind and started dragging my soul through the ventilation shafts. It'd be easier instead of when Charis is done my body came here instead of me going back to my soul, but she can't do _everything_.

So all I've been doing is checking out how to get to the Sylvarant Base, how to get in, and now I'm just trying to work out how to work my way through the ventilation shafts. It's going to be no use getting around this place if I just pop myself down into say, Yuan's room by accident. It would be a very crappy situation, so I'd rather get myself to Lloyd and the others and explain everything to them first.

I still have no idea what I'm going to say. Just telling them that I came back to life isn't going to be good enough, because they have no reason to believe it's really me. I can't explain to them why Martel didn't have the right to send me to Hel or Eternal Peace or whatever, because that would mean telling them the god or goddess that governs death over on Earth had that right all along, and because I wasn't there, the right was passed to two electrical devices living in my head. That won't go down well.

Though Raine might crack open my head to see said electrical devices. Boy, that would hurt.

I decide it would be ultimately easier if I get out of the vents and just follow around the paths from down on the floor seeing as some physical restrictions still apply, but they might randomly veer off so I can't follow anymore. I won't be able to just walk around when I get here in my brand-spanking-new body all fixed up, so I'll have to grin and bear it. Or just bear it, because I'm sure as hell not grinning right now.

'Frickaroo,' I say to myself, and sure enough no one hears it. Okay, when my soul's rights go back to Martel, I'm going to be sad that I can't do this. It beats using the zenta, which I'm sure is still a little broken. But like this I can dance around and shout at someone and they won't even know I'm there. I suppose good things can't last long. Not that leaving my soulless body around to be tinkered with is a good thing, but at least I'll be able to check things out while thinking about what I'm going to say. If I see how they're doing then I might be able to figure out a decent greeting to introduce myself with other than "wassaaaaaap" complete with more jazz hands.

'Jesus ... nng ... Christ,' I grumble, still making my way through the vents which have, thankfully, gotten a little wider. It doesn't mean it's easier, it just means I'll have less hassle when I get here myself and I won't get myself caught with swearing and cursing. Hopefully.

I might as well get it all out now before I get here with my voice box. 'Fudgenuggets!'

I don't know why I'm censoring myself, I really don't. I think I used all my swearing quota today on Kratos. The bugger deserved it though. He's such a dick.

Okay, I should stop hating on Kratos, but it's harder than sitting outside and playing the game and wondering why the token dark and brooding dude turned evil and what his intentions are. He's given me a lot of crap, so it's just so much easier to despise him and what he does. Especially seeing as he hurt Lloyd a lot more. In the game he was just angry, but now ...

I hiss at myself when I come to my first fork in the vents. Right or left? Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a half-elf by the toe ...

Left it is. Oh hey, I wonder if my body is still designed to look like a half-elf? The reason it was before is because if I was a race bound solely to Sylvarant and Tethe'alla then I'd come across as less suspicious to be from another world. I don't know if the whole 'back to life' thing will help that at all, but whatever, I'll get used to it.

'-chick is _hot_. And that human woman – they're both smokin'.'

I pause when I hear faint male voices below and drag myself over to the grate I can see ahead where light is filtering through from below. Not that gossip about apparently hot women will help me, but they might be talking about Raine and Sheena. It's a long shot, but it could help.

'That half-elf woman ... y'know, if you ignore the grey hair and all, she's gorgeous,' another says as I get to the grate, peering down. I can see the heads of three Renegades; two guys leaning against the wall and another just pacing up and down. I think it's a woman, but I don't know. 'But that human ...'

I watch the guy make grabbing motions at his chest with both hands. '_Whoa_.'

'I know ... I've never seen 'em that big before.'

'No, I'm sure you haven't,' the woman replies loudly. 'I'll be surprised if you've seen _any_ at all with that attitude.'

The other guy snorts as the one being ripped on taps his helmet's visor, bowing his head. I decide this won't help much, however fun it may be to listen to. I'll have to tell Raine and Sheena that the Renegades appreciate their "smokin'" bodies. It might take the edge off explaining why I don't have a giant gaping hole in my stomach.

'Hey, where's Lord Botta?'

I pause when I get over the grate, hesitating to listen to what they have to say about a certain British-accented dude.

'Didn't you hear? He's explaining everything about the Renegades to the Chosen's group. Apparently they had no idea and thought we were Desians.'

'Didn't he do that already?'

'That half-elf chick won't take a simple explanation. When you think about it, they've thought we were Desians this whole time, so it would look a bit sketchy to suddenly tell the truth when we can't kill the Chosen anymore.'

'Yeah. I heard Matthew and a few other guys tried to restrain her? She almost ripped his ear off.'

'Whoa ... I guess they really are bent on self-preservation after becoming angels, huh?'

'That's Cruxis for you.'

I shudder and keep going through the vents when I imagine Colette with a random guy on the floor trying to rip his face off just for getting near her. I'm not going to take any chances when I get back, so I'll just keep my distance. If she asks why I didn't go near her when she gets her soul back, I'll just tell her I really, really like my ears. At least now I know they're all still here, and all in tip-top enough shape to look hot. Now I just have to find where they are.

As I vent-shuffle on, I begin thinking about how they're reacting to my death. I don't want to sound like a pompous dipshit, but I have a feeling that it might be affecting Lloyd more. He's the only one I every really confined in or actually accepted me besides Colette, but she currently has an IOU for a heart from Cruxis. He seemed pretty upset at the tower, but that's only really because he was blaming himself. He probably thought his constant pimpslapping of my logic and all the "Charlotte, what is your problem"s wasn't enough, but it was entirely my own fault. And Yggdrasill's, because I didn't exactly asked to get shanked.

I'm not gonna get on my high horse and start the "Lloyd only cares about _me_ because _I_ am _awesome_ and _me me meee_" bullshit, because it's quite obvious I still come last. Even when Kratos betrayed him, he came before me. I won't hate him for that. I will however hate him for sticking around after everyone left to find out Kratos' intentions, because he got some major asskicking for that. Everyone was right – Kratos really isn't worth it.

I will however be sour about the first thing Genis said after my death, which was practically "COLETTE, BY THE WAY", and Raine's was "Lloyd Lloyd nnng Lloyd". Kratos was probably happy in his pants about my death, so SUCKS for him. I think Sheena also went for the whole Colette-thing, so I'll just sit a whine about that for a while. I did get the whole denial speech Lloyd word-vomited at my corpse, so I suppose that's an upside. I think.

Ugh, gotta find everyone before they bugger off to Tethe'alla. I really don't want to stick around in Palmacosta, because what if they _don't_ visit there and I'm stuck there when Martel and her tree go apeshit? That tree needs to chill out, seriously.

As I make my way around (travelling by vent is harder than they make it out to be in the movies, I swear), I pick up titbits of conversation from the Renegades below that aren't really important. Someone complained about how short their breaks between shifts are, someone was gossiping about Yuan, apparently some guy called Matthew who may or may not be missing an ear is retiring to get engaged in Asgard – all very pointless things. At least they're keeping me entertained.

I've been memorising my way and then having to go over it again when I make a wrong turn. So far I think it's left, left, right, left ... um, I'm going right again, I think ... either way, I think I'm making a little progress. There's no point trying to remember everything from the game, because everything is different. This place isn't the same at all.

'Frickin' ... fug ...' I hiss to myself, dragging myself over another grate. I don't hear voices, so I don't bother looking down.

'Lloyd ...'

WHOA, BACK UP.

I try and ass-wiggle my way backwards over the grate (frickin' tight right now) and take a quick glance down. I can't see anything, but I heard someone's voice. I can't put my finger on the voice, because it was only _one _word and I wasn't really concentrating. It could have been anyone from Genis to Yuan. Not sure why Yuan would randomly be mumbling Lloyd's name, but hey. Maybe he's got a thing for his bff's only son.

Okay, ew. EW, BRAIN – EW. EW. _EWWW._

'Please don't be Yuan, please don't be Yuan,' I mumble, still looking down. It's Yuan's own fault for making promises all "Lloyd, next time we meet, you're MINE". No seriously, he screams borderline-paedophilia. It has to be the blue hair – look at Regal and Alicia. Sure, Regal must have been in like, his twenties when they were getting it on, but REALLY.

I bash my soul-head against the grate and continue to peer down. Okay, it's a furnished room, so it's probably not a computer room or part of a hallway. It might be a living quarter or even, god forbid, Yuan's office. Please, please don't be Yuan's office.

Alright screw it, I'm going down there.

I try to punch the grate, but bugger all happens. I'm not aware of what physical bounds I have at the moment, but they're pissing me off big time.

"_Just concentrate and try to slip yourself through."_

... Okay, thank you Charis, for that.

I take a deep breath (I don't know why, it's just a habit) and close my eyes, flattening myself against the surface of the vent. Apparently it kicked in sooner than I expected and I feel the phantom shock through my body when I hit the floor. Okay, I'm not thanking Charis for these things anymore until _after_ I try them. Screw you, GameCube.

I just drag myself back to my feet, staggering a little. Apparently I still get flustered, even being a _wandering spirit_. Geez, logic.

Okay, we're in here now. Let's find out who it was.

Aaaaand would you look at that!

I direct my attention to one of the two canopy beds in the rooms. I now know why I couldn't see this person before, because he's lying on the bed with his face half-buried into the pillow, staring off to the side. Wow, his eyes are completely glazed ... he looks totally out of it.

Yeah, it's Genis.

I take another quick look around, but the room is completely empty. It's just him in here, so ... oh, maybe Lloyd and the others are with Botta – that Renegade said that Botta was explaining things to them, right? It'd be nice to find them too in case they're with him when I get here with my body, but I have no idea where they might be. They could be on the other side if the base for all I know, and I've just aborted the vent. Fuck.

Why is Genis here alone, anyway? Why isn't he with Lloyd and Raine? Does he even know these guys are Renegades and not Desians? Ugh, I hate not being here for things. Should I just wait here for the others to come back? I think I have my route down, so I need to know if this is where they're all hanging out. If not, I have to find out where they _do_ via hallways. Uuugh.

So, I wonder what's eating at Genis. Maybe he confessed his love to Lloyd and he ditched him.

... Wow, I really have to stop thinking about Lloyd as a big gay magnet. Can't be healthy for him – he might get affected by it and try to get into Zelos' pants amongst the rest of the female population. Eeh, Lloyd's practically a woman anyway.

Genis turns over onto his back, staring up at the silken purple canopy over his head. 'Colette ...'

Crap, friendship anguish.

He raises his hands, flattening both to his face. 'Everyone is leaving me behind ...'

Oh ... oh crap, what? Is everyone else in Tethe'alla? Did they leave Genis too? What's going on? If so, then seriously ...

'Genis ...' I mumble to myself, glancing over to the door. 'Poor thing.'

Okay, it looks like I'm going to have to do some searching, because Genis looks like he's been lying around for a while. They might still be close, because I don't think Raine would leave her brother alone in a base full of potential Desians. Yes, they're Renegades, but apparently she isn't buying that. My only option other than finding them is to find the hangar where the Rheairds are stored and wait there for them. I don't have to worry about the story veering off course and them finding another route to Tethe'alla, because Rheairds are the _only_ way there besides the, um ... Otherworld Gate, or something. Otherworldly? I don't know, but it's only in Tethe'alla. So no worries there.

'You ...'

I glance over to Genis again to see what he's muttering about now, but I feel a freeze thunder through me when I realise he's staring in my direction.

Oh shit.

"_You twit, he heard you when you spoke. Don't speak around people, dumbass!"_

... Buggermuffins.

I just stay utterly still for a while and watch him, but he's risen up on his elbows and is just staring at me with wide eyes. This isn't good. Can he actually see me like ... _physical_ see me, or just as some kind of ghost? Oh god, that wouldn't go down well – if he tells Raine he saw my ghost and I just _come back_, that's going to warrant even more explaining that I can't do.

'Shit,' I whisper under my breath and Genis just sits up. He _can_ see me, oh god-

'You ...' he repeats quietly, voice shaking a little. I dunno, ghosts are meant to scare the shit out of you, but we've seen a lot worse on the journey. 'It's _you_ ...'

Yes, Genis, we've established that three times. Please say something positive right now, and please, please, _please_ don't let the others burst in at the moment. I can't handle everyone ogling at my 'ghost' right now, especially Lloyd.

I watch Genis' small hands fist tightly into the bedding below, and his shaking jaw tightens as he grits his teeth, shocked stare immediately melting into one of the most _hateful _stares I've seen, even after Kratos. He stares at me as though I'm utterly vile, and I jump a good foot into the air at the next thing he does.

I hear the material under his grip tear a little, and he throws both fisted hands to his sides, turning absolutely _livid_ with unexplained rage.

'YOU _WITCH!_'

... Whoa, Genis.

'It's _all_ _your_ fault!' he screams through choked breaths, eyes tearing up. 'Everything that happened is _your fault! Everything went WRONG because of YOU!'_

'Calm dow-!' I try, but he just keeps shouting out.

'All of this happened because of you!' he continues, throwing himself off the bed and continuing to glower fiercely in my direction. He honestly looks like a deranged cat. 'It's your fault everything happened to Lloyd! It's _your fault_ that he had to stay behind! You ... you _SELFISH-!'_

He just stops, collapsing to his knees with a sob, clenching his fists into the floor. 'You-!'

'Genis ...' I say quietly, feeling a little shaken. 'What ... what happened?'

After a few ragged breaths, he just drops to his elbows, fisting his hands into his hair. 'It's your fault ... it's your fault Lloyd ...'

I full someone akin to my heart plummet down like a stone in water when Genis rears back on his ankles, face buried in his hands as his back thumps hard against the side of the bed.

His hands tighten, and I see tears spill through.

'IT'S YOUR FAULT LLOYD IS _DEAD!'_

--------------------

'_... Was that Genis?'_

'_Yes ... I think it was. Sheena, stay here with Lloyd in case any of the Renegades come down. I'll go and check on him.'_

'_Wait, I wanna come too ... I mean, there's not much I can do for Lloyd right now, but Genis sounds like he's snapped. If there's something wrong, I actually want to help this time.'_

'_Sheena, you would never have gotten there in time. Even if you had, Yggdrasill would probably have struck you down too. Don't haunt yourself over this. We need to save Colette before more tragedies happen. I feel it is vital that we have your help for just a while longer.'_

'_Yeah ... okay.'_

'_You can come ... I suppose even I start feeling a little sick seeing him in such a state ...'_

'_Yeah ... but the Renegades have to do this, don't they?'_

'_Yes ...'_

_-----_

Dead.

Lloyd is dead.

Lloyd is dead and it _my fault_.

Genis has dismissed my presence, and he has _broken_. I screwed everything up. I took away his and Colette's best friend, Raine's cherished pupil, Kratos' _son_. He can't come back – his soul belongs to Martel. She can't send him back – she can't give him her consent of life; there's no one to pass the right of his soul to who can bring him back.

I just keep stumbling down the hallway, convincing myself the best I can.

Genis is lying. He's wrong. It's ... it's _Lloyd_ – he can't die. Not after everything he's done. Not after all the good he's done, not after all the battles he faced with everyone, not before everything he has to await. Lloyd _can't die_. He can't. It's impossible.

Kratos stopped Yggdrasill. That's it – he must have. Kratos wouldn't let Yggdrasill kill his own son. He wouldn't just sit back and watch it happen; not after seeing Anna, not after she told him to _protect him_. This doesn't make sense at all. This isn't how it's supposed to go – the Renegades are here, they must have gotten there in time to get the others. Genis has to be overreacting or insane. Yeah, he's insane over Colette's soul being ripped away. That's it. That's ...

This isn't happening.

Oh god _this isn't happening_.

'No. No. No,' I mumble desperately to myself, honestly not caring who sees or hears me right now. 'No. No. _No_. _No_ ...'

I barely even notice the Renegades running past while completely oblivious to me, and the two familiar faces with them barely even touch my racing mind enough for me to care. Lloyd isn't dead. Genis is sick for scaring me like that. Because Lloyd _isn't_ dead, because he _can't_ die.

'Fuck ...' I breathe, collapsing against the wall for a moment. I can't seem to keep my legs walking. I don't want to keep going, but I have to. 'Dammit ...'

I try to shrug my shoulder, shoving myself up off the wall, but it isn't long before I stagger over to the other side of the hallway and end up flattening a hand on the opposite surface. I try to continue, dragging my hand across the wall as I go to support me ... but the thoughts won't calm down. I don't even have physical legs right now, and I feel like they're shaking. I can't stop shaking. I can't breathe. I don't have a body and I can't _breathe_.

Everything in my mind feels too thick and heavy. I can't wrap my mind around anymore conclusions. Every thought, every solution – everything is just pushing against an unyielding block that's making me feel sick and groggy.

Lloyd is dead.

"_You don't need me anymore ..."_

I curse myself when I realise that those words aren't utterly true, and they never have been. Not yet. There may be a time when I can stand strong and tall on my own in this world, but right now ...

What about Genis? I can't be thinking about myself right now – Genis, Colette, Raine, Sheena ... Kratos – everyone. What about everyone they're going to meet? Presea and Regal? What about Zelos? Nothing will go right ... they could bear their problems forever, nothing will get resolved. Nothing will work.

I don't realise I slip straight through a certain man heading past me until he pauses momentarily, turning to the person following him.

'Sir, are you alright?'

I just try to ignore everything and keep going. I can't even think about everything right now. I need to know for sure that I haven't screwed up everyone's lives.

'Yes ... I'm fine. He's slipping back into critical condition. Call the emergency medics – we can't lose him yet.'

'Sir, what are you –'

'I'm going down there myself. My healing abilities aren't what they used to be, but they're far superior to our current staff. I might be able to pull him away from the brink for the time being. If we keep going as we are now, he'll slip away soon enough.'

'Yes ... I understand.'

'Botta. See to the rest of his group. Try to calm them down – we don't need them overreacting right now. It's distracting.'

'Of course, sir.'

They're too late. They could have saved him. They really could have saved him.

'No,' I tell myself, still heading on towards the only other room on in this whole corridor – the one Yuan and Botta were heading towards. He's there. He has to be. He has to be okay. He can't be dead. They can't have let him slip away so soon. It's too soon. It's too ...

I don't even bother to brace myself. I just shove everything I am through the door jarred open a little.

My shriek goes unheard to the living world around me.

-----

'_Genis! Genis, what's wrong? What happened?'_

'_Sis ... I saw her ... she was here ...'_

'Who ...'

'_Charlotte – her ghost – it was here ... she's haunting us, Raine – she still wants to hurt Lloyd!'_

'... _Genis ... just calm down for a moment and-'_

'_You don't believe me! Raine, I saw her with my own eyes! She talked to me! She's come back to try and take even more away from us! There's nothing left, but she still-!'_

'_Genis, it's not her fault that Lloyd-'_

'_Yes it IS! If he didn't stay behind, then he wouldn't be like that! He wouldn't have people driving mana into him every ten minutes just to keep him here! The Renegades are just toying with him, and Charlotte's come back to make everything worse, just like she did before!'_

'_That's enough, Genis. We must respect the dea-'_

'_She never respected Lloyd! She never took his advice or anything he offered her, but she's still here demanding more out of him! Raine, he can't ...'_

'_Genis. Charlotte cared about Lloyd very much. Lloyd did not harbour similar feelings, but I believe she had long stopped using him for her selfish needs.'_

'_What do you mean ...?'_

'_... She needed him. Not more or than you or Colette, or even myself. Lloyd would always put us before anyone else, Genis - you know that. Lloyd would not do anything if he thought it would hurt us – he would never dream of it.'_

'_... So what are you-'_

'_Our needs came first. But Charlotte needed him. He never answered to that need, because he knew he couldn't. He knew he would always put you and Colette first. He only answered to that need when it was far too late.'_

'_When she was already dead ...'_

'_Lloyd also had his own needs he was forced to face. He couldn't leave Kratos behind like that – not without an explanation. You saw how close they were, didn't you? You were afraid ... that Lloyd would leave you to live with him.'_

'_Y ... yeah.'_

'_Genis, Lloyd has always put us first. I'm sure he was looking for a time to put both Kratos and Charlotte first to show them and himself that he cares for them, but at the tower ... he lost both of them. He had to act then, Genis – do you understand? He needed them to see that he always planned to put them first in some way. He would have come back and continued to devote everything to us three, but for that moment in time ... he needed to shift that devotion to someone else.'_

'_I know it's different when you put it that way, but it's still ...'_

'_Imagine if you needed Lloyd always. Imagine if you didn't have me at all. How would you feel if he couldn't answer to that, and never did?'_

'_... Raine. Did Kratos ... did he really need Lloyd?'_

'_I don't know. After everything I've seen at the tower, he seemed to be just stringing him along for his own sick entertainment.'_

'_I can't forgive him for making Lloyd stay ... I can't forgive him for what Lloyd's suffered because of him.'_

_----------------_

I just stand, clutching the doorway for my life and stare into the room.

I can't seem to look anywhere else except the bed. I don't want to – it's making me sick. I just want to get out, go back to my body and cry for hours. I can hear Charis' voice in the back of my head, but nothing she's saying is making its way through. I can't even think straight. Everything I've just seen has grinded my entire mindset to a crunching stop.

I don't know if it's because the room is dark, or if it's because of the glowing white wires winding up around the bed and piercing the skin where – strangely enough I remember from Raine's homework – the mana points should be, or because of the oxygen mask fitted to his face, but ...

I just try to step forward and ignore all the critical equipment piled onto him, staring at what of his body isn't wrapped in bandages or the bedding. His skin is white. Not even that – it looks grey. The wounds on him that I can see are either small cuts with a purple bruising to them, or just dark marks that have flared up amongst his injuries. His bandages are stained faintly with blood, but that doesn't help when I look to his face.

He looks absolutely gaunt and thin – the spaces under his eyes are dark and deep, his lips through the transparent mask are split and almost as pale as his skin. His hair isn't even – it just doesn't look right. It's just hanging limply around his bony face.

He looks dead.

'Lloyd ...'

He _looks_ dead.

They're keeping him suspended before death. That's what they've been doing. Yuan said it himself. They're trying to bring him back from the edge before they lose him forever. They've been keeping him trapped in that state. He must be in so much pain.

I then quickly remember that I have a body to go back to. I have a new body to go back to after Yggdrasill killed me, after I _died_, after I confronted Martel herself and she told me that she couldn't send me to Eternal Rest. I had people to manage the rights of my soul, and I had Martel's consent of life.

Lloyd is lying here, and he is slowly dying.

My legs give, and I sit down on the bed amongst the wires. Its mana ... they must be using the mana to keep him here, like Yggdrasill is using the Great Seed to keep Martel's soul bound to the world. If the mana runs out, then that's it. If Yuan can't save him, if those medics can't save him, then that's it.

I don't seem to realise that I'm currently separated from my body. I collapse onto my side against Lloyd's pale arm, I close my eyes, and I cry hysterically.

For once, I'm not crying for myself.


	72. Unwanted

Replies to some reviews who do not leave contact details, ffs.

"_I just wanted to tell you that you don't use ' as quotes. You use " as quotes. You get " by pressing the key which has ' and then pressing the shift key while holding down the ' key. If you don't know what the ' key is, it is the 12th key to the left on the third row from the bottom."_  
– No, that's for _American_ keyboards. Dear god it's different and interchangeable in British, would people STOP shitting themselves over this.

_"By the way, only one tenth of the American population is actually a scary religic fanatic! We're not all religious fanatics!"_  
– I know. I'm not my oc. I don't share the same views as her, and she happens to be a bit of an ignorant twat. Again, because people bother me about this, if Char doesn't believe in god or hates subcultures or is racist, IT DOES NOT MEAN I DO TO. Christ, I have ocs that are rapists and murderers, but I don't go out shagging people in dark alleys. Yes, Char was a self-insert when I was a retarded twelve year old, but I've had to expand her as a character over ... three years? I can't really develop her character if she' based off me – she'd just stay the same and that would be boring as fuck.

_"Bitch is a very rude word used to refer to females, so stop having Charlotte say bitch to the male characters!"  
_– oh lol. No. Char swears a lot, deal with it.

And because some people apparently do not read author's notes, I. AM NOT. WRITING. FOR. THE FUCKING. SEQUEL. STOP PMING ME ABOUT IT. CAPSLOCK.

/pissy

I hope you all had some happy holidays and stuff! I turned sixteen before Christmas (ew). I didn't get any video games, but I DID get myself the second Professor Layton game, because the series is kickass. You should all totally go and play the crap out of it. Oh, and I've had Animal Crossing lying around for a while that I've just picked up again, so if you want my friend code on it or anything then just ask away.

This chapter does have a little focus _LOVE_ (ugh), but not the romantic kind, because that makes me feel all sick and ew when writing it. I can't pull off romance to save my life, lol. I should work on that, because I plan on spewing out a Kranna fic in the near future.

I've disabled annon reviews because I'm sick of getting them with no contact details attached when I want to answer and explain things. I've also disabled PMing and taken off my email, but that's really none of your business why. I have my reasons.

Okies, read and enjoy! We actually get back on track with the story next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 72 - Unwanted

'Charlotte ...'

I just sit on the bed, staring down at Lloyd's emotionless face. The medics have been and gone, Yuan has done everything he can, and he's managed to drag Lloyd back from the brink of death just for a while longer. They've taken out a few wires from his mana points with the thought of danger in mind. If they overload him with too much foreign mana, something bad could happen.

I've done crying. I don't think I even was without a body, but I just felt so helpless and stupid.

'Is that really you?'

I can't do this. Not yet.

He stayed behind to save me. The fact remains that he stayed for Kratos too, but he stayed to save me as well. After I died, he wanted to protect me. He'd always promised he would – that if I ever needed his help, he'd protect me. I never felt like believing in those words, but when he said it to me before the Tower of Salvation ... I don't know. I really thought he would, but I don't hate him for not saving me in the end. I'm back now ... it's all okay.

No, it's not okay. Lloyd's almost dead. No one can do anything ... all those medics, Yuan – all they did was hold his life over the edge of death for a moment and pull it back. He can't exist like this. What did Yggdrasill _do_ to him? Why didn't Kratos help?

I see a thin, pale hand slip through my shoulder in curiosity, and I finally decide to face the second person occupying the room. The medics and Yuan have gone, so she must have heard me sobbing when she got back. I have a feeling she stays here constantly – it's just like her.

I straighten and push myself wearily up off the bed, taking a final glance at Lloyd's white face before turning to the Professor. She seems to have gotten over the initial shock of seeing my ghost sobbing over the side of Lloyd's bed and is just giving me a long, searching look. Genis might have told her about me wandering around like this, but even so, it isn't common to see ghosts. Am I even that? I'm no longer dead; I sure as hell have a body that just ... exists like an Exsphere right now, so this is all going to be terribly difficult to explain. Raine will hardly welcome me back in a heartbeat, though I doubt any of the others would either. Even Lloyd.

I really don't want to put the stress of guilt on him whenever I get hurt. I know he can't protect me, and he knows it too.

'Hey ...' I mumble softly, looking up a little. 'Hey, Professor ...'

Her stare becomes slightly protective, and she edges towards the foot of Lloyd's bed. 'So ... Genis was right – you really are ...'

'Sorry about making him freak out like that ...' I say quietly, staring at the floor. I really don't know what to do with myself. 'I didn't mean-'

'Why are you here?'

She's already getting suspicious and interrogative. I can't blame her – I'd flip out if Chocolat's ghost came and starting badgering at me. Hopefully it never will – she should have passed into Eternal Peace without difficulty.

I look up again to answer, and I see she's gotten to the other side of the bed with one hand planted firmly on Lloyd's shoulder as if I were about to pluck him off the bed and leg it. Not that I would.

'What have you come here for?' she persists, glowering now while she clutches Lloyd's still body. 'Why are you still-'

'Okay, it's hard to explain,' I say, and I immediately realise from the way she's furrowing her brow and pausing as I speak that she's having difficulty hearing. My voice must be faint and awkward to hear as a ghost. 'I needed to know what happened ... after the tower and everything.'

Raine hesitates, trying to fit together whatever she's heard. 'The ... Tower of Salvation?'

I nod, deciding that's easier. 'Yeah ...'

She slowly lowers herself to the bed, the hand on Lloyd's shoulder slipping down his arm. I watch her clutch his pale hand, winding her fingers through his. 'Are you here to haunt us?'

'No ... no,' I say as clearly as I can. 'I just wanted to know if you were all okay.'

Raine pauses again. She probably didn't hear me. 'You ...'

'I came to see Lloyd,' I decide on finally. 'To see if he was alright.'

She doesn't answer. She lets me beat myself with my own words, and I look back down to Lloyd's body. He's definitely alive, but he just doesn't look it. He really looks terrible. Raine keeps her fingers clenched with his, running her thumb over the back of his hand. Wow, this is ... really painful to watch. Raine must feel so horrible right now, not being able to do a thing to help.

'Are ... are you okay?' I ask awkwardly after a moment, but her gaze doesn't shift from Lloyd's face. I don't even know if she heard me.

A moment, and: 'Yes ... I'm fine.'

'Do ... do you want me to just leave?' I inquire after a few seconds. 'I could just-'

'I'm talking to a ghost,' Raine murmurs, and I trail off my sentence and just falter, letting my arms drop to my sides. She raises Lloyd's hand to her lap, clutching it with both hands. 'Perhaps I'm slowly turning mad.'

'No ... you're too smart for that,' I say, and I quickly decide to get this over with before she can diagnose herself with insanity. 'Look, I just really ... I really needed to come and see what happened to everyone. You're not mad. Um, Martel ... she wouldn't accept my soul, and-'

'Leave,' Raine cuts in jadedly. 'Please, just ... just leave.'

... Okay, that hurt. That really, really hurt. I did offer to leave myself, but ... I dunno. Maybe she's literal – maybe she means that I shouldn't come back at all. Even with my body, even alive – should I really just wait by myself in Palmacosta?

'I ... o-okay,' I reply a little shakily. 'Um ...'

'I just need to think,' Raine clarifies after a moment. 'I'm sorry if you want to see Lloyd, but I need some time alone. Even if you are a ghost ... it-'

'I understand,' I say, feeling a little better. 'I, um ... is it okay if I come back? I just don't want to-'

She grips his hand tighter. 'Lloyd will be fine. He'll be fine ...'

... Yeah, this isn't okay. I wish it was just like the game where they got the shit beaten out of them and then woke up as if nothing had happened, but they're actually suffering through their wounds ... especially Lloyd. If it weren't for Kratos and me, then maybe he wouldn't be so hurt. Maybe the others wouldn't be so upset. Maybe everything would just be _easier_.

She doesn't get angry when I don't leave. She just keeps holding Lloyd's hand, staring into his face as if he were about to wake up. He just remains motionless, breathing softly with the oxygen mask still fitted over his face. I don't even know if it _is_ oxygen ... it must be putting something useful into his system at least. I try to bite my lip when she reaches forward and just brushes some hair out of his face, letting her hand linger for a moment before leaning back.

'... What happened to him?' I ask finally.

Raine swallows hard. 'The Renegades found him ... with you. With your body.'

She grits her teeth slightly. 'They were too late. They took him and left you. The first time we saw him after we left the tower was here ... like this.'

'Oh god,' I whisper quietly. 'Raine, I – I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorr-'

'It was never your fault ...' she tells me softly. 'I've been trying to convince everyone of that ...'

She finally looks up to me and away from Lloyd's motionless figure, eyes slightly glassy with ... just pure _pain_. 'All you wanted was for Lloyd to protect you. Perhaps at a point in time, more than you wanted him to be your friend. I don't know when your intentions changed ... but you needed him. I don't know why, and I don't know if you yourself ever knew, but you needed him ...'

She just strokes his white hand with her thumb. 'He could never answer to that while you were alive ... while we were all in danger with you.'

'He always put you first,' I agree. 'But I never hated him for that. I couldn't hate him for loving you all – that's too selfish ... even for me.'

Raine nods. 'Thank you. I needed to know that.'

I open my mouth to add to that, but she just smiles a little. 'I can tell him that ... when he wakes up. It would ease his mind a little.'

'I tried to hate him ...' I admit shamefully, keeping my stare off Lloyd and trying to focus on the Professor for now. 'We tried to hate eachother, but I just couldn't. I wanted him to protect me like he protected all of you, but I knew he never could. I knew that I would never be as important as you all, and it made me jealous. It made me angry, and I just ... I just wanted to hate him for it.'

Raine nods, clearly judging me. I don't mind right now – I despise myself for it.

'I learned not to let it get to me ...' I say. 'It hurt, but I think I managed. Before the Tower of Salvation, he promised he'd protect me. I don't hate him for not being able to ... I hate myself for not listening to him and letting myself do such a stupid thing. I don't-'

'Charlotte, can I ask you something?'

I waver, shutting my mouth. I don't think she heard much of my rambling, but apparently enough of it to determine it not important enough to keep quiet for. It's okay though – I know she's not really with it right now, so I'll let her off for saying and doing whatever. If someone close to me was in Lloyd's state, I'd be the same.

'Yeah ...' I say clearly so she doesn't have to ask again. She doesn't sound serious, but still. 'Yeah, go ahead.'

Her question makes me want to go straight back to my body and smash my head off the wall. I don't know why; I'd probably be risking death again if I started hammering myself against a hard surface, but what she says just makes my brain freeze up completely for a few moments, and I feel like a wide, wide pit took place of my stomach. I feel like I could be sick. Not from disgust, but there's this _odd_ feeling. I've never even considered this question.

She glances up at me, eyes slightly more focused.

'... Were you in love with Lloyd?'

Fucking. Fuck. Ugh.

'U ... uh,' is all I manage. 'I – uh – no. N-no, I wasn't. I don't. I don't love Lloyd. Not like that.'

'Charlotte.'

I clench my fists hard. '... I don't love him like you think. I think ... I thought I did at some point, when I was still being stupid, but no ... I don't.'

Raine gives my ghost a stern look. 'You had thoughts?'

I open and close my mouth a few times and just end up deflating with a sigh. 'I ... look, I ... I _do_ love Lloyd, but not ... not like that. He was such a friend to me, he always wanted to make me feel better, and ... I don't know how I couldn't love him. He always made me smile.'

Raine nods slowly. 'So your feelings did not root from a romantic attraction?'

'No ...' I say quietly. 'More ... more like friendship, or maybe just looking up to him as a big brother. Y-y'know, like how Colette and Genis do? But not ... not _love_ ... love.'

'I see.'

I pause for an awkward moment, holding my wrist with my other hand tightly while I try to avert my gaze from Lloyd once more. God, it feels weird now. 'Why did you ask ...?'

'You needed him,' Raine tells me. 'I was simply wondering if you needed a friend.'

She clenches Lloyd's hand a little tighter. 'Or if you needed him to love you.'

Words cannot describe how uncomfortable I am right now. I think Raine is okay talking like this because she thinks I'm a ghost and ... well, dead and not coming back, but she has no idea. I'll just go with it, because I'm not up for explaining things tonight.

'Travelling scared me,' I admit. 'Everything scared me. It wore me down physically and emotionally far too much. I needed a friend to help me through that. Didn't everyone?'

Raine nods in agreement after a moment of consideration. 'Yes. Genis and Colette needed Lloyd to be their friend. If you were to have needed him to love you, he-'

She stops herself, stroking his hand again. 'The guilt ... would have hurt him.'

'Because I would still come last?' I ask. 'It wouldn't have mattered how I felt – he wouldn't have been able to put me before everyone, even if I did ... _love_ him like that.'

Raine breathes out softly, just staring at a motionless Lloyd once again. 'Alright. Then let me rephrase that question.'

Her cold eyes meet mine. 'Did you love Lloyd?'

'... I did,' I say quietly. 'But I wasn't _in_ love with him.'

She nods again. God that was _awkward_. No, seriously uncomfortable. If I were standing here clearly alive, she'd never ask me a question like that. She doesn't walk around asking people those kinds of things, so I'm wondering how long she's been considering this. It must have been before I died at least. Shit man, maybe she saw me kiss him on the cheek the night before we left. Man, is everyone in this world that prude? Y'know, if anyone in this group has an eventual aching to start getting it on with Lloyd, she should be looking out for Sheena. They _are_ practically engaged. I wonder if she knows about that.

'Raine ... Professor, why are you so comfortable talking to me like this?' I ask out of the blue. 'I'm ... I'm a ghost, right? This isn't-'

'I don't know,' she sighs quietly. 'As a magic user, I'm very accustomed to the supernatural ... I've had my fair share of encounters from souls and spirits wondering the world. I suppose ... it's easy to talk like this with the knowledge of no ramifications to haunt me later.'

She turns to me again. 'You'll disappear soon ... it's impossible to wander the land forever as a spirit ...'

'... Yeaaah,' I say quietly. Cold much? 'Um, yeah.'

I can't exactly blurt out with "actually no, I have a new bod set up and everything and I'm totally going to come and crash your little party here, ahawww". Y'know ... like she said, ramifications. Which she _will_ be facing later. It's going to be obvious that she keeps an eye out for people falling for Lloyd now, which she has confronted a grand total of once! And she thinks I'm dead. But really, no offence to Lloyd, but who would honestly fall for him? Genis? Ahaha ...

Genis and Colette are pegged as his family, along with Raine. He said he _used_ to have a crush on her, but it got awkward when he saw her more like a mother. I think Sheena's got a little thing for him right now. In the game, she had a GIANT thing for him, so I have no idea how that will go. Hell, I have no idea how anything will go. For all I know Regal could try getting into Lloyd's delicates later on.

... Oh for fu- why do I do this to myself? Ew. EWWW. _EWWW._

'Charlotte.'

I realise I've been cringing at the thoughts in my head, and Raine is looking at me as though I'm about to disappear. 'Are you long for this world?'

I falter. 'Uh-'

'If you could put Lloyd's mind at ease ...' she offers, finally setting his hand down at his side once more. 'If you could lift part of the burden from his shoulders before you leave-'

'I can come back and do that.'

... Oh goddammit Charlie, what is wrong with you today?

'What are you talking about?' she asks, giving me another searching look. Oh no, really, what am I doing? This is going to be so hard to explain. I _can't_ tell her that Martel denied my soul – even Kratos doesn't really believe me. He's just leaving me alone because he knows I don't know how it happened either, even though I doubt he'll waste his time on me anymore. He's never wanted anything to do with me before; I don't know why he'd start doing it of his own free will now he doesn't have to be around me.

'I ...' I start awkwardly. Dammit, it's too late to pull out now. 'Professor, I think ... I think I can actually, um, come back. Like, with a body. Alive. I could tell him then.'

After a brief pause, she just sighs and shakes her head. 'No ... Charlotte, don't do this to yourself. The longer you deny it-'

'I'm not ...' I argue weakly. 'When ... when Lloyd stayed behind to save me, I saw everything ... something happened to keep my soul around, I ... Martel doesn't want my soul ...'

'Martel ...' Raine whispers, glance dropping to her lap. 'Cruxis is a lie, but Martel ... does she truly exist?'

I wonder if it's safe to release information about death. It can't hurt, can it? 'Yeah ... in a way.'

'Because you didn't believe in her?' she asks, looking up to my apparition. 'She rejects you?'

'No ... it's, uh ... I-I don't really know, but if I can get my body back, I think I might be able to-'

Raine shakes her head. 'What about Lloyd?'

I falter once more. 'Uh ... w-won't he be happy?'

The Professor brushes her fingers again the back of his hand again. 'What if he has already accepted your death? Kratos' betrayal may be harder to accept for him, but if he has accepted it, it would become difficult to trust Kratos ever again. If he had not accepted it ... it would be easier to fumble at any indication of kindness Kratos may give.'

She looks up. 'Do you understand?'

If Lloyd has accepted my death ... then I can't come back. If he hasn't, then I can. That's what she's saying.

'I ... yeah, I do.'

Raine slips her hand around Lloyd's, holding it tightly. 'Even if there were a chance among the impossible that you were to return to this world, then consider that. Perhaps it would be safer to leave Lloyd alone, even as a ghost ...'

... It would be selfish of me to do anything else. I have to listen to her instead of ignoring what she has to say and going with my gut. My gut is telling me to come back regardless and gauge Lloyd's reaction for myself, but like Raine said ... it might just make it worse. If he's accepted that I'm dead, then it will just screw his head up more if I come back, won't it?

It's ... selfish even more to compare myself to Anna. If she could come back, he'd be happy. But I'm not Anna. It's not the same.

'I'll leave,' I say finally, nodding. 'But can you at least tell him when he wakes up that I don't blame him for anything?'

She nods. '... Yes. If he wakes up ...'

'_When_,' I say sharply. 'He will ... I know he will.'

'Sentiments are not of use here,' Raine sighs hopelessly. 'It is a medical test of his endurance. We have done everything ... and yet-'

That's it.

'Raine,' I cut in quickly. 'Lloyd doesn't want to wake up.'

She gives me a withered look. 'What?'

'I ... look, I'll leave,' I confirm hastily, already feeling myself fade. 'But Lloyd ... he's been through so much mentally. No one would want to wake up and face what he has to. If they've really done everything for him physically, give him a _reason_ to wake up. Make him see that it's not all going to be terrible when he does.'

Shit, I'm fading fast. Raine realises that I'm slowly disappearing too – hell, I might even already to invisible once again to the living world right now. 'It's a foolish idea ...'

'Well just try it, okay? Give him a reason – you love him too, don't you? Tell him that,' I offer. 'Tell him everyone loves him and they want him back.'

I feel a sudden ethereal surge, and everything blurs for a few moments. It takes me a while to get everything into focus again, but when I do I notice that Raine is looking around the room with her eyes off me completely. I must have faded from human vision, so Charis must almost be finished.

"_Just give me five minutes,"_ I hear her voice faintly. "_We'll have you back in no time, but you'll probably sleep for hours."_

I just ignore her and look to Raine, hoping she'll take my advice. I don't expect it to work, but if everything's been done for Lloyd physically, then the only solution left has to be a mental issue. I wouldn't want to wake up and face what he does – why should _he_?

Raine just sits with him for a few minutes, and I wait patiently. She's gone back to holding his hand in hers and watching him carefully. I hope she takes my idea into account, because I don't think I have long left here, and even then I have to decide if it's safe for me to come back or not. To be brutally honest, I think I'll be coming back anyway. I don't mean to ignore Raine's advice, I just need to know for myself ... I know Genis doesn't want me here, I don't know about Sheena and Raine ... I think they're pretty neutral, so if Lloyd doesn't want me here then that'd tip the scale.

'Lloyd ...'

I look up to Raine. She's just scooting a little up the bed closer to Lloyd. Yeah, I think she's gonna go for it.

'I don't think I'm the right person for this ...' she says softly, raising a hand to brush the hair out of his face again. 'But hear me out.'

I rest against the wall and watch silently. What she does next confuses me.

'You still have homework to hand in,' she tells him, tone getting sharper as if she were just standing in a classroom and scolding him. What the hell, Raine. 'I believe you've been hiding it from me for a month or two now with numerous excuses. First you had to train with Kratos, then you were helping Genis and Colette wash Noishe, then you were busy _feeding_ Noishe, then you were training with Kratos again ...'

She clenches his hand rather tightly. 'You know me well, Lloyd. I won't tolerate any more excuses from you.'

Lloyd just remains still and unresponsive.

'I know you have trouble figuring out mathematical equations,' she continues softly. 'I remember the first time you failed to complete a piece of homework. I wasn't even your teacher, but you came to my door before school had started, sobbing and begging me to help you before you got a detention. You were too afraid to stay behind and walk home through the forest in the dark.'

Raine smiles a little. 'When I became your teacher, you were a little more confident ... you still made foolish mistakes in your work, but you didn't mind staying behind for detention. You knew I'd walk you home if it had gotten too dark. Even so ... you never asked me for help. You were too afraid. You always asked Genis and Colette before me because I was your teacher.'

Her hand relaxes around his again.

'Lloyd ... I expect your homework in soon. It's alright to be afraid. It's alright to want to avoid what might lie ahead. It's alright to want to avoid everything, hold it off, hope it will all go away.'

Raine ...

'But I am your teacher ... and your friend,' she tells him thickly. 'I will always be here for you. I'll help you through everything. You don't have to be afraid of anything as long as we're all here to help.'

I don't think Raine even notices through the sudden tears that Lloyd's hand tightens around hers softly.

------------

'_Hey Lloyd, what are you doing?'_

'_Oh ... hi Charlotte. I'm just ... it's nothing. Just sitting.'_

'_... What's that in your hand?'_

'_P ... paper! Just paper, see! Why are you being so nosy!?'_

'_Lloyd, chill! Jeez ...'_

'_Agh ... it's not your fault. Sorry.'_

'_... It's okay. Lloyd, what's up with you? You've been on edge all day.'_

'_I'm avoiding the Professor ... this is some homework she's been expecting in for a while. I haven't gotten around to doing much of it ...'_

'_... She's giving you _homework?_ Didn't we like, just release the first seal? And fight through it? And everything? We aren't even past the Ossa Trail yet and she's giving you homework while everything is this hectic? We've barely even left Triet!'_

'"_When there's time to train the body, there's time to train the mind" ... that's what the Professor and Kratos keep saying.'_

'_Ugh, Kratos ... anyway, what's the homework about? I dunno, maybe I could help.'_

'_Nah ... it's okay.'_

'_Hey, come on. It could be a good chance for us to get to know eachother? I mean, we haven't really talked properly, y'know? I've only been with you for the Martel Temple and ... well the Fire Seal, so ...'_

'_Um ... sure, fine.'_

'_Oh ... shit, this is magibiological science? I ... I don't know anything about that ...'_

'_You're hopeless ... the Professor's gonna kill me.'_

_-----------------------_

'... 'Fessor ...'

_That_ she notices.

I just watch as Raine's head snaps up, staring at Lloyd's face. The colour is still gone from his skin, but at least there are glassy and tired brown eyes staring back at her.

I honestly feel like doing the same when Raine drops his hand and practically throws herself over him, arms winding around his shoulders and holds him close. Lloyd's eyes widen a little as he gets winded by his Professor, but he just relaxes quickly again with a small inhalation of pain.

'Profe ... chest hurts ...'

She yanks herself away, but not too far. She draws herself further up the bed and just keeps her arms wrapped firmly around him while he looks to the ceiling, eyes still murky and confused. I watch one of his white hands shakily move to the Professor's shoulder, just letting it rest there for a moment. I don't think he has the strength to move it anymore.

'Lloyd ... everything is okay,' she tells him almost desperately, fingers running through his hair and easing gently through small knots. 'Everything is fine ...'

I feel something hurt when Raine's words fail to comfort Lloyd or hold off any hysteria. She doesn't shift to watch Lloyd's reaction to the thoughts flooding his now conscious mind, and I think I realise why when it becomes difficult to watch for myself.

Colette's soulless.

I'm _dead_.

And Kratos ... I don't even want to know what Lloyd's feeling now.

'Professor ...' he whispers, voice hoarse and weak. His eyes are becoming more focused, but they're blurring over with stressed tears. 'Professor ... everything happened, didn't it? It wasn't just a dream ... was it?'

'Everything is fine,' she repeats, grip around his shoulders tightening. 'I'm here now ... everything is okay now ...'

'Kratos ... Colette ... are they all really-?'

'Colette is safe ... we can save her – we can get her back,' Raine assures him softly. 'But the others ...'

Lloyd just shifts under her grip, and she slowly unwinds her arms from around his shoulders and pulls back to give him some space. Lloyd grits his teeth tightly, pulling himself up against the headboard with effort. Raine grabs both his shoulders when he lets out a sharp gasp of agony.

'Lloyd, lie down.'

He shakes his head slowly. 'Fine ... I'm fine ...'

'But Lloy-'

'Professor,' he cuts in quickly, one hand moving to her wrist and the other shakily going to his eyes. He can't even move his arms without feeling the strain. 'Is ... is everyone else okay ...? G-Genis and Sheena, they're ... and you-'

Raine takes the hand on her wrist and forces him to lower it back to his side. 'We all escaped fine, but Lloyd you need to calm down. Take a deep breath.'

'Is Colette still-'

'Lloyd, Colette will be fine. _You_ are my main concern right now, so relax and do as I say. I'll explain things to you when you don't look like you're about to pass out.'

After a few moments of just staring at her and somehow managing to stop any tears of pain and frustration falling, he just lets her hands push him back down onto his back and lays in silence. I don't know how – in his state I'd be bawling my eyes out, but then again ... it _is_ me, and I'm a pussy. Lloyd however, is not.

I watch him slowly and awkwardly try to relax while the Professor moves back, one hand still planted on his shoulder. I swear, you can almost hear the burdens crashing down onto his shoulders as thoughts race through him mind now he's calmed down. Kratos is gone – and for all Lloyd knows, he's gone back to heaven and he'll never see him again, even if he wanted to. Never get to ask him how he really felt, why he did the things he did ... that's got to hurt badly. It's been over three, four months, but they've just gotten so close ... you could even see Kratos wondering why the hell he was doing it sometimes, but he did it anyway.

I can't blame him. I'm not going to hate or judge him for feeling nice to have his son back – I'm not that sick. Even so, he only ended up hurting Lloyd more than I ever thought he could.

'Is ... is Kratos ...'

Raine finally pulls her other hand away, knowing she'd have to affirm it sooner or later. '... Yes. He's gone.'

Lloyd just stares at the ceiling in reply. I would never want to feel what he's feeling right now.

'... He didn't even ... say anything to me.'

Raine raises her eyes a little. 'Nothing?'

He shakes his head. 'He was just quiet the whole time ... it was only that other guy – he kept telling him to kill me ...'

Lloyd's hands fist. 'But he didn't ... he was just watching me get hurt over and over ...'

'Lloyd, I'm sorry,' Raine blurts out. She's got nothing to be sorry for, but she does it anyway. Her hand goes back to his, forcing him to unclench his fists and stay calm. The last thing we need is a hysterical Lloyd in his current physical state. 'I'm sorry ...'

'... Professor, how did I get here?'

Raine pauses. If she says anything about being in the Triet Base, then he might flip out or something. 'We ... we were rescued by the Renegades. I doubt you've heard of them.'

Lloyd shakes his head.

'They say they're an underground organization trying to stop the Desians. You've encountered them before – in ... Triet.'

'... Did they save me?' Lloyd asks groggily, going back to staring at the ceiling while his mind slowly processes everything. 'Triet ... those guys that kidnapped me? Those Desians ...'

'They're not Desians,' Raine explains quickly with a shake of her head. 'They must disguise themselves as Desians for scouting purposes if they also work _with_ the Desians while undercover ... but that would not explain wh-'

'Professor, headache ...'

She stops herself. '... They dress like Desians, but they are not.'

'Thanks,' Lloyd sighs, eyes slipping shut. 'I can't ... think right now-'

'It's alright, Lloyd,' she tells him softly, clutching his hand tighter. 'It'd be easier if I explained it later ... perhaps when you're not feeling so tired and distressed.'

He just goes back to staring at the ceiling. He has absolutely no idea what's happening. Raine's probably explained it all to the others already, but Lloyd is ... well, _Lloyd_, so it'll take more explaining and most likely a longer time because ... well, his head is scrambled right now.

'Did ...' Lloyd starts quietly, voice cracking a little. He silences himself as Raine looks to him again, and he swallows hard. I watch him lie still for a few moments, still staring up at the ceiling. I think Charis is close to dragging me back now.

'Did they ...' Lloyd tries again, resorting to a whisper. 'Did they get ... Charlotte's body?'

Raine shakes her head. Lloyd just keeps staring up, blinking slowly.

'She ... she said my name ...'

Ohhhh shit.

Raine doesn't bother to inquire and just sits in silence while he gets his thoughts together. That's right ... just before Judgement hit, just as Charis and William tried out their little thing in the last second, my body and soul just kind of ... clicked back together for a moment. I grabbed Lloyd's collar and said his name, and he _noticed_, so ... oh crap.

'She was still alive,' Lloyd says, eyes becoming more focused. 'I tried to escape with her body ... that guy trapped me, and he was about to kill me ...'

Raine just stares at him.

'She was staring at me ... she said my name – Professor, she was still alive ...'

'Lloyd-'

'They left her body there, didn't they?' Lloyd asks. 'What ... what if she's still-'

'Lloyd, stop,' Raine tells him sharply as if she were scolding a small child. Lloyd flinches visibly at her tone, relaxing back into his pillow.

'You saw what the leader of Cruxis did,' she tells him firmly. 'We all saw. Even if there was the slightest possibility that she might have survived ... he struck you both down. If she lived before that, then surely ...'

Lloyd just raises a shaky hand to his face. '... She's really gone ... Charlotte and Kratos – they're both ...'

'Do not concern yourself with Kratos,' Raine demands. 'I understand if you wish to grieve Charlotte's death, but do not let that traitor hurt you anymore.'

Lloyd bites his lip at the name she's tagged Kratos with. 'Before ... he was such a jerk, but he-'

'But you began warming up to him,' Raine admits awkwardly as if she has a bad taste in her mouth. 'I won't echo his words and say it was your own fault for trusting him ... to string an innocent child along like that is truly disgusting. He stood by and let everything happen ... he allowed Colette to have her heart taken from her, he let Charlotte die ...'

She hesitates. 'He even let this happen to you ... he isn't worth an ounce of your compassion, Lloyd.'

'It's not that ...' Lloyd says softly, hand still pressed to his own forehead. 'I ... just can't believe that I didn't realise ... I can't believe it didn't click sooner-'

'You were truly close to him,' Raine tells him. 'Even so, none of us notic-'

'He had a Cruxis Crystal ...'

Raine stares. '... What?'

Lloyd shuts his eyes, hand flopping back to his side. 'In Luin ... me, Genis and Charlotte – we saw a red crystal embedded into his chest ... it didn't look like Colette's so I didn't know what it was ... but it must have been a Cruxis Crystal ...'

'What do you mean ...' Raine starts quietly. 'It didn't look like Colette's?'

Lloyd winces at the memory. 'It was surrounded by ... they looked like swollen veins, and ... scars – it was disgusting. I trusted him ... I didn't want to ask him about it.'

'I see ...'

'... Professor, if ... if I told him that I saw that thing ...' Lloyd mumbles tiredly, slipping his eyes open and finally looking to his teacher instead of the ceiling. 'Do you think he would have said anything?'

'I don't think so, Lloyd,' she says. 'He was a very secretive man ...'

Lloyd nods. 'I just ... I can't believe he let everything happen. I can't believe he let everything turn to utter chaos while he just stood there and watched ...'

His fists clenched. 'How ... how could he just stand there and ... did he really not care about us at all?'

Raine opens her mouth to answer, but Lloyd just shakes his head. 'I know he hated Charlotte ... everyone did, but – to just stand there and let her die ...? After everything we did together? That's not the Kratos I knew ...'

'You did not truly know him at all,' Raine sighs. 'None of us did. But ... what's done is done. Lloyd ...'

She stands, and he looks up to her. 'I have to talk to the Renegades ... now that you've woken, they'll be altering your medication intake. I'll be back in a few minutes, but ...'

'Uh ... could I just-' Lloyd mutters, dragging himself back up to the headboard. 'Could I have a while alone? I just need to think about some things.'

'Of course,' she says, smiling. 'Although a medic might arrive soon, so-'

'It's okay ...' Lloyd affirms quietly. 'I just ... I need a few minutes.'

I know I'm a ghost, but when Raine presses a hand to the bed and just leans in, I think I feel my heart cannonball into my throat.

She kisses his hairline, and I immediately see Anna flash over my view. That's ... at the tower, that's where she-

Raine pauses when Lloyd sucks in a sharp breath. 'Lloyd?'

'It's nothing,' he says too quickly, clutching fistfuls of the bedding beneath his hands. 'It's nothing ...'

--------------

'_So, Lloyd, uh ... that dwarf guy, is that your real dad?'_

'_No, my parents died when I was little. I never met my real dad.'_

'_Oh ... okay.'_

'_... What, was that it?'_

'_Oh no, I was just wondering. Um ... you don't look half-dwarf or anything, so I thought ... y'know.'_

'_Right ... well, you're a half-elf, right?'_

'_What? Oh, uh ... yeah! Yeah, I am ...'_

'_Well elves look like humans, don't they?'_

'_Yeah ...'_

'_And dwarves kinda look like humans, right?'_

'_... Yeah.'_

'_So if I was half dwarf, then I'd probably just look like I normally do!'_

'_... But shorter.'_

'_Shorter, yeah.'_

'_Do ... do you ever wish that you'd met your real parents?'_

'_Of course. But Dirk is my dad, so I already have parents.'_

'_Parent.'_

'_Well, the Professor ...'_

'_Raine? What about her?'_

'_She's kinda like a mom, y'know? She's always looking out for us and doing all these motherly things.'_

'_Yeah, I suppose.'_

'_I mean ... sure I'd like to meet my _real_ parents, but I already have parents that love me.'_

'_... Don't forget that, okay?'_

'_Huh? Uh ... okay.'_

_-----------_

'Lloooooyd,' I chant, swinging around the doorway to his room. 'You ready to go? We gotta meet with the leader of the Renegades soon. Raine and everyone else are ready and everything.'

I watch Lloyd give me an awkward glance, fingers at the button of his jacket collar. I don't pay much attention, but he drops his eyes quickly. 'Yeah ... just give me a second. I'm almost done.'

I lean against the doorframe, hoping a Renegade doesn't wander down and scold me for it. 'Okay, but don't take too long. Raine's getting pretty impatient.'

'Right,' he says a little sharply, quickly quietening down. He must be nervous. I don't blame him – I would be too, meeting with the leader of the group that's been trying to kill him, then save him, and now probably try to kill him again. Plus there's the whole thing with Colette – they tried to kill her too. He's probably going to be on turbo-protect mode with Genis.

'Hey, don't worry too much, okay?' I tell him, and the fingers at his collar clench around the button he's trying to clasp. His jaw tightens a little. 'We'll all be there – nothing's gonna happen to you or Colette. I think the Professor's on good terms with a couple of Renegades, so I doubt anything bad will go down.'

'... Right,' Lloyd mumbles, turning with his back to me with his hands still at his collar. Wow, that's taking him ages. I don't he's fully with it right now – maybe the meds have made him a bit high or something. I don't think he'd be _that_ nervous – he was fine in the game. I'm not sure what could have happened at the tower to make him feel so iffy about the Renegades – all they really did was save his life. After trying to kill him, but whatever.

'Listen, Lloyd,' I say quietly, pushing myself off the doorframe to straighten up. 'I don't really trust the Renegades either – none of the others do, but they saved your life. That has to mean something, right? They wouldn't rescue you from the tower and treat you back to health just to harm you, righ-'

There's a small snap that immediately hushes me, and the button from Lloyd's collar clicks to the floor. He broke it ...?

I just watch him silently as his hunched shoulders slowly relax, lowering his arms to his sides. His hands are shaking, and he balls them into tight fists. What's wrong with him? Is he about to cry or something?

I take a wary step forward. 'Lloyd, are you oka-'

'God, would you just SHUT UP!?' he exclaims spinning around. I immediately jump back the step I just took, staring at him. I try to reply, but nothing actually comes out. Lloyd just keeps glaring right at me, fists still shaking.

... What the hell?

He just clenches his teeth, kicking the broken button against the wall before grabbing the small satchel he keeps his things in, slinging it over his shoulder. Well, he's ready. Ready and pissed off. He told me to shut up, but screw that. I fumble for words when he just starts storming towards the doorway I'm blocking.

'Lloyd, what's wrong with y-'

'Get out of my way,' he snaps, shoving me away by my shoulder. I grab the opposite doorframe to keep my footing before I stumble and fall to the floor. He doesn't even look at me – he just walks out, ignoring me completely. No seriously, what the hell is going on? Why is he suddenly so angry? Did I do something?

'What the bloody hell do you think you're doing!?' I retort finally, gathering my bearings and stepping out into the hallway, shouting after him. 'What's your problem!?'

He stops again, shoulders stiffening at my voice. Dammit, what's wrong with him? I just stride over, trying to act as confident as I can. I almost got close enough to reach out and grab his shoulder, but I stop myself when I realise that he's not too against physically hurting me right now. He shoved me out the way, but ... that's not something Lloyd would do. Something's wrong with him – did everything that happened finally get to him?

'Lloyd, what's wrong with you?' I repeat carefully. 'C'mon ... it's me, you can talk to m-'

'Do you really think you _get_ me?' he snaps, turning his head to scowl over his shoulder. 'Where do you get off? You don't even know me!'

'I know you're being a prick right now!' I practically snarl back, feeling the rage bubble in my chest. 'Where did this all come from!?'

I see his hand fly out again, and before I know if I feel my back thud sharply against the pale clean wall. Ow. _Ow_, that really hurt.

I hesitate in horror when I realise, from the blossoming pain just beneath my shoulder, that he actually hit me. And he's still glaring at me. I shove myself away from the wall, shaking. Where the hell are all the Renegades? Why can't the others hear us shouting? Have they already gone to meet Yuan?

'_Lloyd-!_'

'You died at the tower,' he tells me darkly. 'You _died_. My mom died too, but you ... you get to come back?'

Fuck. I knew he'd do this. I clench my teeth tightly. 'Lloyd, listen-'

'No,' he says. I would honestly rather he screamed it into my face, because the tone he said it in just makes my blood run cold. 'That's not fair.'

'Hey, I don't think it's fair either,' I assure him quickly, holding my hands up. 'But Martel-'

'Did you even _try_ to offer your life to someone else?' Lloyd cuts in threateningly, taking a step close. I never really realised how small I feel. 'I don't think you did. But that's you, isn't it – it's what Charlotte does! She always looks out for herself! She can't see past her own selfish _wants_!'

He grits his teeth, giving me a fierce look. 'You never needed me to protect you. You just _wanted_ me too so you could keep on working for yourself. You never needed anything from us! You just took what everyone elsehad because you wanted it for yourself!'

'... And what, did you realise that all because I'd _died_?' I demand, not stepping up to him this time.

'I realised since you started screwing up,' he replies coldly. 'Since everyone started hating you. Since you hated everyone else because they didn't treat you like a princess. Did you ever realise just how pathetic you look, demanding all that respect and protection when you've done nothing to earn it?'

I falter. He's got me. 'I-'

My back collides with the wall again, and I notice he's got his forearm flattened over my collarbone, pushing me against it harshly. I feel my shoulder blades bruise under the force, and I'm honestly too dejected to fight him off.

'Genis hates you,' he growls, scowling down. 'Sheena and Colette think you're selfish. Kratos wanted you to die. The Professor told you to stay away, but you came back anyway. Even when you admit to yourself that the only thing you did was hold us back and make us miserable, you still came back. Where do you get off getting away with this? Tell me!'

I don't have an answer. I can't even speak to tell him that.

'The Professor told me everything you said to her before you came back alive,' he grumbles, shoving his elbow forward sharply. I feel my shoulder snap back against the wall, and I hiss in pain. 'You _love_ me? You love me like Genis and Colette do? You think I can be your big brother like the others?'

He drops his arm and steps back, and I finally just relax against the white wall.

'Don't you _dare_ ...' Lloyd whispers icily, turning. 'Compare yourself to Genis and Colette. _They_ love me. They'd die for me. They'd do anything to make me happy, but you ...'

I finally notice I'm blinking back tears. 'I just-'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'You wouldn't put yourself in danger for anyone other than yourself. You even _died_ for yourself. You don't love anyone _but _yourself, and I've put up with it for months. It's making me sick.'

He's started walking away, not looking back. 'Don't follow me. Just go back to Asgard and stay there. If you try anymore stupid stunts like that, don't expect me to come running to your rescue again. I have more important people to take care of.'

I just stare after him, taking a weary step forward. My knee buckles, and I thump to the floor. 'Lloyd ...'

He isn't answering – he's just walking away. I know everything he said is true, but the thing that hurts most is that he thinks it too.

Everyone does.

'Lloyd ... wait!' I order feebly, but nothing is working. He's just getting further and further away, and I don't have the strength to run after someone who hates me.

I shiver from the wetness running down my face.

'Lloyd ...!'

Everything is blurring over with hot tears.

'Lloyd!'

And he's gone. All that's left is-

'_LLOYD!'_

---------------

'_Professor, I'm sorry.'_

'_Hm? What are you apologizing for?'_

'_I know you didn't want me to face Kvar ... even thought I wasn't alone, I know you didn't want me to go. Were you worried about me?'_

'_Of course I was worried about you. I wouldn't have let you go for a trivial reason, but I know you wanted this. I'm glad you've finally avenged your mother. Hopefully now you have some burden lifted from your shoulders.'_

'_That's the thing ... I don't feel any different.'_

'_How do you mean?'_

'_... I love my mom. But I never really knew her, you know? The only mom I've really had is ... well, you.'_

'_I see.'_

'_I don't know why I still feel strange ... I don't know if it has anything to do with you, but-'_

'_I'm just glad that you came to me. Thank you, Lloyd.'_

'_Huh? For what?'_

'_Kratos told me you were afraid to learn the truth about your parents on the chance that they would be different from what you had imagined. Thank you for being strong enough to take a step forward away from your dreams to learn the truth.'_

'_You're not upset?'_

'_I am proud that you had the strength to look to the truth. I often wonder about my own parents, and the strength to know the truth when you have built such a perfect memory for yourself is difficult.'_

'_Professor ...'_

'_I do not know if the answer you found was good or bad, but you will always have Dirk and me. You will always have Genis and Colette. We love you Lloyd, and I'm sure your mother does too.'_

'_... Thanks, Professor. I really needed to hear that from you.'_

_-------------_

I just stare in horror toward the ceiling of the Triet inn.

"_Um ... we're done,"_ comes Charis' wary voice. "_You slept for longer than we thought ..."_

I don't even answer. I just have Lloyd's cold voice running through my head over and over. I have Raine's voice telling me not to go back; I have Genis' voice telling me it's all my fault –

Inn. I'm in the inn. I'm here – I've been here all the time. None of that happened. None of those things were said. Lloyd didn't hit me – I knew he wouldn't, Lloyd doesn't hit his friends. Most of them, at least. But no, it was all just in my head. It's alright. It's alright ...

I hear Charis' voice fail in my mind, and I realise that she's been cut off. For weeks, months – I don't know, but for now she's gone. It might even be days, but for now I'm completely alone.

I just lay still with my heart throbbing against my ribcage, trying to stop the thoughts flooding through me. Lloyd telling me to shut up, knowing every single bad thing I think and know about myself – he thinks it too, everyone hating me, Raine telling me not to come back ... everything – how much of it was a dream?

It ... was up until Raine left Lloyd alone. When she'd left, he just absolutely broke and starting sobbing like I've never seen him, and I just dragged myself away to let him be in peace. That ... that was real, I know it was. The rest was just a dream. Nothing happened.

... Doesn't mean it wasn't true.

The sickly feeling in my heart just thunders down to my stomach, and I feel a burning prickle being to arise rapidly. I just throw myself off the bed, ignoring the dizziness that crashes throughout my head and makes me stagger. I stumble a few steps to the window, fling myself over the ledge and promptly throw up.

I don't care who I'm waking up or freaking out – I just clench the windowsill tightly with both hands, hacking and coughing until the acidic taste starts disappearing. It doesn't, and I just pause for a few moments before pulling myself back up, almost certain that I won't be vomiting again. Oh Christ ...

I just fumble on the dresser beside the window for the glass of water that's been sitting there for a while, ignoring how the drink is uncomfortably warm. I flatten a hand against the surface of the dresser to keep upright when my legs begin shaking, and I quickly raise the glass to my mouth and take a few gulps. I flinch when I swallow, coughing again.

_It's what Charlotte does! She always looks out for herself! She can't see past her own selfish wants!_

My hand begins quivering, and I try to take another swig of water. It eventually gets so bad that the glass just slips from my hands, shattering against the floor.

I take a step back so I don't step on any of the shards, but I end up collapsing back against the wall, slipping down to the floor with a frustrated sob.

Am I always going to wind up being this pathetic? This is my _second_ life, and I still -

_Don't you dare compare yourself to Genis and Colette._

What was I thinking? Of course I don't love Lloyd. I could never die for anyone, let alone him. But does the willingness to put yourself in danger really determine that? I'm grateful for everything he's done for me and said to me, but I still can't endanger myself for anyone in the group. I just can't. No, I'll never be able to get the same treatment as the others, and that's the exact reason why. It's impossible for me to love any of them. Fuck, I don't think I even _like_ them right now.

My head just drops back against the wall, and I sit and sob pitifully to myself. Oh god, I'm so very pathetic. I relied on Lloyd to make me _not_ think shit about myself, but now ... oh god, that dream. For fuck's sake.

I don't know what to do. I just thrash in frustration. My leg hits the dresser, and a bottle of perfume tips over the side and shatters amongst the glass of water. I can't _stop_.

After about five minutes of crying and whipping my body around in aggravation, I calm down enough to notice I've broken about ... four things. I pause against the wall and just slump down against the bed, dragging the blanket off. I don't think I have the strength to heave myself back up there. I just clutch the duvet beneath my fingers until I start hearing ripping. Goddammit, the people of Triet are worse off already – I didn't even pay for this room. I'm being so selfish.

'Fuck ...' I whine, slouching to the floor. I'm worn out. I don't even have the money to pay the inn back – I spent it all on the Katz yesterday. '_FUCK ...!'_

_If you try anymore stupid stunts like that, don't expect me to come running to your rescue again._

I don't know how long I just sit and cry for. Until it starts getting light outside, at least. I just sit and feel sorry for myself, wondering if it is worth going back after all. Yes, Lloyd said all those things in my dream, _none_ of them were real ... but it doesn't mean it wasn't _true_. What if he says them all when I get there? He should _logically_ think those things. No one I've ever known has been that patient with me. Lloyd is the most impatient person _ever_, so why the hell should he put up with me?

After hours of just thinking as it steadily gets lighter outside, I wearily begin gathering my things together.

----------------

'_Genis, did you talk to him?'_

'_Yeah ... I couldn't talk to him for long. The Renegades are putting him his last surge of medication. He'll be, um ...'_

'_High, I know. It should only last for ten minutes or so – he's becoming more immune to the healing as he gets his strength back, though he's certainly taking in a lot of mana.'_

'_Raine, you don't think that the Renegades are-'_

'_I'm aware that they've endangered his life in the past, but they would not use so many facilities and valuable mana to keep him alive if their only intent was to kill him. They would have let the angels finish him off at the Tower of Salvation.'_

'_Do you really think we can trust the Renegades, sis?'_

'_I don't know. After Lloyd is mobile again, their leader demands to see us.'_

'_But that's after his last dose of meds! He's been able to walk all morning, so then-'_

'_Yes, we'll be seeing him shortly. I don't think he will harm Lloyd. I just hope he can shed some light as to what exactly happened at the Tower of Salvation, and to what the aim of the Renegades is exactly.'_

'_Yeah ... I'm so confused. They were trying to do exactly the same things as the Desians in our journey, weren't they? If the Desians work for Cruxis, then why would they try to hurt Colette?'_

'_I don't know. All I know is that the Renegades saved us all from the Cruxis, so Colette must be essential to them in some way.'_

'_Then why did they try so hard to save Lloyd?'_

'_I ... don't know. He was kidnapped by them in Triet, so ...'_

'_Do you think the Renegades have some connection with Lloyd?'_

'_I highly doubt it. He's wanted by the Desians, but the Renegades should have no qualms with him. Only Colette.'_

'_Ugh ... everything is so confusing. I hope this gets explained soon – my head feels ready to split. I can even hear pounding.'_

'_... Genis, I don't think that's in your head.'_

'_Huh? Now that you mention it –'_

'_It's coming from above ...'_

'_Huh? Hey ... look at the grate on the vent-'_

'_That's ...'_

'_OH MY G-'_

_-----------------_

'So ... is Genis gonna be okay?'

'There is a medic with him and Sheena until he awakens.'

'... Um, sorry. For making him faint. I couldn't really use a more discreet entrance. The vents were the only way in.'

Raine just nods as I follow behind her, quiet Renegade at her side. Genis' scream caught the attention of three Renegades patrolling this wing, but this one luckily happens to be one of Botta's right hand men, so he has a good idea of who I am. Raine managed to convince them to not kill me for now, and the other two have gone to bitch at the people in charge of ventilation.

Raine has asked that we get led to the second private room in the wing where Colette is being kept (apparently she's lashing out at pretty much everyone now, so they're confining her now they can't kill her) so she can ... well, probably determine for herself if it's really me or not. Raine'll jump to the most logical explanation at the moment - I'm obviously an imposter sent by the Desians/Cruxis/whoever to weasel into their group wearing their dead comrade's skin. Hopefully I'll be able to convince her otherwise! Then all will be well.

But not really.

Sheena, upon seeing me for the first time, actually sent a purification card my way. A purification card for _zombies_. I went on a three minute rant about how I don't look like a zombie, but Raine eventually shut me up after the initial shock. Since then, she's shakily asked if Sheena can just ... drag an unconscious Genis to the bed and look after him while she interrogates me for a while. The medic is with her, so ... it's all gonna be okay on their end. On _my_ end, I have no idea right now.

The renegade leading us stops at a door, jamming a finger to the button at its side to unlock it. The door slides open with an electrical _zing, _and he steps to one side to let Raine in.

'Don't be long,' he demands shortly. 'My shift is over in five minutes.'

Raine just 'hmm's in annoyance, letting herself in. I quickly follow after her, and the door snaps shut behind me.

My first reaction upon entering the room is feeling my stomach sink a little.

Colette is stood at the side of the single bed in the room, staring ahead with empty, red eyes. There's a little bit of blood splashed on the side of her tunic, but I chose to ignore it for now. She just doesn't even look like Colette – it's weird. She looks zombie-like and sinister, and I have to hope to god that I didn't resemble that at all when Sheena first saw me. How could I? Geez, she looks terrible.

'Ugh ...' is all I manage to come out with. Raine nods solemnly at my side.

'She's been like this since we left. She won't respond at all.'

'That's terrible,' I say quietly. Really. Colette looks a complete state – the fact that she hasn't eaten or slept in an extremely long time looks like it's catching up with her. Her face is gaunt, her skin is pasty ...

Raine takes a quick look over her shoulder and I realise that the renegade outside can probably hear us. She walks over to the bed on the other side of the room, and I just follow silently until she sits down. I chose to remain standing, trying not to glance over to Colette. It's making me feel uneasy, and it's sad to say that I don't feel she'll spare me from her pissy zombie-wrath.

'Last night,' Raine starts, looking up at me coldly. Ugh, don't need this right now. 'Was that really you?'

I nod slowly. 'Yeah ...'

'And you are truly alive now?'

'Yeah,' I repeat for lack of any drawn out explanation.

'How?'

Okay, here we go. 'If I tell you, you won't believe me.'

'That's for me to decide,' Raine tells me, standing. Shit, she's tall. 'I have every reason to not believe you, but it's not as if I can deny that you are living and breathing right now. Unless you aren't Charlotte at all.'

'Well, I am,' I clarify quickly. 'And ... uh, okay – I died. I died, and I met Martel. In short, she told me to get lost.'

Raine raises an eyebrow.

'Okay, um, it was more complicated than that,' I start again, trying to find the best way to explain this. 'She told me that ... I couldn't go yet. She, um ... she couldn't accept my soul, or something. So she sent me back. She said if I die again, then she _can_ accept it and I can go to, um ... eternal peace or whatever.'

Raine's judging stare eases. 'That's similar to your story from last night. It appears that not all of Cruxis is a lie.'

I look up. 'Eh?'

'Martel,' Raine mumbles, sitting back down and offering a small glance to Colette. 'It would have been easier to accept that Cruxis was founded on a lie and manipulated the church into performing their work. With no evidence of the foundation of Cruxis itself, we could have at least attempted to have the organisation show its true colours.'

She sighs. 'But it seems that some roots of Cruxis run true. Martel truly exists. Their goal still seems to be Martel's revival, but they must have a reason for using malicious pawns in their work.'

'The Desians,' I offer, and she nods. 'I know ... it seems kinda odd. Without the Desians, they'd still have the same outcome.'

'The Chosen's purpose is to eradicate the Desians,' Raine explains. 'It gives a reason for the Chosen to set out on such a journey. Though there is also the threat of the world's mana waning thin, the Desians show an immediate and potential threat, whereas the loss of the world's mana is drawn out and takes years.'

'So you think that Cruxis are using the Desians to kinda ... egg the Chosen on?' I ask. 'In a sorta "go give your body to Martel or we'll keep being douchebags" kinda way?'

'Not the most eloquent wording, but that's the right idea,' Raine admits, looking a little ... well, less awkward about talking to someone who ten minutes ago she thought was dead.

'What confuses me,' she continues, looking to me again. 'Is that Martel is currently thought to be sleeping, or as we now know, in need of a body or a vessel. How did you encounter her in death?'

'... _This_ is the confusing part,' I sigh, wishing I could sit down too. I'd rather stay standing, but I feel we'll be here for a while. 'Um ... it's kinda ... the Martel I saw was ... ugh, she called herself a dream. A dream of all the people who believe in Martel.'

'The majority,' Raine helps. 'But you do not believe in Martel.'

I grimace, glancing to the floor. 'I prayed for her help before we left for the Tower of Salvation. I acknowledged her existence.'

'Did you acknowledge the existence of any other deity before her?'

I shake my head. 'No. I've never really prayed before. It felt weird, but I just felt like I really needed help.'

'And you died that day.'

I flinch. 'Yes.'

Raine falls silent for now. I just shuffle awkwardly on the spot while she looks me over, probably trying to pick out something about me she can call out and attempt to prove that I'm not Charlotte. I don't know what I can do to prove that I am right now – not a lot of people find themselves in this situation.

'So ... Martel gave you a new body.'

'Kind of,' I say quickly. 'Um, she ... well, my old one got fixed. In a way. It was restored to the state it was in before I was, uh ... killed.'

'About that,' Raine cuts in, standing once more. This has been coming my way for a long time. 'What were you doing before you died?'

'I ... don't wanna say.'

'You're not leaving this room until you tell me.'

I frown. I can't say "I used the sword to open up a portal to my actual home world, but the plan blew up in my face". I can't explain how I knew what I was doing when I used pure mana to touch the sword either. Hell, I can't even explain how I _knew_ what the sword was. All of them eventually lead to "I actually know about shit that went down four-thousand years ago". And that will lead right back to the whole ... not being from this world thing. God, I am in such a fix.

'You, um ... do you remember the ... world of the god's you told me about ages ago?' I ask quietly, deciding I've been quiet for too long. 'In the Seal of Fire?'

Raine nods slowly. 'Vaguely.'

I bite my lip. 'I was trying to get there. I've read about a sword that can grant you any wish, but it only belongs to one person. I thought if I could use it, then I could go there.'

Raine stares at me as if Kratos had started crawling out my eye socket. 'Why in the world would you try such a foolish thing?'

And here we go. 'I hate this world.'

Silence again.

'I thought that maybe ... y'know, in the world of the gods, they don't need mana and crap ... they aren't fighting for it like Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, there aren't Desians and stuff ... y'know? Maybe if I could get there, then I wouldn't have to worry about this stuff anymore.'

'... That is an extremely selfish goal.'

'I know.'

'I don't know what you did when you used that sword. By the looks of things, you opened a vortex to nothing but space. You did nothing but get yourself killed, all for the one in a million chance that you could live among gods?'

I glare at the floor. 'That's pretty much it.'

'Charlotte.'

I look up.

And she slaps me.

I realise I'm now staring at the door to my right, and I slowly turn back to her while the sharp sting on my face begins to dim. She lowers her hand to her side.

'Lloyd warned you. He told you risking your life was foolish. Yet still, you-'

'He told you about that!?' I interrupt.

'The point is that you ignored all the advice he gave you – the same advice any sane person would have given you. It seems that your need for perfection around you takes priority over people who care about your wellbeing?'

I groan, glaring to the floor again, deciding not to look up if she tells me to. 'I know, I know. I'm a giant selfish twat. And before you ask, I've decided. No, I don't love Lloyd like Genis and Colette do. It's selfish of me to compare myself to them when I can't even listen to a fucking word he says, even if it's for my own bloody benefit.'

'Charlotte.'

'I'm not looking up agi-'

'Charlotte, you do love Lloyd,' Raine tells my sharply. I glance up a little, ready to jump away if I see her hand fly towards my face again. 'In your own way. I won't say that the others aren't skilled in catching onto people's unspoken feelings, but I've been able to see from the past month or two that you do in fact harbour stronger feelings towards Lloyd than towards any other person I've seen here. You have had your friendship with Colette, your dispute with Genis and Kratos, but Lloyd ... you felt different towards him.'

I bite my lip again.

'If you didn't, you would not have risked your life to help him extract revenge on Kvar, and I have been told you did it once more even after he had hurt you.'

I flinch. 'He told you about that?'

'Yes. My point is, I have seen your type around, but it saddens me to say I have never met someone as selfish as you among the children I have worked with in regards to their own wellbeing. I would admit that I may be biased in my views as I have spent most of my time around Genis, Lloyd and Colette; all of who are willing to endanger themselves for their friends and family.'

I glance up wearily. 'Your point?'

'It took you an abhorrently long time to realise Lloyd cares about you. In regards to him, you became steadily more selfless.'

'He was the only one who made me feeling like a half-decent friend,' I mumble. 'Even though he was probably saying it to get me to stop whining.'

'Lloyd isn't that kind of person,' Raine insists. 'He has an odd effect on people. What you're feeling for him now ... I've seen it from both Genis and Colette in the past. And they both truly love him with all their hearts.'

'Professor, that's really corny.'

'Corny, but true. Genis was afraid to have friends at first, but he couldn't turn Lloyd away. I remember him avoiding him for days because he felt strange around him. He didn't like the thought of being close to other people on the chance that they would turn him away because of his race.'

I blink. 'Lloyd doesn't know you guys are half-elves?'

'No ... he doesn't,' Raine admits sheepishly. 'It's not that we do not trust him ... it is just something we do not wish to share.'

I nod. 'Right, right. Um, Professor ... do you still think I'm not me? Well, Charlotte?'

Raine gives me an odd look as if she was looking at a shockingly bright light. 'Other than the things you cannot explain, I have no reason to believe you are not. You have the exact mana signature, and even if you were an imposter, mana signatures are almost always impossible to replicate completely. Kilia had a dark energy around her while she was masquerading as Dorr's daughter ... you don't have a similar air around you.'

She glances to Colette again and then back to me. 'I'll believe that you are Charlotte. For now. If you do anything to spark the slightest suspicion in anyone, don't expect me to tolerate it.'

'I won't,' I say, holding my hands up in defence. 'But that's the thing. I don't know if I'll be around for much longer.'

Raine furrows her brow. 'What?'

'Um ... I just want to talk to Lloyd. I want to ask him if it's okay for me to be here,' I try nervously. 'I know Genis doesn't want me here, but he's ... well, no disrespect, but he's just one person. I don't know about you or Sheena, I know Colette's always been pretty accepting, so ...'

'You'll determine what to do with yourself based on Lloyd's opinion?' Raine asks. 'If he turns you away, the Renegades won't let you simply stroll out of here after sneaking in through the ventilation shafts.'

'I know,' I mumble. 'I don't know what to do.'

Raine sighs. 'Well ... when they kidnapped Lloyd, they let Genis free. Though the circumstances are different, so I have no clue. They might put you in a cell until they have a set idea of what to do with an intruder.'

'When I was here last I stabbed their leader in the side with a knife.'

Raine falters. '... Oh.'

'Yeeeeah,' I mumble, scratching my cheek. 'They might execute me. I don't know.'

'When Lloyd is not ... ah, high off his medication, we are meeting with their leader,' Raine says quickly. 'I will try to input a word for your benefit if the capture you for a while.'

I just nod jadedly. 'Thanks. Really. Um ... I'd rather talk to Lloyd now.'

She shakes her head. 'Charlotte, he's literally drunk with mana-'

'I would rather hear the blunt truth than have him sugar-coat it while he's sober,' I grumble, rubbing my wrist. 'Just give me a minute with him. I don't care if he's high or if he thinks I'm a ghost – I just need to know if he really doesn't mind me coming back.'

Raine opens her mouth to say something, but she just wavers and falls silent for a third time. After a moment or two of staring at me while I try to don the most defiant posture I can, she just offers the smallest smile and shakes her head. I know trying to talk to Lloyd when he can't see his own hand infront of his face is probably a bad idea, but I would rather the honest truth. I've been told in the past that he talked to other people about how incompetent I was behind my back, so right now I just want the blunt, simple truth. I don't want to have my feelings protected right now.

I prepare myself for the worst when Raine just turns to the door.

-------

'_Hey Genis, is your head feeling okay?' _

'_Sheena? Is that you ...?'_

'_Yeah, it's me.'_

'_Where's Raine? Where's ... it's her, she's back – is she aliv-!?'_

'_Hey, calm down a little. Here, drink this.'_

'_Sheena – she's alive isn't she? She came back, right?'_

'_I don't know ... Raine took her away to talk to her, and I haven't seen them since.'_

'_What!? What if she attacks her?'_

'_There's a Renegade with them. If it isn't Charlotte, then whoever it is wouldn't try anything funny in a base full of Renegades. It's suicide.'_

'_It could be someone in disguise from Cruxis ...!'_

'_Then I don't think a member of Cruxis would reveal themselves in this place. There are too many of their enemies around. If they did, it'd be taken care of pretty quickly. Raine knows what she's doing.'_

'_What ... what if they're trying to kill Colette? What if they want to finish off Lloyd?'_

'_They're safe with the Renegades with them. They aren't leaving them alone together, and I don't think Cruxis would act so quickly after everything that happened at the Tower of Salvation.'_

'_What if they're sending another spy? We've seen the Desians do something similar in Palmacosta ...'_

'_They just had Kratos return to them; I don't think they'd try pulling the same stunt twice. Raine will be back soon – she can explain everything to us then. But right now, you just need to sit down and relax a little, okay?'_

'_Sheena ...'_

'_Look, if it's bothering you that much, then I'll go and check on them, okay?'_

'_Stay with my sister ... make sure she doesn't hurt her.'_

'_... Alright. But you have to promise me you'll relax a little, right?'_

'_Right ...'_

_-------------_

Oh god. I don't think I can do this.

'I'll be waiting outside. When you're done, come back and we'll sort everything out.'

I really, really have to. But ... I don't know – I'm scared he'll say everything that he did in my dream. It's a long shot, but he might ...

'If ... you're not staying, then you'll be escorted to a cell for a while. I'm sorry, but it's the only way. If you are, then ... well, you'll stay with us.'

I nod slowly, swallowing. Wow, my mouth is really dry all of a sudden.

'Are you alright?'

I just nod again, deciding not to glance back at the Professor and the impatient Renegade at her side, mumbling something about missing his shift. 'Um ... after this, I think I need to have a long talk with Genis.'

'That's alright,' Raine says quietly, inclining her head a little. 'He will have calmed down by then. I'll try to talk to him and explain some things.'

'Yeah ...'

'... Just talk to him like you would have normally. Ask him if he minds you being here. It will only be harder if you try tip-toeing around the matter.'

I take a deep breath. She's right. If Lloyd flips out, _then_ I can try the whole explanation route. Until then, just act casual. As casual as you can get asking someone if they hate you, but casual nonetheless. Oh man, I sure hope this works in my favour. I don't want to sit in a cell and then ... well, not know what the Renegades will do to me. I could try escaping, but they might have closed off the ventilation shafts somehow. I can still try.

I press the button on the side of the door, and it slips open slowly. I just bite my lip and step inside, and it clasps shut behind me.

Wow, it's ... dark in here.

There aren't actually any windows in the base, and the overhead lights have been dimmed. It's probably easier for Lloyd to relax in a dark room if he's being pumped full of meds every now and then, but it's a little gloomy. It doesn't help my mood right now, especially when I look over to the bed.

Lloyd is lying there, staring at the ceiling. At first glance it looks as if he's sleeping, but you can see his eyes are just slightly open. He's probably just emerging from his intoxication of mana. He looks absolutely out of it, and I'm wondering if it will actually benefit me or not talking to him like this.

Well, there's no going back now. I take a few wary steps towards the bed, thanking the darkness a little. Hopefully Lloyd won't freak out too much to see me up and alive in the flesh. If he does, then ... well, Raine's right outside – I'm sure she can waltz in and assure him it's a side-effect to see hallucinations while I hide under the bed.

Charlie, focus.

I finally get to the side of the bed, and notice that Lloyd hasn't realised I'm standing here yet. Wow, he really _is_ high. I thought Raine was joking around a little. Not that this is the time and place for jokes, but ... still.

When I first open my mouth to speak, I realise I can't. I swallow thickly once more, wondering if it's worth actually looking at him for this. It makes it harder. '... Lloyd?'

He doesn't respond right away. His finger twitches, but that's pretty much a reaction to any sound. After a second or two of waiting, he blinks slowly, eyes still glazed over. He doesn't look directly at me, but I notice his eyes slowly glance to one side. If everything is blurry to him right now, this is going to be harder.

I try again. 'Lloyd.'

Okay, I think that got him. His eyes land on me finally, and he flinches a little when his mind forces him to start focusing. He's really not up for this right now, but it's better now than when he can gingerly attempt to protect my pathetic little feelings.

'Hey ... hey, man,' I try awkwardly, shuffling a little close to the side of the bed. It might make it easier for him to make me out, but I'm still not sure if I want that right now. 'You awake ...?'

And here it comes. '... Ch-'

He stops himself wearily, eyes closing again as his head slowly thumps to the side. His brow knits together in dizzy pain, and he opens his eyes to look toward me again. I wouldn't say it helped, because he looks as drugged as ever. 'Char ...'

'Yeah ...' I finish for him. 'Yeah, it's me.'

He stares at me through heavily lidded eyes, probably wondering what to make of the situation. Flip out and start screaming? Call for the Professor? Try killing me in case I'm a zombie? Well, Sheena did. But he doesn't do any of those things – he just stares at me tiredly.

'Is that ...' he mumbles groggily, blinking again. 'Are you ... real?'

Okay, we're ignoring that. I'm not going on the giant explanation rant while he's high as a kite, because most of it will bounce off his brain and all he'll do is stare stupidly some more and eventually answer with "what?". So ... we're gonna leave it for a few seconds, and he'll probably forget he even asked the question. Hopefully he won't forget I'm actually standing here.

I wonder quickly how I'm supposed to do this. Should I just come straight out and ask him if he wants me here? Should I tell him that Genis doesn't? That Colette probably wouldn't mind? That Raine and Sheena most likely don't give a rat's ass about what I do? Whatever his answer is, it's going to wind up being two against one, and I know I'm probably making a giant deal out of this, but I really need to know.

'Lloyd,' I start quietly, and I only decide to continue when I know he's with me right now. 'Lloyd, if ... if I come back, would you mind?'

I take it I was way too quick with asking that, but it's not as if I could have sat and made small talk for five minutes. Lloyd just blinks again (honestly, he can't do much else while being practically hammered off mana), probably letting the words run through his head until they start making sense. I just wait, shuffling on the stop nervously like I was doing with Raine. I really want an immediate answer, but Lloyd is very ... yeah.

He still isn't replying, and he just closes his eyes again and flinches as though a sudden headache had come on, turning his head away from me. I decide to wait instead of demanding his attention again. Maybe he's thinking about it? I really don't know.

Come on, Lloyd. Please.

'Stop ...'

I hold my breath. Okay, one word. 'Huh?'

'Just stop ...' he murmurs softly, hand clenching weakly into the bedding. 'No more ghosts ...'

Ghosts? He's been seeing ghosts? Of course, there was Anna at the Tower of Salvation, and if he's been out of it since he was rescued from the tower, then he could have been having some terrible nightmares. If he's been having these high doses clogging up his system before this, then of course he's going to be seeing weird crap.

'Lloyd, I'm ...' I interrupt hastily, deciding against taking a step close. 'I'm not a-'

'I'm tired ...' he just breathes, and I clamp my mouth shut. 'Can't ... don't want to be ... haunted anymore ...'

I falter. 'Lloyd, who's ghosts have you seen?'

He pauses, taking in my answer. His lips tighten a little, and his hand clenches harder.

'Iselia ... everyone ... Marble ... my fault – Charlotte ... it was my fault ...'

His body seems to deflate, and he slumps back into the mattress as he breathes out softly. 'Gotta save Colette ... no more mistakes ... don't want to be haunted by ... mistakes ...'

... Oh, fuck.

'Lloyd, do ... do you want me back?'

Some part of my mind shatters noisily when he manages to wearily shake his head.

------------

'_Is everything okay? Why didn't you stay with Raine?'_

'_I've just talked to her outside Lloyd's room. Apparently it really is Charlotte.'_

'_What? It can't be! How!?'_

'_She said she'd explain later, but right now she's letting her talk to Lloyd.'_

'_But ... Lloyd needs to rest, why is she-'_

'_Raine said that she's asking him if she can come back. If he says no, the Renegades are going to take custardy of her for breaking in. If he says yes, then-'_

'_She's coming back!? Wha – but she-'_

'_Do you really hate her that much?'_

'_Of course I do! She's selfish, she's vulgar, she just uses people! She's always been such a terrible person ...!'_

'_I can't really say much ... I started off trying to kill you guys, right?'_

'_Yeah, but ... you joined us, and you turned out to be nice and trustworthy. But she ... she's only coming back so she doesn't have to be alone! Lloyd told me, she was only with us so she could find that sword and do what she wanted with it! She ignored everything he told her and she ended up getting killed, and she comes back after that ...!? How can she even look Lloyd in the face after everything she's done!?'_

'_Do you think she doesn't realise that?'_

'_Wh ... what?'_

'_I've only talked to her a few times ... but I've heard Lloyd talk about her to Raine, and she really thinks badly of herself. She told him that she hates herself more than she could ever hate anything in the two worlds. She hates who she is, what she's done ... she hates herself for not being able to be the kind of friends you and Colette are.'_

'_...'_

'_I don't know why she's coming back, but I don't think she'd carry on how she was before the Tower of Salvation.'_

'_... Sheena, why are you giving her another chance?'_

'_Because you guys were nice enough to give me another chance. You even let me join your group after everything I'd done ... so it would be selfish of me not to give anyone else another chance. I'd tried to kill you all a bunch of times, but you still let me help you and join you, and even knowing I'm from Tethe'alla. If that isn't tolerance, then I don't know what is.'_

'_I can't tolerate her ... she's hurt Lloyd so much – I just can't ...'_

_-------------------------_

The door whizzes shut behind me. Raine waits for my answer, and I just shake my head. I don't really know what to say. I think she knew exactly what he'd be saying; I can see it in her face. Maybe she thinks I just needed to hear it for myself. It's not as if I listened to her when she told me to stay away before.

She looks like she's about to apologize for something. I don't know what it is, because she really has nothing to apologize _for_. The Renegade is quickly losing patience, and he just coughs a little loudly to break the uncomfortable silence between Raine and me. She shoots him an angry glance, turning back to me after a moment.

'Charlotte-'

'Look, it's fine,' I say quickly, holding up a hand. 'I kinda had an idea that this kinda thing would happen.'

Raine gives me a searching look, and the Renegade taps his foot impatiently. 'Then why did you-'

'I had to know for myself,' I sigh. 'I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I'm really stubborn.'

She just nods, and the Renegade takes a step forward, holding his hand out. 'Your weapons.'

I pull both pistols out of my holsters, handing them to him. He doesn't question why I apparently have Desian technology on me. Raine looks to the door of Lloyd's room and folds her arms.

'Do you want me to tell him you're alive?'

I pause as the Renegade taps a small earpiece, mumbling something into it. '... No.'

I catch the word "cell", and Raine just frowns. I don't think she's okay with the idea of having me carted to a cell and then probably risk execution, and I have a feeling that anything she tells Yuan to make him go easy on me won't go down well. I'm sure Yuan hates Raine and everyone else, and if they're going to break out of here and go to Tethe'alla ... well yeah, he's hardly going to think "I'm going to listen to that grey-haired whore and give that kid that stabbed me ages ago a chance". Because y'know ... Yuan is a dick.

'I can't ... do this right now,' I tell her, letting my arms drop to my side. 'I'm just feeling really angry at everyone. I just need to go to my brand new cell and chill out a little.'

'... Charlotte, Lloyd is-'

'Look,' I snap. Whoa, I'm snapping. 'Lloyd told me he doesn't want to be haunted by his mistakes. He said he needs to focus on saving Colette. I'm not-'

I stop myself, swallowing. 'I ... I just can't stay here.'

I don't wait for her reply – I just turn and start down the hallway away from her. I hear hurried footsteps behind me, and a gloved hand wraps around my upper arm. The Renegade yanks me to his side as he begins leading my down the hallway, and I don't look back. After a moment, the electrical whirr of the door opening again sounds throughout the hallway as Raine enters Lloyd's room.

... Okay, it's over. Time to start the second half of my journey I think.

I hate starting things by breaking out.

Eventually the grip on my arm loosens, and I just follow quietly behind the Renegade still mumbling disdainfully about how everyone else is on their break right now and how he's been working for fourteen hours straight. I do a good job of ignoring him and immediately try planning something. Right, Lloyd escaped here before by himself ... well, out of the cells at least. I can't do what he did in the game, because to be honest that's a really retarded method of breaking out of prison. Even if it would work, I don't have a sorcerer's ring on me.

Vents. Okay, vents got me in, and vents can get me out. While I was crawling up there, I realised there's a vent opening in every three rooms in a wing. Because the prison wing has to be pretty much one giant room, there should be one in there. If I can stun the Renegades or at least distract them, I might be able to get up there. I don't think it will be easy getting my guns back, and to be honest I don't really want to kill to get out. I know I might have to, but ... so much for starting a new life with a clean, sinless plate. Woo.

I try to discreetly follow the vent route above as we walk. If I can navigate back to this general area, I could escape in a jiffy. Then there's the whole "trekking back to Triet" thing. I can handle that unless another sand worm decides to come and say hello, and I _reaaaally_ doubt that bastard seraph will come and save me again. He might just come to watch me get eaten, but he won't save me.

I decide just to listen in on the Renegade's conversation through his earpiece while I get so grandly escorted to my cell. I can figure out what to do when I get there, because then I can _see_ the layout of the room.

'... Missed my break, and my shift starts again in five minutes,' he grumbles, finger pressed onto a small switch on the device. 'Tell Matthew to take over my shift for me. Well, tell Matthew he can get married in Asgard another day – his woman isn't going anywhere. Fine, tell Matthew he can kiss my ass.'

Oooh, the urge to hit is overwhelming.

I go back to looking up at the vent route. After listening in on a bit more conversation, apparently the line back goes right over Botta's office. That's gonna suck if I crawl over a grate and he looks up. I'll try and bond with him over the fact that we both have British accents. You never know, it might work. Jolly good show and all that. Whatnot.

God I love being middleclass. It's chavtastic.

'Heeey, Rob, do you remember that time I covered your shift when you were sick? Yeah, I need you to pay me back now. What? No, you didn't do it already. No, man, you didn't. I would remember asking you to cover for me if I had a hangover, man.'

I just fold my arms, trying not to think about the others. It really is painful to know how much Genis hates me, and I suppose not coming first has finally taken the biggest toll and forced me from the group in favour of saving Colette. I'll let them get on with that ... right now I just need to escape from here, go to Triet ... and then if Martel feels like being cool for once, maybe Nova will magically appear at some point in the future and I can go to Palmacosta. I want to ask Neil if the academy has a library or something, and if it does, then ... well, I'm going to see if there's another way I can get home. I might have to use the Eternal Sword again, and I think I can get into the Tower of Salvation on my own now that Colette has opened the doorway.

I look around and notice we're probably about two wings away from the other's rooms. Dammit, I'm going to have to crawl fast in those vents.

'Steve! Steve, my man, look ... I really need to sleep for just a couple of hours, and my shift until tomorrow morning starts in a couple of minutes so – what? I don't care if this is a bad time, I need someone to cover for me! Procreate another day; I need my sleep!'

There is always the crazy chance that the Renegades would be willing to help me. I used the Eternal Sword for about ... ten seconds, and I'm sure Yuan is aware of the whole method I applied. I'm not really any use to them, but I have _some_ knowledge of the Eternal Sword itself. Yuan probably knows a lot more than me, but I can try. I'd have to explain _why_ I know, and I don't think my usual "I read it in a book" excuse will help.

'Dorothy, look, sweetie – I need someone to cover my shift. Really, you'd be doing me a giant favo – why the hell do you get an hour break? Look, it's only until tomorrow morning. What's that clanging in the background? Are you using my sugar to make lemonade again? If you're using my sugar, I'll kill y – dammit, I can't drink my coffee without that sugar! What – no, I'm not going to _sing_ for my sugar, you wench!'

... Wow, I really want to shove this guy's helmet down his throat.

I look up to the ceiling again, but the Renegade leading me down the seemingly endless hallways recoils in shock as a loud buzzing sound comes through his earpiece. He utters a colourful swear, throwing a quick check-up glance to me before fiddling with his device.

'This is Edward, what's the problem?'

I attempt listening in, but most of it is just noise. Botta's lackey frowns (his visor is covering his face, so I have no idea if he's pissed off or not), other hand hovering close to the earpiece. 'A breach? Where? But that place is guarded with about ten – they're all on break? Of for the love of-'

He cuts himself off from whoever, jamming a finger down on his earpiece three times. A short ring echoes out of it, followed by a voice. 'There's a breach in Wing-C; someone's broken in. Is it Kratos?'

Kratos? What the hell is he-

'Breaking _out!?' _he repeats from the person on the other line. 'Three of them are incapacitated! How the hell could you let those two women take down our guards!? What do you mean it's n – oh _dammit!_ I must have been the half-elf woman – she knows healing techniques. She's been doing it behind our backs for a while. _Dammit_.'

My mind is reeling. They're breaking out _now_? That should give me a chance to get into a vent if the base is going crazy trying to look for them – hell, I could probably rob a Rheaird if I'm fast enough. I just have to make sure the others don't see me.

The Renegade nods, setting down my weapons on the floor (he drops them, the prick). 'Right ... I'm next to Wing-E, I'll be right there.'

He turns off the earpiece, turning to me as he pulls his knife out from the horizontal sheath on his lower back. 'Don't you dare move. I'll be right back.'

And he just runs the way we came. Well, that was stupid. Good thing I got the impatient retard.

I scoop up both my guns from the floor, shoving them back into their holsters. Time to run.

Actually, time to hide. I hear voices coming from around the corner behind, and due to lack of any logical thing to do right now, I dive behind the water cooler by the opposite wall. The footsteps accompanying the voices are pretty fast, so they might miss me completely.

'What's happening in Wing-C?'

'Wing-D now – he's through all the guards. There are only a few on patrols, so they're dropping like flies.'

'_What!?'_

I slouch further down as three Renegades dart past, knives out. The pass me completely, and as they veer off down the other hallway I quickly get to my feet again, waiting for the footsteps to quieten. When they do, I try to think about what the crap I'm going to do now and just run the way I came, missing the fork leading back to where the Renegades are heading and take the hallway straight ahead. There's got to be another vent opening somewhere that I can just get into and even just hide in for now. I need to hide before the Renegades get back and take me to the cell again.

C'mon Charlie, you can do this. Stop being so scared.

Okay, there aren't any vent openings that I can reach in the hallways – I need something to stand on and climb up. I'm going to have to go into a room or something, but I have to make sure there aren't any Renegades in there.

Is Kratos here? Are the others breaking out now? Is Kratos _helping_ them? God, I'm so confused right now. Maybe they've gone to meet Yuan and Yggdrasill showed up to kill them all because he's a bigger dick than Yuan? Seriously, who knows.

'_All active personnel to Wing-F._'

... Oh shit, I think that's where I am. After looking around and noticing a bigass slab on the wall reading very clearly "Wing-F", I decide yeah, that's where I am. What if they found me? What if they have the same cameras and stuff that Magnius and Kvar had in their ranches and they've noticed me running around?

I look ahead and notice another straight hallway, and then a fork to the left. Okay, I'm eventually going to hit a dead end if I keep going straight, but going left might take me further in and off-route. I'll have no idea where I'm going.

Even if I did, I have to skid to a stop when I start running, because a Renegade flies out of the left path and slams against the wall, slumping down to the floor.

He's about ten yards away, but I realise he's very much alive, and very much ... is it really Kratos?

I don't even try to run. Running would mean turning around, and I don't want to get stabbed from behind. I can't even move – I'm just really, really scared. I don't want to get caught and taken to the cells again.

Out of breath and panting after another short cry of pain from a Renegade some ways back, their target staggers to a stop into the clearing of this wide hallway, sword at his side as he shudders, gulping in air. After running through four wings and fighting off Renegades, I would be too.

He runs a hand down his red face, quickly straightening up with his sword in hand, ignoring the wounded Renegade infront and casts a look up the hallway.

I feel a cold run through me when he looks down the opposite side of the corridor, and directly at me.

His ragged breathing stops, and he just stares.

I honestly can't do much but stare back.

The shouts of Renegades in the distance seem to fall utterly silent, because ahead of me is the very same person who no less than ten minutes ago told me to leave, bare-foot and wearing some god-awful ugly grey bedclothes.

There's a loud clang as Lloyd's sword hits the floor. His mouths opens to speak, but not a sound comes out. I don't even try to speak for myself. Did he really just run through four wings to find _me_? The person he told to leave and never come back? Does he still think I'm a ghost ...?

He just keeps staring at me with wide eyes, the need to breathe catching up with him. I seem to have forgotten to breathe myself, and I just choke out a word to make him stop staring.

'Lloyd ...?'

That was apparently all he needed.

It takes me a moment to realise he's actually sprinting right at me, and then another moment to realise he's about to break my neck.

About four feet away from me, Lloyd just lunges for me. One arm swings around my back and the other at the back of my neck, practically crushing me against his shoulder. His legs give and he drops heavily to his knees, dragging me with him.

Once again, it takes me a while to notice that I'm sat in the middle of a Renegade base with Lloyd's arms wrapped tightly around me, and his face buried into my shoulder.

I can't really move my arms much to hug him back ... he's kind of pinned them to my sides. I don't think he'd notice much anyway.

Now ... even though we're sitting in the middle of a Renegade base with half of them chasing Lloyd, even though they could potentially kill me any second now and drag Lloyd back to his room to drug him some more, even though Yuan and Botta are ready to capture him and use him as a instrument of blackmail to get Kratos to help them save the world in their own sick and twisted way, even though Lloyd could very well hate me even now, even though Genis hates me, Raine and Sheena don't care, Colette is soulless, even though everything went wrong ...

I can't help but burst into tears at the first spark of happiness I've had in a while when Lloyd utters his first real word to me since I came back.

'Dork ...'


	73. Yuan and that British Dude

Derrr long chapter.

Hnkay this thing is mostly Char admitting that Lloyd is like the best big bro ever KratosAngst and YUAN and Rheairds. I probably could have done a lot better with Yuan but hnng.

I can't think of anything that needed answering reviews, soooooo. Yeah. Hm.

Read, enjoy, review, ect.

* * *

Chapter 73 - Yuan and that British Dude

The past hour has officially been the most awkward hour of my life. Both lives.

After the Renegades dragged Lloyd literally kicking and screaming back to his room, they've pulled me along back to Raine and the others. Genis' reaction to me being alive was quite depressing – Sheena had to hold him back while trying to water down any shock of her own before he killed me. Seriously, it's actually staggering how much he hates me. He's more animated about it than Kratos, but right now I'd have trouble deciding who hates me more. I mean, at least Kratos was nice enough to give me a hug in the Asgard ranch when I bawled all over him, but Genis ... ugh, he was ready to smash my face in.

Raine just sent me out with the Renegade (still being denied of his break) to explain just what exactly happened to the other two in her company, and when she pulled me back in, Genis seemed ... well, calmer but definitely not happier. He was shooting glares at me all the time I was there, and Sheena ... well, she did the whole "welcome back" thing as straight-faced as she could. We did some talking for about three minutes while I tried to ignore Genis' furious whispers to his sister as to why I'm back.

Theeeen it was time to go and settle things with Lloyd. Because I was sure he was still confused as to why I'm randomly alive after being knifed.

So I got taken ... not very far down the hallway by the break-deprived Renegade still grumbling away, and he practically shoved me in there and went to get someone to cover for him. I know he's a Renegade and all, but I think the poor twat deserves it.

Well, he remembered all the things he was supposed to do – lock all the doors in the wing, give the what-I-am-to-believe was a key card to the other Renegade on duty in this wing, and ... go sleep.

Cue the most awkward hour of my life.

Yes, Lloyd was in there. Yes, he is still shocked. Yes, he's been asking me every question ever since I came in.

No, I'm totally lying about the last one. He hasn't actually said a word. Honestly, not a single word. And it's been an _hour_.

I've been sitting on the side of his bed while he lies on his back, hooked up to a thankfully minimum amount of machines (I think he's just on painkillers after what happened before) while he stares at the ceiling. I really think he has a thing for that ceiling – he watches it a lot. He just looks totally out of it ... all wide-eyed and pale and _not_ looking at me. I don't know if that should be good on my behalf or not, because him crying all over me would probably set this situation off into mega-awkward and I'd implode or something. Then we have another dead Charster, and Lloyd can't do with anymore guilt. Poor guy's head is fucked enough.

I keep glancing to him every few moments, but he doesn't even blink when I do. I've mostly averted my eyes to my lap, clenching my hands tightly and resting them on my knees. They're shaking so hard. Hell, I'm shaking so much all over – I've actually jerked pretty violently about three times, but Lloyd still doesn't take notice. Or he does, he just ... doesn't seem to be able to react right now.

... Okay I really have to say something or ... or poke him, or something ... something ...

I consider just giving the back of his hand a quick jab, but I quickly realise he's shaking as much as I am. He's so white ...

I don't ... know if my death could have screwed him over so fast, but I suppose it was my death rolled in with Kratos' betrayal, Colette's soullessness, Cruxis being revealed as a giant fake religion and now evil organisation, being kidnapped by Renedesiangades who may or may not kill us all eventually. He's seen his dead mother, had Kratos _watch_ him get beaten within literally millimetres of his life while doing nothing to help him after everything, he's failed everyone he made promises too, he put Genis through so much with being beaten practically to death ...

And apparently he just dragged himself off his almost-complete meds, ploughed through god knows how many wings and Renegades unfortunately on duty to confirm to himself if I was actually really a ghost or not.

Yeah, poor Lloyd.

Still, sitting here in utter silence is extremely uncomfortable. If Raine or Sheena barge in then he's going to be forced to make some conversation, which ... I really don't think he's up for right now? Not that I'm any different. I've had that dream from last night running through my head over and over. Yeah, I mean ... he hugged me and called me a dork and all, but who's to say he isn't angry that I'm alive and Anna isn't? That he really thinks all those things? That I'm just a pathetic little wannabe-princess? I guess dressing up as a pillow-case-princess when I was a kid really wasn't good for me after all.

Still. Born to make people happy. Come on Charlie, you can do this.

I take a final look at Lloyd's gaunt face, his wide-eyes, his dark bags and wonder if I actually have any idea what to say.

I don't, to be honest.

... Okay, I temporarily sent his brain into some weird kind of ... blue-screen-of-death mode, so I have to get him out of it. Even if I come out with utter garbage. Which could essentially make it worse, but Jesus Chri-

'Thanks.'

It takes a few moments for my brain to follow the word that practically fell out of my mouth. I take a quick look, but he's still unmoving and making no indication that he heard a thing. Well, whatever – let's go with it.

'Um ...' I try to begin again, unclenching my hands from eachother to grip my knees. 'Thanks ... for everything, really. For staying behind and trying to rescue me, even after Yggdrasill kille-'

I stop myself. '... Yeah. After everything happened.'

He still doesn't move or blink at all.

'If you hadn't stayed behind to ... do all of that, and if you hadn't said all those things to me after I died-' I consider stopping myself again but carry on despite slipping the d-word '- then ... I don't know what I would have done.'

I clasp my hands again. 'I don't think I would have had the strength to come back at all. I would have just stayed there ... wherever it was. It was dark and horrible, but I just would have stayed there ... I don't think I could have faced everyone else after what I did.'

I ignore that he's probably not taking a word of this in and decide to rant away. If he asks about what I said later, then screw him.

'Raine's already slapped me for getting myself killed ... Genis has almost tried to kill me again just for coming back. He doesn't want me near you, because _apparently_ I'm the reason everything went wrong.'

I flinch a little when I realise I'm slagging down his best friend. '... But in a way, I might have been. Because I was too stupid to ever listen to you, I went and tried to get everything I've ever wanted at once, even if it meant just running away from you all before your eyes after everything we'd done together.'

I drop my hands, thumping back down against the wall behind. 'And I died because of that. And even after I ignored everything you'd ever said for my benefit, all the times I've cried and you've come to pat me on the back or tell me to straighten up and fly right, you still wanted to save what was left of me. I was the most selfish bitch I could have ever been, and you still ...'

I shake my head. 'I'll never understand the things you do. I'll never understand how you can just throw yourself into the fray like that without fear. But even so, whenever you do it always seems to take away my own fear. The way everyone watches you when you fight for what you believe in – they feel like they can take on the world with you. I don't know if you ever realised that, but ... they do.'

I laugh dryly. 'I don't think I even fully understand what compelled me to come back. All I know is that I heard your voice ... I saw our whole journey flash before my eyes, all the times I'd been a selfish little shit ... and I wondered how the hell you guys could put up with me that long. You had no reason to ... you just _did. _Or maybe you thought there really was something better underneath.'

I give my voice a rest, relaxing back against the wall. The door is still locked, so if Lloyd flips out and tries to kill me that I pretty much just have to let him. He hasn't said anything still, and I'm just wondering if he's about to snap. That dream was so real ... there's honestly no reason why it couldn't happen. It logically _should_.

'There's nothing better underneath, I'm sure,' I admit miserably. 'Even if there is, it's pretty damn far down. But that doesn't mean I can't try again. That's why I'm back, I suppose.'

I manage to settle my gaze on his hand. Can't really look him in the face right now while I speak ...

'I'm here to try again. I'm here to actually make some kind of _effort_, and I just hope the people I've grown to care about begin to notice. Even if it's just little by little, I want to try my hardest to be ... me. But a better me. I don't wanna change ... I just want to be stronger and more confident. I want to be able to do these dangerous things without being so afraid all the time. Then maybe one day I can really get what I wanted all along.'

I shake my head again. 'It will take a long time ... but if I can even achieve the slightest bit of selflessness you have, I think I'd be set for my entire life without feeling selfish anymore. I don't think I'll ever be completely selfless ... I think I'll always come first to me ... but if it was someone I really, really cared about, then just putting myself in danger for them might let me show myself ... y'know?'

Regardless of whether he "y'knows" or not, he still doesn't move a muscle. He continues to lie stiff on his back, eyes still wide and staring to the ceiling.

I wind my fingers together tightly. 'But regardless of all of that, I think I came back for you too. I know you definitely would have preferred your mother coming back, or Kratos not betraying you after all and coming back, or Colette getting her soul ba – whatever, all of that. But I was told that I could ... and when I was faced with that choice, all I could think about was how I'd never be able to face you again. After everything I did ...'

I finally stop caring about the awkwardness and just turn on to face him. 'I hate myself for what I did, and I'm sure you do too, even if you won't show it right now. But I really want to be able to change for myself ... and I think it's natural to want to show the people you care about that you can change too.'

I bite my tongue for a good few moments, feeling that sickly feeling arise once more in my throat.

'I don't know if Raine told you anything ...' I mumble, doing my best to look him in the face. 'But ... I really do love you. You're like the older brother I never had.'

His hand twitches.

'If you want me to go, that's fine. I can understand if you'd be pissed off having me around to cause more trouble. I think I practically envisioned your perfect response, but whatever ... it's not my decision to come back and stay with you all – Genis doesn't want me here, Raine and Sheena don't care, Colette can't really have her input right now ... but if you think it'd just make you angry with me staying here, then ... just say the word and I'll go. I don't want to sit and hurt myself over this for nothing.'

I swear I almost jump out of my skin when his eyes just snap to my face. He looks a little more "with it", but even so ... his mindset has shot-circuited for sure.

I shift over a little when he slowly forces his upper-body weight onto his elbows, hoisting himself up carefully through the drowsiness that must be wearing down on him like one hell of a hangover. At least he's up and moving, now _say something_, please.

Before I can say a word or comment on how he probably shouldn't be moving so quickly, I feel a tired arm swing around my shoulders and the other goes somewhere around my back.

I get an immediate facefull of Lloyd-shoulder, and I quickly turn my head a little so he doesn't break my nose. He's a very powerful hugger when he's ... whatever he is right now – broken headed hero; that'll fit. Either way, Lloyd still smells like grass, and for some reason it's really helping right now. Grass is better than this desert, that's for sure ...

I'm in the same situation as last time, and I kinda can't move my arms to indicate I'm also in a huggy mood. I'll just ... let him have his moment.

'I know you could never care about me the way you care about Genis and Colette ...' I say quietly. 'They're too special ... but your mum said "always protect the people you love, even if they don't love you in return" ... so I think I'll try that for once. It sounds pretty nice ...'

His fingers clench tighter into my shoulder.

'I love you, Lloyd ... though never as strongly as Genis, Colette and Raine do, but ... I'm not going to do anything stupid anymore, because I don't want the others to go through what they did when you got hurt. And I don't want you to feel anymore guilt for anything. You do so much for your friends, and you don't deserve that ...'

'Dork ...'

I grin a little, shutting up.

'Stupid ... you stupid, stupid dork ...'

I feel him slump a little against me and vaguely hope his meds kick in soon. He clutches my shoulder hard is if I were suddenly about to die again, and I'm having a little trouble breathing. I don't know if he's happy that I'm back or if he's planning to crush me to death, but either seems to be happening right now.

'... I'm sorry,' I mumble lamely. 'For everything. For being such a stupid-'

'You still don't get it ...' interrupts Lloyd is a hoarse, emotionally worn voice. '... You're my friend, you idiot ... I love _all_ my friends ...'

He pulls back a little, and I can breathe again. His eyes are red and tired. 'I love Genis and Colette ... I love the Professor – I love ... loved Kratos ... I love all the friends I've had back at Iselia ... all of them, so much ...'

Ohhh no. Lloyd, don't – don't do it, don't say it - not here, not now-

'I love you, too.'

Cue the tears. Cue all the goddamn tears in the world.

----------------------

'_Raine, is something wrong? You've been acting weird.'_

'_Certainly having someone return from the dead after watching them gruesomely murdered before your eyes should stir some discomfort.'_

'_Yeah ... Genis seems pretty off about it all too.'_

'_Yes ... but I don't believe it has much to do with that.'_

'_Oh? Then what's wrong?'_

'_Cruxis ... I have no idea how your people handle religious affairs in Tethe'alla, but in Sylvarant, Cruxis has guided the world for as long as people can remember. People have adapted their teachings for millennia upon millennia, and I as well as every other person of this world have used their teaching in my everyday life, prayed for their help and blessing to watch over my brother, and now ...'_

'_I kinda understand. We don't worship Martel in the village I come from, but I've seen just how much of a hold Cruxis has over people's lives. You can't go to any city without something coming up every five minutes about the Chosen or the Tower of Salvation, or how the world's mana is thinning out or flourishing ...'_

'_And now Cruxis may very well be a malicious stage act. I have no belief that Cruxis' leader was planning on letting us leave alive, and now we know things that could shake the foundation of our worlds' religion.'_

'_Yeah ... but Cruxis and the Desians being one organization? People wouldn't believe that for a second, even if we did say anything.'_

'_I feel truly hopeless when I think about trying to usurp a religion that has dominated people's lives for the longest time. Right now, all we can do is rescue Colette.'_

'_What if Cruxis comes after her again? We can't exactly hide her – there are followers of Cruxis everywhere, and they're not gonna keep quiet if they see the Chosen wondering around.'_

'_That's true, and I have a feeling that the Renegades can't be trusted. They have tried to kill us countless times before, and to suddenly switch their motives seems ...'_

'_Yeah, something is definitely up. I have to get back to Tethe'alla and tell the king about everything that happened before anything. I can't just leave my people hanging ... I hate to say it, but they come before Colette.'_

'_I understand. If Genis were in any mortal danger, then I would be in his favour. Your people must be precious to you.'_

'_Yeah ... I don't want to fail them again.'_

_---------------_

'Martel brought you back? So she's alive ...?'

I nod. Then shake my head. 'It's, uh, complicated.'

Lloyd just sits against his headboard while I've taken my place cross-legged at the foot of his bed. I'm just trying to explain the whole Martel deal and why I'm back here to him, and because it's Lloyd and he's semi-high right now, it's harder than it sounds. Raine pretty much just nodded along, but I've had to relay the whole thing about three times to him.

For the past ... two or three minutes, we've been discussing Martel and her existence or lack of. I'm having a hard time explaining it to everyone who asks, so we've pretty much established that Martel exists _"in a way"_. As far as I know myself, Martel is very much dead (or "asleep" as Mithos likes to call it, because he's a selfish little shit who can't get over it), but some part of her _or_ just the dream itself of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla's people who pray for her every day seems to have formed its own shape whether or not that is Mana herself, I don't know.

But all I'm telling them is that I'm here because Martel's non-existent dream gave me her consent of life, so I'm up and running after being shanked in the back. S'all good. And we're leaving out the whole _reason_ she sent me back and replacing it with "it wasn't my time"/"she doesn't want my soul, apparently it's too icky".

Lloyd blinks, furrowing his brow a little in pain and decides to drop his stare to his knees. He's not as high as he was when we were doing our little teary-huggy-"Lloyd you're my bff"-"same kinda sorta not really"-mess, realised we'd had enough sap in the span out an hour and we got to explaining things so he doesn't start thinking this is a dream or I'm an apparently very solid ghost.

'So ... Martel already has a body?' he asks slowly as if he were checking the sentence after it came out in his mind before turning to me. 'Does that mean that Cruxis don't need Colette anymore?'

I shake my head. 'What I saw obviously wasn't real ... it was like a death-dream. It sounds like what Cruxis want is to make Martel an actual living person by having her soul or dream or whatever enters the body of the Chosen one.'

I make a face. 'That's ... what Colette and Tethe'alla's Chosen are for, I guess.'

Lloyd just nods quietly. 'Yeah ...'

He slips down onto his back, holding his hands to his head. 'I can't believe all of this happened. I can't believe I chose my friend's life over the world, even if it was for a split second.'

'Please,' I scoff. 'If someone suddenly came to me and told me to choose between the world and my mother's life in the span of thirty seconds, I'd choose my mother all the way. But when you're given time to think about it, the concept becomes more and more absurd.'

'I don't think it was that,' Lloyd mumbles, shaking his head. 'Colette and Genis ... whenever they've had to make choices, my input has always been what I think would be best for us instead of what they actually want.'

He drops his hands to his chest. 'Genis and me thought Colette wasn't ready to sacrifice herself for the world, and that we'd be able to sort something out if we had more time. The truth is, Colette must have been preparing herself for that day her whole life ... she must have been thinking about all the people she was gonna save and make happy, and she really wanted to do that. She was really ready to die for Sylvarant. Genis and I ... we were the ones who weren't ready for her to sacrifice herself. We just panicked ...'

He glances down at me, shifting up a little on the headboard again. 'With you ... was I really just kidding myself again?'

I blink. 'What?'

His eyes drop again, and he glares at his knees. 'What you wanted ... everything you did to get that sword – every second you were just piling more and more pain onto yourself ... it just hurt to watch you take everything that Yggdrasill guy was throwing at you, and then to watch you still try your hardest to touch that thing ... whatever it was, you must have really wanted it.'

'Yeah ...' I mumble.

'I thought you could live without it just fine, whatever it was. You always seemed normal on the journey; you didn't seem like you really needed anything except a friend. I tried to give that to you, and when you started talking about risking your life for all of that, I thought that you were implying that we weren't good enough for you.'

I shake my head. 'That's not it. I care about you all, but that thing ... what I did, I've needed it long before I realised that all I needed was friends to help me through this. It's selfish to admit, but in the beginning, all I saw this as was you guys escorting me to get what I wanted ... but I don't know – you're all so nice and caring to eachother. I think I was jealous because I wasn't a part of that, and I tried to lock in with you all. In the end, all I felt like I was doing was being an annoying intrusion that everyone was trying to shove out ...'

I grit my teeth a little. 'I just thought that if I left, you'd be happier. All of you. You could just get on with your lives; I'd have what I wanted and you wouldn't have to deal with my pathetic attempts at getting everyone's attention. Everything would have been fine.'

Lloyd's head thuds back down to his pillow. 'Don't be stupid ...'

'... I had a dream about you before I came back, y'know.'

He looks up again. 'Yeah?'

I nod. 'You ... I dreamt that I came back, and you absolutely hated me. You wanted me to leave, you told me I was a pathetic little princess-wannabe who threw fits when I didn't get attention or my own way ... you told me that I shouldn't dare compare myself to Genis and Colette when I said I loved you like an older brother, because they would do so much more for you than I ever could. You told me to go to Asgard, stay there, and never follow you anymore. You hit me and shoved me away, and no matter how many times I screamed after you, you'd just keep walking away and ignoring me. You told me that you'd rather I was still dead and your mother came back instead, and that it wasn't fair that I was alive. That I was selfish. That you'd been putting up with it for months, and you were sick of it all.'

I finally look up and see Lloyd sitting straight, staring at me with absolute horror.

I just force my own smile, watching his mouth hang agape and his eyes widen to ... what honestly looks like a dangerous degree. Wow, he looks absolutely brain-smashed.

'C'mon, it was just a dream,' I say. 'I'm just glad that it wasn't the case. I was really afraid it would be.'

'How ...' he croaks, obviously trying to reclaim his voice. 'What ... why would you even-'

I shrug, and he falls quiet almost immediately. He's at absolute loss for coherent words, so he's probably hoping I'll do that talking. 'I guess I just felt weird about being alive again when all the good people we know who have died ... well, y'know.'

'I still don't ...' he fumbles, still looking rather brain-dead. 'I – do – wh – do you want me to hug you again ...?'

I hold a hand up. 'Chill, we're fine. I know I've just jazzed back from death, but we've had far too much sap today.'

I pause for a moment and snort. 'I'm starting to think hugging is everyone in this group's way of sorting out issues.'

'Well ... it kinda helps ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'Like when we were kids, the Professor would always give us hugs when we were sad ...'

'Yeah, but that's ...' I trail of, wrinkling my nose. 'She's like a mum, so that'd come naturally.'

Lloyd grins a little. 'Us three ... we were so corny when we were kids.'

'Genis and Colette?' I ask, and he nods.

'I met Genis first ... it was weird though – he didn't like touching people ... so I worked from headlocks to noogies to hugs, and it got easier.'

I stare. 'You're ... such a friend?'

'Hey, he liked those noogies!'

'I'm sure he did.'

Lloyd frowns, but continues. 'Colette ... ahah, she hugged me as soon as we met for the first time.'

'Whoa, that fast?'

He folds his arms, thumping back onto the headboard. 'Uh ... well, when we first met I was kinda ... um ... crying.'

I fall quiet. 'Oh ...'

'Yeah. It was because I got a detention after school, and it was dark and I didn't want to walk through the forest on my own back home. She was so bubbly and jumpy ... it scared the hell out of me, heh.'

I honestly can't help but snort, imagining Colette as a kid trying to cheer Lloyd up via ... jumping around and dancing.

'When we first met I thought she was older than me. She just seemed like a big sister instead of a little one ... always shoving handkerchiefs into my face whenever I cried and _coating_ me in bandages when Raine couldn't heal my cuts. Genis looked like a mummy one time ... it was creepy.'

'Lloyd, we're gonna get her back.'

He nods solemnly. 'I know ... I'm just glad I can get at least two people back ... it's more than I could ask for.'

I decide not to ask if he's talking about Kratos, because it's extremely obvious that he is. He's been avoiding that topic for an extremely long time, because Raine and the others say that he hasn't said more than a few words about him. The only thing he's said to me about him is that he love/loved him, so thanks to Mr Betrayal waltzing in and shitting all over Lloyd's feelings, he's going to be feeling a lot worse than he's letting on.

'I'm sorry,' I say awkwardly, as if I'd just swallowed a teaspoon of salt. 'About Kratos ... I know you tried to say everything you could to him before you tried to leave the Tower of Salvation, but-'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'No, don't worry about that. It's okay, really. I'm fine.'

I sigh. 'Lloyd, you're not fi-'

'Really, I'm fine!' Lloyd convinces (himself) me. 'There are more important things to worry about right now ... I can't think about Kratos.'

'Lloy-'

'He's a traitor – I can't spend my time thinking about him after what he did to you and Colette. You're back now, but we still have to get Colette's soul back and show the world just what Cruxis really is.'

'Lloyd-'

'To tell you the truth, I never really liked him anyway. He was a terrible teacher. He was such a jerk, all the time ... I never passed off those times he ridiculed you or Genis or the Professor, y'know. I hated him more because of it.'

'Lloyd ...'

'So it's okay. I'm not heartbroken or anything over this. I mean, I knew he'd leave in the end, so this is just another way of him leaving. It would always have been the same outcome, what he did just reminded me of why I hate him.'

'Lloyd, you're-'

'I only stayed behind to fight him. I just wanted to show him that I was stronger than him. That's all. That he could never really affect me or stop me from trying to save you or Colette. I could have defeated him with my own strength – I wouldn't have even considered those stupid things he tried to teach me. I never listened anyway. I was always screwing up. He'd be patient and help me, sure, but he was just trying to make me softer so it would hurt more in the end. That's all he was doing. He was never nice, just patronizing, nothing he ever said meant anythi-'

'Lloyd, you're crying.'

He stops and finally realises the tears streaming down his face.

The last thing I hear before a soft chime over the entire wing indicating that the doors are now unlocked, as well as a small click from the entrance to the room, is a soft and shuddered sob as Lloyd buries his face into his hands.

'_O-oh gods ...'_

-------------

'_Genis, are you still upset?'_

'_Yeah ... I'm just so frustrated at what everyone has to go through now. Especially Lloyd. Kratos and Charlotte – they both really hurt him ... and now everything is going wrong.'_

'_That's true, but Lloyd is trying to sort everything out for himself. We have to help him.'_

'_I was never close to Kratos or Charlotte ... so when he betrayed us and Charlotte died, I don't think I could have understood what he was feeling. I could only think about Colette. When he was crying over her corpse, I just couldn't stop thinking "why is he doing that? What's she done to make him care so much?" ...'_

'_I believe his feelings about Charlotte's death rooted from his own feeling of failing someone he promised to protect, as well as her constant needs.'_

'_But she doesn't need him ...! She's just-'_

'_Though I doubt this will change your opinion, I firmly believe that she is truly lost.'_

'_Oh come on ...'_

'_Genis. I have not seen a single person outside of our group give her a second glance, and I have not seen any of her possible family while we've travelled the world. I myself have seen old friends in Palmacosta and Luin, Lloyd has seen the people who Dirk has worked for and recognised them, Colette has seen the priests that used to be stationed at the Martel Chapel, but ...'_

'_Sis, that's stupid ... no one is completely alone. She has to have at least one person ...'_

'_Yes. Lloyd.'_

'_That's not what I meant!'_

'_It's true that she does not flaunt her loneliness for pity or act like she has no one, but if the journey had ended like it was always supposed to and we all went our separate ways, then she would have remained in Hima by herself with no idea what to do. She has no one to ask for guidance, and I believe she thinks she had already overstayed her welcome with us. She wouldn't have followed us anymore.'_

'_Am I the only one who isn't brainwashed by pity!? Raine, she-!'_

'_I do not pity Charlotte. I am angry at her for her foolish mistakes, but I can also understand why she chose to take such risks. They may have been selfish, but she has come back to apologize to us all for what she has done.'_

'_I don't understand ... if she really needs Lloyd, then why did she do that!? Why did she let herself do such a stupid thing and get killed!?'_

'_She has reasons outside of this group. She has her own life, Genis – if she decides to enjoy Lloyd's company because he's the only person in the group willing to listen to her and comfort her, then she cannot dedicate her life to worshiping him and taking his wellbeing into everything she does. They aren't childhood friends like you two.'_

'_But that doesn't mean ...'_

'_It's hard for you to feel nothing but love and adoration for Lloyd. I know this frustrates you, but not everyone willing to call themselves Lloyd's friend can feel as strongly. Yes, she does love him as a friend, but she had accepted that her feelings will never be as strong as any of ours. Regardless of whether or not he loves her also, they both know that Lloyd will always think more of us over her, and he will always put us first.'_

'_Raine ...'_

'_Charlotte may have hurt him, and he may care about her, but she has come back to fix things and apologize for her mistakes. However, he cared about Kratos much, much more. I don't see him fixing things or apologizing, yet you don't seem to be angry with him at all.'_

'_... I can't even stand to hear that guy's name anymore ...'_

'_Lloyd ... truly did adore that man. To have your love thrown back at you like that ... a love almost as strong as what he bears for us – I don't want to imagine how he feels. His feelings for Charlotte are minimal and only scratch the surface of the word "love", but with Kratos-'_

'_I hate him ... so much, Raine.'_

-------------

'... When did I let myself get so vulnerable?'

I just shake my head and Lloyd slowly buttons each clasp of his jacket. Eventually he can't focus, and Raine has to help him. He just nods tentatively and turns a slight shade of red as she fastens up his clothing. Genis would probably make fun of him, but he's currently devoting all his time to glare at me. It's all good, man. Sheena's just standing awkwardly between Genis and Raine, probably trying to ignore the _RAGE_ radiating from our short friend. Seriously, I can almost taste it. It's salty.

Colette is standing motionlessly in the corner, and everyone is just trying not to look at her. She really does look worse than the game portrays, though the game has limited graphics I suppose. She looks terrible.

'You didn't,' Raine tells him firmly. 'You just didn't know he had such malicious intentions. None of us did. I hate myself for not realizing sooner, but what's done is done. However much this may hurt, we have to press on and do what we can.'

Lloyd flinches, and Raine fastens the final button on his collar. 'I'm not upset about it. Just angry.'

She pauses, hands hovering near the neck of his shirt. She drops them to her sides. 'Yes. Of course.'

Lloyd slips off the bed, and Raine holds his upper arm to steady him in case he topples over. He should be pretty stable, but you never know. 'I'm just angry that I let him hurt everyone, y'know? I was the closest to him – I should have been able to see it earlier.'

He falters, realising his mistake. 'At least ... the closest to who I thought he was. Dammit ...!'

'Just forget about him ...' Genis practically demands. 'Right now all we need to do is save Colette ... if we waste time thinking about jerks like him-'

'I know ...' Lloyd mumbles, and Raine pulls him a little closer for a totally-accidental sneak-hug. 'But still ... after everything he did-'

'He's our enemy!' Sheena snaps in frustration. 'He was deceiving us all along ...!'

I just nod, deciding to actually say something. 'Sheena's right. It's not really a case of you trusting him, it's that he revealed himself as a douchebag after stringing you along.'

'An angel.'

'Same thing,' I huff. 'My point is, we all pretty much trusted him. He just kinda ... went a little overboard with you? I don't know.'

Lloyd frowns. 'He did it all so he could just toy with me at the Tower of Salvation ... he was going easy on me the whole time – he didn't even break a sweat ...'

'He helps lead Cruxis,' I mumble bitterly. 'He's going to be pretty powerful.'

Everyone just quietens, and the awkwardness starts setting in again. Genis has gone back to sending me little glares every few moments while I do my best to ignore the hell out of him (which is only making him angrier). I'm glad Lloyd is talking about Kratos and letting out small bits of his anger right now, but most of the sadness that he's probably feeling at the moment is being held in for now. Maybe when everything has settled down and we have a clear idea of what we're going to do, _then_ he might be okay to cry his little heart out. For now, he knows he has to put other things first like, oh I don't know, saving the world from Cruxis and such.

Raine eventually lets Lloyd stand on his own. The painkillers made him drowsy, but he's okay now – probably just a little light-headed. I'm surprised I'm not – I haven't eaten since I came back to life. Seriously, what the hell? I mean, I drank some dodgy water back at Triet but I really don't feel hungry. I think it's because since last night all I've been doing is feeling sick to my stomach about everything else. I have to make sure to eat at least something sometime today though, or I'm just going to be holding everyone back if I faint or something.

'So what do we do now?' Sheena asks, deciding the silence has gone on long enough. 'We're going to go and meet the leader of the Renegades, but that doesn't exactly mean he's gonna help us. They're the ones who told us over at Tethe'alla to kill the Chosen of Sylvarant.'

Raine nods. 'Yes ... then their motives won't have completely changed. They might still try to harm Colette or Lloyd.'

'I dunno about Lloyd,' Sheena offers with a small grimace. 'They spent all this time healing him to kill him? Somehow, I don't think so.'

Lloyd just rubs the back of his neck gingerly. 'Y-yeah. I don't get it either. But they haven't touched Colette yet even though she's been kept by herself, right? So they might not want to harm us after all.'

'That's not exactly right,' Genis starts, glancing back to his soulless friend behind him. 'It's not that they don't want to hurt her – it's just that they can't get near her.'

Lloyd blinks. 'What?'

'The Cruxis Crystal reaching completion seems not only to have sealed away her humanity, but it's turned her into a machine,' Sheena explains, trying not to look at the girl we're talking about. She's seriously starting to creep everyone out. 'She'll hurt anyone who gets near her if they feel like a threat.'

'Oh ... geez,' Lloyd says, glancing over to her. 'We have to get her back to normal fast. Do you really think the Renegades will help?'

Genis groans, pushing himself away from the wall. 'I don't think so. Something seems fishy. What if they keep us here until they find out how to kill her?'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'If that's the case, then we have to get out and take her to Dad.'

'Are you sure you want to do that?' Raine asks, placing a hand on his arm. 'Lloyd, think about it. There's already the threat of the Desians concerning Dirk. If the Renegades were to follow us, wouldn't that also put your father in danger?'

Lloyd falters. 'O-oh. Yeah, you're right ...'

Either way, if we were to take Colette and Dirk anyway, both of us would be at threat from the Desians, Cruxis and the Renegades. There are Desians living near Dirk, and they could easily send info to Cruxis about our location and ... well, Dirk's relationship with Lloyd. The Renegades could get hold of that information too if they follow us, placing Dirk in danger of being taken away to the ranch and/or kidnapped for blackmail. Or killed by Yggdrasill for shits and giggles.

I think Dirk is winning on this one. He has to stay home, and we're constantly moving around (or at least we will be). It's best to keep Dirk safe right now.

'We ...' Lloyd mumbles, coughing quickly to clear the strain in his voice. 'We can't go to Dad. He's already in danger ... I don't want to lose anyone else.'

The super-glare shot at me from Genis manages to get ignored once more, and I hear him 'tch' rather loudly. 'But what about Colette? We can't just leave her like this!'

Raine sighs. 'Yes ... we'll have to think of another way. Colette may be our main priority, but she wouldn't want us to endanger anyone else for her benefit. If something happened to Dirk, she would never forgive herself.'

Genis looks a little sour that we're just chucking the idea to save Colette the easy way (if you don't count the whole breaking-out thing), but you can see he pretty much understands when it comes to Lloyd. He's lost Kratos and Colette, _kind of_ me, and ... well, Dirk being killed would just tear his mind in two and we'd have vegetable-Lloyd. Or suicide-Lloyd.

'I ... I have contacts back in Tethe'alla that might know some things about Cruxis Crystals,' Sheena offers after a moment, receiving hopeful looks from everyone in the room. 'But I have no idea how I could get back here with the information. It's the Renegades that got me here, so without their technology I wouldn't be able to get back either ways.'

'What do you mean?' Lloyd asks.

Sheena grimaces a little. 'The Renegades told the King and the Pope about killing Sylvarant's Chosen. They're the ones that convinced them into doing it, as well as bring over Exspheres. I was a candidate for the job, so they attached an Exsphere to me at our Imperial Research Academy. They're studying our Chosen's Cruxis Crystal there too, so the information shouldn't be hard to get, but ...'

Lloyd's face falls. 'So if we really can't trust them, you can't go back to your own world?'

'Pretty much,' Sheena grumbles. 'But I think I'll manage.'

He pauses and lets his shoulders sag. 'No ... come on Sheena, we can't drag you into this too! Even if I have to wrestle their technology off them, I'll make sure you get back.'

Sheena laughs. 'That sounds a little dangerous. But it's fine – I could probably sneak around and find a Rheaird.'

'Rhe ... aird?'

'They're like flying vessels that pass between distortions in space,' Sheena explains, getting wary of the fact that Raine now looks dangerously interested. Even in situations like these, she's a monster about technology and ruins. 'That's how they can travel between both worlds. If I could get one, I could get home myself. I don't know if I'd be able to get back with the information though – they might find me after a while.'

'Then we'll come with you.'

We all snap our heads in Raine's direction, and Genis slips from the wall in shock.

-------------------------------

'_Sis, are you sure about this? Going to Tethe'alla?'_

'_Like I said – if we can't find help on this side, then we'll have to travel to the other side too. You want to save Colette too, don't you?'_

'_Of course I do! But going to Tethe'alla ... knowing you, you probably just want to see all the ruins there – ow!'_

'_I'll admit that I'm curious about their culture compared to Sylvarant, but from what I've heard from Sheena, Tethe'alla has much more advanced technology than Sylvarant. It doesn't sound like it's on par with the Desian's or the Renegade's, but if it's better than what we have then they might have better answers for us.'_

'_That's true, but ... what if we can't come back? What if Lloyd can't come back and see Dirk ever again?'_

'_We have yet to see if the Renegades are trustworthy. If they are, there shouldn't be a problem, though if they aren't and we can escape to Tethe'alla, then there is a chance that we'll still have these ... "Rheairds" in our possession. Returning to Sylvarant could be easy.'_

'_I'm still not too sure ... won't Dirk worry? He doesn't know anything about what's happening – what if we never return? If we stay in Tethe'alla our whole lives, Dirk will ...'_

'_... Genis, you must promise not to tell anyone this.'_

'_Huh?'_

'_... One of the Renegades that has been on patrol in the wing we've been residing in is ... new.'_

'_Um ... yeah?'_

'_He's very young and naive and very ... credulous.'_

'_... Raine, what did you do?'_

'_Sheena and I simply offered a few hints through flirting and had him send a letter from myself to Dirk.'_

'_R-Raine-!'_

'_Calm down Genis, it meant nothing.'_

'_W-wasn't he Lloyd's age!? Raine, that's not-!'_

'_It was for Dirk's benefit, as well as Lloyd's. We're lucky that we had someone such as him on our wing.'_

'_Huh?'_

'_Desians through employment seem a lot more willing to their job, while those born into the workplace seem more naive and confused about their true intentions as half-elves. I'll safely assume the characteristics run through similar in the Renegades.'_

'_R-Raine, that's ... so unlike you.'_

'_It was for a good cause. Now keep your voice down – we're almost there.'_

_-----------------_

Yes, this is totally not awkward _at all_. What is it with all the awkward moments today?

Well, we've all been forcibly led to what has to be the most furnished and "un-base" looking room in the whole ... base. Really, the amount of drapes and curtains hanging from the walls is just gaudy. They're not even a good colour. They're freaking dark turquoise; what's up with that?

Charlotte Harrison, House Designer to the rescue.

Honestly though ... I want to know what is up with the Renegade's decoration sense. There're tall plants to add a nice feel, but put them next to the small electrical podiums that vomit "TECHNOLOGY" and it just looks strange. There's a freakin' green diamond rug on the floor. On the _purple_ floor. With the _brown_ walls and the _dodgy_ curtains and drapes. Renegades, I swear to god.

There are even two crystal pillars on either side of a giant desk on the other side of the room to just finish off that taste of garishness that is _this room_. I don't know when I became so pissy about decoration, but I just – oh Christ, the painting behind the desk! Jesus, what the hell is that thing? A horse? A dude? A horse-dude? I don't even know anymore.

... Yeah, I think I'm trying to examine the room for all it's worth before actually acknowledging _just_ who else is in the room with us.

I finally just swallow and join everyone else in staring to the man sitting at the desk, leaning forward on his elbows with his fingers linked tightly together.

Yeah, it's Yuan. The same Yuan I _stabbed_ a while ago. Let's just hope he doesn't remember – I wasn't wearing the same thing I am now then. And apparently I look older. No one has really said anything about it yet, so I think I'm in the clear.

Charlie, I know it's scary, but focus at least just a _little_.

We all just stand in this tight little group as if the four Renegades on each side of the room were to jump out and beat us to death, but I don't think they're ready to start wanting to kill us all just yet. Give Lloyd time to be a dick to Yuan, _then_ we'll be there.

Before anyone can even start talking, there's a soft _whiirrr_ from the right side of the room. Yuan glances over as the electrical door slides open a few yards away, and none other than _Botta_ comes striding in, wearing the ... dress he's been wearing since we first saw him. No one fight with me about this – it's a freaking dress. It's a British dude wearing a dress, now let's continue.

I feel my throat deny me my sanity right now and begin to want to cough. I just swallow thickly once more as I watch Botta walk to Yuan's desk, handing him a small leaflet of papers. One hand remains under his chin, and Yuan takes them from him and places them on his desk, immediately thumbing through them while Botta nods, folding his arms behind his back and taking an obedient step back. Raine and Lloyd glance to eachother, but Raine just nods curtly and they go back to waiting quietly. Genis is fumbling with the belts on his shirt, and Sheena ... well, she's conveniently placed herself closest to the exit with Colette's unresponsive self. If we really do need to escape, she can pull her ninja-y ways out and we'll probably have a good chance.

After a solid minute of Yuan reading through the leaflet, the only sound pricking at the tense silence being the quivering of paper, he closes it and flips open the first page again. His brow furrows for a moment while reading, and he finally looks up to us. Lloyd's hands are pretty close to his swords right now, and I vaguely wonder why the hell we still have our weapons. Sure, the only visible ones belong to Lloyd, Raine and me – and to be fair, Raine's is just a giant stick. Sheena's cards are probably the biggest threat, so ... I don't know.

Botta returns to the side of the desk as Yuan drops the page he's holding, pushing forward the leaflet.

Then he looks directly at me.

'Restrain her.'

I don't even have time to say "phhhwhat" before I feel a pair of gloved hands grab both my arms from behind, dragging me away from Raine's side and forcing them behind my back.

'Charlo-!'

'Don't move,' comes Yuan's voice again as he stands, and the Renegade behind me ... well, she (yeah, it's a she) doesn't seem too strong, but I don't really want to make an effort to defy them right now. Unless my life is in immediate danger, then the bitch can settle with her broken nose that will follow. Unless she breaks mine first, which she probably will.

Lloyd glares to Yuan when he notices. 'What do you think y-!?'

'We have reports of a corpse being found with you at the Tower of Salvation,' Yuan snaps abruptly, cutting Lloyd off in a second. 'And I was there myself. _That_ was the corpse. She will only be restrained through this discussion – we have no interest in harming your companions.'

Botta nods. 'I'll have to ask you forgive us, but it's not every day we are faced with a witnessed-dead appearing alive not too long after. We take precautions, and we have the information to believe she could be a creature wearing your friend's dead shell.'

Geez, I'm not Kilia. Lloyd grits his teeth either way. 'She's not-!'

'Lloyd, just ... get on with it,' I sigh, shifting a little so I'm not in so much pain. 'It's just for five minutes – I can cope. They said they have no interest in hurting us, and I'm pretty damn sure I'm not a monster.'

'Quiet,' Yuan demands as he makes his way around his desk, navy cloak swishing after him. I immediately shut my mouth, and Raine gives Lloyd an assuring nod again. He just clenches his fists and decides to play by their rules for now. I have to say though, Genis doesn't look too distraught. Not that he would; after all, it's only _me_.

'I'm sure you know who we are by now,' Yuan guesses wildly, the click of his boots against the floor silencing as he comes to a stop at the front of his desk and focuses his eyes on Lloyd. He doesn't really have any interest in anyone else to be honest, especially now that he can't kill Colette. 'If your facts have misplaced you, then we're the Renegades; a resistance working underground to bring down both the Desians and the Cruxis.'

'So your reason for purposely look like Desians is because you wish to remain a secret organisation?' Raine offers, folding her arms. 'Or so you can work among the Desians themselves?'

'Both,' Yuan says clearly, not looking from Lloyd or favouring her with his attention.

'So you know about Cruxis and the Desians?' Lloyd asks, and I thankfully remain forgotten for now. 'If you're fighting the Cruxis, then what do you need us for?'

'That's not important right now,' Yuan answers clearly. 'What is important is that you fully understand the situation at hand, and why the Renegades fight with the Desians and Cruxis.'

'They're the same organisation, aren't they? But how?'

Yuan glares, obviously not the one to enjoy explaining. He straightens up and _hopefully_ realises that we've all been doing the journey for a while now, and our heads are a bit blown off by what's happened. Well, theirs are – I'm fine with it all. Nothing shocking for me. Oh wait, I did DIE.

'The Desians are what they put up there front as – a organisation with the intent of inflicting chaos upon the world in decline to bring about the Chosen of Mana,' Yuan explains, though most as that we already know so he just thunders through it. 'Though their intent is not to harm the Chosen directly; they are, after all, a branch of Cruxis itself.'

'The Desians are Cruxis' pawns, and the same could be said for the church,' Botta adds, as Yuan continues to study Lloyd. He's probably wondering if he could take him. Not really, I'm kidding. 'The Desians are sent forth to the worlds to incline fear upon the people. Their fear is what causes the next Chosen to birth. They terrorise the declining world to the point where the Chosen completing the journey of Regeneration is inevitable.'

Raine raises a hand to her head, rubbing her brow. This must really be taking a toll on her, finding all this out. After guiding Colette to her death only to discover that Cruxis is an organisation of douchebags, I'd feel pretty down too.

'So the Desians invoke fear, which then brings the Chosen, and the church guides her to the Cruxis itself,' she asks, looking to Botta through her fingers rather than Yuan himself.

'Not exactly,' Botta answers, letting Yuan sit out for this explanation. There's a soft click from Yuan's bracers as he folds his arms loosely, leaning back to his desk. 'The Church of Martel manipulates the people of the world to abide by Cruxis' teachings, and to look upon Cruxis as the only hope for the world. Without it, taking the Chosen Ones to their death would seem nothing less than barbaric sacrifice.'

'So the church makes it justified sacrifice!?' Genis asks, looking aghast. 'That's horrible!'

'True,' Yuan takes over. 'But it's necessary if they plan to achieve their ultimate goal.'

'Having the Chosen become Martel's vessel,' Raine states, twisting a finger through her fringe. 'But even if they were an act, they still must have some ties to Martel herself. People can't just 'become angels'.'

Yuan nods, sounding blunt as he speaks. 'That's right. The angels of Cruxis are nothing but evolved half-elves.'

Genis' looks ... aghastier. I don't know, I can't think right now. 'What!? They're all half-elves!?'

'Mostly,' Botta explains shortly. 'They use Cruxis Crystals to develop into "superior beings" as they call themselves. They're angels, but they can hardly be called envoys of the goddess herself.'

'So ...' Lloyd mumbles, smacking both hands to his face with a frustrated groan. This must be annoying the hell out of him – it's a wonder he's keeping up at all. 'So the angels of Cruxis are all half-elves, right? But the church hates half-elves, so ...'

'The Church of Martel has no idea about Cruxis' true intentions or ways. They aren't informed of their details that work from behind the scenes. They're only shown what Cruxis wants the world to believe and they send envoys like Remiel to give them that word.'

Sheena frowns. 'That Cruxis is all good?'

'Exactly.'

Lloyd drops both hands back to his sides with another groan, probably trying to sum this all up in his head. Everyone waits patiently for him, and Yuan looks about ready to unleash some furious pimp-slapping. The Renegade behind me mumbles something to herself that I obviously wasn't supposed to hear, but I think I hear something about lemonade. Huh, fun. She must be the one that the dude was yelling at before. Not that I can bond with her over that or anything – I'm just saying. Small world.

'I'm more interested in what Cruxis hopes to accomplish after they revive Martel,' Raine decides to throw out, giving Lloyd the chance to catch up. 'I'm not all that certain her revival will benefit the regeneration of both worlds, but they seem utterly dedicated to giving her flesh. Though their methods are indeed barbaric, I've been wondering if the goddess's rebirth would be a good thing after all.'

'That's right,' Lloyd mumbles, looking up to Yuan. 'What will they do if they can turn a Chosen into Martel? Do they want to rule the world?'

'For the love of ...' Yuan grumbles, one hand going to his forehead. He fists his fingers into his hair. 'Botta.'

'As you'll know from your Tethe'allan friend, Cruxis is not completely in favour of one world,' Botta takes over, and Sheena just shifts uncomfortably at being mentioned. Hopefully they're not clocking on how close she is to the exit, but we'll worry about that later. 'They seek to benefit both worlds with Martel's revival, though we are still unsure of the direct result of her rebirth ourselves.'

'Because the two worlds are constantly vying for mana?' Raine asks. 'Either way you look at it, one world is slowly killing the other. Do they wish to stop the cycle by birthing the goddess?'

'Hardly,' Yuan answers coldly, straightening up from his desk. 'For it was Cruxis who created that pattern.'

'Cruxis did this ...?' Lloyd asks, hands falling from their safe position at the hilts of his sword. 'How?'

'Yggdrasill himself moulded the two worlds into what they are today, as well as linked them by the mana that both planets feed from.'

Cue the oh so dramatic GASPS. Not from me though, I'm pretty cool. Well, they don't even really gasp – they're just looking at Yuan like he's a bit retarded. I mean sure, he's a dick, but he's not retarded. I have to say, I suppose if I was told that ... I dunno – Tony Blair created the universe, I'd be a little freaked out too.

... Holy shit, that's in my head now-

'That's insane,' Raine decides to answer calmly, mostly to calm the three around her who seem a little ... worried. I agree with her – y'know, surely the guys who've been fighting Cruxis and the Desians for – oh I don't know – maybe just under four-thousand years are just feeding us bullshit for no particular reason. Mm-hm. 'Creating a world is impossible, even for a being as powerful as the man that struck down Lloyd.'

And killed me. Raine. Raaaine. Ugh, fine.

'He did not _create_ the worlds, per se,' Botta explains while Yuan takes a mental chill pill. Christ, you'd think Yggdrasill was boogieing down the hallways ready to Judgement his whole base while we're talking. We're not exactly stressed for time or anything. 'As my Lord said, he merely moulded them into what they have now become, as well as employed the system that tires each planet for mana by effect of the other.'

Genis rolls his eyes. 'Even so, there's no way that Yggdrasill-guy could do that! The only person who can do that kinda thing is the goddess Martel!'

'You still cling to those beliefs after what you have seen?' Botta asks, staring Genis down. 'You should ask yourself what Yggdrasill's goal is, as well as who he works directly underneath and for.'

'Martel herself, right?' Lloyd answers in a mumble.

'So your saying while she's asleep, she's passed all her powers onto Yggdrasill?' Genis assumes wrongly, folding his arms. 'You really think we'll believe that?'

Yuan's eyebrow twitches, and Botta gives him a wary look. Not that I expect Yuan to pull his giant sword right out of his ass and cleave Genis in two for being almost as dicky as himself, but it's _Yuan_, so it could happen.

Genis looks a little awkward now that the tense silence has settled in, and the Renegade still restraining me even sounds a little worried now that Yuan looks ... really, really angry. There's a soft scuff on the carpet as a couple of the Renegades shift in distress, and Botta just coughs quickly into his fist before folding his arms behind his back once more. Yuan grips the edge of the desk behind him.

'Alright,' he says after a moment, voice sounding oddly calm. 'If you chose to delude yourself, you're not worth the effort of explaining. Our conversation ends here; take them all but Lloyd to the cells. He'll remain here.'

'Hey, wait a second!' Lloyd demands, taking a good few bold steps forward. The Renegade behind him reaches out to restrain him, but falters. Now that I look around I notice that they're all pretty much shitting themselves at Yuan's unwrought rage, and Lloyd will probably be the target of that anger.

Raine turns as white as her hair, and Genis just looks like he's deciding between staying at her side or dragging Lloyd back himself. Sheena's hand moves to her thigh near the pouch where her cards are, and she just watches Yuan carefully.

'You're just gonna leave us hanging?' Lloyd demands in frustration, and it's good to know that even though all this crap is going on in his head, he still knows to take it calmly so no one else is put in danger. 'You rescued me from the Tower of Salvation just to try explaining how Cruxis works, and then throw us into cells? I don't get it!'

Yuan doesn't reply; he just folds his arms after pushing away from the desk, standing straight. I suddenly realise Yuan is very, very ... very tall. Lloyd notices it too, but he continues either way.

'This whole journey you've been trying to kill Colette and me,' Lloyd points out, though I'm sure they're all very aware. 'And now you're keeping us as captives. You're not letting us go, so you're definitely not fighting on our side. Do you still want to kill Colette?'

Botta tries to take over for now to let Yuan chill out again. 'Though we may not be on the same side, our goals may not be so different. The purpose of the Renegades is to stop Martel's revival. The death of the Chosen, who is destined to become her flesh, would be our solution. Though there are many Chosens who have succeeded and failed, Martel has still not been revived.'

Yuan nods. 'We've been developing new theories to aid our cause, though the constant assassination of each Chosen seems to be the only useful solution. If Martel cannot obtain her vessel, she'll remain in sleep forever. That, as the Renegades, is our goal.'

Lloyd frowns a little. 'Somehow I don't think any of these "new theories" mean any less harm to us.'

'Not particularly,' Botta clarifies. 'Only two of our ideas directly linked to your group. The others still took our old methods and used the assassination of the Chosen as a result.'

'Is that why you saved us?' Lloyd asks. 'So you could use Colette to help you stop Cruxis?'

'Not exactly, but we seem to be on more or less the same page,' Yuan decides, leaning back against his desk again. 'You seem to have some smarts in you after all.'

'What did you just sa-!?'

'Lloyd!'

Raine's voice stops him just a few feet away from Yuan, who hasn't flinched in the slightest.

'I'll assume one of these theories has something to do with our companion who was recently 'resurrected', correct?' Raine asks when Lloyd calms down.

Yuan looks to me, and I swear to god I just gulp.

'That's right. Though you can rest assured – the theory was dropped after no less than an hour. We have no reason to believe that it's the same being as before its death – it could be a spy from Cruxis wearing dead skin, as I've already mentioned. There's no possibility, if it were true, that the same effects would work on Martel herself.'

Lloyd clenches his fists. 'She has a name.'

'A name I do not care for,' Yuan snaps, straightening up. 'Now the Chosen has completely become and angel; a mindless weapon. We can't touch her, therefore we can't kill her.'

'So you can't stop Martel resurrection?' Genis asks. 'Then why did you save us if you can't kill Colette? Why did you spend so much time and effort healing Lloyd?'

'Because,' Yuan starts, and he's interrupted by all doors in the room flying open.

Sheena and the others immediately stumble forward (Genis grabs Colette's arm and drags her with them) to avoid the sudden fray, and Renegades just swarm into the room like flies. Ten – no, fifteen – fuck that, twenty – I don't know, they're everywhere. The Renegade behind me tightens her grip on my arms when I try struggling the join the others.

Lloyd backs off a little and places a hand on the hilt of his sword when he realises the soldiers filling the room, and that the others are getting steadily surrounded. They aren't armed, but that doesn't mean they're any less of a threat. Lloyd stands before Genis and Colette in case they're first for the fight, and I remain in the hands of one of the Renegades.

'What ...'

'-We have the key to stop Martel's resurrection.'

'Dammit!' Lloyd exclaims as he yanks out a sword with a sharp _shiiing_, apparently ready to take on a good amount of Renegades. 'I knew we couldn't trust you! I swear, if you lay a hand on my friends again, I'll-'

'We don't care about your friends or the Chosen,' Yuan interjects. 'She's useless to us now.'

Lloyd falters. 'Then ... why did you-'

'What we need to stop Martel's resurrection,' Yuan clarifies, snapping his fingers at a Renegade who advances toward Lloyd. 'Is you.'

Lloyd just falls quiet. The others stare at him as if he were about to spring out wings, flip them the finger and fly off to Cruxis himself. Lloyd glances back to them, to Yuan, to the Renegades, to Yuan, to Botta, and then to Yuan again.

He points at himself.

'What, me?'

'Seize him.'

'Whoa, hold up!' Lloyd exclaims when two Renegades advance on him and attempt to restrain him. The others move in, and Raine just drags Colette and Genis behind her back while Sheena keeps her eyes on the exit.

'Wait – what do you need me for!?' Lloyd demands, shoving off the Renegades trying to grab his arms. 'How the hell am I supposed to stop Martel's revival? I'm not-!'

'Put him in confinement,' Botta instructs, and Yuan looks accomplished that plan B is working. Y'know, after four-thousand years of plan A not working, you think he would have tried something like this sooner. 'Take the others to the cells. We'll decide what to do with them later.'

'Hey!'

I look over to the others, and one of the Renegades seems to have gotten hold of Genis' arm, who is now struggling and trying to bash him away with his girly little fists. Raine just yanks out her staff, grabs Genis by the back of the collar and thwaps the Renegade harassing him sharply on the head. I flinch when I hear his helmet's loud _CLANG_ vibrate through the room, and one or two Renegades back off.

Lloyd throws a quick punch at one approaching Raine from behind. He misses, but manages to shove him away, and Yuan decides this is all very stupid and approaches Lloyd himself. Okay Sheena, now would be a perfect time to ninja us out.

Yuan's gloved hand grabs Lloyd's shoulder, Botta reaches for his sword, and I shout the very first thing that comes into my head that might ensure his survival.

'Lloyd, punch him in the crotch!'

I'm awesome.

Before I can see anything as awesome as me happen, after a quick shout from Sheena as she wrestles herself free from the grip of three Renegades (one I'm sure was going for her breasts), I see a card slam into the ceiling. The whole room floods with smoke as it spills from the paper like a waterfall, and a lot of annoyed and panicked shouts fill the air. There's a small shout of pain from Lloyd, one from Sheena and then a last from Yuan himself, and I just kick the Renegade restraining me in the shin. She lets out a sharp shriek, and I shove myself away from her and ... wait, how the hell am I supposed to see through this smoke?

'Everyone, this way!'

Aw Sheena, you bitch. Everyone's leaving without me, I'm ... kinda trapped, oh god ... when the smoke clears and I'm alone in a room with twenty Renegades, Yuan, Botta and a woman I just kicked, I might just cry. Gotta stop walking into Renegades fumbling around and covering their eyes, goddammit-

'Argh, what are you doing!?'

I jump, and a small hand just wraps around my wrist and drags me away. I don't know if it's a Renegade or a friend, but I just really don't want to be standing around in the smoke like a twat.

The door slamming shut behind me almost catches my ankle, and I stumble a little. There's a little smoke out here in the hallway, but it's not a lot.

Genis unhands my wrist, and I notice the others are already running up ahea- wait, Genis?

I do a double take, and yes, it's Genis.

'Argh, are you stupid or something!?' he snaps exasperatedly, dragging me along again. 'Come on, they're leaving us behind!'

Yeah, that's Genis. I don't know why I have to keep clarifying it to myself, because the most evident picture in my head is Genis turning up alone at the hangar while the others wonder where that one winy bitch has gone, and Genis would just shrug, hop on a Rheaird with Lloyd and revel in their bestest-friend-foreverest-ness while I get my ass handed to me some corridors away.

Which will happen anyway if I don't actually make an effort to follow the others, because Sheena is leading the way to the hangar (guess which little bastard fox has been scouting around while we've been talking, apparently), and she can run extremely fast. So can Lloyd. And Genis. Me however – I have giant-woman-thighs weighing me down, and Raine isn't all that mobile. Colette's just floating along with Sheena, the lucky bitch.

The adrenaline kicks in when I hear shouts from a corridor down, and Genis and me eventually catch up with the others as they turn a corner. I can see Corrine running up ahead, and I have to say, the little guy is fast. I still hate him though. He will never stop annoying me.

Oh Jesus, cramps.

I grab my side as I follow the others down the sickeningly clean corridors that will forever remind me of hospitals, where I'm sure I'll be spending a long time in one when I get out of either this world or ... this universe. Ignoring that, cramps cramps cramps ow. Geez, I got the most terrible cramps ever when I tried to fight the sandworm alone too, and now here? Does my body hate me or something? Does my brain go "danger" and my body go "HNNNG"?

'There're people ahead, Sheena!' Corrine squeaks in warning as we plough through the hallways, trying to dismiss the shouts echoing down like crashes. 'Do you want to keep going this way?'

Sheena lets out a few ragged breaths as she continues to lead us, pulling out a card from nowhere. 'Guys, I'm using another smoke trap! Just keep running, okay!?'

'Got it!' Lloyd answers, and Raine just looks utterly out of breath. Bless her.

'Sis, are you-'

'I'm fine,' the Professor answers, huffing. 'Just keep running!'

Genis looks worried, but we press on and try to ignore the alarms blaring overhead. Shit, they set off the alarms!? Urrrgh, the whole base is going to be after us. I'm gonna go from adrenaline rush to lying in the foetal position, I really am.

The cramps wear off quickly enough in time for flailing my way through Sheena's second trap when we notice the Renegades up ahead. The poor things actually look like they're just coming out of a coffee break, but the spot us and immediately fumble for their knives. Until Sheena throws them the smoke card.

I watch the Renegade on the left stumble into the wall as the card slams over his visor, and no sooner than a moment later smoke erupts out once more and floods the entire area. Before we're completely engulfed, I notice Lloyd grab Raine's hand and help her through. She looks so worn out, but I have to remind myself – she's been spending the past two days healing Lloyd behind their backs, so she's probably feeling some major effects from it now that we're ... well, running for our lives.

I just follow Genis through the smoke seeing as he's the closest, and we emerge unharmed and dandy while we listen to the Renegades behind fumble around and shout at eachother. It's all good.

'Christ ...' I wheeze, holding my side again. Oww, how much further away is this damn hangar? We established earlier that we were going to go to Tethe'alla, so Sheena sent Corrine out to find where the hangar is exactly and if we could actually use any of the Rheairds. Apparently we can, because he seems to be leading us there at high speed. Maybe he just really, really wants to go home.

... We're going to Tethe'alla.

Shit, we're going to _TETHE'ALLA._

I'm finally leaving this world, but goddamn, I'm not heading for the right one.

-------------

'_Charlotte, can I ask you something?'_

'_Sure, what's up?'_

'_Are you coming to Tethe'alla with us?'_

'_What? Of course I am. Wait ... don't you want me to?'_

'_No, no! Of course I do! It's just that ...'_

'_... Lloyd, what's up?'_

'_I just don't know why. Genis and the Professor and me are going to find a method to save our childhood friend, Sheena is going because she wants to return to her home, but ... you don't really have a reason to keep travelling with us. You came to find that thing, didn't you? Now that you found it and it backfired, why are you still here?'_

'_Uh ... it's complicated.'_

'_Well, it's not going to be easy here on out. Are you sure you really want to come to Tethe'alla with us? You might not be able to come back here for a while ... maybe even at all.'_

'_Well, that's not much I can do in Sylvarant anymore. Plus, Cruxis isn't after my ass or anything, but they've probably got some beef with all of us. If I stay in Sylvarant, I'm just going to be paranoid about getting assassinated anytime I blink.'_

'_Yeah ... Sheena was afraid of getting caught if she went back to her world alone, too.'_

'_So, safety in numbers and all. But don't think that the only reason I'm staying is so I don't get killed if I'm out on my own, because I know that reason is pretty ... well, shit and only beneficial to myself.'_

'_It's okay if you're scared. I'm scared too, but I have to do this. Not just for Genis and Colette, but for everyone. We have to stop Cruxis somehow.'_

'_Thanks ... I know it's stupid, but it's nice to know other people are scared. Makes me feel less pathetic.'_

'_Are you calling me pathetic?'_

'_Haha ...'_

'_W ... what's so funny?'_

'_Nothing, it's just ... I don't know. Everything feels kind of ... normal again. I know we still have a lot of crap to wade through, and I know everyone is still awkward about me coming back from the dead, but ... just laughing around like this makes me feel like nothing went wrong at all.'_

'_Huh ...'_

'_Sorry. I know, that's sounds selfish when everyone else is suffering.'_

'_It's okay. They're just really confused about what's been going on lately. I don't wanna sound mean, but your coming back didn't exactly help.'_

'_I know ... Lloyd, I know it's going to take a while for everyone to start treating me normally again after what happened at the tower, but ... just keep being stupid, okay? I need to be able to laugh sometimes.'_

'_No proble – wait, what?'_

'_... Heh.'_

_-------------------------_

'Sheena, hurry uuuup ...'

'I'm going as fast as I can, Lloyd! Be quiet!'

Lloyd and Genis just stand either side of the door currently being sealed tight by at least five of Sheena's card spells. I remember her using something like this in the Asgard ranch, and it sounds like the Renegades have found out where we are. I don't know if Yuan or Botta are with them, because I asked Lloyd and yes, apparently he did indeed punch Yuan in the crotch. Let's just hope he was wearing a cup or something, or he's going to be mega pissed with us later on.

I pace in the centre of the room between the two by the door and Raine and Sheena working with the computers to open up the Rheairds, the runway out of here, and the dimension rip above the base to get us into Tethe'alla. I should be over there helping, but I really can't think right now. Raine should know more about Desian and Renegade computers than me, and Sheena should know stuff like this seeing as the Renegades _got_ her here.

The pounding on the door begins to get louder, and Lloyd grits his teeth tightly. 'Dammit ...'

'So ...' Genis sighs, kendama in hand and ready to smash some poor Renegade around the face with. Or just cast a spell, whatever works. 'Lloyd, do you have any idea why the Renegades are after you now?'

Lloyd just groans, slumping against the wall. The tips of his swords clink against the floor. 'I have _no_ freaking idea. The Desians are after my Exsphere, and now the Renegades? I don't get it! What's so special about _me?_'

'They said you were the key to stopping Martel's resurrection,' Raine offers, straightening up with her staff as Sheena moves to take over the work. All it is really is a giant control panel with a lot of keys and screens that I can't really see clearly from here. Behind is the giant circular gateway on the wall that should open up to reveal the runway soon enough. I'm wondering if there will actually be enough Rheairds to fit six people at the moment, let alone the good few who should be joining us shortly. If there isn't, I don't mind sharing with someone. Colette will most likely be going with Raine anyway, seeing as she has no soul and therefore cannot drive one by herself. If there's four, then Genis will probably share with Lloyd (unless I pussy out and jump on one with Sheena), so I might be driving one myself.

I look up to the rafters, but thankfully it doesn't look like there's an entryway up there. I think we're okay.

'Why would Lloyd have anything to do with Martel's resurrection?' Genis asks, looking to his sister and then back to Lloyd. 'You don't, right?'

'No!' Lloyd insists. 'I – I don't – ugh. I don't know what's going on at all.'

'The Desians are after your Exsphere, right?' Genis inquires, glancing at Lloyd's hand. 'They're the same as Cruxis, so maybe ...'

Raine shakes her head. 'Each Desian cardinal has openly admitted to being after Lloyd's Exsphere, while Yuan seems more interested in Lloyd himself. Why else would he spend so much time and effort bringing him back from the brink of death?'

Genis' expression darkens, and he frowns at the memory. 'Yeah ... but still, that doesn't explain anything.'

I shrug, turning away when from the women when I decide Sheena is powering through the process fine by herself. 'I dunno ... maybe it's something to do with Kratos? He's the only relation he's had with Cruxis other than Colette being the Chosen, but they said they don't care about the Chosen anymore.'

'Kratos ...' Lloyd mumbles sourly, hesitating before shaking his head. 'No ... it can't be anything to do with him. They were after me before anything happened ... before I saw him as a friend. How would that even work, anyway?'

Raine thumbs her staff, thinking it through slowly. 'Perhaps ... Kratos let something slip accidently about Cruxis that the Renegades do not know. Perhaps Lloyd might know something subconsciously.'

'I don't,' Lloyd affirms with a huff. 'Honestly.'

'Sheena, do the Rheairds have colours?' I ask, quickly trying to steer the conversation away from Raine randomly going "holy shit Lloyd, Kratos MUST BE YOUR _FATHER_ or something". I know Sheena's doing a process that may very well save our lives now that the shouting and bashing against the door is getting more animated and violent-sounding, but y'know.

'Yeah ... I think so,' she answers quickly. 'Almost got it.'

'Dibs on purple,' I say immediately, but no one really seems to care.

Raine returns her staff to the sheath on her back now that Sheena seems almost finished. The machinery on the other side of the room is getting louder as it powers up, so I think we're pretty close to getting out of here.

'I'll assume,' Raine starts with a sigh, leaning back a little against the control panel. She looks so worn out. 'That the Renegades and Tethe'alla are either working with eachother or have at least exchanged enough technology and information about the rituals that we ourselves do not know. If we get there safely, then we might be able to find out why they could be after Lloyd, as well as how to save Colette.'

I glance over to Colette, who just stands as still as a statue at the side of the panel. 'Sounds good.'

'Yeah,' Lloyd mumbles, sheathing his swords as Genis makes his way over to his sister, keeping his kendama in hand so he can probably throw out a Stalagmite at the doorway if Sheena's cards fail. 'I know rescuing Colette is our first priority right now, but I just hope we can find out what the hell the Renegades are after so I can get rid of it and hope they'll stop chasing after us.'

'We don't care if you're putting us in danger if that's what you're worried about,' Genis says firmly, standing by his sister. 'Now hurry up, we have to leave soon!'

Lloyd nods, smiling a little. 'Yeah ...'

I just turn to the control panel again, twisting my fingers through eachother tightly. I hope everything will be okay. If you ignore me, everything seems to have gone smoothly so far (not counting Kratos and Lloyd and their angst), so let's just hope it all keeps running fine. The shouting and pounding behind us has gotten a lot quieter, so I'm wondering if they're using an alternate route to get in, or if they're planning to shut everything down so we can't escape at all. Damn, I hope not ...

I feel the small hairs on the back of my neck prickle, and I glance behind me quickly. Lloyd's standing about three feet away, just giving me this ... odd look.

'Um, you okay?' I ask, taking a rapid look at the door way which is thankfully still very sealed.

'Yeah ...' Lloyd mutters, making an odd face. 'It's just ... I dunno. You looked kinda different for a second there ...'

Huh? Oh ... oh crap, this body is practically two years older if you ignore the tweaking Charis and William did to make it as unnoticeable as possible. There's got to be something – is my hair longer? I'm taller, right? My face; is it sharper? Maybe my skin is different – maybe I have acne? Oh god, I hope not. I had enough random flares of it before, I don't need it now. I just hope we have soap. Argh, it's probably not that! What could it be?

'I ... I don't know what you're on about,' I laugh, trying to ... I dunno - _look_ fourteen. 'Maybe you're imagining things?'

'I dunno ...' Lloyd mumbles, still staring at me. 'I can't ... put my finger on it.'

There has to be something, and now I seriously want a mirror. Everyone looks different from fourteen to sixteen. I know Charis and William did everything to stop them getting suspicious, but-

'Did you ... get shorter?'

... Oh those fuckers are so dead.

'You're imagining things,' I snap. 'Now come on; Rheairds.'

'Ah, right!'

Lloyd and I jog over as the floor ahead of the control panel slowly begins opening up, and Sheena just takes a step back and sighs in relief. 'That should do it.'

We all just watch the heavy plate on the ground slide open, and the floor under out feet shudders a little as the electronic grumbles sound throughout the room. The entrance to the runway is also opening, but extremely slowly. No one's really seemed to notice yet, but I can see late-evening sunlight crawling in. These guys have been here for a while ... they haven't seen the sun in ages. The Sylvarant base doesn't actually have any windows at all ... I don't know how Yuan copes – I'd go crazy with all this artificial light.

'There are four,' Sheena tells us beforehand after peering down into the hole where the Renegades are slowly being brought up by an oddly clunky mechanism. 'Two of us are gonna have to share.'

Raine nods, looking around to all of us. 'Colette will need to share with someone. She can't fly on her own.'

'I'm sure she won't mind,' I mumble, glancing over to the blonde steadily floating over to us. It's creepy. Well, Colette is with Raine, so Genis is probably with L-

'I'd like Lloyd to share with me,' Raine interrupts my thoughts, practically throwing them against the wall. Even Lloyd himself looks a little shocked, and blinks once or twice. Raine frowns a little when Genis gives her and odd glance also. 'Lloyd has been out of consciousness for a few days now. He only woke last night, and since then he's been drugged several times. I don't want him operating vehicles at the moment.'

... Okay, to be fair, that actually makes a lot of sense.

'Colette can ride with me,' Sheena says, and almost immediately Colette just floats over to her. Ugh, it's _creepy_. 'Uh ... she should be fine.'

I give Genis a side-ways glance. Looks like we both have Rheairds to ourselves, and yes, I will get that goddamn purple one. Genis can have green, or blue, or ... whatever the other two aren't using. I think Lloyd will pester Raine to get the red one, so it's fine.

Just as one of the seals on the door behind us shatters noisily, the Rheairds finally come into view one a giant metal disk, all four in the formation of a diamond. I look them over quickly, and they're pretty much _exactly_ how they look in the game – long wings, steering bars, and an engine at the back that looks _oddly_ enough like how my pistols operate. They take in mana from the air and expel it in bullets, so this must be pretty much the same. I peer into the actual seating, and the controls ... well, it just looks like a fancy moped, really. Handlebars, breaks, couple of buttons ... nothing too scary.

'Whoa ...' I hear Lloyd breathe. 'These are Rheairds?'

'Yep,' Sheena answers quickly, taking Colette's hand and running around the side of the control panel. She hops into the green one on the far right, and I realise how shiny they are when the sunlight starts filtering through stronger and bounces off them. Okay, this shouldn't be hard.

'Come on, Professor!' Lloyd exclaims, dragging her over when the second seal on the door crumbles. The pounding and shouting has started up again, and in more than one place. I think they're actually trying to make their way to the rafters above us.

Genis and I take the back and leftmost Rheairds, and I nab the left one when I notice it's purple. Genis is left with the blue one, but he doesn't look too beat up about it. Not that the others actually care about colours, but I do dammit. I can't be flying into a brand new world in and ugly green Rheaird.

'Okie-smokie,' I mumble, giving the panel before me a good look over. There's a boost button, an emergency button, and power gauge ... that's all I can really notice before the third seal cracks and breaks on the door. Only two left now, come _on_ runway ...

'You guys know how to ride these things?' Sheena shouts over the almost deafening gurgle of machinery. I shake my head along with everyone else, shoving my feet into these neat little things that keep you in place. There are also straps on the handlebars – how very efficient.

'Do you guys see the boost button?' Sheena asks, and I locate mine once more. 'Press it _twice_! One to start up the engine, and another to go! Don't press it thre-'

I feel like smacking my face off the panel when Lloyd reaches past the Professor, jamming his finger down on the boost button not once, not twice ...

'... Lloyd, I swear to god,' I mumble, thanking heaven that the runway is now clear, and just ... judging Lloyd in so many ways when he realises that he should actually wait for Sheena to _finish_ talking before he acts. Genis manages to pull his own Rheaird back a bit to avoid the sudden gurgle of the engine spurting from Raine and Lloyd's own craft.

'... Sheena, what does pressing the boost button three times do?' Raine asks in a tired, monotone voice as Lloyd wraps his arms around her middle, mumbling a few quick apologies. Sheena seems to ignore the fourth seal on the door shattering, and just grips her own handlebars. Her jaw is shaking a little.

'Just ... make sure you're strapped in. And hold on really ... _really_ tight.'

Raine nods, slapping her hands down on the handlebars. The engine is practically vomiting mana and crap now, and the humming radiating from their Rheaird sounds like it's about to reach a sudden and dangerous peak. 'Lloyd, I will deal with you after this.'

'Oh come on!' Lloyd grumbles, still holding tightly. I'm so very compelled to look away, and I count down from three in my head. 'It's just a little airboat thing, it's not even that bad, Professor. We'll be fine, trust m-'

_VRRRRRR._

'OH SWEET HOLY MOTHER OF-'

And the last thing we see of them is a long trail of glimmering mana-fuel as their Rheaird speeds off into the distance in a very Team Rocket-esque fashion. I still have some of the most colourful swears I've ever heard emerge from Lloyd's mouth ringing in my ears, and Genis pales. Yes, Raine is going to kill him so hard after this.

'Okay, let's ... follow!' Sheena declares, bashing her finger down on her own boost button and slamming her foot down to make the whole thing go. She and Colette zoom off down the runway at some amazing speed (though definitely slower than Raine and Lloyd). Genis and I glance to eachother, but he just frowns and shoves his foot down on the little, um ... make-it-go thingy.

'So you're really coming with us?' he asks as his engine revs up.

The door yards behind us finally crashes open with a horrendous bang of broken electrical and a sharp clatter as it smashes against the floor.

'Ain't got much choice now,' I tell him, pressing my foot down. 'Let's go!'

Being the gentleman that he is, Genis lets me go first. Renegades food the room with shouts of "they've got the Rheairds!", "they're escaping!", and so forth. I have to clutch the handlebars considerably tighter when my craft starts moving, because it _is_ a lot faster than I was expecting with just a little shove. Either way, we're getting out of here, and that's good. It's all good.

The Renegades tear across the room after us, one of them throws down a fist on the control panel to close the runway, but Genis and I manage to escape just before the walls snap shut around us. The first thing I notice about leaving is the air-conditioning disappearing, and hot air immediately slams down around me. I almost stop from the dizziness, but I just keep going. Eventually the rift will open, and we're going to Tethe'alla.

... Oh god.

A sudden cold engulfs me, and everything turns black and glittering blue. Genis is still with me, so it's fine. At least if I get lost, I'm not alone. I may be with someone who would rather Stalagmite me than be lost with me, but as long as it's _someone_ then I don't mind. My hair billows out behind me, and I grit my teeth against the cold. I can't even breathe that well wherever this is – it's just ... cold and dark.

Without thinking, I slam my hand down on the boost button again. My Rheaird surges forward towards a small light at the end that stands out from the sparkling blue swimming around, and I hear the craft behind me speed up too. Almost there ...

Emerging from that place feels like coming to the surface after being engulfed in water for a while. Even more freezing air hits me, but it's different. I take in a deep breath after realising I've been clamping my mouth shut all the while through that experience. Oh dear _GOD_ that was horrible. I am so going to hate travelling between these worlds later on.

... Speaking of which, hey, it's Tethe'alla!

'Jesus ...' I grumble, following the line of mana-fuel lingering in the air to another craft I can see some yards away. Oooh, its Sheena and Colette. They seem to be in one piece. I think ... yeah, Raine and Lloyd are there too, but I can't really say the same for them. Lloyd looks very shaken, and Raine just looks ... really, really pissed off. Like she's about to kick Lloyd off the Rheaird down into the ocean kinda pissed off.

I eventually get the hang of steering (and stopping!) and make my way over there. Genis joins us a few seconds later, and we all keep flying along happily! But not really.

'That was ...' Raine sighs after a few moments. 'Strange.'

'Different,' Genis agrees, sounding a little jumpy.

'I can't feel my legs,' Lloyd grumbles, still holding onto Raine for dear life. 'Professor, I can't feel my-'

'Lloyd, shut up.'

'Yes ma'am ...'

I realise I can't really feel mine either, but I just keep flying along. Hey, I'm on a Rheaird! I know it's a little late to realise this, but I'm actually riding a Rheaird right now! That kinda cool. And I'm in Tethe'alla! Things are actually progressing ...!

'Ha ...' I breathe after a moment or two, smiling when I can see land come into view. 'Haha ...'

This is really weird. I've been in Sylvarant so long – long enough to make me seriously take some dangerous risks to leave, even to the extent of putting my life on the line. But now ... we're in Tethe'alla? In a day or two, maybe today, maybe even in a few _hours_, we're going to be meeting Zelos. Then Presea, then Regal ... everyone else – have they changed? Are they still the same? It's weird to already know _of_ them, but even after this ... I don't know them at all.

... Oh my god we're going to meet _Zelos_. Not that he's going to flirt with me, but I never did respond well to flirting. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he just skipped me in a fit of "EWW" and went right to the others. I don't know – my shirt still has a giant bloody hole through it (thank you, Eternal Sword), so ... yeah, that won't look too appealing. Not that I _want_ him to flirt. He's going to flirt with everyone. Oh god, ungh.

If Charis were in my head right now, she'd be screaming. I'm sure.

Presea ... I'm probably going to want to punch her right in the face. I don't know if she'll be as annoying as how I saw her when I was sitting and playing the game myself, but ... ugh. I liked Kratos before I came here, and look at me now. The bastard watched me get _killed_. Hell, I didn't even like _Lloyd_ when I came here. I just didn't like him at all when I played the game, but now ... Christ, he's like, my best friend in this world. So who knows, maybe I will like Presea.

I don't care if Regal hates or loves me, I'm clinging to him forever. And ever.

... Wow, I actually feel kinda happy.

That is, of course, until my engine lets out a very noticeable "_HUURRRR"_ sound.

Oh Jesus, that was fast.

'What was that?' Sheena calls over and I just press my foot down on the rev peddle. I don't know what it's called – it's a rev peddle for now. I like that word. Words. GODAMMIT.

'I, uh, I dunno,' I answer, looking over my panel. 'Uhh ...'

Raine's Rheaird lets out the same sound, and Lloyd wraps his arms tighter around her waist and looks back. The fuel behind seems to be gurgling in puffs, and I look behind to my own engine. It's choking out mana in stupid little bursts – what the hell is-

Ohhhhhh _fuck_.

'W-what's happening!?' Lloyd yells over to our ninja, who is now experiencing problems of her own.

'I-I don't know ...' Sheena replies in a panicky state, slapping a hand down on to her controls. 'This – oh no ...'

'Oh no,' Raine repeats, and I look back to my control panel also. There's this bar on the far end. This nice little bar that I distinctly remember being a nice shade of neon green. Well, now it's very dark red, and apparently causing my engine to regurgitate its Rheaird dinner, and everyone else's for that matter.

'Please don't tell me that's the fuel gauge,' Genis begs, dropping his head. I notice how the amount of clouds and thick air around us is thinning, and it's getting a tad warmer as we ... uh, get closer to the hard ground. We're still dastardly high, but I can actually see the ground through the clouds now.

'Sadly,' Sheena grumbles. 'Well, I blame you! You released all the seals, and now there isn't enough mana in this world!'

'What's that got to do with it!?' Lloyd practically screams as we begin to pick up speed _downwards_, and the engine behind is beings to fail completely.

'It means we're gonna go SPLAT you dumbass!' I snap. 'Oh Jesus, oh tits ...'

'It _MEANS_,' Sheena takes over, slamming her own foot down repeatedly to make it rise. 'That these things run on mana, so because all of _our_ mana is now flowing into _your_ world-'

'We're gonna crash!?' Genis ventures.

Sheena doesn't even have time to answer as there's a horrible crunch from the back of a few engines, and I thank god for the giant wings, because else we'd be falling a _lot_ faster.

'Crap crap crap crap,' I chant over and over, thumping my foot down on the unresponsive peddle. 'Crap. _Crap_.'

'Everyone just hold on!'

I don't even know who shouted that – I just know that we're falling down, and it's going to hurt when we land. Unless we land on, oh I don't know, some kind of _mountain_ so we don't have to plummet so hard towards the earth.

Speak of the devil, I _love_ it when thing stay the same.

Sheena says something that I don't catch when the summit of a mountain comes into view, and I just keep pushing my foot down so I don't crunch into the side of it and die. That'd kinda suck, dying twice in the space of a week.

I'm pretty sure the last thing I hear is a shriek and a scream from somewhere as the mountain gets closer and closer. Nothing slows down – everything speeds up horribly, and I think the shock or maybe just the fatigue of a day or two without food or water claims me first before the impact.

Everything blackens out a moment before we crash land, and I don't think I even feel anything. I definitely will when I wake up though.

-----------------

_Martel's consent ... Martel, the goddess, who does not truly exist. Only by the will of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla's people. _

_Will is an expandable thing._

_What will happen ... when the people no longer believe? When Lloyd causes the great seed to birth Mana, the true goddess, and when Martel ceases to exist ... _

_What will happen to that consent?_


	74. Tethe'alla Sucks

Chapter 74 - Tethe'alla Sucks

'So ...'

'Yeah.'

'Do you think-'

'No, they're definitely broken.'

'So we can't ride them at all now?'

'Doesn't seem like it.'

I help Raine and Genis gather all of the stuff we lost in the crash (most of it is on the summit, so it's easy enough) while Lloyd and Sheena observe our damaged Rheairds. My purple one is wedged in between a rock and Genis' Rheaird, and there's a tiny bit of smashed front to deal with. Though to be honest, those things are pretty sturdy. They didn't exactly crunch into little flat Rheairds, so all hope is not lost. Except Volt is being a meanie and we can't ride them due to noooo mana. Screw you Undine. Y'know, if we got Sylph back at Sylvarant, we probably could have had her use wind to make us just float along. Alas, we have not, because we are lazy.

I stagger over to what looks like a nightshirt, picking it up and shoving it under my arm with everything else. I'm glad we left most of our clothing in Luin and other places for everyone else, because after what happened when we left Palmacosta and our clothing bag ripped open and we spent AGES getting our stuff back together, we just hurled a lot of them and the less-fortunate. Though we still have your average night clothes, underwear, ect, so ugh.

I make sure Genis and Raine aren't watching, and I slump down next to a rock for a minute. My head is absolutely killing me. The crash knocked me, as well as Raine and Genis out, so Lloyd and Sheena have been taking care of us (and panicking). Granted, Lloyd was sitting with Raine and Genis in a worried mess the whole time (I woke up with Sheena telling me everything that happened), and Colette has just been all ... unresponsive and weird next to a rock somewhere. She's fine though.

I'm not sure if it was from the crash too, but I feel all crampy. I mean, I had cramps while I was running away from the Renegades with the others, and I got cramps when I was running away from the sandworm, but I'm not _doing_ anything but walking around and picking things up and my stomach and joints are killing. I have to keep stopping every minute or so, but Genis takes the opportunity to tell me to stop messing around and get to work reclaiming everything. As soon as we have, we leave immediately for Meltokio. Sheena and Raine are paranoid about the Renegades following us, so we can't stick around here too long.

I'd _really_ like to rest right now seeing as I haven't ... eaten, drank, or slept properly since Martel threw me back down on Sylvarant, but eeegh. I'm now very anxious about getting on anyone's last nerve, so I've kept most things like the fact I'm probably starving, dehydrated, tired and in a lot of pain to myself. I know it's stupid and it's not gonna hurt to just say "I would kill for a sandwich hint hint", but I dunno ... I don't wanna get shouted at by Genis or scolded by Raine right now, and to be honest ... Lloyd said himself that I'm here for no reason, so I just don't want to give them leeway to hate me again. At all.

My stomach growls noisily, and I just flinch. Thankfully no one heard. My hunger is catching up with me now. I haven't really been hungry since coming back, because all I've been doing is worrying myself to death over stupid things. I haven't really wanted to eat, but dammit, now I honest to god want a curry or something. Maybe that Chinese food that is _still_ sitting on my doorstep back at Earth.

'So what now?' Raine asks, straightening up with a bag of hopefully everything she can find. 'I'll assume it would be safe to go to the nearest city and plan out our new objectives, but I have no clue where to start.'

'Ah, right, you guys don't know anything about Tethe'alla ...' Sheena mumbles, rubbing the side of her neck sheepishly. 'Uh, well, I think our first stop would be Meltokio. It's our capital city, and that's where most of our facilities are. Most of the research on Cruxis Crystals and Exspheres is carried out there.'

Raine nods. 'Yes ... and it would be wise to take a break. We haven't had a chance to relax since we arrived at the Tower of Salvation. We have to save Colette as quickly as possible, but it would be foolish to push our boundaries too far.'

'Yeah,' I agree quietly, but I think it goes unheard. I just shove everything I've found in a bag and walk over to the others. 'So, um, how far is Meltokio from here?'

Sheena grimaces. 'It shouldn't be too far. Meltokio is close to a lot of mountain ranges, so if we're where I think we are, then we should be there in half a day.'

'Well, its night now,' Genis grumbles, glancing to the star littered sky. 'Are we just gonna walk the whole way there?'

'Let's just get there,' Lloyd moans. 'It's stupid to sleep out in the open like this with Renegades after us, and none of us are really in good shape.'

I almost smack Lloyd upside the head, because the thought of walking to Meltokio with cramps, cramps and more cramps just makes me feel worse. I could honestly cry, but I'm not going to! I am new, strong, not (well, less) stupid Charlie! I can handle cramps. I handle them once a month, I can handle them now.

'Well, we've found pretty much everything,' Genis says, handing Lloyd the bag he's been using. 'The rest probably went off the sides.'

'We might find some stuff on the way down,' Sheena assure, stretching her arms over her head. 'Okay ... I think I'm leading the way.'

Raine nods. 'Yes. You're the only one with any idea of where to go. Sheena, you'll be our group leader for now.'

Lloyd's face falls. He was pissy about Raine and Kratos being leaders through the whole journey before, and now Kratos is gone he was probably hoping to get some limelight. But nope, Sheena is our leader now. And to be honest, when and if she leaves to go to Mizuho, Raine will be leader. Then if Zelos joins us and has to keep tabs on us for the pope, _he_ will be leader. And Lloyd will be sad. Forever.

As we make our merry way to the start of the mountain trail down, and after deciding it would be best _not_ to drag the Rheairds along with us, Genis takes quick note of Lloyd's sour mood.

'Lloyd, what's wrong?' he asks, and Sheena takes her cards out while she leads the way. She could probably smack any monster we encounter off the side of the mountain, so it's all good. Lloyd just frowns a little, toying with a button on his jacket.

'Nothing ...' he mumbles, and Raine listens in too. He just scowls at the floor. 'I was thinking about Noishe ...'

Genis gasps. 'Oh ... he's still at Hima, isn't he?'

Lloyd nods, folding his arms. 'Yeah ... I told him we'd be back after Colette turned into an angel. He's probably wondering where I've gone – it's been days ...'

I bite my lip. In the game, Noishe magically went from Hima to the Rheairds, because I'm sure Lloyd didn't just drive by Hima, pick him up, and then carry on to Tethe'alla. I'm sure it was for the sake of easier playing in the game, but now ... ugh, Lloyd must feel horrible. Noishe probably knows what's going on, and he could probably go back to Dirk's himself, but still ... Lloyd has no idea. Poor thing.

'Maybe he went back to your house?' I offer after thinking it through, but Lloyd just hesitates and shakes his head.

'No ... he'd wait. He always waits for me.'

I just decide not to say anything out of fear of making it worse, and Genis jumps right into his role as "best friend ever" and comforts Lloyd to the max. It's sweet to watch, but I have my own things to deal with. Like the mental numbing of the heavy pain in my knees. I'm positive a good night of rest would fix this, but we _can't_. I can sleep when we get to Meltokio, but that's it. I'm so very tired, and having Noishe here would actually allow me to sleep on his back. Until he'd throw me down the mountain, but whatever. Whenever Lloyd or Genis were tired before, they just climbed up on Noishe and he'd happily carry them along. I kinda miss him, but I'm sure he still hates me.

There's a spark of light from ahead, and we all just snap out of whatever we were doing in time to see a strange looking monster with a card attached to its face tumble off the side of the mountain. I don't even have time to see what it is before a low yelp gets quieter as it falls. Sheena just thumbs through her cards, pulling out another.

'We should probably avoid battles for now,' she explains, ready for another encounter. 'It's dark, we're tired, and fighting in this place isn't safe.'

'Yeah ...' Lloyd agrees. 'I don't really feel like fighting right now.'

'Are you feeling any better?' Genis asks. 'You don't still feel dizzy, do you?'

He shakes his head. 'No ... I'm fine. Let's focus on getting off this mountain. It's way too high ...'

Sheena snorts from ahead. 'You call this _high_?'

'Well it's high enough for me,' Lloyd grumbles.

I resist taking a peek all the way down and keep to the sides so I don't fall. The path is pretty wide, and it feels quite steady ... but I don't think I'm about to take any chances right now. What if my dehydration and everything catches up with me and I have a dizzy spell and fall? It'd be hard to notice if I started stumbling seeing as it's so dark, so I doubt I'd be rescued in a hurry.

My stomach growls again. Arghflargh.

'Ow,' I hiss quietly, clutching my gut. Great, I have _stomach_ cramps now. Wow, my first day in Tethe'alla is not going well.

'You feel okay?'

I glance over my shoulder to see Lloyd looking over. He doesn't look all too worried, but I force a grin anyway.

'Yeah, just a little tired,' I reply, waving it off. 'I'll feel better once we've slept.'

'... Just hang on for a little while longer, okay?'

'Yep.'

Aaaand back we go. I immediately feel eyes on the back of my head, and for some odd reason I know that it's Raine. Genis and Lloyd have gone back to talking about Noishe and if he's okay, and a pair of footsteps have gotten a tad quicker. I just keep my cool and follow Sheena, who's leading quite far ahead in case any monsters randomly ambush us. I think she sent Corrine out a moment ago to help out ahead with ... smacking things down the cliff, so we should be fine.

I look up to the sky, but it doesn't look like it's about to get any lighter. We left Sylvarant in the evening; we've been out of it for a while, so ... I think we'll reach Meltokio in the morning. Ugh, we'll be walking all night. It's really unsafe to be out in the open in our current condition like Lloyd said, seeing as we don't actually have any food or anything on us. Undine, strangely enough, can conjure water that we can't drink without going "EUURGH". We tried it out a while ago and it tasted odd and coppery.

'Charlotte.'

I look back over my shoulder to see that Raine has broken away from the other two who are still chatting away a yard or two behind. Raine is lowering her voice, so I'll just assume she doesn't want to draw any attention.

'Yeah?'

She pauses. 'I want to talk to you in a moment.'

Well, can't say I didn't know this was coming. Ah well, I'll just grin and bear it while she starts telling me what I already know, whether she claims it's for my benefit or for the benefit of everyone else. I'm guessing it's everyone else, but I _have_ been doing a lot of stupid things lately. Who knows, she might actually care that I keep landing myself in deep shit.

I just raise a hand to my face, yawning. Damn, I _really_ want to sleep. 'Sure. Why not now?'

'I'm having trouble finding the best way to describe the situation,' she says simply. 'I'm used to focusing on logic and facts. Not sentimental influences.'

'Ohhh, we're going to talk about _feelings_,' I whisper, nodding. 'Right, right. Then are you sure you're the best person to be talking to me about feelings?'

'The only one who would talk to you otherwise never would.'

'I know.'

I glance up when she falls quiet, and I let her think about what she's going to say. Knowing her, she'll probably tell me something cold and blunt. To be honest, I think I'd be able to handle it because I'm sure I'm _aware_ of what she's going to try and break to me. She was intrusive about it before, so she's probably trying to sort it out before someone gets hurt. Not that I'm stupid enough to let it get to me, or hurt anyone else because of it.

I actually focus now that I'm looking up. We haven't come down too far from the summit at all, but the pathway is safe at least. As long as we're not just climbing shakily down rocks, it's fine. Sheena is still leading ahead, but there aren't really that many monsters to encounter. Or Corrine has head-butted them all to their deaths, but you never know.

I glance back and see that Lloyd and Genis have fallen back quite a bit. I can't really hear what they're saying, but I _think_ I hear Dirk's name. Poor Lloyd must feel really bad – I don't think Dirk knows anything about what's happening, and Lloyd is probably considering if he'll ever get back to Sylvarant to see him again. Hell, I would never want to be thrown into a new world away from my family without knowing if I'd ever get back or not.

Oh wait.

I yawn again, trying not to let my eyes shut by themselves. The last thing I need is to fall over asleep on a mountain path.

'I know you're tired,' Raine says quietly, still walking slightly behind me. 'But try to bear it for now.'

'Yeah, I am,' I mumble, probably sounding slightly pissed off. I get cranky when I'm tired.

'... When did you last sleep?'

I grimace. 'The night before I came back. But I didn't sleep well; I had some kind of stupid nightmare that kept me up.'

'Have you eaten or drank since you ...?'

'No. I drank a little at Triet, but they're low on water and food.'

'I see.'

I just shake my head. 'I'm fine. Just ... don't. Pretend I'm not here. Just get on with everything and I'll sort myself out. I don't need anyone to worry about me.'

I don't look over to her, but I'm quite positive she's giving me a sceptical look. She's about to crack and just come out with it, I know she is. Raine isn't a nosy or intruding person unless she's seriously worried about something, and she has no reason to really get on my case about anything, especially when Colette is the main person in trouble here. Lloyd also, if you're counting mental-trouble, because let's face it, as soon as we've sorted everything out in front of us and we can relax, I'm sure everything is going to hit him at once.

I frown and try to think back to the game. When did they meet up with Kratos after the tower ... wait, wasn't it here? Yeah, it was when Yuan tried to capture them ... I think. I'm not sure – I can't remember that well. But still, Lloyd's first meeting with Kratos after the betrayal in the game was practically "hey dickface what's up". Really, I have no idea what's going to happen now. Lloyd thinks he's never going to see Kratos again. He thinks that he's gone to heaven forever to work with Cruxis and cut all ties with him completely. He stood there and watched Lloyd get beaten within seconds of his life if it hadn't been for Yuan and the Renegades. I don't know if Lloyd will flip out and try to kill him or burst out into tears, but I'm sure it's going to be bad in either way.

'Know what to say yet?' I ask, yawning for a third time. Raine just hums softly, indicating a weary "no". She never was good at the whole emotional crap unless it's with Lloyd or Genis. With Colette, well, she said it herself – she tried for years to stop her from sacrificing herself, but she just fell in favour of logic, and that the whole world _kind of_ needs to survive more than just Colette. I'd pick logic's side too, but apparently Cruxis is full of douchebags, so we can't let them have their way. With Lloyd, well, he's got a lot of problems. Raine is used to being turbo-mother who sorts things out with Genis and him, so that's good too. With me? Logic, logic, fuck the emotions, and more logic.

'Professor.'

The two us look back to see Lloyd and Genis have caught up with us. They shuffle past carefully so they don't fall, and Genis goes on ahead towards Sheena while Lloyd pauses.

'We're gonna go help out Sheena,' he says quickly. 'I'm feeling better, and Genis doesn't want Sheena to get into any trouble on her own. Is that okay?'

Raine raises an eyebrow. 'Would you listen to me if I said no?'

'... Probably not,' Lloyd laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I won't overdo myself.'

'Make sure you don't,' she agrees, nodding. 'Let Sheena handle any monsters. If she's in danger ...'

'Right,' he says with a grin, just glancing to me with a nod. 'You two be careful. Make sure Colette doesn't stray too far behind.'

I nod back. 'We will.'

We watch him jog off to join back up with Genis and Sheena, and from a distance I can hear Sheena getting all pissy about Lloyd wanting to help in his condition. To be fair, he's not actually _doing_ anything. He just doesn't want Sheena to be up ahead on her own. I doubt the Renegades would come and whip her away seeing as they're after _LLOYD_, but whatever. Hell, it's probably good that he's close to Sheena – if he's back there with Genis, what's Genis going to do if Yuan swoops down and drags Lloyd away on a Rheaird? Cast Icicle on him? God, I hope not. Not after that bear. That poor, poor bear.

'Charlotte.'

I glance to my side. 'You figured out what to say? It's fine if you don't want to say anything at all. I know you're bad at emotional deals.'

She sighs in frustration and just shakes her head. 'It must be said regardless. For your own sake, as well as-'

'Whoever might get hurt because of my stupidity,' I finish for her. 'Right.'

'... Yes.'

'Raine, just go for it,' I groan, feeling awkward all of a sudden. I don't usually call her by her name – I think I've been calling her Professor for the whole journey, or at least a big fat chunk of it. 'I don't care if you have to be blunt – I'm sure I've got a good idea of what's coming at me.'

'... Lloyd told me everything you said to eachother,' she forces out, honestly looking like she's trying not to tip-toe around the thing she's positive will make me go on some teenage-rage-rampage. I won't, I swear. 'When you were with him after he ran out to find you.'

I nod. 'Yep.'

She hesitates again. I'm almost inclined to just answer what I already _know_ she's going to throw at me, but I'll let her get on with it. I could be horribly wrong, but I don't think I am. I'm going from what she said to me when I was all ... ghostly, and I'm sure all she wants to do is protect Lloyd's feelings right now. It's stupid of me to say she doesn't utterly give a damn about me at all – she's concerned for everyone's wellbeing, but Lloyd comes super-duper-ultra first if you're pitting the two of us against eachother in Raine's eyes.

'What Lloyd told you,' she decides, folding her arms loosely. I just tuck some hair behind my ear, waiting for her to get the right words. 'When he said he loved you ... Charlotte, don't-'

'Raine, I know he was lying.'

She shuts up and stares at me, looking sincerely surprised. 'You knew ...?'

I just smile a little. 'Why do you think I cried when he said it?'

'Charlotte ...'

'Look,' I mumble, looking forward to the others. 'I know Lloyd doesn't love me. At all. Even as a friend. But the thing that matters to me right now is that he cared enough to lie like that, just so I wouldn't do something stupid again. It means that he cares about me enough to still want me around. Right now, that's enough. It really is. I don't care that he doesn't feel the same way about me like he feels about you and the others, but honestly? I ... really don't care right now.'

Raine just nods after a few moments of awkward silence. 'I was afraid that you would let it get to your head. I have seen what you chose to do with yourself through the influence of words from the people who care about you. Love is a strong word ... I don't think Lloyd realised that at the time.'

I shrug. 'I don't care. Right now Lloyd needs to save the people he cares about the most. He needs to sort out his own feelings. He needs to save _you guys_. Not me. He just needs to lie to me and keep me on my toes so I don't wander off and die again. I know he doesn't have the time to deal with my emotions and crap, so he just threw me the friendship card and hoped it would last until he could get around to me ... right?'

Raine sighs. 'I'm glad you know for yourself. But yes ...'

I fold my arms behind my head, trying to stretch out and force away the tiredness. 'Don't say anything to him. If you do, he'll probably try to feed me some more bullshit. I'm fine with being lied to like that once, but I'll tell him to be straight with me when he's got everything sorted out. I'm not going to demand his attention in the middle of all of this.'

'... You've changed.'

I shake my head. 'I'm still selfish. I still want to stride over there and demand that he tells me the truth, but I know that I shouldn't. I know he has his own things to sort out. But yeah, maybe I've changed a little.'

'Are you sure about this?' Raine asks. 'I'm glad that you are letting Lloyd put everyone before you without a fuss, but can you handle your own emotions without the help of a friend right now?'

I nod. 'I'll be fine.'

'And Lloyd?'

I frown again. 'Just let him believe I was crying because I was happy. I'll tell him the truth when I think he can handle my emotional crap. Who knows, I might not even need him at all by then.'

Raine falls quiet again, and she's just glaring at the floor. I don't know if I've said something, or if she's just annoyed that she missed a chance to rant at me because I actually got there _before_ her for once, but she looks pretty annoyed. Well, the last thing I said _was_ pretty cold on Lloyd's behalf. I mean, he's been such a friend all along and I've practically just said "yeah, screw him, I can do my own thing and I don't need him". I think that's _good_ for myself, but ... I don't know.

'It sounds like you're trying to distance yourself from Lloyd,' Raine says quietly, looking up a little to the person we're talking about, still walking ahead with Sheena. I think he's asking her about where she lives, but I can't hear well from back here. 'Am I right?'

I shrug a little. 'Lloyd doesn't have time for me. I've acknowledged this after, like ... three months of being a demanding little skank. I'm fine with it. He needs to do his own thing, so I'm not going to depend on him every time I need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. So what if I distance myself – it's not like it's going to matter. As long as he sorts out his life and helps you guys out, that's fine, right? I'll probably have sorted my own feelings out by then, like I said. I won't need him to sort my life out for me because I'm too whiny to do it myself.'

Raine just closes her eyes, shakes her head, and walks away. What ...

'Think about what you're doing to yourself.'

I just slow to a stop, and Colette glides quietly past me and follows Raine. What does she mean? What I'm doing to myself? I'm not letting Lloyd juggle my neediness and his friends' _actual_ problems, that's what. I'm letting myself be stronger for once. Is that bad? No ... it's good. Come on, no more relying on Lloyd for everything, no more crying, no more stupid risks, no more getting in everyone's way ... that's good, right?

I start following again. I'm confused. I don't think she'll tell me what she means, but what I'm doing ... it's good! I know it is. It benefits everyone, right? I'm not dragging Lloyd away from the real issues so we can talk about my _FEELINGS,_ I'm making myself stronger ... I'm doing something good, aren't I?

'Just be careful coming down here. It's pretty steep.'

I snap to attention and hurry over to the others after realising I've fallen behind quite a bit. It takes me a second to locate them through the dark, but I manage to catch up in time to hear a small click of shoes against the pathway below, and a small "umph". Apparently the trail has taken some retarded turn, and the only way to get back on track is to jump or climb down a steep side of the mountain. I think we'll be climbing it, because I'm sure only Lloyd and Sheena can jump that far without crumpling over and dying.

Colette just floats past once again and glides down to Sheena's side. Okay, she will forever be creeping me out until she turns back to normal.

'I'll go ahead again – you guys take your time,' Sheena calls up, pulling a card out. 'I'll leave a light here for you so you don't fall.'

'Hey!' Lloyd shouts down. 'We're not ninjas, but we're pretty capable!'

'Yeah, I'm sure,' Sheena just agrees quietly, throwing the card up halfway. It smacks against the side and lets out some light, just like a lamp. She used those cards in the Tower of Mana too. Wow, she has cards that do the whole lot. That's really, really cool. I suppose they have charms for practically everything back at Mizuho.

'Ooooookay then,' Lloyd grumbles, stretching his arms over his head. His joints click, and he relaxes again. 'I'll go down first and help you guys down, okay?'

'Be careful,' Raine sighs. 'Especially in your condition.'

'Hey, I said I feel a lot better,' he mumbles with a grimace. 'Well, whatever.'

He practically just steps off the edge, landing down below with a small grunt. He stumbles a little, but that's it. I quickly remind myself that he jumped off a _CLIFF_ at Iselia, so this is pretty much nothing to him. The drop is only like ... three meters. But still, it's really steep ... and I don't think we can jump that far. We're not freakin' athletes.

'Genis, don't scrape your knees or anything,' he demands, placing one foot on a rock to steady himself when he reaches up towards us. 'We don't have any medical supplies or anything.'

Genis rolls his eyes. 'Oh, come on ... scraped knees aren't gonna kill me.'

'Yeah,' Lloyd says quietly when Genis carefully uses a few jutting rocks to get himself down with the support of Lloyd holding his hand. 'But you know the Professor will say otherwise.'

'Infected cuts are dangerous,' Raine snaps from above. 'Do you remember when that cut on your arm got infected last year?'

I notice Lloyd shudder slightly. 'Yes, Professor.'

Genis stumbles near the end, but Lloyd catches him in time. Okay, I'm definitely going last. I hate climbing down steep things, because I will _always_ fall. Always. It doesn't matter if I'm _glued_ to the wall, I will fall. Because I'm that lucky.

'Go meet up with Sheena, okay?' Lloyd says, and Genis just nods and carries on while Raine glances down the side of the drop, groaning something quietly to herself about falling. While Lloyd convinces her that she'll be fine, I start thinking about what she said again. I know it's stupid to think about it so much, but I just can't get it out of my head. I truthfully thought she'd be happy that I'd jumped from being some selfish and needy prat to actually putting everyone first and fending for myself. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. This is the best for everyone, right?

Lloyd helps Raine down, and ... I don't know. I don't know what she meant. What am I doing to myself? I'm being stronger. Is that bad? I can't ask anyone if they think it's a good idea, because the only person who I used to ask about these things is Lloyd ... and right now, I'm not letting him add my bullshit to his list of problems. I can do it myself. I can figure it all out myself in time, right? Yeah ... I can do it myself. This whole journey – my feelings – everything ... I can do it myself.

'Charlotte?'

I blink, looking down. Raine is safe and following Genis, and now it's just me. Lloyd reaches up, offering me his hand. 'Come on, we have to go.'

I just stare at him. My mind is screaming at me to not take his hand. I don't know why.

'Do you need help getting down or not?'

The answer is an obvious yes. But my mind is only processing the first four words of that question. Do you need help? Do I still need help? The answer I give is probably going to affect how I handle the rest of the journey ... and it might give Lloyd a clear answer of how to treat me from now on ... or how to not treat me at all. I'm doing the right thing. This is the best thing for everyone.

'Do you need my help?'

'No. I can do it myself.'

... I hope I'm making the right choice.

---------------------------------------------

'_Ugh ...'_

'_Lloyd, what's wrong?'_

'_Nothing ... I'm just a little tired.'_

'_Well, you know what Raine said. It's best if we keep moving.'_

'_Hey Genis, you're the one yawning. Aren't you tired at all?'_

'_Well, sure ... but it's not really like we can stop, right? If the Renegades find us, we're just going to end up back at their base. Then we can't save Colette.'_

'_I know ... but if we keep straining ourselves, then if they find us, we'll be too tired to fight them off, right?'_

'_That ... actually, that's a good point!'_

'_Yeah, we should tell the Professor.'_

'_Do you think they'll let us rest though? I mean, we are still in danger.'_

'_Yeah ... but we're falling asleep on our feet. We should rest a little, even if it is for an hour.'_

'_Lloyd, have you even eaten or drank since you woke up?'_

'_N ... no, I don't ... I haven't. I haven't even thought about food for a while.'_

'_You should really rest and eat something then. The Renegades fed us, but if you keep pushing yourself ... you know Colette wouldn't want us to get ill over her.'_

'_You're right ... do we even have any food with us?'_

'_We have basic stuff ... and I think Sheena still has some with her. I could make you some rice.'_

'_Yeah ... we can restock once we get to a city. We've spent the whole journey living off rice and dried food ...'_

'_Well, it's not like we can carry around glamorous foods. You'd better not complain around Raine.'_

'_I know ...'_

_------------_

Cramps.

_Cramps_.

Oh dear god painful _CRAMPS_.

I just curl up tighter in my sleeping bag. Lloyd somehow managed to convince Raine and Sheena to let us take a break and carry on moving in the morning. We've at least made it to the bottom of the mountain, and we've found some weird "cave" thing to camp under so it'd be hard to spot us. It's not really a cave ... it's just some large rocks jutting out above, so we're just sleeping under it so we can't be seen from overhead if they're travelling by Rheairds. It's actually kinda cosy. Well, it would be if I weren't in a lot of _pain_.

Lloyd and everyone else crashed out almost immediately. I nearly did too, but these stupid cramps are keeping me awake. God knows I've tried to sleep, and I'm absolutely worn out. Every time I lie down and relax, my joints just get dull and heavy with pain and I can't settle down at all. I have to fidget and try to get into a position that will make the pain go away, but it'll just return about three seconds before I'm almost asleep. It's really frustrating.

The most frustrating thing is that I haven't _said_ anything about it.

I just sit with my back to the side of the wall. We're all sleeping fairly near it so we're harder to see, but I've just gone and decided to sleep right up against it. We haven't lit a fire or anything in case the Renegades or some monsters spot the light, so it's cold too. I don't think that's what's causing the pain, but ... I dunno, it could be.

I really want to know _what's_ happening, but I'm not going to say anything until we get into Meltokio. I want to – god, I want to – but I can't. Even mentioning that I was tired got me an annoyed glance and a snappy answer from Genis. If I start on about feeling horrible and ill, he's probably just going to scream at me about how we need to save _Colette_ right now. And yeah, we do. So why risk getting shouted at and ridiculed even more when the outcome would be exactly the same if I stayed quiet?

Once we've relaxed in Meltokio and aren't in any persisting danger, I'll tell Raine that I've been in a bit of pain for a while. It could be something simple – it might just be because I've been declining most of my basic needs for a while, like sleep and food and water. It could be something to do with having a new body too, but Charis and William aren't around to ask about it. Raine might be able to answer my questions about that, but if it's something that only Charis would know about ... then I dunno, I'm kinda screwed. I'm sure they'd sort it out though, even if I can't communicate with them. Hell, they're probably finding out how to fix it right now. I hope they are.

'Oh, shit ...' I hiss to myself, feeling the cramps come back. I just try to tighten all my joints, but it doesn't work. I flop down onto my back and stretch out, trying to make them go away fast. Goddammit, I just want to sleep. I haven't slept in so long, and I'm absolutely shattered ... I wish I could use a sleeping pill or something ... hey, maybe we have something like that ... well, I'm not about to search through our bags for meds, and I think Lloyd said that we didn't have any medical supplies earlier. I don't really want to wake anyone up to direct me towards any sort of sleeping pills either – they're all really tired, and if they can sleep, then I should let them. I'll sleep eventually.

The cramps don't exactly come frequently. They've been on and off all day today, but still ... they haven't stuck around long, so they'll go in a few minutes. They can't last all night. I can't stay up all night with cramps and then carry on to Meltokio completely sleep-deprived while everyone else all refreshed and fed just skip along merrily. I don't think my body can take it, and nature just _isn't that_ cruel.

I just groan, dropping my head down onto my folded up clothes that I'm using for a pillow. Not comfy, but at least it's something. I'll force myself to sleep if I have to.

I almost get there, but the pain just starts up in my legs again. I stretch them, gritting my teeth. Okay, I can't sleep like this. Apple Gel ... I could try and Apple Gel.

Sitting up, I stop myself when I realise we don't have any. No medical supplies. Oh goddammit.

Everyone else is asleep. It's completely irritating and almost painful to see everyone else curled up in their sleeping bags, utterly dead to the world and relaxed. I fall onto my back again, screwing my eyes shut so hard that I feel frustrated tears begin to well up. Come on ... just sleep. If I stay awake all night and tell the others that I didn't sleep in the morning, then they're just going to yell at me. I know they are. They definitely will. Well, I know Genis definitely will. Raine, maybe ... Lloyd, probably not ... but it'll annoy him. Sleep, come on, _sleep_ ...

The cramps travel up to my hips, and I just sob in more frustration. Dammit. _Dammit. _It was never this painful before. It has to be something simple – cramping isn't exactly some kind of exotic symptom. Maybe my body is just feeling weird because I've done nothing but strain it since I came back. I've been in fights, I've been sick, I've been running around a lot, I crashed on a Rheaird ...

Rheaird ... the Rheaird crash! Maybe I did something to my, um, spine or something. But wouldn't that be more serious? Well ... I don't know. The others seem fine. Maybe they're actually in the same amount of pain and just not complaining about it. Oh man ... well, I haven't said anything out loud. That's fine ... they can't yell at me for that. I know if I start getting yelled at and start becoming an annoyance again, I'm just gonna ... I don't know. I'll probably have a breakdown, because that's exactly what made me go for the Eternal Sword and get myself killed. I didn't want to annoy them again.

Dammit, why am I even here?

I just clutch my shirt tightly below my head, bringing it up to my face to stifle my sobs. The last thing I need to do is wake someone up and deprive them of sleep.

Putting the others first doesn't feel as good as I thought it would be. But it's the best thing. It really is. Isn't it? Yeah ... it has to be. They're always going on about how I should put people first ... I'm just not used to it right now, that's all ... I'll get better.

... Fucking cramps.

------------------

'_Hey Sheena?'_

'_What's up Lloyd?'_

'_I was just thinking ... the Rheairds run on Mana, right?'_

'_Yeah, that's right.'_

'_They don't look too beat up, so they can run again if we can solve that problem. Am I right?'_

'_Well, yeah ...'_

'_So how do we get them to run again?'_

'_I'll ... probably need to make a pact with the Summon Spirit of Lightning.'_

'_You haven't already?'_

'_No, Undine was the first real pact I made. I tried once before, but i-it didn't ... go well.'_

'_Oh ... well I'm sure you can do it this time!'_

'_You think so?'_

'_Sure! You made a pact with Undine, right? How is the Summon Spirit of ... of, uh ...'_

'_Lightning.'_

'_-Lightning any different?'_

'_Well ... if it's to get the Rheairds to work ... but I'm not making any promises.'_

'_Sheena?'_

'_I made a mistake last time. And when we fought Undine, you got hurt too ...'_

'_Hey ... I'm fine, see? It was only for a second, and we worked it out together, didn't we?'_

'_... Oh.'_

'_Oh! Oh damn ... um, do you ... live nearby?'_

'_No ... my village is hidden. I don't think you'll have to go there. Ever. Ever, Lloyd.'_

'_Yes, good, that's ... good.'_

'_We're not of legal age for ... marriage. So we'll be fine, I think.'_

'_Are you sure?'_

'_No ...'_

'_Gah ... I-I just won't say anything! Just don't say anything to them, okay? We'll be fine!'_

'_Yeah! Totally fine!'_

'_Yep!'_

--------------------

'We have proof that the Holy Ground in Sylvarant is real. There are items that have survived being preserved in Palmacosta.'

'Yeah, I saw those. But there's also proof in our Royal Library; scriptures and texts.'

'Perhaps, but scriptures can be easily reconstructed. Items in the academy however, cannot. There are markings on them that signify their dates and uses.'

'There are signatures and royal brands on the texts too that only the king could have made four-thousand years ago. They can't be reconstructed.'

'Hm ...'

Lloyd is burying his face into his hands while Raine and Sheena have some lengthy-discussion time about ... you know what, it's been going on for so long that I'm not even sure anymore. Genis looks interested, but I honestly couldn't care less about ... Kharlan and texts and stuff.

Now it's morning and we've long since set of on our way, Raine has noticed the Tower of Salvation. We probably couldn't see it before because it was, well ... dark. But now she's noticed it, she's been trying to win some discreetly-pissy debate with Sheena about which Holy Ground of Kharlan is the real one. There's proof on both sides from what they're saying, but they still haven't offered the opinion that HEY, maybe they're actually the same. But no, that's just _silly_.

I'm having trouble keeping up with the conversation, because even though the pain has mostly gone for now, I'm still very tired. I haven't slept well. I think I've managed to have about half an hour of sleep over the course of the whole night, and I'm exhausted. I haven't said anything, because even Lloyd got a bollocking when he asked to sleep for just ten more minutes. If I said I hadn't slept at all and really needed to rest, I'd get "well why didn't you sleep WHILE EVERYONE ELSE WAS". And I wouldn't be able to answer that, because I'd get "no Charlotte, we need to save COLETTE, COLETTE is in danger you SKANK". Yeah.

'It feels weird travelling without Noishe,' Lloyd sighs to Genis, but he's too into Raine's debate with Sheena. He just nods and keeps listening in, probably trying to figure out why there are apparently two holy grounds and which one seems most fake. Lloyd just sags his shoulders with a sigh. Since they noticed the Tower of Salvation, no one's been listening to him. He hasn't really tried to talk to me at all, so ... yeah, I'll let him do that. The only thing anyone's said to me today was Genis bitching about me not eating breakfast and 'slowing everyone down later'. The little prat can't see the future – I seriously wanted to smack him. He's like a little pissy Kratos, and that's the last thing I need. I haven't slept, I'm still in some dull pain – I really could have just broken down in tears when he said that. But nope. Strong Charster. Block out everything and anything Genis says.

I hear Lloyd's gut growl from a pace or two in front, and he just mumbles something angrily and presses a hand against his stomach. Last night we had rice, this morning we had rice, and if we don't reach Tethe'alla then I'm guessing we're probably going to be having rice. It's the only thing we have right now, and with no flavouring ... it's really kind of just like eating solid water. It's lame and not fulfilling at all. I don't know how I know, I didn't _EAT ANY_.

Christ, what is my problem. I'm not eating. I'm drinking a little, but that's it. I'm not sleeping. I'm not telling anyone I'm in pain. I can sort out the first few for myself when I actually get my appetite back and can sleep, the pain might just go away eventually, but if it persists then ... I'll go to a doctor in Meltokio. I'll just get it all out of the way in secret and they won't have to know. Ever. Then Genis won't have to shit himself every time I mention being in pain. Damn I hate that kid so much right now. But punching someone who is, uh ... um ... ffffour years younger than me seems a bit mean. Even if he is a dick.

But really, if I get myself malnourished and sleep deprived too much, I'm really going to get sick. That will hold everyone back. I need to get better.

_Think about what you're doing to yourself._

I'm doing the right thing. I have to be.

'There may be two Tower of Salvations,' Raine admits, and I go back to listening in a little. 'Cruxis may create two if they're trying to keep both worlds' presence a secret from eachother, but there can't be a second holy ground. Perhaps it happened in one world and then the information was transferred to the second world by the Cruxis, and a duplicate was created.'

'They could have taken over items used in the ritual, too,' Sheena adds. 'But our monarchy is infamous for being recorded back to one of the kings as descendants. Has Sylvarant ever had a king or a queen?'

'Not for at least two-thousand years,' Raine says awkwardly. 'But we have had kings. Palmacosta's government rules most cities without Desian peace-treaty now.'

'This is making my head spin,' Lloyd groans. 'Does it even matter which one is real or not?'

'Lloyd, that's not the point!' Genis snaps. 'Geez ...'

Urge to punch. Rising.

Lloyd just rubs his eyes. 'Well ... maybe they're both real.'

Ding ding ding, we have a winner.

'Oh that's just impossible! Lloyd, are you even thinking today?'

Screw you, Genis. Screw you in the face.

'Hey, I'm tired,' Lloyd defends pathetically. 'I'm just saying, y'know ... maybe they're the same place. Maybe not. I dunno.'

Genis rolls his eyes. 'Ugh, just ... be quiet for a while.'

Lloyd huffs and folds his arms. 'Fine, gee.'

I watch Genis speed up a little to finally join in on the conversation, leaving Lloyd and be falling behind. He still hasn't really tried to talk to me or anything, but I'm not complaining. Maybe he's mad at me for something. Maybe he just doesn't want to talk to me? Maybe Raine told him that I know he was lying back at the Renegade Base, maybe he's having second thoughts about letting me come along ... I dunno. It could be anything. He might not even be angry at all. I'm jumping to conclusions. Maybe I should actually begin the conversation for once.

Argh, why? It's not like I _need_ to talk to him. Its fine Charster, just leave it.

I let my mind buzz to hopefully dim the pain that's slowly started to increase in my legs. Just don't think about cramps. Don't think about the pain. It's dull, not sharp – you can will it away before it gets too painful. Just think about walking. Just think about following the others. It starts in my legs and then just kind of travels up, and I don't know why. My legs are doing most of the work, so ... shouldn't the joints be loose? Ugh, this makes absolutely no sense.

Okay, my legs really hurt now. Just keep walking. Don't make a scene. At all. Don't even whine. I can't handle being shouted at while I'm this tired and frustrated – I'll probably flip out and punch Genis in the face (who _will_ be the one yelling), which _won't_ go down well. I don't know ... I feel like I'm hanging on with these guys by an extremely thin thread. If I screw up now, then ... yeah. I don't even want to think about it. I just want everything to go as normal, but I've got myself into a really stupid mindset. This isn't good for me ... but what else can I do? If I get all ... burden-y again, I just – that's the last thing they need right now. We're not exactly on the linear path of "seal release, city, seal release, city, seal release, city, ect" anymore. We actually have problems to sort out _right now_, and I can't ... be stupid anymore.

Oh god _ow_. Dammit.

I stumble a little, but it goes unnoticed. The others are too far ahead, and I think Lloyd is too concerned about his hunger to realise.

Come on Charlotte. We're not far from Meltokio now. Only about an hour or two – you can handle this. Just one foot infront of the other, keep walking, ignore the pain, it's not that bad-

Okay fuck ow ow OW OW _OW_-

I have to grit my teeth and hiss through the pain, clutching my knees. Wow, it's travelling up fast now. Oh god ... okay, just relax for a few seconds. They won't notice. Come on, four three two one, walk ...

I take a few shaky steps. Yeah ... this is fine. I can do this. I can totally do this.

I just look straight ahead, forcing myself to pace. I can't even feel my legs; it's just dull pain. My lower back hurts a little, but it's fine. I can do this. Everyone else could if they were in my situation. I'm fine.

Why do I have to convince myself every five seconds? Jesus ...

Dread just washes over me completely when I stumble on one step. My knee folds with pain and I just keel over under the dull ache onto the grassy floor. Well fuck, that worked.

I fist one hand into the grass. Okay, just get up before they notice. Up, get up, get up, _get up_- oh god, it hurts, it really hurts...

'Charlotte?'

Goddammit!

I blink, looking up. It takes the others a few seconds to realise, but Lloyd is already backtracking to where I'm kneeling. Ugh, ow ... my knees hurt – my shoulders are hurting now ... everything just hurts ... I just want to lie down and sleep it away ...

'Charlotte, what's wrong?' Lloyd asks, crouching down a little. The others don't come back – they're just waiting. For Christ's sake. 'Are you okay?'

It takes all my self-control to spit out "do I _look_ okay?", but I manage not to. I just grit my teeth hard. Should I just tell him that I can't walk? No – I can walk – it will go away in a minute. It has to.

'M'fine,' I manage to force through my teeth, planting a hand on my leg to try and get to my feet. 'I'm fine, just – everyone keep going ...'

'Hey ...' Lloyd insists quietly now that the others are getting close. 'You don't look fine.'

'Well I _am_ fine,' I snap, maybe a little too harshly. Lloyd looks a little taken aback, but I manage to force myself back to my feet. I still feel shaky, but it's okay ...

I run a hand down my face when Genis gives me an annoyed look now we're all back together. 'What's going on?'

'Nothing,' I say bluntly, looking to Lloyd through my fingers. 'Right, Lloyd?'

He just shakes his head. 'Stop it. Tell me what's wrong.'

No, goddammit. Just leave me alone.

'It's _nothing!'_ I practically shout, and I feel Genis' glare intensify. I think Raine has a good idea of where this anger is coming from. 'Come on – I can walk, right? Let's just go.'

I feel his hand on my shoulder. 'Listen, if you're in pain then-'

My stomach plummets when I slap him away. 'Lloyd, I don't need your help!'

He stares at me with his hand still in mid air, and Raine has to grab Genis before he can get to me and rip me apart.

'We'll go on ahead,' Raine says quickly, snatching Genis by the collar and dragging him along. 'Sheena.'

'R-right.'

The others just leave quickly, and I'm left with Lloyd staring at me while I look at the floor. Oh god, what did I just do? Raine gave me a giant speech back at Sylvarant about how Lloyd reacts to me because I 'need' a friend. I've practically just told him that I don't 'need' him anymore, when I'm quite sure I do. But I can will that need away, too. He has his _real_ friends to worry about. I can't just use him whenever I need a shoulder to cry on. Genis hates me for that. I'm sure a lot of people do.

Lloyd lowers his hand slightly. Oh god, he hates me now. I know he does. I press the heel of my hands to my eyes, rubbing away tears of frustration. No more crying. No more stupidity. But goddammit, everything is still hurting ...

The others are pretty far now ... Lloyd still hasn't said anything. Maybe I should. Dammit, I don't know what to say, do I?

'You can walk?'

I look up, dropping my hands. 'W-what?'

He gives me an oddly stern look. 'You said you can walk, right?'

I nod. 'Y ... yeah.'

'Go on then.'

I stare at him, and he just gestures ahead to the others. 'Come on. You said you can walk. Let's go.'

I just nod after a moment, taking a quick breath. Okay ... one foot in front of the other. You can do this. Just will the pain away. It's not there. It's not-

I crumple to the floor again. Lloyd doesn't bother to help me when I fall.

'I thought so.'

I glare up at him through frustrated tears. 'What, are you fucking enjoying this!?'

He shakes his head. 'Don't be stupid.'

I just clench my fists into the floor, swallowing a sob. Hurts ...

'Hey ... come on, we have to go. They're leaving us behind.'

I sniff, getting to my feet again. It takes a little longer than before, but I manage it. Where is all this pain coming from, really? I'm definitely going to a doctor once we're in Meltokio, even if it's gone by then.

'So ... can you walk?'

I scowl at Lloyd. I really think this is entertaining him. 'Whatever.'

'Hey, I'm kidding. Really.'

'Lloyd, just ... just leave me alone.'

'Look,' he says firmly, slipping his thumbs into his belts and taking a couple of steps around me. 'I know you get frustrated and angry with everyone whenever something's up ... so I'm not gonna judge you. Or bother you about what's bugging you. But right now, something is _definitely_ wrong and I'm not stupid enough to miss that you're in pain.'

I just frown, staring at the floor again. 'Lloyd, I d-'

'"I don't _need_ your help!"' he retorts in a high-pitched, shrilly voice that I think was supposed to be me. 'Right?'

I don't even have the strength to answer anymore. I just try walking, but this time Lloyd grabs my arm before I slump to the floor again. The pain in my legs isn't changing.

'You're acting different,' Lloyd says simply, pulling me back a little. 'I know you're not gonna accept any help from me ... I'm not sure why, but I'll let you think about that for while. You can tell me later. But right now, think of this as a way to stop us falling behind and slowing everyone down. That should be okay with you, right?'

Tired. Pain. Can't focus. 'Wh ...'

I think I actually fall asleep on my feet for a few seconds, because the next thing I know I have my arms loosely folded around Lloyd's neck. What ...

Oh Jesus Piggybacking Christ.

'Lloyd, what ...'

'Just relax, okay?' he says quietly. 'We'll talk later. I know you have to be pretty stressed out right now ... it's alright to feel upset.'

I shake my head wearily. 'No, it's not ...'

'Yes it is, you dork. _I'm_ upset about everything, and no one is judging me for it.'

'That's because you don't show it ... you're not holding everyone back ...'

'Neither are you,' he tries to convince me. 'Look, I know we have to save Colette, but that's not what this whole journey is about. Right now we can't do much for her. So if anyone else is in trouble, I'm not going to just drop it and focus on Colette. She probably wouldn't appreciate my help the way she is now anyway.'

I'm tired. 'Stupid ...'

'So it doesn't matter if it's you, or Genis, or the Professor or Sheena or whatever – if someone needs help, I'm not going to ignore them now that we all need to be looking out for eachother. Understand?'

'No ...' I grumble moodily.

'... You're a real piece of work, you know that?'

I don't answer. It's hard to answer when you're asleep.

-----------

'_Hey Professor.'_

'_Lloyd. Is everything alright?'_

'_Yeah. She's just cranky. I don't think she slept much last night.'_

'_Yes ... well, she is asleep now. We'll wake her when we reach the imperial city.'_

'_Imperial city ... oh man, this is gonna be so cool!'_

'_Lloyd, we're here to save Colette.'_

'_I know, I know. But I'm sure even you're a little excited, right?'_

'_Well ... I'm interested to see the differences between Tethe'alla and Sylvarant. Some species of animals currently extinct in Sylvarant may be on this side ... I've heard there's a gap between the rich and the poor here far greater than ours, perhaps due to some past conflict with the monarchy. Oh, there may be ruins!'_

'_Um, Professor, don't go overboard. We're here to save Colette, remember?'_

'_I know that. But I'm sure Colette would want me to enjoy myself.'_

'_Professor!'_

'_It was a joke, Lloyd.'_

'_You're bad at jokes!'_

'_Perhaps. But in seriousness, Colette wouldn't want us to utterly dedicate ourselves to changing her back. Though it is our own choice to put her first, we have to remember to look out for ourselves too. We have to pick up information on the Cruxis, how to return to Sylvarant if the Rheairds fail to work a second time, and perhaps even why the Renegades are after you.'_

'_Y ... yeah. There's a lot of things we have to do. But I think saving Colette comes first. Genis is worrying about what might happen if she stays like this for too long. We came here to save her, so let's do that and then figure out everything else.'_

'_Yes. Though I wonder about something ...'_

'_What?'_

'_I am aware Colette's safety comes first, so I'm wondering if it's safe for her to travel with us.'_

'_Professor?'_

'_We are on the run from Cruxis and the Renegades, both who would endanger her. If she is with us, there is a bigger chance of them tracking us down and taking her away.'_

'_That's true, but there's not a lot we could do ...'_

'_... I will ask Sheena if she knows someone ... some people who can hide her, at least until we can figure out her treatment.'_

'_Are you sure? Most of Tethe'alla aren't going to like us ...'_

'_Perhaps not. I'll consider it later.'_

----------------

Whoa okay, Meltokio is like ... big.

Seriously, in the game it didn't even look that much bigger than a football stadium. That is so not the case here, because ... it's a _city_. Now it's an actual _city_, and even though it's completely surrounded by some colossal wall, it is _massive_. It's like ... bigger than Palmacosta. A lot bigger. Almost six times as big. I am going to get so very lost here, but dear god I don't care. It's a city. It will have things like makeup and bubble bath and shampoo and clothes and clean things and I am so happy right now.

... Sleep first, but holy shit. _MELTOKIO_.

'This is ... amazing,' I hear Lloyd utter from my side, staring up at the giant city gates. The others are absolutely shocked and stunned at the size of just the wall around the city, and Sheena's looking pretty proud of her Tethe'alla-self right now. She's spent the time since Hima telling Lloyd and Genis all these amazing stories about places in Tethe'alla and comparing them to what they think is amazing in Sylvarant. Genis is just staring with his mouth hanging agape, Lloyd is probably dying to jump in a bath and lie there _forever_, and I'm just going to be shoving him out and getting there first. I haven't had a proper bath or shower in ages. No one has. I am first though.

It's not really that late – it's just evening again right now, so I doubt we'll be doing much today besides booking a few rooms at the inn and crashing out for some _real_ sleep. Then ... I dunno, I forgot. Don't we have to talk to the king? I'm forgetting everything – it's been ages. Okay, I know we have to talk to the king anyway. Then, uh ... ugh, I honestly can't remember. I feel like some really crappy psychic.

'I'm glad we got here in time,' Sheena says, stretching her arms over her head and looking out towards the sun that's started to set. 'The gates close at night, and I don't think you guys wanna sleep on the floor again.'

Lloyd shakes his head rapidly. 'No way!'

'So this is the imperial city?' Raine asks, looking away from the massive gates for a moment to talk to Sheena. 'The research academy is here, isn't it?'

She nods. 'Yeah. But you can't stroll in there and ask them to look at Colette right away. You guys are from Sylvarant, remember?'

'Yeah, but ...' Lloyd mumbles, rubbing his arm. 'They don't know that.'

'No, but when you ask them to look at a _Chosen_ suffering from a condition caused by completing the regeneration ritual, they _might_ have an inkling,' I say, glancing to the city gates. 'Lloyd. Really.'

Sheena nods. 'Right. So ...'

She leans down and pulls a letter out of the pouch she keeps her cards in, stepping up to Lloyd and handing it to him. 'I wrote this last night. It has all the info about Colette's condition and how I failed my mission. It's got my signature on it, so give it to the king and he should let the researchers take a look at Colette's Cruxis Crystal.'

'Oh ...' Lloyd says quietly, taking it from her. 'You're not coming with us?'

'Well ...' Sheena grumbles awkwardly. 'I have to go back to my village and tell the chief that I failed, too. It's hidden, so I can't take you guys with me. You should take care of things here now and get Colette treated as quickly as possible.'

Ohhh right, I forgot about Sheena leaving. She comes back a little later, I'm sure ... well, at least I think she does. Things might be different now, but we've done hardly anything here to screw things up completely. The only thing we've affected in Tethe'alla is Sheena herself.

'Are you going to be alright reporting you failure?' Raine asks, looking a little worried.

'Yeah ...' Lloyd adds, sounding a little depressed. 'I promised to help you out if anything happened to you ...'

Sheena just shakes her head. 'Don't worry about that. It's nothing I can't handle. When I've given my report on everything that's happened, I'll have to come back to Meltokio and talk to everyone in the academy. I'll catch up with you there.'

Lloyd still looks a little uneasy about letting her go alone. 'Are you really sure about this? They won't punish you or anything, right?'

He just receives a sceptical look from Sheena, and she grimaces a little. 'Well, I'm not going to get through it without a rant at least. I'll be fine.'

'But Sheena ...'

I jump when her arm flies out, pointing directly at the city with a horrified look on her face. 'H-how the hell did monsters get into the city!?'

Lloyd whips around to face the gates, hands slamming onto the hilts of his swords while he watches what's visible of Meltokio and its peaceful, bustling state. While he does that, the rest of us watch Sheena fumble for an odd looking card and a small pellet. She gives us a wink, throws both down onto the floor, and smoke bursts out in a quick bang. I shield my eyes and cough while Lloyd lets out a terrified yelp and falls on his ass.

'What ...' he starts, hand still on his sword while he stares up at the rapidly clearing smoke to reveal ... minus one Sheena. 'Oh dammit!'

'Hey, I forgot she could do that ...' Genis says, blinking and waving away some purple smoke from his face. 'She used it a lot when she was our enemy ... it's like a teleport thing, right?'

Raine coughs into her fist and nods. Damn, the smoke really gets on your chest. 'Yes ... though I'm sure it's limitless. She must still be nearby.'

Lloyd picks himself up off the floor and dusts off his backside. 'Ugh, ow ...'

'I can't believe you fell for that ...' Genis snickers while his best-friend-forever glares at him, shoving his swords back down into their sheathes. He runs a hand through a clump of hair that's fallen down infront of his face, scanning the clearing opposite the colossal city behind us for any sign of Sheena hightailing it to Mizuho to avoid cheesy and emotional goodbyes. Ah well, she said she'd be back in a few days. I don't know if we're gonna wait for her or if she'll rejoin us at all, but at least we know we have a good chance of meeting up with her again.

'Well, there's not much we can do now,' Genis adds to his playful ribbing after a moment. 'Let's start with what we can. We have to give that letter to the king, right?'

Lloyd nods, scooping up said letter that he seems to have dropped while he fell over. He looks it over once or twice. 'Uh, yeah ... it's addressed to the king alright. Do you think it would be easy to get an audience with him?'

'I'm not sure,' Raine mumbles staring up at the city. 'From what Sheena has told me, upper-class and royalty are held in much higher regards than our Governor-Generals. Compared to Tethe'alla, Sylvarant has a rather lax government due to lack of a monarchy and the presence of the Desians. It might not be so easy.'

'Also,' I say quickly so I can get my piece in. 'Sheena said that the king and the pope agreed to Colette's assassination. There's no guarantee that they'll help us at all.'

Lloyd just smacks both hands to his face in frustration. 'Agh.'

Raine sighs, laying a hand on his shoulder. 'I think it would be best for us to rest for the night and then sort things out. If we stumble in there as we are now, there's a good chance we'll be turned away regardless.'

'Yeah ...' I mumble, looking down to the giant hole in my shirt that Yggdrasill gave me. Thankfully the same hole on my torso is missing. 'This thing doesn't look too appealing anymore.'

'I'll pick something up,' Raine offers, pushing Lloyd forward with a firm hand on his back while we slowly make our way into the immaculate city. 'Thankfully the Renegades didn't take the money from Phaidra, so we can afford some basic things. Lloyd needs some new bedclothes too. He ruined his last set.'

I glance at him. 'What, how?'

'Sparring in pyjamas,' Raine answers for him, giving him a shove. 'Granted we only use nightclothes when the weather is cold, but thanks to Kratos he now has shorts instead of pants.'

_Trousers_ I correct quickly in my head. Lloyd just frowns at the mention of a CERTAIN SOMEONE'S name, picking up the pace a little. I don't know about the others, but I want to find an inn now. I don't want to walk around all the working/middle/upper-class people in their giant dresses and suits and whatever while I'm wearing grass stained trousers and a now-dark-bloody-red-instead-of-purple hoodie shirt with a giant hole in it. I might as well walk around with a bell around my neck screaming "_UNCLEAN"._

Ah well, the others don't look good either. Raine is going to be in for a night of some major sewing on Lloyd's clothes.

'Inn, inn, inn first,' I say, practically jumping up and down. 'I wanna have a bath and get all this blood off me.'

'That's probably the best idea,' Raine agrees. 'We should book some rooms in case they're full later on. We can leave Colette there while we look around the city.'

'I'll stay with her,' Genis volunteers, completely ignoring the fact that _I _would be there also with her, but he doesn't trust me at all. 'We gotta be more careful now we're in Tethe'alla.'

We all just nod and shuffle into the big fat city in our little group. It's really uncomfortable – we look complete wrecks after three months of travelling and barely anytime to go "oh snap, _PERSONAL HYGIENE"_ unless we're in a city or a town, which is was pretty rare seeing as every city and town we visited got DESTROYED five seconds after we left. So, when we get through the gates and start looking around, we start getting strange stares from the people in their pristine make-up and neatly tailored clothes. Yeah, screw those guys.

'There're two guards at the city gates,' I mumble, trying to hide behind Lloyd. 'Ask 'em where the inn is.'

'No need,' Raine says, pointing to _the first_ building we see with a nice little hanging sign over the door reading "inn". I feel like smacking myself, but whatever. I'm tired; they're not allowed to judge me right now.

'Okay, that works too,' I yawn. 'Ow. Damn.'

Raine sighs when the group participates in some kind of suggestive Mexican-wave-yawn session, already heading to the inn.

'I'll book the rooms.'

---------------------

'_Genis, is everything alright?'_

'_Yeah, I'm okay. Did you get the rooms?'_

'_Yes, but they certainly didn't come cheap. We can't afford to stay here more than three nights.'_

'_And if we can't find help for Colette in Tethe'alla, we're pretty much stranded in this world ...'_

'_Regardless, they still have much more improved technology. Sheena could help us out once more.'_

'_But we have no idea when she'll be back! If this doesn't work out, how can we get back to Sylvarant? The Rheairds don't work at all ...'_

'_We'll think about that when we are sure that we can't find any help at all. For now, let's work on getting Colette's humanity back.'_

'_... It feels weird.'_

'_Hm?'_

'_We're here now ... and we're staying in such a nice inn. It feels weird to enjoy it when Colette is like this ...'_

'_That's true, but Colette would want you to be happy. It may be difficult at times like this, but I believe some part of Colette is still watching us. Be happy for her, if you can't be happy for yourself.'_

'_I am ... but sometimes I just stop and think about how Colette can't ...'_

'_... I will look after her. You and Lloyd will be sharing a room, and I will stay with Colette. Charlotte is paying for her own room.'_

'_What!? But she doesn't have any money!'_

'_She seems to have decided to open a "tab" of sorts. She owes me three-hundred gald for new clothes, painkillers and her own room for the night.'_

'_Geez ...'_

'_I draw a line at certain things, but using the money for her privacy I can tolerate for now.'_

'_How can you tolerate anything that she does? She's so ...'_

'_She needs time to think for herself. She's scared.'_

'_Colette's the one that should be scared. She's just being selfish again, like she was before. What does she even-'_

'_Genis, not now. Give her time to sort her mind out after what has been happening lately. She's just confused right now.'_

'_Hardly. She hasn't changed at all.'_

'_Genis ...'_

--------------------------------

'Oh man, I feel sooooooo good ...'

'Yes Lloyd, that pink bathrobe looks very hetero on you.'

I think he attempts to shoot me a glare from across the room, but apparently he's in too much of a good mood to do so. Raine and I have been using the bathroom facilities to the MAX, and now we are washed and cleaned and shampooed and conditioned and bubble-bathed to the epitome of slightly-upper-class-comfort. Then it was Lloyd's turn, and he's been in there for a good ... two hours? I'm glad we got our share of hot water beforehand, because NO ONE can soak for that long in the same body of water. Genis just crashed out immediately, so Lloyd is hanging out in Raine's room. I actually have my own, so yay! I'm just here because ... I dunno; Raine's room has the towels and she's gone out to look around town a bit.

'Lloyd, you ever had a bubble-bath before?' I ask, tightening my own bathrobe around myself. I hope they don't charge us extra, because this place is expensive.

'Noooo ...' Lloyd moans, rolling over on the bed he's collapsed on. 'Tethe'alla is awesome ...'

'Yes ...' I mumble, now justly and totally weirded out. I stand quickly after making sure my robe is secure, trying to force down the sudden head-rush. 'I'm going back to my room to change. I freaked out enough around Raine being in the same room while I was just wearing a robe.'

'You're wearing a shirt.'

'Yeah, but that's pretty much it.'

'Oh.'

I just stretch my arms over my head, biting down on my bottom lip. Gawd I'm tired. I still feel a little stiff and horrible from the cramps, but I'm sure a night's rest in an ACTUAL bed that Lloyd has established as "so fluffy and warm and oh man" will do me good. There's no point staying awake for anything, because as soon as Raine gets back ... well, she's probably going to bed too after kicking Lloyd out of her room and back into his own. Genis is asleep in his room at the moment and he doesn't want to wake him. So there's nothing much else to do today.

'You're going to bed now, right?' Lloyd asks as I walk over to the door. I just place my hand on the doorknob and thump back against it to face him.

'Yeah. Why?'

Lloyd rolls onto his back and sits up. 'Then can I ask you something before I have time to think it over and then chicken out?'

I shrug. 'Go for it.'

'Are you still looking for the same thing?'

I pause. Well, this has always been coming. I suppose Lloyd just wants a good idea of my whole deal in the midst of saving Colette/the world/ect.

'Yeah,' I mumble. 'At least, I think I am.'

'And you still can't tell me what it is?'

I shake my head. 'Lloyd, if I ever find it then I'll tell you.'

Lloyd just nods, but he frowns a little at still being kept in the dark. 'I know you're not here to save Colette. Genis, the Professor, me – we all came here to save her ... but even Sheena didn't come here for that. There's no reason why you would too.'

Ugh, well that put me in a good mood. I just grimace. 'Yeah, well ... it's not like I don't care. I just have a life outside of what she does.'

'I know you do,' Lloyd says quickly, straightening up. 'So ... I can't expect you to risk everything to save her like we're doing.'

'Good.'

He falls quiet again, glancing off to the bed on the opposite side of the room. 'Do you still think the thing you're looking for is worth ... what you did?'

'I don't know,' I mumble. 'At the Tower of Salvation, I just saw ... what I could do to get it. I don't know. I thought I'd never be able to try again, so I just went for it.'

Lloyd closes his eyes. He kinda looks like he's got a headache, or he's in some sort of pain. I hope he isn't still ill – he was in bad health at odd points in the journey before. I don't know if it's gone now or if he's just holding it back for the sake of sorting everything out, but he could be ill. I'm not sure. I don't think he could hold something like that back – he was falling unconscious a lot.

I glance out the window while Lloyd ... sits in thought. It's pretty dark now, so Raine will be back soon unless she hasn't been caught by Zelos and whisked away somewhere. It's kinda weird to be stuck in the middle of a discussion with Lloyd about me running off to die earlier while we both sit in here in pink bathrobes. Kinda kills the mood. Not that the mood is good – it's very awkward. The bathrobes just make it even more awkward.

'I'll ask you later,' he says finally, slumping down onto the bed.

'You sure you ain't gonna chicken out?' I ask, making a face. Lloyd just shakes his head.

'Maybe it's better if I didn't know.'

--------------

'_Genis, can I talk to you for a sec?'_

'_Sure Lloyd. What's up?'_

'_When we were on the journey before ... did the Professor say anything to you about Kratos?'_

'_Lloyd ...'_

'_I just want to know if I was the only one who couldn't see something wrong with him. The Professor never liked him, but I don't know if she actually thought he had an ulterior motive ... y'know?'_

'_It wasn't really an ulterior motive ... he was supposed to take Colette to the Tower of Salvation all along. That's probably why it was hard for anyone to see what he really was ...'_

'_Yeah, but ... being part of Cruxis itself? Leading Cruxis? That's –'_

'_Raine always thought he was weird ... but more like he'd kill us all, take our money and go ... kinda weird.'_

'_Whoa, she thought that?'_

'_She though Kratos was a thug all this time, of course she did! Always offering to be on night-watch, waiting until everyone was asleep ...'_

'_Ugh ... I see your point. But still ... no one really liked him – even Colette was a little weird with him sometimes. Was I the only one who didn't notice?'_

'_I don't know that ...'_

'_I just kept trying to get closer and closer to him ... I was obsessed with finding out what made him so – but – now to know ... that he was just laughing at me the whole time? I thought he was hiding all these dark secrets, but I didn't imagine that he'd do this. Dammit!'_

'_... Raine thinks that some of the things he said ...'_

'_Huh?'_

'_She said that when he talked to you, he sounded genuine. As if he was really trying to speak with you and not at you. He never spoke to us ... he just told us what to do and how to do it, but with you it was different.'_

'_... That's stupid. Kratos – nothing he said was ... he's a dirty traitor. That's all he is.'_

'_Lloyd ...'_

'_I lost the Kratos I looked up to, but I lost more than that. I can't think about him anymore, but sometimes I just feel like I need to know.'_

'_Yeah, but we still have a chance to save Colette. Right now, that's all that matters. Kratos is gone and we're fixing things by ourselves. The Tower of Salvation ... Raine says we have to put it behind us.'_

'_But so much happened there ... Colette lost her soul, Kratos is gone, Charlotte is gone, Cruxis is-'_

'_Lloyd, Charlotte ... she's alive.'_

'_She – I ...'_

'_Lloyd?'_

'_... Thanks for talking with me Genis. I need your help right now.'_

'_... Lloyd?'_

_------------_

'Are you gonna chicken out?'

_Martel, the goddess, who does not truly exist._

'Charlotte-'

_Will is an expandable thing. What will happen-_

'... Are you really here? Are you ... really alive?'

_Only by the will of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla's people._

'Yeah. I am.'

_What will happen to that consent?_

God, I hope I am.


	75. Zelos the Chosen

thanks to the people who have bothered to review lately. i know it's easier to just read and skip off but they really do help and i appreciate everyone who takes the time to do so. it's good to hear what is well received and badly received so i know how to write later on.

short breaky chapter, just a quick relaxy thing from all the super long chapters. it does introduce zelos though.

* * *

Chapter 75 - Zelos the Chosen

'Does it fit?'

'Uh ... kinda ...'

'Let me see ... you've fastened it wrong.'

'Oh, that's why it was tight ... I was worried I'd put on weight.'

'It's alright; I tend to be rather accurate with measurements. As a physician I've studied the body rather a lot.'

'So what, you know my measurements just because of that?'

'Stand still!'

I frown as Raine fastens the back of this _dress_. No Raine, it's not a tunic, it's a freaking dress. Screw you.

It's short, too. It flares out a little – it doesn't exactly hang down loose, but that's not the point. It reaches about ... mid-thigh, and I know that sounds pretty normal, but dammit not for me. Raine asked me what kind of clothes I wanted for travelling, and told me that she'd make sure to add a personal twist on it so it wasn't completely boring (because I whine about that pointless shit and no one likes it). I just told her to get me something that's easy to move around in so I don't get uncomfortable.

And now I seem to be adopting _actual_ normal wear in Symphonia as opposed to my poor discarded hoodie from before, which consists of a dress/tunic with some dodgy swallowtail back going on, long tight gloves (apparently I've joined the half of the cast that wear gloves, and why do they have to be goddamn fingerless), and matching shoes for the dressnic. Thing.

To be fair, this thing still has a hood. I guess Raine told whatever turbo-tailor that she spent two-hundred and fifty of my gald on to stick it on.

Thankfully however, I'm not bare-legged. Because then I would force myself to walk about in my bloodied shirt and muddy trousers. I seem to be following suit of all the females in the game and am now wearing these ... weird black tights/leggings/things. Colette wears them, Sheena wears them, Presea ... well screw Presea, I don't like her.

Anyway, yeah. Visual update, woo. I know look Symphonian, and now Raine directs me to a mirror, I realise I actually look like a _girl_ for once.

'... Wow,' I say, smoothing down the front. Okay, those to swallowtail things coming out the back of the dress reach my ankles, and that is going to annoy the crap out of me. 'Well, can't say this is normal.'

'You look perfectly fine,' Raine says, handing me a hairbrush. 'Hurry and do your hair – everyone is waiting outside.'

I take it, glancing towards the small cheap vanity table. 'Um ... yeah. I think I'm going to put on a little makeup, too.'

Raine just frowns. 'In this journey, we're not going to be having any time for makeup and pleasantries. Try not to make it a habit.'

'... Professor, are you wearing foundation?'

'That's irrelevant; now hurry up before Genis has something to say.'

I roll my eyes. Yeah ... he's probably bitching me out right now regardless. 'Sure, sure.'

'Alright. Don't take too long.'

I watch her leave as she raises a hand to her face and tries to make the obvious makeup less noticeable. It's not a bad thing to want to wear makeup – I mean, the guys can't, but ... makeup just makes you feel better about yourself. If you can afford to be pretty in shitty times like this, then you might as well. I don't want to bring everyone down with my ugly face.

I quickly notify myself that I've been standing for a good minute or two and launch myself the vanity table. Okay, eyeliner, mascara, foundation, lipsti – no, forget the lipstick, eye shadow ... man, I hope I don't end up matching those gaudy bints around here. Then again, I'm just glad Tethe'alla has more makeup than Sylvarant. I've been feeling bad, I deserve to look nice. Well, as nice as I can get.

I drag the brush through my hair and frown when I realise that it's coming out kind of puffy. That's right – I washed it last night, to it's all ... eugh. Well I brushed it last night, so thank god it isn't super-duper frizzy.

'Okay,' I sigh after about three minutes of hastily putting my face on. I straighten up and smooth down the dress-tunic, straightening my long gloves, and sorting out that stupid swallowtail thing. It's annoying me already.

... Huh, my hair's gotten pretty long. Well, whatever.

I feel immediate dread in the pit of my stomach when I leave the room, closing it behind me and locking it quickly. I haven't really made an effort on my looks since I got here, so ... it feels weird now, just a little. Genis will probably rage at me for some reason or another, probably shouting about how _dare_ I try to look moderately pretty while Colette is in _danger_. He seems to be hurling that excuse at me a lot. I know he's worried about her, but geez. Can I please have a life outside your best girlyfriend forever?

I clutch the railing tightly as I descend the stairs into the small lobby. Right, I will say this now. I hope we don't meet Zelos on our way around as we get lost. Because if we do, I will just panic and hide somewhere. Not in the mood for flirty-handsome-men today.

The innkeeper gives me an odd look over the counter, probably "hey, that kid isn't all bloody anymore". Yeah, that freaked out a few people in the inn when we all came in covered in blood and bruises. Mostly Lloyd and me, because ... well, he got the shit beaten out of him at the Tower of Salvation. No one else did. Oh, they did get hit with Judgement I guess.

I flinch when the sunlight flares down from above as I leave the inn, closing the door behind me. Wow, it's almost afternoon already.

'Finally,' Genis just grumbles, and I blink away the glare of light to spot the other four in front. He takes no notice of my new look and just folds his arms. 'Can we go now?'

Raine nods, already setting off in the direction of the city gates so we can start again. Genis gives me a dirty look and follows his sister, while Colette drifts along behind him. Apparently she's following him now instead of Raine. Huh.

I look over to the bustling streets away from the inn and begin feeling slightly uneasy again. I don't know why, I suppose it's just normal to feel self-conscious when you're around so many preened and pampered people. Hell, even Raine slapped on some makeup and did her hair all nice. She spent most of the night sewing up all of Lloyd's ripped clothing too, so obviously she wants them all look borderline beautiful. She's like a perfection-mother at the moment and it's funny to listen to her shouting at Lloyd to do his hair early in the morning.

'You look ... different.'

I look up and notice Lloyd giving me an odd look.

'Well, I am wearing new clothes,' I offer, following him as he starts towards the others. 'It's not hard to miss.'

'No, I mean ... ugh, never mind.'

I snort. 'Right. Did you fix your hair?'

His shoulders sag and he groans. 'I can't get it to go up properly.'

'It looks fine.'

'It's not right!'

Wow, Lloyd is touchy about his hair. 'Uh, sure.'

We catch up with the others, who are just standing and looking around now that the streets are a lot fuller. I asked Raine, and she said thankfully that it's only the middle-class areas that are usually full. Higher-class people up there must be doing fancy stuff live having dinner parties and laughing at poor people if their streets are empty. Raine should know where to go, because she looked around last night.

'A city guard said to keep going straight,' she says after a moment of consideration, pointing directly ahead. 'Though ...'

Lloyd snaps his fingers and digs around in his satchel. 'Uhh ... ah, here it is! That letter!'

He pulls out Sheena's note to the king, giving it another look over. 'This should be able to get us in, right Professor?'

Raine grimaces at the easy-sounding option, taking the letter when Lloyd hands it to her to hang onto. 'Signatures and letters are easily forged, and the king is a very important man. It won't be that easy, I'm sure.'

Genis nods. 'That's right. And we can't show them Colette as proof that we're the Chosen's group from Sylvarant, because they're the ones that agreed to her assassination. We have to be careful.'

'We need Colette with us at the moment,' Raine sighs, glancing to the lifeless member of our party. 'Not that they'll believe we come without ugly intentions, but there's also the chance they might think we plan to counter their deeds and assassinate the king.'

Lloyd doesn't look too convinced. 'What? Why would that help Sylvarant?'

'It wouldn't,' I say. 'But people just do stupid stuff like that sometimes. It's easier to blame someone for something, even if they didn't do anything wrong.'

He frowns. 'Ugh ... this would be so much easier with Sheena here.'

'She'll be back in a few days,' Raine assures him, looking up to the plaza. 'But I'm not sure we can wait around that long.'

'Cruxis and the Renegades are still after us,' Genis mumbles, folding his arms again. 'And it's not exactly hard for them to move between both worlds.'

'The Renegades are only after me,' Lloyd says quickly. 'As soon as we find out why, we'll sort it out.'

Well, he's right – the Renegades only want Lloyd, Cruxis only wants Colette ... all that's left is us three and Sheena. Though if my memory doesn't betray me, I'm sure these guys do something stupid and make the whole of Tethe'alla's government and church shove them on their hit list. We're screwed if that happens, and I can almost feel now how scary it is while being stuck in a world you can't get out of. Oh well, at least I'm not alone.

I try to adjust my dress ... tunic thing while the others talk. Ugh, this feels weird. I'm so very used to wearing trousers, trousers, and nothing but trousers. And shirts of course, but dammit, I'm walking around in a dress and tights. No Raine, not a tunic, a _DRESS_. Granted it's light, tight around the middle to the waist and easy to move around in, but ... ugh. Still. I'm probably just making a big deal of it. I don't exactly have beautifully shapely legs. Stupid thighs.

The others finally decide to go to the plaza to look around, and I follow quietly behind while I adjust the stupid outfit. I don't need a belt on this thing because ... well, the whole thing is extremely tight down until the waist like I said, but I kinda need somewhere for my holsters to go. All our weapons are back at the inn so it doesn't look like we're about to storm the castle and kill everything. Raine still has hers, because she can't storm the castle and kill everything with a giant stick.

I gotta say, Meltokio is pretty amazing. It just looks so fancy from the giant houses and shops down to the paving tiles. It's like nothing you'd see on Sylvarant, or even on Earth. It's just so ... immaculately rich looking. On Earth everything looks so grey and industrial, but Meltokio is just so colourful and vibrant. Lloyd and Genis look absolutely flabbergasted. Raine was looking around last night, and even she still looks at awe. Well, I've had my encounters with giant cities before – these guys have had ... Palmacosta. Some shit harbour city that absolutely pales in comparison to this place.

'Whoa ...' I eventually hear Lloyd breathe when we reach the plaza. There's a couple of shopping stalls around, it's less crowded, but the architecture just gets even more lavish the further into the city you go. And I thought just the entrance was amazing.

'This city is amazing,' Genis comments, looking around with wide eyes. 'It's even bigger than Palmacosta ...'

'So this is Tethe'alla biggest city?' Lloyd asks, looking to Raine. 'Did Sheena say?'

Raine pauses. 'I don't know. Though it may well be, if this is the imperial city.'

'It's so huge ...'

'Let's keep going.'

I honestly have to hold back laughter when Genis almost trips over on his own feet when he doesn't look where he's going. You can't walk and sight-see at the same time in a place like this; you either walk, or you stand around gawking stupidly at everything amazing while all the nobles give you funny looks. "Ew, what are those poor people doing up here with us smart folk, ew" and all.

'Do you think Sylvarant will ever get like this?' I ask, but the others are still too busy gaping at everything, and Raine is focused on leading the way to the palace. When we find it, that is. It should just be straight ahead, but there are so many things to look at and distract us. What was in Meltokio anyway? There was the research academy, the coliseum I think ... or was that – no, it was definitely Meltokio.

'There are so many things here ...' Lloyd mumbles. I keep looking around for myself. There are shops, fruit and vegetable stands ... this must be a shop area, meaning the place where all the nobles and upper-class snobs live is higher up. Meltokio is a weird kind of city – the place where we're staying was on ground level, and that is just a pretty cheap place (compared to the rest of the city, I mean – it's bloody expensive to us), and the slums are further down on one side of the city in practically a dirt ditch inside the walls. The city itself seems to get higher and higher, and the richest people live at the top. It's strange, but at least it's easy. Kinda shows the slum people where they shouldn't be wondering around. The gap between rich and poor is pretty depressing.

'Can we really afford to stay in a place like this?' Genis asks. 'We don't have that much money left ... a lot of it is still at Hima.'

Lloyd's face falls at the thought of everything else at Hima, aka Noishe. 'Yeah ... as long as we don't stay around for too long. We should just talk to the king and sort everything out fast.'

Raine stops leading, turning to the others. 'I'm more concerned about what will happen if the king refuses to help. Even if he acknowledges that Colette is in danger, they have no motive to help her. To them, she is just the Chosen of Sylvarant fated to throw Tethe'alla into decline.'

'That's not her fault!' Genis exclaims, looking annoyed at the thought of someone – gasp – not giving a crap about Colette.

'Even so, why would the king even bother helping someone from another world? _Just_ because they're from Sylvarant?' I ask. 'I'm not being mean – we need to help Colette, sure – but if I just walked in there all "oh I have a problem, please help me", the king would probably just tell me to fuck right off.'

'... That's true,' Lloyd mumbles with a grim face. 'It doesn't matter that Colette's the Chosen; there's no guarantee that the king will put everything he's doing on hold to help someone he doesn't know.'

Raine nods. 'We have the letter from Sheena. That might at least give us a chance to talk to the people from the research academy like Sheena suggested. Even if we don't receive help – we could at least have them check Colette to see what could be wrong with her Cruxis Crystal.'

Genis still looks sour, but he nods grudgingly. 'Right ... we – wait, where ... where did Colette go?'

Lloyd blinks, looking to where his blonde friend once stood. No, she's not there anymore. 'Oh man ...'

'She wondered off ...?' Raine asks no one in particular. 'Then ... she most likely-'

'_HEY!'_

I jump a foot or two into the air at the sudden scream from ahead that makes a couple of people around stare for a moment before continuing on their way. Lloyd just flailed at the amazingly high-pitched shriek, and all the colour just drained from Genis' face. Okay, I officially want to punch whoever did that. I can't feel my ears.

'Okay, ow,' Lloyd hisses, touching his earlobe. 'What the hell ...'

Raine is already running over to ... somewhere, and Genis is close on her heel. Lloyd and I look over before following to see Colette some yards ahead (she must have just continued walking along all robot-y), and my memories crunch like a car-crash when I notice a rather big group of girls with her. One is on her ass after most likely bashing right on into Colette, looking rather flustered and red in the face.

Oooooh no, oh man, oh god, oh man, oh no.

'What's going on?' Lloyd mumbles, already walking over there. I try to follow him while staying exactly behind him and very close. He's my hiding place for now.

The brunette on the floor just glares up at Colette, who has made little to no attempt to apologise or show that she cares. It comes with being lifeless, I'm sure. She'd probably be dragging her back to her feet with a thousand sorrys otherwise.

'You ... clumsy hag!' the girl shrieks from the floor, and one of her finely dressed friends comes to help her up. Lloyd has to hold his ears a second time at the high-pitched shrieking, and I just shiver. Ugh, rich people. 'Are you too stupid to look where you're going!? My dress is all ruined!'

I raise an eyebrow. It has the tiniest bit of dirt on it. Ever.

'Ugh ...' she grumbles as she's helped back to her feet, and Colette remains motionless. 'Are you going to apologise!?'

'She has nothing to apologise for,' Raine says simply. 'Now-'

'This dress was five-thousand gald!' the girl harps, and Lloyd forgets to cover his ears and let's his jaw drop. Why the fuck would you buy a dress for that much? Seriously, it doesn't actually make any sense to me. Yes, they're nice, but Jesus Christ. 'Now it has a rip and has to be fixed!'

Then sew it back together yourself you lazy bitch. I don't say it; I just keep my mouth shut. Drawing attention to myself is going to be bad.

'Then ... fix it?' Lloyd offers. 'Geez, it's only a rip.'

The girl huffs and the other ... six behind her just sneer too. Damn, I can't even see the stupid rip – it has to be pretty tiny if it's there at all. 'Well, your dumb friend is paying for it!'

'Uh, no?' Genis decides. The girl's face is getting redder ... Christ, she's pissed.

'_YOU_ pushed me over!' she accuses while pointing a shaky finger at Colette to control her anger, and Lloyd once again plugs his ears. 'And _YOU_ are going to pay for i-!'

'Hey, hey, hey! Come on now ladies, don't fight!'

Ohhhhhh no.

I think, in some deep part of my brain where Charis may or may not still exist, I hear a scream.

The girls immediately quieten down, but I don't have a chance to see the certain person making his way over here due to hiding behind Lloyd and praying to god that I'm not spotted. I hear one or two of the girls giggle stupidly, and one of them swoons. Lloyd stiffens a little infront of me, and I just try to hide myself the best I can behind his back before he notices and calls me out.

'Master Zelos!'

GOD_DAMN_.

I glance to Genis, who is already giving our newcomer a disturbed look. Man, he didn't even dislike _me_ that fast.

'Master Zelos, that _wrench_ pushed me over and ruined my new dress! And you were just saying how _beautiful_ it was ...!'

I gag. Resisting the urge rather badly, I peek out a little and see what's going on.

And then snap back behind Lloyd because holy _shit_ Zelos is hot.

'Oh, that's so unfortunate ... but don't worry your pretty little head; I'll pay for it to be fixed right away.'

The girl turns a dark shade of crimson, and this time it isn't out of anger. 'Really?'

I gag once more when Zelos reaches out and brushes some brown hair away from her face. 'Of course! No woman deserves to walk around in tattered clothes, especially not my beautiful hunnies!'

'What ...' I hear Lloyd mumble, but I bite my lip and try not to say anything.

'Now are we cool? You know what stress does to you, ladies.'

I shudder at the high pitched chiming of several female voices crying out "wrinkles!".

'That's right,' Zelos says, and I look out once more in time to see him nod, turning to Colette who has still not said a word throughout this whole ordeal ... and no one from our group has until he came along, honestly. 'Now, how about we all just make up and pretend this never happened?'

Colette remains silent, staring ahead. Zelos just smirks to himself, and yet another one of his floozies swoons while the brunette seems annoyed at the attention now being shifted to us simpletons. How sad.

'Ohhh I see,' he coos, leaning down a little to Colette's eye level. I think Genis pops a blood vessel when he does, because he goes absolutely rigid. 'You must be the cute quiet type. Or are you upset about what happened?'

Yet again, nothing from Colette. Raine looks absolutely ... at loss for words at the moment, and the girls behind Zelos just grumble and mutter to themselves about Colette being rude and just completely blowing off their precious Master Zelos. Oh god wait, that sounded wrong, wait-

'You know, I don't think I've seen you around here before,' Zelos says finally after realising he won't get an answer, straightening up and adjusting his white headband. 'I'd never let such a cutie pass me by. How about you hang around with me for a while and I'll give you a personal tour of Meltokio?'

Raine coughs, clamping a hand down on Colette's shoulder and dragging her away from this sudden and flirtatious man in pink and white. 'That won't be necessary. We know where we're going.'

'Weeeell, this must be my lucky day!' Zelos says rather smugly, folding his arms. I shuffle back behind Lloyd in case he scans the area for anything else with a rack. 'Two new beautiful hunnies.'

Lloyd has to grab Genis by the back of the collar and drag him back before he can jump on Zelos and strangle him with his own headband. Raine just pulls Colette back a little more until she's safely behind, not looking too impressed at this new person acting all cocky and teasing. I still haven't got the guts to put myself out in plain view because I can probably not handle flirting from a fully grown man well. I handled it from kids my age, yes, but not from people like Zelos.

'Well, I couldn't get this cutie's name,' Zelos says, nodding towards Colette before turning back to Raine. 'How about you tell me yours, gorgeous?'

I watch Genis flail in Lloyd's arms for his kendama, and Raine just ... continues to look unimpressed.

'How about you give me your name, and I'll give you mine?'

Genis almost gets free when Lloyd's grip slackens with a snort, but he manages to keep hold of the mad little thing that's about to cast Icicle on Zelos. Because if he did, then that would probably screw up the storyline. Yes, just like that poor bear, but that bear was not the Chosen of Tethe'alla who takes pride in his nether regions, I'm sure. Anyway, back to Zelos, I take another quick look out (and am slightly thankful that Genis' constant thrashing is helping hide me) and see that he actually looks quite surprised that we – ohmygod – don't know who he is. Even his fangirls behind are looking rather surprised, besides the two who decide it's time to latch onto his arms.

'Ugh, Master Zelos ...' one of them whines, stroking his bicep. 'Don't waste your time talking to these dirty slum dwellers – they don't appreciate just how hard you work!'

Hnnnnnng. I hide behind Lloyd again.

'Now, now. All the ladies of the world, rich or poor, should have the chance to meet me. Some sooner, some later.'

I hear a shuffle and can only imagine yet another girl is latched onto him. 'But we're your special group, right?'

'Well, of course! You're my hunnies!'

Gaaaaag.

I hear Genis mumble something along the lines of "slimy ass gonna kill" and some more things muffled by Lloyd's arm, who in turn looks extremely ... fascinated. I don't blame him, I am too. Probably not for the same reasons; I'm sure he's just wondering right now how someone like Zelos could exist. I'm – well, let's not get into that.

'A word of advice,' I hear the Professor say, and I look over a little to see that there are indeed a couple of girls bunching up behind Zelos like the little fan club they are. Zelos raises an eyebrow, and Raine just frowns. 'Don't walk with your head so high. You may just trip and fall.'

A couple of the girls mutter something, but Zelos himself just laughs it off. 'Whatever you say, gorgeous.'

'Gonna kill, uugh, argh-'

'Genis, quit it!' I hiss. 'She can look after herself!'

'Oh my, I seemed to have missed one? Are there more cuties in your little entourage?'

I freeze. Oh shit, you have to be kidding me.

Apparently Lloyd hasn't noticed that I've been glued to his back for the last five minutes and immediately freaks out with Genis still in his arms. 'Charlotte, what are you doing ...!?'

Well, now I'm panicking, because all the fangirls are pouting away as a very tall and handsome man with flaming red hair comes this way this way oh god he's coming this way and past Genis and Lloyd and oh my god-

'Well, aren't you a small one!' he says as, slapping his hands down on his knees and leaning low to my eye-line, just as Lloyd drags Genis away before he can grab Zelos by the hair and beat him to death. 'Why are you hiding all the way over here, my little shy sweetie?'

I respond with an elegant 'Unnhngh.'

The brunette girl Colette managed to slam to the floor leans over to a friend of hers with bright blonde hair, giving me a scornful look while muttering something to the rest of them. I honestly feel worse when I feel a decent amount of blood rush to my face and realise I must be about as red as Zelos' hair. Which is pretty damn close right now. Seriously, I can see every sharp feature of his face and his eyes are – wait holy shit, what am I saying? Goddammit, hormones.

'Um ...' I manage. That's about it.

'You lost your voice or something?' Zelos asks, and I just notice Lloyd and Genis out of the corner of my eye staring at me utterly dumbfounded. I have honest to god never felt this awkward, embarrassed and scared for the sake of keeping grace on this journey so far at all, and now I'm standing here probably with my face super-duper crimson ... yeah. At least Genis has stopped thrashing around like a drowned cat.

'H-hi ...' I force, noting how quiet and high-pitched that came out. I'll be surprised if he heard at all, and he is ... _right there_.

I feel a gloved finger press against my nose and a short chuckle from infront. 'Cute.'

And then my brain exploded. Violently.

I jump when arms wrap around Zelos' neck, dragging him away from me forcefully. It's that chick Colette shoved. 'Master Zelos ... the rip on my dress is getting _sooo_ annoying ... and I want to look my absolute best when I'm around _you_.'

'_Yes_,' Raine snaps firmly, taking me by the arm and dragging me as well as a submissive Colette over to the two remaining men of the group. 'And we also have to be on our way. We can't afford silly little encounters like this.'

She practically places me beside Genis and ignores the burning looks from the girl latched to Zelos' neck while the rest of them hover behind like bees. Annoying, gossiping bees. Zelos just places an arm around the girl's waist, but I think I hear Genis snap with a sharp intake of breath when his hand curls around Raine's shoulder, halting her.

Ohhh man.

'Hey, don't get mad my sweet beauty. Can't you even admit you enjoyed meeting me a little?'

Raine doesn't bother turning her head, but I see her grit her teeth under her lips. Now with Lloyd's hands off him, Genis wraps his fingers tight around his kendama.

'How about you and me meet up later on, and I'll give _you_ a personal tour of Meltokio?'

Okay, I think that did it.

Genis is just the flimsiest little boy ever, but I have a hard time catching myself when he shoves me out of the way hard, staring towards the man in pink. I fall into the Professor who catches me and stumbles back a little from Zelos, and thank god she does. As well as myself, because I don't have enough time to comprehend that there are bright green runes spinning across the paving slabs below like a kaleidoscope, and there are three or four people around watching the whole ordeal.

Lloyd practically trips over his own feet trying to grab him again, but he doesn't make it. 'Genis!'

Raine leaves me on the floor, but there are already torrents of green blades soaring through the air towards a certain Chosen of Tethe'alla.

'_WIND BLADE!'_

Lloyd grabs Genis moments after, but still not in time to stop the wave of harmful magic heading right for Zelos and the girl clinging to him.

Except they're kinda not there anymore.

We just watch the wind hurl itself against a lamppost on the other side of the plaza with a deep clang, alerting everyone around who wasn't already staring. The green magic fizzes out into the air, and Genis just stares at it in some stupid daze while Lloyd joins him, hands on his apparently overprotective-little-bro friend's shoulders. Raine is only a foot or two away from her brother, and I'm just staring past Lloyd's shoulder at the two people positioned behind them.

'Hey.'

Lloyd jumps a few feet into the air in surprise when a hand taps his shoulder, dragging a disgruntled Genis with him.

'I don't know what your problem is you little brat, but you never harm a beautiful, delicate lady.'

Lloyd and the siblings stare at Zelos stood behind them, a now distraught looking brunette attached to him with windswept hair and now a _noticeable_ rip in her dress. Lloyd's jaw practically hits the ground as Zelos fixes his slightly askew headband, and the rest of his fanclub scurry over like a horde of buzzing insects, whispering and muttering about how very awesome their magical Master Zelos is.

I just stare at him from the floor, speechless. And probably, on some level I wish to keep deeply hidden, fascinated. Bastard Chosen.

'Y ...' Lloyd starts, and Genis just tears himself away and goes to his precious sister. Colette remains unresponsive (and I find it odd they have not noticed a clear weirdness about her yet), I keep to myself on the floor, and Lloyd looks absolutely bewildered. 'How did you ...'

'No offense,' comes the quick rebuttal, and Zelos takes his first glance at Lloyd. 'But I'm not interested in talking to guys.'

Ohhh, I could roll about on the floor laughing at the look on Lloyd's face and my sheer love for those words. But I won't.

Lloyd ignores the warning. 'Who are you ...?'

Zelos raises an eyebrow again. 'Wow, you guys must be from some real backwater village.'

The shorter of the two blinks. 'Are you famous or something ...?'

'GOSH!' one of the girls behind shrieks, and Lloyd freezes up again. A young woman with curly dark blue hair emerges the swarm, latching to Zelos' other arm. 'These dirty peasants are going to give me a horrible ulcer, Master Zelos. Can we just leave before they try anymore stupid tirades?'

Zelos sighs. 'I suppose you're right. I still have to get ready to meet that certain stuffy someone.'

'Which is soon!' pipes in the blonde. 'Master Zelos, you should compose yourself properly before you go.'

'True,' he mumbles, rubbing his chin while girl after girl finds a place to hang off. 'I don't suppose dear Hilda would like it if I showed up all flustered.'

As a final act of negotiation, he shoots Raine a sly wink. 'Well, I certainly hope to see you around here with your little girl friends. Hopefully without your violent attendants.'

Lloyd frowns a little, and Raine just opts to say nothing while keeping a firm grip on her brother's shoulder. I hastily get to my feet as the girls begin forcefully dragging him away, and Zelos just casts a final look to Raine and Colette.

'I'll definitely see you again, my lovely cuties.'

Apparently he doesn't find it fair to leave me out, so he just sends a quick wink my way instead of any endearment. I should be annoyed that I got a little less last-minute-flirting, but oh my god Zelos Wilder just winked at me.

I watch dumbly as he leaves with his mob of women out in the direction of the noble district, or what definitely looks like a neighbourhood of some sort. I think ... yeah, he was probably talking about going to meet the king a moment ago. He's probably gone to get ready or something, or maybe just ... I dunno, brush his hair. There is a lot of it. It's all red and fluffy and-

'Charlotte, are you okay?'

'Yes,' I say a little too quickly, spinning around to face Lloyd who is giving me yet another odd look while Raine and Genis stare after the group still leaving with awe. 'I'm fine.'

'Your face is beet red ...'

I frown. 'Well ... it's hot.'

Lloyd nods after a moment. 'Yeah ... it's way hotter here than it ever was in Iselia ...'

Whew, he bought it. Damn, if Zelos really does end up coming with us then I definitely have to try to not take his flirting to heart. I know it should be easy seeing as he's doing it with everyone, but ... I dunno; all the guys I've hung out with here have usually ended up being a complete jerk to me at one point. There's Kratos and Genis, they've pretty much always been complete douches, things are just ... ugh, confusing with Lloyd, and I've never really just had a moment where anyone has commented anything like "oh Charlotte, you look nice today", "hey Charlotte you're doing pretty well" and ... stuff. Even if it's generic and fake on most levels, it feels kinda nice for once while being here.

'... Y'know, I think that's the weirdest guy I've ever met,' Lloyd comments while Raine drags Genis off for a quick "talking to". 'I've never met anyone like that back at Sylvarant ... what was that all about?'

I shrug. 'Lloyd, I have no idea. It's Tethe'alla; we're probably going to be seeing stuff we're not used to.'

'I know, but ...' he grumbles with a frown. 'I've never seen anyone talk to the Professor or Colette like that ...'

I wave.

'Well, yeah, you too ... I guess,' he adds quickly. 'I-I dunno, I've known the Professor and Colette longer.'

I watch Raine cuff Genis' ear from afar and shrug. 'Eegh, it's okay. Well, uh ... king, I think.'

'Oh, that's right! I almost completely forgot about that.'

I roll my eyes, but I kinda forgot too. I suppose Zelos has that kinda affect on people, but it's more worrying that it also affected Lloyd. Maybe he's gay for him, you never know. Anyway, we both practically snap to attention why Raine comes storming back looking a little more pissed with her fingers clamped around Genis' ear, dragging him along. I hear Lloyd gulp from beside me, and Colette just drifts past us (oh dear god she's got her wings out again) back to Raine's side. It's weird, she's completely attached to the half-elves.

'Well, now that that's finally over with ...' Raine huffs, and Genis just stands obediently beside her, rubbing his ear with a sour look. Bless him for being super-duper overprotective of his sister and raging at the guy trying to get into her knickers, but really ... there's a time and a place for that kinda thing. It's called a dark alley. Not the middle of the street.

'Weirdest thing that's happened for a long while,' I decide, nodding. Well, except me coming back from the dead a couple of days ago, but whatever.

'Hmm,' Raine mumbles, taking a quick look the steps leading to the upper city. 'Well, let's get this over with quickly. I wouldn't mind heading back to the inn for a bath after this.'

Genis tch's. 'I can't believe that guy ... he made my skin crawl. What a jerk, being so forward like that!'

'I'm more interested in how he avoided your attack,' Lloyd comments quickly as we continue on, now trying to avoid the stares of people around now that we've made a scene infront of ZELOS the CHOSEN of TETHE'ALLA. 'I mean ... that was amazing.'

Anyone? No? Okay.

'Am I the only one who noticed his Exsphere?' I ask, seeing as Raine is going to say nothing. She just shakes her head a little, looking very much disturbed even still.

'I noticed it too ... but I refrained from asking about it. Talking with that man a moment longer and I would claim no responsibility for my actions.'

She would have probably mauled him in the face.

'Whoa, he had an Exsphere? Really?' Lloyd asks. 'So that's how he did it ...'

'Yeah, but even with an Exsphere,' I mumble with a grimace. 'I mean, I have one and I couldn't pull that shit. I'd probably just curl up and cry.'

Genis nods in agreement, and I stop myself reaching over and bashing him over the head.

'Maybe he's a trained swordsman,' Raine mutters. 'I noticed a sheath on his belt.'

I snort when Genis just folds his arms tightly, glaring at the floor in a giant mood. Don't worry Genis, you could probably take him. Probably. Okay, maybe. Maybe not really.

Genis you suck.

-----------------

'_Wassup?'_

'_Ugh, could you just go away?'_

'_Chill out, I'm just here to ... y'know, talk idly about stuff. Bond. Y'know.'_

'_Well I don't want to bond right now. Go talk to Lloyd or something.'_

'_Wow, you're being a lot more dickish than you usually are. Is it because of that Zelos guy?'_

'_Well would you be annoyed if he hit on your big sister!?'_

'_My big sister is dead, thanks for bringing that up.'_

'_O ... oh. W-well ... I'm still annoyed that he did that. He didn't even treat her like a person of her own at all! It's like he was just trying to get her to join his stupid little group of floozies!'_

'_Genis, chill. He's what we call a douchebag, just forget about it and move on. He's gone now.'_

'_But the way he acted ... and with Colette, too! Acting like he ... ugh! Colette isn't even of age, what's wrong with him!?'_

'_What? Isn't Colette sixteen?'_

'_What's your point?'_

'_Well ... isn't sixteen legal age for, uh ... how's-your-father?'_

'_What!? No! Don't you know anything about age of consent!?'_

'_Well I thought it was sixteen for, uh, doinking, eighteen for alcohol consumption, uhh ...'_

'_It's twenty-two! For everything!'_

'_Holy shit, really? Goddamn.'_

'_Why?'_

'_Uh, well, I've had alcohol in the past. I didn't know it was-'_

'_What? But you just said you thought it was eighteen; aren't you fourteen?'_

'_Yeah, well ... it's just; twenty-two is such a further away age.'_

'_And that makes it reasonable?'_

'_... Yes?'_

'_Ugh! Go and talk to Lloyd or something!'_

_------------------_

'No means no. If you keep this up, we are liable to place you under arrest for harassment.'

'But ...' Lloyd insists heatedly, now looking rather annoyed as he practically waves the letter from Sheena infront of the guard's face. 'Look!'

'Your forged notes mean nothing, and the king is extremely sick. Even if you were to hold with you the signature of the pope or the Chosen, you would still be refused entry.'

Lloyd fumes. 'But this is _really_ important!'

'More important than preserving the king's health? More important than doing all we can to put his mind at ease in hopes that he gets better? More important than worrying about what an inexperienced heir to the throne of Tethe'alla would do if the king were to pass away?'

The guard on the other side of the bigass palace doors just sighs loudly, sagging his shoulders. 'Hughes. Calm Down.'

'They endanger the king's health,' the guard grumbles, straightening back up against the wall with his spear tight in hand, casting Lloyd an annoyed look. 'The sooner they leave the better.'

His partner grimaces, tapping the visor on his helm so it falls. He decides to approach Raine, who is noticeably the oldest of our group while Genis, Colette and I just stick around near the back. They told us that they'd take care of it, but that obviously failed to work when Lloyd got all antsy and stupid about it, practically demanding an audience with _THE KING_. If I went and demanded an audience with the queen back home, I would have a bearskin hat shoved up my ass so fast. These guys have spikes on the top of their helmets, so I'm hoping Lloyd doesn't annoy them too much. It would not be pretty.

'Listen, ma'am,' the rational guard starts, standing tall and being all ... soldier-ish and professional. 'I'm going to have to ask that you take your children and leave.'

Raine resists the urge to punch the man, I can tell. Her _children_ – ouch. Lloyd is only six years younger than her, and she's wearing makeup and done herself up all pretty today. If this guy meets her outside of his job, he is so fucked.

She coughs uncomfortably. 'Then could you direct me to a person of high status that we _may_ talk to? The matter is rather urgent, and we have indeed had contact with an emissary sent from the king.'

The guard pauses in thought, pushing his visor back up. 'Uhh, let's see ... the pope is helping with the ceremony to aid the king's health ... the Chosen is to be here shortly to attend, so the next person you could talk to is probably the pastor working directly under the pope.'

The other guard nods, armour clinking a little. 'Yes, now I'll have to ask that you leave. Our shift is over soon, and I wish to visit my family in the short time I have until I am directed to guarding the city entrance yet _agai-_'

'Would you just be quiet, please?' the nicer guard asks, going back to his post while Raine does some serious inner-raging. 'No one wants to hear about your life-story. I already know a good half of it.'

'Then maybe you shouldn't have gotten promoted at the same time as me.'

'What, you're saying I shouldn't have been promoted?'

'No. Just not at the same time as _me_.'

Raine and Lloyd leave them to do some seriously silent rowing, and quickly return to us while they do so. Lloyd still looks ticked, thankfully without a spiky helmet lodged up his-

'So what now?' Genis asks. 'We can't get into the castle, and they're probably just sending us to this pastor guy to keep us occupied for a while ...'

Lloyd grumbles. 'That's right ... so are we going to have to wait for Sheena to get back?'

Raine shakes her head. 'If we could talk to the Chosen ...'

'Oh, right!' Lloyd counters, snapping his fingers. 'If we talk to the Chosen from this world, maybe they could help us get in!'

I slap both hands to my face. 'Oh my goooood you guys. It's the same thing. A Chosen isn't going to care about us if he's directly linked to the king.'

'... Okay, there's that,' scathes a now rather pissy Lloyd. 'So we're just gonna have to go and talk to this pastor guy, I guess?'

'Not particularly,' Raine says, glancing over to the small chapel linked to the palace. It must be so the king doesn't have to step foot inside the actual city in case he wants to go pray at some giantass cathedral that there might be somewhere in Meltokio. Or they could just have the tiny little church here and that's it. You never know. 'But either way, I would like to see if the two worlds have adapted different religious techniques to those taught and carried out in Sylvarant. Cruxis may be governing both worlds with the same religion, but ...'

'Yeah, I'm kinda curious too,' Genis adds, perhaps in favour of getting back on his sister's good side. I don't blame him, his ear looks pretty red even now. Raine must have knives for bones or something.

'I'm ... not,' I mumble. 'Um. I just wanna stay out here for a minute and get some air.'

'We've been outside for about half an hour.'

'I mean, like ... proper air,' I reply, turning to Lloyd who brought that up. 'Just relaxing around air, not talking to guards and walking around and encountering weird men with red hair ... air.'

Lloyd stares. 'Ooo ... kay.'

'Just go and check out the church, okay?' I suggest quickly, glancing around and spotting a bench. 'Tell me what it's like.'

----------------------------

'_Huh ... it just all looks pretty normal. Kind of like the church at Palmacosta, right?'_

'_Yeah ... hey Lloyd – do you think Colette ...'_

'_Do you think her being here might jog her humanity? I mean ... she did pray every day back at Iselia, so maybe if she feels familiar ...'_

'_I don't think it will work ... the Cruxis Crystal is a powerful thing – sheer will alone might not be able to do a thing.'_

'_Yeah, I guess you're right. There's no point reaching for assumptions until the research academy looks at her properly.'_

'_Right. I just hope the king will cooperate ... have you even read Sheena's letter?'_

'_Yeah, it just says things about what happened on the journey and why Colette's like she is now. But the only thing that might help him listen to us is saying that Tethe'alla could be in danger too.'_

'_What? How?'_

'_I'm not sure ... she wrote it discreetly; I don't think she wants to send Tethe'alla into panic right now.'_

'_That sounds reasonable. A large amount of people learning the truth about Cruxis could set off terrible things.'_

'_I'm just hoping he'll give us a chance.'_

'_I hope so.'_

'_... Hey, what about Tethe'alla's Chosen?'_

'_What about him?'_

'_Sheena said he's pretty stupid ... but maybe he could help us out?'_

'_I dunno ... the way Sheena talked about him whenever we asked – it sounds like he's pretty lazy. He might not even help, and when you really think about it ...'_

'_... He and Colette are enemies.'_

'_But they're both fighting for the good of people, so maybe he'll understand. Even if Sheena says he is stupid and selfish, we can't let more innocent people die.'_

'_Yeah ... I've lost Kratos, I've lost Ch ...'_

'_Lloyd?'_

'_... I just don't want to lose my big sister too.'_

'_But Colette's younger than you!'_

'_And? She's always been my big sister. The one that looks out for you, the one you tell your girl problems to ... come on, you know this stuff.'_

'_Yeah ... you're right.'_

_------------_

I'm not here. I'm not here. If I look at the floor then I'm completely invisible, I'm not here, I'm invisible, I'm not here.

There are three reasons why I'm not here, and all of those reasons are people. People I don't want to interact with this early, even though one of them I'll be seeing very soon and the other two ... perhaps not for a while.

The others haven't come out of the church yet, and I was about to go and check out if something might be wrong or if the pope planned an early assassination, but I got very sidetracked when I noticed a certain SOMEONE come out of the church after them and approach another certain SOMEONE who he works with, I decided to just lay low and try to blend in with upper-class society by ... sitting on a bench and staring at the floor. THEN I noticed yet another certain someone making his way towards the palace, so now it's more "try to completely disappear into the bench before he sees you". I'm aware the first two most likely know who the last person is, and if he comes over HERE then that might draw attention to ME and they'll ... kill me when he leaves or something.

Don't look this way, person number three. I'm not looking you. I'm not watching you slowly approach the palace, I'm not, don't look this way. Don't let the other two see me, don't draw attention to yourself and then drag it over here.

... Okay I think he's gone. Phew, that was-

'Heeeeey, aren't you that cutie from before?'

OH FUCKNUGGETS.

My head snaps up so fast I feel my neck click loudly, and restrain the sudden urge to flinch in pain and grab the area now blossoming some kind of terrible ache. I just sit and stare up face to face with person number three, while one and two ... thankfully haven't noticed, oh thank Christ. But still. I don't think he'll hang around long but oh my god-

Person number three, Zelos OhMyGod Wilder, leans down a little to meet my eye-line just like before while I sit paralyzed on the bench, unable to look away.

'What are you doing here all on your own, darling? Did the others ditch you and leave you here?'

It takes me a few seconds to wade past the overwhelming flirtatious tone and grasp what he said, and I shake my head quickly. Apparently I can't form proper words right now. Zelos doesn't look at all surprised or interested, but he raises an eyebrow to feign some sort of curious concern.

'Oh really?'

I nod a little. Oh my god I am such a teenager right now. I'm going to turn into one of his little groupies and he's taking advantage of the fact that I was the only one to get all flustered earlier and oh my gooooood it's Zelooooos Wildeeeeer ...

'Weeeell ...' Zelos mumbles quietly and oh man his voice is arrrrgh. 'It just so happens I have some unfortunately important business to attend to, and I don't seem to be free to keep you company! How sad ...'

Holy crap, would he actually spend time with me? Really? Well, probably not, but ... even if he's just saying it ...

'Plus, I don't think it would be fair on the rest of my beautiful hunnies,' he says with a sly wink. 'Seeing as I did just ditch them for this boring occasion and all.'

Oh. My. Goooood. Why can't I think, why can't I even think straight-

'Y'know, I never did catch any of your names,' he says quietly, lowering himself slightly to sit beside me on the bench. 'How about you start by telling me yours, my shy little sweetie?'

I swear to god my brain just went "derrrrr" and I forget what my name is. What was it? Molly? Jennifer? Chelse-

'C ... Charlotte,' I decide quickly, hating myself for how squeaky and British my voice is. 'My name's ... Charlotte ...'

'Oh really? It's cute,' he tells me, smirking. 'What about the others who were with you?'

My voice cracks and my face goes red. 'I don't ... think they'd appreciate it ... i-if I said anything ...'

Zelos frowns a little. 'Well, I'm sure if you guys are hanging around Meltokio for a while I'll manage to find out eventually. It's not like I'll let stubborn beauties like your friends slip through my fingers.'

'Um ... yeah ...' I mumble, staring at my knees. Oh god, I hope the other two haven't noticed this yet.

I feel a lot more comfortable when Zelos rises from the bench, stretching his arms back. 'Weeeell, I have important people to meet. Things to do. So sad that I couldn't stay longer – your cute friends might have come back too. Though if that little brat were with them, I'm sure I'd have some trouble.'

I laugh a little. 'Y-yeah ... just a bit.'

'So, until we meet again,' he says with a small sigh, and I'm about to lean back and let out the deep breath I've been holding in as he leaves so I can regain my composure ... but instead, I see a black and pink gloved hand reach down to my knee, scooping up the Exsphere-less hand that was resting there.

'Make sure,' he tells me lowly, leaning down slightly, a few crimson strands of hair touching the side of my thumb. 'You give my regards to the beauty with silver hair and the angel with adorable eyes.'

And he kisses the back of my hand.

He kisses the back of-

He kisses-

Hand-

He kisses my hand-

OhmygodbrainWORK-

'I'll see you again, my shy sweetie.'

My hand falls limply back to my lap as he walks off, brushing some hair behind his shoulder. I probably do not know how absolutely RED I look right now, but I'm sure I could rival the shade of Lloyd's jacket.

... Zelos Wilder, the Chosen of Tethe'alla, just kissed my hand.

I place my palm over the place where he did, watching him ascend the steps to the palace. The guards half-way through switching shifts just nod politely and the huge doors swing right open. Without a glance back, he waltzes on in. I don't expect him to glance back – he will immediately forget me when he wakes up in the morning if things don't go as planned, he'll go out with his hunnies again, he'll pick up new chicks, and then he'll probably shag one and go back to sleep.

... But he just _kissed_ my _hand_.

I breathe out that held in breath shakily. Oh man, I am _so_ stupid. I'm taking all of his fake words to heart because let's face it, I've been severely denied any feel-good tactics throughout this journey, I've been having a terrible few days, and ... and ...

... Oh fuck it, Zelos Wilder just kissed my hand and called me cute. Fuck the world. Today is officially awesome.

DAMMIT, the other two. I completely forgot.

I once again slink back into the bench, trying to drag my hair infront of my face to hide my now burning cheeks and keep holding my own hand. None other than usurper of the Grand Cardinals, future rebel of Cruxis and a certain ... fat balding man I don't care for that much are standing only a few yards away.

It's Rodyle and Vharley.

I'm honestly more worried about Rodyle, because he's the mad scientist-esque ... soon-to-be freaky monster gross thing that will attempt to kill us all and countless humans, and Vharley is just ... well, fat.

None of them have looked this way, but I try to be completely shady while checking out Rodyle. I might as well – who knows, it might help in the future for some unknown reason. He's not exactly dressed discreetly for wondering around Meltokio – he's still hefting around that massive cape I can almost remember from the game. You can barely see his fitting outfit below, and what is practically a tangled _mane_ of striking purple hair just shoots over his shoulders. Out of all the grand cardinals, he's the less attractive one. Even Kvar looked better. And that was KVAR, man.

His face, ugh ... he looks like an angry gnarled hawk. He's got a hooked nose with those odd little red glasses hand carefully on the end, and he's seems to have this eternal expression of twisted amusement. High sharp eyebrows, constant smirk ... goddamn, he's scary. Kvar scared me a lot more, but ... I have no idea what I'm up against with this guy. Last time Kratos barely survived, and he saved us all with Judgement. Even then Kvar had the strength to get up and shank me in the side.

... Ugh, I hope I can handle the future.

And in these long, worrying thoughts I fail to realise something.

While Vharley talks to a newcomer that I will later talk about, because it's ohmygodPresea, I notice Rodyle is KIND OF LOOKING STRAIGHT AT ME WHILE I STARE DUMBLY BACK.

Whatever blush remained from Zelos' visits pales immediately.

He's not looking ... anymore – he's looking at me lap, my Exsphere – he's looking at my Exsphere and he's coming this way he's coming this way HE'S FUCKING COMING THIS WAY WHILE VHARLEY IS BUSY _JESUS CHRIST-_

I don't have my guns. What if he knows I'm with Lloyd and the others – what if he knows who I am – does he notice my twisted human/half-elf/human thing going on? I was filed in Pronyma's report as a shit prisoner at Kvar's ranch, he's been stealing from Kvar himself, he knows who Lloyd and Kratos are surely, Kratos must have said something – Yggdrasill must have asked about the journey and he must have said _something _–

I can't even stand when he's closer. I can't feel my legs. Dammit I never should have looked. Oh god I'm shaking, he's looking at me over the glasses perched on his beak-like nose, he doesn't look interested or anything, he looks bored at most, but _why_ is he coming over here – Zelos, it's got to be because Zelos was – he doesn't _know_ ...

... He's like ... three feet ... away.

I clutch the bench beneath my fingers tightly. I can't look away anymore. He's right there. I can feel his presence – it's choking and thick, oh god I could just barf from the panic ...

I can't even speak to act casual.

'That's a rather disgusting contraption on your hand there,' he says simply. His voice is ... creaky – that's all I can say. He sounds like an un-oiled hinge; straining, unused ... and all around creepy.

... That's right – Vharley is the one issuing Exspheres in this world. If they're only attached to machines and certain people like the Chosen and people like Presea, then this should be rather unusual. There are not Desians and Human Ranches in this world, so they're not exactly being mass-produced. I can't just boot a random Desian and rob his Exsphere.

..._ SPEAK YOU DUMB BINT_.

'I just ... found it,' I reply quietly. My own voice sounds unusually high – much more than when I was subjected to Zelos' flirting. 'I ... I just thought it looked ... pretty. So I kept it ...'

'Hmm, hmm,' he hums, still staring only at my Exsphere glinting dully in the evening light. 'Perhaps you should consider more where you priorities lie rather than fashioning yourself to your tastes, heehee ...'

That laugh. Oh god. I can't feel my spine.

'Wh ... what?'

He _smirks_. It actually makes my head _hurt_. 'Have you been in pain lately?'

... The cramps.

'By all means, carry on. It's nice to see people suffering for their "causes", heehee ... take care.'

I watch as he leaves, heading back to Vharley and the girl with pale pink hair. Vharley has only just noticed he's gone and looks over his shoulder to see him return, and I sit in a daze. Rodyle just spoke to me and said ... something. Something about being in pain – something about the Exsphere ...

He doesn't offer me anymore glances, and I don't intend to go over there and ask him about it. He came over here because of my Exsphere; not because he might know who I am. That's good, but still ... my Exsphere is green – it's incomplete, faulty.

Wait, I'm in pain, so ... that's it – Exspheres stop pain. Is my Exsphere failing? Is it letting more pain through than it should? Is it _amplifying_ it? No, it isn't strong enough ... so is it really failing? I haven't even tried to fight lately, so I don't know ... I'll find out soon I hope, but other than that ... who else knows about Exspheres? No one I know – Lloyd and Kratos have always noticed it's green, and they've never said anything or warned me. Only Dirk would know. They go to him for Exsphere problems, so only he-

Altessa.

... Dammit, I should talk to Altessa about this when we find him. Then I'll know for sure. I can't have my Exsphere failing here – I just can't ...

The other two ... they've left; it's just Presea now. Presea and some giant heft log of wood behind her.

Okay, I'm going right back to the others – I want to be as close to them as possible right now.

I get shakily to my feet, feeling _extremely_ weak at the knees and try to ignore Presea already dragging the wood towards the castle steps. I should stop her, I really should. I just walk very slowly and carefully to the other side of the upper-class plaza, because if I fall then I'm just going to sit there and cry. I'm so confused. There are so many things happening at once – everything is trying to answer itself in the back of my head with new information. I felt good for just one minute, and now I'm back to just ... stressed and bewildered.

The others burst out of the church doors like it's some kind of action movie. They notice Presea, Raine runs over to unfold their already crafted plan while I've remained out here, Colette follows, Genis immediately hits puberty, and I just stagger over to Lloyd.

'Charlotte!' he calls, noticing me now that I'm closer. He looks over to Presea while Genis revels in his new crush beside him. 'Hey, we've figured out how to get into the castle!'

I nod, breathing carefully and now walking properly. 'Great ... that's great, Lloyd ...'

'I know! There's this girl called Presea and ... wow, you don't look good.'

I just shake my head. '... I'm fine.'

Lloyd does the same in reply, and Genis' focus doesn't switch from Presea for a second. Raine continues to try to talk to her with a still Colette by her side.

'No, you look ... did something happen? You don't look like you got much relaxing air.'

'Lloyd, I just-'

'Whoa!'

I grip his arm tightly, burying my face into his shoulder.

'... I just need a minute.'

'Are you ... hey, are you okay?'

I shake my head. 'I'm confused ...'

'H-hey,' Lloyd says quickly, obviously wanting to solve this before the others snap out of what they're doing and notice. 'Come on ... you gotta be strong, okay? We're all confused. I know you have things you need to sort out for yourself, but right now ... we're close to getting the method to save Colette, so ...'

I nod into his shoulder. 'Yeah ...'

'Just be strong ... for me, okay?'

'Yeah ...'

'I don't know if you finally realised something, but if you wanna cry or sleep or just smash things up, then I promise you can do it all later.'

'Yeah, I know ... right now, Colette-'

'I'm sorry ... but we're really close to finding out. I need to know. We all do.'

'I understand.'

I just need to know what the hell is going on.


	76. Hey, We're Infiltrating Your Castle

Thanks for the reviews, i really appreciate them :) I'm glad i managed to pull off Zelos' intro okay, thanks for the feedback. some input with Zelos' character this chapter would be really helpful, I'm having some trouble writing him lol.

read, enjoy, review.

* * *

Chapter 76 - Hey, We're Infiltrating Your Castle

'S-so, Presea ... a-are you from Meltokio?'

Silence.

'Do you live in another city ...? O-or a village?'

More silence.

'Then ... do you live on your own?'

Wow, watching this is just cringe-worthy. Even Lloyd looks a little weirded out now that his best friend has successfully hit puberty before him and is now voice-tripping violently around a certain pink-haired girl. The girl in question is now accompanying us for now, because if civilians like ourselves are caught wondering around the castle then ... yeah, we're in a lot of trouble. There are nobles walking around, but we sure as hell don't look like nobles.

Nah but really, if we just sent her back out then the guards outside would come looking for us, and then we'd get captured and DIE. Really.

Anyway, finding the king's chamber is obviously not that hard, because the castle is a pretty straight-forward castle. Y'know, servant and soldier quarters on each side, other things, and BAM, there is kingaroo straight ahead. But his chambers are like, five floors up. So we have to find out how to get up there without getting caught by people wondering around, which is going to be pretty damn hard.

It shouldn't be _too_ hard, actually. Two of our comrades are absolutely lifeless and quiet, Lloyd and I are too occupied watching Genis be an embarrassment to men everywhere, and Raine is silently leading the way. So Genis is the only one making any noises that could catch us out, but they're mostly just stutters and stammers while he asks Presea about ... god knows. It's all random crap now.

It's irresistible; the urge to tell him that she's actually twenty-eight. The same age as Kratos. It would be so funny. I would totally laugh.

'Anyone else having second thoughts about this?' I whisper as we powerwalk up an empty hallway before someone comes along. 'I mean ... honestly ...'

'There's no other choice,' Lloyd mumbles. 'Let's just ... do what we can.'

I nod. 'Yeah ... I suppose.'

'Hey, are you feeling any better ...?'

I nod a second time, deciding not to look over and just focus on the hallway. 'A little. Thanks.'

'Don't mention it. But make sure you tell me if you start to feel like you're in pain again.'

I frown. Obviously I won't. At least, not yet. When we're finished infiltrating the royal palace maybe, but I'm not about to stop us all in the middle of the hallway all "ooooh me joints, me poor joints". The only thing that would make me consider mentioning any pains I might have (which are thankfully gone for now) is the knowledge that Genis is too busy wading through the fuzzy feelings in his stomach to yell at me.

Okay I don't like Presea already, but if she can hold Genis' attention off me then she can stay forever. And Ever.

I try to focus as we sneak around, but I really do have a lot of thoughts in my head right now. Lloyd mutters something about the stained-glass windows glaring orange and red light down into the hallways that I think I was supposed to hear, but I keep my eyes fixed on the long red rug spanning the entire corridor and try to multitask. There are some things I can't think about right now ... things like Rodyle, my Exsphere, what was wrong with me and if it will happen again, if Zelos will actually come with us, if I'm slowly starting to lean on Lloyd for all my problems again without realising, if Zelos will flirt more, if something in the future doesn't happen like it should, if Zelos will flirt more, if the summon spirits go weird, if Zelos will flirt more, if Lloyd gets ill again, if Zelos will ever take his shirt off, if-

Okay Charlie, stop that. Stop that now.

'Ow!'

Raine shoots a scolding look over her shoulder when I walk into Lloyd while in thought, and she just shakes her head in annoyance and continues to lead the way Lloyd rubs his arm where I walked into him and I just give him an apologetic look. What am I supposed to say – "sorry I wasn't concentrating, I was just thinking about a certain shirtless Chosen, no Lloyd not Colette you idiot"?'

'Sorry, I wasn't concentrating,' I settle with sheepishly. '... Sorry.'

'Don't worry about it.'

Strangely enough, it's easier not to worry about it with Genis occupied instead of raging down at me. I should actually be concentrating, but it nice not having to worry about being humiliated now that Presea is here and keeping Genis busy. Again, I don't like her even now, but as long as Genis isn't focusing on making me feel like crap as much as possible. I'm not about to be all self-pity mode on everyone's ass, but I honestly don't think he has a clue about that bullshit that goes on in my head.

Hopefully being deserted on another world with no chance of getting home will give him an idea.

'Be careful up here,' Raine says quietly, still leading the way. 'I can hear voices.'

Lloyd glances to Genis to make sure he heard, but he's just staring like a lovesick puppy at Presea as she walks silently beside us, staring ahead and not offering him a second glance despite his constant attempts to talk to her. Lloyd frowns a little and turns back to Raine, rubbing his arms a little.

'I don't think the king's chambers will be completely clear ...' he mumbles, shuddering a little. 'What if we have to fight our way in?'

'Then we'll lose any chance we have of saving Colette,' Raine tells him, rubbing her brow. She must have a headache. I'm not surprised – this whole castle is just cold and stuffy and ... ugh, it's horrible. I don't like it. 'If we just storm in there, they'll see us as nothing more than otherworldly barbarians. They may have planned to have our world stay in decline forever, but ... we must be civil if we want their help.'

Lloyd nods. 'Yeah ... right.'

'At least try,' I mumble.

'I can trust Sheena,' Lloyd sighs, still gripping his arms. Goddamn it's so _cold_ up here. 'She's a nice person with a good heart ... she couldn't kill another person even to save her own world. But that doesn't mean ...'

'Sheena was not the one who issued the plan of Colette's assassination,' Raine says, peering carefully around a corner before beckoning us forward to follow quickly. 'She told me it was the royal family and the pope. The Renegades were responsible for planting the idea in their minds, but ...'

'They still agreed to it,' I finish. 'We can't really put them at fault – they were told killing one person from a whole other world would stop _their_ entire world from suffering. I've got a feeling the people of Sylvarant would do the same.'

Lloyd grimaces. He knows I'm right. 'It's so easy for people not to care about people they can't see ... maybe if-'

'No,' I tell him rather bluntly. 'Just because you guys love and care about Colette, it doesn't mean the Tethe'alla's monarchy that planned her assassination _will_.'

Oh would you look at that, Genis has just noticed my bitchy bitchness and is glaring again. I just ignore him and turn back to Lloyd.

'Lloyd you have to realise that a lot of people really ... _really_ don't give a shit. If you keep thinking that everyone is going to help us out just because you think it's right, then ...'

He just nods slowly after a moment of me trailing off awkwardly. '... Yeah. We have to think about how to convince them.'

I nod. 'Good. You can't just storm in there and tell them to care about Colette. You have to tell them why they should.'

Lloyd frowns. 'That's the thing ... why should they, other than we all love her and want the best for her?'

'Does Tethe'alla benefit from her situation?' Raine asks us, and Genis grudgingly goes back to swooning over Presea. We'll get to her in a minute, but we kind of have more important things to do right now. Like I dunno, save the world ... infiltrate palaces without getting killed – y'know, the usual stuff. We follow Raine down yet another thankfully empty hallway, picking up the pace a little.

'Sylvarant's regeneration ritual was incomplete,' Raine explains quietly, and Lloyd and I shuffle closer to hear. 'If we were to save her from her current state, Sylvarant would not be able to prosper until the next Chosen completed another journey.'

'So if we save Colette, Sylvarant will continue to decline?' Lloyd asks, biting his lower lip. 'That ...'

Raine shakes her head. 'Lloyd-'

'I wanna save Colette,' he assures her quickly. 'More than anything, I want to sort everything out and just get everything back to normal ... I want all my friends to stop suffering so much. But if Sylvarant keeps falling into decline, then ...'

'Is it about Dirk?' I ask.

Lloyd shakes his head. 'Not just Dad, but ... everyone – all the people in Iselia, Triet, Luin ... they're all still suffering. The people still in the ranches – I don't want any more people ending up like Marble and Mom ... people like Chocolat shouldn't have to suffer like that ...'

I fold my arms tightly. Chocolat is dead and they still don't know ...

'Dad lives right next to the ranch,' Lloyd mumbles. 'If Sylvarant keeps declining, if the Desians grow more and more powerful through destroying cities like Iselia and Luin ... I can't abandon Sylvarant right now. I know we have to save Colette, but ...'

'We have to save Sylvarant too,' Raine agrees with a nod.

'... I just don't want to lose anyone else.'

Raine hesitates a little, but she decides to continue explaining her plan despite Lloyd's little ... angst-fest there. 'My point being, Sylvarant will not benefit if we were to save Colette. We can't have her complete the ritual now that we have learnt far too much of Cruxis and the Renegades, even if we are still unclear of their goals. If the king of Tethe'alla were to be aware that in our current state we can do nothing to help our own world ...'

Genis manages to tear his devoted attention away from Presea for a moment, who has still made no inclination that she kind of ... gives a crap that we've just sauntered in from another world. 'Abandoning Sylvarant is bad, but saving Colette will stop us from being able to regenerate the world at all.'

'... Giving Tethe'alla the upper hand,' Lloyd mumbles. 'If Colette turns back to normal, Sylvarant has to wait for the next Chosen. Tethe'alla will be saved, won't it?'

Raine nods. 'That's all we can tell them right now. I can't put Sylvarant in danger just to save Colette, but there's not a lot we can do right now. I have a feeling Martel's vessel has little to do with the mana shifting between both worlds, so there may be another way.'

'I hope so ...' Lloyd sighs. 'Ugh, my head ... this is all so confusing.'

'Tell me about it,' I groan, rubbing my face. 'Eughhh ... I just wanna sleep it away.'

Lloyd nods, and I almost shift my attention back to following Raine and keeping as inconspicuous as possible now that we're on the third floor. That is of course, until Lloyd starts shuffling my way and dragging me over to one side away from Genis and a certain soulless chick who has joined us.

'Ow,' I tell him.

'Sorry,' he whispers. 'But ... do you notice anything weird about that Presea girl?'

I raise an eyebrow. 'What, that we've been talking about saving another world called Sylvarant because our Chosen went all emotionally-dead on us and we've somehow crossed the border to Tethe'alla in an attempt to trick the monarchy into helping us save her, and she hasn't said anything about it?'

I lean forward and look over to her, still doing a smashing job at ignoring the crap out of Genis. I straighten back up.

'Yeah, it's a bit weird.'

Lloyd nods. '... Maybe we shocked her a little?'

I shrug. 'Well, were you shocked when Sheena told you about Tethe'alla?'

'... Yeah.'

'Yeah,' I say with another nod. 'Think about that.'

'Uh ... yeah.'

I glance up at him and do a double take when I notice he's doing that stupid thing _again_. 'Lloyd seriously, what is your deal lately?'

He shakes his head. He keeps staring at me and it's annoying. 'It's nothing.'

'Then stop staring at me. Really, you've been doing it a lot and whenever I call you out on it you just say "it's nothing" or "never mind". You're making me feel like I've had food on my face the past three days.'

'Have you even eaten the past three days?'

I grimace. 'Okay, whatever. But seriously, stop it.'

He frowns a little, but looks ahead so we can follow the others again. Genis is still preoccupied with Presea, Presea doesn't care, and Raine is leading us to the next set of stairs with Colette following quietly. We're getting closer.

'It's weird ...' he says quietly. 'I keep thinking I can see something different, but when I really stop and look, I just ... can't place it.'

'If there's something different, you're the only one that's noticed.'

'... No really, did you get shorter?'

'Lloyd, fuck off.'

-------------

'_Lloyd, Genis has been talking to me.'_

'_Oh, Professor ... is something wrong? Is he okay?'_

'_He is worried about you. He says you asked him about Kratos.'_

'_Kratos ... no – I was just curious about something. It's not like it matters now. _

'_Do you miss him?'_

'_What!? No! Of ... Of course I don't – he's a traitor. A selfish, evil ... traitor.'_

'_I'm not asking if you miss the man who betrayed you at the Tower of Salvation.'_

'_... Professor?'_

'_Lloyd ... do you miss Kratos?'_

'_I ...'_

'_I detest the man who hurt you – the man with such an effect on you that you would risk your own life just to hear his reasons; not only to save a friend's body. He is the man that is making you feel this way – I'm sure you know that for yourself.'_

'_Y ... yeah. I don't know if I would have stayed if it wasn't for Charlotte ... I wanted to save her – that was the last thing I could do for her after she died. But even when that Yggdrasill guy almost killed me, I couldn't leave ... I wanted to know what Kratos was thinking. I just couldn't leave ...'_

'_That is reasonable. I don't expect you to sadden yourself over such a man and let the thought of him completely deter you.'_

'_Professor ...'_

'_But you miss "Kratos", don't you? The man who travelled with us on our journey, the man who protected you far more than he protected Colette.'_

'_Ugh, that's not true ...'_

'_Do you remember at Asgard? I almost had him leave because of it if it wasn't for you. You wanted him to stay.'_

'_... Dammit.'_

'_His reasons confuse me even now. He was paid and instructed to protect Colette from both sides – us, as well as Cruxis. But you ...'_

'_He didn't care about me at all. If he did, he wouldn't have-'_

'_Lloyd, it's not as if he chose to betray us at a point in the journey. It was always his intention. You did nothing to make him chose that.'_

'_Damn ... why did I let myself-'_

'_You didn't, Lloyd. I have told you before.'_

'_... I don't know what it was. There was something about him – I never figured it out. But thinking about it now, it was probably just amusement ... he was laughing at me with every lie I believed. I spent so much time trusting that he was in pain and that I could help him! Dammit, he's going to pay for this ... if I ever see him again, he's going to pay ...'_

'_It was strange ...'_

'_Professor?'_

'_I see it now. He spoke to us with nothing but irritated malice. He wouldn't sit and talk to us unless he was forced to. But with you, there was a difference.'_

'_Don't ...'_

'_There was softness in his words when he spoke to you. Perhaps it is just hard to believe everything he said covered a malicious intent ...?'_

'_I don't want to think about him. Not now. Everyone needs my help – I can't let him hold me back. I'll probably never see him again – I can't waste my time like this ... not when people need me!'_

'_Lloyd ...'_

_------_

'I can't believe we're about to break into the king's chamber.'

'There's only one guard ... that's strange.'

'The king's chamber. There are probably more guards inside, seeing as it's the king's chamber. We've been in this world for two days and we're going down as criminals. Oh man.'

'Charlotte.'

'What?'

'Shut up.'

I shove Lloyd harshly and go back to folding my arms as he stumbles against the wall. Raine just lets out a sigh and continues to observe from afar. Yes, we've found our way to the king's chamber after knocking several guards unconscious through the last floor. Security apparently gets pretty tight the closer you get, but there is just one lone guard in front of the doors to the room. Like I said, there are probably more inside. So we just have to get past him, and then certain death awaits. Oh boy.

'What do we do?' Lloyd asks, shuffling up closer to the Professor while Genis stays back with both soulless chicks in our party. I haven't focuses that much on Presea since she joined up with us, but I'll get around to her later. Much more important things going on right now.

'Don't knock him out,' Raine commands. 'The last thing we need is more unconscious guards on our hands. Even if we are granted an audience with the king himself, injuring his security is going to look ...'

'Odd,' I finish with a grimace. 'Especially seeing as we're from Sylvarant.'

'Yes ...'

'... So we're not just busting in there?'

I flinch when Raine, without looking back, snags Lloyd's earlobe between two fingers and harshly drags him closer.

'A-ahh!'

'No. We're not. I'm sure once they find the guards you knocked unconscious we'll be in enough trouble.'

Genis shifts uncomfortably between the two girls on both sides of him. Colette has remained utterly quiet, but the strange thing is that Presea is currently rivalling her attitude. Presea has already spoken to us in super-minimal-amounts, saying something along the lines of "yes" when asked if we could accompany her to deliver the sacred wood, so we know she's not utterly like Colette. Either way, we're probably going with the excuse "we were asked to help prepare the prayers and shit" seeing as we have Presea _with_ us, but I'm sure Genis or Raine will decide against using her as some kind of decoy excuse.

'So what do we do?' Lloyd asks, cradling his injured ear in one hand. 'We can't tell him we're here from Sylvarant ...'

Raine nods, turning to the three furthest behind. Genis is still looking pretty uncomfortable, and I really don't blame him – he's been talking to Presea for the whole duration of our infiltration, and she hasn't said a word back or even spared him a glance. I know she's borderline soulless and can't really socialize that much, but geez. Bitch much? She could at least tell him to fuck off or something and save him looking like a jackass.

'Presea,' Raine asks, and Genis just looks up hopefully now that she might answer. 'What is the sacred wood delivered here used for?'

Silence. Theeeeen ...

'Small shards of the sacred wood are used to burn a special kind of incense found only in the region of Ozette,' she relays in a monotone voice, but Genis looks pleased either way. She barely even looks to Raine herself; she just stares dead ahead and fills us in on the details. 'Both the wood and the incense contain healing properties used for nursing prayers.'

Raine nods again, folding her arms. 'We'll tell them we were sent to help prepare for the prayers. If Presea is with us ...'

Lloyd sighs. 'It's the only way, so I guess there isn't much choice. Is that okay with you, Presea?'

Her pigtails bob softly as she nods, and Lloyd frowns a little. He probably feels bad about dragging a "kid" into this. Yeah, she's twenty-eight, Lloyd. Chill out.

'I'll go with Presea and tell him that we were sent by the Pope,' Raine decides, and our new friend just walks up ahead to join her. Genis goes to follow, but Lloyd drags him back.

'Hey, where do you think you're going?' Lloyd demands, practically plopping him back down next to Colette. 'Look, if things get itchy around here I want you to escape with Colette and Presea, okay? There's no use having us all thrown in prison.'

Genis' mouth flies open in rebuttal, but any words fall short when Raine nods in agreement. 'Wh- Lloyd!'

'I'll be fin-'

I try not to laugh when Genis smacks him on the arm with his girly little violence. 'No! Do you remember what happened the last time you promised me you'd be fine!?'

Lloyd's face darkens a little at the memories, and Genis just carries on looking dutifully pissed.

'Well ... yeah, but-'

'Genis,' Raine cuts in quickly, trying to quiet him down. The guard is taking a little notice that there's some unnatural noise, and Genis immediately shuts up. 'This is different. Lloyd isn't trying to fight the leader of Cruxis alone.'

He just grits his teeth. 'But if things turn bad ...'

'Hey, I escaped from prison once before,' Lloyd reassures with a nod. 'I'll be fine.'

I roll my eyes. 'Yeah, but that was you. In Triet. Tethe'alla is really advanced, so I'm thinking maybe just Raine, you and me aren't going to be able to break out of prison that easily.'

There's a long amount of silence while Lloyd, Raine and Genis stare at me as if I'd just told them I was a man. At the most inappropriate time. Raine, after a moment, goes back to Presea and asks her one or two more things, and I'm left with Lloyd and Genis giving me the strangest looks. Christ, what did I say? Oh, that's right ... the Renegades a more advanced regardless of what world. Yeah. That's it. I don't think I'd have any trouble with any computerised locks, but that's no-

I stop my thoughts when Lloyd takes me by the shoulders, walking me over to Genis and placing me at his side before going back to where he was previously standing. I blink, glancing around at my new position while Genis does his best to ignore me.

'What?'

Lloyd raises an eyebrow. 'What made you think you were coming?'

I frown. 'Huh? I thought I was part of the hardcore half of the group. Y'know, the half that isn't always ... protected or anything.'

More silence.

'... No, you're escaping too.'

I practically stamp my foot like a little kid having a fit. I'm not pissed off that I don't get to go risk my life; I'd definitely rather be the one with the best chance of surviving, but come on! I've been pretty hardcore, right? I ... uh ... I helped kill Kvar! And the Leviathan! AND Undine! I use a gun for god's sake, that's default hardcore right there! Hell, I ... well, I haven't really thrown myself infront of anything life-threatening to save someone, but I totally would. Okay that's a giant lie; I never would, but come _on!_ I'm ... I'm cool, right?

Lloyd shifts a little. 'You can fight, I know. But this isn't like at Palmacosta or anything – these guys are giant armoured men. Not grasshoppers.'

I frown. 'I'm cool, dammit!'

'You're a dork.'

'A cool dork!'

'Dooooooork-'

'_Lloyd!'_

Lloyd just folds into Raine's side when she grabs his ear again, giving it a harsh twist. 'Be quiet!'

'She ... started it ...'

Raine offers me an equally annoyed look minus the earlobe abuse and goes back to studying the guard and wondering what we should do. By this point, it's probably easier to just knock him out and storm in there with a whole "sssstand back we're from SSSSYLVARANT" waltz. But we're not going to, because ... well, we're not.

'I'm not sure if this will work,' Raine says after another quick talk-to with Presea, and Lloyd perks up immediately. 'But storming in there is definitely out of the question. We need to stay civil, but we also need a definite way to reach the king and tell him everything about Sylvarant.'

'... We _could_ just ... give him the letter,' I offer, pointing to the guard. 'Like ... ask him to give it to the king.'

'But that would admit we're trespassing,' Genis butts in, folding his arms with a frown. I just roll my eyes.

'Then ask _Presea_ to give it to him or something. She's allowed in here, right?'

'Most likely not this far into the palace,' Raine comments quietly, glancing to the second quietest member of our group for now. 'Though ... if she is recognised among the guards, then-'

'Hey, I know I'm irresistible and all, but I don't think you're allowed to follow me into a place like this.'

Raine jumps like, five feet into the air as she's interrupted, and Genis practically falls into my side from the fear. I make sure to shove him off, and we all notice that a certain someone is standing behind us with a CERTAIN guard at his side and ohhh.

My gooood.

It's Zelooooos.

... Wildeeeeeeer.

'... Oh,' Lloyd says, first to speak with a pale look about him. 'Uh ... aren't you the guy from earlier?'

Raine composes herself rather quickly with Presea still luckily at her side, and she straightens up to both Zelos standing with one hand on his hip, and the armour-clad guard standing close behind him with his giant spear in hand. Zelos doesn't look about ready to shout "SEIZE THEM" and have the guard carry us off, but I suppose we're lucky that it's Zelos who got us first. We'll have to face the other lot later on. We _are_ trespassing after all.

'We were assisting Presea with delivering the sacred wood for the king's benefit,' Raine cooks up from our previous conversation about what she should say. 'We were told to come and aid with preparations for the prayers.'

Zelos nods, fluffy red hair slipping over his strong shoulders as he does – GODDAMMIT CHARLIE, there is a TIME and a PLACE for your hormones. The guard behind him just shifts a little with a small muffled cough from behind his helmet, and Zelos raises an arm to rub at the side of his neck. 'Uh huh. That's interesting.'

He folds his arms loosely, still managing to slap on a devilish grin. Oh god, he is not helping right now. 'Because the prayers aren't located up here. The prayers are in the church.'

Raine pales. 'I see. Then we must have made a mistake.'

Zelos gives patronizing nod, and I can practically feel Genis fume from my side. Lloyd shifts awkwardly from foot to foot, realising just how much shit we're landing ourselves in. He should really cut in with an elaborate comment to get us out of this mess, or maybe put us on an easier footing for this whole situation.

But this is Lloyd, so he does the exact stupid opposite. 'What are you doing here, anyway ...?'

'Lloyd,' I mutter, palming a weary hand to the side of my face. '... Seriously.'

Genis jumps in to save us from our slippery slope, but you can hear the distaste in his voice now that we're in a certain Chosen's presence. 'A-actually, didn't that guy say that the prayers were taking place in the church?'

Raine coughs loudly to shut him up. 'We've been to the church, but they told us that to save time, the wood should be brought directly to the palace. We were simply under assumption that they were planning to move the prayers to the king's chamber – we did not know they were going to stay with their original plan to have the prayers in the church.'

'Funny,' Zelos says scratching the side of his cheek when we're done rambling. 'Because I made that stuff about the church up. They prayers _are_ located here.'

Genis' face darkens. 'You rotten ...'

Okay, fuck it, we're caught, the guard is advancing toward Raine and Lloyd, and ... I am so not getting thrown in prison. Or running away so Lloyd and Raine can get captured for that matter. Screw you, Lloyd – I'm ignoring the hell out of you.

'Just ... tell him about the letter!' I blurt out, pushing Lloyd past Raine and right infront of Zelos. 'Christ!'

Zelos actually recoils a little at having a Lloyd shoved into his face, and the guard behind him immediately raises his spear at him. Zelly holds up a quick hand as Lloyd immediately shoves his hand into his trousers (not in that way) and yanks out the letter, handing it to Zelos. He just gives it a darkish look before taking it carefully, kinda like as if a fist were about to shoot out of it and plough him in the face. Not that it would, but it's from Sheena. You never know.

'This is ...' Zelos says, giving it a look over. 'Sheena? You guys know Sheena?'

'... _You_ know Sheena?' Lloyd retorts.

Zelos ignores him, taking half a step back to give Lloyd a quick look over. Not one of those "I'm totally checking you out" looks, mind you. That's for Raine. 'Sheena's in ...'

He snaps his fingers. 'You guys are from Sylvarant, right?'

Genis rolls his eyes, Raine just gives a small nod, Lloyd mutters a quiet "yes", and the guard ... well, I think he just shat himself to be honest.

Zelos just reaches back to clamp a hand around the back of his neck. 'Thought something like this would happen ... geez.'

Raine just gets tired of Lloyd being an awkward little idiot and grabs a ribbon, dragging him back with a choke to step up to Zelos instead. Genis has to catch Lloyd before he falls in his ass, and I just ... oh I don't know, this is all different than it usually is. In the game they just storm in, and the guards are all "well, okay then". Pretty stupid if you ask me, but hey, it's Tales of Symphonia. It's a stupid game.

'We've come here on behalf of our Chosen,' Raine says, standing tall and firm. It would help if Zelos wasn't taller and didn't have a giant guard behind him already gesturing for backup from ... somewhere. 'The information for everything is in the letter from Sheena – we need Tethe'alla's help to save her life.'

Zelos blinks. 'Your Chosen is a chick?'

After a quick indication to Colette, Zelos picks up immediately and nods. 'Ah.'

'I know it was Tethe'alla's intent to have our Chosen assassinated,' Raine explains shortly, speaking a little louder to stop Zelos "I'm totally checking you out"ing on Colette. 'But we now have no intention of placing your world in decline, and we have failed to complete the ritual. Our only goal right now is to save our Chosen – not our world.'

Zelos takes a moment for it to sink in (as a second and third guard are now backing him up and we're running out of time), and while he does that, I just ... I can't help but give this rare kind of scathing look to Raine's back. I sure as hell hope Lloyd and Genis don't notice, but goddamn. Colette's awesome and all, but I wouldn't even consider throwing away Sylvarant's chance of survival to save only her. It's stupid. Call me a bitch, but ... just no. Even Lloyd doesn't approve. And that's _LLOYD_.

'Weeeell ...' Zelos says after thinking it through for a good five seconds, rubbing his chin lightly. 'I _suppose_ I could hand this over to the king ... I'm sure he's interested in what Sheena got up to either way.'

Raine nods with a small sigh of relief, but that's just before the group of clanging armour-dudes start advancing past Zelos and right for us.

'But! I can't have you guys walking around freely,' he says, and Lloyd flinches as a giant gloved hand smacks down on his shoulder. 'We're going to have to put you somewhere until we've talked it through.'

'We?' Genis asks, raising an eyebrow and successfully ignoring to dude manhandling his sister. 'Do you work for the king or something?'

Zelos shrugs. 'Eeeh. Let's just say I wouldn't put it against you guys to put the Chosen of Tethe'alla in danger. There's no saying that you won't try and kill me off for Sylvarant.'

Lloyd ... doesn't get it. 'What ... kill you off? Why would we ...'

There's not much else to say, because Zelos is already sending a devious wink Raine's way and going back to the king's chambers, just as we're all dragged off down the hallway by three manly-man soldiers in armour, and Colette and Presea follow responsibly.

Yeaaah, life is good.

--------

'_That man ...'_

'_Is something wrong, Professor?'_

'_No Lloyd ... it's nothing. It's just – he seems rather strange, his status considered.'_

'_Status? You mean, how he knows the king and all? Do you think he works for the Renegades or something? He seems to know Sheena, though ...'_

'_... Lloyd. Haven't you realised yet?'_

'_Realised what?'_

'_Ugh, it ... doesn't matter.'_

'_Okay ... I wonder why he thought we were planning to kill him.'_

'_Lloyd.'_

'_What?'_

'_..._ Lloyd_.'_

'_... What!?'_

'_Theoretically, why would we come to Tethe'alla to kill someone?'_

'_Uhhh ...'_

'_Theoretically means "in theory", "if this could happen".'_

'_Oh! Um ... I don't know.'_

'_Why did Sheena come to Sylvarant?'_

'_To ... kill Colette.'_

'_And Colette is?'_

'_Um, our friend?'_

'_LLOYD-'_

'_CHOSEN! She's the Chosen! That's it!'_

'_Yes.'_

'_... So wait – that guy ... he's the Chosen of Tethe'alla!? THAT guy!?'_

'_Yes, that is why I am troubled. Why would a Chosen be so ...'_

'_It's weird ... now I think about it. He doesn't seem very Chosen ... ish.'_

'_No, he ... doesn't.'_

'_He doesn't seem very likeable, compared to Colette. Genis and Charlotte seem like they really hate him already.'_

'_Well, Genis is – wait, Charlotte?'_

'_Well ... yeah! I've only ever seen her that speechless and red in the face when she was fighting with Kratos, and she definitely didn't like him. I wonder why she hates this guy so much.'_

'_... Lloyd, you are truly hopeless.'_

'_Huh?'_

'_Nevermind.'_

--------

Well, not much has happened between running into Zelos outside the king's chambers and being dragged off by a bunch of soldiers. They're not keeping a very good eye on us, that's for sure. I'm positive there's like, one or two outside the door to the room we've been dumped in while Zelos and the Pope discuss the best way to off us, but really ... we could just hightail right out the window with no one in here. Sure, we're about four floors up but when has that ever stopped us? Lloyd jumped off a cliff, goddamn.

In all honesty, we're all pretty testy right now. Raine and Lloyd are just sitting on the giant lavish sofa on one side of the room, and she's comforting him about something. I think he'd rather she didn't, because he's looking a little sour. I suppose it's because we got Presea into this mess too, but like she actually gives a crap.

Speaking of the jailbait in our group, Genis is still trying to communicate with Presea via stammering and acting like a complete tit, even in the face of all this danger.

Colette, obviously being the soulless Chosen that she is, looks like she doesn't give a rat's ass about current events.

I'm pretty much confused as to why they've shoved the supposed-assassinators of the king/chosen in such a posh room complete with guest-worthy comfort, but I'm not complaining. These sofas are friggin' dandy.

Seriously though, I'm a bit worried. I'm not pissy that Zelos failed to even send a flash of a look my way through that whole ordeal (self-esteem went "HURR" but whatever), but I'm just a little panicked that ... I dunno, we actually DIE. Y'know, they're probably thinking "hey, it's the only group of people with a chance of saving their foreign world and sending our own planet into decline, effectively killing us all. HMM.". Yeah, we're logically gonna get killed here.

Though we're all together, so yay! If no one has noticed yet from my ramblings at the Tower of Salvation, I have issues with dying alone. Screw that. Not that I'm about to get knife'd and be all "oh no I'm dying hey but at least Genis is bleeding to death that-a-way", because ... well! I'm not going to. C'mon, I'm not that bitchy.

'What now?' I ask, swinging my legs over the side of the sofa. 'They might try to kill us. What then?'

Lloyd's sour look gets worse. 'We fight back, I suppose. They don't have Exspheres equipped, so ...'

'Can't we have them leave Presea out of this?' Genis asks quickly, jumping at the chance to include her in our affairs yet again as fast as he can. Or express a way to get her out of our affairs, but geez. 'It's not fair to drag her into this – even if she did help us get into the castle, it's got nothing to do with her.'

... Okay, what? I'm sorry, I know the whole "protect-everyone" vibe Lloyd spews is pretty contagious and all, but we have known Presea for the good part of ... half an hour? And She is getting more priority from Genis than I have, and I've known him and we've communicated well for the past, I dunno, three or four months? I'm not sore that Genis is being a dick to me and has a giant crush on Presea – I honestly couldn't care – but I suppose I'm just annoyed a little. I spent an assload of this journey worrying about getting the others to accept me and treat me like a friend, and am STILL worrying about it. Meanwhile, Presea comes along, is an anti-social little mute, and ... immediate praise and love?

... Oh god I can't stop myself. I just give Genis a withered look.

'God, why do you give a shit? You just met her.'

Raine and Lloyd immediately slink back into the sofa in a "so not getting involved" kinda way, and Genis just flashes me a dark look while Presea ceases to care. See, she doesn't even need defending. Calm down. I just stick with my point and shrug his cold look off, but he doesn't stop there. He just folds his arms a little like the brat he is and practically _blocks_ my view of Presea as if I'm about to kill her via-staring.

'Maybe because some of us actually take other people's safety into account, instead of just looking out for ourselves,' he snaps, and once again, Presea doesn't even acknowledge that he's defending her. 'Not all of us are selfish like you.'

I'm sure my jaw almost hits my lap, and a look that is hard to place just flickers over Lloyd's face for a moment. Raine just looks like she wants to bury her face into her hands and block out our little spat, and I ... I dunno, I pretty much just want to go over and punch him right in the face for that. I don't know if he's _noticed_ how I've been hurting myself like hell since I got here for _other people's benefit_, and ignoring all my needs for the others, but the fact I've done all that and am _still_ getting the treated like a whiny little bitch ... I'm not gonna lie, it really hurts.

Instead of crying and screaming and kicking him in his yet-to-drop manlies, I try to be civil.

'Or maybe it's because if you think that if you act like a complete lovesick idiot around her, she might actually pay some attention and give a pity kiss to someone she's known for half an hour?' I reply as calmly as I can. 'I don't know about her, but I wouldn't appreciate a needy little _leech_ who won't stop asking me annoying questions hanging around me for more than five seconds.'

Yeah, fuck being civil.

Genis looks absolutely aghast, and Lloyd and the Professor look like they still not getting involved, but still going over to his side. Raine is actually looking very disappointed in me for calling out her precious little brother and his new-found puberty, and Lloyd ... doesn't look that torn between who to side with, but he still looks a little "okay Charlotte, seriously".

'Oh come on!' I cry. 'He's been giving me gripe since I came back and you guys get on my back for _that_!?'

The other two don't exactly go "well she has a point Genis, you are a bit of a douchebag", but they just go back to "not getting involved" and slink back into their seats. Lloyd just groans and rubs his forehead.

'Guys, quit it. This isn't a good time for this,' he grumbles.

Genis still looks pretty humiliated that I called him out for being an annoying little brat to Presea, but ONCE AGAIN, she doesn't look like she gives a fudge. I don't know if she even heard or acknowledged me, but whatever. As long as I finally get to have some form of retaliation against Genis' jerkitude for once. I'm sure "suck it you little asshole" would have worked, but eegh. A big rant is okay too.

Before we can get a bitch-fight out of him and I complete with flapping our wrists at eachother, Lloyd and Raine jump to their feet as the door swings open. Zelos strolls on in (and I make sure to get my fangirl habits out of the way before the seriousness starts by swooning a little), followed by a couple of guards to protect his face and a rather ... fat man in a dress. No, I'm not high – a fat dude in a dress just walked in.

... Okay, it's a _robe_, but whatever.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the pope. He's got a pope hat. I don't know what it is about those hats that make me laugh my ass off, they just do. I laughed at a hat like that in my first five minutes of being in this world, if I remember rightly. Though to be fair, I was still completely under the impression that this was a dream. Now I'm not, but ... goddamn, it's so tall and stupid.

'Pff-' I manage before shoving my fist into my mouth.

Zelos just raises a hand in a "'sup" kinda way, and pope-dude takes the lead and ... is a pope in our general direction. His 'tache is creeping me out and I don't know why. He looks like he's about to curl it with his fingers going all "nyeh heh heh!" all ... French-villain like. God, my brain is so weird today. I blame Zelos.

'Did you read the letter?' Lloyd asks without bothering to ask who the hell he is. No Lloyd, they just sat in a circle with the envelope giggling and waving it around stupidly. That's what all officials in Tethe'alla do – it's a hoot.

'You want to save your Chosen with our technology, your enemies,' the pope says in a gruff voice, fixing Lloyd with his beady little pope-eyes. Geez, talk about eerie. Zelos just hangs around in the background, checking out Raine and Colette once again. I'd say he's got a thing for Raine, but to be fair she's the only legal one here. Colette and I are both sixteen, and apparently that doesn't cut it. Well, I'm mentally fou – whatever, it doesn't matter!

When Zelos glances over to check me out, I practically jump and just try to focus on the conversation Raine and Lloyd are having with pope-man. I've missed a big chunk of it already.

'We don't consider you our enemies,' Raine says, following on from something about "yeah, Colette's a bit under the weather and all that". 'Both our worlds are under a tiresome method of survival through no fault of the people.'

The pope just nods, and Genis shuffles closer to his sister with Presea and Colette. We kind of expect the guards to jump at her or something, so we'll play it safe.

'Do you really expect us to hand over our aid for a cause that could plunge our world into decline?' the pope asks with a pinch of malice. What a nice guy.

Raine shakes her head. 'If we save Colette from her current state, we cannot complete the regeneration ritual on Sylvarant. She has already become an angel, and only when she is restored to her human condition is she useless to Cruxis.'

Zelos nods a little, deciding to butt in and prove that he does actually have a brain. 'So if we save your Chosen, then she won't be able to regenerate your world, and Tethe'alla will continue to prosper.'

'Yes,' Raine lies. Well to be honest, there is already mana on its merry way to Sylvarant right now seeing as we released all the seals, but we're not telling them that.

Zelos just raises an eyebrow. 'You sure? You know you'll be abandoning Sylvarant if you do that.'

'I don't care.'

Goddammit Raaaaine.

Lloyd still looks iffy about the whole "yeah screw Sylvarant, Coleeeeeeette" thing. I don't really blame him – he has Dirk to think about, Iselia and Triet are destroyed because of him, Luin still needs to get rebuilt, and now he's taking a giant step towards putting them in even more danger. If we're not careful, we'll have the whole population of Sylvarant spelling out "FUCK LLOYD" while we fly overhead with Rheairds.

'Isn't this kind of a group decision?' I ask with a shrug. 'I mean, we are all from Sylvarant.'

Well not me, but I care! Kinda. Raine just sighs.

'This isn't the time-'

'Well!' I protest, thumping back down on the sofa. 'I don't want to abandon Sylvarant, but no one cares what I think.'

Genis nods, and I'm sure I go pretty red in the face. 'I don't like the idea either, but I'll go with Raine. We can't do much for Sylvarant right now.'

Lloyd still looks pretty miffed that his head won't work, but he just lets out a frustrated "eeeugh" sound. Raine just takes that as an "I want to keep Sylvarant safe but WHATEVER".

'You guys are pretty indecisive with eachother,' Zelos says, wagging both fingers between us all. 'But I suppose its fine – you're practically giving your home-world a death-sentence here.'

Lloyd slumps down into the sofa all Charlotte-esque and mumbles something angrily to himself at Zelos' wording. Raine gives the Chosen a cold look, but they continue nonetheless. They talk about ... I dunno, I'm too pissed off and morally-damaged right now. We're being pretty selfish just for one person's sake, and because so much has changed ... well, I have no idea if Sylvarant _will_ actually get saved in the end. I'm not sure why I give a crap, seeing as I have no emotional connection to Sylvarant whatsoever besides Poker back at Asgard, but really! I suppose I have to take Lloyd's feelings into account here too. Because he's my buddy and I care about him.

God, I'm such a girl.

'We ourselves aren't sure of the method to save your Chosen from the current condition,' the Pope says, giving Colette a cold look. 'Zelos, I have to return to the king to aid with the prayers. Sort out this mess.'

And with that, dress-dude gives us all an once-over and leaves without a word with a guard, slamming the door shut behind him. Zelos flinches as the bang sounds throughout the room, and Lloyd just pulls himself wearily to his feet. Poor bugger, I think he's shattered. Back to the inn after this, I think. We're definitely not setting off right away – it's too late.

'So, "Chosen",' Genis snaps sarcastically, totally ignoring the big hulky guard behind Zelos. 'Now what?'

'Well, brat,' he counters casually, folding his arms and directing his attention towards Raine. She is the group leader after all. That, and she has tits. 'It looks like you aren't going to find your answer here, so you're going to have to do some searching if you want to save your cute Chosen. If it will save Tethe'alla, then we'll do what we can to help.'

Raine just nods. 'Thank you for your help.'

'Ain't I the best?' Zelos says with a grin. 'Anyway. We can't let you roam Tethe'alla freely. Devious planning and all.'

Lloyd gives him a tired look. 'So we're gonna have loads of guards follow us around?'

Zelos shakes his head, and the guard looks pretty insulted. Aw, I'd skip over and give him a hug if he wasn't holding such a giant spear. 'No. But we're gonna have to keep tags on you either way. Looks like I'm the only reliable source that isn't busy protecting the kingdom and aiding our poor king, so I guess you guys are stuck with me.'

Genis' mouth drops. 'What!? We're gonna have to travel with you!?'

Lloyd looks like he doesn't mind that much, but he will when he realises his chance to be "group leader" is being ditched once again to make way for Zelos. Raine shares Genis' expression, but in a less obvious manner. I'm practically jumping up and down in joy – I don't know what their problem is. It's Zelos!

'Well, glad to see that some of you appreciate help when you get it,' he drawls, giving me a quick wink. Oh gawd, I hate being a teenager. I'm sure I'm the only one in the whole cast who isn't immune to Zelos' flirting. If he keeps this up then I'm in for a lot of trouble in the near future with "Charlotte that monster bit off Genis' arm, what's wrong with you" "Well I'm SORRY Lloyd but Zelos was FLEXING".

'Tethe'alla is like my backyard,' he says, going back to Raine and Lloyd. 'With me, you'll get all the help you need, and you can just forget about getting lost.'

Genis grumbles something about stuck up people, but Raine looks like she's finally coming around to the idea of having someone with us that a majority of Tethe'alla will probably kneel to on sight. It'd definitely be easier to get any help we need. Until we become fugitives and all, but let's forget about that.

'Right,' Raine sighs. 'Well, I hope that's all. We should get back to the inn and prepare to set off tomorrow. We plan on getting Colette to her normal state as quickly as possible.'

Zelos gives her a sly look that makes Genis ... well, Lloyd has to grab him again. 'I can't let you do that, I'm afraid. Seeing as I'm keeping tabs on you and all, you guys are gonna have to shack up at my place for tonight.'

Lloyd blinks. 'We have to stay with you?'

'Sadly,' Zelos sighs dramatically. 'Well, it's fine. I'll have a guard escort you there in case you get lost. You can't miss it – it's the biggest house in Meltokio.'

Genis scoffs, but Lloyd's eyes bug out of his head. 'Wow, really?'

'You'll see' Zelos replies with yet another wink, and I have to stand for a moment or two and work out if that was directed at Lloyd or not. I don't have much time to figure it out until we're being hastily lumped out of the room. Not that it was a big deal – it's not like Zelos blew him a kiss or spanked his ass or whatever.

Zelos is heading off somewhere alone, and the remaining guard just goes about escorting us out of the castle. Lloyd yawns widely to himself, and Genis and Raine try to once more converse with Presea to see what she's doing after this. I'm not about to jump in and help out – I'm pretty pissed off with those three. Genis is just a cock, Raine is being unfair to Sylvarant (for a cause, I know, but it just doesn't sit well with me), and Presea ... well, I won't lie – I'm jealous that she's said a grand total of ten or so words since we've met her, she's ignoring us all, and she's already getting more love and attention from a few certain people. _She_ doesn't have to experience the solid three months of literally worrying myself close to death, and then some.

I just fold my arms and thank my lucky stars that we have _someone_ joining us who is bound to make me feel a whole lot better.

-----------

'_Geez, something's up with Charlotte. She's completely blowing me off.'_

'_Lloyd, I don't care about her. Just leave her – she's probably being in a selfish mood for attention.'_

'_Hey, Genis ... come on, that's not cool.'_

'_Well she is!'_

'_Cut her a little slack, okay? She's really confused lately – she can't help being a little moody.'_

'_Well this isn't the time. She should be actually trying to help us all out for once instead of looking out for herself.'_

'_... What?'_

'_Am I the only one that notices!? She doesn't care about anyone else – she's just looking out for herself!'_

'_Genis, do you even ...'_

'_Lloyd?'_

'_Forget it.'_

----------

Okay, Zelos' house is hands down the largest house I've ever been inside.

We all got escorted by the same guard like Zelos said we would, which included shuffling through the upper-class district of the city and trying to ignore all the dirty looks and just plain confused stares. It wasn't too hard – Raine always looks immaculate, I'd done myself up all pretty(ish) this morning, but the others? Well, they're pretty too, but we look poor.

Anyway, we got led to a quieter and less-bustling part of the district, which is pretty nice now we can appreciate the cool evening weather. That and the giant house that belongs to a certain Chosen. It looks like Buckingham Palace, only a bit smaller. Either way, it's massive. Like, really massive. Super massive. West side massive, brap brap and all that.

The guard left as soon as we were shoved in there after ogling the house from outside for about five minutes, probably to go back and do some more palace-protecting. We were greeted pretty super fast byyyy ... Sebastian! Not much to say there – he's just your average butler-dude. He looks a lot older than I remembered though. I dunno, we didn't get much Sebastian-time in the game, but he looked about ... in his thirties? He looks about fifty, late forties. And he has a moustache, just like the pope. Not that it's significant – I highly doubt they get together on weekends to curl their 'taches and "nyeh heh heh" together. That'd just be weird.

Oooh, my brain. It's really weird today.

Anywaaay, we're waiting for Zelos to get back from somewhere, so we're all just lounging around in the ... uh, lounge. It's a pretty cosy room for such a giant mansion – kinda like an inverted TARDIS. It's just your average lounge, only higher-class to be honest – nice big navy blue sofa, a couple of plush chairs facing eachother across a table, a nice big fireplace, couple of paintings here and there of countryside and random people, vases of flowers ... it's all nice. Oh, and there's a leopard-skin rug in front of the fireplace, but I'm just hoping it's a fake. It's still got the head and everything.

Raine and Colette are sitting on the giant sofa, and Genis is just sitting quietly beside the pink-haired one with a giant red blush smacked on his face. He's actually shut up since I told him he was acting like a creepy little leech, so it's all good. I finally get some retaliation, and after the crap that he's dished out to me since I got here ... well, it's fair. So shush.

Lloyd is pacing around slowly, but he still looks pretty tired. I think he's determined to wait for Zelos to get back until he decides to go and crash out in one of his guest rooms, because ... well, courtesy and all. This is a house, not an inn. He's keeping himself busy with looking around though, and he keeps going to the table in the corner of the room stacked almost ceiling high with gifts. I'll assume they're from Zelos' hunnies or something, unless Sebastian has some major crush on him. Hopefully not.

I've just parked myself in one of the giant chairs, and am currently flipping through a small book I found on the table amongst a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. It's all confusing stuff, but I'm just using it to bear the silence. I don't really want to talk to anyone, because most of the time I'll be answered with "yaaawn", "just relax until Zelos gets back", "eat shit and die you bitch", the usual.

Sebastian keeps coming and checking on us, and after the first few times eventually got around to asking who we were exactly. Raine explained to him, and he just nodded and wandered off somewhere with a duster. All good.

After another ... ten minutes or so, we hear the giant front door creak open from the hallway. Lloyd practically jumps up like a dog whose owner has just come back from the store, probably ready to ask Zelos where the hell the guest room is so he can go and sleep.

The doors open aaaaand ... not Zelos! Some random guard. Knight. Whatever. He's carrying about three giant bags in one arm. Maybe he bought more gifts for Zelos to add to his collection.

'These are your things from the inn,' he says gruffly, dumping them on the floor beside the door. Raine just nods and gives him a slight smile while I wonder if anything valuable got crushed. Again, hopefully not.

Just as Sebastian enters once more, the knight turns to leave, not before quickly manoeuvring out of the way to – OH, here's Zelos. He just squeezes past the guard's humongous green armour and into the room, and the guard nods curtly before leaving. Zelos looks like he's about to nod back, but just shrugs it off when the guy leaves quickly, closing the door behind him. What is it about knights wanting to get back to the castle so fast? Are they having a party or something down there? Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight and all?

'Hey!' Zelos greets, holding a hand up. We all respond with a synchronised "hurrgh". We're so lively.

'I see you let yourselves in,' Zelos says to no one in particular, stretching his hands over his head. 'Well, it's fine. I can't have my poor hunnies standing around outside in the cold.'

Genis just grumbles and slumps down on the sofa all moody-like. I don't think he likes Zelos that much. Not sure why; as soon as he walked in I felt like jumping up and down and screaming, but that's me. Raine manages to pull herself up from the sofa to greet him probably, seeing as he _is_ letting us all stay here. She looks pretty tired herself. I blame the evening weather – it's all cool and relaxing, and the sky is all pink and orange. It's nice, but I'm definitely getting drowsy too. There's orange light spilling through the giant windows and everything.

'Well, it would be best to discuss what we're doing after this,' Raine says tiredly, raising a hand to her face to push back a yawn.

'Alright, alright,' Zelos says casually, striding over to the unoccupied chair and fwumping down on it, swinging his legs up to rest on the table. 'Though can we make it quick?'

Raine dismisses his rudeness and goes back to the sofa while Genis' face gets steadily redder, not for the same reason as before. I just try to disappear into the chair opposite Zelos' when he gives me a quick glance and smile. I am soooo bad at this. I'm never going to be able to have a proper conversation with him, I'm sure.

I glance up when Lloyd sits on the arm of the chair I'm occupying, still looking a little tired. Bless.

'Okay,' Raine starts, probably trying to get her thoughts in order while Zelos examines his glove. 'Well, Sheena told us to use the Imperial Research Academy, or at least the branch in Meltokio.'

'Going to the main house would be better,' Zelos tells her, dropping his arm into his lap and resting his head in his hand. 'The guys here don't know what they're doing. The Imperial Research Academy main branch is in Sybak. It's a city across the ocean.'

Raine pales. 'Alright.'

'Sooo ...' Zelos drones quietly as he scratches his cheek, giving us all a look-over. 'Introduce yourselves. I know two of your names.'

Lloyd has a kind of "oh please let one of those names be me" look. No comment.

My heart makes a leap for my throat when a gloved finger points in my direction. 'This shy little chick here is Charlotte, right?'

I go bright red and nod. Genis gives me an odd look, and Zelos just relaxes back in his chair. 'We had a little run in earlier. Cute kid.'

I think a part of my brain collapses into itself and I'm rendered unable to speak. Zelos thankfully turns his attention to the others, glancing to the only blondie in our group.

'This is Colette, right?' he asks. 'Sheena said that was her name in the letter. I suppose all Chosens are beautiful, eh?'

Genis makes a kind of "unnngh" sound and sinks further into the sofa and his folded arms. Raine just nods curtly, and Lloyd ... is still too tired to care.

'So you aaaaare ...?'

'Raine.'

Zelos nods with a grin, folding his arms behind his head. 'Raaaine. Alright then. This'll be fun.'

'If you hit on my sister,' Genis mutters darkly from behind his folded arms. 'I swear ...'

Zelos just waves him off. 'I'm sure I'll learn the guys' names sooner or later. And this little one is ... wait.'

He gives Presea a thorough check. 'Isn't this the kid that took up the lumberjack job for the palace?'

'We don't know,' Genis replies dryly. 'We're from Sylvarant.'

Zelos ignores him anyway, leaning back in his chair again. 'So I guess you guys used her to sneak into the castle?'

Lloyd wrinkles his nose at the wording. 'Well ... when you put it like that ...'

'She helped us,' Raine corrects sternly. 'And now we are paying her back by escorting her home. She says that she comes from a village called Ozette, also across the ocean.'

'Ozette!?' Zelos exclaims. 'That old place? Geez ...'

He gets a few odd looks, but he just waves it off again. 'It's a creepy little village, that's all. No biggie.'

'Hmm ...' Raine mumbles, placing a hand flat over her forehead. 'Alright then, we'll head for Sybak tomorrow morning.'

'Uh huh, uh huh,' Zelos agrees, stretching his arms over his head and pulling himself up off the chair. 'Weeell, it's been fun, but I have some business to attend to before the sun goes down. Help yourself to whatever you find in the house, use whatever facilities you want, you've met Sebastian – he'll help you out with anything you need.'

'Business?' Lloyd asks, but is quickly answered by several hammering fists on the front door and several shrieks of "Master Zelos, Master Zelos!". Zelos himself just answers the question with a smirk when realisation settles in for us all, and Raine gives him a disapproving look.

'Are you sure you don't want to stay and get ready for tomorrow?' she asks icily as he begins to pull himself up, stretching his arms over his head again.

'I'm suuuure,' he answers, sending a grin her way as he drops both arms back to his sides. 'It's no sweat – my hunnies know I'm a busy man. They won't keep me for long.'

Genis lets out a loud and totally non-inconspicuous grumble, but he gets ignored once again. Zelos sends his sister a nauseatingly fake smile.

'If you're that worried about me, you're welcome to join us.'

'I'd rather not,' she answers sharply before Genis can tear off a sofa cushion and beat him to death with it. Lloyd doesn't go about defending his teacher like Genis should be, because ... well, he looks really exhausted. That, and he's just fallen asleep. Right on the chair arm. I sigh and shuffle forward a little, grabbing his shoulder and yanking him down from the arm and onto the actual chair, getting to my feet. Lloyd just lands with a quiet 'mmph', curling up tiredly.

'I'll be back in an hour ... two hours?' Zelos offers, and Sebastian just nods from the other side of the room, duster in hand. 'Show them the guest rooms, would ya?'

'Of course, sir.'

Zelos nods, his deeds done for the day, and heads right back the way he came no more than three minutes ago. 'Oh, and if the guest rooms aren't to your liking, ladies, then my room is always available.'

Raine has to place a hand on Genis' shoulder before he explodes. 'We'll be fine, I'm sure.'

Zelos doesn't bother to answer, and is already gone before Genis can jump up and start screaming "STUPID ASS" after him. Which he does, as soon as he's sure Zelos is out of hearing range. Sebastian doesn't do much to stop his master from being put down; he just leaves out the glass doors to the back room. He's hardly gonna stroll over backhand Genis or shove the duster up his ass.

'Lloyd fell asleep,' I state when Genis sits back down, arms folded tight and red in the face. 'I'm not carrying him.'

Genis scowls. 'Just leave him there.'

Christ, pissy much? I just whip my tongue out and make a face, and Raine mumbles something about taking a nap. Sebastian left, so she just makes her own way in the direction Zelos left to the hallway. Guestrooms can't be too hard to find – they're just rooms with a bed in. I'll assume Zelos' bedroom is all pimped out with a dirty magazine here and there, so we can just avoid that.

When she's gone, I turn to Genis. 'Hey, why don't you go lie down for a while? Cool off a little.'

He frowns again. 'That guy ... what's wrong with him!? He's such a-'

'Ass?' I echo. 'Come on, it's not that bad. At least with him around, we have a good chance of getting the best help for Colette. Just think of it like that.'

Genis grumbles.

'Go on, go catch an early night or something. You look like you need it.' I glance to the other two females still down here. 'Or at least take those two up to Raine. I'm guessing we're sharing a room, so ...'

'Yeah ...' Genis mumbles, straightening up a little. 'Okay.'

I watch him walk sluggishly in the direction of the hallway, both Colette and Presea trailing silently behind him. It's a bit weird to watch – it's like a zombie conga line. When they're gone, I take a quick look around the now empty room. Sebastian is cleaning around the back room, the others have all gone to bed early, Lloyd is still crashed out on the chair ... and it's only evening still. It's not even dark yet – the city outside is still bathed in a sunset orange glow.

I clap my hands together quietly, feeling a little awkward. Okay, I need something to do. And I hate being in the same room as sleeping people. I'm not going to sit around and read, the others probably don't want to be bothered, I'm not going to attempt to make a conversation with Presea, waking up Lloyd would be mean ...

I glance out the window again. Following Zelos is definitely out of the question. I'm "underage", if you get my drift.

Ugh, I'm not tired at all. I just walk back over to the chair Lloyd has chosen to sleep on, crouching down to his eye line.

'Lloyd,' I say quietly. 'I'm going out for a while, okay?'

No answer. I place both hands on my knees, pushing myself back up.

'Be careful ...'

I just nod, heading for the hallway. 'Yep.'

------------

'_Ugh ...'_

'_Oh Lloyd, you woke up?'_

'_Genis ... where's everyone else?'_

'_Colette and Presea are upstairs. Raine is talking to Sebastian about something ... I think she's asking him about that Zelos guy.'_

'_Oh ... hey, where's Charlotte?'_

'_I don't know. I haven't seen her.'_

'_Okay ... is, um ... Zelos back yet?'_

'_No, he's still out with all those women. It's so frustrating ...'_

'_You'd rather he was here?'_

'_Well, no ... but he shouldn't be messing around like this! We're trying to save our friend – it's a really serious thing, and he's just acting like none of it matters!'_

'_He doesn't really know us ... and Colette is still his enemy. We've called a truce with Tethe'alla and all, but even so ...'_

'_Then why is he helping us save her?'_

'_Because right now, saving Colette will save Tethe'alla too. Sylvarant will stay in decline and Tethe'alla will flourish – that's what the Professor said. That's ... what they want.'_

'_Lloyd?'_

'_I just wonder if Dad's okay ... and everyone in Iselia and Triet ... they've started rebuilding Luin and all, but ...'_

'_They can hold on a little while longer – positive. We'll figure something out; don't worry too much.'_

'_Yeah, but after we save Colette, then what do we do? We're stranded in this world without the Renegades to help us, and they're after me so they can fight back against Cruxis or something ... and they're helping us save Colette to save Tethe'alla – they aren't going to help us save Sylvarant.'_

'_Well ... that's true ...'_

'_It's weird ... things have started going right, but I can't stop thinking about what could happen later ...'_

'_... Are you still thinking about Kratos?'_

'_I don't know. I can't stop feeling weird now that he's not here anymore ... I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up and we'll still be on the journey together ... but when I wake up, the first thing I think about is how everything went wrong.'_

'_... I'll make you a drink. Do you want water?'_

'_Y ... yeah ...'_

--------

Whoa, okay, Meltokio is awesome.

I'm on my merry way back to Zelos' house after having a good hour to myself out in the city. I don't have any money to buy anything, but it sure is nice to look around. There are so many shops, and unlike the game they're not all for combat reasons. I haven't seen that many weapon and armour shops, and even if I did spot one or two then they're usually near the coliseum. Makes sense – you're not going to have a gritty armour shop smack bang in the middle of the noble district. Which is where I've been spending most of my time.

All the jewellery and makeup and pretty clothes Meltokio has to offer is pretty amazing, so I've just been walking around and inspecting pretty much everything, wondering how it would look on me. I saw a pretty silver necklace with a kind of star shaped crystal emblem, and oh god I wanted to buy it so bad. Though I have a grand totaly of twelve gald on me, and the necklace was about ... twenty-thousand. Yeah, I'm a tad out of luck there. It was nice to look at though.

I haven't seen Zelos or any of his floozies around, or anyone that recognised me from earlier. I had to wonder why a couple of city guards were giving me odd looks, only to realise that YES, I'm kind of a half-elf with half-elf ears and all. They're just like elf ears, Raine said – just a little rounder at the tips, so ... I don't actually see the difference. You wouldn't even think I wasn't human at a glance – I definitely don't look like an elf. Or a half elf. They're supposed to be all fair-skinned and have light hair and eye colours and all. Me with my dirty auburn hair and dark eyes don't really cut it. No wonder no one ever mentions it.

Anyway, I made sure to have my hair pulled over my ears for the rest of the time I was out, but I've gotten back into the upper-class district, and it's thankfully a lot less crowded. It's not hard to miss Zelos' house – like he said, it's the biggest one in Meltokio. I'd have though the pope's was, but apparently he lives in the palace. Huh.

So I skip back to Zelos' mansion, thinking about that pretty star necklace and wandering if I've been locked out. Gee, I hope not – I don't want to stay at the inn on my own. It'd be scary.

'Oof!'

Oh god, I hate me when I'm not looking. I manage to catch myself and start apologizing profusely to the person I just walked into, but feel my stomach sink when I notice the person in question looks exactly like one of those rich snobbish girls that will call a guard to smack me for touching her with my unclean, working-class skin. Or something – I just get ready to have my head bitten off either way.

'Ugh, watch where you're going,' she says in a snippy voice, pushing a long lock of blonde hair over her bare shoulder. 'You almost messed up my dress.'

... Well, she wasn't as rude as that bitch from earlier today, so I guess it's all good. I just nod and apologise again in a less-friendlier tone as she smoothes down the hip creases of her long purple dress. It's a pretty dress. I want it. I'm not about to rip it off her and run into Zelos' mansion while locking the door behind me, because ... well, one) I'd fail, and two) she'd be able to get in, what with hanging off Zelos himself's arm and all.

... Oh wait.

As soon as I notice Zelos on her other side, I honestly can't help but let out a startled 'ah!'. I'm so smooth.

'You people aren't very coordinated, are ya?' he comments with a smile, and I go yet ANOTHER shade of red. Dear god, this man is going to give me sunburn. 'Well, no more tussles today, mm'kay?'

'Mm ... kay ...' I repeat quietly, and the girl hanging from his arm just flattens a hand over his bicep, inching closer. Funny, she's the only one ... I wonder where the others are. They've probably gone to bed or something – they all looked like teenagers anyway, but this girl looks about ... Zelos' age? Maybe a little older? She still looks like a floozy. Oh god, why do I care!?

'Um ...' I try, looking up to Zelos' house, which I assume is where they're heading. 'I was just coming back ...'

'Oh?' the girl ... woman, whatever says, turning to the guy she's latched on. 'You have other guests?'

Zelos' face falls a little. 'Well ... I wouldn't call them guests. They're just crashing at my place until tomorrow.'

I am like, right here Zelly. You hurt me so.

'Well, I suppose that's okay ...' she sighs, leaning into him. Christ what are you, the friggin' house maid? Is she getting it on with Sebastian or something? Zelos just wraps an arm around her waist, giving me a quick devious look. Oh my goooo-

'We're just gonna head upstairs,' he says, giving me a wink. He winks a lot. It makes my stomach fizz. 'Tell your gang that we'd prefer not to be disturbed.'

... Ohhhh shit.

I just nod after a moment, and the head for the front doors. I hesitate a little, wondering if I should just run in there, grab the chair that Lloyd's asleep on and drag it out onto the patio for a while. I'm sure Raine wants to preserve his innocence. Oh who knows – I could be exaggerating. Zelos never did anything in the game. Then again, the game was pretty PG. Oh goooood.

I burst in through the front doors all cop-drama style a few moments later, closing them behind me quickly. Okay, they're all in bed, so ... gotta go wake 'em up. Start with Lloyd, he's closer.

After taking a moment to remember which doors go where, I quietly make my way into the lounge to wake up Lloyd. Though I can't, because he's already awake. And so are the others. Well! That saved me getting lost upstairs.

'Hi!' I say, waving. They're all looking a lot livelier despite it being late, but Raine and Genis answer with yet another "unngh". Lloyd however, does wave back. I might just go over there and give him a high-five.

'Where've you been?' Lloyd asks, craning his neck back over the arm of the chair he's sprawled on to face me. 'Did you go out?'

'Uh, yeah,' I say. 'I told you.'

'I was asleep.'

'Bleh.'

Raine just coughs discreetly to stop us spiralling into a spat ending with something akin to "you're not my real mom" or something along those lines, and straightens a little against the back of the chair she's sitting in, book in hand. Wow, she's wearing glasses. Raine looks hot with glasses. I'm a girl, yes, but goddamn. She can have me.

'Was that Zelos who came in before you?' she asks, folding the corner of the page she's on down. I nod again, walking over to the sofa Genis is relaxing on and taking a seat far away from him. Not that he's gross or anything, I just wouldn't put it against him to smack me for no apparent reason.

'Yeah, he just went upstairs,' I say, giving Raine a knowing look. 'With ... y'know. A lady-friend.'

She just nods quietly. 'Alright ...'

We ignore the confused look that Lloyd is giving us, sit back, and hope for the best. Until of course I realise that this sofa is super duper comfy.

'This sofa is super duper comfy,' I relay to them, bouncing a little. 'Tethe'alla is so different. I'll bet Colette's family wasn't paid just for being the Chosen.'

Genis shakes his head with a sour look, but you know he can't deny the awesomeness that is ... this sofa. 'No ... they were given everything the needed, but nothing like this ...'

'Maybe the Chosen's family was rich anyway?' Lloyd asks with a shrug. 'There are a lot of rich people here, so ...'

'It could be a coincidence,' Raine sighs, rubbing her cheek a little. 'Though if Tethe'alla's Chosen works directly with the king, I'd say they take his status into account more than any previous wealth.'

'Spoiled jerk,' Genis grumbles. Wow, he does not like Zelos at all. Nor does Raine. I think Lloyd is pretty "meh" about it so far, and ... screw those guys, I think he's awesome.

'At least he agreed to help us out,' Lloyd decides, legs dangling over the opposite arm of the chair. 'As long as it helps us get what we need, I'm okay with anything.'

There's a sharp thump on the floorboards from upstairs. Raine and I look to eachother until a comfortable enough silence falls, and Lloyd just gives us both an odd glance.

'What was that?'

'Nothing,' we say in unison, and Raine just coughs once more, taking over. 'Perhaps it was just the floorboards creaking.'

'Oh,' Lloyd settles with, buying it for now. 'So ... what did you do?'

I realise he's talking to me after a moment, and quickly straighten up and try to think. What did I do? Oh yeah.

'I just went and looked around the shops,' I say. 'I saw this reaaaally awesome necklace; it had a crystal star on it and everything. It was so cute.'

'Why didn't you buy it?'

I frown. 'It was ... about twenty-thousand gald, I think.'

Lloyd almost falls off his chair. 'What!? Really? Geez, why is everything so expensive in Tethe'alla?'

I shrug. 'I dunno. Tethe'alla isn't in decline? They don't really need to lower prices for crops or materials or ore, right?'

'That makes no sense,' Genis tells me. 'In Sylvarant, there is scarcely anything so the prices are high. The Tethe'alla, the prices would be lower because they're not stressed for goods.'

I wrinkle my nose. 'Okay, fine. It's just expensive because it is, then.'

Another thump from upstairs. Raine shifts uncomfortably with a third cough, and I just tug softly on my own earlobe. I think Genis is catching on, who just flushes some unholy shade of red while Lloyd continues being the innocent little thing we all know and love.

'What's happening up there?'

'Nothing,' the three of us say together. Raine shakes her head. 'It must just be the floorboards.'

'Oh ...' Lloyd repeats in an awkward tone. 'Hey, Charlotte ...'

I look up, and he shifts uncomfortably.

'Uh ... what happened to the necklace?'

I stare at him. 'What? I didn't steal it or anything, it's still in the shop-'

'No, I mean ...' he points to his own neck to indicate a necklace. 'The one I made you.'

'Oh ... OH!' I cry, sitting up and grabbing at my own throat as if I was being strangled. 'It ... it should be – I never took it off ...'

My stomach sinks when I feel nothing. I shove my hand down my collar just in case. It's weird – I never did take it off, so I just completely forgot about it. I've had it on since ... Asgard, I think. When was the last time I checked? I must have been Hima ... so maybe it's still with all our stuff back at Hima? Oh, who am I kidding?

'It's gone,' I tell him, thumping down miserably against the back of the sofa. 'I must have lost it at the Tower of Salvation.'

He nods. 'I thought so ...'

Man, I feel cruddy now. Not that it was a seriously valuable thing; Lloyd said it himself, it was something he threw together the night before my birthday, but still ... he made it for me, it was nice of him, insert mushy crap here. I'm not about to demand he makes me a new one, but ... it doesn't matter.

Raine coughs a fourth time rather loudly, and we all glance towards her. Either she's uncomfortably indicated something, or she's got a sore throat. She gives me an oddly creepy smile, especially for the Professor.

'Charlotte, why don't you take Genis and Lloyd and show them the necklace you found?' she says in an odd tone, indicating that she's definitely insinuating something else.

'Because, um, it's dark,' I say bluntly. Genis, after a moment, gives me the exact same look. What is wrong with everyone today? Do they want me out of the house so they can joint-gangbang Lloyd or something?

'Yeah, we should ...' he says quickly, getting to his feet. 'I'll bet Lloyd wants to see it, right?'

'Not really,' Lloyd answers truthfully, immediately flashing me an apologetic look. I just shrug, and Genis just yanks me to my feet. Okay, ow.

'Well, we should go anyway,' he says quickly, and Raine removes her glasses with a nod of approval.

Lloyd just lets out a "bleeeugh" sound in defiance, and I'm about ready to snap my hand back out of Genis' grip to ask them why the hell they're acting so strange and trying to get us all out of the house. It's just a stupid little cute expensive necklace, it has no real importance. Raine is still trying to look convincing though, but Lloyd really doesn't want to go, so-

It hits me like a sack of bricks when I hear an unmistakably "adult" noise from upstairs.

'Let's go see that goddamn necklace!' I cheer, joining Genis in grabbing Lloyd by the arms and dragging him off the chair before he can ask what the hell that noise was. Oh Lloyd. You are so innocent; Kratos must be proud.

'What was-'

'Floorboards!' Genis answers rapidly, trying to pull up Lloyd with my added help. It's hard – Lloyd's like the sack of bricks that just hit me. I don't think floorboards sound like they're screaming "oh yes Chosen" but that COULD just be me.

After a quick ten seconds of mine and Genis' random spastic shouts of excitement to cover up certain loud people, we manage to haul Lloyd safely out of the house and into the street, where we proceed to drag him for a good ... half a minute, still chatting loudly and inconspicuously. We're getting a lot of weird looks, mostly from Lloyd, but hey. It's not our fault Kratos never finished those lessons with him back at Luin. His parents should tell him this stuff.

I suppose Raine will take over once we get back, though to be honest, it is disturbingly hard to explain this stuff to a seventeen year old. They should know this stuff by now, and on Earth, they should be DOING this stuff by now. God, poor poor Lloyd.

'I'm tired,' Lloyd whines as Genis and I continue to drag him down the street, both grabbing either hand and pulling him along. 'Can't we go back?'

'No,' I say. 'Not for a good half hour.'

Genis gives me a mortified look, and I just shrug. 'It takes really, really long to appreciate that necklace. It's dandy. Then you have to kinda ... take it all in, wave goodbye, and then we can go back and go to bed.'

Genis shudders. Poor kid.

We just continue down the darkening road, still hauling Lloyd along like a really pissed off dog that doesn't want to go out for his walkies. I'm half-leading the way, but I can't really remember where that shop was. I know it was definitely close to Zelos', because it was one of those upper-class snooty shops you wouldn't find in the normal shopping district. Not with all those middle-class people, god forbid.

'Here it is!' I practically scream after a minute of walking, brandishing my hand wildly at a gold-bordered shop window with hundreds of glittering earrings and necklaces on display. It's like some trippy night sky, it really is. Genis and I pull a weary Lloyd along to the glass window, and I stand for a moment and try to find it again while Lloyd sways on the spot and rubs his eyes with an annoyed mumble. Oh come on, now he's just overreacting.

'You sure this is it?' Genis asks, and I just wave him away. 'I can't see anything like it ...'

'It was pretty small,' I tell him, indicating with my fingers. 'But it was really cute, it was – oh, there! It's that one, look!'

I practically have to yank Lloyd forward, jabbing my finger carefully in its direction. He squints a little while he tries to pick it out, but I keep my finger in the right place. It's sitting there, nestled neatly in a velvet box among matching earrings and another couple of necklaces lined up beside it with different emblems. It's good that my ears haven't seen earrings in a long while. I need them re-pierced if I want the matching set, but they're an extra eight-thousand. Twenty-eight thousand gald for jewellery? I don't think so.

Lloyd blinks. 'Wow. It's ... pretty.'

'Sorry,' I say, turning away from the window and picking at the ends of my gloves. 'I know guys aren't interested in this sort of thing.'

'No, its okay,' he says quickly, not taking his eyes off it. 'I just ... don't get what the big, screamy deal was. It doesn't even look like it should be that expensive.'

Genis tugs on Lloyd's sleeve. 'Hey, look – didn't Colette have something like this?'

He goes to look at the new thing Genis is indicating, and I lean over also. He's pointing to a small gold bracelet with a small ring hanging off, kind of like a little halo.

'Oh yeah ...' Lloyd mumbles, straightening up a little. 'Didn't Phaidra buy it for her?'

Genis shakes his head. 'No, it was that guy ... you know, our old teacher's son? He had a crush on her, remember?'

Lloyd snorts. 'Yeah, I remember now. He asked us what kinda things she liked, right?'

'"Angel-stuff",' Genis answers with a small grimace. 'I can't believe he bought something like that for her. I know his dad was wealthy being a teacher and all, but ...'

Lloyd shrugs. 'It made her happy. That's all that mattered.'

'Yeah ...' Genis sighs. 'What happened to it? She wore it for a while, but ...'

'I think she lost it ... yeah; she went to the chapel to pray with the priests, and they all got attacked by a pack of wolves on the way back. Colette got rid of them, but she lost it ...'

Genis nods. 'Yeah ... she cried a lot after that, didn't she?'

I excuse myself from the conversation I'm not a part of, shuffling away a little. I feel awkward. I don't know why.

'Hey, it's not the expensive,' Genis indicates after a moment. 'It must be fool's gold. It's only five-hundred gald ...'

'It's still expensive,' Lloyd says with a small frown. 'Though when you compare it was everything else, yeah ...'

Genis leans away from the window. 'I, uh ... I still have my savings from Iselia. I didn't need them for anything during the journey ... and there's the rest of the money we collected ...'

Lloyd folds his arms. 'The only time I spent money was ... I think it was to buy Kratos something ...'

Oh yeah, that figurine ... he bought it for Kratos on his birthday. Our birthday, but whatever.

'Do you think ...'

'Raine will be mad.'

'Yeah, but ... when we return her to normal ...'

'... You think?'

I frown. 'Just buy it if you want. She'll appreciate it, I know she will.'

I turn away from the window again. 'I'm going back ... I'll see you guys in a few minutes.'

Lloyd gives me an odd look. 'You ... sure? You don't look too well.'

I touch my cheek. 'I'm fine. Just tired.'

'Okay ... we'll see you in a while.'

I nod, excusing myself again while they discuss and walk off in the direction of Zelos' house. He should be done with his "business" by now, so I'm sure it's safe. Even if not, I'm more mature than Lloyd, so I'll live. Poor Raine, she must be so uncomfortable. Speaking of which, I don't feel too good myself. I don't know why, and it's annoying me. I'm not ... ill or anything, it doesn't feel like that. I just feel really rough.

I try not to think about the stupid necklace that no one can afford and carry on. I don't care if Zelos has sex'd a hole in the ceiling; I can't stand being around those two when they get all sentimental and flash-backy. I hope Colette gets back to normal soon.

I make a face, folding my arms. I feel bad. Really bad.


	77. Tethe'alla Bridge Sure Is Grand

short chapter, last half written in one sitting.

* * *

Chapter 77 - That Tethe'alla Bridge Sure Is Grand

'Oh Master Zelos, don't forget this!'

'And this!'

'We packed you some things so your journey doesn't wear you out!'

'Don't run into too many monsters!'

'And don't let those simpletons touch you!'

'Haha, of course my darlings.'

I watch Genis stab his omelette that I _think_ he's carved into the shape of Zelos' face with his fork, prodding at my own. Lloyd has already inhaled the food Sebastian gave him like a starved dog, and Raine is just thumbing through yet another book with deep bags under her eyes. Colette and Presea are just ... standing, so we'll ignore them for now. They're creepy.

We can hear the shrill shrieks of Zelos' fanclub from the kitchen, even though Sebastian took the liberty of closing the giant glass door for us. Those are some really loud floozies, and they're doing nothing to stop Genis' ruthless assault on his breakfast while muttering "die you skirt-chasing ass, die" or ... something along those lines. I'm trying to stab Lloyd's hand away from my omelette, so I'm not concentrating.

'So,' I say, dunking a forkful into a puddle of ketchup on the side of my plate. 'Good stuff.'

I'm answered with yet another group "HURRGH" while the shrieks and praises continue. God knows what they're stuffing Zelos' bags with – probably pictures of themselves and half a dozen boxes of tissues. Speaking of which, none of us slept last night. If you can't guess why, you're probably just as innocent as Lloyd here, who slept like a friggin' angel. Lucky bastard.

So we've gone through our morning ritual of not looking Zelos in the face after last night, showers, breakfast, and me running to the landing, flinging myself over the banister and screaming "LLOYD, LUXURY TOILET PAPER" followed by both of us shrieking and jumping up in ecstatic joy. Dandy.

Sebastian has served us all breakfast (he had to wrestle the frying pan off Raine, seriously), so we're just shovelling it down (or murdering it in Genis' case) while we wait for Zelos to get his fine ass into gear and lead the way to the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. Which I'm quite sure made Lloyd jizz upon hearing the name – he pulled his whole "oh man I can't wait oh man" card. Still, as long as he isn't choking on his own angst, it's fine.

I just keep prodding at my own omelette. Sebastian places Lloyd's second in front of him, and it's practically gone before he can even turn away. I'm having trouble eating. Not like I have indigestion or a sore throat or I'm getting fatty fatty fat fat or anything, it's just ... weird. It all stems back to "oh god I died", so ... I won't get back into that. I just never thought I'd be able to enjoy this kinda stuff. I ate for the first proper time last night, and – I dunno, I just had to run upstairs and ... _cry_. Not mega "oh god sob those friggin' potatoes sob snivel sob", just ... eugh. I can do things I thought I'd lost. Me and my stupid self.

It's all good; I tried to finish my dinner though. We did get the awkward conversation of "whoa Charlotte have you been crying" "no Lloyd I just walked into a door like, six times", but just shove some beef in Lloyd's face and he's already choking on it too hard to answer you.

And yes, no one has talked to Zelos yet. Except for Lloyd. Who just got completely blown off. Wait, I didn't say that right either, wait-

'Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, anyone?' I try, attempting to get SOME conversation before Genis snaps and assassinates Zelos with his fork all Wonder Chef style. 'Come on, a bridge that connects continents. That's pretty spiffing.'

'There's a bridge that connects the Hima and Izoold regions,' Genis grumbles. 'They're different continents.'

'Yeah, but,' I say, shrugging. 'It's a cruddy little wooden bridge. The gap isn't even that big.'

'Have you even been there before?'

'_Yes_.' No.

'Afhin if hounds hool,' Lloyd manages through a mouthful of omelette, and Raine just thwaps him sharply on the back of the head. He swallows it quick and repeats: 'I think it sounds cool.'

'We'll see,' I sigh with another shrug. 'Just as soon as Zelos finishes saying goodbye to his posse.'

Cue more mutilation from Genis via fork. He's the next Wonder Chef in the making, he really is.

All our bags are dumped next to the front door (courtesy once again of Sebastian, who has been nothing but awesome since we arrived here), so we're all packed and ready to go. Genis and Lloyd are constantly praying to whatever god or goddess they now believe in that Raine doesn't notice the super expensive bracelet now hanging from Colette's wrist, because if she does then ... she'll probably spank Genis all the back to Sylvarant and then some. Wasting all his money like that.

... Okay fine, it wasn't _wasted_ but I'm just a sour little bitch because that diamond star necklace is still sitting all untouched and alone in the display and it's not around my neck and stupid teenage pissy rage goes here. Fine, there was a fifteen thousand gald difference, but! And fine, I'm not special enough to waste all our savings on, but! Agh.

I was however slightly happy to hear there was about ... an hour hold up with questions and checking when the shop owner had to hold up the gald Genis and Lloyd gave him and ask him what the bloody hell it was. Currency must have changed between the worlds over four thousand years, but they did manage to convince the guy one way or the other. I think gald contains actually GOLD to some extent, so ... yeah, value of some sort.

Bad news? All our money is useless here. Good news? Zelos is as rich as Bill Gates on crack. Or at least in a Symphonia sense, so guess who is bringing about fifty-thousand gald spending money? And that's apparently a tiny, tiny percentage of it. I think Lloyd had another pants-happy moment there, so if he's willing to become Zelos' bitch, then he could probably get a pair of new swords out of him, maybe some new hair gel.

Yes, I've thought about dropping the "oh Zelos, there's this really pretty necklace in a shop down there" hint, but I'm not going to. Not selfish. Not. Aaaagh.

Genis hastily folds his omelette over when the glass door slides open, and a certain someone who makes me almost choke on my omelette strides in. Seriously though, it's Zelos. He's the only one in this house that could do that. Sebastian isn't exactly a slammin' hottie.

'Well, I'm ready when you guys are,' he says, stretching. Genis just gives him a sour look, and I just resist the urge to go over there and play with his hair. I think he washed it last night – it's all fluffy and wavy and red. And it smells like fruits. Come to think of it, so does Lloyd's. Either that or I'm having a very trippy stroke.

I frown at my breakfast. I should have had a bath last night, even though I preened myself clean when we got here. I want fruity hair.

Raine and Genis are finished, now that Genis has finally finished his now deformed omelette, I'm trying to work out how to politely excuse myself from breakfast (even though I really should eat it), and Lloyd is just ... oh screw it, I pick his plate up and shove my remaining food infront of him.

'I'm not really hungry,' I say, standing with his plate in hand. 'We can leave when Lloyd is finished.'

'Hey!' he counters, already attempting to shove my omelette down his throat. Oh Lloyd, you do make me laugh sometimes.

My stomach once again sinks when Zelos gives me a fake worried look. 'Hm? Is my shy sweetie not feeling too well?'

Aaaand ... blushing. 'Uh ... no ... I'm okay. Just tired – um, I'm not really that hungry ...'

'You should eat if you're not feeling well,' Lloyd says, despite being halfway through devouring my food. I just give him a grim look.

'Maybe later on ... I feel kinda sick.'

'You're not the only one,' Genis mumbles moodily, still giving Zelos a cutting look while he isn't looking. Oh come on Genis, Zelos can't make you feel PHYSICALLY sick. Unless you're me and you appreciate his impulsive flirting, but I'm a gigantic faggot. Not that Genis isn't – he should just be more mature than that.

Raine tries to ask Zelos about what's going to happen today while ignoring the suggestive look that he's giving her. She's just asking things like how far Sybak is, if Ozette if further away, how long it will take to get Presea to Ozette, ect. Lloyd just finishes my omelette, handing me the plate which I just stack on the other one. Sebastian isn't around, so I'll just dump them in the sink or something.

'You sure you feel okay?' Lloyd asks, looking over his shoulder and giving me a curious look. 'You've been acting weird since yesterday ... and you look a little red.'

I just shake my head. 'I'm fine. I won't slow you guys down or anything, promise.'

'I'm not worried about that, you dork. I just don't want you pulling anything stupid like you did on the way here.'

I frown. 'You didn't _have_ to carry me if you didn't want to.'

'That's not – agh, you're impossible!' he decides, getting to his feet.

'Well your hair is silly!' I counter. That was lame, but I don't want to make the effort for a real insult right now. 'So ... um, has Raine noticed Colette's bracelet yet?'

Lloyd grimaces, lowering his tone. 'I don't think so ...'

I rub the brim of the plates I'm holding. 'Do you, um, think she'll like it? When she ... y'know?'

He shrugs. 'I hope so. Genis and me were gonna get her a joint gift for her birthday too, but we never had the time ... I guess this is the best we could do for now, even if it is a little late.'

I glance over to Raine still gritting her teeth through the conversation Zelos isn't making any easier, but they're almost done. I go back to Lloyd. 'Uh ... sorry.'

'For what?'

'My necklace. I lost it,' I tell him. 'I never apologized for it.'

'It wasn't your fault ... it's not like you could have done anything.'

'I know, but still ... it was really nice.'

Awkward silence goes here. God, it's always like this when the topic manages to swerve to THAT subject. Y'know, Tower of Salvation, giant sword, ow my vitals, all that. It's weird, but I think Lloyd knows more about it than I do. I think he knows something I don't ... which is probably too late to start worrying about, I guess. It doesn't really matter.

'Don't ... say anything about it, to, um ...' I glance to Zelos. 'Anyone. I don't really ... I just want everyone to forget.'

Lloyd nods. 'Yeah ... sure.'

'What are you two whispering about?'

I'm pretty sure Lloyd jumps out of his skin when Genis prods him sharply in the side, now shifting his attention over here because Raine and Zelos are occupied, and Presea and Colette are zombies.

'Talking about omelettes,' I say, flashing him the egg stained plates. 'Super yummy.'

'Yeah, that's some ... good stuff right there,' Lloyd agrees. 'It's so rare that we get to eat normal food anymore.'

'Is that why you pigged mine down?' I ask. He just nods without bothering to point out that I'm insulting him. He likes to do that.

'Are you three kiddies ready to go?' Zelos asks, looking us all up and down. Yes, we're dressed – we're not about to go saving the world in pyjamas. Which I need more of, because the t-shirt just doesn't cut it anymore. My legs get cold. Speaking of which, goosebumps come out for a rave when Zelos finishes eyeing Lloyd and looks to me, giving me an amused look. What? What did I-

'Hunnie, you don't have to wash up!' he declares, pointing to the two plates I'm holding. 'Sebastian will take care of that.'

'Uh ...' I start, and oh geez. I wish he wouldn't look at me when I'm trying to talk. 'N ... no, it's okay, um, it's our mess so-'

I'm not sure at what point his gaze finally gets to me, but the only thing that snaps me out of it is a rather empty feeling in both my stomach and hands, and an extremely ... loud ... shatter. I'm quite sure I die for a second time on the spot when the two plates I was just holding are reduced in a second to shards of china, flying in every direction on the smooth kitchen floor.

Lloyd and I back up quickly, and I think I go whiter than a redneck. 'OH GOD!'

Zelos doesn't seem fazed at all that I've just smashed two extremely expensive looking plates but oh god oh gooooood. Genis is giving me a hopeless look, Raine is too, oh god-

'I ... I'm sorry ...' I manage, feeling my throat tighten. Oh man, I just wanna die. 'I'm really sorry!'

'Don't sweat it, my darling,' Zelos says with a shrug, rubbing his neck casually. 'I've got about thirty more.'

'But ...' I try, looking from the mess of white remains of the plates on the floor to ... not-exactly-Zelos'-face. Christ, I'm shaking. 'Oh god ... I'm really sorry ...'

Lloyd opens his mouth to say something, but he's interrupted by Superman sliding open the glass door and walking in. Not really, it's Sebastian with a dustpan and brush all prepared. Same thing.

'I heard a smash,' he states simply. Wow, he really is a good butler. He must hear like a friggin' bat. I just snatch both the brush and pan out of his hands before he can go all Iron-Grip on me like he did with Raine and her crazy frying pan attempt. He doesn't do much to stop me; he doesn't look the type to get me in a headlock and yell "suck it bitch" or anything.

'I'll ... get it ...' I say, thudding to my knees next to the mess and quickly scooping it all up. I think I just pricked my legs on a few stray shards but I really don't care right now. 'Oh god ... Jesus ...'

'Hey,' Lloyd manages to get in through my minor breakdown. 'Chill out, it's only two plates ...'

Yes, but they were china and probably extremely expensive and I don't care if Zelos has a hundred more, I broke them and I'm stupid and god_dammit_ why am I so awkward. I don't relay this to them, I just keep cleaning up the white crap on the floor before someone hurts themselves. Yes, I'm pretty sure my legs are bleeding in at least two small places, but it's not that bad.

I finally straighten up after a moment of extremely thick silence, two plates masquerading as a messy white clusterfuck now neatly dusted up into the pan, which Sebastian carefully takes off me before I flip and drop it all everywhere. I try not to look at anyone, setting the brush down on the table. I will never live this down. Yes, it's a pretty generic thing to do, but they were expensive and it's _Zelooos Wildeeeer_.

The clinking of the shards hitting the bottom of the dustbin finally break the silence, and I look up a little.

'... Sorry, Zelos.'

God, he probably thinks I'm batshit insane. An absolute nutcase. A mentally-challenged idio-

I feel a gloved finger press against my nose, and a now familiar smell of fruit. 'You're cute.'

And ... there goes the rest of my brain. Seriously, I think it just popped a fuse. Maybe five.

While I try to get myself together after ... _that_, Zelos just straightens up and turns to Sebastian, saying something about him taking care of the house. He nods obediently, and everyone has finally dismissed the fact that I'm a giant walking mess of awkwardness and hormones. Well, most of them; Lloyd is still looking at me as though I've got a growth on my head spelling out "fuck you" or something.

Presea and Colette, oblivious to the whole thing just come wandering over. Zelos nods now that we're all together, including Sebastian now dusting up some shards that I missed. God, I love that man.

'Okay my hunnies, we're gonna have to walk to the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge,' he says, already leading us away with an arm around Colette's shoulders, and one inching for Presea. Genis has some inner-meltdown, but we just leave him to it while he runs after his newfound crush before Zelos can get to her. 'It's only about a half-hour walk though, so we should be fine.'

Raine says something about monsters, but the rest of it is hard to hear seeing as I'm still and big blushing dangerzone. I just rub both hands over my face, thankful that Sebastian has taken his leave also. Geez ... at least I won't be able to break any expensive things in the middle of nowhere. Who knows, the whole Tethe'alla Bridge might just collapse when I step on it. I'm so uncomfortable ...

'Hey.'

I glance up to Lloyd who finally isn't looking at me like I'm a nutjob. 'What?'

'Just ... chill out a little, okay?' he tells me. 'Ever since you ...'

'Yeah ...'

'Ever since then, you've been ... really weird.'

I make a face. 'I don't know. I've been trying to be more like everyone else ... I guess. Be more selfless? I don't know ...'

'You don't have to be ...' Lloyd mumbles. 'If it gets you this ... stressed, then just forget it. Stop beating yourself up over what Genis thinks, or what the others might think.'

I glance over to where the others just left. 'What do you think?'

'I think you're a dork,' he says, giving my temple a sharp poke. 'But c'mon ... just be Charlotte again.'

'I'm still Charlotte,' I insist. 'Now I'm just Charlotte the Big Embarrassing Mess. Lloyd, I can't do anything right lately ...'

'You'll get it,' he says, giving my shoulder a soft slap as he walks past. 'Come on, the others are waiting.'

When he's out of earshot, I clench my fists tightly and gnaw my lower lip. '... Gawd, you're so stupid.'

----------------

'_Zelos, do you use a sword?'_

'_Sure do. You're looking at the best swordsman in Tethe'alla.'_

'_Uh huh, I'm sure. Are you any good?'_

'_... What did I just say? You're gonna have to remind me of your name so I can insult you.'_

'_Wha? It's Lloyd, but-'_

'_Well then, Lloyd! I don't know about you and your bumpkin friends back at Sylvarant-'_

'_Hey!'_

'_-But here, a Chosen is taught how to fight and defend himself. What if an assassin come in and tries to kill me in the night?'_

'_Whoa, that happens!? Come to think of it, someone did try and kill us when we were asleep during the journey ...'_

'_See? There are a lot of people who don't like the Chosen. Though by the looks of Colette, I'd guess you guys have been protecting her rather than letting her learn how to protect herself.'_

'_Well, that's not really true! Colette's a good fighter. She's kicked my ass once or twice.'_

'_Oh really?'_

'_... Okay a little more than that, but she can take care of herself. We're here in case something bad happens.'_

'_See, I don't enjoy the thought of big hulking soldiers in my bedroom at night. So I've learnt how to protect myself.'_

'_Huh ... so, do you wanna spar some time?'_

'_What, and mess up my hair? Are you kidding?'_

'_Gah!'_

'_Chill, I'm just yanking your chain. Prepare to have you ass royally handed to you by the great and invincible Zelos.'_

'_Eugh ... on second thought ...'_

_--------_

Maybe I'm allergic to Tethe'alla or something, but it seems that whenever I leave a city or am in the open, my body just decides "bugger this" and rebels on me. It could be nothing, or maybe it was the omelette that I didn't eat, but I've got really bad stomach pains. Not _that_ bad, like ... I'm not writhing around on the floor or begging someone to carry me, but they're just hunger-pangs. I'm not going to ask anyone for food, because then it will make me feel like a big fat fatty. I'm sure I've lost the weight I was aiming for as a new year's resolution before I came here, but whatever! I'm not about to put it back on.

We've been walking for about ... twenty minutes, because apparently letting those DIRTY HICKS from Sylvarant rent a wagon just wasn't going to happen. Super shame, but it's got everyone talking. By talking I mean Raine trying to block out Zelos' constant flirting, Genis crushing any remaining self-esteem he has with Presea continuously ignoring his awkward stuttering, and the other three of us just following quietly. S'all good.

Lloyd has tried to spark a conversation several times with Zelos, always being answered with "you lack sufficient breasts, go away" or something to that extent. Clearly Lloyd's only option is to either grow man-boobs or talk to me. Which he is doing neither of, but I don't care, I'm not up for a conversation anyway.

... Okay screw it, something just got my interest anyway. 'Hey Lloyd, I can see the bridge.'

He snaps out of his current hobby of watching Genis destroy his own manhood, looking to me and then to the horizon. Sure enough, a giant structure has started to come into view. We're not that far now, so I guess no one bothered to say anything. Zelos is busy flirting, Raine is busy ignoring said flirting, Genis is busy trying to flirt, Presea is busy ignoring _that_ flirting, Colette is still a zombie and Lloyd and I are just losing our will to live right here.

'Oh yeah ... it looks really big.'

I expect Zelos to turn around and make some suggestive joke, but no such luck. I really think he has a thing for Raine or something.

'Yeah ...' I say, standing on my toes and peering close. 'It's really ...'

He looks to me again. 'You okay?'

I make a face. 'Yeah ... just kinda hungry.'

'Oh ... you want an apple?'

I blink. 'What?'

Lloyd digs around in the satchel hanging from his hip. 'I grabbed some fruit from Zelos' house before we left ... I'm getting tired of living off rice and dry noodles.'

I laugh a little. 'Yeah ... but I suppose it makes it all the more nicer when we do actually get real food.'

Lloyd nods, finally yanking out one bigass red apple. He gives it a quick rub on the heel of his hand before throwing it over. 'Catch.'

I do. Awkwardly. 'Thanks, Lloyd.'

'Don't mention it.'

I take a bite. Mm, juicy. 'You rob anything else?'

'Uhhh ...' Lloyd mumbles, going back to his small bag before Zelos can realise that his fridge has been raided. Or ... whatever he uses to keep food cold. 'An orange ... a banana ...'

He pulls out something small and brown. 'Not sure what this is, but I got it anyway.'

'It's a kiwi,' I tell him. 'They're pretty nice.'

'Oh ... I've never tried one.'

'Smell your hair,' I say. 'That's what it smells like.'

Lloyd stares. 'What?'

I just continue to nom at my apple. 'You've been using the shampoo from Zelos' house, right? That's strawberry and kiwi, so it might smell the same.'

'... Huh.'

I pause, taking another bite. 'We have some really weird conversations sometimes.'

Lloyd and me just eat fruit and talk about all the luxuries we miss while we're on the road, like regular baths and having proper food. The thing I miss the most is definitely shampoo, which I really should have just doused my hair in while we were at Zelos. It smells like second-rate shampoo they had running out at the inn, while both Lloyd and Zelos have beautiful shimmering hair that smells like a friggin tropical grocery store. If he's not careful, I'm just gonna reach up there and eat his hair. I really am.

I think Genis has finally given up trying to talk to Presea for the next ... half an hour, because he comes over here and attempts conversation with his fruity friend. Pun most likely intended – Lloyd is a big gay bear. Aww.

Once again, I've excused myself from the conversation just in time to ... reach the bridge! Woo, we're finally here. That took a while. Though I definitely have to flinch when we near what looks like ... a ticket booth? Whatever, the reason why is because it smells like salt and fish. Well duh, self, we're right infront of an ocean and all but STILL ... it's gross. I love me some fish, but I can't stand the smell of the ocean. Gives me a headache.

Anyway, the front of the bridge is pretty basic. It's all paved from here on, like I said; there's a strange ticket booth thing just besides the closed gates of the bridge (the gate is only hip-height, so it's not too bad), there's a small glass waiting room over there probably for people waiting to get a boat, and of course, a small dock down one side of the structure. There are, however, no boats in sight beside small tacky fishing yachts that look broken and worn with weather. It's all in all a pretty dry and depressing place. No sign of life in sight.

'So this is the bridge?' Raine asks, and Zelos just turns to us all after deciding there is indeed no one else around.

'Thought there'd at least be a pilgrim or somethin',' he mumbles, tugging at a stray lock of hair. 'Well, anyway.'

He jerks a thumb back in the direction of the bridge now that everyone is here and gawking. 'This here is Tethe'alla's biggest drawbridge. It connects our two main industrial continents – Altamira and Fooji. This is the Fooji continent, a hotbed for merchants and sightseeing.'

I stand on tiptoe once again, and I can see the land on the other side of the bridge.

'The Altamira continent is more your crafting and scholarship hotspots. There is also, the best vacation resort in both worlds, I'm sure.'

To be fair, he's right. The best vacation resort in our world is Palmacosta.

... Yeesh, did I just resort to Sylvarant as 'our' world? I wish Zelos wouldn't lump me in as a Sylvarant ... ian. But I can't do much to help that right now.

'A drawbridge?' Raine asks, giving the machinery a quick look over. 'How can it withstand something so colossal and long?'

'See, that's the interesting part,' Zelos says, slinging an arm around her neck. She just groans and lets him. 'On both sides are the exact same machines, and they integrate the power of three-thousand Exspheres. Pretty cool, huh?'

I really don't blame Raine when she immediately shoves herself away, turning back to the mechanism with an absolutely aghast look. Not just her – you should see Lloyd's face. Genis looks like he just wants to stab Zelos right in the back of the head, and ... oh god, I don't know. I forgot this part ... I really did. Three thousand? Three thousand people? How many people is that? A village? No ... here, it's more than that. So much more ...

Zelos notices our expressions, looking a tad taken-aback. 'Something up, bumpkins?'

'Three thousand ... human lives ...' Lloyd manages. I look to his own Exsphere glinting softly in the sun, but refuse to say anything. I don't know, I haven't really got any big emotional connection to Exspheres. Lloyd has Anna, Genis has Marble, Kratos has ... well, Anna, but still. I don't know who is in my Exsphere.

'What? No, three thousand _Exspheres_,' Zelos repeats, glancing back to the bridge and then to us again. 'You guys hearing me right?'

'No, human lives,' Raine repeats shakily, glaring towards the structure of the bridge she can finally see that houses all those Exspheres. It's ... really ugly. 'That's how they're made.'

'Whoa, you serious?' Zelos asks, leaning over to take a look at what Raine is staring down to. 'The Exsphere broker never said anything about that.'

Genis just scowls at Zelos' back. 'The feed off living hosts. That's how they get so powerful.'

'Yeeesh. That's pretty morbid, huh?'

He just turns away from the bridge, not looking the least bit fazed. 'Ah well, nothing we can do about it now. It's not like the dead are gonna come back or anything.'

... Oh shit, Lloyd.

I almost consider grabbing his arm to stop him striding forward and socking Zelos right in his gorgeous face, but I don't get really far. That, I don't particularly want to him to turn around and sock me instead. Genis doesn't try to stop him because ... well, he's probably keen on watching Zelos get punched, what with being too short to do it himself.

I let out a sigh of relief when Lloyd just storms past Zelos and Raine without a word, heading straight for the bridge spanning far ahead. We all just watch him go, besides Zelos who just spares him a slightly confused look. He turns to us after, deciding to let him get on with it.

'What crawled up him and died?' he asks, and Genis just scowls and runs after his friend, deserting Presea for the first time. It's a miracle, but it's ALSO Lloyd, so I'll let him off. Raine just sighs, and Genis catches up with his super-best-buddy-ever just as he's planting a hand on the gate and swinging his legs over.

I shuffle awkwardly and try to ignore the seagulls crying overhead and glance up to the sky. It's blue ... not a cloud in sight. It's so clear that I can see the continent on the other side, so ... why do things have to turn miserable on such a nice day?

'It's a long story,' Raine says simply, shaking her head and following the two students she has left. 'Maybe one day he'll tell you.'

Presea pursues her silently as always, and Zelos just shrugs off Raine's words, twirling a finger around a lock of hair. I _almost_ get away with following them and letting Zelos catch up on his own, but it doesn't help when I become the third girl he's nonchalantly swung and arm around today. I let out the most goddamn embarrassing squeak _ever_.

'You know, I think you're the only bumpkin here that doesn't have a problem with my magnificence,' he says, casually guiding me along. Goddammit Charster, this is your brain speaking. If you do anything embarrassing, I'm shutting right down.

'So tell me,' he continues, watching the others go while I try to ignore the fact that I have a strong muscled arm around me and it's Zelos and oh god. 'What's the deal with you guys? Why are you all so uptight?'

'Uhh ...' I try. Okay, come on Charlotte, speech. You know what that is. 'Oh ... they're all just worried, I ... guess. About, um ... Colette and all.'

I glance towards Lloyd. He must be really homesick. 'I suppose they miss Sylvarant ...'

'Don't you?' he asks, only a moment later letting a grin spread. 'Of course not, who could miss Sylvarant with perfect men like me around?'

I have to laugh nervously. 'Well, it definitely helps ... I'd be scared wandering around aimlessly in Tethe'alla ...'

'Try convincing them to count on me,' he says, unwinding his arm from around my shoulders and patting his hand down on my head. 'Because if they're determined to make this entire trip a bummer, I'm going right back to Meltokio.'

I frown a little, finally feeling a little more comfortable now that I can sorta ... distance myself a little. 'I dunno ... Lloyd is usually pretty fun, but he's got a lot on his mind ... so don't try to judge him right away.'

Zelos shrugs. 'I don't pay much attention to guys, no worries on that one.'

I nod. 'Um, you might wanna ... go up there and lead the way. Uh, Lloyd may be pissed off, but he doesn't have a clue where we're going ...'

'Okay, so ...' Zelos points to the back of our totally-not-group-leaderr. 'That's Lloyd, right?'

I nod.

'And the kid is ...'

'Genis.'

'... Genis.'

'Yeah, Genis.'

Zelos snorts. 'You're joking, right?'

I shake my head. 'No, he's called Genis.'

'Wow, that's ... some really phallic name.'

----------------

'_Lloyd, you okay now?'_

'_Yeah, just a little ...'_

'_Yeah ... it's fine, we're all stressed and all. Weird stuff has been happening left and right, so it's okay to be pissed.'_

'_No, it's not ... ah, it doesn't matter.'_

'_Well, if you say so.'_

'_... Hey, didn't you finish your apple?'_

'_Huh? Oh, no, I'm not really hungry.'_

'_You said you wanted food only ten minutes ago!'_

'_Sure, but ... I dunno, I guess worry kills my appetite or something.'_

'_You're really not hungry? Come on, you didn't eat any breakfast, you ran out on dinner last night – why aren't you eating?'_

'_No, I am, I just find it hard to force things down when I'm worried or stressed. I'll eat something tonight, okay? Really, don't worry about it.'_

'_... Sure.'_

_---------------_

'Zelos ...'

'Hm? 'Sup?'

'How ... far is ... Sybak?'

'Just at the end of the bridge. It's like a stone's throw away.'

'Thank god ...'

I watch Lloyd, now no longer pissed off but very definitely tired, stagger along after our group leader. Even Raine and Genis are annoyed at the tedious length of this goddamn bridge, but ... I'm okay! Seriously, I'm just imagining it as work out to thin down my giant woman thighs. Really, why the thighs? I'm fine everywhere else, it's just my stupid thunder thighs. I could probably snap someone's neck with them. I'll keep that in mind next time Genis is a douche.

'Longest bridge in the world,' Zelos says, glancing over his shoulder to the continent we've now left behind. The new one right infront of us is really just the same, though it's kinda different. The Fooji continent has a lot more mountain ranges and stuff, but this one is more ... giant forests in the distance and rolling hills and all that. There's still some mountains that I can see where the horizon isn't drowned in a sea of dark green woodland, but they're still there.

'Well,' continues our leader, stretching his arms over his head while the other three just stagger on like overworked mules. Colette and Presea really don't give a hoot. 'Ozette is on the other side of that forest in the distance there.'

I stand on tip-toe again, and past a couple of hills you can make out an extremely large span of dark trees. Stupid haunted forest, now I'm scared.

'So Sybak comes first?' Raine asks. 'Alright, let's keep moving and book a place at an inn.'

Genis grumbles. 'They're probably all booked at this point ...'

'Nope,' Zelos butts in, pissing off our little half-elf friend even more. 'Most people in Sybak are students and teachers at the academy who live on their own campus. The inns are always empty.'

Lloyd shrugs. 'As long as I can lie down, I don't care.'

'Same,' I sigh. 'I mean ... I'm not as lazy as Lloyd-'

'Hey!'

'-But I didn't get any sleep last night. It's hard sleeping in someone else's house.'

'Aw, hunnie!' Zelos perks up. 'You don't have to be awkward in my house. It welcomes every lady in the land.'

Yes, but I think I'm obliged to feel awkward when you're nailing all those ladies two rooms down. 'Yeah ...'

Lloyd just brushes off my uncomfortable look (dammit Zelos) and glances from the city that we can now kinda see, and then back to me. 'Why don't you take a nap when we get there? It might take the people at the academy a while to figure out what's up with Colette.'

'Yeah, maybe ...' I mumble. 'I dunno, I'm not that tired I guess. I really want to look around the city anyway and see if I can get anything nice.'

'Nice? Like what?'

Like a friggin' necklace. 'Just ... stuff.'

'Well, I think I'm gonna take a nap ... just think about catching up on your sleep soon, yeah? I'm not carrying you again after this stupid bridge.'

I nod. 'Fine.'

And we all skip arm in arm to Sybak like it's the Wizard of Oz. No I'm totally kidding, though it would be awesome. We all just move sluggishly in the direction Zelos is taking us in, and I have to think ... he's definitely crossed this thing a few times, because he isn't fazed at all. I dunno, maybe he's really, really healthy and fit or something. I've never seen him fight before, but he does get off on talking about how amazing he is with a sword. I'm not sure if he means a sword or a "sword", but it could be either. Or both.

Like Zelos said, Sybak really is a stone's throw away. We get to the end of the bridge and have to once again climb over the fence because the ticket man apparently isn't here either, and the wall's of the city are just on the end of a dusty road a little while away. It should take about five minutes to get there.

Not much happens on the way there. We get into one battle, but not much happens other than Zelos killing it in one quick slash. To be fair, it was just a rabid giant bug that probably smelt the fruit in Lloyd's bag. I still felt the need to shriek though – I bloody hate bugs. Raine keeps glancing back at the bridge as we walk; even though it wore her out, I'm sure she's still pretty interested in how it works and all, despite the sacrifice of three thousand lives and all that. That kinda sucks.

She doesn't make an effort to ask, which is definitely odd. You think she'd been glued to Zelos' back and demanding that he tell her absolutely everything about the bridge. All we really know is that it's controlled by Exspheres and ... is big. Really big.

I think Raine finally snaps her patience with herself. 'How was the bridge built? We lack that technological architecture in Sylvarant.'

'I'm sure you do,' Zelos responds patronizingly. 'The bridge was constructed by the main city in this region, Altamira.'

'Altamira?' Lloyd asks. 'Didn't you say it was a vacation resort?'

Zelos shrugs. 'Well, it's not just a resort. The company that owns it dabbles in other stuff; politics, citizen welfare, construction. They had the bridge made to attract more people from Meltokio to Sybak and other cities in this region. It's where they pull all their money from.'

'Sounds like a sketchy organization from a comic book or something,' I say, immediately kicking myself when Lloyd and the others give me a "what's a comic book?" look. Don't ask what that look is, but thankfully Zelos seems to know what I'm talking about. They have magazines and stuff here, so ...

'It's really quite the opposite,' Zelos reveals, shattering my idea. Not really, I know the Lezer ... Lezo ... Leza – the company that owns Altamira is good. I can't remember the name. 'The duke that owns the company is one of the best we've had for a while, but he's recently gone out of service. Word spread that he retired a couple of years ago.'

'I wonder if blueprints for the bridge are still available,' Raine coos to herself. Dammit, Ruin Mode ahoy. It's not even a ruin, but dear god. Raine. 'I'd love to see them.'

'Weeell, seeing as I'm so famous and important,' Zelos sighs, inching an arm around her shoulders while Lloyd has to stop Genis reaching for his kendama. 'I might be able to throw them word and see if they can hand them over before you guys go back to your world.'

Okay, Raine might think that Zelos is a slimy creep, but she absolutely can't deny that she likes having him around for his privileges only. With Zelos around, we can do absolutely everything. I could kick a dog and Zelos could waltz in all "stand back citizens, I'm the CHOSEN". It's really quite awesome. Not that I would kick dogs. I love dogs, they're cool.

Anyway, after an extremely short amount of time, we finally arrive at Sybak. We have to go through the whole "I'm Zelos the Chosen let me in right now" thing, because the city is surrounded by a giant wall like I said earlier, and ... well, we need permission and stuff to get in. The thing is practically a giant school, and we can't have all the pedos traipsing around.

But yeah, we're let in while two guards much like those from Meltokio give us dirty looks, all besides Zelos. Word must have spread pretty fast that he's bringing us DIRTY, NON-TETHE'ALLANS here. Presea shows the first sign of "emotion" here, if that's what you want to call it. She pretty much just lets out an odd moan and hesitates to follow upon seeing the city, but she does after an unwary moment. Oh yeah, she doesn't like Sybak for some reason ... I forget why, but I don't blame here. I take one look at the city and just cringe.

It is ... the most boring looking place ever. You can hear Lloyd's enthusiasm go down like a bad train crash. The city walls are brown, the buildings are brick, the whole city is paved with several shades of BROWN, the shop stands are BROWN, the little number of plantation and trees in the area are autumn-esqe, aka, BROWN. We all just look into the city and utterly deflate. Except Raine.

'Moooood-killeeeeer ...' I mumble, looking around. 'Have you _ever_ seen a blander city?'

'I thought Iselia was bad ...' Lloyd grumbles. 'Gee, what's up with this place?'

'It's a giant university,' I venture. 'Colourful stimulation is probably a no-no.'

'I could do some stimulating around here,' Zelos snickers to himself, glancing to the girls in the shorter skits. Wow, skimpy uniform or what? 'Well! Now we're here, I'll head to the academy and have them take a look at our poor Chosen.'

He places an arm around Colette and pulls her unresponsive body closer, and Lloyd just finally snatches Genis' kendama right off him and confiscates it.

'Might as well get this done fast,' Zelos decides, nodding towards Presea. She's just standing to the back of the group with an odd look on her face. She isn't showing emotion at all, she just looks ... gaunt. 'I don't think some of us like this place too much.'

Genis flails over to his crush, and Raine turns to the two Chosens. 'Well, I'd like to take a look at the academy myself. I'm sure they'll need some time alone with Colette, so I'll book our places at the inn first.'

Zelos just nods, pointing towards a nearby building. 'Sure; that's the inn right there. If you get lost looking for the academy, just ask one of the students and they'll show you the way. They're all well-behaved around here; it's a pretty strict place.'

Lloyd shudders, most likely knowing all too well just what strict is. I still to this day wonder if Raine has ever spanked him for failing a test. Dear god, I hope not. I know he had/has a crush on her but ... GEEZ.

Zelos just takes Colette right along to the academy on the far side of the city that I can't see, promising to be back as soon as he's dropped Colette off for inspection. Apparently they like to do all their work in private in the university, so we're going to have to stay away for a while, at least until they've finished looking at her. Zelos disappears around a corner with Colette in his arm, and we all just stand awkwardly with the students giving us odd glances. Why do people always give us weird looks here? I blame Lloyd. Him and his stupid hair.

'Well ...' Raine starts after an awkward moment, turning to the inn. 'I'll book the rooms – feel free to walk around the city, but don't get into any trouble.'

I love how she looks at Lloyd as she says that, who just huffs and pouts in response. 'Like I'm really going to get into trouble here! Anyway, I just want to sleep for a little bit ...'

'It's the middle of the day,' I tell him. 'Really.'

'I want a nap, leave me alone.'

'Yeesh!' I snap. God, he's so pissy today. 'Well, whatever. I'm gonna look around the shops for a while. I think I saw a bakery; I'd kill for a croissant.'

Genis looks between all of us, quickly turning back to Presea to spew his awkwardness all over her. 'W-what do you want to do, Presea?'

She finally looks at him. For the first time. Ever. I think he just shat himself.

'I'd ... like to sit down.'

'A ... ah, sure! You must be tired ... that bridge was such a long walk.'

I honestly can't help but smile. I remember my first crush, but I was like ... seven? I never really had serious crushes otherwise. Lloyd's had his crush for Raine, Genis apparently had a thing for Colette (or at least their awkward first kiss), but he's an absolute wreck around Presea. I suppose it's someone finally his age? Not sure why he'd go for that, I like older guys, and I know Lloyd likes older girls. He told me once, don't ask. We were having a stupid night, which ended up with Lloyd bothering Kratos for hours about what he likes in his women.

We didn't find out much, but apparently "his wife" was one HELL of a man-eater. Apparently Anna was a crazy bitch. I would have loved to met her and see Kratos cower in fear. It would be the most awesome thing ... _ever_.

... Maybe Lloyd got that from Kratos? Maybe he likes strong, older women? Eugh, whatever. They share the same dislike in certain red fruits; they may have the same taste in women too. Weird.

Raine eventually has to tap my shoulder and indicate that I've been daydreaming for a good while now, and Lloyd, Genis and Presea are already skipping off to the inn. I tell her about my plans to wander around for a while, and she just nods and tells me to be back soon and to stay out of trouble. I take a second look around, and really ... I think it's the student's lunch break or something, so the city will most likely be deserted afterwards. I think it ends soon, because a couple of people are waving their friends goodbye and going down the pathway Zelos left through. Huh, it's going to be weird walking around alone ... I'll probably get griped at for skipping class or something.

I clap my hands together nervously, going over to some stalls. They sell the usual stuff – notepads, pencils, books; nothing I'm interested in. There's a junk shop that looks like it's filled with student's old belongings, so I make sure not to venture towards there. Ew.

There really isn't much too look at in Sybak. It's just ... boring. There _is_ a bakery that I'm now avoiding because I realised I lack money, and Zelos has most of it with him. I have a couple of gald from Sylvarant, but they won't take it. Other than that, there's a cute little coffee shop with plastic chairs and tables with parasols over them and everything. That's probably the nicest thing in the whole city; the rest is just a bore. I don't really know what I want to do.

I consider following Zelos, but I'll probably get kicked out of the academy while they study Colette's Cruxis Crystal. I'm sure Zelos is being asked politely to leave as we speak. As we think. I don't know.

Ugh, should I just go and sleep? Probably ...

I just frown to myself, turning around. And bumping right into someone. Christ, I do that a lot. First Sheena, then a random floozie, now ... a dude. I know it's a dude, because this person doesn't have breasts that I would have otherwise ran face-first into. Thank god.

'Uh, sorry,' I say quickly, smoothing down my dress. Tunic. THING. The guy just nods and apologizes quietly, walking off. It was just a random student, and I've gotta say ... they have some really classy uniforms here. They're all navy blue and royal looking. Weird. I watch him go and glance to another couple of students with the same uniform, moving to the side and turning once more.

Only to bash into yet another person. This person considerably bigger, and I get knocked back a little by my own force. Geez, I really am a walking mess.

'_Sorry_,' I repeat, sounding pissed this time as I smooth my hair. 'Sorry, I'm ti – OH sh-'

I jump out of my skin, I really do. The man just gives me a quick look over, and I stare up in ... some stupid mix of horror, confusion, and ... still pissed off-ness. I mean ... yes, he is supposed to visit this place constantly, but ... why now? Really, why while I'm here? He probably didn't recognise me now I'm wearing new clothes.

Still. It's not like he's stayed in the same outfit either.

'Harrison.'

----------

'_I'm so beat. That bridge was so _long_ ...'_

'_Yes, Tethe'alla truly does have amazing architecture.'_

'_Yeah. But Professor, don't forget we're here to save Colette.'_

'_Of course I won't. Go and have your nap.'_

'_Ha, do you want me out of your hair that bad?'_

'_No, but I wish to explore the city. Knowing you're asleep will save me the worry of you causing trouble instead.'_

'_What do you expect me to do in a boring city like this? The worst thing I could do is read something.'_

'_Yes, wouldn't that be a shame.'_

'_... You're going to try and make me study, aren't you?'_

'_I won't deny that I wish to purchase some books to give you, but-'_

'_No! No, I don't want to study!'_

'_Lloyd, studying is the only thing you should be doing right now. Every second, we're studying the things around us, the way things work, and even the way to save Colette. Adding some math wouldn't hurt.'_

'_I hate math!'_

'_Think of it as a way to take your mind off your troubles.'_

'_I'm ... going to bed! I'll be up later, please don't buy any books for me!'_

'_Oh Lloyd, anyone would think you hated school ...'_

_--------_

I just stand and stare at Kratos for a good ... while. I don't know what to say. He kinda stands out among the slew of blue uniforms, but I'll immediately guess he's a regular. Some guys just nod in his direction, and a group of girls actually point and wave. I think he has a fanclub. Oh god, if Lloyd comes out of that inn now ... shit is going down. What am I supposed to say? This is hardly a friendly reunion. It's pretty much just "oh look, it's ... that girl, ew".

Okay, speak. Or something. Come on Charlie, speech. Talking. Say words.

'... The fuck are you doing here?'

... Not the most elegant greeting ever, but it was something.

'Personal business,' he replies, and then ... walks right by me. Without a hello or a goodbye. Or even a smack in the face. I'm not exactly going to chase him down – I don't have much to say to him other than "so are you planning on telling Lloyd why you pulled a dickmove in the Tower of Salvation or what?". To be fair, he did leave Lloyd hanging. He hasn't said a word to him since ... honest to god, I think the last thing he said to him was "I'm disappointed". Shit, poor Lloyd.

I consider the whole "you owe Lloyd an apology you cock, go and hug him better or something", but I really can't ... do much. It's Kratos. Who is heading in the direction of another building – it looks like a big library connected to the school, and I just pray that we don't run into him later. I don't want to watch Lloyd completely break upon seeing him, because I think he's settled with the thought of never seeing him again. If he does ... well, I'm just glad that the game should have it happen on the top of a mountain away from ... people.

Still ...

'Kr ...' I try, but my logic gets a hold of me. I can't say anything. It's not my place to bring him and Lloyd together. I thought it was, when I was still stupid ... when I still thought this was a dream, but it's not ... it's got absolutely nothing to do with me.

... Doesn't mean I can't talk to him about something other than Lloyd. Screw you logic – kiss my white ass.

'Kratos!'

I jog after him, but it takes him a moment of consideration to actually stop and turn to me. His eyes have changed. He isn't looking at me in the way he did on the journey, even at the tower. There, I was Harrison to him. I was something. I was someone he knew. Now I'm ... just a stupid little girl who he doesn't know at all, and doesn't want to know.

I don't let it hurt.

'You ... you guys are still after Colette, aren't you?' I demand. I try, at least – I'm still extremely short compared to him. 'Did you come here to get her?'

'I told you,' he says coldly as he would to a stranger. 'This is personal business. Leave.'

Personal ... shit, what did he come to Sybak for? Dammit, why do I forget so many things? It was ... I don't know, wasn't it to find something out? Oh screw, I'll leave him. I don't care, I can't ... not until it's time and _everyone_ has to start caring.

He just ignores me and turns away, and I make a break for the inn without looking back. If Lloyd is about to leave then I'll just have to slam the door in his face, break his nose, and convince myself that seeing Kratos again would hurt more than said broken nose. I take a look back as I'm at the doors, ignoring the odd looks that Kratos' apparent fanclub are giving me and watch him enter a building, finally out of sight.

... Ring of Pact! That's it! He's trying to find out how to make the Ring of Pact! Oh thank god, that was annoying the hell out of me. Wow, things are really progressing around here. Kratos is showing up in random places again (even if it is a little too early), we're finding out what's up with Colette, we'll go back to get the Rheairds, we ...

Oh ... oh shit.

I just enter the inn quietly, thinking about something that just crossed my mind. Raine and Genis – in the game, they get arrested for being half-elves. I'm ... aren't I? What was the thing Charis said – I'm a human on the outside, my mana signature or just ... insides in general are made to look like a half-elf's so no one things I'm from another random universe, and then on the inside-inside, I'm human again. What about those tests, what are they? Are they going to catch me out? Goddamn, I'm worried now.

'Hey.'

I look up to see Raine and Lloyd descending the staircase to the second floor, but I don't bother to inspect the inn further. Blue carpet, white walls, plant there, there you go.

'Hey ... hey, what's up?' I ask, noticing that Lloyd has a particularly sour look on his face.

'I'm going to buy books,' Raine says, and it all fits together in my head. 'So you can start studying again; all of you.'

Lloyd makes a "nnngh" sound in response, but she just pats his head softly. He does his moody upper-body-flail and folds his arms moodily, but Raine just smiles and turns to me. I step out of the way to she can leave, crossing my fingers at my sides and hope that Kratos isn't in sight. Why did he have to start showing up now? Is it to talk to Zelos? It could be – he should have dropped Colette off by now, but he isn't back ...

Oh, I'm just paranoid. He could be with some random schoolgirl. I don't know – Kratos' random visits should just be passed off like they always were. I suppose I'm just worried about Lloyd's reaction. He really doesn't need that on his plate right now. His plate is just filled with angst and a side-helping of shitty.

'You okay?'

I turn to Lloyd and nod. 'Yeah. Where's Genis and Presea?'

Lloyd frowns. 'They're "sitting".'

'Oh ...' I say quietly. 'Right. Okay, that's totally normal.'

'I've never seen Genis act like this ... it's weird,' Lloyd mumbles. 'He's got his attention completely focused on that Presea girl, but she's barely said a word to him ...'

'He's becoming a man, Lloyd,' I tell him. 'Don't worry, you will too one day.'

'Hey!'

I just giggle, and Lloyd waves me off. 'Whatever.'

'Oh come on!' I exclaim. 'I was kidding, don't be so grouchy. Go have your nap, you're all cranky and pissy.'

Lloyd shakes his head, glancing around. The inn keeper is just doing paperwork and stuff behind her desk, and the only other people here are a couple by the window on the other side of the room. Lloyd just shifts awkwardly.

'I'm not tired anymore. I can't sleep with Genis stuttering and stammering up there – he's so loud ...'

'Bless,' I sigh. 'Well, uh ... you gonna go buy book with Raine?'

He makes a face. 'Are you kidding? And do math? Blech ... anyway, aren't you tired?'

'Well, no ...' I say, thinking about sleeping. After seeing Kratos and thinking about all the half-elf stuff, I don't think I'd be able to anyway. 'I don't really feel like sleeping, it's just that there's nothing to do.'

'Yeah ...'

And silence. Awesome.

'Hey, uh ...'

Oh, that didn't last long. Thank god for Lloyd. He just tugs on the small random buckle on his glove.

'Do you wanna go and get a drink or something?' he asks me. Well, can't say I'm not surprised. 'I saw a coffee shop, so-'

'Sure,' I say quickly. Anything to get my mind of my troubles and his mind of his own. 'It should be completely empty though – everyone has gone back to their classes, so it might be closed.'

'Eugh,' Lloyd grumbles, pushing me out and closing the inn door behind him. The cafe is like, ten steps away. I peer inside from afar, and sure enough it's empty. It still looks open though.

'Christ, chill!' I snap as he pushes me along. I almost stumble down the stairs. 'What's up with you!?'

'I don't want the Professor to drag me off to buy books,' Lloyd whines, still steering me in the direction of the coffee shop. To be fair, I don't want him to stumble across Kratos either, so I just let him push me along. I really think he might be talking to Zelos or something, but like I said, I can't do anything about it right now. I just have to keep Lloyd away from him until he can handle seeing Kratos again. Right now, while Colette is in danger and Sylvarant is on the brink of destruction because of what we're doing ... yeah, not gonna help.

The smell of coffee beans hits me like a brick to the face. It's really strong. Lloyd stops steering me and I just open the door, flinching at the small jingle from above as we shuffle in awkwardly. The cafe is pretty big and really homely looking. The middle-aged woman at the counter just nods with a smile as we walk in, and I try to smile awkwardly back. I don't like smiling at strangers.

'Well, this is nice,' I say, lowering my voice as I look around. Sure enough, the walls are BROWN and the wooden floor is BROWN and the tables and chairs and sofas are BROWN, but it's a coffee shop, so I'll let it off. There's a fireplace next to the counter, so this must be where the students and professors come to chill out. Right now it's completely empty, save for the woman at the counter and some dude behind in the kitchen.

'Yeah, it's really ... brown.'

I roll my eyes. 'Well, it's a coffee shop. D'you wanna order something? I'd kill for a cup o-'

Lloyd grabs my shoulder and yanks me back when I start toward the counter. I almost stumble, but he just answers with a paranoid look. Geez, what's up with him today?

'Uh ... I'll order the drinks,' he says quickly, looking over to the other side of the room with all the tables and sofas. 'You ... go find a table.'

I blink. 'But – Lloyd, I didn't even tell you what I want-'

Too late, he's gone. Wow, something is really wrong with him. Oh snap, maybe he _did_ see Kratos? Maybe he's being all uptight and everything? Maybe not, so ... could he just want to talk? I don't have much to say; what could we possibly talk about? Colette being soulless? Genis hitting puberty before Lloyd? Raine buying books, Zelos being a snob, Lloyd's ever-approaching homosexuality? Could be anything.

I make a face as these thoughts flood my head, choosing a small secluded table close to the fireplace. It's in a spacious area, it's warm, and it's got a cute little menu in the middle of the table. I sit down awkwardly on the cushioned chair and glance through it, but it's mostly just breakfasts and muffins and stuff. I'm not hungry, so ... I'll live with whatever Lloyd is buying. Hopefully a generic coffee, or even better ... tea!

I jump at the scrape when Lloyd takes the seat opposite me. 'Hi.'

'Hi,' I repeat with a wave. 'You okay? You're being weird.'

'No I'm not.'

'... You ju- never mind,' I sigh, dropping my head into my arms. 'So, what's up?'

Lloyd just leans his elbows on the table. I'd instruct him on proper table manners, but I really don't care. That and I'm doing the same. 'Nothing, I just thought it'd be nice to ... talk. We haven't ... for a while. Not properly.'

I straighten up a little. 'Aw, that's sweet. But ... what do we talk about?'

Lloyd shrugs. 'Stuff.'

Head goes back in arms. 'Ugh ...'

'Um ... Charlotte?'

I look up again. 'Yeah?'

'Are you ... okay?'

I flail with my hands a little. 'Pfft ... yeah I'm fine, why?'

'No ... I mean, lately ...' he tries awkwardly. Wow, he's finding this hard. Can't blame him – I am a mess. 'You've been acting really strange since ...'

'Since I came back,' I say, finishing that sentence for once. He just hesitates and nods.

'Yeah ... I don't know what happened – I'm not sure what's happening now, but you'd tell me, right?'

I blink. 'Wh ... sure Lloyd, I'd tell you anything. You know I say if something's wrong – I hate thinking I'm in trouble. I always have to tell someone or I'm just gonna explode from panic or something.'

He smiles a little. 'Heheh ... you're a dork, y'know that?'

'A cool dork,' I correct him. 'Anyway, yeah ... I'm fine. Really. You don't have to worry about me; I can take care of myself. Worry about ... Colette, or Genis. Hell, worry about Zelos – he must be so sad away from his fanclub.'

Lloyd laughs. 'I guess ... he is a little weird, but you like him don't you?'

I shrug. 'I dunno, I'm just a stupid teenage girl. I take that crap to heart, y'know?'

'I ... wouldn't know.'

'No, you wouldn't.'

After a little more talking about Zelos and how awesome he is (on my account at least, Lloyd still thinks he's weird), the lady comes over with two fat mugs of coffee. Wow, it's like those giant Star Bucks cups. THOSE are giant cups there, they're pretty much impossible to hold with one hand, meaning you have to use the other to steady it. While it's filled with boiling coffee. I never understood that logic.

'Wow, that's ... a really strong smell,' Lloyd says, looking down into his mug as the woman takes her leave (as soon as Lloyd hands her a small tip). I just nod, staring into my own colossal cup. This really is Star Bucks. It's like ... Tethe'bucks. But olden-times.

'It's just normal coffee,' Lloyd tells me. 'That's okay, right?'

I nod, taking the handle and placing a hand carefully on the hot side. Ow ow ow. 'As long as it has milk in it, it's fine. I can't stand really strong coffee.'

'Don't you wanna let it cool first?' Lloyd asks, touching the side of his own with the back of his hand. 'It's really hot.'

I shrug. 'When I want coffee, I want coffee.'

I take a small sip, placing it down again. Stupid giant cups.

'How's your mouth?'

I notice Lloyd hasn't touched his yet, but I just rest my arms on the table again. 'I'm okay. I can handle hot coffee – I used to handle boiling tea every morning for a long time.'

Lloyd nods again, touching his own. 'Mine's ... ugh, is yours hot enough? They said there was a small problem with the boiling.'

I just laugh. He's so paranoid lately. I think he wants his tip back. 'Lloyd, it's fine, really. It's hot enough, calm down.'

He just nods, watching me take another sip. It's weird ... he's just sitting and watching me drink coffee. If I didn't know him I'd call him a creep and throw the rest of my coffee in his face. But it's Lloyd, and Lloyd's a doofus sometimes, so I won't. I'll just let him relax. I really think he needs a break from walking here and there and infiltrating castles and almost being arrested and being dragged out of the house when Zelos goes on his sexual escapades. That, and everything ... he must be so stressed. But that's what coffee is for. It's awesome.

'Charlotte ... if something was wrong, you'd tell me, right?'

I lower my cup from my mouth. Okay, my tongue hurts a little now. 'Lloyd, I said so ... I'd tell you if I thought something was seriously wrong. I'm not gonna bother you with stupid stuff, because you have enough to worry about, okay? I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself.'

Lloyd just watches me again. He finally frowns, straightening up a little.

'I lied.'

I blink. 'Eh?'

His fingers curl into his palm. What's-

'That's iced coffee.'

_just be Charlotte again you didn't eat any breakfast, you ran out on dinner last night – why aren't you eating think about catching up on your sleep soon aren't you tired you've been acting weird since you_

Oh god.

* * *

Review please.


	78. Lloyd Doesn't Like Fish

Chapter 78 - Lloyd Doesn't Like Fish

I just stare at Lloyd from across the table, noticeably boiling coffee cup still in hand. Screw that, I'm glaring. He just watches me carefully, looking about ready to volt from his chair just in case I throw my scalding coffee on him.

I can feel a new kind of frustration in my mind, something I'm not sure I'm familiar with. It feels like a hot wire amongst my thoughts, out of place and curling tightly. It's burning everything else around it away, and all I can think about is how the cup in my hand is scalding the skin on my palms, how thick and warm the air is. The only thing that recalls me is Lloyd's expression twisting when he realises he has been so very mislead.

'... Lloyd, you think I've been losing my senses?' I ask, dropping my cup back to the table before I damage my skin. 'You think I'm losing my humanity like Colette?'

He just frowns, and thankfully the woman at the counter doesn't realise what's happening, and we're left in peace. Tense, silent peace.

'What am I supposed to think?' he asks, finally backing down a little now that he's realised he's probably in the wrong. 'You haven't been sleeping lately, you've barely been eating, you completely freaked out on the way to Meltokio ... you're just acting so different.'

I just wait for an explanation, and he scowls down into his untouched coffee cup. 'On the journey, Colette was suffering. Genis and I missed it; when we realised, it was too late ... and now we're here. We couldn't save her. I don't want anything else like that to happen. I don't want to miss anything else. What was I supposed to say?'

He glowers, fists clenched. 'You don't sleep, you don't eat, you collapsed on the way to Meltokio – everything about you; it just screams that you're in danger.'

I push away my coffee a bit so I can fold my arms on the table. 'I told you – I'm a worrier. I'm worrying about everything; you, Colette, Raine and Genis, if we'll ever get back to Sylvarant, if I'll ever get what I want, if something ... something strange might happen because I came back ... I don't know. I wasn't given a leaflet when I came back, I really don't know what's going on.'

I lean back a little in my chair, and Lloyd relaxes a little. 'I'm scared ... I'm really scared, but I can handle it. I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm still here with you ... guys, and then I feel okay. But sometimes it just gets to me. When I'm scared, I don't want to sleep. I think that maybe I won't wake up. When I try to eat, I just think about how I felt in the tower ... like I'd never be able to enjoy that stuff again. So it just feels weird.'

Lloyd nods, and I just sigh. I hate explaining. 'Lloyd ... I'm still human, really. I get hungry, I get tired ... I can feel the coffee is hot, I can speak, and I'm fine ...'

I stare at him. 'Why would you even think I was losing my humanity? I don't have a Cruxis Crystal ...'

He shakes his head after a small pause. 'I don't know. So many things have happened; anything could have caused it. I don't ... I didn't think it had something to do with your Exsphere. It's not a normal colour, but that doesn't mean its special or anything ...'

'It's not been processed properly?' I ask, and Lloyd just nods. He knows his stuff about Exspheres most of the time.

'So I don't think that's it ...'

I just purse my lips tightly, taking my coffee cup again. 'Lloyd, I'm not turning into an angel. I'm not a Chosen. Even if I was, it would have to be Cruxis' doing.'

'Your body,' Lloyd tries, but his throat tightens. He pauses, gritting his teeth. 'I ... left you there. I don't know. They might have done something – I didn't know.'

'What would they benefit from turning a corpse into an angel?'

Lloyd sighs, shoulders sagging. He looks so tired. 'I don't know ...'

'Sorry,' I say quietly. 'I don't mean to sound angry.'

I run a finger around the brim of my cup. 'I guess I thought you actually wanted to spend time with me.'

'No,' Lloyd says quickly, straightening again. 'No, I do ... I didn't mean to set you up. I was just concerned ... and I thought you didn't want to trust me, so ... the coffee thing just came into my head. I wanted to make sure.'

'I trust you,' I tell him. 'More than anyone in Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. But there are just some things I can't tell you. It doesn't mean that I'm hiding things; they're just things that you'd never bother to know.'

Lloyd looks sceptical.

'Look,' I sigh, wrapping both hands around my cup. It burns. 'I've been feeling off lately. That's all. On the way to Meltokio, I had these terrible cramps ... I don't know what they were, but they're gone now. It's not important. I tried to hide it from everyone because ... well, I have my reasons. I don't want to get in the way of your goals right now. I was never supposed to be here, now more than ever ... now after those things happened.'

I glance to the lady at the counter, still not taking interest in our personal lives. 'I feel like a stupid kid still trying to cling to you guys. You said it yourself – I have no reason to be here. You guys have no reason to care about what happens to me – you're just here to save Colette.'

I don't know what it is making me want to pile on all the self-grief at the moment, but I feel like I can take it for now. 'You can take back what you said in the Renegade base now, too. I don't need it.'

Lloyd falters. 'Uh ...'

He doesn't remember. I glare at my steaming coffee, and the coiling wire of frustration in my mind finds itself in my stomach, unravelling rather painfully. '"I love you, too".'

'Oh ... I-'

I shake my head. 'Lloyd, I know you were lying. That's why I cried. But it's okay. I don't need you to love me right now. I thought I needed someone like that to keep me sane, but I don't ... I just need you to do what you're supposed to. I need you to save your childhood friend and I need you to help save Sylvarant. I need you to help the people you _do_ love.'

I finally take a sip of my coffee. Yes, it's hot.

'Not worry about me.'

Lloyd just touches his cup, still staring into it awkwardly. '... How did you know?'

I shrug. 'I just did. You don't love me. It's fine. I don't know how you could after everything I've done. Maybe one day when everything has calmed down and nothing is going wrong, maybe when I just need someone to talk to ...'

He frowns. He looks so guilty, but really. You don't lie to girls about crap like that. 'You're still my friend.'

'And that's all I need right now,' I say. 'I know you thought I'd do something stupid otherwise, but really ... you didn't have to say that. I just had to know you were okay.'

'It's not that ... really.'

I thump back in my chair. 'Then what is it?'

'... Promise you won't hate me?'

'What makes you think I could hate you after everything you've done?' I ask. 'Really. Shoot.'

He glares into his drink, and I start wondering if his coffee will turn cold through all those scowls directed towards it. He finally pushes away his drink, deciding he's not going to drink it by the looks of things. 'I dreamt about everything that happened up until our first night in Meltokio. The tower, the Renegade's base, coming to Tethe'alla, travelling to Meltokio ... everything.'

I stare at the table. I have a feeling I know where this is going.

'... But you weren't there. You never came back. You were-'

He hesitates, but I nod.

'... You were still dead.'

I have my sad-face on, so I keep avoiding looking at Lloyd right now. I don't want him to feel worse. 'Is that why you asked me that weird question back at the inn in Meltokio?'

'Yeah ... I didn't know what I was doing. I just had to convince myself you were still there. That you wouldn't just disappear.'

'I don't blame you,' I agree with a shrug. 'After seeing what you saw back at the Tower of Salvation, it'd feel weird having me around again. No one thought I was me ... Charlotte. They all thought I was a zombie or just a spy from Cruxis. I don't think they've really accepted that I'm alive. Raine says she has her eye on me in case I bust out in some Cruxis gear and turn into a douchebag or something.'

Lloyd frowns. 'She did?'

'Yeah,' I sigh. 'But just let her. She's only worried about you guys.'

I bite my lip. 'But even you're still having doubts, right? Or you wouldn't have been so paranoid. You really believe that one day you'll wake up, and ... none of this will be real? I'll have been dead all along.'

Lloyd's voice fails him at first, and he just buries his face in his hands. 'I don't know. I don't know what to think. I want to believe that you're back for good, but so many things keep stopping me. I hate this. I hate feeling like this. I can't do anything.'

I take another sip of my coffee. 'Do you want a hug?'

He shakes his head. 'I just want to go somewhere and scream until my lungs burst. I want Colette to get better. I want Sylvarant to stop being in danger. I want the old Kratos back, when I wanted to live with him and train with him ... I want everything to be back to normal ...'

I drop my cup back to the table. 'Lloyd, I'm sorry.'

He buries his face into his arms, voice thin. 'Don't apologize you stupid dork. It's not your fault.'

'... Do you wanna cry?'

Lloyd shakes his head from within his arms, and I hear a muffled; 'No ...'

'Crying is good,' I say. 'Really. You'll feel better.'

'I can't cry,' he tells me, strained. 'I'm supposed to be the strong one. I'm supposed to be the older brother. I'm the one everyone looks up to. I can't cry.'

'... You cried infront of Kratos.'

He raises his head a little. He looks worn out and mentally stressed. 'That was different then ... Kratos was – he was different. I didn't have to feel superior around him.'

He clenches his teeth. 'He ... protected _me_. It was different.'

'Did you like that?'

'It was weird ...' he says softly. 'For once, it wasn't me protecting everyone. Someone was looking out for me ... someone had my back, even if I was capable ...'

He thumps his head back into his arms. 'Or at least that's how he acted. He was probably just stringing me along and seeing how emotional he could make me. Dammit ...!'

'I don't know what to think about him,' I grumble. 'I mean, he's a giant dick and all, but ...'

Lloyd huffs. 'Hey, you just tried to change the subject entirely. Look, I'm still worried about you. Maybe you're not becoming an angel, maybe you really do have all your senses ... but something doesn't feel right. You said it yourself.'

I prod sullenly at my cup. 'There's not exactly a medical book we can read for side-effects of coming back from the dead.'

'That's why I'm worried,' he sighs. 'Maybe I'll never figure it out in time. Maybe we'll only realise what's happening when it happens, and by then it might be too late. Maybe nothing's happening and all and you really have just lost your appetite and you're stressed. I don't know what might happen.'

Big silence goes here. I don't know what to say to that, because now I'm kinda scared. I don't know what might be happening, but Rodyle said something about my Exsphere being shitty, something happened with my body ... I'd been having cramps from the fight with the sand worm up until Meltokio, but they're gone now ... doesn't mean they won't come back through. So what if I find out what's wrong when it actually happens and I can't help myself? What do I do then?

'I don't wanna lose you again.'

Lloyd, please just go and cry somewhere.

'I don't want to watch you die again.'

After a moment, I just push my chair back and get to my feet. Lloyd keeps his head in his arms, and the woman and man from the counter are now staring over curiously. I just cock my head to one side, and they get back to work. Apparently I know sign-language for "no, we're fine".

'Hey,' I say softly. 'Let's go see Zelos. We can ask him about what's happening with Colette.'

Lloyd doesn't move for a while, but eventually he just slowly raises his head. He has so much to think about; I don't know why he isn't crazy yet. When he had these kinds of things to think about, Kratos was always there. He didn't have to be strong around Kratos. With us, he can't do anything. He can't cry or tell everyone – he just has to be strong. That's what he really thinks?

'... Charlotte, what am I supposed to do?' his voice cracks under the weight of his stress. 'I don't know anymore ...'

'You're supposed to take time and worry about yourself for once,' I say, tugging out some gald and placing it on the table as a tip. They probably won't take it, but at least it's something. 'Lloyd, I told you. I can take care of myself. If you've noticed these small things, then you'll definitely notice if I'm really in trouble. We've got Zelos now – he's going to help us save Colette, and then we're going to find a way to save Sylvarant. Everything is going right on the outside.'

I just tug at my tunic nervously. 'You have to go inside now. Lloyd, sort out your own feelings, find out what's making you so paranoid and stressed ... and then we'll help you through that, because we're your friends. If you still want to keep up your badass big brother act, go to Raine. I think you know why you're so sad right now ... because even though everything is going right, there's still something ... isn't there?'

His fists clench. He knows what I'm talking about.

'I miss him ...'

I nod, and Lloyd finally rises and stands. He just rubs a hand over his face, dropping his share of the tip.

'I don't miss Kratos ...' he expands on wearily. 'I miss who I thought he was ... I miss the Kratos I knew, not ...'

He looks to me. 'He let Yggdrasill murder you. How ... how can you say he isn't malicious?'

'He is malicious,' I say. 'He's a prat and I hate him. But ... I don't really think he hated you. He hated me and Raine and Genis, definitely ... but I really don't think he hated you.'

Lloyd just sighs, running a hand through his hair. 'It's not like it matters now ... I'll never see him again. Come on, I could really use that nap ... and I don't think you want to sit around here on your own.'

'Hell no,' I say, feeling slightly guilty that I've only had a few sips of my coffee. Lloyd did buy it for me, even if he was trying to trick me. I'll have to do something for him sooner or later. I still owe him that beef curry. 'So ... do you feel better?'

'No,' Lloyd admits awkwardly, and I follow him to the entrance. 'But I feel a little less vexed about everything. I'm still a little worried about you and Colette and everyone else ...'

'Big girl,' I say, pointing to myself as he pushes the door open. The jingle sounds overhead again. 'Big girl, can take care of self, quit your worrying.'

'Big dork.'

'Cool dork.'

'Dork dork– oh ... wow, it's cold.'

I wonder what he's talking about, then immediately agree when I step out of the nice warm coffee shop and into the empty town square. Geez, it is freezing. I wanna go back in, but I think the waitress is miffed that we ordered coffee and then didn't drink it. Well, at least we gave her two giant tips. Three, in fact.

I honestly can't help myself. I snort and turn to him. 'You sure you aren't going to wait for me to agree and then tell me it's boiling?'

He smiles a little. 'Heh ...'

'Hey, hey, hey!'

Cheeks, meet my entire blood-supply. Blood-supply, cheeks. A certain Chosen comes out of nowhere (I swear to god he was hiding behind a water barrel or something), striding over to us with a wave. He looks completely care-free, so ... yeah. I don't think Kratos has approached him yet. That's good to know. But still, it's Zelos, I'm a gullible teenager, and I'm blushing and praying to whatever gods there are that I don't do something utterly embarrassing in the next minute. God, why do people like Zelos have to exist? I'm not dissing, I just hate being so awkward around hot people that poke my nose and call me cute.

'Oh ... hey Zelos,' Lloyd says, finally looking and acting pretty casual again. 'What's happening with Colette? Can they find out what's wrong with her?'

'They've got a pretty good idea, but they're running a couple of tests on her Cruxis Crystal to clarify,' he explains. I'm glad the city is completely empty, because else we'd be having curious students staring at us and ... well, Zelos probably willing all those short skirts to get shorter. 'They should be done in about an hour.'

Lloyd sighs in relief. 'That's good ... it's a lot faster than I thought it would be.'

'Ain't it though?' Zelos says with a smirk, and I just keep ... staring at the floor. Apparently it was my turn to say something, because silence persists for a good ... ten seconds. An uncomfortable ten seconds.

'Soooo,' Zelos tries, looking between the two of us. 'You guys were out on a date or something?'

'Uh ... no,' Lloyd answers slowly. 'We just ... had coffee.'

'Ah,' Zelos nods. 'Every good relationship starts with the coffee date. I should know.'

'It wasn't a date!' Lloyd persists a little loudly, and hey. I'm like, right here. 'We're not ... it's not like that.'

Zelos just gives him a cynical look, pointing between us and crossing his fingers. 'You sure? You guys seem-'

'She's not my girlfriend!'

Christ Lloyd, throw me a bone or something. I'm sure he wouldn't like it if I stood up all "yeah screw Lloyd, he's not my boyfriend; he does weird shit in his sleep and likes flowers". I'm not your girlfriend, fine; you don't have to declare it to the whole world, geez.

Zelos shrugs, then reaches over and slings an arm around my shoulders with a grin, dragging me over to his side. 'Ah, well. More chicks for me.'

Ahhh, brain snap brain snap-

'So, which one of these fine ladies are you hitting?' Zelos asks, fully unaware that Lloyd has no idea what hitting implies. Or anything about what it implies. Oh Lloyd, you are so innocent. It tickles me.

'Hitting?'

'In ... a relationship ... with,' I expand on nervously. What? Zelos is still holding me, I'm not about to be coherent.

'Oh ... no one,' Lloyd says with a shrug. 'I've never really had a girlfriend ...'

For once, Zelos looks genuinely shocked. His arm slacks, and I take the chance and wriggle away a little. 'What? You've been travelling with all these beautiful ladies and you've never tried anything?'

Lloyd just goes a little pink in the face. 'Well, no ... I don't see them like that.'

'... Not even your Professor? Come on, what about Colette?'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'Don't talk about them like that ... I don't feel that way with them. They're my best friends – I've known them since I was a kid.'

'... You were with Sheena for a while; you didn't notice anything awesome in her torso area?'

Well, they are practically engaged, but Lloyd just frowns. 'No.'

'... He had a crush on Raine,' I say following the silence. Screw him; he had to go declare to the whole city that I'm not girlfriend material. In my head that means I'll never get another boyfriend and I'll live alone with cats and spend my Saturday nights at a social gathering for fat lesbians. Yes, my head is weird.

Anyway, Lloyd's jaw drops and he just gives me an annoyed look. '_Charlotte!_'

'Ohhh,' Zelos says with a nod, smirking. 'So you like the older ladies, huh?'

'Who's old?'

We look to the left, and sure enough, Raine is there with a stack of books in her arms. Zelos loses his tongue for a moment, Lloyd goes redder than his jacket, and I decide this is the best moment ever. So much that I do a little jig on the spot while Lloyd splutters for words, and Zelos just threads his fingers casually through his hair.

'Don't take it the wrong way, babe,' he says with a smile as Lloyd just takes interest in one of the parasols on the outside tables. 'Mature women know how to _work it_.'

'I'm sure you would know,' Raine replies with a nod, ignoring him for most of the part. He flashes a false hurt look, but she takes half the books in her arms and pushes them in Lloyd's direction. He has to grab for them before he drops them, immediately giving them a disgusted glower. Ew, studying. I gotta say, I really don't think this is the best time to be learning at all. Raine sure thinks so though, because that sure is a lot of books. I think she's curious about Tethe'alla. She knows everything about Sylvarant, so this is just a whole new world to scrutinize.

'Professor ...' Lloyd whines. 'Really?'

'Yes, Lloyd,' she tells him, pressing a finger firmly to his nose. 'You're going to add a little studying to your routine. I don't want my students getting forgetful.'

'But ... Professor ...'

'Lloyd, you are _going_ to learn.'

'Professooooor ...'

Zelos chuckles and I feel a little uneasy. I hope she isn't about to make me study – I don't think I could do it. Not because of any mental trauma or anything, I'd just be sitting there all "aaaagh". Seriously, I'm terrible at studying. My mum made me go to this day they have at my school every Saturday and Sunday, just for extra lessons. It's lame. Really, really lame. Come to think of it, I was coming home from one of those when I got sucked into this place. Funny, I'd completely forgot ...

While I think about that, Zelos offers to carry the rest of Raine's books to the inn like the gentleman he is, and she gladly dumps them on him and sends him on his way. He does try to bring up his end of the offer with a kiss on the cheek or something to that extent, but it went unheeded. Poooor Zelos. He must miss all his floozies. I'd gladly be his replacement hunny for a while. Just, y'know ... minus those certain things he does with his other hunnies. Yeah.

'Make sure you hurry back,' Raine tells Lloyd as Zelos sulks his way over to the inn. 'I'm going to check up on Colette soon. I'll come back and tell you all what's going on if they've figured it out.'

'I'm coming back now anyway,' Lloyd says quickly, shifting the books in his arms. Raine nods and turns, following Zelos and leaving us to alone once again. Whey. Okay screw it, I'm going for it right now. There is no other time I can do this without it looking weird.

'Lloyd, you've really never had a girlfriend?' I ask, and his face just flares red once more. 'Not even a little fling or something? I know you've never had a first kiss, but geez ...'

'Sh-shut up, it's not like it's a big deal!' Lloyd insists, glaring at a random paving slab. 'I bet you've never had a fling or a boyfriend.'

'I've had three.'

'... Dammit!'

I just smile, reaching over and patting him on the shoulder. Bless. 'They weren't serious anyway. I wasn't old enough for that kinda crap. I realised I just wanted to be a kid and not pretend I was mature.'

Lloyd sighs, shoulders sagging. 'Yeah, but ... I'm seventeen.'

_Sixteen_, I correct in my head.

'I dunno ... I mean, I've liked some girls, and Colette's always been there to give me girl advice ... but I never really make it work, y'know?' he explains with a shrug, blush fading a little. 'I just end up acting like a moron.'

'You are a moron,' I tell him. 'You just gotta find someone who likes you because of that, then you can be as big a moron as you like.'

He just grumbles in response. If he starts going to Zelos for girl advice in place of Colette, then that will just be a big barrel of no. Colette's advice is probably a lot more useful, though Zelos' would be more realistic. Disturbingly realistic. The only advice I'd be able to give him is not to start searching and pining after wanting a lover. They'll come to you eventually.

'You'll find someone,' I say, folding my arms through the cold. 'And when you meet the guy who gets to lay your shivering body down by the fireplace every night, he'll be happy he found you too.'

'... Wait, what?'

You're a big gay bear, Lloyd. 'I said Raine is waiting for you.'

'Oh! Right.'

He turns to the inn, but then quickly backtracks a little to me. He takes a minute to shift the pile of books over to one arm to let his other one free, and I wait patiently as he does. Do a little dance on the spot. Play EyeSpy with myself. Count the paving slabs. In your own time, Lloyd.

'Hoookay,' he sighs, pile of books now secure in his left arm. 'We kinda got a little sidetracked, so ... you swear you feel okay?'

'I swear,' I say, holding a hand up.

'Enough that you'd participate in something corny so I can make sure?'

My arm drops a little. 'Eh?'

He holds out his now free hand, fingers curled up into his palm all besides one. The dreaded little finger. The thing that all eight year old girls will do with eachother and giggle like idiots about it. I am not an eight year old girl; I'm a fourteen going on sixteen girl, and Lloyd is a sixteen year old manboy.

'You gotta pinkie promise.'

My response is at most, reasonable. 'Fuck off.'

'No. You pinkie promise right now. Colette always makes me and Genis do this corny stuff, and it works. We can't say no to her after she pulls this kinda stuff.'

I know there is no one in sight, but oh god. I'm not doing it. The last time I pinkie promised someone was ... oh, I don't remember. I think I was nine, or ten. And I'm not Colette; I don't do all the corny girly stuff. I smack people on the arm and am stupid in their general direction. I could just reach over and break Lloyd's little finger to stop him doing his Colette-induced corny bull, but ... I think he needs it to fight. I'm not sure.

'... No,' I decide again. 'I'm not doing it. Can't we just handshake or something?'

'Remember what happened last time we did a handshake?'

I grimace. 'Eugh. Right, okay, uh ...'

My hand kinda ... flails around near his for a few moments, afraid that someone might _see_. Two grown teenagers pinkie promising in the middle of the street. And it's Colette's fault. All her fault. She spews her girly corniness all over Lloyd and Genis, and now he's doing the same, eugh. I don't think he even wants to – I think he's just positive it will work.

'Come on, even you can't kid with this stuff,' he says, finally. 'Promise me that you're okay? Nothing is wrong? Stop me worrying about you all the time.'

... Yeah. I should really stop him worrying. He has Colette and the others to worry about, and that's enough.

I give a stupid laugh. That's what I am. Stupid.

'Promise there's nothing wrong?'

'Promise,' I lie.

--------------

'_Hm? Why the long face, bud?'_

'_Bud?'_

'_Y'know, friend. Chum. Pal. Mate. Buddy. So what's up, bud?'_

'_Can't you just call me Lloyd?'_

'_Honestly? I keep forgetting your name. I have trouble keeping track of guys' names. Female names, however ...'_

'_So you'd remember my name if I had a girl's name?'_

'_... Okay, just tell me what's up and we can avoid the awkward conversations for now.'_

'_I'm just feeling pretty low ... nothing seems to be going right.'_

'_What? Everything is going right! Come on man, we're fixing your Chosen, Tethe'alla isn't attempting to destroy your world anymore – isn't that what you came here to do?'_

'_Yeah, but ... you wouldn't understand.'_

'_I doubt I would, but it doesn't mean you can't tell me.'_

'_Why are you interested? I though you didn't like guys?'_

'_Well no, but your moping around is putting a major bummer on my mojo.'_

'_Mo ... jo?'_

'_You homesick or something? You worried about Colette?'_

'_Imagine being stuck in another world without knowing if you can get back or not! Wouldn't that scare you?'_

'_Sure it would, but this is Tethe'alla! It's a great world, and you've got a great guide with you. So chin up and quit killing my mood.'_

'_Gee, sorry!'_

_-------------_

'Hey my little sweetie, make sure you don't smash any plates again.'

I swear to god, I almost do. I jump a few feet into the air with a thankfully tacky plate clutched between my fingers. At least if I broke it then it wouldn't be a big deal, and I'd be willing to pay the five gald it most likely cost. Or hey, Zelos might be nice enough to pay it for me. It is all his fault, making me all ... teenager and blushy and stupid. Anyway yeah, I'm just hanging around the kitchen of the inn. I just wanted something to eat, because Lloyd's giant not-really-a-pep-talk made me all hungry and sleepy. I wanna try eating first, but then ... well, Zelos happened.

'U ... um,' I try, immediately slamming the plate down onto the worktop so I don't drop it. There's no one else around, it's just Zelos. And me. Alone. Alone. ALONE. Oh god, I'm gonna die on my feet, I'm gonna do something embarrassing again, I'm rather prone to that when I'm alone, goddammit why can't someone else be here like ... Genis! Genis could take attention off me with his brattiness. Zelos likes messing with him.

A gloved hand waves in front of my face, and I jump again. 'Anybody in there?'

'Ah!' I manage. Christ, I hate me. 'Um, I was – um, I just wanted ... I was gonna make some ... food ...'

'What, all for you?'

Great, now I feel like a fatty fatty fat fat. 'Um ... no, I just – y'know ... salad, maybe ...'

'Uh-huh ...' he says, running a hand over the back of a table chair. 'Why aren't you with Lloyd and the others? Weren't they going to check up on your cute little Chosen?'

I touch the plate I almost broke by slamming down, wondering if I should change it for a smaller one now I'm apparently going with salad. 'I'm going in a while ... I was gonna stay and catch up on my sleep ... and, um, eating ...'

There's a pause.

'Um ... why aren't _you_ down there?' I try to counter, but he just smirks and my knees buckle. I am _so_ smooth. Almost as smooth as Lloyd himself. And as we all know, Lloyd is totally a pimp with women hanging off every limb.

'Because,' he says with his smile still in place, strutting over slowly. Closer. Braaaaain breaaaaak. 'I was down there earlier. They've got my Cruxis Crystal data so they don't really need me standing around. That, and ...'

He gives me a wink. 'I've got a special lady friend of mine coming over soon.'

Oh. OH. Oh god. Not again. And in an inn!? A public place!? Kinda, but ... y'know. I just hope the others are away long enough. I don't really want to sit around and listen to Raine and Genis try to explain to Lloyd just what it is Zelos gets up to with all these lady friends.

'... Ah ... okay,' I say quietly, nodding. 'Um ... sure.'

Hey, wait. Isn't Zelos ... twenty-two? And didn't Genis say that twenty-two was the age of consent for, um, everything? Or maybe it's like Lloyd not being seventeen, and Zelos is actually older or ... younger, or maybe he actually ...

Why am I even thinking about that stuff, seriously? The age of consent might be different here. I'm not about to ask Zelos though – he'll probably think I'm insinuating something. Which I'm not. I think I'm still mentally fourteen, physically sixteen, and will probably be thirteen if I get back to Earth? Wow, I am seriously fucked up.

Gloved fingers snap infront of my face. 'Hellooooo?'

I have GOT to stop zoning out. 'Ah! Sorry!'

'Chill, babe!' Zelos snaps, slapping his hands down on my shoulders. 'You don't want to break anything else, do you?'

Zelos is touching meeeeee. 'N ... no.'

'Mm'kay, so ... you chill for a while, I'm gonna go get ready for my girl ... if you know what I mean.'

I trip on my first few words. 'Ah – buh – uh, y-yeah ...'

He raises an eyebrow, finally taking a step back so I can breathe a little. I can't breathe with him near me. He's all ... kiwi-scented and, well, a gorgeous, gorgeous man. Seriously, I've never seen a sexier man even on Earth. Yes, screw you Captain Johnny Depp Jack. Zelos is ... radiant – he's radiating his manliness all over me, make him stop-

'You know about that stuff?'

Yes, of course I know about sex. I'm not Lloyd. 'Y ... yeah.'

'I mean you _know_ about that stuff?'

Ohhh. 'No, not ... like that.'

Zelos nods. 'So, you got anyone special you like to think about?'

I blink. I don't think about anyone all daydreamy like I guess, besides Russell Brand. I mean he's a dick, but he's got some weird charm thing going on. And of course Zelos, but come on, isn't my complete and utter lack of spine when I'm around him noticeable already? I don't really need to voice it, he knows how I feel. Yeah, kinda daydreaming right now.

'Uh ... no. Not really,' I answer finally. Gee, Zelos likes getting into our personal lives a lot. I think he's asked both Raine and Lloyd about any of their significant others so far. Genis is a bit young I guess, and Presea and Colette aren't really going to give him an answer. So I'm last; does that mean I don't seem like I should have a significant other? Oh god, does he think I'm hideous!?

... STOP zoning out!

'You positive?' Zelos coos, giving my chin a sharp tap upwards. 'Sure you don't have a little crush on Lloyd there, do ya?'

What, ew, no.

'... Uh, no,' I tell him. 'I like him, but ... not like that.'

'You sure you don't _like_ like him?'

Oh dammit Zelos, go away. 'Lloyd's ... the kinda guy you're friends with. Not the kinda guy you go for.'

He straightens up with a sceptical look. 'Geez, you guys are a strange lot. That Genis kid seems to be the only one with a libido.'

Well, Genis has recently become a man, Lloyd is still getting there, and I'm apparently dragging myself through my teen years at disturbing speed. Last I remember I was thirteen about four or five months ago. Now I'm sixteen? Yeesh, thanks Charis. Either way, I'm not sure why Zelos is expecting us to be humping eachother like rabbits just because we're all travelling together. Maybe he doesn't know how to have friends that don't turn into floozies.

I just nod, not trusting myself to speak without spluttering out something stupid. Which happens a lot, seeing as it's me. Zelos just kinda ... floats around while I try to reach for a pan (screw that salad, I think Zelos thinks I'm hideous so I'm gonna binge on yet another omelette) with difficulty. I wish Charis made the effort to jolt my height a few inches when she aged me two frickin' years.

'So what, are you the group's little chef?' Zelos asks while I fiddle with the stove and search for an egg.

'Um, that's Genis' job ...' I say quietly. 'But I can cook, kinda! Um, I can make ... soup and stuff, and toast, and I can grill fish ...'

'Think you can cook salmon?' Zelos asks, dragging a chair out from under the table with a stony scuttle against the ground and taking a casual seat. 'I don't care much for all the fancy fine dining back at Meltokio, but a little class here and there wouldn't hurt. Especially with ... you guys.'

He's right, we are rather gross and lower class. Shame on us.

'Um, I don't think I can cook something like that ...' I say quietly, clearly not knowing the first thing about salmon. 'Anyway, Lloyd doesn't like fish. So, um ...'

Zelos' eyes flash wide open and he straightens up a little. 'Oh, so Lloyd ... doesn't like fish, you say?'

I nod. Oh dear, I hope he isn't going to force it into Lloyd's face if he's being a dick or something. Last thing we need right now is a queasy Lloyd and a pissed of Raine and a Zelos shaped hole in the wall.

After about half a minute, Zelos just nods, standing and pushing the chair back with his foot. 'Right – right, I totally understand. I get it now. And it's okay, I'm cool with it.'

I just stare. Okay, this is odd – is Zelos a giant fish lover or something? Is he going to immediately think less of Lloyd because he doesn't love fish? I mean, I rip on people for not liking apples, but that's totally different. Apples are awesome.

'So, he's really ...' Zelos mumbles. 'Huh. Well, can't say I didn't think something was funky about him.'

'... Funky – what?' I ask. Wow, Zelos is picky about people. I hope he isn't picking things out about me ... oh god, what if he's noticed my giant thighs already!? They really, really stand out with these tights and this stupid tunic! Dammit! But wait, maybe he likes that stuff? Agh, why does it even matter!? Oh god, I hope he isn't secretly judging me.

'Hey, it's pretty obvious,' Zelos says, waving it off with a shrug. 'Not hard to notice once you lay down the hints. Just tell him that I don't think any less of him for it and we're cool.'

... Does Zelos have a feakin' fish fetish or something? Better hide Undine forever.

'Um ... sure,' I answer with awkwardly, not sure what to say about that. Might wanna start weaning Lloyd on the fish if Zelos is going to take it that seriously. Can't have us storming into Welgaia to fight Yggdrasill with Zelos turning to him halfway through the fight all "Lloyd seriously, tuna is awesome, what's your deal?".

Zelos leaves after about another silent minute to prepare for his lady-friend (if condoms don't exist yet I will just cry at the possible number of little Zelos's running around). I have trouble working the stove, so it looks like my omelette is going to have to wait a while. I keep fiddling with it, but no prevail. I would go for the salad again, but I've already broken the egg into a pan and everything. I don't really want to waste food, even if we don't pay for it. See, in this inn, the university pays for everything for the visitors as well as the students, unlike the other inns where we've had to pay for almost everything we've used. Pretty nifty.

After a quick look around, I try out casting Fireball on the stove to light it. It takes me a few tries, to be honest. It's the first time I've used magic since I came back, so I'm a little rusty. Looks like I'm going to have to try practicing it a little more.

I get a tad nostalgic and try talking to Charis again, but no luck. I guess they really are gone for a while, and it's really not nice. I really need some help right now, but it's the only kind they can give. I need to know that there's people who know about everything that's happening to me and who can warn me about things, but right now all I have is ... well, Lloyd, but he's currently having some banquet of angst so I have to leave him alone for a while.

I finally get the stove going and just thump down on the chair that Zelos left out. Want to sleep ... eat then sleep. Eat and sleep. Eat while I sleep. Aaaagh ...

'Hey.'

I crane my neck back a little, noticeably not jumping out of my skin this time because it's not Zelos. 'Hey Lloyd.'

He just reaches over and gives my fringe a sharp tug, and I straighten up again with a small "ow".

'Where were you?'

'Omelette,' I say, pointing to the stove. 'How's Colette?'

Immediately his face darkens, and he pulls out a chair and slumps down on it. He goes to answer, but just flops down hopelessly onto the table. 'Something ... it's complicated. Her Cruxis Crystal is like a parasite or ... wait, yeah. It's a parasite. A stupid, dirty parasite.'

'That doesn't sound too nice,' I say simply. I don't really want to get all "oh Colette, poor Colette, oh god" right now, because that will just make Lloyd feel worse. Being all happy and spunky won't help either, because Genis will royally bitch me out, so I'm settling with a neutral feel to it all. Seems to work.

'No,' Lloyd agrees. 'But there's something we might be able to do ... the people back at the academy seem to think that putting a Key Crest on her Cruxis Crystal might subdue the effects.'

'Sounds about right,' I say quietly. 'If Key Crests can control the balance with normal Exspheres, then it could work too.'

Lloyd straightens up a little. 'Yeah ...'

Aaaaand. Silence.

'So where's Raine?'

'Still at the academy. They're trying to find a spare Key Crest from one of the broken machines.'

'And Genis?'

'He's with Presea.'

Silence.

'Oh!' I say quickly, jumping up. 'Um ... Zelos said that, uh, he doesn't think any less of you for not liking fish. And that you guys are still cool.'

Lloyd just stares at me. '... Okay?'

I sit back down. 'Yeah, I didn't get it either.'

I watch as Lloyd shifts uncomfortably in his chair, immediately looking rather nauseous. His face turns a shade paler and he folds his arms tightly over his chest.

'Hate ... fish.'

Oh come on, it's not that bad. Fish is nice – I love yellow fish and smoked fish, and prawns and ... well I've tried sushi once or twice, but it's really disgusting. Anyway, fish is nice – and healthy! It's brain food! I guess it kinda makes sense that Lloyd isn't the brightest crayon with his giant distaste for fish, but honestly. I'm going to get him to try nice fish soon, I really am. He hates tomatoes more, so I'll give him a comparison – tomato soup, or oily fresh fish.

'... Fish is yummy, you weirdo,' I settle with. 'It's good for you – you should try some.'

Lloyd whines, slumping back with his arms still folded almost defensively. 'No ... Genis made me eat a fish eye once.'

'I think you told me that before,' I say. 'But fish-meat doesn't taste like fish-eyes. I think. Well, I'm sure it doesn't.'

'... Why are we even having this conversation?'

'Because Zelos thinks less of you because you don't like fish, apparently.'

'Why!?'

'I don't know, he has a stiffy for fish or something!'

Speak of the devil; Lloyd jumps right out of his chair when the door slams open and shudders noisily against the wall. I manage to keep myself chairbound while I watch Lloyd grab for the table before he slips to the floor, and a rather hurried looking Chosen just manages to ruffle my hair as he rushes by, heading right for the fridge. Wow, he must be hungry.

... Didn't he have a lady coming over, or ... something? Maybe they're just going out for dinner? Then why would he be in the - oh god, why does it matter? Anyway, Lloyd manages to pull himself up, sending Zelos' back a withered look as the other Chosen crouches infront of the open fridge, pushing some lettuce and cheese out of the way while he rummages around for ... something. Barely even a hello out of him. Boy do I feel sad.

'Uh ... hey Zelos,' Lloyd says awkwardly. I dunno, he's talked to him a grand total of two or three times, all of which he was either ridiculed for being a bumpkin, a half-rate swordsman, or a girlfriendless teenager. Zelos however has all those qualities maxed out, so he's just shining his awesome all over Lloyd's tarnished and emo soul.

''Sup bud,' Zelos answers without looking away from whatever he's looking for. I try to say hello too, but my voice just goes when I realise I've been staring at the muscles in Zelos' arms and back for a while. He's not "huuurgh-muscle" like Kratos, but damn he's close. Lloyd looks like a weed compared to these guys, he really does. And we have Regal coming soon. Oh dear.

Lloyd prods idly at the table for about a minute to pass the awkward time, and Zelos finally straightens up after a good long search through various vegetables and fruits and ... cheese, with a small carton in hand. I'm not sure what it is. Is he going to spike his date or something? Hope not.

He turns and just gives the small white pot a small wiggle in our faces with a wink, and I realise its yoghurt. My heart sinks and I feel like slamming my face off the table. Zelos plus woman plus yoghurt plus suggestive look. You do the math.

'You ... go have fun with that ...' I say with a meek smile. He knows I'm uncomfortable. I think he enjoys it.

'When you're older, my darling,' Zelos says with a grin, giving my cheek a quick brush with the side of his finger. I thank god he strides right past me, because I swear I immediately turn an unattractive shade of red for the hundredth time since Zelos joined us. He does this to every single girl he ever meets, so why do I get so unnnngh.

'Oh, and Lloyd!' Zelos calls quickly, taking his hand off the door knob and slapping it down on Lloyd's shoulder. He jumps again, but Zelos just gives it a firm squeeze.

'Bud, I know your deal,' he tells him with a nod, yoghurt pot still in hand. 'And if you wanna keep it your own secret then that's fine, but I just want you to know that I am totally fine with it. Might be a bit too many more people to shake off in the future, but I can deal. Y'know, I've dealt with my share of you guys. I'm cool with it, yeah?'

Lloyd just stares. 'Um ... okay.'

Zelos just gives his back a sharp pat all ... manly style. 'You don't have to feel uncomfortable, mm'kay? You're still my bud. And fish is an acquired taste, I've always said. Maybe one day you'll like it.'

The younger just gives a borderline nervous nod, and Zelos straightens up, tosses his yoghurt pot to his other hand and leaves with a final ruffle through Lloyd's hair. Lloyd just shudders and tries to fix his hair, and I listen to the resounding thuds of footsteps up the staircase and slowly come to a rather amusing realisation. I don't know if I should be laughing my ass off or just going and setting things straight with Zelos.

Lloyd doesn't like fish.

Fish.

Fishy.

Oh Zelos, you're terrible.

'What was that about?' Lloyd grumbles, shifting uncomfortably again. I just shake my head, letting out a breathy laugh.

Zelos thinks you're gay, Lloyd.

--------------

'_Raine?' _

'_Is something wrong, Genis?'_

'_We're going back to see Colette again soon, right?'_

'_Yes, the Key Crest is being applied to her Cruxis Crystal. They have to have Lloyd carve the charms before they can use it – apparently the only one they could offer was broken.'_

'_I don't like it there ... those professors and scientists keep giving us strange looks.'_

'_Yes ... though I'm sure we're safe. They wouldn't accuse their Chosen of travelling with half-elves.'_

'_Is the discrimination in this world really as bad as Zelos says? Have you seen anything ...?'_

'_No ... not yet. I think that's what frightens me the most ...'_

'_Sis?'_

'_If there are no half-elves around ...'_

'_Oh ... I see ...'_

'_Compared to this world it seems Sylvarant would be welcoming us with open arms. It's truly a terrible thing ...'_

'_Yeah ... but I won't let it scare me. We're here for Colette, so ... I have to be strong.'_

'_Yes ... that's right, Genis.'_

_----------_

Okay, the research academy is one depressing as FUCK building.

It's made completely of brick, surrounded by a bigger brick wall, and the small gardens within are full of yellowing grass and dead trees. It looks pretty daunting against the purplish brown cloudy sky (almost a bruised colour), and the muggy atmosphere is making the evening air stick to my skin.

I just shift in uneasiness beside Genis, who is just mumbling to his sister while she nods back. I think he's finally taking a break from trying to get into Presea's panties, because she's finally standing silently on my other side without a ... Genis-leech on her face. I still haven't actually said a word to her. I might want to fix that.

Raine just brushes some hair out of her face, looking a little red in the face. I don't think she likes the muggy air; she was complaining about it a lot in Luin. She sighs, pulling out a small note from her sleeve and giving it a quick look over.

'This should get us in,' she says, glaring at the signature. I lean over a little and notice that the clear name "_Zelos_"is written and surrounded by two or three hearts. Really? Zelos wants it on with Raine. Bad. 'Zelos gave me this so we could enter to check on Colette. He and Lloyd should already be inside.

She nods to herself, breathing out slowly. 'Alright, I'll take care of it. You three wait here.'

'Careful, Raine,' Genis calls quietly, voice strained a little. Oh right ... half-elves. No wonder they're acting so uptight. I would be too, but I have no idea what my happen with my absolutely screwed up mana signature. Only Pronyma could tell I was a human, so I'm guessing Yuan and Yggdrasill can too. Kratos thankfully couldn't because ... well, he's a human and he can't sense mana signatures. But at the Tower of Salvation, didn't Yggdrasill tell Kratos that I was a human? Thank god Cruxis isn't after me for any unspecified reason – I'd be in so much shit right now.

I turn to Genis to ask him something, but realise he's already up at Raine's side while she talks to the guards with Zelos' note in hand. Ooookay, well ... that leaves me and Presea. Okay, let's get this over with.

'Hey ... uh, hi,' I manage, looking over to her. She's about my height, maybe a tad shorter. At least there are more short people; now I don't feel so small. 'You're Presea ... right?'

She doesn't offer me a glance, but I do get a quiet 'yes' in response. Wow, she actually talked to me. That's more than Genis got. Maybe she's hot for me. Hope not.

'I'm ... Charlotte,' I tell her awkwardly, and she just stares ahead. 'I guess we haven't talked much ...'

'Genis has ... told me about you,' comes the monotone response. She sounds like an underage robot. But wait, Genis has been talking about me behind my back to his new crush? Geez, that's nice. Presea will believe anything she's told in this state, so he's probably told her I'm a giant douchey douchebag.

'Oh ... is that so?' I say, sending Genis' back a scathing look. 'So, uh, what kinda stuff has he said?'

Presea pauses. 'He calls you witch; a humanoid life form from popular children's folklore, usually depicted with a gruesome structure and unnatural qualities.'

Ohhh Genis you asshole.

'Well ... I'm not a witch,' I say quickly when I notice I've fallen into silence while glaring at a certain half-elf. 'I can use a bit of magic, but I'm not a witch.'

'You are an elf?'

'Sure. Just like Genis and Raine.'

'Genis and Raine ... are half-elves.'

... _Shit_.

I look over to the others, and Raine's voice got a little louder and hurried. Genis has gone absolutely stiff. The guards didn't hear that. No, they totally didn't hear that. I mean, it's quiet and all, but they didn't hear that. It's fine. I just turn back to Presea and resist the urge to punch her in her soulless little face. She can't help it, fine, but she should know about the discrimination of half-elves even IF she's stupid soulless.

'No ... they're elves,' I tell her sternly, wincing when I realise I must sound like a mother disciplining her kid. 'They're not half-elves, okay? Don't say that.'

She just stares at me with a kind of ... innocent stillness. It's creepy. 'Genis told his sister that he was afraid. Half-elves are ... not welcomed here.'

FUCK.

'Okay, just shut up!' I hiss, gritting my teeth when I hear Genis cough rather loudly to indicate that yes, he CAN hear Presea from over there. 'Just ... shh, okay? You gotta be quiet about that!'

She just turns away without another word. I hope she got it; she's been able to follow simple instructions from Raine and Lloyd while she's been with us, and I hardly put it against her to shout "SO, HALF-ELVES" when we're walking in ... but right now I think I'd rather she was exactly like Colette. Presea minus the voice would be awesome right now.

The guards seem pretty cool ... they haven't said anything. They just keep nodding along while Raine speaks, now sounding a little nervous and worried. She keeps pausing and losing her words, and Genis is just looking rather pale at the moment. If this doesn't tone down his bone for Presea then I don't know WHAT will. Maybe I should teach her to act like me. But really, like we NEED another Charlotte walking around all "guys seriously, seriously you guys, my life is like so hard waaaaah Lloooooyd".

Though I suppose Presea didn't spend a majority of the journey using Genis' boyfriend for her personal gain, where in that category I am somewhat of a giant bitch.

I hear the sound of far away thunder rumble overhead, and Genis nods in our direction before following Raine inside. Looks like Zelos' note worked. Presea trails after them silently, and I cast a quick look at the yellowing sky above. It's gonna rain. Dammit.

The worst thing to actually happen - in comparison to my thinly veiled paranoia - is most definitely my stomach letting out a hollow, clenching "HUURGH" sound as I pass the soldiers stationed at the door. God I should eat more, I really should. That omelette was just very unfulfilling.

After I very vocally and very deliberately scold my stomach (just so people get the idea), I quickly shuffle on after Presea who's following Genis who's following Raine in some conga line of emo. It's an odd sight, but thankfully there aren't a lot of people around. All the students are gone at this point, and the only person I see is a rather slim and frail looking professor just rushing past us with a few books under his arms. Strange.

'Second door, left corridor ...' Raine mumbles after a moment, snapping me out of my thoughts as she stops beside a door. 'This must be it.'

I practically walk right into Presea, but she doesn't budge at all. Kinda like if I'd just walked into a very solid twelve year old brick wall with pink hair. She doesn't give me flak, but Genis does send a rather unpleasant glower my way while his sister knocks softly on the door. What!? Presea's the one that almost busted them for being half-elves! Geez Louise, I can't catch a break. I need to find out what's going on with this kid, I really do.

'Come on in.'

Lloyd. And by the sound of it, things are bad. His tone is just dripping with gloom. Raine takes notice and warily opens the door as if Lloyd's depression has taken physical form and will come out and choke her with his piling misery. Or something to that extent.

Nothing of the such happens. Just Lloyd sat at a table with a sour look on his face, Colette stood on the other side of the room with a tacky looking Key Crest over her Cruxis Crystal, and ... Zelos is rather unhelpfully just waving a hand back and forth infront of her face. I don't think he's got a reaction so far, but if he's not careful then she'll probably sock him in his immaculate face. We wouldn't want that. Well, I wouldn't.

'I take it the Key Crest didn't work,' Raine says, looking over to Colette with a kind of hopelessness. Genis does the same, but I'm trying not to. There's still hope, I know there is, but this is really all we can do. We just have to wait now, right? I end up glancing over to Lloyd, whose shoulders just hunch at Raine's question.

'Oh no, it worked,' he replies sarcastically. 'See, she's happy and smiling just like the old Colette. Of course it didn't _wor_-'

'Don't you dare take that tone with me.'

No threats, no angry slapping, but the way that shot out of Raine's mouth just sends the whole room still. Zelos just straightens up and ceases waving at Colette's lifeless face, taking a hasty interest in a messy looking bookcase on the other side of the room. I'd do the same, but Lloyd's shoulders sag and he fails to answer. Raine glares at his back, and Genis just volleys worried looks between them.

Thunder grumbles outside, and the first few drops of rain begin prickling against the window Lloyd is facing.

'I'm not asking you to be happy,' Raine says quietly, pushing some books strewn on the floor to one side with her foot. Now I look around, this lab does look a mess. 'I'm not asking you to fake your way through your emotions.'

Genis gets the hint and quickly starts stacking the messy books on the floor before his sister has something to say to _him_. Presea observes his actions for a moment or two and wordlessly follows to help him.

Raine gives Colette a look over, but like before, nothing has changed. She touches her fringe, but Colette doesn't even flinch. Raine nods to herself with a small sigh.

'I think we're researching along the right lines,' she says, ignoring Lloyd for now. It sounds harsh, but it's probably the best thing to do. He sounds horrible; I've never heard him talk to Raine like that before. This whole Colette thing must be eating away at him so badly. I mean, I'm not even her childhood friend, and I _know_ everything should work out, but hell it's even pissing me off. Getting her back to normal would be great right now – screw the storyline.

'Zelos, are there any more research cases being carried out in regards to Cruxis Crystals?' Raine asks, and Zelos just spins around and offers her a wary look. I don't think he trusts her too much right now; she looks about ready to rip someone's face off.

'Whhelp, not that I know of,' Zelos answers, glancing off to one side in thought. 'They only started research on the Cruxis Crystals after the Renegades came and spiced things up. Before, they were regarded purely as a holy object, so scientific research was a big no-no. Since the Renegades came along, the border between science and religion is crumbling right away.'

'Poetic,' I say, and he flashes me a saucy smile. Dammit knees, get your feeling back.

'Then that means that more research could be carried out,' Raine mumbles, turning to the bookcase Colette is standing beside. She runs her thumb over the spines of the books, looking through the titles at a terrifying speed.

'We can't wait that long!' Genis exclaims, shoving his pile of books into my arms. I catch them with an "oomph", and he turns to make ... wild, desperate gestures at his sister. Okay ow, my insides. 'The research could take months, maybe even years!'

'That's true,' Raine sighs. 'We can't wait for them to decide when to do more research. They seem hesitant to delve into the scientific explanations for instruments of their faith ... they might not carry it out at all.'

'All we know right now is that the Key Crest is probably our best bet, right?' I ask, dumping the pile of books onto the table in the centre of the room.

Raine nods and decides that I'm really not that helpful, turning back to Zelos to ask him more about what these scientists are doing around here. I just wrinkle my nose a little, rubbing my eyes. There's bloody dust everywhere ... I'm guessing either Lloyd or Zelos pulled up some pretty old books. I can't see Lloyd reading through these thick books, so I'll guess it was mostly Zelos.

I decide against helping Genis and Presea tidy the books away because one; Genis probably thinks it's something they can probably _bond_ over when he's getting desperate, and two; ... well, he's an asshole and I don't want to help him. I can't really go over and try to squeeze out another "accidental" flirt from Zelos (even though I feel like I could really use one right now), because Raine is practically interrogating him like a prisoner. I'm not sure why she doesn't exactly go and ask someone who WORKS here, but then again ... half-elf. She might get caught out.

I could, y'know, talk to Lloyd. Or try to, at least. No one is really paying attention to him right now. He's just glaring at the window with a sullen, dark look to his face. Thunder hums through the air outside once again, and I realise that we're all going on the big "ignore Lloyd because he's being pissy" rotation. Which doesn't happen a lot. Okay, maybe I'll try to help. I know it's possible I'll get even more "oooh Lloyd and Charlotte sitting in a tree" bullshit from Zelos, but hey, with the help of me and our underwater friends, Zelos now thinks that Lloyd ... well, takes it like a bitch. Which he does, but that's for another day.

'Um ...' I try awkwardly, attempting to straighten out the stupid swallowtail flaps on the back of my dress-tunic-thing. I slowly walk over to the table he's slouched on, deciding to fiddle with my gloves when he doesn't acknowledge my presence. 'Um, Lloyd-'

'Leave me alone.'

Ouch.

'I only wanted ... to-'

'Just go away.'

Okay, I'm bad at being shot down. No really, you've never seen anything like it. I cry and whine and bitch around for days on end. But it's Lloyd, and I guess he's in a pretty bad place right now ... I'll bitch later. When he's happy and in a better place, I'll just let out a giant tsunami of teenrage.

I already feel the lump forming as the guy who I was chatting to nicely only a few hours ago blows me off completely. Yes, he's being a douchebag, but I'll definitely respond to it later. I just have to suck it up for now.

'Uh ...' I breathe out, raising a hand awkwardly. 'Uhm ... feel better, okay?'

I jump a couple of feet when the screech of Lloyd's chair suddenly scraping back against the floor resounds around the room. He clenches his teeth in rage, standing and staring me down. I feel like a deer in headlights.

'How am I supposed to just feel better!?' he demands, and I just take a step back while my heart throbs in my throat. 'When Colette is like this!? How do you even-!?'

'_LLOYD!'_

The hardback book narrowly misses Lloyd's nose and smacks against the wall, bouncing down onto the table and flopping open with a quiet flutter of pages. I think the silence actually rings louder than Raine's shout, and Lloyd just stares at the floor while being glared at by ... pretty much the whole room. I'm just giving him a kind of angry, horrified stare.

Raine straightens up, and Lloyd slowly attempts to sit back down while avoiding eye-contact.

'You should know this better than any of us,' Raine scathes, and Lloyd just shivers in response. 'Don't take out your frustration on your friends. We are here to help you _through_ that frustration; we're _not_ here for you to lash out upon because of it.'

Lloyd slumps quietly back down into his chair, fists clenched. I think that worked, but I'm not sure. He still looks pretty angry, though ... he could be angry at himself ...

Raine sighs and opens her mouth to say something, but Zelos just pats a hand down on her shoulder to stop her. She hesitates, and Zelos takes over after clearing his throat, taking a few casual steps over to Lloyd.

'Hey bud, you've been working non-stop on that Key Crest,' Zelos says, slapping a hand down on Lloyd's head and ruffling his hair. 'C'mon kid, go back to the inn and rest up a little.'

'Zelos is ... right,' Genis admits awkwardly, obviously feeling strange about being on Zelos' side. 'Go and clear your head. Then we can keep moving forward.'

Okay, if I do nothing, then we're probably just going to be here discussing Lloyd's terribly-unlike-him angst fits forever. I'm really trying to remember the next few hours of game play from this point on when I played this back at home, but it's been so long. I really, really can't remember that much. All I know is that Lloyd is taking this all way harder than he should be. It's weird, but it makes sense. Lloyd's only human – he can't take all of this and endure it all standing. He's going to trip and fall along the way, he's going to have doubts, he's going to have STUPID and ASSHOLE and dickface Kratos Bastard Aurion Mercenary be a douchebag to him and it's going to _hurt_.

... Yeah, I liked this world better as a game. I wish it wasn't so real. I wish Lloyd would just brush off every failure and be completely peppy about the next solution they cook up, but ...

'Guys, not that I'm smart or anything ...' I say finally, taking a few careful steps away from Lloyd before he lashes out again. 'But ... if we can't find what we're looking for in Tethe'alla ... I mean, our first idea _was_ to go to Dirk, wasn't it?'

Raine sits on the corner of the table, folding her arms. 'That's true ... dwarves have an astounding array of knowledge when it comes to the theory of Exspheres. Lloyd may know the basics, but ...'

'We can't really just walk back to Sylvarant,' Genis finishes with a downtrodden look, dumping another armful of books onto the table in the centre of the room. 'We got here with the Rheairds, but we busted them up pretty badly ...'

'Charlotte, you're good with computers, right?'

I shake my head. 'Not enough about vehicles, but the Rheairds don't need much fixing, just fuel ...'

The silence is broken by Zelos laughing rather nervously, taking his hand off Lloyd's shoulder. He draws the weary attention of everyone in the room, not including Lloyd himself.

'Haha! Y'know, ha ... if I didn't know better, I'd say you guys were planning on escaping back to Sylvarant, haha ... ha ...'

We all stare at him for a while, and Genis turns to his sister, jerking a thumb in Zelos' direction.

'What do we do with this guy?'

'We could take him with us,' she offers, looking him over like she would a stray dog. 'I doubt he'll stay quiet, and I wouldn't put it against Tethe'alla to send more assassins after us.'

'Now it sounds like you're planning on abducting Tethe'alla's fine Chosen,' Zelos butts in rather desperately. 'You hicks say the darndest things sometimes, haha ... heeeh ...'

Genis frowns. 'If he's coming with us, he's wearing a gag.'

'Oooh, kinky,' I comment, and he just sends a glare my way. Sheesh.

'Well ... if we leave him here, he'll probably tell the pope and the king about everything. If we take him with us, they may see it as a threat and send people after us regardless.'

Genis nods at his sister's theory, and I stand quietly to one side and wonder what to say myself. They're practically discussing the best way to take Zelos hostage, with Zelos himself just ... floating around near the back of the room. He's probably wondering if he could kick Lloyd off his chair and volt out of the window before we can get a good hold on him. Well, _I'm_ not about to assist them. I don't really want Zelos to think I want to kidnap him.

Lloyd takes no notice of our new plans and keeps staring out of the window into the rain. He could be listening, but I suppose he's still pissed off at himself for not being able to do anything. At least he's stopped worrying about me; now we just need to stop him worrying about Genis, Raine, Colette, and ... then we should have our old Lloyd back. Goddammit. It was easy to stop him worrying about me; it's getting him to chill out about the others that's going to be hard.

Finally, he hunches his shoulders and straightens a little. Zelos looks a little hopeful, probably assuming Lloyd will be all "no let's not kidnap Zelos, he's pretty cool and I'm kinda hot for him". Most likely not, but today I apparently dragged Lloyd out of the closet, so you never know.

'What ... what about Sylvarant?' he asks, shakily getting to his feet. He looks so tired; he's been working and worrying non-stop since we got here. He should really go and lay down or something at least, or he's going to make himself sick.

'Right now I'd like to believe that Cruxis can change the direction of the mana flow at their own will,' Raine tells him, no longer glaring when she sees just how white he looks. 'The only role Colette and Zelos play in changing the mana flow are releasing the seals in their own worlds.'

'The mana flow changed, right?' I ask. 'Colette released all the seals, so mana from this world is travelling to Sylvarant right now.'

Genis nods. 'And if we leave, Zelos is going to release the seals in this world and get it back.'

'Not all Chosens succeed ...' Raine mumbles, folding her arms again. 'He could die during the journey, or perhaps Cruxis won't want his body for Martel. Colette's body has already been modified for Martel, but Zelos still has his heart and soul.'

I look over to Zelos while everyone else casually talks about him dying and whatnot, and he's just slowly thumping his head off the wall. Poor thing; he really is being held hostage at this point. We might as well throw in a ransom demand while we're at it. I should go over there and give him a hug, but ... well, he might touch me and I'll faint.

'Then what about if we do save Sylvarant?' Lloyd asks, leaning against the table. 'We can't just abandon Tethe'alla too. Isn't there a way to share the mana? What ... what if we only released half the seals in our world, and Zelos released half of the seals in this world?'

'That's not up to us,' Raine explains after a moment of consideration. 'The people of Tethe'alla won't sit back and wait while their Chosen only chooses to release half their seals. Also, the seals in our world are already open. We can't close them again.'

Lloyd's legs give and he slumps back into his chair. 'Dammit ...'

I shift awkwardly on the spot. 'We could, um, we could ask Zelos ... what he thinks. Maybe ...'

And we aaaaall look to Tethe'alla's Chosen, who is still steadily thumping his head off the wall in frustration. It takes him a few moments to respond, and he finally straightens up a little, raising a hand to the side of his head and running his fingers through his hair with a small grumble.

'Well, my gorgeous beauty is right-' (cue Raine snatching the book out of Genis' hand before it meets the centre of Zelos' face) '- if I was sent on my way to start releasing the seals in this world, I'm not about to stop for you guys. I don't want to end up like a few poor geezers that disobeyed the church.'

'Chosens ... disobey the church?' Genis asks. 'Why? No Chosen has ever done that in Sylvarant ...'

'Sylvarant is made up of hicks who don't know any better about the value of life,' Zelos says with a smirk ('Genis put the encyclopaedia down!'). Zelos rests back against the wall, rubbing his chin in though and looking towards the dim light hanging from the ceiling. 'I think ... the last guy to tell the church to shove it was a few oracles ago. Wasn't pretty.'

Zelos shoves both hands in his pockets. 'Emissaries of the church found him. Broke both his legs, smashed his head in trying to give him amnesia. They dragged him to every seal and drugged him the whole way to make him pray.'

Lloyd goes whiter if possible, and Raine's lips tighten. I'll assume that nothing like that happens in Sylvarant.

'Old guy didn't make it,' Zelos continues. 'Finally got his head straight for a while and bit off his own tongue. He died before he got to the Tower of Salvation. So you see, I'm not about to sit back and let you guys make me a fugitive.'

'I'm not about to let an innocent bystander get arrested because of what we're doing,' Lloyd mumbles. 'So-'

'You can say that all you want,' Zelos slices through Lloyd's sentiments, wagging a finger in his direction. 'But you're a kid dealing with a currently unstable monarchy and a pissed off pope with an army of knights at his beck and call. Don't think just because you have an Exsphere that you can do anything against them.'

I watch Lloyd swallow the quick beating to his ego, giving Zelos a withered stare. 'We're not exactly endangering Tethe'alla, so why-'

Zelos rolls his eyes. 'Because if you're in Sylvarant, we can't keep tabs on you. So we'll have no idea if you're plotting Tethe'alla's destruction or whatever.'

'Then just come along with us?' Lloyd offers, ignoring the look of disbelief on Zelos' face. 'Dragging you along with us will just leave a bad taste in my mouth. You'll agree to it, right?'

'And risk being stuck in your backwards world forever?' Zelos practically chokes. 'You're serious?'

Lloyd pouts, pushing out his cheek with his tongue. 'I thought you were supposed to be the great and compassionate Chosen One!'

'Coming onto me won't help,' Zelos grumbles, and I just have to clap a hand over my mouth and cough violently to stop myself cracking up. 'If you could ensure my safe return to Tethe'alla then I could consider it, but you guys ... you're a bit sketchy, y'know?'

'What do you mean, sketchy?' Genis asks, picking up another dust covered leathery book, probably to punt the Chosen with in the near future. Said Chosen just folds his arms loosely, giving us all a rather pitiful look-over.

'I mean,' he starts, choosing to focus on Lloyd for now. 'You guys hightail it to Tethe'alla after things get iffy in Sylvarant by stealing equipment you don't even know how to use? You come to Meltokio and just break into the imperial castle when you realise it isn't easy to get an audience with the king? You just walk around and think that people are going to help you with the snap of the fingers and puppy-dog eyes?'

Zelos shakes his head. 'You don't even know if you can get back to Sylvarant; how am I supposed to trust that you can get _me_ back to Tethe'alla?'

... Wow, everyone just got _told_.

Raine and Lloyd actually look rather embarrassed now that Zelos has told them how pretty much the whole of Tethe'alla sees them. I hate to admit it, but he does kind of have a point. We didn't really plan this whole journey that well, and they're pretty much living off the idea that Colette is So Sparkly THUPER Awesome And Amazing, that everyone is going to help her without a second thought. But yes, like Zelos said, the world doesn't work that way. Sad, that's it's become too hard for them to realise that ... well, not everyone loves Colette. I do; I think she's awesome, but damn. They think far too highly of her, and it's becoming a problem.

I will ... _forever_ ... despise myself for this.

I ruffle my hair a little, suck my lower lip for a second to plump it up, squeeze my eyes shut tightly to moisten them, stand straight, and clasp my hands together loudly to gain the attention of everyone in the room. Especially Zelos.

Dammit.

I open my eyes, lowering my clasped hands a little. '... Pretty please, Zelos?'

You can almost hear his resolve crack a little. Raine catches on and takes control, because ... she's probably better at this than I am.

'Such a shame,' she sighs out slowly, rubbing her cheek with a hand. 'I was growing fond of your company ... and I'm sure Colette would be more than grateful if you were to help us restore her to her normal self ...'

Genis' face is priceless. I love it. His mind is just being shred into tattered pieces of horror, and it's rather noticeable. Lloyd is probably just wondering why we never pulled this with him. It's probably making him feel like less of a man at this point. Hell, he could probably try to help us convince Zelos himself. C'mon Lloyd, unbutton your jacket a little and splay yourself out on the table.

Zelos just rubs the back of his neck, glancing between Raine and me. He gives Colette a quick look as if she were about to also start ... soullessly flirting, but nothing much happens. 'Well ... I can see why you'd want me around, buuut ...'

I just reach over and yank the first two buttons of Lloyd's jacket open, coughing once again to get Zelos' attention. Lloyd just flails like an idiot while I go back to being ... pathetic-floozy-Charlie.

'I'd feel soooo much safer with you around, Zelos ...' I try, and Raine continues.

'Yes, it'd be nice having a real swordsman around ... there aren't many these days ...'

I glance up towards Lloyd who's just frozen in place halfway through redoing his jacket up.

Real swordsman.

_Real_ swordsman.

REAL swordsman.

_REAL SWORDSMAN_.

His ego goes right ahead and shatters on the spot, and Lloyd slumps down in to the chair once more, flopping onto the table in a numb mood. Aw. I know Raine is just coaxing Zelos along by feeding his already massive self-esteem, but aw. Awww, Lloyd.

'You girls sure know how to sway a guy,' Zelos says lowly, voice something akin to a purr. My legs promptly melt and my face flushes hot. 'But I still have my doubts about your little ragtag group here. But ... I suppose-'

That blush pales immediately when the double doors behind me fly open with deafening cracks as they bounce off the wall. The sound is accompanied by a startled shout from Lloyd and a terrified shriek from me, as well as a suspiciously well timed clap of thunder outside. My heart feels too thick in my throat, and when I turn to observe what is waiting for us at the doorway ... I think that scares me more.

Knights. Lots and lots of knights.

Lloyd immediately rises from his chair again, once again kicking himself for not having his swords. I don't think he expects them to kill us, but it's rather sudden with them showing up like this. Of course, I have a good idea _why_. Judging from the look on Genis and Raine's faces, I'd say they do too.

Silence reigns for a moment, just enough for the sharp screech of old and rusted hinges quieten from the forced entry. The door wasn't even locked; these guys have a problem. Now my heart isn't choking me, I notice that among the seven or eight knights is that weedy looking professor from before. Y'know, that guy who rushed past me in the hall? Small world, I suppose.

The guy leading this small entourage just steps into the room without waiting for a hello. I'll assume he's the leader, because he looks slightly different among the sea of green and grey hulking tin cans out there. He's still pretty much drowning in unpolished armour like the rest of them, but it looks ... thinner and more detailed. That and there's like, a gazillion medals spanning his chest plate. Apparently this guy is a pretty big deal.

'Hellooooo Brigadier,' Zelos sings with a flimsy, fake salute to boot. Ah, that explains it. 'Find enough time to get off your ass to come see me? I'm honoured.'

Brigadier Buttmuch taps the visor of his helmet up to reveal a rather ... scar worn face. Okay, I'll assume he's been in Tethe'alla's military for quite some time. Zelos didn't explain much to us about the military in this world, but apparently it's pretty ... uh ... brutal, for lack of a nicer word. No Lloyd, you can't take him.

'Brigadier ...?' Lloyd asks quietly, ignoring the rather tall and ... weird looking man who just strolled right on into the room. He turns to Zelos. 'What's a Brigadier?'

Zelos just saunters over a little, smacking a hand down on Lloyd's shoulder. 'Your world's gotta have militias and stuff, right?'

Lloyd nods.

'This guy leads a good few stationed around Tethe'alla – one of them being the division that, uh ... focuses looking after me.'

Ohhh. Well, I suppose that with Tethe'alla being a lot more ... _mindful_ than Sylvarant, they'd have a group of soldiers making sure that their Chosen doesn't get assassinated or ... try to run away. Zelos _has_ already almost been killed for being the Chosen by a certain jealous half-elf, so I'm not surprised.

'I'm sure you can live without an explanation,' the brigadier says, lowering his visor with a small click. 'You know the drill by now, Chosen.'

Zelos shrugs, rubbing his wrist absentmindedly. 'Looks like the Pope finally found a way to slap a big ugly mark on my reputation? Gotta say, that was some pretty nice timing there, busting in and all. Make it a little less cliché next time, mm'kay?'

'There won't be a next time, I'm afraid,' he says, and Raine just inches Presea and Genis behind her. It's pretty obvious that Zelos is getting booked at this point, and I don't think we have any plans to go down with him. He's nice an- well, he's hot and all ... but I don't know, I can't see us going on a big fat rescue mission for Zelos just yet.

'Chosen One, we are to take you into custody for consorting with the people of Sylvarant in attempts to destroy Tethe'alla.'

Zelos hisses in a deep breath through his teeth. 'Ain't that a treat?'

'What ... wait, this isn't right!' Lloyd insists loudly, shoving his chair back. 'Zelos has nothing to do with Sylvarant; he was just here to keep an eye on us! He isn't planning to destroy Tethe'alla or anyth-'

'Let it go, kiddo,' Zelos sighs, waving a hand. 'As far as the Pope is concerned, I sit around in my mansion all day plotting ways to take over the throne and corrupt Tethe'alla. I've been expecting him to pull this kinda crap since he assigned me to you guys.'

Raine stares at him. 'You were set up? But that-'

'That's enough of your inane chatter,' the brigadier cuts in roughly, nodding back to a guard behind him. The soldier sharply nudges the weedy looking professor that came along with them on command, and after a moment of staring into the room, he completely ignores our half and looks right to Raine and the younger half of the group behind her.

He looks directly at Raine and Genis.

My stomach sinks when he nods, and his hair shifts slightly enough from the movement to reveal slightly pointed ears.

'Alright, take him back to his lab,' the one who nudged him commands, and a low ranking looking soldier grabs him by the back of his lab-coat, dragging him off. I'm not sure I'm the only one that noticed him, because Raine has turned whiter than her hair, and she's clutching Genis' hand so tightly I think she may break his fingers.

'The "elves",' the brigadier drawls, pointing his spear at the siblings. 'Take them also.'

... Oh shit, they didn't notice me. Thank god.

'Hey, wait ... what do you think you're doing!?' Lloyd demands, advancing at once when soldiers begin to approach his teacher. Raine hastily backs the three children away, but Genis doesn't budge from her side. He looks absolutely sickly as he stares down in the direction that half-elven professor got dragged away in. I think I should be doing the same; knowing how half-elves are treated in Tethe'alla, how can you do that to your own race? It's sick ...

'You guys were half-elves ...?' Zelos asks, staring at the back of Raine's head while completely ignoring the pair of soldiers already shoving past Lloyd and me towards him. 'Is that true ...?'

'Wh ... no!' Genis insists desperately, trying to drag his sister further back into the room. 'No, we're ... we're elves! We're both full-blooded elves!'

They didn't find me. That's all I can think about. The guards at the front must have told the half-elf that there were two siblings like him, so he must have been forced to confirm it. If they tried a DNA test on me, would it work? It's only my mana signature that's designed to look half-elven; everything else is human, so ...

'Raine ...!'

'It's too late, Genis.'

It's weird, everything is happened so fast. There's so much going on when I look up – the guards are already forcibly dragging Zelos, Genis and the Professor away, there's a guard trying to restrain Lloyd, Presea and Colette are still at a safe distance, but-

They're taking Zelos too? This isn't how it was supposed to go ...

'Let them go, they're not half-elves! They're elves!'

'They'll be tested properly once they're in Meltokio. If they _are_ half-elves, then they will be justly executed for their crimes.'

'_WHAT?_ That's not fair; they didn't do anything!'

Things are getting weird.

I can't ... I can't breathe.

I think I'm gonna be sick ...

'Professor! Professor, tell them!'

'Lloyd ...'

I look up just in time to see the frustrated tears at the corners of Raine's eyes as she's dragged away with her hysterical brother.

'I'm so sorry, Lloyd ..'

'Professor ... you're ...'

My head hurts. I can't concentrate. What's going on? I feel so dizzy ...

'Half-elves use magic, so take the rest of these men. We'll send another squad to pick up the others later – toss them in the basement or something.'

'Professor! Genis! Let them go!'

'Do something about this damn kid!'

'Let me go, you bastard! Bring my friends back – what does it matter if they're half-elves!? They've done nothing wrong!'

'They're everything that's wrong with this world – you'll realise soon enough.'

'Professor ... Genis! _GENIS!_'

I can't ... think ...

"_What now?"_

Charis?

"_This is the price, right? So now she's-"_

"_Yeah."_

"_She'll survive here, right?"_

"_That's up to her, now."_

"_Is this the last of the debt?"_

"_I'm not sure. She'll have to figure it out herself."_

Charis and William are back? Can they fix this?

"_Hey, if you can hear this ... you'll be fine, okay?"_

I try to respond, but this headache won't let me. What's going on? What debt?

'_PROFESSOR!'_

Dammit Lloyd, shut up ...

'What about the other kids?'

'It's the Chosen of Sylvarant and her friends, but they can't do anything according to the Pope. The Chosen is lethal if approached, so it's best to leave them here for a while.'

'This kid looks the same ...'

'It's the girl working for the Exsphere broker. Apparently she's working with these guys now. Throw her in with them too; we'll consult Vharley about it when we get back to Meltokio.'

'And this kid?'

'... This one looks drunk.'

Christ ...

'Just handcuff her with the boy and put them in basement lab four. Make sure you get DNA samples from them all – we'll have them run a quick check upstairs.'

'Yes sir.'

A rather loud clap of thunder snaps me back to my senses. The room is dark now – I think the lights busted in a struggle ... Lloyd looks like he's put up a fight, but he's now got his hands restrained behind his back, along with a quickly bruising cheek and a bleeding lip. Dammit. I still feel dizzy, but not enough to feel a rather large gloved hand on my shoulder, roughly tugging my hands behind my back.

'What's wrong with this kid? Was she drugged?'

'I think she's passing out. Must be exhaustion or something – she looks kinda malnourished.'

'It doesn't matter – the weaker they are the better. These kids have Exspheres, and that ... Lloyd kid is pretty strong.'

'It's not a problem. They can't escape from the labs.'

'Is the boy struggling?'

'I got him in a pressure point on his neck; he's dazed right now.'

'Good. We have to go and help the rest of the squad restrain the half-elves and the Chosen.'

The others ... they're gone. Raine, Genis and Zelos ... those guys took them away. They arrested Zelos – that's not right ...!

And ... and what debt!? Why did Charis and William choose now to-!?

"_There's not much time left. We've sorted out everything we can. You'll be fine, okay? This debt ... don't worry too much about it. Just do everything normally and you should be able to get around it."_

I can't really focus ... the only thing I want to think about is what Charis and William are talking about, but I think I'm being led forcibly down a hallway with Lloyd and the soulless girls. How can we get out of this mess? Just me and Lloyd – we're just kids, we can't ...

"_You really think you can just come back to life with no strings attached? You've paid a price, or at least ... you're paying it."_

"_Cramps ...?"_ I manage wearily. "_Is that ... it?"_

"_That's ... something else. Your best bet is to ask Altessa – he'll explain everything to you. About the pain, about your Exsphere ... everything."_

That's good. That's one – no, two things off my shoulders.

"_Just focus from here on out. You and Lloyd can get out of this, but you have to be fast. That the last bit of advice I can give you, okay? Just be strong."_

Easier said than done.


	79. That Goddamn Bridge

Chapter 79 - That Goddamn Bridge

Whoa, okay. Ow. OWWW. Ow, my head.

Right ... right, ow. Okay. Okay. Okay, what happened? What ... where am I now? Did I pass out? Am I still in the academy?

I panic a little when I open my eyes and see nothing but a daunting shade of navy, and I wonder for a moment if I've lost my vision. Eventually the dark blurry mess snaps into place when my sight sorts itself out, and after a while of sitting in a daze, I realise that I'm in a pretty dark room. Like, really dark. The only source of light is coming from what looks like ... tall machinery almost camouflaged against the grey wall, and ... I think the floor is glowing a little. Yeah, there are small glowing turquoise lines spanning the floor from machine to machine and from a table in the centre of the room. It must be transferring power or something, maybe like electrical wires...

'Dammit ...'

Oh! Oh, a voice! I'm not alone!

'Hey, be quiet over there! We're trying to work!'

Aw shit, professors. Or wait ... if this is the basement lab, they must be half-elves! So ... hey, they shouldn't be being douchebags. We should all wallow in our pity together, them being persecuted and Lloyd and me being arrest-

Oh, Lloyd!

'Okay ... okay, ow,' I manage, shifting a little. I realise I've been sitting up, and that's most likely why my back is killing me. 'Nngh ... Lloyd? Colette?'

'Hey, you awake?'

Oh, there he is. I can't see him in my blurry line of vision right now, and as I can feel gloved hands at my wrists, I'll just assume he's behind me. Awesome, this is totally getting us going. We'll totally be on our way to save Genis, Raine and Zelos in no time. _Totally_.

'No Lloyd, I'm still asleep,' I tell him, shifting a little to try and get my back comfortable. 'God ... my head is killing me ...'

'Stay still; I'm trying to get these handcuffs off ...'

I manage to get some feeling back in my neck and begin to look around properly. Yep, we're definitely in the laboratory basement. There's machinery and scientific stuff everywhere. There're a number of those tall machines around the room, and on the wall opposite the one Lloyd and me are sitting at is a long table littered with vial racks and Bunsen burners. I'm not sure what it is exactly that they're researching down here, but it looks like chemical reactions. Yeah, I listen in science! Kinda ...

I crane my neck back a little and get a facefull of Lloyd shoulder. Awesome. Beyond that, I can see Colette and Presea standing sullenly against the wall beside us, only Colette remaining unrestrained. I guess those soldiers didn't want to get too close to her, but they've handcuffed Presea too. She doesn't look too beat up about it though, so it's all cool.

'Ugh,' Lloyd grumbles, and I "ow" at him when he tugs a little too hard on the cuffs around my wrists. 'These binds are annoying ... it's harder when you can't see what you're doing ...'

'Yeah, that's gotta suck,' I slur. Wow, I do sound drunk. I must have hit my head or something.

Okay ... I'd seriously like to think about this debt that Charis was talking about earlier, but I won't for two reasons. One: Genis, Raine and Zelos clearly need our immediate help, and me crying about it is not going to help, and TWO: I have a good idea what the debt I've already paid is, and why it hurt my head so much when Charis and William came back after being gone for such a long time.

I pretty much confirm it for myself when I try and speak to them again, but nothing happens. Okay, now I'm scared. I know half of what's going on, and I'm scared. But it's okay. Lloyd's here – I'm okay. It would be better if _Zelos_ was here, seeing as he's an adult, but ... it'll be fine. We can do this.

I look around again after more quiet raging from Lloyd, and I finally notice a small group of professors on the other side of the room, all of them crowded around that table in the centre. There're ... it's hard to see through the dark, but I think one of them is that half-elf professor that called out Genis and Raine. Oh wow, Lloyd is going to want to kick his teeth in. He keeps glancing over at us with a stricken look on his face. Yeah, Lloyd's gonna break his legs.

There's another male professor looking over the shoulder of the only female professor. He looks pretty old – probably in his fifties or sixties. The girl he's leaning over looks young enough to be his daughter ... she looks the youngest out of them all, actually. She's probably in her early thirties. They don't look threatening; the girl is quietly getting on with some paperwork by the looks of it, the rat bastard who got Raine and Genis caught is nervously flipping through a book, and the older guy keeps sending Lloyd pissed off glances. I think he's the one who told him to shut up earlier.

'Almost ... got it ...' Lloyd mumbles, still picking at my handcuffs with ... something. It scratches my hand through the gloves every now and then, so I'll guess it's maybe just a loose nail he found on the floor or something, or maybe a small wire. 'Geez ... what's up with these damn handcuffs?'

'Well, they're kinda designed so we don't get free easily,' I whisper back.

'This isn't the time for that!' Lloyd hisses quietly. 'When you get free, just try and get mine off too and we'll bust out of here and go rescue the others before those soldiers execute them!'

'... Yeah,' I mumble. 'Lloyd, how exactly do we bust out?'

He pauses, and the clicking of metal against my handcuffs continues warily after a moment or two. 'Uh ... just ... bust out, y'know. All those soldiers left, so we should be able to get out with no problems ...'

'Lloyd, I swear to god,' I sigh.

'Hey, you two shut up over there!' the oldest professor barks over, and Lloyd jolts in shock behind me. 'Get yourselves into trouble and _we'll_ be taking the heat for your recklessness! Just pipe down!'

'Oh god, I am so pissed off right now,' I mumble to Lloyd. 'Seriously, I could go over there and smack him right in the face.'

'That'll be hard with handcuffs,' Lloyd groans. 'Okay, I think I've got it ... just one sec, and ...'

'Lloyd, seriously. That guy. The one who called out Genis and Raine – I'm gonna kick his face in. Lloyd, I'm gonna break his arm, I'm serious.'

Lloyd's actions immediately falter. He isn't finished; the handcuffs definitely feel looser, and I could probably break the chain between them with a few hard tugs, but we're trying to avoid drawing attention. The metal isn't exactly good quality; it's definitely not as strong as the handcuffs back on Earth. Not that I've ever been arrested, but a police officer let me play with a pair while my brother was being questioned for something.

'... The guy who got them caught is down here?' Lloyd asks with a quiver in his voice. I can almost feel the traces of anger flowing out of his words. I just hope he keeps his cool until we're out and lets it down on the soldiers instead.

I pause. 'Yeah ... it's the guy going through the book ... the one with the balding patch.'

There's a soft clatter as the thing he was using to loosen my handcuffs drops to the floor. 'Charlotte, you can't beat that guy up.'

I shift forward a little, looking over my shoulder to see Lloyd's head bowed, fists clenched so tightly that's they're shaking. God, he looks pissed ... even from behind. Colette and Presea do nothing, but the younger just gives him a small glance. He tenses his shoulders, and I try to pull myself up on my knees.

'Why not?'

'Because that's my job.'

I recoil a little when the chain between his own handcuffs snaps with a loud _ping_, and a small scrap of broken metal clinks loudly against a nearby hollow machine.

I don't even have time to look back at the three professors and gauge their reactions to see if they'll call someone, because Lloyd is already tearing past me with the cuffs still around his separated wrists like gaudy bracelets, heading right for the seated man. He barely even has a chance to look up and register the angry cry from Lloyd as he lunges for him.

The girl pushes back from the table with a terrified shriek, and there's a loud smack as Lloyd throws the half-elf to the stone floor, his chair skidding off to one side and crashing against some machinery. The man behind her immediately tries to go for Lloyd, but he's already perched atop the terrified professor with his collar clutched between both hands, yanking him up close.

'You!' Lloyd screams into his face shaking him. I notice that the professor's hairline and cheek are bleeding and his glasses are broken. 'How could you do that to your own _race!? _Knowing that they'll be killed, you ... _you BASTARD!'_

The professor grits his teeth. 'Like how you humans treat half-elves? What worth are their lives to you; you should be happy to see them di-'

The girl screams again when a horrible crunch sound through the air when Lloyd punches the guy. Okay, dammit. This is not good and will most likely draw attention from above. Shit, shit, shit, time to hop over there.

'Lloyd, stop it!' I shout, tugging hard at my own loose cuffs. I'm not as strong as him even with an Exsphere. This will take me a while. 'Lloyd, you could seriously hurt him! Stop!'

'What, like how he sent Genis and the Professor to get executed!?' he snarls back.

I watch the professor's body convulse beneath Lloyd as he coughs. 'They're better off dead – this is a cruel world for them to live in, th-'

Yet another smack sounds through the clammy air of the basement, accompanied by the snap of glasses. 'He doesn't even care about his own race, he-!'

'Lloyd, you can't expect everyone to care about your friends like you do!' I scream at him. 'He doesn't know Genis and Raine; he doesn't care if they die! Just like how you don't know him and you don't care if you beat him to death!'

The older professor stares at me, and I just jump up and down on the spot hysterically. 'Don't just stand there! Get him off of him!'

I turn back to Lloyd as the guy actually begins helping his colleague out by grabbing Lloyd by the back of his jacket, trying to get a hold of his arms. Okay, giant speech continue. 'Lloyd, these people are just scared, okay? You can't expect them to always put the people_ you_ care about first, because they don't have the privilege of having friends that will do almost anything for them, alright!?'

Lloyd falters a little, giving the old professor a chance to wrench him away by his upper arms and letting the guy he's been beating on finally crawl hastily away like a wounded dog. Wow, he looks pretty bad. I wouldn't be surprised if he broke his nose – there's blood pouring out of his nostrils and staining his lab coat. His glasses are completely shattered and askew, and I just hope he doesn't have glass in his eyes. That would suck.

There's a loud snap when I finally break the chain on my handcuffs after a lot of painful yanking. I take a look at my wrists when the old professor yanks Lloyd far away from the other guy now flattened against the opposite wall while cradling his beaten face, and the girl's now rushing over to him to help. Okay ow, my wrists are completely red and sore. That's lame.

I tinker with my cuffs for a while until they finally fall off, and the three professors seem pretty cool about us being free for now. Except the old guy, but his colleague did just get his face beaten to a pulp. Nice.

Lloyd is still glaring at the guy now getting some medical help from the girl with what looks like a tacky first aid kit she just pulled out from under the desk. I study his look for a moment and wonder where all this rage is coming from lately. But of course, _everything_ is going wrong. We're getting nowhere with Colette, we're now criminals who are going to get _no_ help at all from the monarchy or the academy anymore, we're now pretty much stranded in Tethe'alla, we've gotten their Chosen arrested and now Genis and Raine are on their way to be executed. Yeah, we lead such peachy lives. But still, that's no excuse to be an asshole.

Lloyd grits his teeth, still glaring at the professor he's just mercilessly beat on. Okay, this is _not_ the Lloyd I know, and it's _not_ the Lloyd I want to be with right now.

I grab his shoulder, pull him around to face me, and slap him. Not hard, but enough to shock him at least.

'Stupid twat!' I snap at him while he grabs for something to steady him, clutching a machine while he holds the side of his face with one hand. Okay, that's the second time I've hit him, and like before, I'm apparently pretty good at it. He just stares at me, attention now successfully off the guy along with his violent instincts. If I'm lucky, he won't retaliate and beat me senseless too.

'What the hell are you doi-'

'I'm trying to FIX you with a taste of you own medicine!' I rage at him. 'God_DAMMIT_ Lloyd, what the hell is wrong with you!? Beating up people you don't even know!?'

'Genis and the Professor are going to DIE because of hi-!'

'Lloyd, he doesn't even _KNOW_ Raine and Genis!' I scream back, shutting him up rather fast. 'HE'S not their friend! He's just some poor half-elf who probably isn't even let out of this shitty little basement, and I'll bet that he's treated like crap just for being a half-elf here! It's not as if he CHOSE to call them out – what if he'd lied!? Lloyd, they could have fucking killed him! Would you want _GENIS_ to lie and get killed if he was in the same situation!? _Would you!?_'

Lloyd stares. 'Genis wou-'

'You told me, back at Luin, that you were going to stop seeing things in black and white!' I continue, noticing now that the other three are staring over while I bitch Lloyd out. 'That goes for other people as well, you stupid douchebag! People don't have the same views, or – or lifestyle, and they can't do things that easily! Not everyone is as strong as you guys! Not everyone has friends behind them to save them and back them up! They can't lay down their own lives for people they don't know if they're in these situations! Your name means GREY for god's sake, at least make an EFFORT to stop seeing things in black and white if you were named for this purpose - Jesus _TAPDANCING_ Christ!'

Aaaand silence. I catch my breath after all that yelling and hope I didn't attract any attention from upstairs. Seeing as no one came along after Lloyd's loud hissy-fit, I'll assume that the basement is pretty low beneath the academy. I guess they can't hear us from down here, or at least I hope they can't.

The silence is finally split by a cough from the other side of the room. Lloyd and I look over to see the frail professor holding a handful of white tissues to his nose with the woman crouching beside him, pressing a rather dirty looking rag soaked in some kind of liquid to a nasty looking scar. Dammit, Lloyd.

I glare back at him, and he just looks completely ... I don't know. He still looks pissed, but I know it's definitely not for the same reasons.

'Lloyd, I know you're angry, but if you just take out your frustration on everyone around you instead of actually _doing_ something, then ... I don't think we can save Genis and Raine.'

He buries his face in his hands, clenching his fingers tightly into his hair. 'Dammit ... they're gonna die ...'

The professor with the terrible looking face is staring at me past Lloyd's shoulder, so I think he's pretty much registering that my mana signature is all half-elfy at this point. I don't know if those ... DNA tests they did came back or not, but if they _did_ and I'm still here, then they must have come back clean for both Lloyd and me.

'We have to get out and save them,' Lloyd decides finally. Well, duh. 'And Zelos ... we can't let him get dragged into this too.'

I frown a little. 'Well we've already dragged him into it; I just don't think he can get out now. The pope named him a criminal – they're probably going to do to him what they did to that Chosen who wouldn't cooperate ...'

Lloyd sighs. 'Damn ... alright, let's find a way out.'

'There is none.'

We both glare over to the group of half-elf professors against the opposite wall who have decided to keep to themselves for now, probably just in case Lloyd flips out or I start shouting again. The girl who is fiddling with the first aid kit just keeps her back to us, but apparently deems it necessary to crush all hope we have of getting out and saving Genis and Raine. Oh, and Zelos.

These guys are just really pissing me off. Sure, they're kept down here and probably spend all day being hated and told what to do, but goddamn. They just make the world seem so gloomy.

Lloyd and me go right on and ignore them and turn back to eachother.

'This is underground, so there might be a way up through a, um ... vent, or sewer pipe?' I ask. 'We can't bust out, the door is made of polycarbonate to stop half-elves using magic to break it down.'

Lloyd blinks. 'How'd you know that?'

'Because it says polycarbonate on the door.'

'Oh.'

We're interrupted by a distressed sigh from the girl, and she rubs her forehead in frustration before going back to dabbing the other professor's wounds with some gross looking ointment. 'You're stuck down here until they come and collect you. Just try to stay quiet.'

She drops the small tissue she's holding into a pile of used ones. 'You've had the privilege of being born human – don't trouble yourself further for the people you despise.'

'I love my friends!' Lloyd snaps back at her. He's really getting annoyed with these people who don't know him constantly putting down his feelings for Raine and Genis. 'I'd do anything to keep them safe, even if they are half-elves! Who cares what race they are!?'

She turns and frowns. 'Humans do.'

Well okay then, hi Kate. I liked her in the game, but-

'Oh, shove it,' I tell her. 'All of you get out of your angsty little world for just a second and try to realise that someone _does_ actually give a crap, and tell him how to get out and save his friends! I know there's a way out of here, and you're all just keeping it to yourselves because you don't believe that he cares! Well he does, and so help me if you give us that "hurrrrgh there's no way out uggh" one more time, I'm gonna come over there and snap your necks with my goddamn thunder thighs!'

'Charlotte, is that you!?'

Cue me screaming at the random, muffled voice that comes out of nowhere and scares the living daylights out of me. I think I actually jump about four feet into the air and end up falling back against Lloyd. Nice boy barely manages to catches my shoulders in time and now my ankle hurts. Lloyd, stop being a fish hater and be a manly man for once. But anyway, back to the random shouting of my name from nowhere.

Kate is staring with horror over to the other side of the room with the other professors, and Lloyd is just looking around. 'What was ...'

'Lloyd ... Lloyd, it is you! Help me get this structure down!'

I turn to him, and he hesitates. '... Martel?'

'No, you idio -WAAGH!'

I scream and jump again, this time landing flat on my ass because Lloyd doesn't catch me. To be fair he had his own little fit of shock. Across the room, one of the shabbier looking machines falls and crashes to the ground with a horrendous and hollow _CLANG_ of metal against stone. The half-elves are pretty close to the random commotion and hastily drag themselves back into another corner. I'm not sure I blame them for being a little edgy; this is probably the most exciting thing that's ever happened down here in comparison to their boring little lives.

On the other hand, Lloyd and my own lives seem to get a tiny bit better as soon as the cloud of dust clears.

Strewn out rather ungracefully on top of the old machine that was apparently hiding a secret route out is a rather familiar looking woman in a rather familiar clumsy situation.

Lloyd looks about ready to skip over there and glomp her to death as she pulls herself up to her knees on the creaking machine, brushing some rust off her clothes and pressing a hand to her face.

'Ugh, my nose ...'

'Sheena!'

She drops her hand and looks up, breathing out a sigh of relief before pulling herself wearily to her legs. Geez, she looks like she just ran a couple of miles ... and knowing Sheena, she probably did. Wasn't she supposed to go back to Meltokio? She must have been there and planned on going back to Mizuho, but probably saw Raine and the others on the way. Well, huh.

Sheena tries to straighten herself up and smooth down her little ... skirt-thing, but her fatigue gets the best of her and she just slumps back down to sit on the now damaged machinery. Sure, she's a ninja, but running between about four different cities is going to take a lot out of you. She flattens a hand over her chest, gulping in some air only to frown. The air down here is thick and stagnant – probably not good for her.

'Sheena, how did you know we were here?' Lloyd asks, already over there and helping her up. 'Weren't you ...'

'I know some guys here,' she wheezes, a little pink in the face from all the supposed running around she's been doing. 'I heard you guys came to Sybak with the creepy kid that works for the Exsphere broker, so I thought they might put you down here with her researchers ...'

She pauses as if to start saying something else, but she just slumps a little and tries to catch her breath. Lloyd stares at her, trying to understand what she just said.

'Exsphere broker ... creepy – you mean Presea?' he asks, helping her up again. 'What do you mean, researchers?'

I look over to the other two girls of our group who are still silent and unmoving on the other side of the room in the dark. Presea is just as lifeless as Colette right now, and I think Lloyd is slowly starting to realise why.

'Presea is here?' the female prof – okay, we'll just call her Kate now, we know who she is. She straightens up, staring past Lloyd and me through her thick glasses and into the dark corner of the room. 'Presea ... is that you?'

The pink haired girl just looks up from within the shadows. 'Stay away.'

Kate hesitates and then just nods obediently. At least she know what she's done to Presea requires her to feel guilt and do as she asks, unlike the Desians back in Sylvarant.

'Wait ... you guys are the reason Presea is so ...' Lloyd asks, trailing off and just giving Presea a rather aghast look as she walks over, Colette gliding slowly behind her. 'What does that mean, she was your research? What did you do to her!?'

Kate just falters, and the oldest professor grunts in annoyance and helps his injured friend to his feet. I think he's a little sore that random people keep bursting in, and things that could potentially get them into trouble keep happening every three minutes. Okay, I kinda feel bad after all the shouting I did today, but I least I didn't almost beat one of them into a coma, _LLOYD_. I mean, the guy was dissing Raine and Genis; you don't DO that around Lloyd.

'I asked my contacts back at Meltokio when I heard you were bringing the weird girl here,' Sheena explains, holding a hand to her chest now her breathing is slowing. 'It's something called the Angelus project. I've heard of it before, but it's not talked about a lot ...'

'Angelus project ...' I mumble, touching my chin. 'Lloyd, wasn't that-'

'Yeah ...' he answers quietly. 'That's the project my mom was in. Kvar kept saying it. So does that mean my mom was like Presea is now?'

Kate sighs to get our attention once more, straightening up and adjusting her glasses. She ignores all of us who are causing commotion right now and walks past Lloyd, heading for Presea. Kate reaches out a hand towards her, and she's answered with nothing but silence and a blank look. Lloyd looks about ready to snap Kate's wrist if she's gonna try and hurt her, but I don't think he'd go that far.

'Presea, let me check y-'

I inch carefully away as our brutal little friend just smacks the hand away once it's almost upon her shoulder, and Kate recoils a bit. Lloyd reaches over and pulls Presea back a little.

'No way! If you guys are doing the Angelus project, then you must be doing something similar to the Desians!' Lloyd snaps, and Presea just falls back behind Lloyd. Apparently it's nice and safe there. 'What are you doing to her!?'

'Lloyd, there's no time!' Sheena snaps, giving his head a sharp slap. 'Raine and Genis and that stupid Chosen are being taken to Meltokio. We should be able to catch up with them if we leave now!'

'But-'

After leading his shaky friend to a chair to sit down, the older professor straightens himself and wipes some blood from his hand. 'You're really going to save your half-elf friends?'

Kate nods, adjusting her glasses. She does it constantly, almost like a nervous tick. 'We can't let you leave.'

'Are you going to stop us?' Lloyd asks, scowling at her. A small flash of blue light from the floor reflects off the glass hiding her eyes, and she folds her arms in thought. She does have a few options, but most of which lead to her team getting into serious trouble. I think Lloyd realises that too, but Genis and Raine definitely come first.

... Y'know, it's random to bring this up, but ... Kate doesn't look as pretty as she did in the game. I know in the game every chick was just pretty much copy-paste models of about three different girls throughout the whole thing, but she really looks a wreck. She's lanky and tall; the lab coat she's wearing looks far too big on her, she's got pasty skin and greasy, unkempt hair ... so I'm guessing they don't even give half-elves the rights of proper washing here. It really is sick.

Come on Lloyd, stop being a douchebag and have a little pity. I'll stop yelling if he stops beating them all up.

Kate folds her arms and touches the brim of her glasses once more. She looks nervous. '... I'll say nothing to the higher-ups if you promise to come back here with your friends.'

Sheena takes in another gulp of air to keep herself going, brushing some hair out of her flushed face. 'Why does it matter?'

'If you can prove to me that you honestly care about half-elves ...' Kate says quietly, removing her glasses. 'Then ... I'll tell you more about the Angelus project. I'll help you save Presea. I don't condone what I've done to her. Lloyd, was it?'

He nods. 'Yeah ... I'll bring them back. You promise you'll save Presea?'

All the professors just kind of mumble wearily in agreement. I don't think the other two guys really appreciate Kate explaining everything to us and letting us go when it could _really_ get them into trouble, but I'll assume she's the team's leader. It could just be me – her lab coat looks fancier and more important I guess. What she says must go then.

'This leads outside the city,' Sheena says, turning to us as she steps carefully over the broken machine on the floor. 'I'll run on ahead and get everything you guys left at the inn. I'll meet you outside.'

'Just get the important stuff,' Lloyd tells her, taking her hand as she helps him step over. 'Just our weapons and first aid supplies. And the rice.'

'You and your bloody rice, Lloyd,' I huff, shoving him over the rest of the way. 'Go on, we don't have much time. Colette, follow Lloyd.'

The blonde just flies over the broken machine and trails after Lloyd quietly. It's creepy, but he'll cope. I can already hear Sheena's lightning-fast footsteps fade rapidly as she dashes on ahead. I don't know if she's also been named a criminal yet, but she should be able to get in and out of Sybak with ease. There's guards at the front gates of the city, so Lloyd and me trying to enter would be suicide.

The other two go on ahead, and I just turn back after hopping over the machine and help Presea over. Gawd, I do rather hate this chick, but like Lloyd, I'm sure I'll survive.

'Take care of her ...' Kate tells me, staring after her as she ignores me and goes to follow Lloyd. Like every other female in this group, I think she's starting worshipping him. That was fast.

'Yeah,' I mumble. 'You probably should have told that to Lloyd. I don't do much.'

'She doesn't deserve what we did to her,' Kate sighs. 'She was just a poor girl who matched the requirements.'

I nod. They have to stop emo-ing at me; I really don't care.

'You're a half-elf too, aren't you? Be careful.'

'Y ... yeah,' I say with a grimace. 'I will, sure.'

I stick behind for a few moments to help Kate pick up the machine and put it back in place, but when I start following the others again ... I really can't help but feel slightly guilty. I'm not a half-elf, not really. Charis just made my mana pattern that way so that they wouldn't think I'm from another planet if things got too sketchy, but ... I feel _guilty_. I don't know why.

I bite my lip as I run through the cold, dark passageway. Maybe it's because I'm not on my way to be executed with Genis and Raine. I'm still here, I'm still safe.

Dammit.

-----

'_Hey Sheena, you know Zelos, right?'_

'_Yeah. But I haven't talked to him in almost three years.'_

'_Whoa, three years? Why?'_

'_I don't really go out of my way to visit people I don't like.'_

'_... So, you genuinely don't like him? I thought you were just, like ... joking around.'_

'_Oh, brother ... you've known him for two days; isn't he the most infuriating person you've ever met?'_

'_H-he's one of the most attractive people I've ever met, I know that ... but I guess he's a little annoying. But really, you hate him?'_

'_We used to know eachother when we were kids. I used to go to the Meltokio imperial research academy branch regularly, so we'd hang out whenever I visited. I stopped going to the academy, so I didn't see him for a long time. I used to defend him whenever people said how terrible he'd grown up to be, but I guess I still just thought of him as the kid I used to be friends with. We met up again a few years later so I could see for myself, but ...'_

'_He was a flirty jerk?'_

'_He didn't even treat me like a person, let alone a friend! When we were kids, we'd just talk and play and he'd call me by my name. Once I'd seen how he turned out for myself, I took everything back. All he does is chase skirts and call people his "hunnies". Whenever I tried to talk to him as a friend, he'd just ignore me and call me some stupid floozy name with a bunch of girls hanging off his arms! I never thought it would be so hard to talk to an old friend just for an hour, but Zelos ... ugh.'_

'_Wow ... that really does kinda suck. I'm sorry, I guess I thought you guys just had a silly friendship.'_

'_It's okay. There are still people in Mizuho who tease me and ask me if I still think Zelos is a sweet and caring guy. I can't believe I defended someone like that for so many years without even knowing ...'_

'_... Okay, when we see him, try not to rip his head off. We have to rescue them first.'_

'_I'll try, but the second he calls me his "hunnie" or "sweetie" or "voluptuous babe" ... or "ninja-muffin" ...'_

'_Ninja ... muffin?'_

_------------_

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

I _hate_ the Tethe'alla bridge.

It's too goddamn long. And it was designed by Regal's company; the people who make theme park attractions such as Ferris wheels and roller coasters. You'd have thought they'd give the bridge some kind of vehicle strapped to the side so people wouldn't have to walk from continent to continent. Or in our case, _run_. Dammit Regal, you're awesome, but I hate you a whole lot more now. You and your stupid bridge.

I've already started feeling the burn of cramps and stitches, and adrenaline isn't helping as much as it should. I'm still ploughing along with Lloyd and Sheena, as well a Presea (who is apparently a fast little zombie girl) and Colette, who's just floating along behind us. I just have to keep telling myself that Genis and Raine need our help.

And ... and Zelos, dammit! Why do I keep forgetting about him!?

Anyway, we're been running across the bridge for ... about ten minutes, seriously. Hell, I struggled on a three minute run at school, but I guess then I didn't really have to friends about to be on their way to be executed. Well, Raine and Genis aren't exactly _friends_, more ... people that I travel with and tolerate at times. Okay, their _Lloyd's_ friends and I care about _Lloyd_ so let's go with that. C'mon Charlie, this is so Lloyd isn't a moody little douchebag anymore. Go Char, go Char, work those thighs.

Oh yeah, _Corrine_ is back. The day just gets better and better. He ran ahead to try and get to Raine and Genis first, or at least find out if there's anything we have to look out for. I guess that makes me appreciate him a little, but ... damn, I hate that little bastard.

By the by, Lloyd and Sheena have already talked about the Tethe'alla bridge being a drawbridge, and the apparent complications that could kick us in the face. Sheena's pretty much confirmed that yes, they will be raising the bridge upon passing, and so if we don't get there in time then we're moving to plan B. I'm worried, because Sheena has decided to keep plan B to herself for now. I'm assuming we're not going to like it. No Lloyd, I'm not jumping the freaking draw bridge. My thighs can only endure so much.

'Hey, how far is the draw-bridge ... part?' I ask breathily, turning to Sheena as I try to keep up. Presea and me are having a tad bit of trouble keeping up, what with our SHORT LEGS and all. Lloyd and Sheena are lanky twats, they really are.

'There's two draw bridges in the construction,' Sheena explains shortly. 'One at each end ... we've passed the first, so unless they rise the second we should be perfectly fine ...'

'What if they _do_ rise it?' Lloyd asks. Seriously, how is he not out of breath? 'Is the gap jumpable?'

Sheena grimaces. 'No. And I know you; don't bother trying. You'll die from that height.'

'And that's where plan B comes in?' I ask, followed by more frowning from Sheena.

'Well ... that's if she's forgiven me for cutting off her arm ...'

Lloyd pauses in thought and then flushes hard when it hits him. Ohhh yeah, Undine. Undine and all her shirtless glory. I remember now! Gosh, I'd almost forgotten about her. We made the pact with her right about the time when I was being a big whiny emo about everything, so it's all just a big teary blur to me. Speaking of teary, I notice Lloyd's adopted a rather sour look. Ah right, the Undine pact was the last battle he faced with Kratos by his side. Oh, the painful _MEMORIES, _Lloyd.

I really hope Lloyd feels better about Kratos soon. He's really bummed out about it. It'd be easier if things were _exactly _like they were in the game and Lloyd was all "oh so he's gone sure thing HEY COLETTE LETS GET YOU SOME SOUL". Y'know, it'd be simpler. But no, Lloyd's being Mr Angstypants, and I'm just hoping a certain MEETING on a certain MOUNTAIN with some certain Rheairds don't ... break his brain much. He's set on the saddening thought of never seeing Kratos again, so ...

I shake my head. Mustn't think about the bastard mercenary. Think about him later. Think about him when your thighs aren't living it up with pain. Which I fully blame Lloyd for; and as a punishment, he is so carrying me to the mountains where we crashed the Rheairds. Screw him, he makes me run around everywhere.

'I _hate _the smell of the ocean,' I grumble. 'God, I feel sick ...'

Lloyd groans in frustration. 'Throw up when we've saved the others.'

He's such a charmer. And Zelos wonders why I keep myself from him so, oh cue dramatic back-of-hand to forehead-ing. Lloyd will never realise my undying love for his funky hair. It's a burden I must _ENDURE_.

See, British kids can't do that.

'Is that ... oh no!'

Almost on cue, that little rat-bastard that is Corrine appears through a blur of colour and onto Sheena's should with a small zipping sound. He whispers something into her ear, and she nods. He doesn't stick around for long, thank goodness, and disappears in a small cloud of purple smoke to ... wherever it is Corrine goes when he isn't trying to rip my face off or crawl into Lloyd's shirt.

Lloyd turns to her after noticing Corrine has been and gone. 'And?'

'Corrine says they're planning to raise the bridge,' Sheena pants, and I notice her forcing herself to go just that little bit faster. 'He managed to stall them a little, but we'll never make it in time!'

Lloyd just grits his teeth with a frustrated shout, bowing his head and running as hard as he can. 'Dammit, dammit, dammit!'

I'm barely able to catch my breath at this point, let alone form words, but I try anyway before I start falling back with the other two lifeless girls. 'Plan B?'

Sheena looks out to the ocean. 'I don't know if it's safe at this distance ...'

'I'll try anything!' Lloyd convinces her, now leading us. 'I'll go by myself if I have to!'

'Then you might want to look away for this.'

Lloyd barely has time to question why before there's a flash of blue light hurtling along beside us off the side of the bridge, a familiar roar of water, and ... well, when the light fades, tits.

It's Undine, boys and girls!

'Oh g-' Lloyd starts, snapping his head to look in the other direction. Lloyd, you will never be a man. Ever.

'Undine, we need your help!' Sheena demands before the light around her even has a chance to fade. I decide to focus on how strange her watery hair looks in motion with the wind. It just looks like a long waterfall ... kinda cool, really. I guess I couldn't realise all the awesome details about summon spirits when we met her first, seeing as she was trying to kill us and all. Oh, and her arm is back. Yay for that. I wonder if she'll be all pissy with Sheena about that and tell us to go screw ourselves.

'What do you require of me?' she asks. Even her voice is odd ... it sounds watery ... I don't know how that works, don't ask me. It just kinda sounds like she's underwater.

Sheena actually hesitates at her question. 'Uh ... well ...'

'Oh!' I perk up. 'Oh, what about ... um, at the Thoda Geyser, that magic water-bridge that lead to the entrance of the seal? The one that appeared when Colette used the oracle stone?'

'Yeah!' Sheena decides, and while we all continue to run I begin to notice the bridge some ways ahead of us already being raised. Ah, frick. 'Undine, could you make us one leading to the shore? We can't get over the bridge like this!'

Undine doesn't even say anything, but she waves a hand at the water below her and begins to work her magic. Wow, she really isn't that talkative ... well, not that I expect the summon spirits to just kinda glide alongside Sheena all "how was your day today, I've been having a blast inside your headspace, nice place you've got up there" or anything. I really think she's pissed off about the arm thing. I doubt Mithos cut off her arm. Oh hey, I just thought, wouldn't Undine recognise Kratos if he was there before with Mithos?

'Wow, look!'

I decide to stop thinking about any old crap that comes to mind and look over. The water below is following Undine's hand motions and rising up in a giant column, spreading and twisting around the bridge and into the direction of the shore. Coolskates, now we can just run around it! And ... try not to fall into the ocean below. Undine didn't exactly put railing on the thing. Bitch.

'... I think I'll stay here,' I decide, looking down across the side now that we've all skidded to a halt beside the start of the bridge Undine has made for us. She's still weaving her hands through the air and watching her bridge intently. I think she's doing something to it so we don't just fall through it to our deaths. Even so, I don't like the looks of it either way.

'Oh come on, this isn't the time to be messing around!' Lloyd snaps, sending me a small scowl. Gosh! He's angry at me today. 'If we abandon them, they're gonna die!'

I peer over the edge once more while Undine lowers her hands, and Sheena gives the bridge a quick press with her foot before hopping over the railing. 'Geez ...'

'Whoa! This thing is slippery ...' Sheena comments, and Undine nods before slowly fading away back into Sheena's ... body. Well, that looked weird. Sheena just shivers, shaking her head.

'Ugh ...'

'Don't get dizzy on the bridge if it's slippery,' Lloyd says, jumping over the railing and discovering just _how_ bad it is. 'Ahh, crap!'

I grimace, grabbing Presea's hand. Hey, if I'm falling to my death then she's coming with me. 'Christ, it's like some giant water slide ...'

'Genis and the Professor still need our help,' Presea tells us in her monotone voice, stepping over to join Lloyd and Sheena on the DEATH SLIDE. 'Let us continue our pursuit.'

'Hate you guys,' I say, getting over there myself with Colette following. 'Hate you guys so m- OH GOD!'

Okay, it's REALLY, slippery.

'Dammit, don't fall!' Lloyd snaps, taking a careful step forward. 'Okay, uh ...'

'This thing isn't safe,' Sheena grumbles, reaching out a careful hand to see if this thing has an invisible wall around it. 'Undine really has it in for m – ahh!'

Apparently reaching out wasn't the best thing, and Sheena almost loses her footing. Cue a terrible string of events. I grab Sheena's waist to stop her falling, she leans back, I lose _my_ footing, Lloyd grabs both of us, loses _HIS FOOTING_, he grabs Presea too after noticing she doesn't have wings like Colette and could very well fall to her demise too ...

... Aaaand we all slide down the death-trap in a screaming mess. Yeah, we're so cool.

I screw my eyes shut and bury my face into what feels like either Lloyd's stomach or the crook of Sheena's neck, and I can feel someone's arm around my waist, holding me so I don't fall. No one seems to have been flung off the side so far, so we're all pretty good. I bet Undine is sitting in Sheena's head in a big comfy chair with a box of popcorn and laughing her ass off.

From this moment on, I hate Undine.

After about fifteen long seconds of consecutive "shit shit shit shit shit" from Lloyd and sudden shrieking from me whenever it feel like I'm about to be thrown off the edge, I feel a shock thunder through my whole body, accompanied by a group "OMPH".

I sit in silence for a few seconds to see if anything feels broken while the shock fades, and the only pain seems to be blossoming from behind my knee and my elbow. My neck hurts a little too, but other than that, nothing else seems to be hurt that much. There's a pained groan from Sheena beside me, and I feel Lloyd flop onto his back and spit out what is probably sand.

Sand ... wait ...

'Safe landing due to an unknown force. Several small wounds detected upon four persons.'

I snap my eyes open and raise my head, looking around. Yep, the bridge behind us is starting to lose its shape and rains back down toward the ocean. We're all just sitting in a kind of drenched mess in a thankfully sandy shore (I wouldn't exactly would have approved of being hurtled into the side of a cliff, though I wouldn't put it against Undine to send us into one either).

I look up past where the sand becomes land and grass, and I can see a group of soldiers gawking at us (they could have been gawking at Undine and her chest, who just flickered by to get rid of her bridge). Wow, we landed pretty close by. I can see Genis and Raine, too! Oh – DAMMIT, Zelos too! Must stop forgetting about him! He's there too anyway, he's just staring down at Lloyd.

I finally pull myself up a little, and Lloyd just groans in pain. I look down, and notice that I'm sitting in his lap, Sheena is sitting with her arms wrapped around his neck for safety with a leg thrown over his chest, Lloyd has one arm around her and one around me, and Presea is sitting close and holding onto his shoulder tightly. Colette just silently floats down after us, plopping herself down next to Sheena.

... Wow, Lloyd really is a pimp.

I finally hop off my ride, who just grumbles in appreciation now that each of the girls hanging onto him for dear life are getting off. Sheena's the one to help him up, and he just takes her hand gratefully and straightens up, pressing the side of his head into his shoulder and letting his neck crack back to normal. Wow, he looks dizzy.

'N'kay, uh ...' he tries, reaching for his sword three times before he can actually find the hilt and yank it out. It takes him considerably longer with the next one. 'Let's, uh ... what were we ...'

Sheena doesn't wait and just smacks a pale blue card to his face, running past him and towards the guards. I think it's something to sort his light-headedness out, so ... I'll let him do that and try helping out Sheena.

'Presea, we're ... killing guards!' I tell her, tugging out a pistol while Lloyd flails around and refuses Sheena's attempt to chill his beans. 'Can you help!?'

'I am of no use in battle without a weapon to aid me,' she says quietly, staring up at me with empty eyes. Gah. 'If I had an axe, then perhaps-'

'Okay, the guards use ... lances and axes I guess, so ... try and grab one from them if they drop one.'

'Affirmative.'

... Uggghghhgh. Hate Presea.

Lloyd seems to have gathered his composure and runs after the guards, all of who Sheena has begun to beat on. I don't see much of the commotion until I hastily follow Lloyd with Presea on my heels, but I quickly catch a glimpse of Sheena shoving one of her cards in the direction of the guard holding Genis, sending him skidding back a good few yards and into the ticket booth. I do manage hear the deafening screech of his armour grinding against the stone floor as well as Raine screaming for Genis to run while he's free.

I get close enough to start shooting just as the guard looking after Raine turns to slug her and shut her up, but hey! He doesn't get there in time to hurt her, because he's now flat on his back with a rather livid looking Lloyd straddling his neck. Huh.

Okay, Sheena's busy with the guards trying to get Genis back, Lloyd's ... mercilessly ploughing down on anything that gets near the Professor, so ... I guess I'll go save Zelos. Or try to, at least.

I decide to do just that when Presea immediately dives for a fallen weapon, and Colette is already over there and slaughtering things left and right. Nice.

Ah snap, I can't really get close to Zelos. That brigadier dude has him. Not that it's any different; I'm just guessing he's not going to be easy to bring down as easy as the other guys.

... Uh, whatever, let's just do what we can.

I practically screw my eyes shut and turn away when I start firing, hoping Zelos catches the hint. I'm assuming he does, because I don't hear him yelling in pain and I don't shoot him. All I hear are my little mana bullets pinging off armour. Wow, I am so useless here.

I look over again, and ... well, the dude isn't doing much. He just taps his visor down after observing enough of the fighting, and I go right on and warn Lloyd that there's a brigadier heading right for him, colossal axe in hand. I watch him clamber off the solider he's been trying to knock out to fight, and the same solider just ... rolls over with a grunt of pain.

Oh! Oh, I should ... totally get Raine and Genis to safety or something. Then I'd be doing something useful at least.

Okay, okay, Genis ... Genis is ... there!

I shove my pistol back into its holster and look around for any soldiers that might be heading my way as I run. There really are quite a lot of them here. I notice a good few of them are already in the distance after running away (they're so getting demoted), and it looks like a few others are joining them. We're not really that threatening, it's just that Lloyd is pissed and Colette is a killing machine.

Well, there's no one heading for me, so that's good. They're all focused on either Lloyd or Sheena (they're avoiding Colette like the plague).

'Genis!' I call, just enough so I don't attract any attention. 'Genis, are you okay?'

He just glares to me, and I ignore him for now. Oh ... shit, he's got a bleeding lip. It looks like it's been bleeding for a while. His knee is bleeding too, and he's got a giant ugly bruise on his other leg. I'm guessing those soldiers aren't really that humane.

'Jesus ... Christ, man,' I say, looking him up and down. '... Turn around.'

He apparently doesn't have the strength to yell at me yet, so he just does as I say and I start attempting to unlock the handcuffs. They're not too complicated to get rid of (they don't require a key, so it just takes about half a minute of tugging at things and unwinding things).

'Is Raine okay?' I ask him as I work, and he just clenches his hands under my working fingers. 'Did they hurt her?'

'... Punched her ... twice ...'

I make a face, trying to ignore the clangs of steel behind. 'Christ ...'

'Why are you here? Why did Lloyd-'

I give the binds a last firm tug, and Genis' hands are finally free. 'You can ask him yourself after this.'

He grabs my arm when I try to go past him and towards Raine, who's managed to get herself away from the fighting with Sheena's help. Sheena is managing to fend off the cardinal knights that haven't decided to flee yet, and Lloyd is trying to take care of the brigadier before he can either command his men again or ... well, cleave Lloyd in two. Lloyd can't do much – he's just dodging for his life until Sheena or Zelos come to help. Zelos himself is still just kinda kicking it back a yard or two away so he doesn't have to fight. He might mess up his beautiful hair or something.

Anyway yeah, trying to get over to Raine right now. Genis is still yanking me back. Little bugger wants an explanation.

'Why is Lloyd here? Why did he ...?'

'Damn, man, why do you think?' I snap. 'Geez!'

And off to the Professor I skip. 'Hey! I've come to save you and stuff.'

Raine just nods, looking rather winded. Wow, she's really taken a beating. More so than Genis, I think. Her cheek looks a little sore, her hair is all messed ... her sleeve is ripped, there's blood on her collar ... ow.

'Is Lloyd alright?' she asks me as I start fiddling with her handcuffs. 'He looks a little ill ...'

'Lloyd's feeling pimpy today,' I say, yanking on an annoying little chain. 'He's had a full-blown view of Undine's chest and has been smothered by four women via waterslide in the last ten minutes.'

'... I see.'

'I know, right?' I say, still tugging away. 'You're away for an hour and look what he's reduced to.'

'... Why did he come here?'

I just let my shoulders sag with a sigh. 'Gawd, you guys ...'

We remain silent, and I notice Genis has realised that Lloyd is very close to becoming two Lloyds as long as the guy with the giant axe is chasing him around (Sheena's joined in to help now), so he's running over there with ... well, he's severely lacking sufficient kendama right now. So I guess he has to make do without. Same goes for Raine, who has just starting healing her small wounds with her hands once I get them free.

See, this is where I don't get the need for kendamas and staffs. Kratos could use magic just fine without a weapon, so really it's just extra baggage.

'Go and untie Zelos,' Raine tells me shakily, forcing herself to straighten up. 'I'll help the others.'

I look over and notice that the knights have pretty much left Zelos alone. I'm guessing the pope asked that Zelos be brought back alive, or at least within an inch of his life so they can have him finish the journey of regeneration in Tethe'alla. He doesn't look to beaten up, but his arm is bleeding and his hair looks a little messy. If anything the brigadier probably smacked him around a little. I'm guessing he never really liked Zelos.

Well, seeing as there are no soldiers over there ...

I manage to avoid getting noticed by the last seven knights (well, six now that Genis has sent with running with a ferocious looking Stalagmite up the arse). Zelos is just getting around to forcing himself to his feet, and now I'm close enough to see him upfront, I immediately take back what I said about him looking fine. He looks exhausted.

'Hey, hunnie!' he greets me with a smile after successfully hopping to his feet. 'Nice weather, huh?'

... Okay, apparently not _too_ exhausted for Zelos.

'Um,' I manage. Even in the middle a rather bloody battle, I still manage to turn into a stereotypical teenage girl around Zelos. Damn! 'I-I'm here to ... save you ...'

'Aw, isn't that just adorable,' he coos patronizingly, and I actually manage to pout instead of giggling like a schoolgirl. Zelos ignores it and just turns so I can see his handcuffs. 'Mind untying me, my shy sweetie? I need to show Mr Big Bad Brigadier why you shouldn't go around insulting people's mothers. That kinda thing doesn't fly right with me, hear?'

I'd take that in stride, but ... Zelos and his mother? Not a good combination, as far as I know. I don't remember much.

'S-sure,' I mumble, beginning to work my magic on Zelos' bindings. I take this chance to notice just how tall he is. Almost as tall as Kratos ... agh, why am I so short? Anyway, it's much more easier to untie these things the third time around, so they're practically off in no time. Zelos just yanks off the rest, giving his writs a quick rub. They must hurt like hell if he's been tugged around as much as he looks.

'Okay, now wh-'

'LLOYD!'

We both look over at Genis' panicked shout just in time to see both Lloyd and Sheena sent hurtling across the grass. Sheena is the first to compose herself as the brigadier brings his axe back to rest on his shoulder, and I notice the line of the blade is red. I look back and see that Lloyd is the one with the dangerous looking cut across his stomach. That guy isn't trying to kill us, so I'll guess he has other plans. Public execution, ect.

Anyway yeah, Lloyd's pretty much fucked. He tries to sit up, but apparently that wound is pretty bad, even if it was a soft blow. Raine is already at his side, and Sheena immediately tries to fight back the ... now _three_ knights that are left. The others have either escaped or are in an unconscious mess on the floor.

Raine and Lloyd are busy, Sheena is still fighting, Presea and Colette are fending off the knights that are after _them_ now, and Genis is just sitting in a frightened, confused mess. Aw, geez.

'Whew, not good,' Zelos says, looking over at the leader. He's actually looking really intently – it's kinda freaking me out. When he draws his sword, I realise that he's probably looking for an opening in his armour. But ... wait, that would mean-

'For the attempted assassination of my squad as well as myself,' the stocky man starts in an informative voice, just as if he were reading off paper. 'For the attempted rescue of prisoner's taken in the name of the king's law, you are all to face execution.'

'Bite me,' Lloyd tells him, spitting out some blood onto the grass while Raine is trying her best to heal him as fast as she can. Even with Exspheres, it's hard to bring this guy down. I think he has one of this own – Zelos _did_ say that the Renegades gave them to the Papal Knights.

'I won't _bite_ you, boy,' the brigadier snarls, and I can tell he's grinning behind his visor. 'I'll _hang_ you. I'll see you all _hung_ like dirty half-elves; even the bastard of a Chosen.'

'Now that's just plain rude,' Zelos says, spinning his sword casually in his hand before sprinting over there. I almost reach out and grab him, because ... well, I don't really trust him to be able to pull anything off. I've never seen him fight, and he's spent most of our travel together so far just letting the others do all the work. I don't even know if he's had any proper training – maybe the priests just shoved at sword at him all "here, protect yourself with this". What if he gets really hurt?

'Heeeey, keep your smartass comments to yourself, you hear?' Zelos commands, still rather casually swinging his sword from side to side. I quickly compare him with the giant man with a massive axe, and the outcome doesn't look too good in my head. 'You shouldn't be insulting your superiors. As Chosen-'

'You are no longer the Chosen,' the man says rather coldly, the remaining knights now behind him and ready to capture Zelos again. That was their main intent anyway, so I'll guess they're up to letting Genis and Raine go as long as Lloyd has something to say about it. 'You're merely a traitor to the king. Don't place yourself so high above me while the kingdom has labelled you scum.'

Zelos just nods, reaching back to scratch behind his neck. 'Uh huh. Why don't you let me see the face of my new "superior" then, oh great and mighty leader of the church's Papal Knights?'

Raine has Lloyd on his feet, who's looking just as worried as me now that Zelos is facing four rather well-built soldiers on his lonesome. He's not even making an attempt to defend himself if any one of them lashes out and cuts his head clean off. The brigadier just taps his visor up once more, staring Zelos down like the 'scum' he is. I'll go on a limb and guess that the whole army of Papal Knights just don't like Zelos hands down. They work for the pope – he must have taught them to despise Zelos as much as he does.

I notice once more the thin, faded scars on this guys face now that he's shown his face, and his eyes are just utterly full of hatred. I'm pretty sure they're reflecting the Pope's intentions – the Pope's hatred. He's wanted to do this for a long time.

'The journey means nothing,' he says, tightening his grip on his axe. 'The time for you to die for our country has come early. Glory to the P-'

Zelos lunges forward and stabs him in the face.

... Yeah.

I wonder why I'm still staring after a few thick seconds, and decide that the view of Zelos' sword impaling the left side of that guy's face and brain is enough for me. I think the sudden waves of blood pouring down the guy's chest-guard is what did it, and I slump weakly to my knees and resist the urge to hurl.

I hear the shout of the knights, I hear Lloyd choke, I hear Sheena screech, and ... well, I can hear my own heartbeat. It's happening again. All this violence; the stuff you only see in movies. I haven't faced it in so long, so I guess I just wasn't ready. Hell, I don't think any of us were.

The Brigadier is dead before he hits the floor, and I notice him do just that out of the corner of my eye. Lifeless flesh and steel just thuds against the floor, axe following shortly after. The knights – screw them, they're already running for their lives.

'You'll hang for this, Chosen!' one of them screams back. 'We'll hunt you down and have you beheaded!'

Zelos just waves. 'I'll be waiting with bells on!'

Things slowly calm down a little – and I mean slowly. Lloyd practically has to force Raine to go over there and see if Zelos is okay, as well as confirm that the guy is dead. I'm pretty sure he is; I don't know anyone that's survived being stabbed through the brain. Zelos looks fine ... a little shaken if anything.

... Well, I've known Zelos a grand total of one and a half days, and he's already slaughtered a guy infront of me. Well huh, I can't say many of my crushes have done that.

I just stare at the body of the guy who most likely is the one who hurt Raine, Genis and Zelos, and ... it's weird. I don't like this. I didn't think we'd have to kill more people for a long, long time. I thought we'd left that behind with the Desians, and I just can't help but think ... that guy – is he standing before Valgrind, just like I was? Is he waiting to go to Hel or Valhalla? When you die, you face your suppressed self – your doppelganger – if he facing his now? Is he going through everything I went through? Is Martel sending him into his eternal rest?

... I hate thinking about this. It's just reminding me of that stupid debt I've started paying.

I belong to Martel now. I'm just like these guys. I'm a Symphonian. Symphonians don't have voices in their heads – they don't have separate entities living in their mind to help them out or work on computers and tell them the future. I try one final time, just like I've been doing since Charis and William talked to me last as I was getting arrested – and it's the same. It's always the same.

They're gone.

They're gone, and they're not coming back.

They can't stay with me – not now I'm like this. Not now Martel gave me another chance. And I know that isn't the full extent of my debt, but it's enough right now.

... Wow. I really am lost here now. I really am ... on my own now.

'Genis!'

Dead guy and lack of people in my head aside, I look up to see Lloyd ignoring the giant wound over his chest and stumbling over to a rather wobbly looking half-elf. Genis finally looks away from the guy Zelos just killed (Raine has a hand on Zelos' shoulder while he slowly realises what he's just done, looking over to Lloyd and Genis while she does).

Sheena takes care of Presea and Colette to calm down their violent tendencies (I think she's just avoiding Zelos), and Lloyd just drops his swords to the floor, coming to a stop before Genis and grabbing his own leg to steady himself. Lloyd pushes himself too hard, I swear.

'Genis ...' he breathes, trying to catch some air. Five straight minutes of fighting will do that to you. 'Are you okay? Did they hurt you ...?'

Genis is just staring at him, still shaking a little. He isn't saying a word, and Lloyd just continues, finally managing to straighten himself out a little. 'Your lip's bleeding ... did they attack you? You're okay, right? Did you get caught in the fight or ...'

More silence, and Lloyd snaps his fingers infront of Genis' face. 'Hellooo?'

The knights that are starting to regain their consciousness are immediately bending over to Zelos' will, and by the looks of things he's telling them to take the brigadier's body and get back to Meltokio. Seeing as they just saw him stab their leader's brain out, I'm guessing they'll listen to him for now. Raine leaves him to it and comes over to Lloyd and the rest of us while Genis continues to just ... well, stare at Lloyd with wide eyes.

'You came to rescue us ...' Raine says rather simply, voice quiet. It's almost as if she's asking. Lloyd straightens up away from Genis' face and turns to her, nodding with a shrug.

'Well ... wouldn't you do the same for me?' he asks, rubbing almost nervously behind his ear. 'You guys took care of me whenever I ran away from home ... you were always there for me, right?'

Raine listens to what he says, but she folds her arms stubbornly and glares at the floor at his feet. 'You despise being lied to ... for as long as we've known you, we-'

'Sure, I always hate being lied to,' Lloyd interrupts in agreement, folding his arms behind his head. 'Like how Colette lied to me about the journey, how Kratos lied to me about who he was ... but some stupid little thing like race?'

He just shakes his head. 'I don't care. You're still the Professor, and Genis is still Genis ... nothing's changed.'

'Lloyd ...'

'You guys aren't elves or half-elves; you're just ... my friends. So – WAAGH!'

I blink when Genis jumps up and wraps his arms around Lloyd's neck, tripping his balance and sending them both thudding to the grassy floor. Genis still isn't saying much – now he's just sitting on Lloyd with one arm around his neck, and one curled up fist thudding against his chest like the sissy little girl he is. Yeah Genis, that'll show him. Screw Lloyd for being so open-minded and corny.

'Okay, ow, wound, Genis, wound,' Lloyd tells him quickly, grabbing his little fist. 'Ow. Ow ...'

'Genis, that's enough ...' Raine sighs, sounding tired. 'Lloyd, let me heal that properly ...'

It takes Lloyd a few tries to actually get Genis off, and I decide to let them deal with that while I ... do something useful. Sheena still has Presea and Colette under control (she's been trying to pry a rather bloodied axe out of Presea's hand for a while). Okay, um ... Zelos! Yeah, we can ... talk to Zelos. Or try to, at least.

My legs still feel like jelly when I try to walk over to him while he stares at the bloodied grass, and I still have all those horrible thoughts and images flooding through my head like a violent river. I shiver, but I still manage to force myself to walk.

'H-Hey ... Zelos ...' I address quietly. I'll guess the shakiness in my voice is due to both my stress, fear, and the fact that Zelos is still a slammin' hottie. 'Are you okay ...?'

He runs a hand down his face, letting it pause over his mouth. 'I just killed Brigadier Hansen ...'

Oh, so that was his name. 'Was he an important guy ...?'

Almost as if Zelos remembers who he is, or at least who he's supposed to be, he just lets his hand drop and turns to me, flashing a confident smile. I almost back away a little when he leans down to my eye-line again. It always gets to me when he does that.

'Definitely not as important as me!' he says, and his voice has that sassy, secure ring back to it. I'm glad ... kinda. Zelos is the only one in this group who doesn't have such a giant mass of emo that things could probably start orbiting it.

'... You sure you don't feel ... sad or anything?' I ask. 'Or ... or worried? It's ... it's okay if you are, I-I mean ...'

'Aw, don't worry your sweet little self over me!' he tells me, giving my nose a quick poke. Aaaaghflarghblargle. 'I'll get over it fast with all these lovely hunnies to keep me company!'

'... Oh,' I say quietly, nodding. 'O-okay ... if you're sure ...'

'As sure as you are sweet,' Zelos chuckles, giving my cheek a quick brush with his finger. My brain does some more aaaghflarghblargling, and Zelos straightens up and switches his attention to the next chick now that he's done with me. I feel like a used rag, but at least I'm a used rag who feels all ... floaty and fluffy inside. Sheena's giving me a strange look, so she probably watched all of that and is now pitiful after the talk we had about me not letting Zelos' flirting get to me. I guess she's right, but I just really need to feel good lately ... that's not so bad, right?

I look over to Lloyd and the two half-elves. Genis is finally looking a little more like himself, though still a little queasy and shaky. Lloyd seems uncomfortable with Raine trying to heal his chest properly; probably just because she's being terribly quiet instead of ... well, scolding him about not being careful enough as usual, or giving him some long speech about how he has to learn how to heal himself one day when she isn't around anymore. It's just all very quiet right now, and kinda unnerving. I guess Lloyd is used to Raine being all calm and collected in situations like these. She the only responsible adult right now, so ... I'd be a little scared too.

'Professor, I think it's healed ...' Lloyd tells her, probably feeling a little light-headed at this point. Raine's been pouring a lot of mana into his wound, so it's possibly making him a little dizzy. 'You can stop now.'

Raine just follows suit like Genis and slips a hand up over his shoulder, winding her arms slowly around him and tugging him in close for a hug. Poor Lloyd – he's getting hugged left and right today, he got smothered by Sheena, Presea and me, he's been flashed Undine's tits (she should really just slap starfish over them or something), I'm pretty sure Presea's got the soulless hots for him (she's following him around mainly now), and ... well, he's stealing all of Zelos' hunnies away from him. Aw.

But no, not me! Like I said – Lloyd is the kind of guy you're friends with, not the kind of guy you go out with. Not that I'd have a chance anyway, so I'll just keep up this newfound crush I have going on. I'm sure I'm going through a phase every single teenage girl residing in Meltokio has been through, what with having Zelos Wilder in the same city and all.

'Sheena!'

We all look up to see Zelos sauntering over to a certain assassin, who takes her hand off Presea's shoulder and turns to face him with a look of revulsion. I think she'd prefer trying to get the giant bloodied axe off Presea for a while longer than actually talk to him.

'How long's it been?' he asks, running his fingers through a long lock of hair falling over his shoulder. 'Four years? Five? You know I wouldn't forget such a pretty fac-'

'Three years!' Sheena corrects him sternly. 'And don't give me any of your stupid flirtatious remarks, I know better than the girls that hang from your arms all day!'

Zelos doesn't frown or look hurt – he just laughs, waving a hand casually. 'Come on, is that how you greet an old friend after four y-'

'Three years!' she snaps again. 'Do you ever listen to a word I say, or do you just spend your time talking to me staring at my chest!?'

'Well it is pretty big, you can't blame me for th-'

'Ugh! Whatever!'

Sheena storms over to Lloyd and the half-elves, and I just kind of ... bounce nervously on the spot. I kind of understand where Sheena's rage for Zelos is coming from now. If I'd met someone sweet I used to know and they wouldn't even talk to me like a proper human being, then ... well yes, I'd be pissed off too. She spent all those years defending him in Mizuho too, so to have them laughing at her because of it also? Ouch, man.

'So you've returned from your village?' Raine asks Sheena as she rages her way over, looking rather red in the face with frustration. Wow, she looks about ready to rip Zelos' nipples off.

'Yeah, are you okay?' Lloyd asks. 'You said they'd punish you for working with us, so-'

'I'm fine,' Sheena snaps, and just smiles meekly when she realises who she's talking to. 'Nothing a good long sleep won't fix. But, uh ...'

She pulls herself up a little, brushing some stray hair out of her face. 'I was supposed to go back to Meltokio, but seeing as I'm now a wanted felon with the rest of you guys ... my chief also ordered me to observe your activities, whether you bring me along or not.'

Lloyd nods. 'Well, I trust you ... you're definitely welcome to join us again.'

'Don't worry about Mizuho,' Zelos butts in, throwing an arm around Sheena's shoulders. 'They pull this deal whenever a rebellion group comes along. They're just trying to decide if they should side with you guys or the King.'

'Uh, well ...' Lloyd mumbles as Sheena shoves Zelos off her. 'That's ... what?'

'You okay?' I ask, looking up.

Lloyd nods. 'No, it's just ... we're liable to side with?'

'I told the chief everything,' Sheena says, shuffling away from Zelos as far as she can get. 'He says you guys sound like you have a fighting chance at changing things around here, so ...'

'So now you're keeping tabs on us too?' Genis asks. 'Gee, first this joker and now you?'

'It's okay,' Lloyd says, right before Sheena can open her mouth and rant herself silly. 'If we can help out Sheena's people while we're here, then I'm okay with anything. Zelos isn't keeping tabs on us anymore.'

'We can trust you, Sheena,' Raine says with a nod. Aww, Sheena's getting all flustered and blushy.

'Okay!' I interrupt loudly. I want to get this done and over with fast; they could be sending out reinforcements soon, seeing as Zelos did just murder some high army dude. 'Um ... what were we doing before this? Something about the Rheairds?'

'Oh yeah!' Lloyd remembers, pressing a hand to his forehead. 'Uh, we ... were ... fuel! That's it, we need fuel for the Rheairds! Then we can get back to Sylvarant and ask Dad how to fix Colette's Cruxis Crystal.'

Sheena's face falls. Yeah, we all know what this means. Raine and Sheena were discussing it when we first crashed the Rheairds up on that, uh ... Fooji mountain. Volt's mana is the thing that makes them work, but seeing as how we released all the seals in Sylvarant and the mana is getting thinner here too, there's no way we can get them working without it.

'Well ... I suppose I'd need to make a pact with Volt, but ...' Sheena mumbles, trailing off. 'Uh ... t-there's no way we could get to his temple right now. Not with the bridge like this.'

I look back and notice that the bridge is still pretty much raised as high as it can go. We could just ask Undine to surf us over, but I'm pretty sure after her last favour we won't be doing anything like that for a long time.

'Looks like they forgot to lower it,' Zelos says, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Well, we can't wait around here for them. Maybe we should go pick up the Rheairds first?'

Lloyd stares at him. 'Are you crazy? I'm not carrying those giant things down that mountain!'

'Ah, ah, ah!' Zelos sings, deciding to throw his arm around Lloyd's shoulders this time. We all just watch as he drags him away. 'This is where I get my time to shine, baby! I brought along a secret weapon just for something like this.'

'Weapon?' Lloyd chokes. 'What?'

'I'm not gonna spoil my surprise, am I? You'll just have to wait and see! I'll get those Rheairds down in no time, bumpkin.'

'Stop calling me a bumpkin!'

We all just keep staring at the two of them as they go, Zelos dragging a frustrated looking Lloyd along while he starts singing something along the lines of "Zelos is the best, Zelos is so awesome, all hail Zelos", so I'll guess it's something one of his floozies made up. Or he could have made it up himself; you never know.

Genis is the first to actually follow, automatically followed by Presea and Colette. Raine turns to the last two of us with a look of dismay.

'Do you know anything about Zelos' secret weapon?' she asks Sheena, who looks just as pissed off as Lloyd ... but tenfold. 'I'd hate to have to climb that mountain and discover he was bluffing.'

'It's nothing,' Sheena grumbles, folding her arms as we begin walking. 'He's probably just got a wing-pack on him or something.'

'Wing-pack?' I ask.

'It's like a small capsule the Renegades developed for us a while back. It holds small vehicles like cargo vessels, so I suppose it would work on Rheairds too.'

'It can compress such vast objects into a small capsule?' Raine asks, grabbing Sheena's arm. Aw shit. 'How was it developed? Does it use a certain kind of magitechnological pattern?'

'I don't ... know,' Sheena answers rather warily. I don't blame her; Raine is going on her first full-blown ruin mode rampage in a while. 'Uh ... why don't you ask Zelos?'

She doesn't have to be told twice. Raine is already sprinting over to our favourite red haired Chosen like she's at the Olympics and Zelos is a big shiny gold medal. With a wing-pack.

'Well ... she hasn't changed, I see,' Sheena says a little nervously, rubbing her arm where Raine grabbed her. She's already over there and wrestling Zelos off Lloyd in an attempt to get to the bag of things he keeps around his waist. I'm sure all she'll find in there are hair products and condoms. It is Zelos, after all.

'Genis changed!' I say quickly, walking along beside her. 'He hit puberty. He's hot for the girl with the pink hair.'

'Oh yeah, that kid that works for the Exsphere broker ...' Sheena mumbles. She shrugs. 'I was wondering why she came along.'

'Well, we were supposed to take her back to her home in Ozette, but we got a little side-tracked,' I say. 'And now the bridge is raised, I guess she's coming along with us for a while.'

'Ah, I see. You changed too – you got new clothes.'

'Yeah,' I grumble, reaching back and flaring out the stupid swallowtail flaps on the back of this dress. 'The Professor designed most of it.'

'It looks a little bit like Kratos' cape, if you ask me,' Sheena says, giving my outfit a quick look over. After a moment of thought, she frowns. 'Is Lloyd still ...'

'Yeah ...' I mumble. 'He's still pretty beat up about it.'

... Oh, crap.

We're on our way to Fooji mountains. All I can really do is just go along with it and hope that it's not exactly the same as the game. I really don't think Lloyd can handle this right now – not after how bad things have been going lately. So if Kratos _does_ show up, then ... shit.

'Sheena!'

We both look over and notice that Lloyd, now free from Zelos' manly grip, is waving her over. Gee, thanks Lloyd. Either way, we both jog to catch up to them and see what he wants. Zelos and Genis are with him, and Raine is just having fun with ... that small capsule thing. It looks as if Presea is telling her how it works and everything.

'What's up?' Sheena asks, ignoring Zelos quite deliberately.

'I was just wondering ...' Lloyd says, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I talked to the Professor about it a while back, but now we're being chased by Cruxis, the Renegades, _and_ the King ... well-'

'He's wondering,' Zelos cuts in for him, pulling the other lifeless Chosen into his side. 'If you'll take a modest break from your "observing" them and take our cute little Colette somewhere safe.'

Lloyd grimaces, but Sheena nods for him to continue. 'Now we have three different organisations chasing us, I don't think it's safe for Colette to be here. Is there a place you can take her to until we can get the Rheairds working?'

'I can't take her back to my village,' Sheena answers rather bluntly. 'But my people have a few small camps set up around the world for our information network, so-'

'Yeah, about that!' Zelos manages to interrupt again, arm going around Sheena once more. She frowns, but doesn't push him away this time. 'How about you take her to my place?'

'Because it's probably overrun with soldiers right now, you idiot!' Sheena replies angrily. 'Are you stupid?'

'Hey, come on now,' Zelos chuckles. 'Don't you think they'd give the Chosen the best defences in case of an attack or a sudden rebellion? Basements under basements under basements, get it?'

Lloyd blinks. 'Wow, so you have something like your own underground house?'

Zelos 'eeeh's and waves a hand slowly. 'Something like that. It's definitely not as lavish and comfortable as my actual mansion, but it's an underground residence that leads outside the city in case I need to escape from situations like this. Only the Chosen and his personal aides know about it.'

'So ... you and Sebastian,' I say plainly. Oh ... oh! Zelos wants Sheena to check on Sebastian! That must be it. If the Papal Knights have been to his home looking for him, then they've probably interrogated Sebastian or done something to him along those lines.

'Oh yeah, him,' Zelos sighs, rubbing his chin. 'If you could check and see if he's okay, that'd be terrific.'

Sheena continues to frown, touching Colette's arm when she floats over. 'I'll take her to one of our checkpoints, and then I'll check on Sebastian alone. It'll be safer that way.'

'Thanks, Sheena,' Lloyd finishes with a smile. 'I really appreciate it.'

'But I have to come right back!' Sheena insists firmly, jamming a finger into his chest and making him wince. 'My chief will find out if I'm avoiding my duty for too long! I'll meet up with you guys when you've collected the Rheairds.'

'We'll be as fast as we can,' Lloyd says with a nod. 'But going up ...'

'Ah come on, it'll put muscle on you,' I convince him, giving him a shove. 'Go Lloyd, work those man-thighs. You can have tight, rippling muscles, just like Zelos.'

'I already have muscles!'

'You're not convincing anyone with that baggy jacket on you all the time!'

'That's what I love about myself,' Zelos sings, winding a finger around a springy curl of hair. 'Guys can never be as beautiful as me, but I can at least give them something to strive toward!'

'I am beautiful! I'm handsome! Dammit!'

Raine looks up from the wing-pack, giving Lloyd a small scrutinizing gaze when he looks over to her desperately. 'I'd say you're more ... cute than handsome, Lloyd.'

'Yeah, your face still has childish features and all,' Genis agrees. 'It doesn't have the sharpness that handsome men have.'

Presea nods, and Lloyd just looks around desperately. His eyes land on me.

'Charlotte ... please ...'

I shake my head. 'Sorry, Lloyd. You're just ... not mature enough to be handsome. But like Raine said-'

'No! No, dammit, I'm handsome! Sheena-'

'She's gone, Lloyd.'

'DAMMIT!'


	80. Chapter 80

'Lloyd.'

'No.'

'Lloooooyd.'

'No!'

'Lloooooooooooyd ...!'

'It's not that far now; you can walk like the rest of us!'

'Oh come on, I thought you had muscle! I thought you were some big, strapping, handsome man!'

'Well you guys called me childish, so shove off!'

I frown, stamping my feet while I storm over to catch up with him. 'Llooooooyd!'

'I'm not carrying you up a mountain! Go away!'

'Lloyd, my legs huuurt! You made me run all the way from Sybak and then you made me fall down the waterslide of death!'

'If I carry you then _I'll_ fall!'

'Well at least my legs will hurt less!'

I hear Genis groan behind me. 'Raine, make her stop ...'

'That's enough.'

I just huff loudly in response, but Lloyd is already too far up the mountain path for me to start yelling at him to carry me. Presea strides past me wordlessly while she follows him, and Genis almost shoves me while I'm dangerously close to the edge as he runs after her. He's still pining after her like a lovesick little puppy, bringing up anything that comes into his head that might get her talking. Raine is just kind of ... condoning his behaviour for now. He's finally hitting puberty; she must be so proud.

'... Be faster if I was ... carried ...' I mumble, folding my arms and trudging along at a snail's pace while Raine continues on swiftly. If Sheena were here then I might have someone to moan with, seeing as she's been running around literally non-stop all day. She ran from Mizuho and almost to Meltokio, ran back to Sybak, and then ran with us across the giant Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, and now she's taking Colette somewhere safe and checking on Sebastian for Zelos, and then she has to come and meet up with us. I mean ... I know she's a ninja and she can use her little ... smoke-teleport trick that she does, but damn. No wonder she's so fit.

Sooo yeah, Colette and Sheena aren't with us right now, leaving me with very little to do. Not that I can do much with Colette while she's all soulless, but Sheena and me are getting along pretty well lately. Lloyd and I are still cool, but we haven't talked much since he snapped at me back at Sybak. Actually, he's been pretty pissy at me lately. I wonder if I've done something.

I'm jerked out of my thoughts at the feeling of a strong and now almost familiar arm wrapping around my shoulders.

'Heeeey hunnie.'

Yeah, Zelos.

I dunno, before I met him I really expected myself to just be able to roll my eyes at his flirty antics and shove him away like Sheena and Raine do, but ... I can't! I really can't! It's so frustrating! Stupid Zelos and his stupid soft and wavy crimson hair, his stupid piercing sapphire eyes, his stupid amazing face ...

Arrrgghflarghblarghenblargleteenager.

'If you ask me, Lloyd could use a lesson or two about how to treat his lady friends,' Zelos says lowly, nodding towards Lloyd's back as he rages his way up the mountain path with everyone else at his heels. You know, just in case he walks headlong into a monster. 'Last I checked, when a girl asks you a favour ...'

I don't see you offering to carry me, lover boy. 'Y ... yeah ...'

'It's getting dark, anyhow,' Zelos says, straightening up away from me and letting his arm drop from my shoulders. I breathe a small sigh of relief when he looks towards the dimming sky. Today really has been one hell of a day – we walked across the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, almost got Colette fixed, got arrested, broke out of the Imperial Research Academy, ran across the bridge again, killed some high-rank army dude, and now we're walking up the Fooji mountains in the dark to get the rheairds. I'm sooo tired; I'd love nothing more than to just kick my shoes off, lie down and sleep for hours. But as far as I know, we still have some crap to take care of.

'My poor, poor hunnies ...' Zelos sighs, rubbing his jaw. I look up to see him still staring toward the sky with a rather put-on saddened look. 'They must be so lonely without me. I hope they're not harassing Sebastian too much ...'

'Um ...' I mumble. I'm not sure what to say to that. I don't think he realises that I think he's implicating that the only girl in this entire group that is head over heels for him isn't good enough. AKA me. Oh god, I'm hideous!

'Ah, he can handle it ...' Zelos mumbles, mostly to himself at this stage. 'Hell, he might enjoy the female attention for once.'

'M-maybe,' I manage, praying to Martel to miraculously and instantly slim down my thighs on the spot. It doesn't work.

'As for me, I think I can hold out a little while longer!' he declares, and that damn arm finds its way around my shoulders again. 'I've got a number of babes to keep me company here!'

I'm a hideous monsteeeeer ...

I just stare at the floor, still praying to ... well, someone to just ... randomly turn me super-duper pretty on the spot. I'm the only one who actually responds to his flirting! Not by my own accord of course, it just so happens that I'm a hormonal, emotional and lonely mess and Zelos is ... really, really hot.

My spine turns to water when I feel a lock of hair brush my cheek and Zelos' lips very nearly upon the shell of my ear.

'But you're my special little hunnie here.'

... Aaaaaaghraghbrainowmybrain OW MY BRAIN.

I blush furiously and nod a little too quickly in an attempt to immediately distance myself so I can catch my breath. Sheena warned me about all his fake flirting, especially now we're on the road and there's no random bimbos hanging off him every minute of every hour of every day. So he has to make do with the only one immature enough to respond to his playfulness, once again, AKA me. I'm definitely not taking it to heart – even if it _was_ real I still wouldn't, but ... argh stupid Zelos making me feel all tingly and warm and melty inside.

'See, chin up!' he tells me, striding nonchalantly on ahead while completely oblivious to the fact that I now walk rather alone. He heads up for Raine to try his hand at her attention for a change, for once met with very little resistance from Genis as he's too busy trying to do the exact same to Presea. I feel the fine hairs on the back of my neck spring to attention and a cold sting run the length of my spine, and I jog ahead a little to join the others. The thought of being left behind on the mountain path in the dark frightens me; especially with monsters now springing up.

We haven't actually fought anything for a while. I've seen dangerous looking monsters slinking around behind jagged rocks and on the cliffs above, but they make no attempt to ambush us. I don't know if it's because we outnumber them, because they acknowledge that we're smarter, or because they can smell a lasting stench of blood and death on Zelos, but we're being left alone for now.

Nothing much else is said for a while. Lloyd and Raine remember the main route and the small manoeuvres around the pathway that's been crumbled away to the cliff, so I don't have to focus on any navigating. It's more or less just following them while making sure my ankles don't fold in my tiredness and I go plummeting off the edge. I'm still extremely tired and worn out, and if any battles are coming up with whoever, I don't think I can take part. Mentally, physically, I'm worn out today.

Physically – I've been in pain while forcing myself to walk from mountain to city, and though it subsided a while ago, there is still the ache of running back and forth between two continents today, and now I'm climbing a mountain path. With any luck we can set up camp at the summit, but if we _are_ ambushed by Renegades, we're hardly going to stay in the same place for them.

Mentally – well, there's not much to say. I'm paying a debt to Martel for bringing me back, though ... I'm not sure I'd call it a "debt". Martel doesn't benefit from me losing things, unlike how Colette's loss of senses benefitted her new body. It's like I'm paying a fee over time, and my first payment was having my mind slowly filtered of its unnatural occupants. I suppose it's to make me more like one of Martel's people; last I checked people don't have voices in their head. Lloyd doesn't, Raine doesn't, Kratos doe- well, Kratos _might_, being batshit insane at some points in time, but really.

So, Charis and William have been ripped from my head after hanging on for as long as they could and _hopefully_ finish sorting some things out. I just feel kind of ... alone now. There's no one I can talk to about Earth, no one to lead me in the right way concerning it. It's finally just me who knows these things, and now I have to find out the answers myself.

Charis and William always said that at the end of everything, I'd be sent home. Is that even possible without them here? They were the link I had to Earth, and they're gone now. They can't send me back. Could Martel? Maybe after planting the tree and telling Lloyd to name it like some mutated first born, she'll slap me through some random portal and I'll be home again? I hope so.

... Or it could be that I never go home, I stay as one of Martel's people forever, and that's ... my payment.

And I'm pulled away from my thoughts once more, because ow, my legs freaking hurt.

I look up, but everyone is wrapped up in whatever they're doing. Raine is ignoring Zelos, Zelos is still firing random flirty comments her way, Genis is walking alongside Presea with a sour look now that he can hear Zelos, and Lloyd is still pissed off at the front of the group. I think he's having second thoughts about sending Colette away with Sheena. I mean, yes, he can trust Sheena with Colette's life, but the rest of Mizuho ... I'm not so sure. There's no telling that Sheena and us might return to them and we find a dead Colette with Mizuho all "well whoops my katana slipped".

But hey! It's Colette. No one hurts Colette. Like, ever. They storyline always bended in her favour, even if it didn't make sense, so she'll be fine.

Ugh ... I feel dizzy too. I'm so tired! I'm tired and my legs hurt.

'Guys, my legs really hurt,' I relay to them when Zelos takes a small break to think up more lines. 'Can we rest for like, a minute? Please ...?'

'We'll be at the summit soon,' Raine says, looking up at the remaining mountain we have left to climb. 'We can rest after we've collected the rheairds.'

I grimace, rubbing my palms up and down over my thighs while I trudge heavily along. 'Ow ...'

Everyone else ignores my _PAIN_, and I'm left following them and periodically reaching down to make sure my thighs still work. They do, to my dismay. If I just collapsed in a fit of "oh I can't go on, oh someone please help me, back-of-hand-to-forehead dramatisation, oh" then I'm BOUND to get a piggy-back from someone. Or they'll leave me here while they go and get the Rheairds, which seems like the more likely idea.

Waaah, my legs, ect.

After a while of more whining that goes ignored, Zelos managing to cook up a few more flirts for Raine until he's met with a rather weak Wind Blade to the face from Genis, Lloyd still being a moody asshole, and ... well, Presea just being Presea, we finally reach the summit! Yay! No more walking! Until we have to walk back down, but yay! I'm sitting on a rock for a while, screw those guys.

'They're still here,' Lloyd sighs, looking around. 'At least they're not smoking anymore.'

When I find a slab of rock jutting out of the ground, I plop myself down and take a look around the large summit. I remember it looking very cramped in the game, but it's actually really wide. Sure enough, there are four rheairds looking rather ... beaten all around. I'm not sure if they're even going to be useable after this. The wing is broken on one, the other's front looks rather crunched into itself, I can see one with a rather vital looking part of machinery come loose and is now sitting a few yards away. There are actually a couple of important parts strewn around the summit how we left it, so I'm guessing only one or two are actually going to work.

'... Weeell, let's get these babies all packed up and we can get out of here,' Zelos says, stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. 'I'm beat.'

'Sheena's probably waiting for us by now,' Genis agrees with a nod. 'We can sort out how to fix them after.'

Lloyd walks over to the closest; a red rheaird sitting between some rocks close by. The front bonnet has been snapped up to reveal machinery inside, and he runs a hand over the intricate work. 'Yeah ... these things look pretty bad. Do you think they'll even work?'

'First the problem was fuel,' I say, giving the machine a small nudge with my foot. 'But we crashed them and screwed them up, so I'm guessing we'll need to repair them before or after we get fuel.'

'Who can repair rheairds?' Genis asks, and I notice Zelos has walked over to the furthest vehicle (which seems to be dangerously close to the edge of the mountain summit) with the wing-pack in hand.

'The Renegades,' Lloyd answers dryly. 'There's gotta be someone else who can work these things!'

'Maybe Sheena knows someone who can be of aid,' Raine offers, arms folded while she looks around at the damage we've caused to our only means of travelling between worlds. 'If she came to Sylvarant on a Rheaird, she may have passed some information to her peers. By the sound of her people, it seems they don't trust the Renegades anymore than we do.'

Lloyd rubs his neck through the large collar. 'I hope so. These are the only things we have that can get us back to Sylvarant.'

'It's not all bad, if you think about it,' Genis assures us, being an optimist for once. 'I thought we'd have to haul these things all the way back down the mountain. Tethe'alla sure does have advanced technology.'

'Technology that seems to be failing rather hard right now,' I tell them, looking over to Zelos through the dark while he waves the wing-pack frantically at an unresponsive rheaird. He looks rather agitated; maybe it's not working?

'Is something wrong?' Lloyd calls over, and Zelos just flings the wing-pack at the unmoving vehicle. It bounces off the bonnet and back in to his hands, and still no sign of progress.

'I think it's busted,' he says, holding it up. 'Wanna come check it out? I can't get it working.'

Genis frowns in annoyance as Raine and Lloyd go over there to see if Zelos broke it (if it's broken, I'm guessing it's down to the Professor trying to crack it open like an egg earlier), leaving him, Presea and me. Yay, the wonder-squad. We all hate eachother. Except Presea, but I'm just under the assumption she secretly loathes us all right now.

... Okay, you know what? I'm sick of Genis fluttering around Presea and wondering if something will ever, ever happen. I'm going to sort it out right now while the others are trying to fix the wing pack.

'Genis, why don't you go and have a look at it?' I ask, jerking my thumb in their direction while I stretch out my legs. My knees click and feeling finally starts flowing back in. Genis just shoots me a sour look, but I'm not finished. 'You're like, the smartest kid I know. Surely you'd know what's up with it.'

His glare melts away to a look of confusion. 'What?'

I decide to ditch the plan of being suave about this, because it takes me a couple of tries to get to my feet. Damn legs. 'Well ... didn't you get full marks in everything you ever did in your class? And Lloyd's what, five years older than you, and you were his personal tutor when you were growing up. Oh, and you got full marks out of four-hundred in the test for the Palmacosta academy, and then turn them down because the school was _waaay_ too basic for you?'

Genis just looks thoroughly bewildered at my sudden switch in attitude. 'No ... the academy was-'

'Aaaand,' I continue loudly, ignoring him and slapping my hands down on Presea's shoulders, steering her over to him. That, and my legs are about to give way underneath me. 'Didn't you solve all the intricate puzzles in the Seal of Light all by yourself? I mean, I'm fourt – sixte – fourteen ... _sixteen_, and I can't even do that.'

Presea nods. 'That is ... impressive for someone so young.'

Cue Genis gushing at the praise from Presea. 'Y .. y-yeah, I guess it is!'

If anything, this will get Genis off my back for a while, get him on Presea's, and maybe even have him appreciate me for ... ooh, maybe a day at most. I think we're even now – I called him a pathetic leech infront of Presea back at the castle, and now I'm making up for it with this.

'Hey, fixed it yet?' I ask when I cross the summit to them, away from the two young lovebirds. Lloyd has switched roles with Zelos and is now frantically waving the small device at the unresponsive machines himself, while Zelos ... hangs around with Raine. Must be a good life, Zelos'.

'It doesn't seem broken,' Raine responds, watching her student act like some kind of pissed off ferret. 'It's simply that the Rheairds aren't responding. Perhaps it's due to their current state?'

'Well, we did smash 'em up pretty bad,' I mumble, looking around again. I think Genis got his fill of Presea's praise for today, aka she stopped caring, because they're coming over here with Genis looking a tad bruised in his ego. Aw, he only wants her love.

He hesitates for a moment, looking off to one side while Presea continues walking until she reaches Raine, coming to a stop obediently at her side. I glance back to her lapdog, and he's giving an odd look to the small engine that I noticed had flown off one of the rheairds. I join him, and ... well, it's vibrating a little.

'Hey Lloyd, look!' Genis demands. Lloyd stops flailing and looks back to where Genis is pointing. The vibrating buzz has died, and the motor just lies still against the grass once more.

'Wow, we got a live one,' Zelos says, letting out a low whistle. 'You guys planning on getting us all to Sylvarant on that piece of junk? It's gonna be a tight fit.'

'So what are you saying; it's just responding to that little thing there?' Lloyd asks, giving the wing-pack a quick wave in the engine's direction. 'That sucks ...'

The small machine hums to life immediately when Lloyd uses our worthless device, and I just kinda ... can't help but realise that, looking around at all our busted rheairds ... they all have their engines still firmly attached to their rears. If it's not an engine ... why is that little thing the only thing respondi-

Oh shit.

'Lloyd, stop!' I shout when he gives the wing-pack another casual wave to watch the device light up and whirr, but it's too late.

The small piece of machinery on the floor folds out into a circular object, sending a narrow beam of light in the direction of Lloyd's little toy for the moment. Sure enough, the next thing we know there's a bright flood of light pouring from the wing-pack, surrounding us all. It's mana; it's got that familiar warm, fuzzy feeling, but I definitely feel less than fuzzy inside when the light dims.

We're all being circled by rows of spinning, solid diamond shapes in our own cosy little prison.

'What is ...' Genis starts, pressing a hand flat against the solid wall before turning to Lloyd with his brow furrowed in frustration. 'Lloyd, what did you do!?'

'Far too easy.'

With the traitorous wing-pack still in hand, Lloyd spins on his heal (and almost backhands me in the process) to see just who our captor is. I actually feel my heart sink a little when he comes out from behind a secluded rock around the edge of the summit that we hadn't bothered to go near, what with it being far too close to the edge. It takes me a moment to focus through the dark, but the heavy flurry of his cape in the mountain wind and the crunch of loose stones under his heels are enough.

The clack of buckled shoes finally stops when he nears us upon the grass, two quiet lackeys at his side with similar devices in hand.

I watch Lloyd struggle to remember his name. It's a fun view.

'Yuan ...!' he finally chokes out, pressing his hands against the surface of our prison. I'm guessing the spinning diamonds are just for show, because Lloyd doesn't veer off to one side like he's just flattened his hands on a treadmill. Oh you wacky Renegades. You'd do it if you could.

'What do you think you're doing!?' Lloyd demands, bashing a fist against the unyielding wall around us. Raine's pulled Genis and Presea back, and Zelos is just kind of ... going with it. He's just leaning against the back of the prison with a "oh well, what'cha gonna do" air about him. I still have no idea who he's working for yet; I've been so caught up in his flirting that I haven't really noticed. Bad me.

I can finally see Yuan now that he's come closer into the light of our prison. He doesn't pay much attention to us at first and turns to one of his men currently fiddling with his own wing-pack looking object.

'Lower the field and retrieve the rheairds,' Yuan orders smoothly. Almost immediately it feels as if the air gets lighter, and the two Renegades leave and start collecting the vehicles that wouldn't respond to us. I'm guessing that Yuan set up some sort of magnetic field so that the signals from our wing-pack would be sent to the 'engine' instead, which obviously has activated and now has us stuck in this thing. Awesome. Damn you Yuan, you Asiany bastard.

Lloyd delivers a firm kick to the wall of our small prison, but nothing happens. The wall blurs and ripples as though he'd just kicked water, but it remains solid.

'You won't be escaping this time,' Yuan tells him when he calms down, turning back and studying us all with his narrow eyes. They linger on Zelos for a moment, but he makes sure not to make it obvious and switches back to Lloyd in no time.

'Just be quiet and wait for us to finish up here,' Yuan tells him, turning and striding away to a Rheaird a few feet away that looks rather broken, rendering it unresponsive. One of his Renegades are having trouble with it, so he's probably gone over there to do it for him.

'Lloyd,' Raine whispers quickly as soon as Yuan moves away. 'If they capture us, we'd be taken back to Sylvarant.'

He pauses, Raine's hand on his shoulder. 'Hey ... yeah! Then all we have to do is escape again, right?'

'Or set up a negotiation, but whatever,' I grumble. A quick knock on the prison wall behind me makes me jump out of my skin and fall back into Genis, who actually catches me. He's not exactly opposed to watching me crack my head open, so that was rather nice of him.

I look back, and Yuan lowers his fist, folding his arms over his chest. 'We have a base set up in this world also. We'll be taking you there.'

'... Damn,' Lloyd announces, face falling.

'As for negotiations,' Yuan continues, walking back around to the front of the prison to face our little group leader, ponytail getting caught in the wind as he walks. I'd go on one of my inappropriate hair-admiring sessions, but now is not the time. 'All we need is Lloyd. Alive. Unless your current intentions clash with ours, you'll be coming along quietly.'

Genis takes this opportunity to make himself look like a big man, standing protectively infront of Presea as if she, y'know, cared. 'What's Lloyd got to do with stopping Martel's resurrection anyway!? You never told us that!'

'You don't need to know,' Yuan tells him icily. Lloyd looks like he's about to bust a nut because he's constantly being denied of the facts surrounding him, but the two assistants of Yuan's get there first.

'Sir,' they confirm in unison, saluting. Snazzy.

'The rheairds are unfit for use right now, sir,' the one on the left explains, and I quickly realise it's a woman. She sounds familiar; I think she's the one that restrained me back at the Renegade base. 'Should I send for more?'

'We have two working,' Yuan informs her with a quick look. 'Ride with your partner; I'll take Lloyd.'

'And the others-?'

'We don't need them. Leave them here.'

She salutes again rather quickly, looking a little flustered at his tone. Yuan actually sounds rather agitated. Not that it's uncommon; he was pissy all the way through our meeting with him back at the Renegade Base in Sylvarant, but now it's like he wants to get this done quickly. I can see why he'd want to; almost every time he's almost caught Lloyd, something has gotten in his way so far. At Triet, Kratos and everyone bust in (and I stabbed him in the side with a knife to get out of fighting him, but let's not go there), at the Asgard ranch Botta was too much of a pussy to try and take him because Kratos was there, and at the Tower of Salvation Yggdrasill practically killed Lloyd and Yuan spent days trying to restore him to full-health or at least lift him from the brink of death, only to have Lloyd kick him in the nadgers and run off to another world with four of his rheairds. Yeah.

'Where is the Chosen?' Yuan demands of us in a clipped tone, and Lloyd just glares in response.

'We've hid her from you and the Cruxis!' he snaps, giving the prison wall another bash with his fist. 'If you hurt her, I-!'

'I was curious to see if Cruxis had taken her back,' Yuan drawls in a passive tone while he glances back at his assistants, only enraging Lloyd further. 'I have no interest in your second-rate Chosen. Though I can't let you relax just yet ...'

'So ... the Chosen wasn't with Lloyd's group after all.'

Yuan looks over Lloyd's shoulder and nods to our silent newcomer now she has finally made herself known. I honestly don't know how long she's been there, but I'd almost forgotten that she was supposed to show up. Lloyd almost backhands me once again when he turns to see who else is coming to try tearing our group apart, and I realise he made the right decision in having Sheena hide Colette.

It's no wonder I didn't recognise her at first. She looks different from the last time I saw her. She has the giant golden frame around her shoulders, so she appears much more ... menacing than our last meeting.

Yeah, it's Pronyma. I hope she doesn't remember me. Christ, I hope she doesn't know that Yggdrasill killed me and now I'm randomly alive thanks to his sister.

'Wow, bad guys are coming out of every orifice today,' Zelos observes, letting out a low whistle when he looks Pronyma's scantily-clad figure up and down once she moves into the light of our prison. Honestly? I don't blame him. She has a rack bigger than Sheena's, and that's ... something. Charlotte. Charlotte, stop looking at Pronyma's tits. CHARLOTTE.

I try, but it's very hard not to think of Pronyma in a very skanky way. From her skin-tight suit complete with leather gloves and knee length boots to the various runic tattoos on her bare thighs, she ... well, she's ...

Screw it. Pronyma's hot. There, I said it.

Whatever awkward little teenage emotions I have seem to go away almost obediently when Pronyma's thin amber eyes look over our helpless group with a hint of amusement. There's still the disappointment that Colette is nowhere to be seen, but I think she's enjoying the sight of us all imprisoned and rather powerless under both her and Yuan. Wow, that sounded-

DAMMIT.

'Well, Lord Yuan,' Pronyma starts smoothly, heels clacking once she lowers herself to the floor. The gold apparatus around her falls still once she ceases floating, and she folds her arms over her chest. 'I wasn't under the impression you'd be slinking around here like a common stalker. What brings you here?'

We all look back to Yuan just in time to see the corner of his mouth twitch at Pronyma's wording. To be fair, she has a point. Yuan is a little obsessive and stalker-ish when it comes to Lloyd.

After obviously resisting the urge to pull that two-bladed sword out of his ass and cleave Pronyma in two, Yuan composes himself and straightens up. 'I'm here to retrieve Lloyd. He may be useful to me for a branch of research.'

I believe that research is "What-Will-Make-Kratos-Your-Bitch". Kidnapping Lloyd, clearly.

'I see,' Pronyma affirms, immediately dismissing the news. She must know not to ask questions to her superiors. 'Perhaps you would be willing to reveal the location of the Chosen? Lord Yggdrasill has sent me with orders to reclaim her, and it seems we both have something to gain from your little game here.'

I manage to catch Lloyd's whispered "dammit ..." from one side before Yuan glances over to his prison and back to the leader of the grand cardinals.

'The Chosen isn't here. It seems they've hidden her.'

Pronyma lets out a disgruntled "ungh", glaring into the spinning diamonds and choosing Lloyd to rage on. I hear the tighten of fabric as he clenches his fists below her sharp stare.

'I see,' she repeats in a snipped tone, mouth clamped so tightly in frustration that her lips are turning white. 'Then, Lord Yuan, would you care to offer a round of interrogation on your half?'

The blue haired man just smirks at her. 'I don't like to dirty my hands.'

'Very well; I'll do it myself,' she hisses, eyes not leaving Lloyd for a second. 'Alright then, let me see. Lord Yuan, if you would-'

He's already gesturing to one of his assistants, and before pretty much any of us realise that they're fiddling with the contraption keeping us locked inside this thing, there's a sharp flash of light. I feel Genis' elbow hit my side when he throws his hands up to shield his eyes, and I do the same. I barely register the sound of the spinning prison around us falling silent for but a moment, because it's overlapped with a sharp shriek from someone else. I don't know if Yuan smacked Pronyma or something, but that's what it sounded like.

'Damn, ow ...' I hear Zelos grumble. I rub my eyes, trying to blink away the burn of light that's still hindering my vision. The prison is definitely back around us, but it feels less cramped. I think I know why.

'Professor!'

Still with dark spots swimming around my view, I glance up to see Pronyma holding a very heavy looking mace, and pointing it to a certain half-elf she has pressed roughly against a nearby rock.

Yes, we're currently missing a Professor.

'RAINE!'

Zelos falls into me when Genis shoves him out of the way, immediately joining Lloyd in bashing his fists against the tough prison that just won't yield. Zelos pushes himself up and I lean over and look past him to see just exactly what's going on. My brain feels a little overloaded and hurt right now.

Pronyma has both Raine's wrists held firmly behind her back, and it looks like she's shoved her into a tall rock, new and random mace pressed against the back of her head. Raine looks a little dazed, so she might have hit her already just to stun her. I don't know.

'Tell me where your Chosen is,' Pronyma demands loudly over Genis' hysteric shouts. 'Or I'll crush your mother's skull.'

Ooooh, burn. I notice Raine immediately gather her bearings and send a glare back to Pronyma while she isn't watching. Yeah, Pronyma's getting it for that later.

We all notice a line of dark blood running down the side of Raine's face when she turns her head a little, spurring more panicked demands from Genis.

'Let her go!' he orders in a shrill tone, looking very close to tears. 'Don't you dare hurt her!'

'Oh my, this _is_ fun,' Pronyma coos patronizingly, eyeing our stricken Genis up and down with amusement. 'You can have her back as soon as you reveal the location of the Chosen.'

Presea remains silently, but points listlessly to Zelos. Yeah, wrong Chosen sweetie.

'Don't,' Raine demands, voice sounding a bit strained. She's being pressed pretty hard into the slab of rock, so she's probably a little out of breath. I hope Pronyma isn't too brutal ... if my memory serves me right, the group fight her here. Except now this is real life and not a game, so random fights don't solve every little problem or get the bad guys to go away. So we could be pretty screwed also.

'We don't know where she is!' Lloyd insists, glaring at the woman holding his professor hostage. 'Sheena didn't tell us where she was taking her!'

'So ... the Mizuhoan has her,' Pronyma wonders out loud. 'This should help.'

'Wh – oh, dammit!' Lloyd realises, smacking his head off the prison wall in frustration. 'I mean-'

Pronyma wags a finger in his direction. 'Ah, ah, it's too late. Another bit of information and your precious woman might get away with a simple cracked rib.'

'Hurry it up,' Yuan demands, wrinkling his nose and observing Lloyd with some disturbing sense of mad desperation. 'I'd like to take my target into custody before another timely stunt gets him out of this.'

Lloyd shivers next to me. Yes Lloyd, I know Yuan is creepy but ... deal with it.

'We don't know where Colette is,' Lloyd seethes, turning back to Pronyma to glower. 'And even if we did, why would we tell you!?'

A shriek from Raine answers his question, and the colour spills from Genis' face when blood splashes against the rock his sister is being held on.

'Lloyd!' he screams in fury, punching his arm before going back to reason with the grand cardinal. 'Leave me sister alone! Don't hurt her anymore, plea-!'

Raine chokes, more blood splattering against stone. 'It's fine ... don't say anything.'

He sobs. 'Raine ...'

I look carefully and finally notice a deep cut in the professor's side. Pronyma must have ... that's right – she used a lot of dark magic in the game, right? Applying it to real situations, she must be pretty powerful ...

'Geez ...' Zelos whispers, rubbing his arm and staring at their mess of a teacher. I don't blame him – this is his second day knowing us, and so much crap has happened already; this must be blowing his mind. 'Lloyd, man – just tell her, she not gonna hur-'

'What about Sheena!?' Lloyd snaps. 'Cruxis might need Colette alive, but if Sheena puts up a fight ...'

Zelos snaps his fingers. 'Ahhh, crap.'

'Mizuho.'

We all stare at Genis.

Aw, fuck.

'Again?' Pronyma demands, loosening her grip on a livid Raine's arms only slightly. Dammit, dammit, dammi-

'Genis, _DON'T!'_ Raine demands, spitting out some blood so she can speak. 'I am your older sister, now listen to m-!'

'A Mizuho camp ...' Genis finishes shakily, raising his hands to his face. Lloyd doesn't make an attempt to stop him, and Genis just shakes his head, face buried into his hands, and slumps hopelessly to his knees with another sob. 'S-she took her ... to a Mizuho camp ...!'

Lloyd bites his lower lip while his friend sits in a quivering mess at his feet. 'Damn ...'

I feel my heartstrings snap when Genis just grabs Lloyd's hand from the floor, still sobbing. 'Lloyd, she's my sister ... I _can't_ ... I'm sorry ...!'

Lloyd squeezes back. 'It's okay ...'

The lump in my throat is knocked back down once Yuan coughs to get his attention back. I scowl over at him, but he's been ignoring me since the beginning and it's not about to change. He steps back into the light of the prison; arms folded and frustrated expression still etched onto his face. His two assistants are working on retrieving the more broken Rheairds.

'You got what you wanted, Pronyma!' he fumes, teeth clenched. 'Now leave with your information and let me take care of the rest.'

Pronyma just studies him with a dismissive boredom, pursing her painted lips tightly and turning back to a shaken Genis.

'Very well. However, I was kept waiting an awful long time for my information.'

She twists Raine's arms behind her back, eliciting another painful shout.

'_AWFULLY_ long ...'

'You got what you wanted ...!' Genis cries from the floor, still smashing his fist weakly against the glowing wall. 'Let her go ...!'

Pronyma simply wags her finger again, ignoring his grief, and goes back to the professor. Raine rest her forehead against the slab of rock, breathing heavily. Dammit ...

'That's not fair!' Lloyd demands, clenching his fists against the barrier. 'Genis is right – we told you what you wanted to hear; why are you still-!?'

The leader of the grand cardinals stamps a heeled foot. 'Silence! For keeping me waiting, your arrogance will be rewarded with a warning kill. DON'T let it happen again.'

Genis' head snaps up, tears still streaming down his face. '_RAINE!'_

The professor blinks and stumbles dizzily when Pronyma pulls her away from the rock, clipping the side of her head softly with the mace just to stun her. She wants us to watch this. Oh god.

The hold loosens, and with blood still running down the side of her face, Raine just collapses woozily to the floor. She catches herself on her knees, but it isn't long before she thuds onto her side.

Genis shrieks in terror and Lloyd almost shatters the prison walls when Pronyma lifts a heeled foot over Raine's head, ready to shove it into her skull.

'You may be a half-elf, wench,' Pronyma states softly, watching Raine look up to her with half-lidded eyes. 'But you will never be my equal.'

There's an ear-splitting crunch overlapped only by Genis' terrified scream.

---------------

'_Say Lloyd, do you think it was a good idea to send Colette away with Sheena?'_

'_Huh? Well, sure. As long as she's not with us, Cruxis can't find her, right?'_

'_That's true, but Cruxis is still after you guys, right? Gee, they might even be after me. Colette's not the only Chosen, y'know.'_

'_But you're not a lifeless shell right now. Why would Cruxis want you?'_

'_Ouch.'_

'_Zelos ... what I mean is; as long as Colette is the way she is, Cruxis won't stop trying to take her back to be Martel's vessel. There are so many people chasing us right now, so maybe the only way I can protect her is to be far away from her.'_

'_That's some good thinking there. But what about everyone else?'_

'_Huh?'_

'_Let me paint a picture for you, bud. Colette's all nice and safe, tucked away in her little bubble. We, on the other hand, are being chased by the people trying to snatch her away. They find us, we fail to fess up ... they get a little pissed. You catch my drift?'_

'_Well ... we've faced Cruxis before. We can do it again.'_

'_Didn't you almost die?'_

'_... W-well-'_

'_All I'm saying is, as long as we're not doing Cruxis any favours by carrying around their target with a bull's-eye on her head, they're gonna retaliate a little hard. Be prepared for that. Colette's not the only one you want to be looking out for right now.'_

'_You're just saying that in case you get hurt.'_

'_Hey now, I can take care of myself!'_

'_Sure, sure ...'_

_------------_

The colour drains from my face for all the wrong reasons.

Yuan doesn't make much effort to help his now injured subordinate, and we can't do anything to help our injured professor. Either way, they're both pretty hurt.

Raine's blow wasn't fatal, but she now looks extremely pale and is most likely unconscious, with a fresh stream of blood running down past her cheek from a spot just below her temple. Pronyma on the other hand is standing with one hand flattened on the strained slab of rock to support her, holding a hand up to her bruised cheekbone and bloodied nose. There's a cut just beside her eye, and fluid is making its way through her fingers as she cups a hand to her face.

She lowers her hand for a moment, blood from her nose running down her features and ignores the woman she's kicked unconscious, glaring to the two white rings on the floor that sliced her face just in time.

Genis and Lloyd have just noticed them too. Before anyone can say anything, there's a flurry of pink and a sharp screech of pain from Pronyma once more.

'Stay away from my professor!'

A swift kick to the face sends the leader of the cardinals to her knees, and her attacker scoops up her weapons from the floor, spinning back around to face her, wings unfurled and quivering with anger.

Lloyd chokes on his own air.

It takes Pronyma a moment, but she finally looks up with an expression of thinly veiled anger, hand once more flattened over her broken nose. 'Well ... it seems you've saved me the effort of playing hide and seek, you annoying little wretch.'

'You're not taking me anywhere! I belong here, with my friends!'

Still looking rather gaunt and just a bit tired and shaken, most likely from the lack of sleep and food rapidly catching up with her, Colette turns to us with a small smile.

Colette.

Colette.

It's Colette.

Colette's back.

COLETTE'S BACK.

My brain short circuits and Lloyd tries to say something, only managing a rather strained sounding 'agh ...'. Genis has effectively lost his voice and is about as white as his hair.

We don't even notice that the prison around us has fallen for a good while. Not until Yuan lets out a frustrated shout.

'Looking for this?'

I spin around (and fall over, dammit) in time to see Yuan raise an arm to shield himself from being decked with a large metal device that crashes to the floor. The mechanism rolls into three broken pieces after bouncing off his armguard, spitting out sparks and smoke while it malfunctions, and our second newcomer just sends him a wink.

Zelos just waves at his "old friend". 'Heeey hunnie. Just in time, eh?'

Sheena sends him a glare. 'Shut up, Chosen.'

'Don't just stand there!' Yuan interrupts our rather crappy reunion, whipping in arm in his assistants' direction. 'Capture Lloyd! Don't let him get away again!'

Colette just frowns at Yuan's repeated attempts to kidnap one of her best friends, bright runes and pink hued feathers already spinning around her feet. 'I'm mad now!'

'Co ... Colette!' Lloyd finally manages, shoving Zelos out of the way to get to her before the Renegades can. They're running at her with their knives out, so Yuan is probably taking this opportunity to go back to plan a) kill the Chosen. Now he can, I don't see why he's about to let the opportunity pass him.

Lloyd however, doesn't get there in time.

Colette gets there first.

'_Judgement!'_

I'd explain this, but there's just so much light. The last thing I manage to catch is Pronyma almost closing in on Colette as well as the Renegades, and a quick blow from her own power that sends Lloyd skidding back so he isn't caught in the attack. Genis throws himself over his sister's motionless body, and Sheena looks like she's summoning something. Then it's simply white. Loud, blinding ... white.

It's not nearly as powerful as Kratos'. But good god. I think she just vaporised two Renegade soldiers.

The light doesn't fade for a while; it's the sound that goes first. I hear Zelos grunt as he pulls himself back to his feet, Genis' sobs while he most likely remains protectively over his sister, and Lloyd's ragged breathing. I think he's forgetting how at this point.

Colette ... she's really back. I can't think about this straight right now; there's just so much happening, but when it hits me ... when it hits _all_ of us, I don't even want to know at the moment. When we're positive we're safe, the waterworks can start.

Eventually the white fades, but it takes me more than a few moments to actually start seeing again. I can see red at first ... that's Lloyd's back – he's sitting infront of me. It's still dark seeing as its pretty much the middle of the night, but Colette is easy to spot with her wings out. I blink a few times and try to straighten up, but all that tiredness and pain from walking around so much today hits me like a badly-timed brick, and I thud back down. Oh god. Oh god, dizzy. Very dizzy.

'Lloyd, are you okay!?'

I look up again to see Colette crouching down infront of him, worried look on her face. Behind her, Yuan looks fine albeit a bit wounded. His two assistants look a bit screwed up, but I'm sure Colette wasn't actually aiming to kill; perhaps just to immobilize them. Pronyma is kneeling infront of Yuan himself where Colette was previously stood, one hand still at her face and the second on her breastbone. I think ... yeah. That's a Life Seal right there. God bless Sheena Fujibayashii.

'I'm sorry I shoved you back like that!' Colette continues, straightening up and scratching her cheek. 'I thought you'd get caught in it, so I kinda panicked ... hehe ...'

Lloyd just stares up at her, wordless.

'So ... you're not hurt, are you?'

I look back at Genis to see if his voice-box is dead too, and he's sitting beside Raine as she slowly comes around, head in his lap. He's staring at Colette as if Jesus himself had just boogied down from heaven and asked Lloyd for a Klondike bar. So yeah, they're all a bit shocked. Hell, I know I am.

It's _Colette_.

'Pathetic ... _wretch_ ...!'

Colette finally leaves Lloyd to rewire his brain and turns to the woman shouting at her. Pronyma hasn't made the effort to get to her feet yet, what with her nose being broken and Life Seal slowly sucking the energy out of her. Her hair is starting to unfasten from her crown and she really does look a mess. She's absolutely covered in blood.

'I'll take you back to Cruxis whether you like it or not ...' she hisses like a deranged cat, forcing herself to her feet. She stumbles, and that card flattened against her breastbone pulses as the life is sucked out of her. 'Egh ...'

Yuan shakes his head, ignoring his two Renegades as they slowly begin to gather their bearings. 'Return to Cruxis alone, Pronyma. You've failed.'

She clenches her teeth. 'Lord Yua-'

'It's an order, Pronyma.'

With a quick wave of the hand and a final glare towards the two young women who defeated her, the leader of the grand cardinals simply warps away, leaving nothing but a few drops of blood in her wake. There's a small round of silence as the sound of magic leaves the air, and once she's sure we're safe, Colette just lets out a deep breath. She drops both weapons to the floor, slumping down and grabbing her knees to keep herself upright.

'Cole-' Lloyd starts, but Sheena is already there to help her back up. They make some ... weirdly awesome team. Regardless, Lloyd eventually gets around to sorting his thoughts out and quickly struggles to his feet as Colette catches her breath.

Zelos is there to help me up like a gentleman, and I quickly realise I've been sitting on the floor for a while. Despite the whole still-very-dangerous situation with Yuan still here, I take his hand and try not to blush and stutter like an idiot. It doesn't work, but at least I'm up. I still feel a bit dizzy and tired, and Mr Chauvinistic takes quick note of this and assists keeping me upright with a helpful arm. Eeeeee.

Lloyd finally gets around to tentatively touching Colette's shoulder, almost as if it would pass right through her. It doesn't.

'... Colette?'

After making sure she's fine, Sheena lets her go so she can straighten up and turn to Lloyd. She doesn't say anything at first; she just gives him a smile and a thumbs up.

'I know,' she tells him. 'But ... can we make sure everyone is safe first?'

Lloyd looks past her to Yuan, still looking rather frustrated that his plans keep tripping over themselves and screwing up, and nods silently. 'Y ... yeah ...'

As for everyone being safe, I look around and notice that Raine is now pretty much back to normal. Genis is still sitting beside her and helping her to sit up, and she's hastily healing all the wounds on her head and side without taking her eyes off Colette. It looks like the Key Crest took quite a while to kick in, but ... the point is, it did. And now we have Colette back. And we can all start raving over it when Yuan goes away, but right now he's just kinda ... glaring at Lloyd. I think he gave a quick order to his Renegades after he dismissed Pronyma, because they, as well as all the Rheairds, have disappeared. He probably warped them all back to his base in Flanoir.

'Every time I almost have you ...' Yuan says in a disturbingly calm tone, reaching back into his cape. Lloyd immediately motions for Colette and Sheena to get back, hands on his own weapons. 'You slip through my fingers.'

'Maybe it's a sign!' Lloyd snaps, drawing his swords before Yuan has a chance to whip out his own. 'Quit chasing after me!'

'I need you alive,' Yuan says, probably realising this once again himself and folding his arms. I think the urge to chop Lloyd up into tiny Lloyd-pieces and make a Lloyd-stew is overwhelming right now, but really. He needs him alive to blackmail Kratos. 'You'll come along quietly.'

Apparently not, because Lloyd rushes at Yuan while he's not defending himself, blades crackling with white energy. 'Bite me! I'm going to settle this right now!'

Except not really.

Yuan doesn't even have to draw his own weapon to protect himself when Lloyd comes at him. He doesn't even have to cast a spell to throw him back up sprout out his wings to fly away. He just gets to watch Lloyd's swords go flying off in two directions, and Lloyd himself get blown back a few feet and land on his back with a painful shout.

Once again, Sheena is the one there to help him up, but I don't think she's about to make any progress. Lloyd's pushed himself to his elbows, but I really think that's as far as he's getting for now.

It's not because his arm is bleeding pretty badly right now. It's not because Colette being back has finally hit him. I don't think it's because Yuan's own purple wings matching the ones we saw at the Tower of Salvation have finally expanded out from behind his cape, revealing another thing we didn't know about him. I'm pretty sure it's not that.

'Let me take a wild guess,' Yuan drawls, observing his objective as he sits on the dark, grassy floor for a fleeting moment before turning to the shorter man. 'The Chosen is useless as she is now?'

The man nods, arms loosely folded to match his older "friend". He sheathes his sword with a metallic screech, a small line of Lloyd's blood running down the edge. 'That was Pronyma's report. Lord Yggdrasill, however, has summoned your presence.'

'I can't imagine why,' Yuan grumbles sarcastically. 'Is that all you came here for?'

'It seems the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals can't handle a simple task.'

'So they send another seraph?'

'So it would seem.'

We're all pretty much just ignoring Yuan right now and staring at Kratos.

Yeah ... Kratos.

Kratos, who for once doesn't even look like himself. It's hard to explain. He hasn't acknowledged a single one of us besides Yuan since landing, but I think that's only part of it; the part that has elevated his hostility to a whole new level. The other ... he just doesn't _look_ like the Kratos we knew for three, four long months. He's wearing that ... weird Cruxis outfit ... I don't know what it is about it – he just looks taller ... colder. The wings aren't helping either. They're still huge.

It's just ... not Kratos. Not the one we knew, at least.

I glance to Lloyd, and it looks like he's thinking the exact same thing, but by the looks of him, in a more jumbled fashion. I really, really don't blame him. I never wanted this scenario to even happen – Kratos and Lloyd both in each other's company again. I'll bet Kratos couldn't give two shits, but I do _not_ want to think about what's going through Lloyd's head right now. I wouldn't be surprised if the concept of Colette being back had been wiped from his mind completely.

'I take it you're not coming back?' Yuan asks with a hint of iciness in his voice, glancing over his shoulder to his former student as he nears the cliff's edge. Kratos just watches him quietly from beneath his fringe, eyes narrowed.

'I have a few errands to attend to.'

Yuan looks to Lloyd, still staring with some sort of pitiful desperation at Kratos' back. 'I see.'

No one really tries to stop Yuan leaving – we barely flinch at the flurry of violet feathers streaming back once he takes off alone, assistants and Rheairds nowhere to be found. The whole reason we came here is gone, but no one really seems to care. Raine is fully focused on Kratos, ignoring Genis' half-hearted attempts to keep her on the floor as she forces herself upright, muttering quietly to herself. I catch 'again ...', and I can't help but think ... maybe I'm not the only one who's run into Kratos before now? In any case, for everyone who hasn't, that time is now. And most of us are not happy.

I look back to Lloyd again, and I don't think he's blinked in the past two minutes.

I think I'm the only one that actually watched Yuan fly away with his new sense of bitterness, but it isn't long before I have to go back to Kratos. He isn't _saying anything_. He isn't even looking at us. He's just standing close to the edge of the summit, staring up after Yuan.

Oh god, Lloyd. _Dammit_.

'So ... is that-' Zelos starts quietly, but I just nod before he can say it. This is painful to watch – it really is. We don't really have a place in this, and no one is daring to say a word. Zelos has fallen back into an almost respectful silence, Sheena is helping Colette stay upright once more now they're both following suit, and Raine has stopped hissing to herself and is focusing her attention on Lloyd. She's the only one that really knows how much this could be affecting him right now. Genis looks like he's about to rip Kratos a new one, but ... again, Lloyd's sake.

The silence has just turned painfully thick. I think Lloyd is waiting for Kratos, or Kratos is waiting for Lloyd ... and they're both just-

Oh wait, there goes Lloy – oh god, _SHIT-_

He doesn't even bother going for his swords; without taking his eyes off his former 'teacher', Lloyd just throws himself to his feet, running, fist drawn back-

'_YOU-!!_'

Kratos catches Lloyd's balled up hand in mid-turn before he receives a broken jaw, and the _look_ he gives Lloyd makes him immediately recoil. But it doesn't stop there. Lloyd just lowers his head, smacking the side of his first against Kratos' chest and letting it rest there for a moment. Kratos doesn't even flinch. He simply lowers his arms to his sides, allowing Lloyd to do whatever it is he needs to.

... That's when it starts.

'Hate ...' Lloyd chokes. 'You ...'

Kratos does nothing.

Lloyd punches his chest again – nothing – both fists – still not even a wince – and Kratos just stares down lazily while Lloyd averts his eyes – 'hate ... you ...!' – and continues his personal onslaught. 'I hate ...!'

Raine hides her face.

'I hate you ...!' Lloyd finally manages the sentence, thrashing his fists uselessly against Kratos' chest. 'I hate you! I hate you!'

Genis finally has to turn away, touching the side of his eye.

'_I hate you!_'

I feel that lump return to my throat.

'_I HATE YOU!_'

Colette just buries her face into Sheena's shoulder.

'_**I HATE YOU!!**_**'**

Kratos still doesn't move an inch.

I watch Lloyd continue to attack Kratos rather unsuccessfully for a good while, reciting that phrase over and over almost religiously. This is ... hands down – one of the most agonizing things I've had to watch this whole journey. I always thought about how Lloyd would react to this since the Renegade Base; I always thought he'd cry, ask Kratos why he did all those things, maybe even ask him to come back, but this ... I don't know.

I'm beyond trying to put myself in Lloyd's shoes.

I just don't know anymore.

'Hate ...' Lloyd tries thickly, and the word comes out as an almost suitable sob. His "punches" are becoming slower and clearly weaker. 'I hate ... you ...'

I don't like that the first thing Kratos has done in response is nod. Lloyd doesn't even notice; he still can't look at him. This whole time, his head has been bowed so he doesn't lose it completely. To be honest, I don't think there would be much difference at this point.

'I ...' Lloyd whispers weakly, voice hoarse. He's just gripping the cloth of his outfit now. 'Hate ... y-'

Genis has to hold Raine back when Lloyd slumps to his knees at Kratos' feet.

Kratos folds his arms once more, still staring down at Lloyd while he has a breakdown.

I want to leave. I just want to take everyone and just _leave_, because I honest to god know in my heart Lloyd wants to be alone at this point.

"_I'm supposed to be the strong one. I'm supposed to be the older brother. I'm the one everyone looks up to. I can't cry."_

Then why are you ...

'Geez ...' Zelos whispers, staring down at Lloyd while he sits on his knees, hands fisted into the grass below while he fails to keep those locked up emotions at bay. I look up to him, and I have to say ... I think this is the first time I've ever seen Zelos look like he genuinely cares. I think seeing Lloyd in this state, anyone would.

This goes on for a good minute, and Lloyd eventually quietens down while we all stand silently and wait. When he's sure Lloyd isn't about to jump up and unleash his lack of masculinity on his chest again, Kratos switches his cold eyes to settle on Raine, who I'm sure he still regards as the group's leader.

'I don't know why you've come here, to Tethe'alla,' he says clearly, and Lloyd flinches. This is the first time he's heard Kratos speak to us since "I'm disappointed". This is so hard to watch. 'Whether it was to save the Chosen or whatever juvenile reason you had in mind, no good wil-'

'Not me,' Raine interrupts frigidly, eyes thin in fraught rage. 'Talk to the one person left who is willing to listen, you disgusting man.'

She's answered with a simple 'hmph'. 'When he will listen, I will speak.'

'He risked his life to listen to you!' Genis shouts, looking about as deadly as his sister right now. 'He put himself through everything just to hear you speak to him!'

'And you didn't even say a word to him!' Sheena carries on, still with an arm around Colette's shoulders (who is, shockingly enough, glaring at Kratos also). 'You betrayed him, and Lloyd almost killed himself to find out why!'

'You may think you owe him nothing as his enemy,' Raine tells him, picking up where she left off. 'But if you have but a shred of humanity left in you, you owe him this much.'

'Then that's a shame,' Kratos retorts coldly. 'At any rate ...'

He takes a step back, eyes going back to the teenager at his feet. 'I'm waiting.'

'I hate you.'

'Good.'

It's Raine's turn to hold Genis back this time.

To be brutally honest, Kratos is right. As long as Lloyd hates him, he can focus on the more important things and stop pining after Kratos, or at least who he used to be. I don't know if finally seeing and hearing Kratos once again let Lloyd finally _experience_ his feelings instead of just remembering them, or if Lloyd is just lying through his teeth about his emotions ... but he's let something out at least. Regardless of if he's lying or not, this is probably the best thing for him.

'If you came here to save Colette, then it seems you have succeeded,' Kratos starts him off, sending a quick glance to an angry looking Chosen. 'What will you do now?'

Lloyd's shoulders tense as he slowly pushes himself up, flattening a hand on his thigh to help. Kratos watches him as he slowly brings himself to his feet, remaining silent and waiting for his answer. To be honest, I don't think anyone is really sure what we're going to do now. We saved Colette – that's all we came here for. If life was easy, Sheena would be going back to Mizuho, Zelos would be going back to Meltokio, we'd all be hopping on some Rheairds and returning Presea to Ozette before we zoom of back to Sylvarant, and that would be that. Except it's not.

While Lloyd fails to answer, Kratos looks away for a moment to the Tower of Salvation in the distance, barely visible through the dark. 'Tethe'alla continues to prosper for now, though it seems Sylvarant is also fated to flourish through your actions. Tethe'alla will decline, and so maintains its catastrophic cycle. No matter what you do ...'

'There has to be a way to change things!' Genis insists almost sharply, though Kratos' attention remains unmoved and upon Lloyd. 'If Yggdrasill built the worlds like this, then it can be changed too!'

'There is your problem, once again,' Kratos answers, still refusing to spare anyone else a look, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Lloyd's bowed head. He wanted his attention, and now he has it. 'You're delving into indefinite theories, uncharted territories. You don't have Cruxis backing you this time, and by the looks of yourselves you've made more than a few enemies in this world already. Do you even know what you're doing?'

My heart goes out to him when Lloyd manages to glare up confidently at Kratos, despite his tear-stained face.

'I'm going to save the two worlds,' Lloyd tells him firmly without a waver in his voice at all. 'I'm going to change this stupid, twisted system, however corny it might sound. And nothing you or the rest of Cruxis do will get in my way.'

... Dammit Lloyd, I love you.

A ghost of a smirk finds its way to Kratos' face, but it isn't enough to sway our little hero. I think finally confronting the man that's been on his mind the past week is just what Lloyd needed to take a good look at himself.

'A bold cause,' Kratos observes, finally ignoring the rest of us and our opinions. 'Are you sure you're up the challenge? It won't be easy.'

Lloyd clenches his teeth. 'Nothing worth having comes easy. I'll do whatever it takes ... and you're not going to stop me.'

Wow ... Lloyd's really serious. I've never seen him make claims like this before. On the journey before, all we were doing was following the route that had been laid out and practiced for four-thousand years, but now they're working for themselves. They're building their own route, and by the sounds of things, Lloyd's the one leading them down that path.

... He's really matured.

Kratos seems to think so too. He chuckles quietly at Lloyd's bravery, probably seeing right through him. Regardless, he slaps a hand down on Lloyd's shoulder as he walks past, wings twitching as they get ready to work.

Lloyd tenses at the contact, hesitantly raising his hand to touch the same place on his shoulder when he's sure Kratos isn't watching. The man in question turns to Colette before making any attempt to relieve us of his company. She still looks pretty angry at him for making Lloyd go through so much, so he doesn't attempt to offer her a word or two.

'So ...' Lloyd says quietly, dropping his arm to his sides and not turning back to face all of us, as well as a certain seraph. 'I guess this means we'll be running into eachother in the future?'

Kratos nods, not turning to face Lloyd either. 'If you stand by your cause, I won't say it isn't inevitable. We may perhaps see eachother again.'

'Great,' Lloyd answers sarcastically. 'I guess you'll be putting me down at any chance you get?'

With a snort of amusement, Kratos folds his arms. 'That is, unless you improve.'

Lloyd wipes his face dry before he spins on his heel, glaring assertively at Kratos' back. 'I will improve! I'll get a thousand times better, and I'll tear apart Cruxis myself, I'll find a way for both worlds to live in peace, I'll fix everything wrong with this stupid system so Colette, Zelos and any other Chosens will have to sacrifice themselves for Yggdrasill's stupid cause! And I'll show you – I'll get stronger than you could ever make me!'

Lloyd lowers his arm, and I'm kinda glad Kratos is turned away from him right now. His passion might be a tad swayed if he could see Kratos smiling.

'So ... you'd better be watching!'

Kratos either laughs or exhales. I'm not sure which.

'Well then ...' he says, turning and not sacrificing a second to looks to Lloyd or stand still. He strides forward with his wings already working to fly away into the clouds, reaching back and hesitating only a moment to ruffle Lloyd's hair.

'Do your best.'

-------------

'_So, who's this Kratos character I keep hearing about?'_

'_Why do you care, Zelos? I thought you were only interested in girls?'_

'_Well, sure. But it seems whenever his name pops up, it puts a major bummer on your mood. So tell me bud – what's the deal with you and this guy?'_

'_He's ... he told us he was a mercenary, and Colette's family paid him to protect her during the journey. It turned out he was working for Cruxis the whole time.'_

'_... I don't follow. Isn't that a good thing, him working for Cruxis and all?'_

'_It's not about that! He betrayed us – he lied to us!'_

'_Lloyd. Chill, little man.'_

'_It's just – everything he said to us before, all the things he did ... they were all lies!'_

'_... I'm guessing you were pretty tight, huh?'_

'_That's what I thought, but it was just an act. He said he was just using me – that he was using our 'friendship' to enforce his cover-up.'_

'_Ouch. So, why does he keep coming up?'_

'_What?'_

'_Why do people keep talking about him if it hurts you this badly? Why do you keep bringing him up?'_

'_... I don't-'_

'_If you ask me, you still like him. Or at least, you still think there's a chance that he's all good. It's best to let these things go, y'know? By the sound of things, he screwed you up pretty bad. You should let it go.'_

'_It's not ... that easy. There was so much he sai-'_

'_But it was all lies, right? Why are you clinging to him?'_

'_Why do you care?'_

'_Do you know how depressing it is being around you guys when you go on your angstcapades?'_

'_Ugh, whatever! Just leave me alone if you don't care!'_

_---------------_

'Shall we-'

'No. Leave him alone for a few more minutes.'

Genis nods at his sister's advice, remaining by her side for now and handing her orange gel after orange gel so her mana doesn't dangerously wane. She's been healing herself non-stop, as well as Colette and Sheena who apparently got into a little trouble while they were coming to save us.

Lloyd's been pretty much silent ever since Kratos left, and he's just been standing on the edge of the summit and staring up at the sky. We've decided to leave him to think by himself for now ... he's practically just decided for everyone what it is we have to do in this world and ... well, he's finally come to terms with Kratos' betrayal. At least, I think he has. I'm sure he'll never be completely comfortable with it, but finally just seeing him ... and talking to him – it should have helped a little. Even if he still doesn't know why.

While Lloyd's been ... keeping to himself, we've been getting back on track with ourselves. The Rheairds are gone, Colette is back, and we're all worried about Raine. She's handling it pretty well though – she's almost completely healed herself, as well as Sheena. Like I said, they got into some trouble, and Colette turning human again wasn't exactly painless.

Sheena told us about it while Colette just kind of sat in a red-faced, flustered mess. Colette's humanity didn't just click back to normal like it did in the game – it took a while. Colette tried to explain how it felt; being human but still having the influence of the Cruxis Crystal trying to take over your mind. Apparently it felt like everything would hurt her, which must have been why she'd attack anything when she was soulless. Sheena noticed her humanity kicking in, and Colette ... well, obviously thought Sheena intended to harm her, and some serious cat-fighting went on. Sheena has since been healed from a few slaps, an attempted punch, and a bite mark on her hand.

Genis still hasn't said anything to Colette ... come to think of it, neither have I. I haven't spoken for ages ... I suppose I'm just really, really tired. Zelos has already tried flirting, only to be answered with a quick slap from Sheena. She almost treats Colette like a little sister; it's kinda funny. Sheena's already given me her protective little talk concerning Zelos and his flirty antics.

... I like Sheena. She kinda reminds me of my older sister.

'It's getting far too dark ...' Raine sighs, finally straightening up from the small rock she was sitting on. Genis holds her arm so she doesn't stumble and fall, and I remain perched on my own stone. I'm just ... so tired and worn out – I can barely move anymore. 'We should set up camp and rest.'

YES.

'We should travel to the base of the mountain first. It isn't safe up here.'

... NO.

I feel myself cry. I don't make a sound, but I just ... _can't_ move anymore. I thank god for the dark and just wipe my eyes hastily, brushing away those tears of frustration. I can't do this. I'm so exhausted.

Colette nods in agreement, and Genis still looks ... awkward. I'm not sure what's up with him. Either way, Colette turns to glance at Lloyd still standing off on his lonesome, and quickly back to the Professor. 'Shall I-'

'Yes ... please, Colette. If you wouldn't mind.'

She nods once more, spinning and practically ... bouncing over to Lloyd. While she does that, I accept my fate and force myself to my feet, almost letting a stray sob through. I manage to keep it in for now with a few deep breathes, and eventually I'm shakily on my feet. God, I'm so shattered ... I just want to lie down and sleep. I don't care if it's on a rock or the grass or whatever, I just want to lie down, relax my throbbing muscles, and close my eyes. I want everything to stop.

'Lloyd?'

I look up and decide to focus on something else other than my own pain. It might actually help take my mind off it.

It's not too hard to see through the dark anymore; I think the sun is actually due to come up soon. Colette reaches over and gives Lloyd's shoulder a quick poke to get his attention, but after hearing her voice he turns almost immediately. He looks tired.

'Colette ...'

Said person just waves with a smile. 'We're leaving now. It's not safe up here anymore.'

Lloyd just stares at her, clearly not taking in a word she's saying. 'Colette ... you're ...'

'Dirty, I know!' she whines, looking down to her tunic and brushing her hands down it. To be fair, she is kinda covered in grass stains and dust and a bit of mud. 'I had a bit of a fight with Sheena when your Key Crest started working, but its okay now! I really didn't mean to – I hope she's forgiven me. I couldn't think straight at the time ... but I can now. Oh, and thank you for the bracelet from Genis and you! I only really noticed it after I could feel again, and I think it broke a little ... the fastening is kinda bent, so I gave it to Sheena too look after. She's so nice. I made sure to thank her for look after everyone in Tethe'alla. Oh, I should thank Zelos too! We'd be so lost without them to guide u-'

She finally stops rambling when Lloyd opens his mouth to say something, but falters once again.

'... I'm sorry if I scared you,' Colette says with a small giggle. 'If I could have stopped it, I would. But it's okay now. I'm okay, so – WAAH!'

Cue Colette thumping to the floor with a hysteric Genis wrapped around her waist. Lloyd actually has to blink in confusion for a moment before looking to the floor at his feet to see Colette sitting up on her elbows with Genis' arms wrapped around her. I think it finally clicked for him hearing her ramble.

'Hi Genis!' Colette greets almost casually. 'I think you got taller! Though it's kinda hard to see on the floor like this.'

Over here, Raine just shakes her head with a small smile while Sheena takes over for Genis, making sure that the Professor doesn't randomly collapse to the floor. I could use someone doing that for me right now; my knees are shaking.

'Genis, are you crying?' Colette asks with a worried look, sitting up and putting a hand on Genis' shoulder. 'Oh, please don't cry! You know I don't like it when you cry!'

'Don't ... do that ... again ...' Genis sobs into her lap. 'Don't ... don't do anything like that ever again!'

Colette just smiles, brow still knitted in worry. 'I won't. Genis, its okay now ... I'm okay now. The Key Crest Lloyd gave me worked. Oh ... and thank you for the bracelet-'

'Rainedoesn'tknowaboutthatyet,' Genis manages in a single sob, and Colette just nods quickly and seals her lips shut.

'Okay ... but Genis – please don't cry ...'

'Then don't ...' Genis starts, finally pulling himself up and drying his eyes hastily. 'Don't do stuff like that! Don't risk your life thinking that we won't try and stop you, because we will! It doesn't matter what it's for! Cruxis is just a big fat lie, and we could have lost you forever for nothing!'

Lloyd just gulps, breathing deeply. 'Yeah ... wh-what Genis said.'

Colette looks a little ashamed, finally able to gently pry Genis off her lap while she gets back to her feet.

'I know ...' she sighs, brushing her tunic down again. 'But what I was doing ... I thought it would save the world. I thought it would have made everyone happy.'

'We wouldn't have been happy,' Lloyd says quietly. Colette just shakes her head.

'I know that ...' she mumbles. 'But ... I know it's hard to understand. I'm your friend, but ... before that, I'm the Chosen. It's my job to make everyone happy ... not just my friends; but the whole world. What I was doing might have been sad, but it was fair.'

Lloyd shakes his head. 'No. It's not fair. None of this is. Even if it was Zelos, I wouldn't accept it.'

I watch Zelos just huff and fold his arms. He's my favourite drama-queen, he really is.

'It's wrong that Cruxis is doing this,' Lloyd continues firmly, and Genis nods in agreement. 'They're not doing it to help the worlds – Remiel tried to kill us just because we knew about Tethe'alla! It's all for that Yggdrasill guy – it's like he's causing all this suffering for his own amusement! Cruxis is the one that created the two worlds this way, and they're the ones doing nothing to help it!'

Colette just bites her lip.

'I know, Colette-' Lloyd starts, grabbing her shoulders. 'I know it's not easy, but – we know now. We know what Cruxis really is, and ... we can't let you keep doing this. We love you – _I _love you – and I'm not ... I'm not letting my little sister get yanked around by her "fate" anymore.'

Colette nods. '... I love you both too.'

'I thought you didn't like cheesy stuff?' Genis asks with a glance up to Lloyd, only to be answered with a quick _thwap_ to the back of the head. 'Ow!'

'Charlotte, are you crying?'

I finally snap out of my daze to see Sheena peering at me past Raine. I quickly realise the three adults of the group are all staring at me while I sit on my rock and make no effort to stop the exhausted tears slip through.

'What ... oh, no I'm not,' I say, forcing a small laugh. 'I guess it's, um, hay fever. It's been coming up a lot since we came to Tethe'alla.'

Zelos leans down to my eye level (DAMMIT HORMONES) and gives me a quick, scrutinizing look. 'Y'know my little sweetie, there's some medicine you can take for that.'

'Oh ...' I manage a little breathlessly. 'Um ... I should ... get some then.'

'I'll give you some,' he answers, and dirty part of my teenage brain self-destructs. 'Sebastian has some stored around. He gets it too. Sneezes everywhere, the poor guy.'

He's hinting at Sheena, who just rolls her eyes, folding her arms.

'I sent a guy to check,' she grumbles in response. 'Sebastian is fine. He's keeping the soldiers that come to your mansion busy. It seems he's been telling them that you've run away to Altamira for a holiday.'

Zelos nods, rubbing his chin. 'Hmm, sounds nice. We should stop by there someti-'

'We have more important things to take care of!'

'Sheena. Babe. Chill. Either way, it looks like we're heading for Meltokio for now.'

Sheena goes absolutely red in the face. 'Are you stupid!? We're wanted traitors – we can't just go back to Meltokio whenever you feel like it!'

Raine sighs. 'Sheena, calm down. Zelos is right. If we _are_ going to find a way to save both worlds, then we have things we need to take care of before we begin.'

Cue Zelos wrapping an arm around Presea's shoulders and pulling her forward into view. To be honest, I almost shat a brick; I totally forgot she was here and she just scared the hell out of me. It's hard to keep track of her when she's so ... quiet and still.

'We still have to take Presea back to Ozette, right?' Zelos asks, and the little girl in question just slowly walks away from Zelos and stops and Raine's side. I think she's taken a liking to the Sages', despite her ... y'know, soullessness. 'The Grand Tethe'alla Bridge won't be down for a while, so going back to Meltokio and getting some help crossing the sea would be our best bet.'

Aaaaand ... Sheena's embarrassed. 'Oh ... r-right.'

'Do I get an apology?' Zelos asks suggestively, raising an eyebrow. Sheena would spit on him if she could, and she just ignores him and storms past him, heading for the mountain path leading down. Ohhhh dammit I don't want to walk down there again.

When she's gone, Zelos lets out whistle. 'Whoa. Touchy.'

'Feely,' I respond mindlessly. I'm so tired.

'Hmm ... you sure you're okay, my little sweetie?' Zelos asks, placing a hand on the rock beside my thigh and leaning down again. 'You don't look so good.'

'Zelos is right; you do look a bit pale,' Raine adds. Well gee, I've been complaining the whole way up here about how tired and sick and exhausted I feel – you'd think they wouldn't have to ask at this point.

'I feel ... really tired,' I answer with finally. 'And I'm exhausted.'

Raine nods. 'As soon as we reach the base of the mountain, we can rest. It's simply not safe up here anymore with Cruxis and the Renegades pursuing us. We're much safer out of view from above.'

I nod. I knew it wouldn't work. 'Yeah ... I know.'

'It's only a little longer. You'll be alright.'

'Yeah ...'

My mind is practically swimming with grief. I can't walk. I can't move. I can't walk down this mountain again. I'm tired. I'm in pain. I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I'm dizzy. I've barely eaten or slept in the past week, and at this point I'm probably malnourished. I can't fix that right now, and it's all just kicking in. I don't think I'd even have the strength to throw up, let alone anything in my stomach to _actually _hurl. I think I'm getting a migraine from the dehydration. I need to drink more. I've told them this, and still ... we're walking down a mountain. A MOUNTAIN.

'Zelos,' I whisper when Raine leaves to see the trio come over to see if we're leaving yet. 'Help me up ...?'

He reaches down again, and I take his hand as he pulls me up. 'You're looking pretty ill, hunnie.'

Why yes, yes I do. It's such a shame I feel ill as soon as Colette returns to normal, because now everyone is focused on her. I love her and everything, but ... if I could just have a second out of her welcome-back party to make people see that I'm about to die on my feet, then that would be swell.

'Yeah, well,' I say with a gulp. 'I'll live, apparently.'

'Sounding a little bitter, are we? You jealous of a certain blue-eyed angel?'

I shake my head. 'No ... I just want to lie down ...'

'You can, soon,' he says, giving my shoulder a quick squeeze and probably purposefully making sure to slowly drag his fingers across the back of my neck. Arrgahflarghalblragen.

'Right ...' I mumble, slowly pushing myself away from Zelos' hold. If anything the constant flushes of embarrassment will make me worse. I sigh when Zelos leaves to follow Sheena down the mountain path with Presea at his heels. I actually have to giggle when Genis drags Colette along at high speed to introduce her to the new love of his ... well, week. Genis you're mad, I love you.

Alright, Charlotte! Let's get ourselves down this mountain, then we can sit down and sleep. In the morning, we can wake up, cry all over Colette and tell her how awesome she is and how much we've missed her, and then we can probably sleep some more. And eat. And drink, more importantly! So much has been going on today, I just forgot to drink or eat at all. I mean ... I almost had coffee with Lloyd, but then he went and ruined it. Jerk.

It looks like Sheena's leading the way again. Why is it that every time we climb down this mountain it has to be dark? Seriously, it just makes it all the more complticateted. I mean ... complicated. Complicated. Complicated is a funny word. Haha ...

Ha ... I'm tired. I wish it wasn't so dark. I feel kinda dizzy too. I really shouldn't be walking down a mountain while I'm dizzy. Maybe I should just sleep up here and walk down by myself in the morning? It would save a lot of effort. I don't care if Cruxis find me. They won't do anything. I'm not exactly useful. Blackmail wouldn't work if they kidnapped me either.

At least if they kidnapped me I probably wouldn't have to walk around everywhere. I'd get to sleep. I hope. God, I really want to ... sleep.

I feel dry today. I want to drink something. I'm out of water though. I should ask Lloyd if he has any left. He's the closest. I think. Whoa, I can't see. Wait, yes I can. Wait ...

'Lloyd ...' I whisper, stumbling forward and grabbing the material of his sleeve. He jumps, turning back to me with an annoyed look.

'Ow! Charlotte, what are you doi ... oh ... god, are you okay!?'

'I feel ...'

Sick.

I'm not sure how long Lloyd's panicked shout echoes in my empty head for as he calls for the Professor. All I know is that's everything is unnaturally dark before I even hit the dusty floor.

Exhaustion sucks.


	81. Chapter 81

_'So ... Zelos, what is this place?'_

_'It's an underground escape route leading from the Chosen's mansion to the walls outside the city. It's in case of emergencies, y'know? I'm surprised it hasn't been sealed off yet by the Papal Knights. Maybe killing the brigadier got them all in a hype.'_

_'Ugh ... does the route go on for much longer? Charlotte isn't exactly a lightweight.'_

_'Oh come on Lloyd, you're just saying that because you've been carrying her all day.'_

_'Well, you could have!'_

_'What, and mess up my hair? Are you crazy? Plus, I'm leading the way. What if there's a knight up ahead and I can't defend myself because I've got someone on my back?'_

_'I guess ...'_

_'So quit your whining and snap to it. It's not far now.'_

_'Are you sure we'll be safe in your house?'_

_'As far as the church is concerned, I'm chilling out in Altamira right now. If they break in while we're there, well, I already told you about the underground hide-out. We'll be fine; it's just for one night anyway. As long as Sheena can sort things out with her contacts.'_

_'Will Sheena be safe in the streets alone?'_

_'She'll be fine. I don't know if she's a wanted criminal or not, but she can look after herself.'_

_'Right ...'_

_'So chin up, okay? Sebastian has everything covered with keeping the house free of guards and knights, Sheena's gonna find a way to get us off this continent – all you have to worry about is Raine and Charlotte getting back to full health.'_

_'What about you?'_

_'I'm gonna sort things out with my hunnies. They must be so confused, hearing such slander from the public!'_

_'Ugh ... oh, one more thing.'_

_'Yyyyes?'_

_'While we're in Meltokio ... if the Papal Knights seal off this escape route, how do we get out of the city?'_

_'Aqueducts.'_

_'Aqueducts?' _

_'The waterway that leads out of th – oh wait, they sealed that about a month ago ... so I guess the only option left would be out the sewers.'_

_'... The-'_

_'The sewers, yeah.'_

_'.... The sewers.'_

_'Yeah.'_

_'... The SEWERS.'_

_'Relax, it's not that bad. I used to have to use them all the time.'_

_'I don't wanna know.'_

_'It was to leave the city.'_

_'I don't wanna know.'_

_'To be with my lady friends, if you know what I mea-'_

_'I DON'T WANNA-'_

_--------------_

_'Char ... ou ... ay?'_

_'Hey Ch ... eel an ... tter?_

_'You look ... li ... tle bette ...'_

_'... to see y ... eaving foo ... if you wa ... up ...'_

_'Ch ...'_

_'... Lotte ...'_

_'Charlo ...'_

_'You oka ...'_

_'Char ... lotte?'_

After what can only be hours, maybe even a day, I finally find the strength to open my eyes.

The constant echoing of the scraps of sound I've been hearing for a while all seem to screech to a halt, just as soon as light begins filtering through my eyelids. I can't place the sounds right now – they're just toneless shards of voices swimming around my head. They all slowly seem to fade as I begin to focus my vision on ... something flat and pale above me.

A ceiling. Right, I'm getting there.

I stare at it dumbly for a long while, picking out patterns and counting how many swirls are in the intricate design as a way to get my mind working again. It works after a few moments and a bit of tired blinking, and I roll over after deciding the colour is too bright. Alright, now my brain is in gear, let's take a few good guesses. I'm clearly in a room with some sort of fancy design, so I'm going to go off on a limb and assume I'm either in Welgaia or Zelos' mansion. So ... that means I've either been kidnapped after all, or I've been out cold the whole trip back to Meltokio.

When I look out a very stunning ceiling high window to see not dark space, but the evening glow around a few trees of what must be a backyard, I decide yes, I'm in Zelos' mansion.

And ... ow, bright.

I squeeze my eyes shut, rolling over to the other side. Okay ... the last thing I remember is ... I don't know. Without searching my memory thoroughly, the last thing I remember is ... Kratos flying away, really. After that it's just a blur ... I think I remember Colette, but not anything she might have said. I remember Zelos ... but it's still unclear.

Well ... I'm in Zelos' mansion. I know that much. So that means that they should be getting on with finding a way to cross the ocean while I sort of ... lie here in bed and do nothing. Well, let's change that.

Ugh, pulling myself up to sit ... ow, my head. It definitely doesn't hurt as much as it did at the Fooji mountains, but I still feel a little numb up there. I think sleep was the one thing I needed most; I feel a lot better just waking up. I don't feel as thirsty as I did, maybe a bit more hungry, but ... all in all, I guess I feel better.

I finally take a few deep breaths, rubbing my eyes and looking around the room. It's different from the one I was in last – it's a single bedroom guest room. Huh. There's not much in here, but I'd guess it's usually for Zelos' girls. There's a vanity table against the wall opposite the foot of the bed, a rather large wardrobe beside it, and next to the head of the bed on my left is a simple dresser table. And – ooh, there's soup on it.

I reach over and press my knuckles to the side of the bowel, and it feels a bit cold. I think it's been here for a while, but it still feels warm enough to be edible.

'Ah.'

I look up to the doorway, tearing my hand away from the soup bowel for some reason. I didn't realise the door was open, but making his way into the room is a rather familiar looking man in a waistcoat with a moustache. Now, I only know two men so far with a moustache. Dirk being one, Sebastian being the other. Seeing as we're not in Sylvarant, it's Sebby.

'You are awake,' he tells me. I nod in reply.

'I am,' I say, but my voice sounds oddly sore. I cough twice into my hand to try and help, but it still comes out a little croaky. 'Agh ...'

'Would you like a glass of water?' he asks, already taking the tray with the soup bowel into his hands.

'Please,' I say through a third cough. I thump down onto my back and watch Sebastian quietly leave the room without another word, hopefully to be returning soon with some glorious water. If not, well – all the guestrooms in Zelos' mansion have personal bathrooms, so I'm sure I could get some from the tap.

While I wait, I link my hands over my chest and just stare up at the ceiling again. I swear, Zelos has to be the richest person in Tethe'alla, or close to at least. If I hadn't been here before, I'd guess this was some grand master bedroom or something. It's twice the size of my bedroom on Earth. Twice the height, too.

My stomach growls uncomfortably. I may not feel too thirsty, but I definitely wish Sebastian had left that soup with me. I'd be scoffing it down, regardless of the heat. I suppose it's my own fault for letting my hunger catch up with me. Not just my hunger, but ... everything really. It makes me feel kinda bad to be honest ... I'm not sure how much of a 'burden' I can be right now – they're not exactly gallivanting off to a far-off continent to find a cure for exhaustion – but I still feel a bit shit. I haven't really had the chance to eat or drink that much lately, but I probably should have been keeping track of that. I can't really find the time to shove down a bagel in between getting arrested, going on rescue missions, climbing mountains, getting confronted by half of Cruxis, and then some.

I pull myself back up and sit against the headboard when I hear footsteps. Oh god, please be Sebastian with my water. My throat hurts so much.

Aaaaaand iiiiit's ... yay, it is Sebastian!

I smile a little when he enters, tall glass of clear water in his gloved hand, and ... oh, it has an ice cube in it! Sebastian thinks of everything; he's so sweet. Him and his moustache.

'Your water, miss,' he says, setting it down carefully on a lace coaster at the edge of the table. Beside it, he places a small yellow pill with a silver spoon, probably to mash it up with if I can't swallow right now. 'Master Zelos recommended that you take some medicine for your hay-fever.'

I flush a little, staring at my lap. 'Um ... I kinda lied about that. I just didn't want them to think I was crying.'

'I see.'

Silence. Awkward, awkward silence. Sebastian simply takes the pill and the spoon and pockets both, and I feel kinda guilty. I mean ... it's not like grabbing a pill and bringing it up to me is the hardest thing in the world, but he's still really thoughtful ... even if he's practically programmed to be.

'Is there anything else you require, miss?'

Miss, miss, miss. Eugh. 'Um ... is anyone else in the house?'

Sebastian nods. 'All of your party are downstairs, save for Ms Fujibayashii, who is visiting Meltokio's Academy branch to secure a vehicle for Master Zelos.'

Okay, I just have to try this out to see if it works. 'Uh ... then could you send Sir Bud up please?'

He just nods in response. 'Certainly.'

Oh god, Sir Bud's gonna kill me. I giggle a little to myself when Sebastian leaves a second time, and he makes sure to close the door behind him. After a few moments alone, I reach out carefully and take the glass of water – I'm still a little shaky, so I use two hands after almost dropping it. When I take a long drink and tentatively place it back on its lace coaster, and slowly start to realise one of the reasons why I'm shaking. It's actually pretty cold.

I lie down and pull the thin cover up around my shoulders, curling up. Pretty cold was an understatement, I guess – I suppose I just didn't realise it the first few minutes of waking up. Now I'm not thirsty or dizzy, the coldness is just kinda ... in your face right now. I wonder if Zelos has any spare blankets or pillows lying around the house. There might actually be a spare set in that wardrobe, but I wouldn't trust myself to walk right now. I have no idea how well my legs work.

I sit up quickly and look back at my pillow formation before slamming back down and trying to warm up. I have one pillow and these two ... lace cushion things that are _not_ going to help.

----------------

_'Good morning, Lloyd!'_

_'Haha, can you really say that? We were up with Genis all night.'_

_'Oh ... then, hello again!'_

'_That sounds better. Hey ... where is Genis, anyway?'_

_'He went to lie down after breakfast. He said the thought of warm croissants make him sleepy.'_

_'Huh ... have you eaten?'_

_'Yep! Sebastian is a great cook.'_

_'Yeah ...'_

_'Is something wrong?'_

_'No, it's just ... you're eating again. I'm glad.'_

_'Hehe, me too! And I slept really well last night. And it was cold!'_

_'... That's a good thing?'_

_'Well, I couldn't really feel things until recently. I guess it felt nice.'_

_'... What is it with Zelos' house being cold?'_

_'I think it's because it's so big.'_

_'Huh?'_

_'Zelos lives here all by himself in such a big house ... it feels so empty and cold. I wonder if he gets lonely ...'_

'_Well ... I guess I never really thought about it. He has girls over all the time, so-'_

_'It's probably just me. I've been feeling alone and empty for so long, I guess I'm just being silly, hehe ...'_

_'Colette ...'_

_'What is it?'_

_'It's ... nothing. I'm just really glad you're back to normal. It isn't the same without you.'_

_'... Lloyd, can you do something for me?'_

_'Huh? Sure, anything.'_

_'Make sure ... just make sure Zelos doesn't make the same mistakes I did ...'_

_'... What?'_

_'I don't want anyone else to ...'_

----------

_Knock, knock_.

'Come i ...' I try, but my voice gets croaky again and I have to stop. I try again, and nothing. Eventually I just pick up a small ornament from the table and throw it across the room to hit the door, lying back and coughing into my hand. As the door opens, I take another quick drink and shiver from the cold once more.

'Hey ... are you awake?'

I raise my head a little and grin at my visitor. 'A little.'

Lloyd closes the door behind him, and I notice him click a small lock into place near the handle. It's probably just for privacy, just in case I want to talk about something; I hardly expect him to beat me up or whatever. I sit up again, pulling the blanket up around me tightly while Lloyd crosses the room, looking a little tired.

'Are you okay?' he asks almost automatically, and I take quick note of the bags under his eyes.

'... Are _you_ okay?' I counter with some concern finding its way into my voice. 'You look terrible ...'

'Oh ... this,' Lloyd mumbles, touching his cheekbone. 'It's nothing. I've been awake for a long time, that's all.'

I smile a little, lying back down. 'Have you been up all night talking to Colette?'

Lloyd just snorts with a kind of awkward grin. 'How could you tell?'

I shrug. 'She's back to normal. I'd be up all night talking to her too ... if I was awake, I mean.'

The bed dips a little when Lloyd sits down beside my stomach, letting out a deep breath and rubbing his eyes. 'Yeah ... I guess Genis and me went a little overboard with the talking. We just couldn't sleep, knowing she was back with us again. The Professor chewed us out for it after ... after what happened. To you.'

I grimace at his words and the look of irritation on his face. He wants to yell at me – I know he does. If anything, Colette being back has lightened his overall mood, though I'm sure me collapsing from exhaustion right after put a small damper on that. I still stand by myself; that wasn't my fault. I _told_ them and I _complained_ to them all the time climbing that mountain, and I sincerely told Raine how tired and worn out I felt when she asked me before we left, and I still got told to suck it up and keep going. I've probably gotten myself in a "bitch who cried wolf" situation here, but goddamn. I hate just about everyone right now.

Lloyd opens his mouth, but I just nudge his hip with my foot from under the blanket to stop him.

'If you say "why didn't you say anything",' I interrupt, shifting back against the headboard a bit. 'I'm gonna smack you.'

He just frowns, thumbing the edge of his suspender. 'I know. That was my fault.'

I nod, and he drops his hands to his lap. 'We were just so close to saving Colette. I couldn't think about anything else. That whole day, we did nothing but move forward ... I just wanted to get there so much. I wanted to see her smile again ...'

This weird feeling swells in the pit of my chest, but I ignore it for now.

'When I did ... I realised everything that I'd been pushing out. Presea still needed to go home, and we'd been dragging her around like a dog ... we'd gotten Zelos exiled from his home and labelled as a criminal, and he's not going to be able to stay here anymore ... Sheena, Zelos, Presea – because of me, they're all wanted traitors in their own world.'

I bite my lip when Lloyd clenches his hands into his knees like he's trying to hold something back.

'I've ruined so many lives ... just to get Colette back.'

I nudge him again. 'Lloyd, quit it. You're doing what I used to do. You're trying to take the blame for everything, you're trying to go around feeling sorry for yourself, and you're hoping that everyone is gonna notice and give you a pat on the shoulder and tell you what a good little boy you are. So seriously, just stop it.'

He glares at me. 'So it's not my fault you fell unconscious at the mountains? Because I wouldn't even listen to you when you _told_ me over and over how tired you were? It's not my fault you're here with us now? You don't have to be here risking your life with us, because ...'

Lloyd hesitates. 'Because ... none of this has anything to do with you. You're just ... here.'

I scowl. 'I think it started having something to do with me at the Tower of Salvation. I was there with all of you – I died there; Cruxis isn't exactly going to leave me alone. They're not going to go out on a hunt just for me, but I don't think that Yggdrasill is going to be opposed to slaughtering me a second time. Yuan researched it, so he probably told him already that my second life isn't anything special that he can work with.'

I notice that Lloyd looks a little uncomfortable with me casually bringing up a memory he'd rather forget. I don't know, having someone you promised you'd protect dying in your arms doesn't sound like something you'd like to think about all that often.

'I know you blame yourself for that,' I mumble. 'But you said all the right things. I just didn't listen, so that was my fault.'

I nudge his hip again. 'I'm going to be a selfish cow and say that it _was_ your fault that I collapsed in the mountains ... but you didn't ruin _my_ life, you twat.'

Lloyd buries his face in his hands for a second, clenching his fingers into his hair. 'I don't get it ...'

He drops them, turning to me. 'Wouldn't you rather be in Sylvarant right now? Don't you want to be looking for your family ...? I don't understand why you'd want to be here. It's dangerous, it's scary, and I thought ... I thought what you were looking for would save you from all of that. Why are you throwing yourself into it again? Why didn't you want to stay on Sylvarant and wait it out?'

'Because ... I wanna help,' I admit a bit sheepishly, trying to avoid his glare. 'You've all done so much for me despite ... how I act. So I just want to repay that a little-'

'You're not doing much.'

I feel like something just struck my stomach, so I just sit in a stunned silence. Ow, my heart.

Lloyd's lips quiver when he clenches his teeth. 'What I mean is ... that if you're _here_ ... if you're not looking after yourself, how am I going to be able to stop worrying about you? You told me at Sybak that you were fine, and that I didn't have to worry, but-!'

'Lloyd, you don't have to wor-'

'You _collapsed!' _he interrupts in a shout, raising from the bed and shutting me up completely. 'From _exhaustion!_ You're not looking after yourself! And you expect me not to worry!?'

'_Yes_, because _no one_ EVER collapses or anything,' I snap back sarcastically. I shouldn't, but ... this just happens when he shouts. I can't help it. 'We were all dropping like flies a bunch of times before, what makes now any different?'

'Because none of them have _DIED_ before!' Lloyd retorts angrily, and I fall back into a guilty quiet. He points at the window with a shaking finger. 'I carried you all the way here from the mountains because I didn't want to be away for a second, _just_ in case something happened! All I could think about was all of it happening again!'

I stare at him, and he just clenches his teeth harder and moves to snarl at the floor.

'I can't think anymore ... all this time, I've always thought you looked different, you seemed different, and you don't ... feel like Charlotte anymore.'

I'm doing pretty well at holding back at this point.

'With "Charlotte" ... I never worried about it ... I never thought you'd drop dead as soon as I looked away, but now it's changed ... after what happened, I can't think straight when I look at you. Because everything seems so different now. I worry about you _all_ the time, because I don't know – no one knows what might happen. I don't know if you're about to die on the spot, or if Martel is gonna come down and take you away or something stupid like that, but I don't ... _know_ ...'

I'm about to get up and, well, smack him, but Lloyd just thumps heavily back onto the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and just buries his face into his hands again. Christ, I frustrate this guy so much. I'm not going to wonder why I'm even here, because it's clear why I am. I want to help. But obviously by trying to not become a burden, I'm ignoring my own needs.

Is that it? Have I been trying so hard not to become just another weight that I've actually _forgotten_ to eat, sleep, tell them when I'm feeling tired? Well to be fair, I _did_ tell them I was tired, they just ... didn't listen. Again, to be fair, I complain a lot about my legs hurting and crap like that, so it's not entirely their fault. TO BE FAIR, AGAIN, I don't like going up and down the same mountain in one day.

I just wring the bedding awkwardly in hands, staring from under my fringe at Lloyd as he clenches his fingers into his face. I really have to stop this shit once and for all. He's just gotten Colette back; I'm not ruining it for him again.

I slowly push the covers back and slip my legs over the bed and scoot over to Lloyd's side. He doesn't look up – he just keeps his head buried in his hands.

I barely know what I'm doing at this point, but I just place a hand on his arm and eventually find the courage to slide it around, hugging myself close and resting my head on his shoulder.

I remember doing this before the Tower of Salvation. I think ... I don't know. I just want everything to be like how it was. I don't want him to feel frustrated when he looks at me. I don't want him to think of me as another person – I want to be Charlotte again. I know I am, but ... I don't think he does.

I dunno how long we sit like this. It doesn't exactly get awkward, so I just roll with it. Lloyd sitting in a frustrated, tired mess, and me just kinda clinging onto his arm and realising just how much of a pervert Zelos is when I decide I can see too much thigh with this thing on. At least I'm not fully grown yet, so this thing is a bit bigger than it should be.

I can't lighten my own mood too well, so I just decide to shut up my mental rambling. I almost feel myself get heavier against Lloyd and let my head relax against his tense shoulder. C'mon Lloyd, chill ...

'You're shaking.'

I blink, raising my head a little. 'Eh?'

Lloyd just gulps, taking a breath and letting one arm drop to rest on his leg. 'Your hand – it's shaking. What wrong?'

I awkwardly remove myself from his side now he's actually talking, and run a hand over my goose-bump ridden arm. 'Err, it's really cold.'

He averts his eyes from my nekkid legs like a gentleman, thudding his other arm to his knee and pushing himself up. I quickly decide to get back under the covers, because ... well, they're thin as shit but I'm sure they're a bit warm at least.

'There's ... another guest room,' Lloyd sighs, rubbing his forehead and waving a hand dismissively in my direction. 'I'll be back in a second.'

I just watch him leave with a grim look on my face. God, I'm such a knob. I hope Colette vomits her shiny bubblegum love all over him when he goes back downstairs; being around me only seems to make him either pissed off or miserable lately. Y'know, I really _would_ consider staying at Zelos' in Meltokio (instead of going back to Sylvarant, which would be hard at the moment), but I'm kind of a wanted criminal along with the rest of them. The only safe place for me is _with_ them, and if I'm in danger of being wanted and _away_ from them, then it's just going to make Lloyd worry more? Is _anything_ easy anymore?

I just sigh, thumping back against the headboard so hard that I get a head rush. Okay, ow. Ow. Oh great, now I feel sick. Fuck that noise, I need food before I throw up.

I end up just staring out of the window for a few minutes and lazily decide if it's evening or morning, and eventually there's a soft click at the door that makes me perk up. I actually hope its Sebastian with food more than Lloyd, because I hate seeing Lloyd miserable and I want to see him be happy for once. He was always happy in the game. Always. Then again, in the game he could just brush off Kratos' betrayal with a shrug and a speedy swordfight. Which is so not the case here.

Stupid ranting aside, YES its Lloyd. Lloyd with a big fat duvet under one arm and two pillows under the other.

... Oh.

'Scoot,' he tells me, and I shuffle over a little and let him chuck the two pillows over my single thin one. I give him a quick glance and decide to simply arrange my new pillows when he looks (purposefully) busy with straightening out what it probably my new second blanket.

'Oi ... Lloyd, is it morning or evening?' I ask him without looking.

'Evening.'

'How late?'

'It's about six o'clock ... Sheena went out while the guards were swapping shifts.'

'Oh yeah?'

'She says we should get a boat rented from the research academy by tomorrow morning. They have a lot to spare because they're always travelling back and forth from Sybak. That's what she told me.'

'Lloyd, thanks mate.'

'... Don't mention it.'

As if on cue, he finally works out which way the duvet it supposed to go and steps back to air it out. I flinch a little when the wind catches my face, and he carefully billows it up over my bed, watching it settle into place.

'Dammit ...' he mumbles when he screws up the edge of the blanket on the opposite side of the bed, leaning over to straighten it out. It's weird, even though I shift back to let him sort out his handiwork, I can't help but kinda ... stare a little.

Since when did Lloyd's shoulders look so ... strong?

'Thanks,' I repeat when he straightens back up. 'Thanks for carrying my fat thighs all the way to Meltokio.'

He shrugs. 'Just ... don't mention it.'

Some weird feeling finally settles in, and I feel a little calmer. So does Lloyd, by the looks of it; it seems he's relaxed a lot. There's a bit of silence, and I just throw the awkwardness to the wind and grab my water from the side of the bed, chugging some down in a very unladylike fashion. Screw it, I'm thirsty.

'Uh ... Sebastian is making cakes,' Lloyd says after a moment, scratching his cheek. 'So ... if you're hungry, you can come downstairs. I'm sure Colette wants to say hi.'

I wrinkle my nose at the thought of food. 'Oh righ – wait, if Sebastian is making cakes, then why did I have warm soup here a while ago?'

'Oh, that was me,' Lloyd admits. 'We had soup last night. I heated it up earlier and left some by your bed in case you woke up.'

Old soup, nice. 'Thanks.

'Don't-'

'-Mention it, right.'

_------------------_

_'Professor, can I ask you a question?'_

_'Of course, Lloyd.'_

_'... Am I getting big?'_

_'Well, of course. You're a lot taller than you used to be, and I noticed your muscles have started to define ... you used to be just skin and bone-'_

_'No, I mean ... fat. Do you think I'm putting on weight?'_

_'What? Of course not, why would you think such a thing?'_

_'Earlier Zelos said-'_

_'Well, if it came from Zelos, then you can simply disregard him. A man of his status must work to maintain his figure, as I'm quite sure he distances himself from as much physical labour as he can. You have no need to be constantly working out or watching your body weight. We are not nobles – we're constantly travelling from place to place, which I'm sure would count as good exercise.'_

_'... So I'm not fat?'_

_'... No, Lloyd. You are not fat. But I must ask, why on earth would it bother you? You've never brought this up before.'_

_'Well, uh, it's nothing really. I'm just trying to, um, keep myself looking fit and healthy! Aha ... ha ...'_

_'Oh Lloyd ... my little student is growing up so fast ...'_

_'What?'_

_'It's nothing. Just promise me you won't take a leaf from Zelos' book and begin pouncing on every girl you see.'_

_'O ... kay. Oh, Sebastian just left – I'm going to go grab one of those cakes he's been making before he gets back.'_

_'Sebastian is baking cakes? I was under the impression that the hallways were adorned with countless baskets of them from Zelos' supporters already.'_

_'Yeah, but Sebastian's cooking is the best! Don't tell Zelos, he's supposed to be saving them for some of his girlfriends that are coming over tonight.'_

_'Ah ... I see.'_

_-----------_

I check for what can only be the seventh time that the belt on this ... disturbingly silky mauve dressing gown is tight enough around my waist before I attempt walking down the twisting stairs of Zelos' mansion. I don't think I've ever mentioned that; Zelos has twisty stairs. Anyway, I won't ramble again. I've just gotten out of the shower, and I'm feeling rather preen and clean. I'm managing to keep my hair wrapped in its towel for now, but it's very close to falling out. Well, I'll be fine.

To be honest, I'm not sure why I just had a shower. We're going through the _sewers_ tomorrow, as Sheena has happily revealed to us. On her trips back and forth from the labs, she's relayed many things to us – "we'll be crossing the ocean on an Elemental Cargo, it's used to transport goods from companies across continents", "a majority of the Papal Knights have been sent to Altamira", "the half-elves at the lab say that there are no knights stationed in Ozette, so we'll be able to get Presea back home", "oh and we're escaping the city through the sewers".

I mean, the _sewers_. Zelos informed us that we're not going to be walking THROUGH human waste, and that there's a maintenance passage that people use to travel through, but ... still. It's the sewers. I just hope we're not going to be reeking when we get out, because we're now wanted criminals and it's probably not going to be easy to find a shower.

I push open the door leading to Zelos' living room to find it practically bare. It's dark now, so the only light is coming from the crackling fireplace, setting a soft orange glow upon everything in the room. It's definitely cosy, but I decide against sitting around to enjoy it.

There's a lone Lloyd asleep on the sofa, sitting upright and relaxed against the back of the chair. He's probably just taking a small nap or someth – wow, he looks ... weird.

I shake my head as I quietly walk past and toward the kitchen. Not WEIRD weird, his face simply looks ... a bit rosy. Maybe he's hot. Also, I'm going to guess Sebastian isn't very happy with him. He's been pining after his cooking all day, and I managed to spot a small crumb just at the corner of his mouth. Naughty Lloyd. Plus, Raine told me. But I still notice the small things!

Anyway, I need a glass of water, and I kinda want to get out of the way before Zelos' girls get here.

Speaking of Zelos, I drop my hand from the towel on my head I was keeping upright, tightening my belt an eighth time when I notice him sitting on his lonesome at the kitchen table. Oh god, escape time, abort the plan, run-

'Heeeey hunnie,' he greets automatically without looking past his shoulder and towards me. I'm not exactly the quietest thing, and I did practically fall into the kitchen here. I quickly compose myself and try to ... I don't know, _not_ act all spastic and lazy.

'Um, I just came to – uh, I mean, hi – I mean ... I ...' I try, but my reign of awkwardness gets cut down rather quickly when Zelos drags his chair back, turning to raise an thin eyebrow at me. I didn't get less awkward; I just got stunned into a silence. Zelos' suaveness hits for critical damage, life bottle please.

'Came for ... water,' I finish quietly, trying to drag myself past his piercing stare and towards the sink, snatching up a glass with a shaky hand and praying that I don't drop it. 'I'll be gone in a sec, I promise ...'

There's silence for a few long moments in place of Zelos' tendency to flirt me into mushy submission, and it almost unnerves me as much as the flirting itself. Oh god, maybe he's angry at me? Did ... did I do anything? Did I use his shower? Was I not supposed to? Did I use some special kind of shampoo that was his? Oh god, am I wearing a special dressing-gown? Am I drinking his precious _water_ oh god-

There's a scrape of the chair being pushed against the stone-tiled floor, and I start hoping that Zelos is simply going to leave me to my spazzing. I try to look around the kitchen to calm my nerves, maybe focus on other things while I let the glass fill with crystal clear water. Okay, just look at the marble countertop, look at the, uh ... the big plants framing the glass doorway leading to the big, extravagant garden, the ... uh ... the high ceiling, the glass that I've just dropped into the sink- OH god-

Before I can get out another string of jumbled apologies, let alone grab the glass, I feel a pair of gloved hands clap down on my shoulders. Aw, snap.

'Well, someone's being a little jittery this fine evening,' Zelos tells me in some kind of ... eerily smouldering tone. Either way it makes my knees weak. 'Why would that be, hmm?'

I feel goose-bumps erupt beneath the silken sleeves of my dressing gown. I don't know what he's talking about, because I'm always a jittery twat around him ... tonight is no different, unless he's trying to-

'Oh!' I exclaim quickly, spinning around to face him and bumping my hip sharply on the side of the counter. I ignore it when I realise Zelos is so close that I could probably press my nose against his chest if I wasn't leaning back carefully, and he takes a gracious step back when he realises my face is burning red. I think I know what he's talking about. 'Um ... it – I didn't-'

Zelos cuts me off once more by pointing to the table he was sitting at, and I finally take a nervous glance toward it. On it sits a baking tray littered with fancy looking cupcake wrappers, half of which are bent and empty. Granted, there are only about eight, so there are four rather ... oddly coloured cupcakes there too. It's strange, then have a kind of purple hue to them ... oh gosh, they're not poisoned, are they? Wait, why would Zelos poison his girls? Unless Sebastian is planning to – oh god, does Zelos think I put poison in Sebastian's food!? Oh gracious, Lloyd's gonna die!

'I didn't!' I insist shrilly, and the panic in my voice causes Zelos to recoil a little with a blink. 'I didn't poison them, I promise ...!'

'Whoa, whoa ...!' Zelos stops me quickly, waving a hand. 'Whoa there, mellow down. Hunnie, these aren't poisoned, they're just ...'

Zelos grimaces and trails off with an almost troubled look, shaking his head. 'Never mind that. But I need to know which of you babes nabbed some when Sebastian had his back turned, okay?'

Ugh, he's got that ... sickly-sweet fake smile on again, and however fake it may look, it's still rendering me into a mushy pile of teenager. I honestly don't think my face could get any redder at this poin – wait, why does Zelos think only the girls of the group ate Sebastian's cakes? He ... said "which of you babes", and I'm pretty sure he doesn't consider Lloyd a "babe". Well, Sheena's been binging all day because of, um, woman stuff, and I guess my appetite has kinda caught up with me today ... but honestly, other than that-

Fingers snap infront of my face. 'Anybody home?'

I decide to just ditch the babble of awkward apologies once more and try to answer straight for once, tightening the belt of the dressing gown just in case. 'Um ... I don't – it wasn't us ... the girls, I mean ...'

Zelos raises an eyebrow again, and my kneecaps go on vacation. He's got an odd look on his face ... it's some weird mix of confidence and something else I can't quite place. Well, he has a bunch of girls coming over in about half an hour, so he's probably about to get some. I don't really expect him to scoop me upstairs and deem me a warm-up seeing as I'm kinda sorta not legal here, but agh. AGH ZELOS stop staring at me like that.

'Come on,' he coos, placing one hand on the edge of the table and leaning down to my eye level. 'Which one of them was it? I knew they'd crack sooner or later – it was the Professor, wasn't it? She's been giving me these fleeting glances lately.'

... What?

'It ... was Lloyd,' I answer rather bluntly when I decide I really don't have a clue what he's talking about. What, are cupcakes like, the rite of passage to get into Zelos' pants? Oh Christ, I'm glad I didn't have any. 'H-he's been hungry all day, so ... he probably just ... took a few. But I don't get it, why-'

I immediately stop myself when all confidence, suaveness, and attractive glints in Zelos' features drop like dead weights. He stares at me, and I just stare back. I don't know what's going on. Oh ... OH, did he drug the cakes? Are they like, date-rape cakes? Oh snap, Lloyd had four, is he lying unconscious on that sofa right now?

'What ...' I start quietly, looking to the remaining cakes lined up with their odd, purple tinge. Zelos straightens up immediately, biting into the knuckle of his finger and turning to look into the living room where Lloyd ... may or may not be simply "asleep". 'What did Sebastian put in them ...?'

I notice Zelos has gone a little pale, and I'm suddenly overcome with panic. This isn't good. Zelos never gets serious like this – he's been the cocky Chosen since day one, and now he's ... dammit, is Lloyd in trouble!?

'These are, uh ... _special_ cakes,' Zelos starts carefully, leaning back a little to peer into the room to make sure Lloyd is still alive and kicking. Well he's most likely alive, but he's definitely not kicking. 'Sebastian makes them for my hunnies when we have little get-togethers like this.'

I knew it, they're drugged. 'What ... what's in them?'

Zelos flinches.

'These things are packed with a ... an aphrodisiac drug.'

---------------

_'Colette, have you seen Lloyd?'_

_'Oh yeah! He's asleep on the sofa.'_

_'Asleep?'_

_'Yeah! He's been looking tired for a while ... I think last night caught up with him.'_

_'Well ... we did stay awake pretty late ...'_

_'It's strange though ... I think Lloyd might be a little ill.'_

_'Ill? How do you mean?'_

_'I don't know ... he was looking so flushed and dizzy, and then just as Sheena came back it seemed as though he completely passed out ... she's been worried too.'_

_'Huh ... that's strange.'_

_----------_

'C'mooon bud, you gotta work with me here.'

'As ... du ... fuh ...'

'I can't drag you up these stairs man, you need to step it up a little.'

'Fuh ... feel sick ...'

'That's rad. When you get to your restroom you can go crazy and let it all out. Just not while I'm carrying you here; I still have women to "entertain" tonight.'

'Enter ... tain?'

'... You really don't have a clue about this stuff, do you?'

I just watch Zelos try to drag a ... obliviously horny Lloyd up the stairs from the landing, leaning on the railing with a rather red-faced Genis next to me. I went to get Raine after Zelos told me everything about the ... well, sexy-time cakes that Sebastian made, but she was crashed out so I had to settle with Genis. It's all good though – we got him and Sebastian together and we've discovered that Lloyd isn't about to hit puberty and mount everything in sight. He doesn't ... _know_ about these things, so he's just going to be feeling hot and bothered for a while. He's already got a headache and feels sick, so that's probably the worst of it.

'You're disgusting, Zelos,' Genis tells him when he finally reaches the top of the stairs. With Lloyd practically under his arm, Zelos just reaches over and flattens his hand over Genis' face, shoving him sharply.

'Isn't it best your bedtime? Go on, beat it.'

Genis rubs his palms over his cheeks as if Zelos got his _GERRRRMS_ all over him, and to be brutally honest he probably could have. Well it's not like Genis has OCD.

'He'll be fine,' Zelos grunts, hefting Lloyd up the last stair like a rag doll. I notice that he's carefully keeping his precious crimson hair away from Lloyd's face, most likely on the off chance Lloyd does end up vomiting all over him. He could be nicer; I mean ... he did get Lloyd in this awkward situation. The _worst_ thing he could do is maybe mess his hair up, and that's not even that bad considering Lloyd is smacked off his tits on aphrodisiacs. He's not about to drag him onto the bed screaming "TAKE ME ZELOS", so really. Stop being a knob.

'He'll be back to normal tomorrow, right?' Genis asks with his hands planted on his hips, watching as Zelos drags a semi-conscious Lloyd across the hallway. 'When we escape the city through the sewers.'

'Yep,' Zelos groans, kicking open the door of Lloyd's room. It flies open and rattles on his hinges, and I immediately notice it's a lot less lavish than my own guest room. Or Sheena's. Or Colette's. Or Raine's. We're seeing a pattern here, and I'm guessing Genis' room looks just as subpar.

With that, Zelos proceeds to practically carry Lloyd over to his ... rather small bed. I grimace at the faded blue tones of the room, and it looks a lot colder in comparison to the ones we, the girls, are using. I think Genis notices too, and just stares bitterly after him.

'Kid just needs a good night's sleep and a splash of cold water,' Zelos assures, dumping Lloyd on the bed with an "oomph". He steps back and dusts off his hands, watching Lloyd lie face-down and unresponsive. 'Huh ... well, that should do it. Rest it off, bud.'

There's a small mumble, and Genis just rolls his eyes.

'I'll tell Raine about this in the morning,' he says, apparently deciding to ignore Zelos and turn to me. 'You think he'll be okay?'

... Wow, Genis is like ... talking to me. Like another human being. Without glaring or letting his voice get all snippy. It's weird.

'Um ... yeah, he'll be fine,' I say waving a hand. 'Go ... get some sleep for tomorrow. I'm gonna go to bed too; not too happy with the idea of going through a sewer, so ... it's best to get it over with.'

Genis snorts, folding his arms after wiping a thick lock of silver hair from his face. 'I don't think I'll ever feel less divine after that. Well ... good night.'

My shock is short-lived, and he doesn't say much more. I just watch him turn and walk down the long hallway back to his own room, and I pretend to ignore him 'accidently' drop something outside a certain pink-haired girl's bedroom door, and 'accidently' brush his knuckles against the door as if to knock. After a few moments of no answer, he gets back to his feet and practically sprints to his room.

Aw, Genis is a _geek_.

'Oh for – bud, come on.'

I quickly realise Zelos thinks we've both been gone for a while and glance back into Lloyd's guest room. It seems that Lloyd has sleepily caught the back of Zelos' pink coat, and judging by the way Zelos is tugging and prying at the hands clutching his clothing, he's got a pretty tight hold.

'Listen man,' Zelos starts, straightening up with an oddly impatient tone seeping into his voice. 'I have a throng of chicks waiting for me in about five minutes, and thanks to you my charm is going to be worked a little harder tonight. I know you're probably hot for me, but I don't swing that way.'

After no reply for a few moments, Zelos grabs a fistful of his coat and tugs a couple of times, but Lloyd's hand just remains firm and sways from side to side with each wrench. He groans, shoulders sagging in frustration. I inch back a little behind the doorframe while Zelos glares down at the teenager that won't let him leave. Lloyd's eyes are only slightly open, definitely not enough to see properly.

'... Lloyd, this is getting old,' Zelos practically snaps, turning to simply walk away. 'I tell ya, sometimes you can be a real piece of wor-'

'Don't ...'

Zelos grumbles, turning back to try tugging again. Lloyd is just staring up at him sleepily, eyes slightly unfocused and voice thick with exhaustion. His hand relaxes, and the folds of Zelos' coat slip from his grip as his arm drops limply down to the side of the bed.

'Don't ... make the same mistakes ... Colette did ...'

... I didn't really expect Zelos' huffing and complaining to stop until Lloyd was completely out, his girls had arrived and he was locked in his room all night with them, but the sudden silence is almost worrying.

I peer carefully back into the room to see Lloyd finally dead to the world, still looking a little flushed but oddly content in sleep. Zelos looks far from, arms at his sides and coat slightly creased from Lloyd's random iron-grip. I think ... yeah; Colette's been trying to talk to Zelos seriously a couple of times today, but she only gets answered with his flirtatious responses or a patronizing pat on the head. It must have been this ... she might have asked Lloyd to do it for her ...

Zelos just stares at Lloyd for the longest time. It's a bit weird ... I fully expect him to be flying out and sliding down the railing to the front door to greet his ladies. I really, really don't know that much about how Zelos feels about his status as Chosen ... I think he was a bit iffy about it, but I really can't ... remember.

I doubt my remembrance of such things even more an hour later while I lay back on my bed staring at the ceiling, wondering what Zelos might have been thinking for the first time in maybe years when he ordered Sebastian to send his girls away.

---------------

_'Oh, Sheena ...'_

_'... M-morning, Lloyd.'_

_'Is something up? You look a bit ... red.'_

_'Oh, this – it's nothing ... L-Lloyd ...'_

_'Sheena, are you ... trying not to laugh?'_

_'... Do you remember anything that happened to you last night?'_

_'Um ... uh – oh! I, uh, I stole some of those cakes Sebastian made for Zelos ... don't tell him that though.'_

_'He already knows.'_

_'Aw, dammit. What did he say?'_

_'If you ask me, he found it quite amusing. So did Genis and Charlotte.'_

_'... What?'_

_'Do you remember _anything_ at all?'_

_'Uhh ... I had a headache so I went to sleep? I don't know what you mean-'_

_'Never mind, Lloyd. It's probably best if you didn't know ... haha ...'_

_'...?'_

_----------_

Alright.

Seriously.

Screw this.

Sewers, man.

_Sewers_.

'This is worse than the Water Seal,' Lloyd grumbles after minutes of thick, uncomfortable silence. We're not exactly scraping for idle chatter right now, seeing as we're navigating our way through a _SEWER_ and no one really wants to ... well, breathe. The smell is rancid, the brick walls are dark and damp, the walkway is slimy ... and it's just gross. We're all dealing with it in our own way, though. Lloyd's pulled his collar up around his mouth, those of us with coats or loose clothing are stuffing it infront of our faces, Presea could care less and I'm immediately missing the fact that I don't have a hood anymore. I honest to god would have put my old shirt on backwards and stuffed my face with the hood.

I miss my old clothes. Trouserrrrs.

Colette is currently wishing that she still lacked a sense of smell, and this being the strongest smell she's experienced since she got the sense back is probably not a good thing. She's gone into several coughing fits while the rest of us are just trying to handle the stench the best we can. I know that I could probably help myself a little ... y'see, I stole a bottle of perfume from one of Zelos' lady-guest-rooms for just ... well, for feeling nice every now and then, so spraying that over everyone would probably be useful right now.

I just don't want Zelos to know I stole it, so bleeergh.

Genis is trying his best to look cool and calm around Presea, but he's in the same boat as Colette and they're hacking and coughing every two minutes. He's got his over-shirt bunched up around his face and looks horribly pale and sick. I'd feel sorry for him, but he went right back to being a knob this morning so I won't.

'What was so bad about the Water Seal?' I ask through my glove, looking up at Lloyd. Yes, I've actually taken to removing one of my arm length gloves and shoving it down my throat.

'That room ...' Lloyd huffs, voice muffled by his collar. He folds his arms tightly. 'The fish one ... it was gross ...'

I wrinkle my nose. 'Oh yeah ...'

Oh man, the memory of it just bought on a whole new wave of nausea. I'm glad it's pretty dark (Raine and Zelos are leading the way with the Professor's staff emitting some light), and I reach into my satchel and fish around for the bottle of perfume. Damn, I have so much stuff in here, and it's so small ... it's like the friggin' Tardis.

I eventually manage to yank out the hourglass shaped glass bottle, giving the top a quick twist seeing as it hasn't been used before. I spray a little on my glove and rub the cloth together, shoving it back on my face. Oh god, that's _so_ much better. Now instead of rotten waste stifled only by the smell of my own clothes, it's ... what smells like assorted flowers and berries. I was never too good at placing smells. It's got the juicy scent to it though.

'What's that?'

I look over to Sheena who asked the question, and she's looking to the bottle in my hands while she holds the ends of her pink ribbon to her mouth. With a glance forward toward Zelos, I motion for her to lean down (she's a lot taller than me) and hand me one of her ribbon tails. I spray it quickly and motion to her to rub it in, practically throwing the bottle back into my bag.

I don't really expect Zelos to flip out, but knowing him this stuff is probably pretty expensive. If I really didn't think he'd be all that bothered, I'd be squirting this stuff over everything.

Sheena just gives me a thumbs up in response, and she looks a lot less fazed about the atmosphere.

'What are you two doing?'

I give Lloyd a flat look while Sheena paces forward a little faster, and he just watches her go before turning back to me with his collar bunched up around his face. My mouth twists with a frown when I reach back into my satchel and pull out the bottle, reaching up to yank Lloyd down by his collar. I quickly spray the inside while he flails around in desperation to pull it back up.

After enduring the scent for a good three seconds, I hastily shove my bunched up glove back into my face.

'Oh, wow!' Lloyd gasps, holding his collar back for a moment in surprise before pressing it back to his nose. 'What is this?'

'It's ... perfume,' I say, holding it up. 'I grabbed a bottle from Zelos' guest room.'

He blinks, giving me and odd stare. 'Why'd you take perfume?'

I frown through my glove, but I don't think he notices. 'Well ... y'know. So I can smell nice.'

'Oh, right ... lemme see that a sec.'

Before I can protest, let alone look up, he's already snatched it up and is proceeding to spray twice over each shoulder. 'H-hey!'

'Come on, you got a whole bottle full of the stuff!' Lloyd protests, pushing it back into my hands and hunching his shoulders. 'It's not like you can't spare a little!'

'Well who knows when I can get another bottle!?' I retort after a quick check ahead to see if the others are watching. Luckily the smell is keeping them to themselves. I notice that I've taken the perfume doused glove away from my face to gripe at Lloyd, and quickly shove it back to my face with a shiver when the repulsive scent returns. 'Good grief ...'

'Smells nice ...' Lloyd mumbles, probably lost within the relief for now. I keep an eye on the floor as we speed up to rejoin the others, just to make sure there isn't anything he could trip over. 'I wonder if rich girls wear this stuff all the time?'

'Um ... probably,' I reply, rolling my shoulders uncomfortably. I used to wear it all the time on Earth, so it feels a little strange when it's like a luxury here. Then again, luxuries here also include actual beds, proper warm food, not having to fight monsters while we skip across the countryside from town to town, and ... not being on the run from the law. Oh, and not walking through the SEWERS.

Yeah, home sounds pretty appealing right now. Gosh, what I'd give to just curl up in bed with a warm cup of cocoa and a book.

'Are you okay, Colette?'

We both look over to Genis, who has actually braved himself to take his shirt away from his face for two seconds to ask. Colette just seems to be keeping close to Sheena, looking around warily.

'You look kinda spooked,' Lloyd adds. 'Is something wrong?'

Colette just looks around her again, suddenly gripping Sheena's arm. 'It's nothing ... I just think I hear rats ...'

Sheena goes right ahead and grips Colette back, glaring at the floor. Oh shit, if rats are here then I'm gonna cry. Sneaking into the Asgard Ranch was bad enough with rat bones everywhere, but if we're having sewage coated vermin nipping at our ankles ...

'Oh god, oh god, ew,' I whine, standing on tip-toes and doing a 360 check around myself. No beady little eyes peering at me through the dark right now ...

'If there _are_ rats, then we should hurry,' Raine tells us over the sound of our panicked whining, looking back at us over her shoulder. 'Though it wouldn't be too much hassle to heal a simple infection, I'm not exactly educated on Tethe'allan medicine and disease.'

In other words, anyone who isn't wearing cloth shoes is fine, which limits to ... Lloyd and Zelos. Aw crap, I want my leather shoes back.

There's a quick shuffle from ahead, and Genis hastily yanks his kendama out from his small bag, inching a little closer to Presea. He could probably use magic to scare vermin away, so that's one less thing to worry about.

'D-don't worry Presea, I'll stop any rats from getting near you ...' he promises shakily, gripping his weapon with both hands. Genis seriously, turn into a teenager quietly. Your awkward attempts at conversation are making me cringe.

Presea doesn't answer for a few moments as usual, but she raises her head a little. 'My boots are plated with an iron casing to ensure no casualties while transporting lumber. A common rodent's bite will not pierce the metal.'

'Yeah, but them wankers will jump and get your legs,' I speculate randomly to save Genis a little pride. It doesn't work, and he just deflates beside Presea and continues to walk quietly. I'm sure Lloyd would go and comfort him, but he's currently too busy enjoying the smell of fruity perfume in his face.

We keep walking through the sewers, a little more quietly now. Since Colette has revealed the threat of rats, everyone has substituted idle chatter for looking around worriedly at every stray scuffing sound. The walkway is rather wide and we're not exactly close to raw sewage, which is in another passageway altogether, so it wouldn't be hard to spot them on the flat stone ground.

I try to occupy myself with thinking about things other than rats and the smell of UGH while Zelos navigates us though. I end up thinking about odd stuff, such as why would they design a _sewer_ all fancy? Granted, these winding passages aren't exactly as grand and intricate as the Meltokio up there, but it's still oddly impressive.

For a while I just listen in on Sheena explaining our next course of action to Raine. All we managed to find out before she came back from the labs at five in the morning before herding us down to the sewers was that an "old friend" of hers is helping out. I can't really remember who it was, I think his name was Oro-something. If I'd known I was going to get sucked into this videogame I would have played it more than once.

Regardless, it seems that we'll be stopping off at Sybak first. We've debated about it a few times since we've been on our way; sneaking into a city doesn't exactly sound like the best thing we could do right now, even if Sheena does memorize that passageway that leads directly to Kate's lab. If we prove to her that Lloyd's BFF is a half-elf, she'll tell him more about the Angelus Project, as well as how to 'save' Presea. After that, we're carting her back to Ozette and then the actual journeying can begin.

'Colette, are you sure you feel okay?' Lloyd asks out of the blue, lowering his collar a little with a worried look. She just replies with a jump, clinging harder to Sheena, who in turn holds onto the younger girl for dear life.

'I don't like rats,' she explains quietly, and Sheena nods in agreement, looking a lot paler than usual. 'I can hear them walking around ... I feel like I'm about to get pounced on.'

'I've only ever had to worry about getting pounced on by one certain large rat,' Sheena grumbles after sending an icy glare towards Zelos' back. He doesn't turn to acknowledge her, but he waves a hand dismissively with a small laugh and Raine shakes her head hopelessly beside him. I'm sure he's made one or two grabs for Raine's behind in the dark. He's got a red welt on his shoulder that looks rather Raine's-Staff-shaped, so I wouldn't be surprised.

I'll just take the quiet time we have to expand on a rather nagging thought in the back of my head. I played this game once and I hadn't touched it in like ... _forever_ since getting sucked into it, but I think I remember this sewer being an annoying level. I can't remember much – I really can't, but wasn't there one of those Sorcerer's Ring things here that made you all small? That would have been hell to deal with. Hey, speaking of which.

'Hey, do we still have the Sorcerer's Ring?' I ask randomly, lowering my glove a little to speak. This gets a few strange looks from everyone, and I'll guess that I'm not the only one who forgot about it.

'That old thing?' Genis responds, unclipping his satchel and going through it. 'Where did ...'

'Didn't we use it for two seals?' Lloyd says, looking up. 'The Wind Seal and the Light Seal were more about mental puzzles, right?'

Raine nods, keeping a close eye on where we're going, as well as Zelos' hands. 'I'm curious now ... perhaps the similar balance of physical and mental skill applies to the seals of Tethe'alla.'

'I've ... only been to one seal before?' Sheena mumbles, still looking around for vermin while holding onto Colette. 'There were rats there too. They kept biting my feet ...'

'What about the puzzles?'

Sheena frowns. 'My memories of that place are still a bit foggy. The people from my village took care of the puzzles inside.'

'Ohhhh, the Temple of Lightning?' Zelos asks, swinging his sword around casually. Wow, if he drops that he's screwed. 'Yeah, that place is all about blowing stuff up. It's a lot more physical, so you'd need that ring to do it. Same goes for the Temple of Earth; it's on a giant chasm. The priests told me that you can use devices there to make earthquakes.'

'They were probably talking about the Sorcerer's Ring,' Raine mumbles, and I notice the light ahead shift a little while she folds her arms. 'Fascinating ...'

'Ruin mode, ruin mode,' Lloyd whispers warningly, and I notice all of us back off significantly besides Presea. Zelos is left up there all alone, now looking a little wary about the glint in Raine's eyes. He won't be grabbing her ass anytime soon.

'You call the Seals in this world Temples, yes?'

'We sure do. The summoners in this world still use them, so until they die out like in your world-'

'What about the Temple of Darkness? The Temple of Ice? They are inclined to more intellectual challenges?'

'You could say th-'

'How intriguing ... perhaps it would be possible to visit each seal and study them before we depart from Tethe'alla!'

'I'm not so sure about-'

'To think that I would be able to study the history that has been locked away from Sylvarant!' Raine practically cries out in joy, grasping Zelos by the front of his coat. 'You must take me there!'

'Drop the "there" and I'm all yours, baby,' Zelos flirts carefully, avoiding eye-contact and looking at the next best thing. 'But how about we stick to one thing at a time, mm'kay? Let's get our sweet little rosebud back to the boondocks and then we can go wandering around Tethe'alla.'

Raine finally unhands Zelos and continues leading the way with her light, mumbling to herself excitedly and thumbing through that small black book she's always carrying around. Zelos actually looks relieved not to have a woman close to him for once, and he inches away almost wearily. The poor thing has yet to see the extent of Raine's happy ruin wrath.

'I was hoping they'd stopped ...' Lloyd whispers after a few carefully hesitated moments. I assume he's talking about Raine's "turns", because Genis, Colette and Sheena all just nod knowingly in reply.

We all keep our distance from Raine for a while as she mumbles to herself, scribbling down theories in that book of hers with half a pencil she seems to have salvaged from her bag. As far as I know, she's writing about how the seals could mirror eachother from opposite worlds in terms of mental and physical challenges, but all I really understand is that we're going to need the Sorcerer's Ring for at least two more seals. That would be ... the Lightning and Earth Seals, or temples or whatever they call them in Tethe'alla. Meaning the future holds ring generated earthquakes and giant bolts of lightning being shot at will.

Joy.

It's weird, I keep thinking we forgot something back at Meltokio. I really hope it ends up being my mind, because knowing us we probably forgot something important. Exspheres? Check. All bags? Check. Presea? Check.

Oh ... crap, I forgot to rob fruit from Zelos again. I'd suddenly kill for a banana. Living off such dry, tasteless food while we're travelling is just a bore when you compare it to fruit and vegetables, but then again ... mould. Ew.

Speaking of which, this air is so stagnant and stale ... it's literally giving me a headache and making me feel sick. Genis has already complained about feeling dizzy a few times, so no doubt we're all going to be relieved to get to some fresh, morning air. I don't think we're too far off from the entrance now; you can see the surroundings changing a little. The place looks a lot more well-kept than deeper inside, the air is a _tiny_ bit more breathable, and it's getting a tad lighter.

'Colette, are you sure you're okay?'

I look back again to see Lloyd and Genis giving said Chosen rather worried looks, seeing as she's stopped in mid-walk once again. Sheena probably didn't notice her wary expression, what with clinging so closely to her and looking around wildly for anything that might be running at her, minus Zelos.

'I thought I heard something ... like a heavy iron door ...' she says quietly, almost as if straining herself to hear more. 'Maybe we're close to the exit? It might have been wind ...'

'I sure hope so ...' Genis grumbles, and I notice his kendama has gone back into his bag for now. What with not being able to protect Presea from our natural predators; the rats. 'This place gives me the chills.'

'No kidding,' Lloyd agrees, nodding and pulling his collar down a little. I like how half of us smell of perfume, one of them being our fagtastic friend. I think Genis gets a whiff of the fruity goodness from Lloyd, because he immediately gives him a rather disturbed look. It seems we're now all under the impression that Lloyd will spend the rest of this journey slowly clawing his way out of the closet. Honestly? I would not be surprised.

_Clack_.

'RAT!' Sheena immediately screeches, and I'm glad Colette's maintained her freakish strength from her angel transformation, because Sheena practically leaps into her arms. The two ahead stop dead and recover from their brief heart-attacks, and I notice Zelos fumble for Presea's shoulder to stop her automatically walking past while he clutches his chest.

'Sheena, not cool ...'

To be honest, I did hear nothing but white noise for a few moments after that. Sheena just frowns, sheepishly lowering herself out of a shaken Colette's arms.

'They're just rats; what's the big deal?' Lloyd asks, already starting to walk ahead and past Genis, who is still holding his head from the sudden echoing shriek. 'We've fought a lot of worse things in the past, what can one measly little thing do?'

'What can they _do!?_' Sheena practically explodes, hands fisted and arms straight at her sides as she storms over to Lloyd. He barely has time to escape before she's already all up in his face, jamming her finger into his chest. 'My friend back at Mizuho had his foot bitten by a rat, and it got _infected_, and they had to _cut it off_, and then he got called "Can't-Walk-Kentaro"!'

'Those are very rare circumstances, I'm sure,' Raine adds hastily, giving Sheena a stern look once she notices that Lloyd has paled considerably along with Genis. Presea still has that giant axe that she stole from the Papal Knight that she's decided to cart around for no reason, so Genis decides it's safer to stay near her. Lloyd is just shuffling back from Sheena and towards Colette and me. What? Colette can fly, she's strong, ergo she could probably carry Lloyd to safety. Y'know, unless I kick him out of the way and get there first. I don't like the thought of getting my foot amputated here.

'The point is, if you are bitten by a rat, it's very unlikely I will have to remove an appendage,' Raine confirms gently, probably noticing how stricken we all look. Thanks a bunch Sheena, we really needed to know that.

_Clack_.

'Metallic sounds,' Presea observes mundanely, staring straight ahead into the darkness. 'Unlikely caused from the movement of vermin.'

'Metallic?' Genis asks, looking over to Zelos. 'Papal Knights?'

Zelos just shakes his head, and the soft orange light from Raine's staff reveals a rather confident smirk on his face as he clips his sheath back into his belt, drawing his sword with a sharp scrape that vibrates off the walls.

'More like a broken pipe,' he assures, sweeping some locks of crimson hair behind his shoulder and waving a hand casually at all of us scared little bumpkins. 'Trust me, half the Papal army are searching Altamira like a starving ant farm.'

'And the other half?' Sheena demands sceptically, arms folded tightly over her chest as she casts Zelos a judging look. He just sends her a wink, and I notice her fingers tighten into fists. Christ, ninja rage.

'They're looking after our poor ill king, of course,' he says, spinning his sword in his hand (Raine backs away for safety, leaving him in the dark a little). 'You can't have the royal family unprotected while the country is up in arms about their precious Chosen "betraying" them, right?'

It's hard to see from over here, but he turns, sword still in hand and ventures bolding into the dark to impress us dainty, frightened women. I'll be blunt – it's working. For me, at least.

_Clack_.

'I'll bet you half my money it's a broken pipe, a stray bar falling, the wind; anything. No one would think of us coming down here.'

'You sound pretty sure,' Genis pushes, looking just as cynical as Sheena. Zelos is already too far gone in the dark for me to see his response. All we get it a long laugh at our pessimism.

_Clack clack._

'Ah, found it. Broken bar from the ceiling. See? Oooh, a bar, so scary ...'

_Clack clack clack clack_.

'... Then what's that?' Lloyd asks. We're greeted with nothing but silence for a while, and there's a noticeably loud clang when Zelos drops the metal bar her found back to the stone floor.

'Huh. Well, isn't that the strangest thi-

_Clack clack clackclackclackCLACKCLACKCLACK-_

'AGHH-!'

-----------

_'This sewer is gross ...'_

_'Is something wrong, Sheena?'_

_'I can't stand the stench here. I bet you wish you still couldn't smell, huh?'_

_'Eh? Oh ... well, I suppose ...'_

_'I'm sorry. You probably didn't want to be reminded of that ...'_

_'Oh, no! It's okay. I kinda wish I couldn't smell, too. It's just that ... I haven't in so long, and now I'm starting to get a headache.'_

_'I'd ask if you'd want to sit down for a bit, but I think it's best we get out of this place first.'_

_'... My senses might have come back, but I still have those pros from before.'_

_'Pros? Oh ... like hearing well, being strong?'_

_'Yeah. I could probably tell when rats are coming from a mile off.'_

_'Then you'd better tell me ... I hate those things.'_

_'Hehe, sure! But it's strange; I think there might be monsters down here too.'_

_'Monsters?'_

_'I can hear big bodies moving around ... bigger than just rats. They're far away, but I can still hear it ... and there isn't clinking of armour, so I don't think it's those knights from before ...'_

_'Then it probably is monsters. They've been popping up all over Tethe'alla lately; I wouldn't be surprised if they started gathering in a dank, dirty place like this.'_

_'But they sound so big ... I hope it isn't anything we can't handle.'_

_'As much as I hate to admit it, we'll be fine with Zelos up front. He's an idiot, but he knows how to use a sword.'_

_'What about Lloyd?'_

_'... You didn't hear about last night, did you?'_

_'Oh, um ... right.'_

_------------_

'If you move, the Chosen dies.'

Awwwww snap.

I've long since leapt behind Lloyd along with Genis and Sheena once we were ambushed. Well, by "we" I mean Zelos. Granted, we can't exactly see that well through the thick darkness, but the yell and the slam of flesh against the hard floor was a giveaway.

Raine has finally gathered her bearings from the shock, and quickly moves her staff towards where Zelos went to investigate, hand clutched to her heart. The soft orange glow creeps along the paved floor until it reaches a winded looking lump of Chosen, lying face down with a rather dazed expression. Raine shakily assures herself that he isn't in any danger of actually dying; there are no weapon injuries or open wounds visible, and she raises the light quickly, almost brandishing her staff in an attempt to force away our attacker.

Of course, he doesn't move. He remains perched over a dangerously stunned Zelos who possibly hit his head, hands awkwardly clutched near his knees due to a heavy pair of handcuffs locking his wrists together. One foot is steadying his balance on the floor, and the other is placed almost carefully over the back of Zelos' neck, ready to confirm his threat and kill our poor Chosen.

'Sup Regal.

I might as well say this now; he looks nothing like I pictured him. I mean sure, in the game everything is all ... shrunk and deformed, but he really does look like a rugged beast of a man. Hell, he looks like he could snap Kratos' neck with a flick of the wrist. I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking that, because we all look a bit shocked and wary to take any action.

This does not please Zelos, by the way.

'Son of a ...' he grunts, trying to shift a little without antagonizing the big, burly man on top of him. He moves his arm out from underneath his chest, and by the limp look I'd guess he hurt his wrist. 'You know, you guys could help!?'

We all suddenly remember that we're supposed to be like, a team. Raine takes a step forward, staff in hand, but Regal's heel digs into the back of Zelos' neck as a warning, and he watches her carefully from under a mess of blue hair. Zelos reaches up with his uninjured arm and grips the back of his attacker's boot so he doesn't exactly die.

'Hey Pops, you think you can get away with doing this to the Chosen?' Zelos demands, probably taking a stab at saving himself as we all seem to be standing here doing jack to help him. We're all such good friends. 'The Pope's gonna be on your ass for this, old man.'

'Intriguing,' Regal answers calmly, as if they were simply discussing Zelos' fate over tea or something. 'As it was by order of the Pope himself that I ambush your followers and you. You are no longer considered Chosen in his eyes.'

After a few moments of silence from the man beneath him, Regal just watches quietly as Zelos comes up with plan B. We're not really up to making sudden movements, as Regal's foot is still positioned dangerously over Zelos' neck, so ... we're a bit stuck unless we opt for a negotiation. We'll leave the thinking to Zelos for now.

... He just grunts and flops back to the floor. 'Lloyd, little help? Because I swear I'm gonna come back to haunt you if you desert me.'

We all look back to Lloyd who just gives our Chosen a withered look, probably imagining all the fun him and his future ghost pal will have.

'You're in no position to save the "Chosen",' Regal tells us, keeping an uncomfortable Zelos on the floor while we all try to figure out how to save him without ... moving. 'I was sent to retrieve Sylvarant's own Chosen, Colette.'

Zelos rolls his eyes at the information, taking to idly drawing patterns on the stone floor while he waits for us to save his ass. 'Gee, I wonder what the Pope could _possibly_ be up to.'

'Can't we ever get a break?' Lloyd sighs after a moment of confused looks being exchanged through the group, running one hand down his face in frustration while the other goes for a sword. 'Whatever world we seem to be in, it's Colette this and Colette that.'

Regal notices Lloyd unsheathe his weapons through the dark, thanks to the aid of Raine's small light still illuminating the area. Even so, he doesn't make any attempt to actually harm Zelos more than he already has. I don't think he really wants to kill him, or even any of us. He's not exactly heartless, and to most adult bystanders we do just look like a bunch of worn out kids.

'You're a prisoner, right?' Lloyd asks instead of just jumping in and attacking, taking a quick glance at the handcuffs binding Regal's wrists together. 'Why are you working for the Pope?'

'I have no qualm with your personal lives, and I'm sure you have none with mine,' Regal says rather sternly, giving Lloyd a dark look and reminding him of his place, pushing his heel down a little with a sharp hiss from Zelos. 'I was sent to relieve you of your Chosen.'

'You can take that one,' Genis says rather honestly, waving a hand toward Zelos sprawled on the floor. It earns him a scathing look and a middle finger from the poor hostage.

'Why is the Pope after m-' Colette starts, taking a step forward only to be shoved back and caught quickly by Lloyd. Sheena sends her a quick hand gesture which I'm assuming is an apology for pushing her over, but the ninja just walks straight past us and to Raine's side, card in hand.

'I'm Colette!' she snaps rather plainly, raising a hand with the card flattened upon her palm. The real Colette just blinks in confusion along with Lloyd and Genis. 'If you want to take me to the Pope, stop with your cowardly threats and fight me like a man!'

Zelos joins in the ribbing with a comment or two about prison and what might have caused a lack of masculinity in Regal, but I won't repeat them. Good god, Zelos.

'I have no intention of hurting you,' Regal replies calmly, and I notice him press his foot down a little harder at the remarks. 'I'm not one for senseless violen-'

'Too slow!'

After that declaration, Sheena swipes her hand through the air and there's already an all-too familiar Life Seal shooting through the air like an arrow. Believe it or not, Regal is the first person ever who's been quick to avoid it. He throws himself to one side and ducks to avoid it, and the seal flattens itself against the wall behind him and dissolves into the blue brick, leaving nothing but a small line of smoke.

On the other hand, Zelos is free. He jumps to his feet, ignoring his aching neck and injured arm, and rockets toward Lloyd. He makes sure to avoid the still-drawn swords and grabs him by the shoulders, jumping behind him and hefting him up like a human shield. Lloyd the Meatshield doesn't push him away or anything; he just slaps his free hand to his face, glaring directly ahead.

Apart from that, as well as Regal dodging yet another Life Seal thrown at him (I think Sheena is aiming them in such a way to force Regal further away), I feel a small tug on the glove I have on and look across. It's Presea, who's giving me a creepily empty look, void of any fear or shock.

'Perhaps it would be in our best interest to begin our assault.'

Oh ... oh! She's still "under orders" not to attack anything, right? Regal said not to make any attempt to fight him, so she must have automatically went by that.

'... Yyyes,' I say slowly, glancing from her and toward Regal. I notice a Life Seal graze his shoulder, and he stumbles a tad. He's skilled, so it doesn't take him long to get back to his feet, avoiding all of Sheena's attacks while Raine follows his path with her light to guide them.

'Affirmative,' Presea replies, unclipping the Papal Knight's axe from the strap on her back, pulling it forward as if it were as light as a bouquet of flowers. I take a quick few steps back out of paranoia – I don't expect her to care if she slices my head from my shoulders – and it draws the attention of the others.

The clang of steel hitting the floor alerts the three wrapped up in their combat, and Sheena stops attacking and looks over her shoulder. Presea just walks over to her side, one hand gripping the end of the simple wooden pole and the other firm up against the base of the steel axe itself.

Regal barely has a chance to don a look of shock before Presea heaves the axe over her head.

It crashes to the stone floor with a horrendous crack that splits the very air, and my heart jumps into my throat. Chipped brick flies up from the floor's own wound, and nothing but a quickly cast force field from Raine saves Sheena and herself from behind hit. White shockwaves of light plough forward, tearing up more of the stone floor as they swim through the dark and towards a taken-aback Regal.

Of course, Regal is apparently something akin to a god, so in a moment he's already above us and crouched on an overhead pipe.

Presea's attack crunches noisily against the wall, and I'm back behind Lloyd to avoid getting hit by shards of dark brick. They clatter around us, and dust billows up into the already thick air. I have to bring my perfume-doused glove up to my face so I don't choke, but I feel Lloyd's back convulse infront of me as he coughs, throwing an arm up to cover his face.

'Augh, what the-'

'Hey!'

'He's getting away!'

Sure enough, I soon hear clanging against that overhead pipe directly above me, and the sound hammers off back the way we came, getting quieter and quieter with the distance. I'm quite sure that would be Regal escaping in shock, probably forgetting what his actual mission concerning us was. The dust eventually clears, and there's a few cautious examinations of our surroundings to be sure.

Sheena grits her teeth and glares up at the pipe, readying herself for a leap. No sooner does she take off from the ground does Raine grab the end of her ribbon, and a helping hand from Colonel Gravity sends her crashing back down to the floor. Speaking of which, Zelos finally picks himself up and dusts himself off, stretching out and cracking his neck.

'Theeere we go,' he grunts, rubbing his back a little as he walks back over. 'Sheesh.'

'Now that we've avoided any causalities, we'd best not go chasing after more,' Raine interrupts rather sternly, turning back to us after picking up her dropped staff and letting it's light engulf us, and we notice Sheena rubbing her now-sore rear. Poor thing; Raine really is brutal. 'Let's escape quickly while we can. I wouldn't put it against him to send notify the Papal Knights that we're within Meltokio.'

Raine does a quick check over of all of us to make sure we're not hurt, and I quickly instruct Presea to put her hefty axe away. Creepy kid.

Once we're all up and running (Raine only really had to cast a quick First Aid on Zelos), we proceed the way we were going at a noticeably faster speed. We're all pretty much jogging because it's too dangerous to run, but god damn I'd rather split my head open falling over than worry about getting caught and executed. At least Raine could probably heal me if I fell; she can't exactly Nurse my head back on.

After slapping a few cards to the walls as she passes, Sheena picks up her pace a little and helps lead the way out. 'That should slow them down a little if they come down here.'

'Good thinking,' Lloyd praises, looking back over his shoulder and turning back when he see's there's nothing but dark. It's scary; I don't blame him. 'Who was that guy anyway?'

Zelos shrugs from my right (and I jump about two feet into the air because I didn't realise he was running beside me). 'Beats me; it's not the Chosen's job to keep track of criminals. Probably one of the Pope's random goons.'

'Yeah, but ... blue hair?' Sheena responds. 'Isn't that a little strange?'

'Hunnie, ixnay on the old guy. It's all behind us now-'

Sheena actually stops to smack Zelos upside the head before continuing. 'I guess it's too much to expect you to know a little culture!'

This is actually confusing me, so I go ahead and put Raine out of her misery by asking for her. She's too busy leading the way with the light. 'Blue hair?

I don't get much of a response for my query – Sheena just puts on a frustrated face. 'Maybe now isn't the time?'

I look to Raine for a second to gauge her reaction, and turn back to Sheena. 'No really, it is.'

Sheena groans. 'Some old rival clan of ours was made up primarily of blue-haired people, but they haven't been around for a few thousand years. I found it a little strange to see someone like that.'

Lloyd turns his attention to her after making sure Colette and Genis are ahead. 'But ... doesn't Yuan have blue hair too?'

Sheena nods. 'They're both probably descendants or something. We used to be separated by a river, so that must mean Yuan is from Tethe'alla. His name sounds like it's from their dialect too, come to think of it ...'

Useless information, but it's actually quite interesting. Not something I thought I'd learn while I'm running for my life in a sewer, but Raine looks relieved that she doesn't have to hold in her ruin mode. That clan Sheena's talking about must have been like ... Chinesey or something. Funny; Regal used a lot of martial arts and healing abilities in the game, plus he could randomly shoot energy out of his hands in Welgaia ... so it kinda makes sense. As for Yuan – wait, he was Kratos' teacher, right? Kratos had all those needles and crap that he carried around with him, so I wouldn't be surprised if he got that from Yuan.

... Oh God, why am I thinking about this when I should be running? It's a surprise I haven't tripped and fallen yet. On the upside, Raine's probably already thought it all through and more in her head. I just hope we don't get lost while we have pursuers .

I'm actually surprised Raine is so eager, seeing as we have to use a boat. I haven't been on a boat in ages. Shit, last thing I crossed the ocean in was a washtub.

Washtubs, man. Never again.

So let's see – cross the ocean on a cargo LAND VEHICLE, sneak into Sybak, cross a haunted forest, get shot down by Altessa, and that's all I remember for now.

At least I have something to think about while Sheena commands Undine to surf us over the ocean, but as I remember the last time she told Undine to do something, we almost died.

... Yeah, I'm screwed.


	82. I'm On a Boat!

i'm taking my recently diagnosed anemia well and shoving my face full of iron. fun times.

* * *

**Chapter 82 - I'm On a Boat!**

We've long since emerged from the Meltokio sewers with the faint scent of ... well, sewer following us around for a while. A good bit of fresh air and we're all bright and breezy once more, with the exception of Zelos who's still pretty miffed about his back. He knows by now not to complain too much, as we all know whining about pain while we're on the move results in a First Aid and a thwack with Raine's staff, in that order. Zelos learnt the hard way after tending to the fourth bump on his head.

I did reach over and pop him a quick First Aid on the head, but the wink and smile he shot me made me decide not to do it again, if only to make sure my knees stay sturdy. Stupid sexy Chosen.

Well, we managed to get out of the city and into the vaaaast green fields without much trouble, if you ignore that one run-in with Regal. We're almost at the bridge now, so all that's left is to surf over the ocean and hop off onto the Altamira continent. Then we go to Sybak, then ... as far as I know, that creepy forest. Oh yeah, I'm totally gonna enjoy that. I mean, Lloyd's a pretty good meat-shield, but I don't know if that'll be useful against ghosts and stuff. I hate that kinda crap. Come to think of it, the first monster I killed here was a zombie. Well ... that's when I still thought this was just a dream. They're pretty freakin' scary when you think about it.

Lloyd, Genis and Colette are back in their tight little group, so I've just kinda been hanging around with Sheena. Though I gotta say, I'm getting along with Sheena pretty well. More than I thought I would. Back in Sylvarant we just kind of acknowledged eachother's existence, but we've been getting chatty lately. I used to only talk to Lloyd, but ... well, Colette's back now, and he and Genis are kinda focusing on her again. We've mostly been talking about Mizuho, and she's enjoying explaining a bunch of things to me. I think it's based on either Chinese or Japanese culture – I'm not sure, but I was never really familiar with either – but some of the stuff she's telling me is really cool. Aside them not having chairs in the village. I mean what the hell. I'm gonna have to jack one from the boat for later.

We have to meet up with a friend of Sheena's when we reach the bridge (I think it's that Kuchi-something guy), and he'll teach us how to use it and all. I don't get how; all we have to do is jump on and pray Undine isn't a bitch today. Besides that it's just smooth sailing with the inevitable crash into a cliff.

Anyway, the walk from Meltokio to the bridge truthfully isn't that long. We're there after about ... half an hour since leaving the sewers. Not much has changed since we were here last; the bridge is still up, there's still blood splattered over the light, dusty pathway ... and the place is absolutely void of Papal Knights. I'm guessing we got a head start if Regal _did_ tell the Pope that we'd just left the city, so they could show up any second. It'd probably be best to get this over fast.

Sure enough, before I can even blurt out some utterly pointless comment about how beautiful and crystal clear the sky looks this morning, or how the smell of the ocean is making me a bit sick, we're already sprinting after Sheena who seems to have left my side and is heading down a shadowed set of stairs. I'm guessing they lead to some sort of unofficial dock. And I mean a proper dock, not the lame stretch of sand Undine dumped us on last time. Damn I hate that summon spirit.

'My friend said he'd be waiting down here,' Sheena tells us, and I decide against filling up the already crowded space at the foot of that stairwell, and simply stay up top with Zelos. I peer down through the annoying shade, and notice Sheena's fiddling with some sort of lock on a heavy looking wooden door aligned with the sturdy chain link fence that's stopping us getting down there. Huh. 'This was probably to stop the Papal Knights if they came here.'

'Yeah, I remember the last time Kingaroo's entire army was bought to their knees by the power of a padlock,' Zelos says, twirling some crimson hair around a finger with a whistle. Sheena just shoots him a dark look, but he's far too busy being an ass to notice. Oh Zelos, you are a dick. Why do you attract me so.

He catches me watching him play with his hair, and sends me the second wink of the day. Knees weak friggin Chosen bloody legs jelly argh. Brainspaz.

'Here, I'll take care of it.'

I focus my attention down the stairwell before I cut off Zelos' circulation, what with me being wrapped around his little finger so damn hard. Sheena's officially given up on tampering with the lock, and it looks like Lloyd's taking a crack at it. I notice Genis shifting rather uncomfortably while he's being smushed between Presea and Colette, and Raine shakes her head with a sigh when Zelos says something about his pimp crown being handed down. Strange, I thought that already went to Lloyd. Maybe he dropped it when Zelos accidently overdosed him on aphrodisiacs.

God I love that sentence.

'Anyone got a wire? Or a hairpin?' Lloyd asks, looking up and flinching a little against the morning light glaring down the stairwell at him. We all just shake our heads slowly. I expect Sheena to ninja-whip some out of her cleavage or something, but no such luck. Lloyd just grumbles and goes back to manually tinkering with the padlock. I'm surprised we're not all just epic-Exsphere leaping right over the wall. Lloyd jumped off a damn cliff, you'd think he could pull this off. But then again, I can't see half of us traipsing over some giant wall. I definitely couldn't.

Ohhh, wait ... I think I have a wire. Well, it suddenly came to me that at least half of us should have one stored about. That and I'm getting a little impatient. The sun is literally beating down on us with blistering heat, and I'm about to rip my tights off. I just don't want to do that in front of Zelos. Y'know. Yeah, y'know.

I wander off a bit to the left while Lloyd smacks around the lock with a swear here and there, fishing around for that wire. Eventually I manage to find it and start yanking it out, all the while watching suspiciously to see if I'm being watched. What? It's my wire, screw them. I don't want them seeing it.

'Uhh ...' I mumble after a sec, hopping back over. Lloyd looks up when I hum, and I hold up the long, worn and noticeably bent wire against the sun. 'This any good?'

He just holds out a hand, and I throw it carefully down the stairwell. Zelos is giving me _THE_ most amused look ever, but I just fold my arms and try to ignore him. It's doesn't work, seeing as it's ... Zelos.

'Ha! Worked like a charm ... aaand ... there we go!'

I perk up at Lloyd's exclamation, and after a few satisfying clicks and a heavy creak, Mr Door swings open to let us all through. Genis practically rockets through away from the girls he's being sandwiched between, red in the face and hastily blaming it on the heat. Colette just skips on, and Zelos gives me a last fleeting look with a snort, shoving his hands in his pockets while he follows the rest down the stairs. I frown and trail after them, stopping at Lloyd before he throws the door shut behind us. That's totally not gonna hold off Papal Knights, but whatever.

'Where's my wire?' I ask, looking around after noticing it's not in his hand.

'Oh, uh ... I just threw it somewhere.'

My face falls, and I fold my arms tighter over my chest. '... Why?'

He shrugs, not looking the least bit phased as he turns and starts over to the others. 'It's just a wire, right? They're not hard to get.'

'Well I kinda needed it,' I admit sourly, and Lloyd just raises an eyebrow.

'What do you need a wire for?'

'Hey Jiggly,' Zelos answers for me, walking past and giving my hair a quick ruffle. I take a leaf from Genis' book and blame the heat for the sudden red washing over my face, and tighten my arms firmly over my now ... very unsupported chest.

'... O-oh,' Lloyd answers, trying not to look in that general direction. I wish I was flat. 'Uh, I don't ... I-I mean, the Professor might have a s – a spare – I don't-'

'Lloyd, your virginity's showing,' Zelos calls, grabbing him by the back of his collar and dragging him along behind him. Lloyd just flails away, and I rub my cheek nervously. It's way too hot, and I'm still not keen on getting on that boat. It's not even a boat. It's some lame cargo ride.

I follow the others down two more flights of stairs, but these feel unused and dangerous. They're the tacky, rusty metallic kind you find at the back of shops and apartments ... I've never really liked them. It feels like I'm about to fall right through them.

No one's said anything, but if you avert your eyes from the beautiful sight of the dark, stained dock adorned with broken chain-link fencing and tipped oil drums and crates scattered around, you can see the side of the bridge properly. It fades out around halfway to the other continent, but you can see the machinery lined with raw Exsphere containers. It's ... well, it's a bit disgusting to be honest. I know it doesn't sound so bad, but there's might as well be thousands of corpses lined up. That's truthfully what they are, I guess ...

The group just got a bit more silent. Ugh ... I hope we don't go on a depression spree. We've had too many of those lately.

'Kuchinawaaa!' Sheena calls, holding her hands up to her mouth like a makeshift megaphone. Because doing that totally always works. 'We're here to pick up the EC!'

We're answered with nothing but the sound of the ocean and the seagulls screeching overhead. I can hear Colette shift uncomfortably at the sight of the bridge, but no one says anything. Sheena grumbles something vulgar and folds her arms, stepping out further onto the stone pier.

'Is he late?' Lloyd asks while she looks around. 'We could have Papal Knights chasing us.'

'Then he might have left early if he thought they were coming ...'

Zelos bites the inside of his cheek, rolling our empty wing-pack between his fingers and glaring out into the empty water. I do the exact same; we just walked all that way and Kuchinawa buggered off with the boat? What the frick, man? That's uncool. We just walked through a goddamn sewer in the early hours of the morning, and this is just un_cool_.

'Right now we're sitting ducks for the Papal Knights,' Genis seethes under the heat. 'Maybe there's another way? We can't wait here all day!'

'Genis is right,' Raine adds with a nod, sending a cautious look to the top of the staircase. 'I wouldn't be surprised if the Pope had already sent them after us. That ruffian wouldn't have hesitated to tell him about our actions.'

Sheena unfolds her arms, turning to us. 'But Kuchinawa wouldn't just abandon us ... oh- hang on a second!'

She tears open the pack on her thigh and yanks out a deck of cards, flipping through them until she reaches a pale pink one. She's quick to slap the rest back into her bag, and sprints over to the end of the dock. Is it me, or whenever we seem to be in a fix Sheena just yanks out a random card and fixes it for us? I'm sure she's got one in there to summon a cheeseburger or something. Ooo, I want a burger now. Frick.

'Kuchinawa's always been a cautious guy,' Sheena explains to us, having to shout over the distance. We all get a little closer while Sheena simply holds the card before her, dropping her hand after a moment and letting it simply float there. I always wondered how she could just make cards suspend in mid-air, but I don't think she's about to tell me. Mizuho secrets and all. Lloyd's the only one that knows something, and I don't feel like getting engaged to Sheena as well.

'I know that card ...' Lloyd says after a second, staring at the rapid hand signs Sheena's making before the paper floating infront of her. 'Doesn't that summon one of those ... guardian guys?'

'I'm not flying over on one of those things,' Raine states rather firmly, watching the sea with a mortified look. Well ... as long as I'm not in something that's _touching_ the water, I'll be fine. I fear drowning more than water itself, I suppose.

'It's not a guardian card,' Sheena tells us bluntly, probably not to keen on jarring her concentration. 'If I know Kuchinawa, he definitely left in case the Papal Knights showed up. If they saw him here, they'd know we were crossing continents.'

'So what, that card gonna drag his ass back here?' Zelos offers, tossing the wing pack up into the air and catching it repeatedly. Sheena rolls her eyes and lowers her hands, finished, and gives the card a small push. It drifts away over the water, and she turns back to us.

'If I'm right, he should have hidden the EC here. He _was_ supposed to show us how to use it, but I think we can handle it. Undine's got our backs.'

'Last time Undine was in charge she almost _broke_ our backs,' I grumble sourly, and Sheena pinks a little at the memory. Yeah, we shouldn't depend on malicious summon spirits all the time. Before she can go off and explain how summon spirits don't know how to be careful, or that they're just dicks in general, there's an explosion of smoke from beside the dock in the water. Really, a _giant_ explosion. Smoke rockets up at least twenty feet into the air, the impact dragging up water with it.

The water thunders back down into the ocean after a moment, and the smoke slowly starts to clear. I decide to ignore how Genis has fell on his ass from shock, and I'm guessing he dragged Colette with him because she's practically on his lap. I'm not saying she's heavy, but he looks a bit winded. Anyway, I notice Sheena's got her hands on her hips with a satisfied look, and sure enough, sitting in the water is a rather large, out of place looking vehicle.

When I say out of place, I mean it definitely doesn't look like a boat. Even smack-bang in the water surrounded by docks and sea and clear skies and crying seagulls, I couldn't even consider it as a boat. I'm guessing we all feel the same, because despite how Sheena looks pretty happy with herself, we all just deflate at the sight of it. Sure, we can get across to the Altamira continent now, but I was hoping we could do it in a more ... epic fashion. Y'know like in the spy movies where they ride off in speedboats? Yeah.

'I'm finding it harder to cling to my long-lost memories of luxury,' Zelos tells himself coldly, being the first to approach it. He tosses the wing-pack to Sheena, and I'm guessing she's looking after it now. 'Alrighty then, this thing looks sturdy enough. Let's shift off and get to Sybak.'

'For once, I agree with Zelos,' Raine adds with a sickly look, practically wobbling forward to the boat's side. 'I wouldn't like to spend longer than we need to in this ... vessel.'

Zelos offers Raine a helping hand once he steps over the gap to the "boat", kicking open the large hatch that we're most likely supposed to slide into. Ugh. It looks big enough to fit like, five Regals strapped together, but still!

... I feel better if I make a comparison to this and the wash tubs, and moodily approach the boat.

'I'll give Kuchinawa a swift beating for deserting us later,' Sheena assures us when she realises we're not exactly ecstatic. She ignores Zelos' outstretched hand to help her over and just hops on in a very ... ninja-fasion. 'Undine can handle this, but I wouldn't be too sure about landing this thing at another dock.'

'Can't we just gatecrash a beach and clamber on out?' I ask, and the look Raine gives me before her and Sheena slip through the hatch tells me no. Well fine, I was just looking for the easy way out.

I'm not about to describe each and every one of our struggles to brave the dreaded GAP (though mine is rather embarrassing what with me slipping and grabbing and Zelos and ugh), but we all end up safely inside the cramped 'boat'. _Less_ cramped when Sheena scrambles back out to summon Undine and give her the go-ahead, but still significantly crowded. It's pretty much the _size_ of a small fishing boat, and the room we're in is just about right for standing (Zelos has to watch his head a little, being the tallest), and there's a room-length couch that lines the walls.

I take an uncomfortable seat next to Raine, who looks positively distraught. Like with the washtubs fiasco, Lloyd's there to help her through it. He's on her other side, and he's a tad red in the face as Raine grips his hand with what looks like bruising force. I'm sure he doesn't mind. Genis is, surprise surprise, sat next to Presea and trying to fire up a conversation.

I feel a surge of energy from outside when Sheena summons Undine, and I think Genis and Raine do too, being half-elves with mana-sensitivity and all. Genis actually pauses and blinks for moment, and Presea asks him if he's okay. He practically gushes, and all is well.

... I'm not about to comment on this further, but across from me sits a rather oblivious looking Colette while Zelos attempts to indulge her in a bout of shameless flirting. Colette, none the wiser, is simply chatting away with a friendly response, and all flirtatious hints soar right over her head. I wish I could be as casual or ignorant about Zelos' sweet-talking, but seeing him really try hard at getting his claws into her ... I feel a small pang in the back of my stomach.

I don't have to sit and wonder about what it is, because my 'weakness' of this entire experience here seems to make a ugly, momentary return. I felt like this for half the journey, and I don't really want it to start up again.

_Why_ I'm jealous that Zelos is flirting around with another girl _will_ make me wonder though. It's Zelos. He flirts. With everything. Seriously, everything. I'm not about to restrict him to _me_, but I feel a little self-conscious and paranoid as usual. Is it me? Did I do something? AM I HIDEOUS?

'Aaaaaand,' Sheena announces, jumping back down and throwing the hatch door closed behind her. 'All aboard!'

'Ahoy,' Lloyd says with a wave, and Sheena takes a seat beside him looking a tad bushed. 'You okay?'

'Yeah,' Sheena sighs, fanning herself with her hand. 'I'm just getting used to summon beings like Undine ... you wouldn't know, but it takes a lot out of you.'

Genis nods in agreement, leaning back against his seat. 'I don't think even I could pull it off ... summoning guardians from another plane is one thing, but dragging a summon spirit out to obey you is really ... oh geez.'

He cuts himself off with a pitiful look at his sister as Undine forces our 'boat' to shove off from the dock, and Raine is immediately burying herself into Lloyd's side with a wail, hiding her face in his shoulder while the vessel rocks dangerously. Lloyd's flesh practically camouflages with his jacket, and Sheena snorts from his other side. Poor Raine, but really ... poor Lloyd too.

I grip the end of my seat when the boat _does_ start its queasy swaying on the waves. It's definitely not as bad as it should be; I can feel Undine's magic making the EC surf across the water as smoothly as she can handle. I'm not sure how she does it without _being_ here; maybe she's sitting in her astral plane with Celsius heartily egging her on to have the EC crunch into a cliff side, and I decide that the summon spirits are out to get us. Really. I hope Gnome is nice.

... I frown when I realise Volt is up next. Yes, I totally can't wait.

-------------

'_S-so, Presea ... have you ever been on a boat before?'_

'_I was escorted on a small vessel to Meltokio when the Tethe'alla Bridge was out of service.'_

'_Oh, that's ... so, u-uh, do you have to travel across continents often?'_

'_The monarchs have recently been demanding a high amount of sacred wood, only found in the forests surrounding Ozette.'_

'_That's where you live, right?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_...'_

'_...'_

'_... So, uh ... you'll be staying there when we ... when we take you home?'_

'_Yes. I must do my job.'_

'_I thought your job was ...'_

'_I look after ... my father.'_

'_Oh, I didn't know you had more family! Is ... is it just your father?'_

'_... A younger sister.'_

'_Wow ... I'm sure they miss you a lot. I-I ... promised that we'd take you home, so don't worry about the Papal Knights or ... or anything.'_

'_I can ... look after myself.'_

'_... Oh, uh, I-'_

'_But your sentiments, though unnecessary, are placed with good intentions. Thank you, Genis.'_

'_... A-ah-'_

'_Genis ... are you choking?'_

-------------

I'll save you having to listen to me explain our boring journey across the ocean, and skip right ahead to where we are now. Sprawled over eachother on the floor of the EC.

Apparently my joking assumptions that Undine would send us headlong into a cliff weren't far off, and the EC has recently crunched against the shore with a force that shook the entire thing, throwing us all from our seats and onto the hard, metallic floor. There was a lot of churning and tipping, and we're all just ... lying together with our limbs uncomfortably entwined after a lot of involuntary rolling around.

'Hate ... Undine ...' I wheeze, chest heavy with Raine's leg curled over it. I notice Zelos looks pretty fine with girls draped over him, but I can see he's ignoring Lloyd's knee pressing into his stomach. I try to see who exactly I have to shove out of the way to try and stand. Well, Raine is slowly dragging herself away to grip the edge of the seat, so that's one down. Colette's on my legs, Genis' elbow digs into my ribcage when he pulls himself up (Sheena hisses when his ankle grinds into her thigh for a moment), and I crawl away from over Zelos' back. Body parts galore, I suppose.

'Owww, ow, ow, ow, ow,' Lloyd recites, pulling himself up from over Presea, who looks absolutely blasé about our small escapade there. We look like a clump of human wire-wool, so I'm actually surprised she isn't ... well, hurt or anything. At least not showing it.

'Extreme landing due to unknown force. Several wounds detected.'

We all perk up at Presea's little report, and all start crawling over to our seats and heaving ourselves back up with various whines and grunts. Well I don't know about anyone else, but I feel ... okay. I stand up slowly to see if there's any damage, but I seem to be fine. My back hurts a little, I think I've got a little bump on my head, but that's really the worst of it.

'Well that was fun,' Zelos snaps from the floor, legs still somehow on his seat. 'Hunny, control your little spirit slaves in the future. I can't take much more of this.'

'They're _Summon Spirits_,' Sheena seethes defensively, straightening out her ... jacket-skirt thing, and tightening her giant bow. 'And you can deal with it like the rest of us.

Zelos huffs in response, finally getting to his feet. To be honest, the only ones that look hurt are Genis and Lloyd. Genis' knee is bleeding, and there's a small bruise forming on his wrist ... and Raine's immediately beside him, spamming First Aid on his leg. Lloyd just looks a little winded, so he should be fine in a few minutes.

'Is anyone else hurt?' Raine asks after straightening up away from Genis' wounds, looking over us all closely. Zelos is already heading towards the closed hatch, throwing his own First Aid at his shoulder before shoving it open.

After a bunch of grumbled "m'fine"s from us all, we slowly start filtering out of the small opening that leads us to niiice, fresh air. The whole EC rocks noticeably when Zelos jumps off the 'deck', and I hear him land on the beach with a grunt. Great, so we shouldn't be too far from Sybak. I remember there being a beach nearby.

I rub my knee a little before I get back up, straightening with a stretch and waiting for some things to click. Presea rises from her seat beside me, but no sooner does she stand than her legs fold beneath her, and she's back on the floor with a rather unemotional 'ah-'. Huh, I guess she hurt herself. It's strange; I know she's _literally_ without sensation for anything, but she's wearing a rather blunt look of mild surprise while she sits quietly.

... Okay, I notice now that she's hurt her ankle or something. Lloyd, being the only one left in the EC besides me, finally notices when I clear my throat before offering Presea a hand.

'Hey ... did you hurt yourself?' Lloyd asks her, crouching down a little to her eye-line once she's back on her feet. She takes her hand away from mine almost immediately, and I frown. Betch, I'm only trying to be nice for once.

'It seems I have ... twisted my ankle upon impact due to the EC's crash,' Presea explains quietly, eyes lifeless as she looks toward her shaky foot. It's like she really can't understand why her body isn't working as it should.

'Then don't strain it, geez,' Lloyd mumbles, rubbing his neck. He looks worried, and I don't blame him; Presea seems utterly adamant on pressing her injured foot to the floor in an attempt to make it work. Damn robot-girl, chill out. 'Look, you shouldn't be- argh.'

Lloyd snorts in slight annoyance at her determination, reaching around her and yanking her up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Presea lets out a watered-down gasp, but remains limp in his grip when Lloyd straightens back up.

'Come on, you should stay off your foot for a while. I'll get the Professor to look at your ankle when we get to Sybak.'

Presea doesn't respond, but she's got that slightly confused look on her again. I quickly follow Lloyd out of the EC, not really wanting to stay in here longer than I have to. Presea looks kinda funny hefted over Lloyd's shoulder, but I won't make a comment on it. I _will_ however mention Genis' mortified look when we all step out of the EC, and Lloyd carefully lowers himself and the girl in his hold to the sand. It's fun to watch Genis practically writhe on the spot.

'We got a twisted ankle over here,' Lloyd explains shortly, skipping over a pale Genis' expression and looking straight to Raine. 'Do you think it'll be easy to heal?'

Raine gives Lloyd a flat look while Presea just hangs uselessly over his shoulder. She sighs and staggers forward, still looking a bit queasy from the ride and the crash in the DEATH CARGO, giving Presea's dangling foot a quick examination. Presea doesn't exactly object or flail; she just remains quiet and shifts a little across Lloyd's shoulder so it doesn't dig into her stomach.

'It should be fine,' Raine decides, holding Presea's ankle through the cloth boot and casting a strong looking First Aid. The light makes Lloyd wince, but it fades a few seconds after Raine drops her hand back to her staff. Apparently she's using it to keep herself upright ... hell, Raine looks like the one that should be being carried. 'It's nothing too serious; just a small bruise.'

Genis is still squirming, oblivious to the suggestive looks that Sheena and Zelos are giving him. Lloyd carefully lowers Presea to the sand, crouching down again to speak to her.

'Does that feel any better?'

Presea shifts her weight from foot to foot. '... Yes.'

'OKAY!' Sheena snaps to get our attention (and she does, because it looks like we all just suffered heart attacks). She flings the wing pack toward the EC, which bounces off the metallic side and back toward her hand. The whole craft disappears into the small device with a flash before Sheena's fingers even curl back around it. Pokeball, anyone? God, memories. 'Let's go before the Papal Knights catch up. We have to drop by Sybak, then we can take Presea home.'

Lloyd ignores pretty much everything she just said, staring at the gadget Sheena shoves into her card-pouch for safe keeping. 'Man, the wing pack is so cool ...'

'It certainly is practical technology,' Raine agrees gleefully, looking less nauseous now that the topic has been switched to ... well, her speciality. We finally begin walking away from the dreaded ocean after getting everything we need, and scramble back up to the fields. 'I wonder about the extent of things it can hold ...'

'Hey, do you think it could hold Noishe if he was here?' Lloyd asks, looking a tad hopeful. Oh god, if Noishe _was_ here Lloyd would be saying goodbye to his ribbons.

Raine presses her thumb to her lower lip, watching the sandy grass in thought. 'Hmm ... though Noishe is also considered a form of transport at times, I have no idea if the wing pack could hold a living organism ...'

Almost as if on cue, Sheena whips out the device and cracks it against Zelos' head like an egg. All we end up with is a disappointed Sheena, an amused Lloyd, and a pissed off Zelos holding his scalp and yelling about how people keep hitting him.

'Nope.'

'Aww ...' Lloyd grumbles. 'It'd make it easier getting Noishe through all those places swarming with monsters.'

'Yes, it ... certainly would,' Raine replies distantly, and it seems like she's wondering if it's worth going over to Zelos and First Aiding his head. Judging by how she immediately turns back to Lloyd to expand their conversation on getting Noishe into the wing pack, I'm gonna say no.

I would do it myself, but I like the sturdiness of my knees right now.

-----------

'_Genis, you look sad ... is everything okay?'_

'_What? Y-yeah, everything's fine, Colette! Don't worry about me ...'_

'_Are you worried about Presea? You've been looking a little worked-up ever since she hurt her ankle ...'_

'_W-well, it's ... it's not that, exactly ...'_

'_I'm sure she's fine now! See, she can walk fine, and Lloyd is staying with her in case it starts hurting again!'_

'_That's great, but ... it's – argh, it's hard to explain!'_

'_Oh ... I think I understand now.'_

'_Y ... you do?'_

'_Are you jealous, Genis?'_

'_J-jealous! Of course I'm not ... _jealous_! I-I mean, sure, I like Presea, and ... I mean, Lloyd-'_

'_I knew it! I could tell from that look on your face! You wanted to be carried too, didn't you?'_

'_I ju ... wait, what?'_

'_Well here, I can carry you the rest of the way!'_

'_Wai- no, Colette, I didn't mea – no, put me dow – Coleeeette!'_

_-----------_

Well to be perfectly honest, the trip from Meltokio and _aaall_ the way to Sybak, besides the EC trauma, is really just boring and uneventful. Nothing happens. Really. It's just walking. Walking and watching Raine and Sheena beat on Zelos, but that just turns into background noise after a while. Zelos hasn't even been sauntering over for his daily fill of my hormones, which ... well, I don't exactly miss it, but at least it would work my brain up about something.

'It's a shame we're wanted criminals,' Sheena grumbles, rubbing her lower lip in thought, looking toward the city. 'We can't go shopping for supplies, or even just for fun ...'

'Inns are out of the question,' Zelos adds with a crestfallen look.

'And weapon repair.'

'And food.'

'And maps.'

We all pause for a moment after offering our own inputs, and then ... group-sigh. After realising we're all pretty much steering toward Shitsylvania, we start moving again. We're literally AT Sybak right now; we're just trying to remember the way in. We're not exactly planning to stroll right on into the city. There's Papal Knights crawling all over it, I'm sure. We got out of Meltokio through the sewers, so I'm assuming we're entering the city in a similar fashion.

... Or apparently not, seeing as Zelos is casually heading right for the front gates. Okay, what?

'Stupid Chosen!' Sheena yelps, practically jumping on his back and forcing him to stagger toward a nearby browning tree. Zelos just chokes along with her, grabbing a branch for support before he falls and crushes a certain ninja attached to his spine. 'We're wanted, remember!? What do you think you're doing?'

'Let go of the goods, geez!' Zelos snaps demandingly, fumbling for her hands that are twisted rather tightly into his hair. All ... eight of us just kinda shuffle behind the tree also. It's a tight fit, but most of these guys are borderline anorexic. I feel my self-confidence slip when I notice both Genis AND Lloyd's hips are slimmer than mine. Bastards.

'Sheena has a point,' Genis drawls, giving Zelos an arrogant look at his mistake. 'What were you trying to do, hand us right over to the Papal Knights?'

'It's a good thing they didn't see us!' Lloyd huffs, folding his arms. 'Zelos, what the hell?'

'Sheena, okay, ow,' Zelos grumbles, getting noticeably frustrated and just shoving her away by the shoulder, smoothing his hair back and rolling his shoulders. 'Augh, my back ...'

Ohhh yeah, Zelos has a bad back. Whoops.

'Now ...' he starts, giving us all a stern look over before jerking a thumb past the tree and towards the gates of Sybak. 'I know you country hicks aren't exactly au fait with Tethe'alla yet, but Sybak? Giant school. Hardly a city.'

'Yeah, we kinda got that,' Lloyd responds with a shudder, probably at the thought of studying and books and whatnot.

'So, it's not exactly under Meltokio's watchful eye, or more importantly, it's entire rule,' Zelos continues, reaching over and giving Sheena's head a knock. 'It's an independent facility. They have two or more Papal Knights here at most, and even then they're usually in the academy. The big guys here don't really like knights prowling the streets with students around. Also!'

He straightens up, brushing his coat down (he was leaning to Lloyd's eye-level to explain). 'All the great Wilders before me have invested a lot of money into keeping this university going. They'd think twice about throwing me to the hounds, what with their funds still sucking away from my own riches.'

'Ohhh ...' Colette thinks over with a nod, wringing her hands. 'So ... if the people here call us out, Zelos can just cut their income?'

'Yep. The place has never really been coining it without help from the socialites of Meltokio. Heck, they might even close down without my donations.'

Raine grips her hair, looking absolutely distraught. 'Such a magnificent city of scholarly, all going to waste ... how horrifying ...'

'Thaaaat's why they'll think twice about handing me in,' Zelos assures with a wink, reaching over and giving her a pat on the back. 'Here, watch this.'

I won't lie – I pretty much shit a brick when Zelos just strides up to the two leather-clad guards at the entrance. They definitely don't look like Papal Knights, but they look fit enough to beat down anyone trying to break into the city. I'm sure Zelos could take them, but the last thing we need is a bunch of people knowing our location. If we're caught, I wouldn't be surprised if we're hanged. Ohhh, I don't want to be hanged! I already had a brush with dea – well okay, it was more of a crunch to the face with death, but I don't want to do it again! I don't even fully understand what my debt with Martel is yet! I can't die before I know! Dammit Zelos, get back here!

I find myself hyperventilating into Colette's shoulder while Zelos ... well, should hopefully be working his magic on the two guards up ahead, but the utter silence throughout the group as we remain behind our refuge-tree is distressing. I'm sure Zelos means business, so if most of Sybak's funds DO come from Zelos himself, I think we might be safe. They wouldn't really risk the whole school shutting down just to get him arrested, right?

'Man, what a cakewalk.'

I tear myself away from Colette for a moment to see Zelos strut back over here, void of blood and bruises, and with two nervous looking guards still stationed over yonder. What? Did Zelos actually just blackmail Sybak into submission? Zelos can get _cities_ yielding to him now? Gosh, he can get anything under him with a bit of talking.

We all just stare at him slack-jawed, hoping this isn't some sick prank. Genis looks like Zelos just backhanded him about six times in a row, which I'm kinda enjoying right now. Genis should have learned by now, anything he says to Zelos is just gonna get countered in a way that makes us appreciate him tenfold. Or ... well, me at least. Sheena still looks unimpressed.

'Wouldn't it have been faster just to use that passageway to talk to, uh ...' Lloyd starts, trailing off with a confused look, brow knit in thought.

'... Kate,' I finish for him, nodding. 'Yeah, that's what I thought.'

'Well, duh,' Zelos agrees in his own weird way, delivering a sharp poke to Lloyd's forehead. 'Weren't we all just pining about how low we are on supplies? Half of us go get stuff we need, and the other half can talk to this Kate babe.'

Lloyd blinks, rolling the thought over in his head before giving us all a glance. 'O-oh, right. So ...'

'I'll stay up top with a few "bodyguards",' Zelos says, using the last word almost sarcastically. 'I can look after my own hide, but I wouldn't mind having someone keeping an eye on it.'

'I'm going to see Kate,' Sheena states rather plainly, giving Zelos a thin, dreary look.

'Me too,' Lloyd fits in quickly, though I can honestly say that Mr Chosen doesn't look too disappointed about missing Lloyd. 'Genis and the Professor are with us.'

Before Zelos can even sling his arms around Colette, Presea and me, Genis perks up for what can only be some attempt at wit to fend Zelos off Presea, or some way to get Presea to go with him. Well, instead he actually just turns to me, and Presea's left at the mercy of Zelos' toned, muscular ar-

'Hey, I just had a thought,' Genis snaps, and I quickly look away from ... yeah. 'This Kate person ... she told Lloyd to bring back his half-elf friends, didn't she?'

'Yeah, that's what she asked,' Lloyd confirms with a nod, rubbing the back of his neck.

'... Isn't Charlotte a half-elf?' Raine kicks in after a moment, seeing where her brother's going with this. Ohh yeah, I am, aren't I? At least that's what my mana pattern says, and these ears that ... don't really feel all that pointy anymore.

I just rub my forearm in response, shrugging. 'Uhh ... yeah?'

'I've noticed the mana produced from the blood fusion ... duller,' Raine mumbles, giving me a long look over. Oh god, does it matter? Why are they wasting time thinking about if I may or may not be a half-elf? 'It wasn't strong before, but now it wouldn't be noticeable at first glance ...'

I shrug. 'Does it matter? I don't really know what happened ... y'know, before. With everything. Maybe I got duped human, who knows.'

'But you can still use magic.'

'... Zelos can use magic.'

'Zelos is a magic swordsman.'

'I'm a magic gunner!' I snap, giving Genis a shove. 'Really, does it even matter? We have more important things to worry about, right? Presea, anyone?'

'It's just strange ...' Raine ponders further, still staring at me. I notice that I'm now getting odd looks from Zelos and ... well, Presea to an extent, who can probably sense that something is up. We're not exactly sharing the news "oh yeah, Charlotte died about a week ago" with anyone new, so we're being discreet. What? I'm guessing Charis and William screwed something up before they hightailed it out of my head forever?

'You're right, it doesn't matter,' Lloyd says with a nod, looking pretty intent on shutting everyone up before things start getting revealed. 'Charlotte is just Charlotte, right? Who cares if she's human or half-elf or whatever? Let's just do what we came here to do.'

... I know it sounds like Lloyd's just trying to kick the conversation off me and back to more important things, but that actually ... kinda means a lot to me. After the talk we had back at Zelos' mansion about how Lloyd feels like I'm not really _Charlotte_ from before, that just suddenly felt like a bit of grief off my shoulders. He needs to throw his cliché lines in my face more.

'Presea needs to come with us,' Lloyd adds after a moment, and we're all just kinda getting into our teams. So far it's everyone else, and then ... Zelos, Colette and me. Pro bodyguards we teenage girls are.

I just inch over to Team Go-Rap-With-Kate, and Zelos folds his arms with a pitiful looking Colette at his side. 'Uh huh.'

'Oh ... don't look so down, Zelos!' Colette exclaims, curling an arm around his bicep. 'We can still have fun!'

I notice his mood immediately skyrocket, and he raises an eyebrow with a smirk. 'Well, I'm sure we can find something to occupy our time with while we wait for these bozos.'

'Zelos ...' Sheena growls warningly, noticing the look he's giving poor innocent Colette. She doesn't seem to mind, and I HONESTLY don't think Zelos is about to do anything fishy.

Fish ... dammit!

---------------

'_Hrrrgh ...'_

'_Is something wrong, Charlotte?'_

'_Professor, can I ask you a question?'_

'_Of course, go ahead.'_

'_Okay, so ... um, say if ... for example ... Genis tried to use Lloyd's swords. He wouldn't really be ...'_

'_Competent? No, I believe not. Though Genis has experimented with a short blade in the past, he isn't knowledgeable enough to use one in battle.'_

'_Huh ...'_

'_Why do you ask?'_

'_Well, I was thinking ... I-I'm not really that good when we get into fights, right?'_

'_I believe you have learned to handle yourself quite well. Lloyd had trained himself before the journey began, and the priests taught Colette how to protect herself. Genis and I have studied magic our whole lives, so you were the only true beginner on our travels. Comparing yourself to the others seems a bit unfair to yourself.'_

'_I guess ... but I was just wondering – like how I said with Genis – maybe ... y'know, my abilities lie elsewhere? Maybe I'm performing out of my natural comfort-zone?'_

'_Hmm ... so you believe you would have performed better if you'd used your magic instead of your weapons? Everyone's mana pattern is different, so I cannot say for sure.'_

'_Well, I was thinking something like that ... maybe I should have been using magic? I mean, I neglected it for a long, _long_ time, so it wouldn't nearly be half as powerful now ...'_

'_I might be able to study your mana signature and do an analysis if you like.'_

'_Wow, really? You can do that?'_

'_Consider it a half-elf thing. I wouldn't expect you to know how to do it yourself, but it's simply a method of measuring the different types of mana that flow through you. For example, healing mana is strong in my own signature, and offensive power is strong in Genis'.'_

'_... My head hurts.'_

'_It's simple, really. Let's get this ordeal with Kate over with first. I don't think the others would appreciate it if we began conducting experiments in a secret passageway.'_

'_Probably not ...'_

-------------

Ugh, I don't know if it was the adrenaline of escaping to save the others last time, but now that we're just strolling casually down the secret underground passage leading to Kate's lab I notice that it's a lot more ... gross. It's pretty grimy and dusty down here, and I think everyone appreciates that Zelos is now walking around Sybak with Colette, because I'm sure he'd be complaining. It's funny, you'd think his constant griping about these things would absolutely kill any sense of masculinity he has, but ... hot damn.

Anyway, Lloyd raised a very good question about ... five minutes ago, asking Sheena why it is that the half elves don't just use this passage to escape from Sybak. She grimly responded that she's seen what happened to a small group of them that tried to escape the academy before, and ... well, I'm not saying anything, but I don't blame them for sticking around. I wouldn't risk perhaps a few days of freedom if only to get captured later on and ... yeah. We just have to make sure they're not found out for cooperating with us.

'Anyone else starting to feel like a secret agent?' I ask out of the blue, giving the dark blue wall a poke. The light from Raine's staff illuminates a rather aggravated look sent to me by Genis.

'What?'

'Y'know, like ...' I start, waving a hand. 'We always use all these secret passages and stuff, acting under the law ...'

'Huh ... sounds pretty cool when you think about!' Lloyd answers, and thank god someone took my side, because the looks I'm getting from the Sage siblings and Presea are making me want to deep-throat a panacea bottle and die. 'I've always wanted to be a vigilante!'

Sheena blinks. 'We're vigilantes?'

'Well, sure!' Lloyd continues with a nod. 'We're trying to make the world a better place without following the rules, right?'

Raine sighs with a shake of her head, handing Genis her staff to carry for a while. 'I don't think we exactly fit into the criteria of "vigilantes", but I'm glad you're putting light on our current situation.'

Lloyd's face falls a little, and he just pouts and folds his arms. 'I'll be a vigilante if I want to be.'

'... Alright, Lloyd. You're a vigilante.'

More like virginlante, am I right? Ha ha, okay I won't do that again. That's the pot calling the kettle black.

It doesn't take long for us to get to the end of the passage, what with it being pretty much a straight hallway. We all crowd up near the back of the machine that should hopefully lead into Kate's lab, and listen in carefully to see if we're about to gatecrash some important experiment, or if there's anyone we should avoid in there. Y'know, like Papal Knights, human professors, Kratos, yadda.

After a few uncertain moments, Raine finally leans back and gives the machine three sharp taps with the head of her staff. The metallic beats ring down the passageway we just came through, and there's a bit of heavy silence after that. I stand still and silently pray that we didn't just get those three into a heap of trouble, because not a lot seems to be happening. I can't hear anything.

Lloyd and Sheena exchange worried looks, but they quickly falter once the screech of the machine dragging against the stone floor belts down the corridor to join the ringing from before.

'Help me with this ...'

That's definitely Kate's voice, and suddenly the heavy block of machine is out of our way thanks to her and the older looking half-elf from before.

I notice Lloyd keeps his hand on a sword as we all squeeze through the small gap and into the room. It's pretty much just how I remember it, save for the few new flasks and bottles lining the tables. It's still dark, and there's still a strange green light coming from what look like wires embedded into the floor. This is a really strange place. It's giving me the creeps, but whatever, I can deal. I just stick close to Sheena.

It's been pretty much silent so far. We're all standing here, dirty and bruised from that crash in the EC about an hour ago, and the other three half elves are just watching us carefully. I notice the weedy guy Lloyd beat up before is sitting across the room and minding his own beeswax with an experiment, probably a bit sour. Yeaaaah, we won't tell Raine that Lloyd smacked him around.

'Lloyd ...' Kate mumbles, looking from him to the two white haired people of our group. Lloyd actually looks a little flattered that she remembered his name, but she's quick to turn her attention to the other two. Genis looks a little bitter for some reason, but Raine gets to business and returns her staff to the clip on her back, holding out her arms openly.

'You can scrutinize as much as you wish,' she says, noticing Kate's eyes thin behind her glasses. 'My student would not lie to you. We share the same mix of blood. Even kept apart from the world of people above, I'm sure you can tell at first glance.'

I inch behind Sheena a little, hoping that one of them doesn't suddenly just perk up and notice that I'm apparently a half-elf too.

'... I see,' Kate admits almost reluctantly, adjusting her glasses. 'So you were able to save your friends.'

Lloyd nods. 'So now you'll tell us about the Angelus Project?'

'Yes, you did mention something about that ...' Raine mumbles, turning away from Lloyd and back to Kate. 'The project also seems to be being carried out by the Desians in our home world of Sylvarant, though they have only malicious intentions with it. I'm not sure what your aim is.'

Kate is silent for a few moments, and looks toward Presea. She's been standing behind Lloyd this whole time, eyes looking oddly cold. Kate doesn't dare approach her for now, and simply leans back against the table in the centre of the room, folding her arms. Her remaining assistant leaves to help the other, and she glances across to another set of machines.

'... You say the Angelus Project was carried out on your mother?' Kate asks, not looking toward Lloyd. His brow furrows a little, and he lowers his eyes.

'Yeah ...'

'Is your mother alive?'

'No.'

'How did she die?'

Genis steps forward with an angry look at all these direct questions, but Raine holds out an arm to keep him back.

Lloyd glares to the floor. 'Her Exsphere was removed and she turned into a monster. My d ... she was killed after that.'

Kate sits up on the table, finally looking away from the set of machines on the other side of the room and towards the person she's randomly interrogating. 'The Angelus project did not kill her directly?'

Lloyd's scowl moves to Kate. 'You're doing the same thing to Presea, aren't you? Are you telling me she's going to die!?'

All the blood drains from Genis' face, but I seem to be the only one that notices.

'What exactly is the result of the Angelus project?' Raine asks, sending a small glance to Genis to make sure he doesn't burst out with insults or something. 'From what we've heard, the Desians in our world seem to have been using it to create the "perfect Exsphere". Lloyd's current Exsphere seemed to be a prototype of the Angelus Project, but it seems it was never completed.'

Kate nods, head bowed in thought. 'Yes, that sounds about right. Here, we conduct research and tests to create Cruxis Crystals within host bodies.'

'Cruxis Crystals?' Sheena asks. 'I thought Chosens were born with them in their hands?'

'That's true,' Kate confirms. 'But it is perhaps possible to create one within a body if we undergo certain requirements. The Exsphere itself is nothing special, but the Key Crest placed upon it halts the parasitic development. It is the same allowing the infection to grow is the very thing restraining Presea's natural and emotional reactions to the world around her.'

'Which causes Exsphere to mutate into a Cruxis Crystal,' Raine finishes, catching onto the theory with a pensive look.

'Only if the project is allowed to persist,' Kate confirms, folding one leg over the other. 'Be that as it may, we can only induce the parasitic process, not reverse it.'

'You can't save her,' Raine translates for Lloyd, who looked a little confused there. Kate just looks back to those machines, and I'm pretty sure they were involved in the Angelus Project too. They look different from the others, and Presea seems to have been giving them this weird stare, like she remembers them from something.

'No,' Kate mumbles with a nod, pressing against the brim of her glasses again. 'We can't.'

Lloyd just puts a hand on Presea's shoulder, moving her back a little towards Raine. 'So ... so what, that's it? You just drag Presea into one of your stupid experiments, and then ... that's it!? You're just gonna let her die!?'

Kate actually observes him with an icy look. 'You're in no position to judge us.'

'I'll judge you as much as I damn well pl-!'

'Lloyd, stop,' Sheena snaps quickly, folding her arms. 'She's right. You don't know what it's like to live like they have.'

'I agree,' Raine sighs, giving Lloyd a slightly frustrated look at his heated attitude. 'Though we may not agree with their ethics or standards, we cannot stand and judge them for doing the things they have. Especially under the circumstances they live in.'

I shuffle a little on the spot, knowing that I gave Lloyd a giant speech about this last time we were here. 'It's easy to act righteous when you're not living like this ... it's hard to stand up for yourself when you're treated so horribly.'

Kate nods, and Lloyd reddens a little and backs down, thoroughly humiliated.

'Regardless ...' she starts softly, pushing herself off the table. 'I said we could not save her.'

The light from the floor flashes across the glass over her eyes. 'I didn't say it wasn't impossible.'

-----------

'_Zelos, is something wrong?'_

'_Hmm? Of course not, my sweet little angel. You worried about me?'_

'_You've seemed a little distant today, that's all. Are you sure there isn't something on your mind?'_

'_If there is, then it's probably all you beautiful hunnies I get to travel with. I'm surprised Lloyd managed to keep his cool around you chicks for so long.'_

'_Lloyd isn't like that. But are you sure you're okay?'_

'_You seem to be pushing on this subject a lot, my little angel. Are YOU okay?'_

'_Yeah ... but I wanna talk about you! Is there anything on your mind, Zelos?'_

'_Wow, hunny, really! You need to chill out a little, ya hear? Worry about me this much and you'll get wrinkles.'_

'_Zelos ...'_

'_Aww, it was a joke, pumpkin. You're too cute to get wrinkles.'_

'_Zelos-'_

'_You should be giving tips to Sheena. Poor kid gets angry too much; she's bound to be wrinkly by the time she's thirty.'_

'_Zelos, I-'_

'_Our beautiful professor seems to be getting bags around her eyes lately ... I'm starting to think about introducing you guys to Tethe'alla's famous hot sprin-'_

'_- Zelos!'_

'_Whoa, did we get a little angry there? That's not like you, hunny.'_

'_... Never mind. I'm sorry I said anything.'_

'_Hmm.'_

'_Oh look, Apple Gels! You have them here, too?'_

'_Quick change of subject, but I'm not complaining. Hey I've always wondered, what do these do? Life Bottles?'_

'_The Professor says that they rouse people out of unconsciousness faster.'_

'_Huh ... so Apple Gels treat wounds, Orange Gels restore mana imbalance ... wow, this is gonna take some getting used to.'_

'_Hehe, you get used to it. I always get them mixed up.'_

_-------------_

'Here ... I'll mark it on a map, if you have one on you.'

'Sheena, don't you have one?'

'Yeah, here ...'

'... It's here, past Ozette. He lives quite near to the village, within the base of the mountains last I heard.'

'We don't have to take any detours then ... it's a little further than where we were going anyway.'

I watch Kate's second assistant talk to Lloyd and Sheena for a few moments, rubbing my cold arms. Kate's told us about another person who participated in her Angelus Project, who might have the ability to reverse the effects on Presea. Yes boys and girls, we get to go see Altessa now! She hasn't said anything about what he did or why he was involved; just that he has more knowledge on how the Cruxis Crystals function. So yeah, he's pretty much Dirk-Alpha. Poor Dirk.

Presea is still sticking close to Lloyd (which is making Genis squirm, seriously). Raine is still squeezing details out of Kate while we have the chance, and to be honest I think she's trying to compare her Angelus project to what she knows of Kvar's. Well, I'd be a bit worried too – Lloyd's wearing a prototype, so you never know if his Exsphere might, like ... blow up or something and turn him into a vegetable. I know he _won't_ because he didn't in the game, but ... well, during our travel in Sylvarant, he _was_ ill sometimes ... collapsing and stuff. You never know.

'What of the parasitic process on an incomplete Angelus Exsphere?'

'I'm not entirely sure. They wouldn't have taught us the theory of the prototype. The man issuing the experiments beside the Pope says that it wasn't worth wasting time with the basics.'

'I see ...'

'Was Lloyd the host for his Angelus Exsphere?'

'No, his mother was. We have no idea if her emotions were subdued or if the Exsphere was ever truly completed.'

'Interesting ...'

'He's used it since he was a child, so it seems to do no harm simply using it.'

'The parasitic process would not continue on a second host, I assume. The Exsphere's development, on the other hand, I have no idea ...'

Sooo yeah, it's all just garble to me. I shift uncomfortably beside Genis, who's just staring like a beaten, betrayed puppy at Presea's back. She's practically affixed herself to Lloyd's hip, so I guess I can't blame the poor guy. Well hey, at least he hit puberty before Lloyd.

'Ngh ...' he grumbles, folding his arms tightly. God, he looks like he's debating just going over there and dragging her away. The only thing that's stopping him is the possibility that she might whip out her axe and maul him with it, I'm sure.

'Listen to your hormones after we get out of here,' I whisper, conking him on the head with my elbow. He doesn't actually react, but I swear he gets a flash of malice over his eyes as if he were about to Icicle me. Aw snap. Okay, I'll focus on something else.

'You'll have to go through the Gaoracchia Forest to reach Ozette and meet Altessa,' Kate's assistant says after straightening up and handing a marked map back to Sheena. He's the tall, stocky one; the one Lloyd beat up is still minding his own business. 'They don't call it the Forest of Evil for nothing, so make sure you're prepared for the worst.'

Lloyd looks a little worried, but Sheena just waves a hand. 'No problem.'

'I'd recommend being careful in Ozette, as well,' he adds, tapping his glasses up a little. He looks past Lloyd's shoulder and observes Genis for a moment. 'Ozette's a pretty prejudiced village. I wouldn't stay any longer than you have to if you're bringing half-elves along.'

Lloyd nods with a grimace, and I notice a dark look cross his face. 'Right ...'

'It's pretty sick, I know,' he says with a shrug, sliding his hands into his lab-coat pockets. 'All of Tethe'alla is. You learn to live with it.'

'You shouldn't have to live with it!' Lloyd snaps, and Raine and Kate look up from their discussion. 'Why don't you just stand up to them?'

'Would you battle an army of a hundred alone?' the quiet one says finally, still not looking up from a few yellowing papers strewn over his workspace. Lloyd scowls at his back, but the man just shakes his head. 'You're not a half-elf. You're not allowed to tell us how easy it is.'

The broader man nods, giving Lloyd a cold look. 'Live as we have your entire life, then come and tell us how easy it is.'

Lloyd's jaw tightens in irritation, and it seems being told to shut up with reason doesn't sit well with him. Lloyd's used to pep-talking people out of anything, but these guys aren't buying it. They're sadly realistic. It's like walking up to a hobo and telling him to chin up and buy a mansion; you just can't do it with some people.

After a thick silence harboured only by the humming of machinery and soft bubbling of various chemicals, Lloyd finally turns on his heel with an annoyed "tch!", storming toward the opening leading outside the city. The assistants don't flinch at all, and the broad man just stares after him with dark eyes.

'Lloyd!' Genis exclaims, reaching to grab his wrist before he leaves ahead of us all. He doesn't quite manage it, and Sheena quickly shoves the map into Raine's hands so she can go after him and give him a firm beating. Looks like it's time to go.

'I'm sorry,' Raine says, bowing her head a little while we all move to the secret passage. 'He's always been a little-'

'It's alright,' Kate assures wearily, rubbing the rim of her glasses. 'It's frustrating not being able to leave this place and stand on our own legs. If I could, I would go to Altessa myself.'

Raine nods. 'We'll take care of Presea. I can't say much, but try to endure. Your time will come, I'm sure.'

'... Thank you. I'm sorry our meeting was brief; there are Papal Knights in the facility running regular checks.'

Presea goes right for the older Sage sibling (insert more Genis rage here), and Kate gives her a small, pitiful look.

'... Please take her far away from here,' Kate asks, turning from the professor and taking a seat at the central table. She looks utterly worn out, and buries one side of her face into her palm. 'The coldness in her eyes is burning. I'd rather not have to look upon the pain I've inflicted upon her longer than I have to.'

Raine acknowledges her wordlessly, wrapping a hand around Presea's small shoulder and gently directing her toward the out of place machine. Raine herself stays behind for a moment, and I give the four of them a final glance before leading Presea down the path. Kate started giving me the strangest look, and I'd rather not be around when she finally realises I'm a half-elf.

I give Presea's shoulder a soft push to urge her on ahead, gritting my teeth and rubbing my eyes. I get so frustrated after coming here. I'm not a half-elf, and I wish I didn't feel like I have to share their pain. It's not right. I never suffered because of Charis' mistake, and I never will. I hate the thought of being lumped in with them and pitied. I'm not the one who deserves sympathy here.

I take a deep breath, finally catching up to the others. Well, that's over with ... next up is the Gaoracchia Forest, and I'm sure it's gonna take me longer to learn how to pronounce it than it does for us to get through it. Sooo not looking forward to crossing the "Forest of Evil".

Well ... as long as Zelos is there. Y'know. Seeing as he's like, from Tethe'alla. And he knows about stuff. And like. Y'know.

... God, don't you just hate teenage crushes?

* * *

review please.


	83. Evil Forest of Death and Generic Badness

did i seriously just write a whole chapter in one day lol. oh well, gotta do something before college tomorrow.

* * *

**Chapter 83 - Evil Forest of Death and Generic Badness**

So ... y'know in those movies where there's always some dark forest, and it's usually either the girl or the underdeveloped side-character that no one really likes that trips up, and eventually gets eaten by rabid mammals or zombies or foliage?

Yeah, kinda feeling like that right now. Not that I'm feeling vulnerable (that's Genis' job; he's been shitting bricks since we got here), it's just that ... well, dark forest. Scary. Don't want. Damn, we've barely even entered the damn thing and half of us are paling at the thought of actually crossing over to nice, safe Ozette. Genis and Lloyd definitely look the most freaked out.

... It's weird; I actually don't feel that bad for once. I feel okay, really. I think it was Sybak going off without a hitch that did it for me; I was really scared that we'd get caught or spotted by the Papal Knights, but hey – apparently we're more epic than we thought. We'd better slip up at some point, or I'm going to be throwing some bling on Lloyd and hiring a van and dubbing us the next A Team.

Genis shoves me softly after about half a minute of me humming the theme tune. Poor thing is still beat up about Presea not paying any attention to him. Awww, he's growing up.

'Oh come on, we could probably use a bit of sing and dance in this place,' I say, looking around. The trees are dark and thick, definitely enough to cut off absolutely any sunlight at all above us. That, and it's like ... evening now, but whatever. Work with me here, I'm trying to get across just how creepy this wood is. It's not creepy as in "cliché" creepy; there's not flashing eyes in bushes or ghosts in the distance or a dipstick who can't read a map with us ... I suppose it's the silence.

Yeah, pretty lame, I know. But go out into a forest, and I guarantee you can hear something. Wind, birds, animals – anything. Here, it's just utter, thick silence. Like ... _dead_ silence. It feels like the forest is almost alive and watching our every move, but it's the damn _silence_ that's freaky. You don't know if something is coming up behind you, or about to drop down from above.

... Well, I just totally killed any confidence I just had about coming into this place. Whatever, it'll come back after a few minutes.

Genis and Lloyd jump about five feet into the air whenever someone snaps a twig underfoot, but no one reacts. They've done it about eight times since we got here, so that's just mandatory at this point. Colette's trying to pep-talk them out of it, but she's not doing too well.

'Yo Sheena, I thought Tethe'alla was riddled with monsters now,' Zelos almost _complains_ with a whistle, spinning his sword casually while he scopes our view that isn't blocked by hanging leaves or plain darkness. 'Where's all the creepy crawlies, huh?'

Sheena's leading us, seeing as she's the only one that's been through this place enough times to have a little understanding of how it works. 'I'm not sure ... it's not like they made much noise anyway. I barely got ambushed when I came through here the last few times ...'

'Probably scared you'd maul them, hehe ...' Zelos mumbles, keeping his sword out just in case. That doesn't stop Sheena from leaning over and thwaping him upside the head though.

'... He's got a point though,' I add when Raine sighs at their attitudes. She's got her staff out, but for some reason the light it usually emits is practically useless. 'The guy back at Sybak made it sound like this place should have beasties prowling around left and right ...'

'Yes ... it's very unnerving,' Raine mumbles softly after a moment, inching back to join Lloyd and Genis while they hold onto eachother desperately. I love how Colette is practically skipping along beside them in contrast. She hasn't tripped on anything yet, which is also a miracle.

... Okay seriously, I promise I won't whine about this too much while we're here, but ... god damn, why does it have to be so dark? Raine's light is doing all it can, Sheena's tossing forward a few of those glow-emitting cards so we don't stray from the path, but in all honesty neither are doing much. The only thing that's keeping my confidence is the fact that we haven't run into any monsters yet, and hopefully if things continue as they are, we're not about to.

Well ... if we did, we're still gotta separate Lloyd and Genis from clutching eachother like stricken hamsters and get them to kick some ass. Or I can attempt to kick ass for once, whatever works.

... Oh that reminds me, how do I know if I've learned a new tech or something? I mean ... Charis usually gave me some sort of notification, but she's packed up and fucked off, so ... huh. Well, that kinda sucks.

I almost crap myself when I walk into something tall and broad, praying to god it isn't some kind of hefting abomination of a monster. Well, no, it was just Zelos. I still have some form of a heart-attack anyway.

'Can we just keep moving ...?' Lloyd snaps rather weakly, voice cracking. I inch around the male Chosen, and he's pretty much just stopped dead, glancing aside to a split off pathway that apparently won't lead anywhere. I'm only guessing that because Sheena is trying to lead us down the other one, but again ... frozen Chosen. He doesn't look scared or anything, just-

'Zelos, quit fooling around!' Genis barks back, still holding onto Lloyd for dear life. I'm pretty much the only one that's hung back with him besides Presea, who's picked Zelos to stick with for a while (ohhh, that's probably why Genis is all sour). I decide to go for the non-bitch approach that the others have skipped, side-stepping around to his front.

'Uh ... Zelos?' I ask quietly. What? He's still an Adonis, and I'm still hormonal. 'Are you okay?'

Oddly enough, he just turns away from whatever he was looking at with his usual cocky grin (insert weakening of the knees here). The others are shuffling back rather grudgingly, probably to drag Zelos along by force. He doesn't look like he notices much though.

'Heeey Hunny, can I see one of those for a second?' Zelos asks pretty casually, pointing towards my left hip. I glance down and realise he's talking about my pistols. Huh, well that's ... an odd request.

'Um ... okay,' I mumble, pulling out one and handing it to him cautiously. 'Be careful; that little hook thingie there is what you pull to fire it, and-'

'Yeah, yeah, fascinating,' Zelos practically purrs to shut me up, and ... w-well, it does. Frickin' teenage self.

Lloyd is the first to scuffle over through the dark, arms folded protectively over his chest while he nudges Zelos in the side with his elbow. 'Can you guys play around _after_ we get out of this stupid forest? This place is giving me the creeps.'

'It'll do that to you,' Zelos responds quickly, giving my pistol a quick spin. 'But you see, it seems we'll be running into a bit of a whoopsie unless we stop and think for two minutes.'

Sheena gives his a worn look, both hands firmly on her hips. 'What are you blabbering about?'

'Whelp! It's been a while since I last did archery, so my general aim might be a bit off ...' Zelos mumbles mostly to himself, taking my pistol and aiming it into the bushes beside that stray pathway. 'If I'm wrong, I'll give you a once in a lifetime permission slip to slap me silly, my voluptuous hunny.'

Sheena'd probably slap him into the next oracle anyway, but we all just watch while Zelos aims once more into the thick, dead foliage and pulls the trigger.

The gunshot that cracks through the air and kills the choking silence is almost comforting, but ... the clang of Zelos' bullet ricocheting off steel is not.

Cue us all backing up against eachother as almost every bush surrounding us, as well the ones trailing down the path that Sheena was about to lead us down begin to shuffle softly. Five ... ten, and suddenly twenty heavily armoured knights are emerging from the shadowy crevices of the forest, and I don't think we've ever been surrounded quite so quickly.

There's a sharp shriek of steel when Lloyd draws both swords, extending one arm to keep Genis and the Professor back. The last thing we want is for them to be getting arrested with threat of execution.

Zelos, still looking cool as a cube, just hands me back my second pistol. I yank out the other so I don't look helpless. What? I actually feel confident today – I'm not about to fall back and ruin it.

'Wow, I'm so totally surprised,' Zelos says a little loudly over the clapping of his hands. 'The Pope sending Papal Knights after us in the forest of death, who'da thought.'

'_Zelos!_' Genis hisses, elbowing him sharply in the side. Regardless of Zelos' ribbing, the knights around us don't exactly throw common sense to the wind and dive at us like pissed off animals. That'd kinda suck; about 20 vs 8. We just gotta hope they don't have Exspheres equipped.

'We caught wind of you crossing continents,' the apparent "leader" says, cocking his spear to rest over his shoulder. 'As an obstacle to the Pope, we've been ordered to follow you and take you down.'

'Oh, my,' Zelos says, ignoring him and looking around at the man's squad. We're blocked off from escaping down any pathway, and even Sheena looks wary about fleeing into the few spaces of dark bush. We'd get lost for sure, and with a whole group of Papal Knights at our heels ... yeah, not the best idea. If we're gonna fight, then it needs to be in an open space like this.

'Isn't it a bit strange that the Pope wants to send out a bunch of you guys to chase little old me?' Zelos asks with a grimace, turning back to the "leader". 'Shouldn't you be chilling back at Meltokio and making sure His Poor Highness doesn't keel over dead? Sounds like the Pope doesn't care for the old man that much.'

... Believe it or not, we're greeted with a few moments of silence. I'm sure the Papal Knights know _something_ about the Pope's true intentions, poisoning the king and working with the Desians and all ... but it's possible they don't. Either way, these guys are apparently quick to dismiss Zelos' knowledge or they just don't care.

'We're here to take orders, not question them,' another knight says, and I notice Lloyd grip his weapons tighter when the knights begin clanging forwards for an ambush.

'Sad,' is all Zelos manages in reply, swinging an arm to one side. I look up, and suddenly wish I hadn't. It seems a poor knight that was aiming to body slam our Chosen has found himself with Zelos' sword swung into the slit in his armour at his neck. He cripples over almost immediately, and there's a nauseating squelch when Zelos' sword slides free from the man's throat. There's a clang when he hits the floor, dead and bleeding darkly.

Well, won't this be fun.

----------

'_Charlotte, could you come over here for a moment?'_

'_Sure Professor, what's u – OWW, what the hell? Did you just give me an electric shock?'_

'_No, I took a sample of mana. You said earlier you wanted to know where your natural abilities lay, didn't you?'_

'_Huh? O-oh, yeah ... how are you gonna figure that out, anyway?'_

'_Explaining the process would be difficult, so simply wait for me to finish.'_

'_... Are you calling me stupid?'_

'_In a discreet way.'_

'_Fair enough.'_

'_If you must know, I'll be measuring your signature against Genis, myself, and ... what I can recall of Kratos.'_

'_Kratos?'_

'_He mixed his magic with physical fighting techniques, much like Lloyd's. Zelos appears to fight in a similar fashion, but Kratos' felt much stronger. You may have a balance of abilities in the same manner, but that may also be because it is easier.'_

'_... Are you calling me lazy?'_

'_Tactfully.'_

'_... Fair enough.'_

'_... Well, that's strange.'_

'_What? Is my mana signature screwy or something? I knew I shouldn't have eaten all those orange gels; they just taste so nice when we don't have anything els-'_

'_No, it simply seems your abilities _do_ lie in a magical contrast.'_

'_Wait, so ... what? I should have been using magic all this time? I should have been kicking ass like Genis, throwing fireballs around and casting Icicle on poor mammals?'_

'_... Not exactly.'_

'_Eh?'_

'_It seems the pattern of your signature matches much of my own.'_

'_... Wait, so ...'_

'_You should have been healing.'_

'_Eh!?'_

'_... I believe you were supposed to be a healer.'_

'_But ... that's so ... I mean, standing back and doing nothing but healing ...'_

'_Are you calling me boring?'_

'_Uh ...'_

_----------_

'First Aid!'

A bruise across Lloyd's jaw quickly lifts as he picks himself up off the ground, wiping some blood away from the corner of his mouth. Well hey, I seem to be settling into curing quite quickly ... but that doesn't mean I'm not trying to kick ass when I can. I'm not about to buff up and steal Raine's spotlight while she heals us through everything, so I'm doing what I can to fend off knight after knight that comes charging at us.

Lloyd and Zelos have taken down about five together (they actually make a really good team), and Genis is doing well with churning the elements around us to ... well, crush and maim. Presea ... I'm not even gonna go there. She's doing her part well, I'll say that much.

'That one!' Sheena snaps, slapping my shoulder quickly. I look up, and she tosses a card toward a knight closing in on Raine while she's busy casting First Aid for a winded Zelos. The card flattens against his gauntlet, and his spear clangs to the ground at the force. I power up a quick Comet Blast and send it hurtling through the air towards that guy, and the poor bastard is sent skidding on his arse.

Sheena and I are opting to work together for this. She stuns then and cracks their armour up, and I ... well, finish them off. I haven't used my techs in a _long_ time, so I'm a little rusty ... but hey, I'd say I'm doing quite well. We've taken down a good few together. They're still bursting into the fray from every direction, but thankfully they _aren't_ wearing Exspheres. That doesn't mean all that pesky armour is easy to surpass, though.

The ground beneath me shakes a little, and I look over to see Genis casting a quick stalagmite to stop too many knights approach Zelos and Lloyd at once. The two of them are back to back while about six men lunge toward them, but the earth churns up in a sturdy pillar to send at least half of them reeling back into the bushes.

Well, by know you're probably wondering where Colette went off to. She's flown up into the trees and is Ray Thrusting the face off any Papal Knight that gets close to Genis while he tries to concentrate on casting spells. I'm not sure how or why, maybe it was the whole Cruxis Crystal parasitic thing, but ever since Colette turned back to normal ... well, she's been bad_ass_. Just the fact that she can throw Lloyd over her shoulder like it's nothing is pretty epic. Man, I wish I could do that.

Sheena taps my shoulder again, and apparently we're taking down some poor sod that thinks he can creep up on Presea. She tosses a card toward him, but ... well, Presea spins on her heel and slams her axe into his side, successfully cracking a bunch of his armour off before Sheena's card can even reach him. Either way, it fixes itself to his helmet and blows half of it off while I power up, uh ... let's go with Blitz Bullet.

Which apparently works quite well, because ... um, metal armour. The guy is toast in seconds, and the smell is ugggh. Let's try to ignore that.

Well! We've gotten down about half of them, but ... it's getting harder. Raine's focus is dimming, and she's looking a bit harried on casting her healing spells in time. She already missed a few, and Lloyd and Zelos are starting to look a bit battered at this stage. It's harder to notice with Lloyd (you just have to look for dark patches in his clothes where he bleeds), but one of the knights seems to have seriously fucked up Zelos' left shoulder. It's bleeding like hell, and Zelos doesn't seem to be able to heal himself ... what with fending off knight after knight.

Charlotte to the rescue!

Sheena seems to get wind of my plan and sticks with Presea for now. Between them, they can practically obliterate any armour, so it's all good. I begin trying to focus on the mana that I _neveeer use_, but it's a lot easier to draw forward than offensive magic, like Genis'. I try to concentrate on Zelos' shoulder while Raine attempts to whack an approaching Papal Knight into concussion with her staff, along with the help of Colette above.

Okay, wound ... Zelos' wound ... ugly, bloody wound, ew ...

'First Aid!'

I accidently throw a giant burst of light at his whole shoulder thanks to my shaken attention, but it hits the injury at least. I stop the bleeding at any rate, and Zelos just sends me a wink while he stabs some bloke in the face. Fun.

But not so fun! I feel a heavy arm catch me around the shoulders, and suddenly there's a cold gauntlet crushing my neck while I thud back against some Papal Knight's chest-plate. Oh god, ow my spine.

Before Lloyd notices, Zelos points to his own neck so the younger swordsman's attentiveness doesn't jar. It clicks pretty fast, and I throw my hands up past the guy's forearm around my neck, aiming both guns into the slit separating his helmet and chest-plate, crushing the barrels against him before I shoot. He reels back with a wail, and I clutch my throat with one hand after dropping a gun. Before he can get up, I manage to hit him with a quick Fire Shot to send him down onto his back. Okay, pick up your weapon and wait for backup.

... Which comes pretty fast, considering the guy is now dead with Presea's axe crushed into his chest. Euurgh, weird kid.

I have to duck once Presea swings her axe in my direction, and narrowly miss being beheaded while she crushes the face of some knight that was coming up behind me. Yeah, we're getting a bit spacey. This isn't good.

Zelos has to extend a shaky arm to keep Lloyd upright after a surprise blow from the _front_, which is only devastating our resolve more. Raine looks utterly worn out, and Genis is catching up with her pretty fast.

I notice the arm Zelos is using to hold Lloyd up is the wounded one, and he's gritting his teeth pretty hard at the strain while he attempts to fend off about three knights himself. I think Lloyd got clipped in the head – he looks pretty dazed.

Raine is forcing herself to cast quickly, and I don't know why it's obvious that she's aiming for Lloyd ... but it is. Presea's working on subduing the knight no longer behind me, and I start casting First Aid on Zelos' shoulder again, attempting to be more precise. I wonder where Sheena's gone, and it seems she's trying to protect Raine and Genis herself. I notice Corrine is out and trying to help the best he can, but in all honesty ... we're getting worn down quite fast.

First Aid hits Lloyd first, and he straightens up hastily after realising he's been down for a few moments. They both have to dodge back from the swing of a spear, so my own spell goes a bit ... screwy. I manage to get Zelos' arm, but it doesn't do much. God, this really isn't good.

I send Comet Blast at a knight that seems to be overpowering Sheena for now, not really caring that Corrine is trying to claw his visor up and blind him. I didn't like him anyway. Don't worry, he survives after leaping off to land on Sheena's shoulder, sending me a growl. Ugh.

Colette finally jumps down from above to lay the smackdown on some guy approaching Raine and Genis after slipping past Sheena, landing on his head and _probably_ breaking his neck. He flops down to the floor in a daze regardless, and ... well, Presea finishes him off. I back up a little to the others after the three guys that Genis sent hurling into the bushes finally emerge, spears in hand and looking a lot more pissed off than before. Lloyd apparently got clonked again, so Zelos is practically dragging him back with an annoyed grumble.

... So yeah, not good. I'd really like to hit that, uh ... over limit thing right now, but I think most of us are too worn out to start getting overemotional enough.

'Crap ...' Lloyd grumbles, and Zelos finally lets him go so he can stand straight. He's got blood trailing down his face from his hairline, and what looks like a nicely avoided black eye judging from the bruise on his cheekbone. Zelos looks pretty much the same, and ... well, this is just really not our day. When I count, I realise there's still about eleven knights around us. If they randomly unleash a body pile-up on us, we're doomed.

It looks like the "leader" of this posse is still alive. I recognise his voice when he speaks up, holding his wounded forearm while the others point their spears at our tight group. 'It seems the Pope has underestimated you, Chosen ... but simply offing one of our brigadiers doesn't mean the Papal army will be overpowered by a malevolent "saviour" of this world.'

'Funny, I don't remember promisimg to be a saviour of any sort,' Zelos mutters, biting the corner of a nasty looking split in his lip. Genis slams him in the side once more with his elbow, looking absolutely exhausted from casting spell after spell.

'Dammit Zelos, _quit_ antagonizing them!'

'Wouldn't make a difference, kiddo,' Zelos says, straightening up a little and wiping some blood away from his chin.

... I kinda wish he didn't, because suddenly we have the surviving unit rushing at us, spears aimed and intentions deadly. The bodies of their comrades strewn around don't seem to faze them at all, and it looks like they finally have us backed into a corner. Genis almost knocks himself out trying to cast Force Field alongside his sister, but whatever shield they can muster only flickers around us before breaking apart.

I try to throw my arm to one side and cast Comet Blast in time, before the closest knight can successfully impale Lloyd's heaving chest with his spear, but I'm far too late.

... Not to save Lloyd, though. I'm too late to stop him.

Every knight around us seems to stop dead with a stumble, and I wind up gripping Genis' shoulders before he wobbles down to the ground in fatigue. That's ... strange. What the hell just happened? Did they see a monster? Oh shit, did the fight attract beasts?

I look around wildly after a few moments of silence, but all I see aside from the dark flora around us is the knights trying to move. They're stumbling ... and sluggish. What-

Colette and me actually shriek a little when every opening in their armours burst forth blood, and each man collapses to the ground with loud clangs.

We don't even have to check if they're dead.

They are.

Light rises from the openings along with dribbling blood in small wisps, almost as if Photon had been cast on them to kill them. I look back toward Raine, but Sheena's just got an arm around her to keep her up.

The final knight hits the floor with a loud, metallic crash. All of them dead as doorknobs, all of us unharmed from ... whatever that was, and the heavy silence of the forest simply settles in one more.

Before of course, our mandatory freak out.

'W-what the hell was that!?' Lloyd snaps, looking a truckload more alert than before. I feel like my stomach just dropped to my ankles, and I look around at all the dead knights around us. Sure, we managed to kill about half of them ourselves, but ... seriously, what the eff. Did Raine do that? Or Colette? Well, Colette screamed with me, Raine is looking _waaay_ too tired ... so, uh, I don't know.

Zelos actually breathes a sigh of relief, dropping his blade back into its sheath. 'Sheesh, that was a bit too much ...'

'Y ... yeah, tell me about it ...' Genis mumbles, rubbing his head. 'I don't think I've ever cast so many spells in a row before ...'

I reach into my bag and yank out an orange gel, shoving it into his hands before he can realise he's EW TOUCHING CHARLOTTE and run off to the safety of a bloody looking Presea. Strangely enough, he doesn't. Well, huh.

'Thanks ...' he mumbles, placing a hand on my arm to help him himself up out of my grasp. Aww, he's treating me like a human. How sweet.

I look over at a small clinking sound, and Zelos seems to be crouching down beside some poor guy and flicking his visor up to inspect him. 'Yep, these guys are dead alright. Wonder what caused that bizarre thing ...'

Sheena folds her arms, pressing a finger to her lower lip in thought while Corrine sits atop her head, mimicking her with his paw. 'Well ... I know the monsters in this forest are attracted by the scent of blood, but that's usually the dangerous ones further in ... and I've never heard of a monster in this cursed place that could do that ...'

'That's so weird ...' Colette mumbles, brushing some leaves out of her hair. 'But that light ...'

... At the mention of the light, my mind suddenly goes back to the sandworm I fought back in Triet. Except I didn't exactly kill him. Someone else did.

There's a shuffle from above, and most likely without thinking, Genis sends a hasty Wind Blade in that direction. If it's a monster or a knight, it's bound to knock them out of the trees and hurtling to the floor.

But it's not.

Well bugger me, I was right.

'It seems you're making quite the number of enemies in this world already.'

Sheena gasps, Zelos straightens up with a rapidly drawn sword, and Lloyd shits a brick.

The man brushes some auburn hair out of his eyes after landing rather gracefully on the dusty floor among the dead knights, straightening up and letting a stray leaf that clung to his outfit flutter to the ground.

'Y ... you!' Genis yells in a shrill tone, pointing a finger accusingly at our visitor. I have to grab his shoulders again before he topples over, because he really doesn't seem to realise he's got no energy.

Oh no, it's horrible and evil Kratos, come to kidnap Colette I'm sure.

... I'm sure half of them actually believe that, because Lloyd steadies both swords with barely a warning, ignoring practically every obvious wound on his body before rushing over to assault his former teacher.

I really ... _really_ have to try not to laugh, because Kratos just unsheathes his sword and casually thwaps Lloyd to one side with the flat of his blade, sending him sprawling across the floor with a startled yell. Well, that worked. Nice going Lloydie.

'I'm not here to finish you off,' Kratos explains calmly, withdrawing his blade and folding his arms. Lloyd tries to push himself up to his knees, but apparently he's more wounded than he's been letting on. His elbow folds beneath his weight, and he thuds back to the floor with an "oomph". Yeah Lloyd, way to show Kratos how strong and hardcore you've gotten.

We all wait patiently for Lloyd to struggle his way upright, sitting up and grasping his bleeding arm tightly with a scowl up at Kratos. 'W ... what!?'

Daaamn, Lloyd needs more blood in that head of his. Raine apparently agrees, because she decides to take over for now.

'I assumed Cruxis would be watching our every move, waiting for the right time to strike,' she wonders aloud, holding her staff tightly with both hands. Zelos is just First Aiding himself all over in case he has to take matters into his own hands and kick the seraph's ass, but I can't see that happening. Zelos, you're strong and I love ya, but ... no.

'They are,' Kratos confirms, voice still eerily composed as usual. He's talking like he didn't exactly turn around and stab us in the back at the Tower of Salvation, which once again is only making Lloyd look angrier as he pulls himself up to his feet. He's using his swords to keep himself upright so he doesn't collapse. Damn, where's the Irn Bru when you need it?

'So ... why are you after us?' Sheena asks with a scowl, cards ready to slap him with in case he makes a move. Corrine is beside her, standing up on his haunches and spitting like a cat at Kratos.

Kratos actually raises an eyebrow at Sheena's accusation, but he doesn't look intimidated at all. 'I never recall indicating that I was.'

'But ... you're with Cruxis, so-'

'I'm running a personal errand,' Kratos confirms almost briskly, indicating that we're not getting anything out of him other than that. 'Believe what you will. I have given you no reason to trust my words.'

'Right ...' Lloyd grumbles, spitting out some blood.

'However, I'm not opposed to offering some advice,' Kratos adds a little coldly, eyes moving from Lloyd and settling over to us. 'I believe some of you could do with thinking twice about your Exspheres.'

I'm pretty sure Colette knows he's talking to her, but she just glares at him. Wow, she's developed more of a grudge for him than I thought she would. I suppose Colette's thoughts on Kratos after the betrayal were never really touched upon in the game, but like Genis she's really got it in for him after what he did to Lloyd. I don't blame her – most of us hate him because of that – but she's supposed to, like ... love everything.

'You really expect me to believe you just came along to lecture us about having shoddy Exspheres!?' Lloyd snaps, and I realise he probably thinks Kratos is referring to Presea's Angelus Exsphere. 'What are you up to!?'

'Collecting wood,' Kratos answers rather plainly. Ohh right, sacred wood. Kratos was searching for it too, if I remember correctly.

... Lloyd doesn't even respond with rage. He just blinks back. 'W ... wait, what?'

Kratos just rests a hand on the hilt of his blade, looking over to us to gauge our reactions along with Lloyd's. Yeah, we all look a little anxious that Kratos has a screw loose or something. I wouldn't be surprised, but he just ignores us and turns back to Lloyd. I think he's ignoring that fact that we've voted Zelos and Raine as the group leaders, and is assuming its Lloyd without asking. Aww, I bet he feels special.

'I'll assume that's all you want to interrogate from me before I take my leave.'

Lloyd seems to remember he's supposed to hate Kratos, and straightens up a little with a frown. 'Like I wanted to see your face around here anyway!'

Kratos actually smirks a little, but Lloyd doesn't react. He just grips his swords tighter.

'... Well then. There was one last thing.'

Lloyd looks like he's about to bark back at him and tell him to piss off back to Yggdrasill, but Kratos just snaps his fingers in a small click to silence us all. Or ... to do something else.

I feel soft vibrations under my feet ... almost as if there's something on its way here. Oh god.

'W ... what did you-' Lloyd demands, looking around for a sign of danger. 'I knew it! What are you doing!? And don't lie to me!'

Kratos folds his arms once more, staring down the pathway that we won't be taking. 'It seems since I have departed from your entourage, I have been being followed by something that I cannot assure the safety of. Perhaps it would be in your best interest to take it off my hands.'

Huuuh? Is Kratos sicking a monster on us? That dick!

'Kratos ...' Lloyd growls, turning to glare at him while the thudding gets louder, stronger. Whatever it is, it's closing in pretty fast. 'Y ... you're pathetic! This is low, even for you! If you want to fight, fight me yourse – WAAGH!'

Cue Lloyd getting hit full-on by the "monster" that came soaring out of a bush, hurtling toward him at some ungodly speed and sending them both sprawling back to the ground at Kratos' feet. Kratos just watches them both with a small glint of amusement in his eyes, and Lloyd remains at his feet in a daze. The big, bad monster however is just sitting atop Lloyd, tail wagging heavily and lapping annoyingly at his face.

Son of a bitch, like I needed another animal beside Corrine to dislike me. I seem to be the only one that dies a little inside, because Genis and Colette's faces practically light up, and Lloyd pushes himself up to his elbows.

'Oh my g – Noishe!?'

... Okay, I can't stay mad at Noishe. Especially seeing how Lloyd's attitude miraculously skyrockets despite the fact that Kratos is standing, like ... right there.

'Whoa, how ... how did ...' Lloyd starts, but he has to flinch and move his face away once he realises Noishe isn't about to let up on the random licking. 'Hey, quit it! Noishe, knock it off, you dork!'

He finally resorts to pushing his face away a little, moving with a pained groan to sit up again. 'Augh, now I smell like dog ... thanks a bunch.'

Noishe just whines, settling his head atop Lloyd's thighs moodily. Okay fine, I've missed Noishe. I don't care if he'll bite my hand off or maul me to death; I'm giving him a big hug once things have settled down.

Lloyd reaches over and scratches behind Noishe's ear so he doesn't throw a grumpy fit, looking up to the "dog"'s real owner. 'Kratos ... did you-'

'He was simply following me relentlessly,' Kratos says before Lloyd can, god forbid, go and think that Kratos is actually a decent human being down in that cold dead heart of his. 'I believe he was attempting to hinder my personal progress on your behalf.'

Noishe growls at the false accusation from Kratos, but Lloyd seems to buy it and gives his dog an appreciative pat on the head, getting to his feet. 'Good boy, Noishe!'

'Hmm,' Kratos mumbles, and I swear to god that was some form of a prudent chuckle. He can't hide it from me! 'Well, I believe that's all for our little run-in. I won't be here to rescue you in the future, so try not to cause too much trouble for Cruxis.'

'Oh, please,' Lloyd retorts, rolling his eyes. Kratos just 'hmph's, reaching over to scratch behind Noishe's ear before heading off alone in the direction we _won't _be going in. Noishe whines a little while we watch him go, but it isn't long before the darkness cloaking the forest envelops him completely. We all remain silent for a long while, almost as if we expect him to come jogging back and slap Lloyd upside the head for good measure. Well ... he doesn't.

... God, that was weird. Wait ... wait – weren't they supposed to run into Kratos at Sybak? Yeah! There was supposed to be a scene like that, I'm sure! Huh ... well, things aren't changing too much ... so far it seems timing is a bit screwy in general, but no harm done. Actually, I'm glad Kratos _did_ come along for once. He definitely saved us from becoming Symphonia-kebabs, that's for sure.

'Not to kill the mood, but can we get going?' Zelos says over the ringing silence, rubbing the back of his neck and giving the corpses around us a dark look. 'These bodies aren't looking to pretty, and ... and what the hell is that thing anyway?'

Lloyd seems to snap out of his usual post-Kratos daze, turning and sending a glare toward the male Chosen. 'Hey! He's not a _thing!'_

'Right!' Colette exclaims with a nod and a clap, skipping over to give everyone's favourite protozoan a fluffy hug. 'Noishe is Lloyd's dog!'

... The notion is lost on Zelos completely, and he just stares at Noishe while he enjoys the attention. '... A dog.'

'As we have ... chosen to believe ...' Raine sighs, rubbing her forehead and earning a small pout from Lloyd. 'It doesn't matter. As much as I hate hopping subjects hastily, it would be in our best interest to move on. If we linger, more Papal Knights will be on their way.'

Sheena nods in agreement, but it seems Noishe's reunion party isn't letting up so easily, regardless of the ... um, dead bodies. Lloyd is catching on and trying to lead us across with Sheena's guidance, but Genis and Corrine have joined in with the love. I think Corrine is Noishe's new BFF. Aww, it's kinda cute. Fluffy bros.

'... So seriously, what is that thing?' Zelos whispers, leaning down to me once we get moving again. I look up, and he's pointing towards a wary looking Noishe. Oh yeah, monsters.

'I don't even know,' I grumble, rubbing my neck. Now things have calmed down, I've start aching a little.

'He's. A. DOG,' Lloyd snaps, overhearing and sending us both a scowl. Oh Lloydie, you can't stay mad at me, teehee. Well whatever, he just turns back to Noishe (who is giving Corrine a ride, and oh my god so cute). 'Boy, how've you been? Did you go back and see Dad? Did you take all our supplies to him? Have you really been following Kratos? Did you find out anything? Did you miss us?'

All he gets answered with is a quite _whine_, and Colette practically squees and wraps her arms around his fluffy neck. Aww. _Aw_, I wanna hug Noishe. If anything is guaranteed to life our spirits in this place, it's having Noishe back. Y'know, before he starts throwing shitfits because of all the apparent monsters in this place.

'It certainly is a puzzling species,' Presea recites from her book of a brain. I didn't realise she was beside me, so I end up collapsing into Zelos with a shriek of fright. Fun stuff. Apparently after being ambushed, my nerves aren't as steel as they were when we got into this place. Either way ...

'Aw come on Hunny, she's not that scary,' Zelos jokes, giving my shoulder a squeeze when Presea hastens her pace to Raine's side. Aw frick, Zelos is touching me. What do I do. What do I do. What do I do.

'... Y-yes she is,' I manage with a frown, rolling my shoulders until he drops his arm back to his side.

'Is someone a little jealous?' Zelos practically sings, looking toward Presea while she ignores yet another onslaught of advances from Genis. Oh god ew, does Zelos think I have a crush on Genis?

'... No,' I mumble folding my arms.

'Oh Hunny, you can't fool me. I saw the way you were holding him back there. Is there a little half-elf love brewing in our midst?'

'No!' I say a little loudly. A few of the others cast glances back at us curiously, and I feel my cheeks flush a little at the look Zelos is giving me. Christ, if I have a crush on _anyone_ then it's obviously ... w-well, y'know.

He pretty much sets off the CharBomb when I feel a gloved finger tickle the underside of my chin playfully. 'Kids~'

... Ugghugghugh someone help me.

-------

'_Ungh ...'_

'_Lloyd, are you okay?'_

'_Y-yeah ...'_

'_You look a little weird. Does something still hurt from the fight? I can go and get my sis, she'll-'_

'_No, Genis ... I'm fine. I guess it was just seeing Kratos again.'_

'_Oh ... yeah. That was pretty confusing.'_

'_I hate how he's so vague about everything! You can never tell what he's thinking, or if he's ... plotting or anything, and it's – ugh, it's so frustrating!'_

'_... Could you EVER tell what he was thinking?'_

'_Well ... n-no, but I mean ... I used to think I could. I guess seeing him ... and the fact that he feels so unreachable now, it's just – it's weird, y'know? It's confusing ...'_

'_... He _did_ bring Noishe back to us.'_

'_Yeah ... but that was only because Noishe was trying to get some information out of him for us.'_

'_I wonder how Noishe found out that Kratos was working for Cruxis. Maybe he told him?'_

'_I don't think so. Noishe has always had an instinct for these things. Maybe he knew all along!'_

'_Wow. If only Noishe could talk ...'_

'_Phew, yeah ... it'd make a lot of things so much easier. Oh ... crap!'_

'_What's wrong, Lloyd?'_

'_We have to go through the process of finding out what Noishe wants for dinner again, just like before ...!'_

'_Ack!'_

_----------_

Oh seriously, screw this forest. And screw Noishe. He was eventually whining so much that Sheena ordered Corrine to lead Noishe ahead at full-speed and toward Ozette before us. Lloyd and the rest of Team Iselia were sad to see him go so soon after being reunited, but a depressing Noishe is not a fun Noishe to be with. I actually managed to squeeze in a hug for him before he left, and oh god I don't think he hates me anymore! He didn't growl or snap at me or anything!

He's got some random love for Zelos though. Seriously. He loves him like, hardcore. I thought Noishe didn't like strangers, which is still showing strong in Presea. He doesn't like her yet, but god damn. I think it's a Chosen thing. Maybe he thinks Zelos is the same as Colette. Either way, Zelos got a nice big facefull of dog saliva before Noishe ran off. Fun!

... I did hand him the perfume I stole from one of his guest rooms to ease the suffering. He didn't seem to mind. Hell, I don't think he even noticed I took it from his house. Even more fun!

But do you know what isn't fun? Being lost. Yeah, that sucks pretty hard. I should know, what with us BEING LOST.

'Do you guys think we're lost?'

Oh fuck you, Lloyd!

'I never took the route from Sybak to Ozette, so I'm not sure of the way ...' Sheena mumbles, rubbing the tip of her chin and looking around warily. 'I know this place looks familiar, but ...'

'Rage,' I say simply, giving them both an irritated look. Zelos deflates beside me, rubbing his still-aching shoulder.

'I knew it. I'm gonna die here. The pretty ones always die young – I should have known.'

'Zelos.'

'Yes, my majestic Professor?'

'Be quiet.'

I watch his face fall. 'Ouch.'

... This is usually where my hormones are all "oh my god he's not getting his fill of female consideration, go now, this is your chance, get his attention, go go go", but I'll turn back into a Zelos fangirl when we're not lost and when it's not dark. Because it's only been getting darker since we entered this place, and I have a feeling it isn't about to get any brighter ... even if we do spend the night here. You can barely see the damn sky – it's just shadowy bunches of leaves. Not fun!

'We definitely seem to be straying a little,' Raine continues, ignoring Zelos and looking around with the light from her staff. 'We may have taken a wrong turn, but I advise against turning back. We should try to press on past the pathway if we have to.'

That'd be running headlong into an assload of monsters, but WHATEVER. I used to be the reject of the group back in Sylvarant, but here I think Zelos has taken my place. Genis has actually called me over a few times to look at the Tethe'alla map with him and Lloyd (I dunno, they were looking at all the funny names; apparently Heimdall is pretty el oh el). Seriously, what's up with Genis? He's like, being nice to me. I don't even know anymore. I'm not about to reverse Zelos' theory and assume Genis has looked deep into his heart and realised that loathing was OH GOD LOVE IN DISGUISE, because ... well, he's pretty hot for Presea.

Who is ... just quiet once again. Yes, we did think to ask her if she came through here from Ozette to haul wood, but apparently she took a boat. Why didn't we think of that? Why did we have to crash the damn EC? Why didn't we just boat up from Sybak to Ozette? What the _hell_, man? So much rage for this damn place.

'Oh, this ... I think we should go this way,' Sheena says, pointing down another forked path after a moment. 'Yes ... definitely!'

Woo, we're back on track. Less rage!

'Um, one more thing,' she says, turning around with a pink look about her face. What, did Lloyd steal her bra wire too? 'The monsters deeper in here ... like I said before, they're attracted to the scent of blood, so ...'

Wordlessly, both Raine and I raise our hands.

'Here,' Sheena says, handing us both light blue cards. Okay honestly, one day I'm just going to sit down with Sheena and demand she tell me the use of _every single card_ she has.

'... What do these do?' I ask, waving it around a little. I dunno, do I slap it on my chest or on my-

'They make your scent blend in with the surroundings,' Sheena says, pointing quickly to her breastbone. Okay, so there it goes. 'They're used on a lot of undercover operations to obtain information. It helps to surpass odour sensors and guard dogs.'

... Fine, that makes sense I guess.

Raine clips the side of Zelos' head with her staff when his snickering gets too hard to ignore, and I notice Lloyd just looks confused as frick. Damn, has he forgotten already? I thought Kratos went over this with him back at the Seal of Wind.

'Uh, Sheena?' Lloyd asks, jogging to catch up with her and pointing to his hairline. 'I'm bleeding too, so ...'

'That's dry blood,' Sheena says quickly. 'Raine healed all your wounds, right? You shouldn't have any left open ...'

'Oh ... does that mean the Professor and Charlotte are wounded?'

'... Hey look, a monster!'

Sheena waits for Lloyd to flip out and start yanking for his swords before passing it off as a mistake, and Raine just buries half her face into her free hand. God ... I love these guys.

'Y'know, that kid just amazes me more and more,' Zelos says, staring after Lloyd while he shifts uncomfortably now we're on the move once more. He's keeping a sharp eye out for monsters, but like up until now, there's absolutely nothing. I'm starting to think – and I know this is a bit out there, bear with me – but maybe there actually aren't many monsters in this place at all?

Okay, here's how I see it. This whole forest has a sketchy reputation, and it's honestly creepy as fuck. The darkness is intense, the lack of light is stomach-churning, and the silence is utterly bone chilling. Out of all of them, I would guess it's the silence I'm going for. It makes you feel like something is watching you, making sure not to make itself known. Like it's about to jump out at you whenever you glance the wrong way.

This place is practically a dark, cold, paranoia inducing maze. If I wasn't here with seven other people, I'd have gone crazy by now. So maybe that's what freaks people out? You get lost, you don't know your ass from your elbow it's so dark, and you're paranoid.

... Just a thought.

'This place gives me the willies, I swear to god,' I grumble, rubbing my arms and glancing around worriedly. I feel a pat on my head, and Zelos just gives me a small grin. Dammit, I wish he'd stop wrapping me around his little finger every five minutes. I'll never get anything done here at this rate.

'Yeah ... Sylvarant seems so much brighter than Tethe'alla,' Colette mumbles, staring hard at the floor infront of her. I think she's trying her best not to trip up.

'And we were the ones in decline ...' Genis adds, rubbing his bare arms. Poor thing must be freezing. The rest of us either have long sleeves or arm-length gloves, so we're not complaining. I'm glad I joined the glove-people, because I'd be crippling over with pneumonia right about now if I was still in my old shirt. My fingers are cold at least?

After a bit more walking and getting even more wary of monsters, we finally reach more open parts of the forest. The path is widening out a little, and it's getting a tiny bit brighter. Moonlight is beginning to peak in through gaps above, but it definitely isn't enough to help us navigate without the help of Raine's staff. God bless that thing, seriously. We use it so much lately.

'Ahh, I feel like I can breathe again,' Lloyd sighs, stretching his arms over his head. He flinches, lowering them pretty quickly and grabbing his elbow. 'Oww ...'

'Looks like those Papal Knights really did a number on us,' Sheena says, looking over while Lloyd massages the pain away. He shakes his head with a small laugh.

'Nah, this was Noishe ... stupid dog, jumping on me all the damn time ...'

'I bet you missed him,' Genis says with a smirk, and Lloyd just ignores any teasing from the phrase whatsoever.

'Huh? Of course I missed him! We just left without even letting him know!'

'I wonder if he was still waiting at Hima all that time ...' Colette sighs, wringing her hands. 'He must have been lonely.'

'Yeah ...' Lloyd mumbles with a guilty look. Ohhh no, we are _not_ shoving off on the depression-train again. Seriously, fuck that noise.

'H-hey, do you guys think we're almost out?' I ask, looking up. 'The trees are getting further apart now, huh?'

Raine nods. 'Yes ... we're moving into a lot of clearings. We must be close to Ozette.'

'Oh thank _god_,' I sigh. Okay, let's keep going and try to avoid everyone getting down. C'mon, we actually kicked some ass, met Kratos, got Noishe, _and_ almost made it through the evil forest of death in one whole evening! 'When I get to Ozette, first thing I'm gonna do it take a looong, long bath.'

'Not if I get there first, Hunny,' Zelos grumbles, rubbing his face. 'I need to get this dog spit off me with some exfoliating cream, pronto.'

... See, this is why everyone in the world ever thinks Zelos is sexy. He looks after himself. Man, I've always wanted a man who looks after himself – none of that hairy manbeast crap; I want a guy that's shaved, shiny and primp.

'Alright ... this is the way to Ozette,' Sheena says once we reach our _hopefully_ last fork in the road. The pathway she's pointing down only seems to get darker further on, but then I remember that Ozette is pretty much within a forest anyway. At least ... I think it was? Yeah, wasn't Ozette all dark and odd? So ... what am I complaining about again? Shut up, Charlotte.

'Um ... we shouldn't go that way,' Colette says after a few seconds, hanging back while the others take a few steps forward. What? I wanna go to Ozette and take a damn bath! Colette, why must you deny me my bubbles!?

We all seem to think the same, and turn back to see Colette shifting rather worriedly on the spot, staring along the road to Ozette.

'But ... Altessa lives down this way too, right?' Genis asks, pointing down to the dark route. 'We have to save Presea, remember?'

Colette nods, giving the pink-haired girl an apologetic look while she twists her hands together again. 'Um ... I hear footsteps.'

'Well, we _are_ walking,' Zelos says, waving an arm. 'Come on Hunny, I know Ozette sounds like a whacked out place, but the Great Zelos is here to protect y-'

'No, no, I mean ...' Colette interrupts quickly, taking a step back. 'I can hear armour clinking ... a lot of it ... it's coming this way from Ozette.'

... Aw, shit. I remember now.

'Papal Knights?' Sheena asks, shoulders sagging with a sigh. Apparently she didn't need an answer, because we all deflate in a similar fashion. 'Damn, those guys just aren't letting up today ...'

'They're pretty far, but ...' Colette explains with a hard look, shaking her head. She must be concentrating pretty thoroughly to be able to tell how far away they are. 'They're definitely coming this way.'

Zelos groans, palming a hand to his face and looking back over his shoulder. I do the same, and all we see is shadowy bushes that seem to have closed in on us from behind or something. 'Well we can't go back now; we'll get lost for sure.'

'Can we really fight another group of them again?' Genis asks, and I notice he still looks exhausted from the fight before ... and that was about an hour ago. Raine doesn't look all that well either, and Lloyd and Zelos are still wounded. God, don't you just love how prepared we are all the time? Seriously, I'm surprised Pronyma isn't just strolling past and throwing Colette over her shoulder to kidnap. Like we could actually _do_ anything to stop her.

... Oh crap, I hope I didn't just jinx us.

'I'm not seeing that arrogant bastard around anywhere, so it's pretty unlikely he'll be saving our asses again,' Zelos says, looking up to the trees and talking about you-know-how. Lloyd just growls, probably hating how we still kinda-sorta-not really rely on Kratos to rescue us from random shit. But yeah, I can't see Kratos swooping down and saving us twice in a row. That'd be kinda creepy – like he's stalking us or something.

... I probably shouldn't have said that, what with us _actually_ being stalked from the tree-tops. You'll see what I mean in a minute, because I just heard some ruffles overhead. Colette picks them up too, and we both glance above. A few black leaves flutter down, and yes, someone is definitely up there.

'... Ugh, are you serious?' Lloyd groans, looking back and seeing us both staring toward the sky. He folds his arms, scowling up into the trees. 'Kratos, get lost! We can look after ourselves!'

... Aww, poor Lloyd. To be fair, Kratos does treat him like a child whenever he shows up.

'It doesn't ... sound like Kratos,' Colette mumbles. 'The weight ... it's different ...'

Yeah, I'll guess he's a bunch heavier. I'm actually surprised none of the branches overhead have snapped and sent him crunching to the ground, but hey. I'm not up there, so I wouldn't know.

'Papal Knights in the trees?' Genis asks, and I roll my eyes. Because those armour-clad brutes can _totally_ climb trees and stalk us through them, right? 'It's just one thing after another!'

Genis whips out his kendama, holding out an arm to indicate that Presea stand back. Y'know, just in case Genis hits her with his solid hardcore. Damn, Genis, please get your dignity back.

... We all step back a little, not too keen on getting crushed by a facefull of heavy iron. That'd suck balls.

'Wind Blade!'

Genis thrusts a hand up toward the trees, and the very air seems to ripple and blur around his kendama before shooting up into the thick, dark plants above. The force splits through the shadows for a moment, and moonlight filters in through the gap in the trees. Leaves flutter down from the impact, but ... maybe Genis missed?

... Okay apparently not, because the shadows are barely able to conceal some _beast of a man_ as he pounces down from the branches above, leg-armour clicking loudly as he lands on the sandy pathway before us. I only regret having to catch Genis by the shoulders again when he jumps in fright, and Lloyd and Zelos go straight for the hilts of their blades.

The man remains crouched like an animal for a few moments, slowly rising tall and observing us carefully through thick, unkempt hair.

_Blue_ hair.

Sheena is obviously the first to remember, what with ... y'know, that stuff about Regal and Yuan being descended from WHATEVER. 'You!'

... I feel a bit stupid when I inch behind Lloyd for protection, because ... well, it's Regal. I shouldn't be scared. But he doesn't ... I don't know; he doesn't _look_ like I pictured him. I mean, he _actually_ looks like a prisoner – gruff, tall, muscled ... and handcuffed, I guess. I dunno, I guess the generic pretty-boy trait of Tales of Symphonia's style doesn't pull through for some people.

I'm not saying Regal is ugly though. I mean hot damn, he's enough to make me retract my statement about wanting a pretty clean man.

... OKAY, the last thing I need is another crush here, especially while he's our enemy for now.

'Oh crap, I remember you!' Zelos exclaims, already drawing a sword and pointing it to our newcomer. 'You're that old geezer from the sewers!'

Regal doesn't respond to "old geezer", thankfully. We don't need Zelos having his face kicked off yet.

'I remember now ...' Lloyd adds, giving Regal a searching look. Well, it's dark ... and it was even darker in the Meltokio sewers. Regal isn't exactly saying much or doing much yet, so he's probably just waiting for us to get our raging accusations out of the way. 'You were trying to kidnap Colette and kill Zelos, right!?'

Nail on the head, I think. Sheena goes back to pretending to be Colette so that the _real_ one doesn't get kidnapped again, yanking out a card and glaring. Good god, can we let the man speak now? He's not even done anything to harm us – he's just standing there. Chill out, guys.

'Are you quite done?' Regal asks, not looking at all deterred or amused. I don't think I mentioned this before, but there's a weird thing with Regal that I noticed back at the sewers, too. His voice, just ... doesn't seem to match him. He sounds far too well-spoken and dignified, too confident to be a convict. I think Raine might be the only other one that notices, because she looks a bit puzzled also.

'I won't deny that I have tried to thwart your progress on behalf of the Pope before,' Regal says rather calmly, holding up both tightly-bound hands as a sign of peace. I hope. 'Though, this time I come bearing no ill intentions. I don't not wish to fight you.'

... We're not exactly fooled, but everyone is starting to look a bit less uptight. Sheena's lowering her arms a little, and Zelos just seems to be ... well to be honest, now that Regal's just bust out a bunch of long words and polite mannerisms that's made Lloyd's brain collapse, I think Zelos is remembering just who he might be. He doesn't say anything though.

'... Wait, you're not here to subdue us?' Sheena asks, still scowling. Regal shakes his head.

'Though my freedom to pursue you was given to me by order of the Pope, I am here to act upon my own interests. I simply wish to speak with the young girl travelling with you.'

... Colette, Sheena, Presea and me exchange glances. Okay, most of our group is composed of young girls. This is awkward.

'You mean ... Colette?' Lloyd asks, pointing to ... well, Sheena after a moment. That's one method of making sure Colette isn't getting kidnapped every two minutes, that's for sure.

Regal just nods toward the soulless girl of our group, who is currently standing rather fearlessly beside Lloyd. She doesn't seem to have reacted at all, which isn't too surprising. Oddly enough, Regal doesn't look surprised either. Maybe Vharley told him that Alicia's older sister underwent the project too?

Genis grabs Presea by the shoulders pulling her back a little. 'Are you serious!? You really think we'd let you do what you want after you tried to kill us!?'

'I never intended to take your lives,' Regal says rather firmly. He doesn't even sound defensive. He just _knows_. 'I was ordered to retrieve Sylvarant's Chosen, not to kill.'

'And those are your objectives now?' Raine asks.

Regal's hands tighten. 'I have no intention to harm you. I am acting upon my own will. Please allow me to speak with her, if only for a moment.'

... We all begin swapping "what the feck do we do" looks. Until suddenly, Genis perks up with a shout.

'I know what's going on!' he exclaims, waving an arm. 'This guy – he's stalling us until the Papal Knights get here!'

To be fair, that does make sense ... but dammit, no! Bad Genis!

'Hey yeah, that's right!' Sheena agrees, and I just kinda ... facepalm at the back of the group. Regal himself looks a bit bemused, but everyone else seems to be the ... sadly very believable story.

'I don't – ngh!'

I look up toward Regal, and notice that he has one of Sheena's cards flattened firmly across a bicep. Poor thing can't exactly reach to get it off, but that ... that definitely looks like a Life Seal. I remember having one used on me at the Water Seal – they knock you unconscious after a minute or so, right? I think Sheena and me are thinking along the same lines when she readies another card, because someone as hulking as Regal doesn't look like he's about to be brought down by one card.

Regal himself seems to already be feeling the effects, and his eyes darken slightly in frustration. '... Very well.'

And suddenly oh shit, because he's running at us and not good not good NOT GOOD-

Sheena has to fling up a quick guardian seal to deflect a drop kick going for her face, but Regal just kicks off it with a back flip and ... and lands, and ...

... Regal is really cool.

Ugggh dammit. If I get a crush on Regal, I'm gonna cry.

'Oh sh- he's really fast!' Lloyd shouts, dodging to one side to avoid a hard kick to his shoulder. What the frick – Regal _is_ fast ... you can barely see the kicks coming, let alone locate him fast enough to smack him or something. Even if I was willing to start shooting, I don't think I could hit him.

Genis wraps an arm around an unresponsive Presea's arm, dragging her back with one hand and waving his kendama with the other. Suddenly the ground beneath Regal is stirring and grinding, and I feel a stalagmite coming on. Regal notices the change in the surroundings and grabs Lloyd's shoulder, flipping over above him to avoid the pillar of Earth that should have sent him hurtling into the sky Team Rocket style.

... DAMN, Regal is a friggin' athlete ... I swear to god.

Lloyd groans loudly in frustration, trying to spin on one foot and catch out Regal behind him before he can move again. Regal _doesn't_ move, but he just ... deflects Lloyd's swords by holding up his handcuffs at the right angle.

... Then suddenly, kick to the stomach, and Lloyd is sent spiralling across the ground. Fun times.

I'm _really_ not aiming to get my teeth kicked out here, so I think I'll just ... y'know, heal.

Raine seems to be focusing on a still-injured Zelos who is taking over with Sheena, and I jog over to a winded looking Lloyd.

'... The hell ...' he wheezes, sitting up and fumbling for his swords. 'That guy ...'

'Uh huh,' I mumble, touching his back and casting a quick First Aid. It's easier if you're actually _touching_ the wound, apparently. I just can't aim from afar.

Sheena seems to have been able to land another Life Seal on Regal, and he stumbles a little at the conjoined force. Zelos takes the opportunity to cut across his chest before he can move away, but he _does_ manage to avoid a stream of lightning from Genis' direction. Damn, even after two Life Seals, Regal can still MOVE LIKE THAT. This guy is mad.

Lloyd is immediately up from my side and back into the fray, managing to send what looks like Demon Fang toward Regal before he can jump away from another slash from Zelos. They're able to catch him a lot more now, so Sheena's cards must be working.

'Damn ...' Regal grunts, holding a hand to the bleeding injury across his chest. I manages to avoid the three people who are _actually fighting_ while casting some sort of ... healing thing for himself. Oh, that must have been one of the, uh ... y'know.

'Presea!'

That was Genis. I look over from casting First Aid on Lloyd's shoulder, and she seems to have broken away from Genis' grip, axe in hand.

Regal glances over, mutters her name to himself to memorize, and ignores the others. Another card misses his back when he heads right for our pink-haired zombie, easily avoiding one of her axe's heavy-swings. I notice his movements are getting slightly sluggish, so he's probably trying to do what he came here for before he gets knocked out.

'Oh no you don't!' Genis shouts, already powering up a nasty looking ... the fuck, is that Ice Tornado?

'No no no no no!' I cry, sprinting over to stop him. 'You'll hit Presea!'

Apparently my body doesn't care that he stopped casting, and I end up lunging at him and throwing us both to the floor. Aww yeah, how smooth am I?

Regal on the other hand, hasn't harmed Presea at all. He's behind her so she can't maim him with her axe, hands strong on her shoulders and looking ... terribly worn out. Dammit Sheena!

'You have a sister ... Alicia?' Regal asks, and Genis is sitting up on his elbow and reaching for his kendama to stop him. I just body slam him back to the floor so he doesn't kill Regal, and even the others seem to be hanging back a little. He really isn't about to harm Presea, so ...

... I get the feeling we've been fighting the wrong person to avoid violence, because Presea just turns slowly as if to react to her sister's name, looks up to Regal, and ...

Well, thwacks him in a pressure point with the blunt of her axe.

That, plus both Life Seals kicking in, finally send the animalistic man to his knees in a daze. Presea doesn't finish him off – she just watches him struggle for the last few moments, eyes empty and void of sympathy.

The grief that crosses Regal's face is unmistakable before he finally slumps down to the floor on his side, battered and unconscious.

------------

'_You know, I've been thinking about something.'_

'_What's that, Lloyd?'_

'_Well ... do you remember in the Water Seal, when ... uh ...'_

'_When you used my cards and I forced you into a vow of silence should you ever come to my village in Tethe'alla, lest we get engaged?'_

'_... Y-yeah, that.' _

'_What about it?'_

'_It's just that, well ... if we DO go to your village, and ... uh. You know. Have to get married, then ...'_

'_It'll only be in my village. But that won't matter, because you WON'T say anything, and we WON'T have to get married.'_

'_I know! I just thought that maybe if they find out, I wouldn't be able to get married when I grow up.'_

'_W-well, you'd just be married to me in Mizuho, so ... you can get married outside of the village to whoever ...'_

'_Phew! That's a relief!'_

'_... You sure know how to make a girl feel wanted, huh?'_

'_Eh? Oh, well, anyway ... what about you?'_

'_The only way I can get out of a betrothal is if I become the village chief and annul our marriage myself.'_

'_Ohh ... hey, what's so bad about being married to me, anyway!?'_

'_Wh - you're the one asking if you can get out of it!'_

---------------

'Zelos told us that the houses are made out of gold and silver, and that the people of Mizuho eat mist!'

'Yeah, he said that girls are called, uh ... "maiko"?'

'Uh huh! And men are called "samurai", and women are called, um ... "geisha"?'

'Wow, these words are hard to remember ...'

'Lloyd, what were shoes called again?'

'Didn't Zelos say they were, um, "geta"?'

'I think so ... and people lived in "Shintor Shrines"?'

Sheena holds a palm firmly to her face in exhaustion while she leads us toward Mizuho to escape the wrath of the Papal Knights. Colette, Genis and Lloyd talk excitedly between themselves at their newfound knowledge of Sheena's village, Raine seems to unwillingly believe half of it, and Zelos is looking quite pleased with himself. I look over to Team Iselia talking excitedly to eachother, Colette with Regal thrown over her shoulder like a heavy potato sack for us to squeeze information out of later, and Presea trying to process all this new information in her encyclopaedia head.

Sheena just rubs her brow through an obvious migraine, and I look up to Zelos who simply walks along with a grin, arms folded behind his head.

'You're a dick.'

'I know~'


	84. Pirates Are Better

Sorry about the lack of updates, been busy with college as well as my own original story. also, pimping out a collab that i'm doing with SonicRocksMySocks over at deviantart - we're making a fake animated opening for TWC, and you can see the first WIP here ( tinyurl . com /flashwip )

* * *

**Chapter 84 - Pirates Are Better**

'_Uggh ...'_

'_Is something wrong, Charlotte?'_

'_Y-yeah ... Professor, you know how you told me that I should be healing?'_

'_Yes, I noticed you trying to ease into that role earlier. You're not doing too bad.'_

'_About that ... um, is it possible for someone who's supposed to be a healer, to like ... NOT be a healer?'_

'_You liked what you were doing before better?'_

'_Well ... yeah. I know it sounds weird, but I like fighting alongside Lloyd and the others ... I mean, healing is okay, but ...'_

'_I believe it is possible in your case. While I myself have studied nothing but healing arts, you have offensive magic and techniques that you had been practicing before.'_

'_So, could I switch between the two roles?'_

'_Well ... it would be difficult. Much like you neglected your magic in favour of offensive techniques before, the role you fill less will become more complex for you.'_

'_Oh ...' _

'_I believe you should try pursuing what you find more comfortable. Simply because you would be more suited for healing, it doesn't necessarily mean you will be useless for everything else. Perhaps practice a little harder.'_

'_Okay ... thanks, Professor.'_

------------

Well, Mizuho is _fun_.

Lemme give you an update.

So ... we'd been following Sheena for about an hour, deeper and deeper into the Gaoracchia Forest toward her "hidden village". It's weird, I used to think Mizuho was outside the forest, but apparently it's even deeper within. That opening where the village usually is in the game? Yeah, that's apparently still just forest. The village is supposed to be near the river in a large clearing, but it's not easy to find without someone from Mizuho leading you there. God knows I thought we'd crossed the same paths about ten times.

So after a bunch of complaining, whining, getting cut by branches and scared by even more silence, we finally came across the apparent gold-building, mist-eating, ginger-"Shintor"-shrine village that is Mizuho. Which isn't any of those, to Team Iselia's dismay – it's just a poor looking traditional village.

Mizuho is actually a lot bigger than I remember. Like, there aren't only two houses. There's actually quite a few, all varying in different sizes. There's a noticeably big one which is pretty much smack-dab in the middle of the village which I'll assume is the chief's house, but it doesn't look fancy or anything.

The village actually looks really nice. It's the middle of the night now, so it's too dark to see _much_, but it does look really ... cosy, I guess. There's a small brook running around the village, there's a few trees adorned with paper cards and charms, there's little farms on the outskirts ... and there are cute little orange lanterns hanging from people's houses! Aw, I want one.

Anyway yeah, I shouldn't really be talking casually about how nice Mizuho actually looks in our current situation. I'm supposed to be bringing you up to speed, sorry.

So yeah, we got to the village, _barely_ got in through the front archway, and there's no more than a rustle of grass before we're ambushed. And I don't mean ambushed as in wrestled to the ground or shot at, I mean ambushed Mizuho-style. In the blink of an eye, there are many heavily-clothed ninjas behind each of us, holding up odd-looking knives to our throats, should we make a move.

... So yeah! Here we are now, in the dark and awkwardly at the mercy of eerily silent ninjas and their little knife-things. Well, except Sheena, who's looking a bit "oopsie" at this stage.

'... That was fast,' Zelos says first, breaking the silence with a whistle. I'm not even gonna turn my head. The guy behind me is a lot taller and stockier than me, and that knife is biting into my skin enough as it is.

Lloyd actually isn't stupid enough to fight back for once. 'Sheena, did you-'

'N-no!' our very own ninja snaps quickly, waving her hands. 'Th-these guys are fine, you can let them go!'

'They're outsiders.'

Aw frick, more ninjas. Well okay, only the one new ninja, but there's enough here as it is!

I'm pretty sure these Mizuho-guys have the ability to just pop out of nowhere, because this new guy seems to have just walked out of a shadow no more than ten feet away from Sheena herself. He's got his face hidden much like the others keeping us restrained (it's not like we're stupid enough to move anyway), but he looks a little different ... almost familiar, I guess. I honestly can't remember that much from the game, but I think he's one of those brothers? Kuchi-something?

'Orochi!'

Okay, or that, whatever.

This Orochi-guy folds his arms after giving us a glance over, turning to Sheena. I hope no one pisses him off, because he's got this bigass katakana thing on his back that looks pretty painful. 'Sheena, you know outsiders are forbidden from the village!'

'I bought them here!' Sheena announces in our defence. 'They're the travellers from Sylvarant. We came here to escape the Pope's men blocking our way to Ozette.'

Orochi doesn't look any less pissed that Sheena's snapping their laws, but I feel the knife at my throat ease off a little. Judging by the group sigh, I'd guess they're backing off.

'The Vice-Chief sent you to supervise them, not to _get involved_ with them,' Orochi seethes. Hot damn, he really has it in for Sheena.

'I'm prepared to face the consequences of breaking our village's regulations,' Sheena says in an almost uncharacteristically formal tone. 'But I would like to speak with the Vice Chief before my punishment is final.'

'Punishment?' Lloyd asks, trying to move a little. 'Sheena, wait! You can't just – ow!'

She just shakes her head as Lloyd recoils into the front of his captor, flinching while the knife digs into the skin of his throat. 'It's okay. I knew this would happen if I bought you guys here.'

Lloyd looks disgruntled, but the line of blood running down his neck is most likely what's stopping him from making another outburst. 'Ugh ...'

After sending him a stern look, Sheena turns back to Orochi. '... We've been through a lot today. I'll talk to the Vice Chief and face up to my crime, but at least let these ones rest. They're wounded.'

'You trust them?'

'With my life. I know I'm stepping out of bounds, but I really want to let them relax. Let them stay the night in a spare shack, and I'll talk to the Vice Chief meanwhile. We can have a discussion in the morning.'

Y'know, she could call us friends. All of us except Zelos and Regal, at least.

Orochi nods. '... Very well. But trust me, I'm only letting this slide because the Vice Chief has been worried about you.'

Sheena pinks a little, but like I said before ... she really does look like she's trying hard to act all official or something. 'I want to get this done fast.'

I realise that the ninjas behind us are ... well, after about two seconds of stepping back, practically gone. The hell? Damn, man ... that's really creepy! I don't think I can get used to this ... ninjas popping in and out every two seconds and all. They're worse than Kratos!

Orochi still looks pissed, but Sheena's turned back to us so she can finally explain the state of her affairs to our faces. She looks guilty about the whole situation, as well as the fact that Lloyd's is now rubbing the blood away from his neck.

'That was pretty uncalled for,' Zelos says with a sour look, but Sheena just ignores him and turns to Raine and Lloyd.

'I'm sorry about this, but you guys are gonna have to be supervised for the night ...' Sheena tells us almost awkwardly, watching the collective looks of dismay pass our faces. Well, no one likes being watched while they're asleep ... and as I believe, in one tiny "shack". Fun.

'... Yay,' I decide after a moment, breaking the disgruntled silence. Sheena doesn't look any less comforted at our reaction.

'It's ... mostly because of the big guy,' Sheena says, pointing to the unconscious lump of man still hanging over Colette's shoulder. Gosh, poor Regal ... he'll be so confused when he wakes up. 'But you know how it is ...'

'Thaaat's typical of Mizuho,' Zelos sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Don't trust anyone from the outside.'

Sheena frowns, but Zelos pretty much has it right on. 'We'll ... talk in the morning.'

Lloyd grumbles to himself, yanking his collar back up after tending to the small cut on his neck. 'Sheena, this whole "punishment" thing-'

'It's fine,' she snaps, grabbing his forearm and dragging him over. 'Look, over there – go rest up there, and I'll sort everything out before morning.'

Orochi coughs loudly, and I decide I _really_ don't like this guy. Him or his katakana. 'Don't stray or try escaping. You have almost thirty pairs of eyes on you right now.'

Group shiver go. _Thirty_? Christ, Mizuho _is_ uptight about who gets in or out ... I mean, in the game they practically just strolled on in. I'm sure the only reason we didn't get our heads cut off about ten minutes ago was because Sheena was with us, and that's a pretty creepy.

'That's ... nice,' Raine mutters darkly, and it's odd to see her looking so pissed. Because really, she looks like she could stride over to Orochi and shove her staff through his face before he could even start reaching over his shoulder. I think it's because of the Lloyd-thing.

Sheena indicates the house we're supposed to be heading for one last time, because Orochi literally has to start dragging her away, and Lloyd doesn't look happy at all. To be honest, I don't think he'd like the sight of _any_ of his friends being manhandled. Unless he was doing the manhandling, but whatever. God, I am _really_ spacey tonight ... I guess I'm just all exhausted and confused. I could really use a nice, long sleep while ignoring that I'm being watched by ninjas (I hope I don't call the people of Mizuho pretentious douchebags in my sleep, I really do), but there's oooone thing that needs sorting out before I go to sleep.

Genis? Yeah, that. Him being nice. It's god damn weird. It's not _bad_, it's just weird. He's either up to something, or something happened in the space of, uhh ... leaving Meltokio and _now_ to make him not be a dick to me.

We start trudging at the _SLOWEST SPEED EVER_ toward that dinky looking house we're supposed to be spending the night in. I don't think any of us quite feel like skipping over there gaily, especially now we're all tired and hurt and pissed off and ... being watched. Ugggh, I'm not going to be able to get over that. Does that also mean we can't complain? Because I could really go on a rant right about now.

... Actually I think all of us could, because we all look about ready to murder anyone who walks past.

Well ... we get to the "shack" without any casualties – all of us shuffling along sore and tired - and it takes Lloyd about half a minute to figure out how to open the door. After Raine bitchslaps him out the way and slides it open, we all start filtering in and looking around our sleeping place for the night. I'm not even halfway in, and I can tell it's bad. Zelos lets out a loud swear that I'm not going to repeat, and Raine just sighs.

'It's a bit small ...' Colette says quietly, looking around. I do the same, and _yes_, it is a "bit small". The ceiling is pretty low ... I guess Zelos could probably hit his head if he jumped, and the floor is made out of ... tightly woven straw, I think. It's the same for the walls, there's one small window which also seems rather slide-y, and ... that's about it. Really. It's the blandest place ever. I mean ... I know it's not an _inn_, but there they made the effort to throw out some plants and pictures and shit.

'I don't care,' Lloyd declares rather loudly, taking off his satchel and slinging it over to one corner (now dubbed our "luggage corner"). 'I just wanna sleep. I just wanna sit down and _sleep_.'

'Now you're talkin',' Zelos groans, slapping him on the back after throwing his own bag over to the other side of the room. He immediately heads for a corner, practically flopping down to the floor in a tired lump of Chosen, dragging his headband over his eyes. 'Wake me up when the banshee is back.'

Lloyd blinks. 'Bansh-?'

'Sheena,' I yawn, holding my own bag awkwardly. I dunno if I want to use it as a pillow or not ... I mean, it's doesn't exactly have the softest contents. If anything I'll wake up with life bottle marks in my face. 'But ... yeah. We've done way too much today.'

'Came through the sewers,' Genis begins, listing the event off on his fingers. 'Being ambushed by _that_ guy, getting to Sybak, talking to Kate, getting to the Gaoracchia Forest, getting attacked by Papal Knights, getting attacked by _that_ guy again, and now coming to Sheena's village.'

A deep exhalation from the corner of the room tells us that the thought of today alone was enough to knock Zelos out cold.

'Oh ... right, what about this guy?' Lloyd asks, pointing to Regal. Colette finally walks over to the corner opposite Zelos, carefully setting down his unconscious body. 'What if he wakes up while we're here and attacks us?'

I shrug. 'We could put handcuffs on hi- oh wait.'

'We can restrain his legs,' Raine says, already going through her bags for some sort of rope. 'That's what he was using to fight.'

Lloyd grumbles again, placing a hand over his stomach. 'I feel like he kicked my insides up to my chest or something.'

'Thanks,' Genis hisses with an "urp", sliding down to the floor beneath the window with his bag. 'H-he'd better not try anything ... Presea, make sure you stay away from him!'

She wordlessly walks past him and thuds down beside Zelos. Aww, poor Genis. Will he ever feel the love!?

I look around for somewhere to sleep while Raine takes out some random cloth (I think that was a spare shirt, actually) to tie around Regal's ankles ... just in case he wakes up. To be honest, I doubt he could try anything even if we didn't restrain him. We _do_ have people watching us, after all. They're not about to let some raving madman start killing us, right? Not that Regal _is_ a raving madman, it's just – OH GOD I should sleep before I get even weirder.

I thud down beside Genis, and he immediately grits his teeth. Wait, what? Does he hate me again? God damn bipolar half elf! Well whatever, I need to get this dealt with before I practically collapse all over him in a tired mess.

'So, uh ...' I start awkwardly, drumming my fingers on my knees while he uneasily begins rummaging through his bag for something to do. 'Wassup?'

'N ... nothing,' Genis says almost defensively, still keeping his eyes fixed upon the insides of his bag. Oh come on, your valuables are not _that _interesting. I just roll my eyes and glance around, trying to think of what else to say. It's not as if I can just come out with "so why aren't you a douche anymore", so ... I'm going to have to be tactful about this.

Raine finally has Regal all tied up (ooh kinky), and I think we're just leaving him alone on _that_ side of the room while we all ... rest it up over here. Raine wobbles over to the door, sliding it shut and taking her place beside it against the other wall. Lloyd takes his own place a foot or two away from Zelos, and we're all set to sleep!

Except not, because I'm still poking Genis in the shoulder in hopes that he'll answer me properly. No one else seems to notice, so Genis just glares at his feet while he waits for me to stop. No chance, little man! Stop being a jerk and tell me why you stopped being a jerk!

'Okay, what?' Genis sighs, turning to me. Yay!

I look around to make sure no one is discreetly leaning in to eavesdrop. To be fair, pretty much everyone can hear us even if we whisper. Uhh ... actually, this may not be the best time to talk ... maybe that's what Genis was hinting at.

'So like, what was up at Gaoracchia forest?' I ask rather plainly, ignoring my own advice. I'm too tired to listen to common sense right now. My words get a few glances from around the room, especially from Colette who just takes a seat beside a weary looking professor.

Genis is either playing the fool, or is genuinely confused. '... What?'

'You were being borderline nice,' I tell him quietly. 'It was weird.'

... Yeah, he's still staring at me. _Maybe_ I'm coming on too strong? Who knows!

'I was? I-I mean, can ...' Genis starts awkwardly, still looking rather bemused at my accusations of him being a decent person. How dare I! 'Can we do this ... tomorrow? I'm too tired for this.'

I frown, biting down on the inside of my cheek. Sounds like he didn't even realise. That's weird. 'Fiiine.'

Well, that's plan A out the window. I guess I'll try and talk to him after that big discussion with the Vice-Chief and Sheena tomorrow. Though knowing us, so many things will get in the way and I'll _never_ find out why Genis momentarily treated me like I was human. Woe is me. But really, what could have happened between Meltokio and now to make him do an utter 360? It's strange ... maybe I'm missing something? Maybe it's the same reason_ Noishe_ randomly didn't hate me? Dammit, I demand answers! I wish Charis was here ...

Y'know ... even though a lot of her theories have been proved wrong since she left.

... God, I'm not about to go all sad-sack now after our amazing group-improvement at the Gaoracchia Forest, but I really do miss having someone else around who ... well, _knows_ about my situation. I feel kinda lonely in that sense ... I mean, I know I have the others, and I'm grateful that they're still bringing me along, but it would be nice to have someone to unload on about this homesick crap I get every week or so.

But on a lighter note ... we really did have some improvement back at the forest. We hadn't had any real fights for so long, so it was nice to see everyone was still up to shape. I'm kinda surprised I was, too. I think the last time I had to fight for my life was at the Tower, and ... well, that was the last time I actually kicked some ass. I'm glad I've still got it, I guess! Other than that, all I've been doing is, uh ... wait, we've had no real fights other than that. Wow, we'd better not start slacking.

... I decide we can slack for a while, because literally everyone is already asleep. Damn, we've been down for about three minutes. Was it really that tiring today?

Genis has already slumped over on his bag beside me, the girls are asleep beside eachother (beside Presea, who looks like she's kinda feigning sleep), and Zelos who's obviously still out like a light. Lloyd's ... well, he still looks kinda-awake. He doesn't actually look tired, just ... kinda pissed off.

... Therapist Charlotte, go!

'You okay?' I ask quietly over the quickly-settled silence. Well, we might as well get any bad feelings out of the way so we can all sleep peacefully. Lloyd looks up, seemingly surprised that I'm still awake. I wonder if I looked tired ...

He shakes his head quickly, and then ... 'M'fine ...'

Okay, I'm not talking to Lloyd from the other side of the room. After deciding I can hear far too many cicadas, I glance over and make sure the door is firmly shut. I gather up my bag and immediately curse the dark, stumbling my way over to Lloyd's free side.

I drop my bag to the floor and thump down heavily beside Lloyd. He jumps, probably not noticing me walk over through the dark. To be honest, the only light coming in is from the lanterns outside, and even then ... it's not that strong. Just enough for me to see the outline of a few figures. Mizuho is now definitely my least favourite city/village/thing. Especially if we get treated like this.

'I said I'm fine ...' Lloyd mutters in a defensive tone, folding his arms tightly. Oh god, did Genis' bitchy attitude transfer over to Lloyd or something? Everyone is confusing me lately!

'I'm totally about to fall asleep,' I say bluntly, looking over to him from the dark. I still can't see much, but I can see enough to know he's pissed about something. 'So please don't pull that vague crap with me.'

'I'm not-!' Lloyd starts, but I assume even through the dark he can see the look I'm giving him. He just holds his tongue, and I see him slump further back against the wall.

'Was it Kratos?' I ask rather forwardly, and it's not hard to miss the noticeable flinch that grips him. I'm not sure if we still have to tip-toe around that subject, but he definitely seems to be getting more relaxed about it since that encounter with him at the Fooji mountains. I guess before then he was just building up and up on his own theories, but when Kratos finally showed up all "no I'm actually a douche", I guess that kinda settled it for him.

... Granted, Kratos was significantly _less_ douchey today, but that was apparently just because Noishe was following him around to find out about Cruxis for us. Uh-huh.

'I feel guilty about Sheena, that's all ...' Lloyd huffs, glaring at his knees. 'Why does she have to be punished just for trying to help us?'

I make a face, shrugging. I'm not sure how to answer that myself, but the least I could do is try to ease him off the idea that's Sheena's about to get beaten into a pulp. I mean, she's not ... right? Right.

'She'll be fine,' I say softly, but the look Lloyd gives me is already saying that old line is pretty much useless right now. 'Really!'

'It just makes my stomach churn to think that right now ...' Lloyd trails off with an almost pained look, biting his lip. 'This is our fault ... we should get over there and say something bef-'

'Lloyd, no,' I say quickly, sitting up on my knees. 'We're being watched, remember? If we try and break out, we'll seem like untrustworthy "guests" of Sheena's, and she'll get into even more trouble for bringing us here!'

He grits his teeth. 'But I can't just sit back and-!'

There's a soft grumble from across the room, and Genis rolls over under the light from the window. Lloyd shuts up after realising his mindless shouting is stirring people from what looks like _very_ deep sleep, and slumps back against the wall in a moody fit. I ease back down beside him, straightening out my aching legs. I didn't realise how sore they felt after all that walking today, and kneeling up like that practically shattered my kneecaps.

'... I just hate sitting around doing nothing,' Lloyd seethes, glaring out the window. 'One of my friends might be in danger, and I'm sitting around here!?'

'Sheena can take care of herself, Lloyd,' I tell him, keeping my voice low now I notice a few more people around us shifting in their sleep. I try to think of what I can say while watching Colette snuggle up into the professor's side, but nothing is coming to mind. I _know_ she'll be fine, but I guess Lloyd has to worry for the night. I have no idea _what_ punishment Sheena might have to go through – to be honest, the only one she's told us about is being forced to marry. Like, because Lloyd knows a Mizuho secret, they have to keep it in the clan. Oh shit, maybe she'll have to marry all of us?

While I consider Sheena becoming the new pimp in place of Zelos, Lloyd sighs tiredly and rubs his forehead.

'Headache?' I ask softly, and he glances to me through his fingers.

'Worried ...'

Okay, I can't hack panicky-Lloyd. Time to change the subject! Well, try to at least. I feel good today beside the whole Sheena thing, and that's been a rarity in itself since the Tower. I can't have anyone else feeling down!

'Uhh ...' I try, drumming my fingers in my knees again. 'Uhh – oh! You – you were really cool today. Um, with fighting those Papal Knights and all.'

'... Hah. Zelos was dragging me around half of the time,' Lloyd mutters in response with the smallest grin, dropping his hand back to his lap. 'Y'know ... he's not actually half bad at fighting.'

I just give him a flat look.

'... Okay fine, so he's really good!' Lloyd admits with a flush, folding his arms again. 'I just didn't expect him to be. He's always talking big and everything, so I just thought-'

'He'd pussy out and let you do the work?' I finish for him, and I'm answered with a rather guilty nod. 'To be honest, I think he's got some personal beef with the Papal Knights. That might be why he's been fighting like that lately ... he must have a lot of locked up anger to unleash.'

'Kinda creepy when you think about it ...'

I nod, resting back against the wall with a sigh. Okay, so that's one bout of depressed-Lloyd we've avoided ... so now I just have to hope it lasts the night, and then tomorrow he can see that Sheena is totally fine and not a dead and bloodied pulp. Right? Right.

'... You were pretty good, too.'

I snort, shaking my head. 'Hah ... you think? That was my first fight in Tethe'alla ... I was beginning to think I'd get a little rusty.'

Lloyd nods. 'Yeah ... this is nothing like Sylvarant. Monsters are only just appearing in this world, but back home they were everywhere.'

'It's kinda nice, not having to fight all the time,' I mumble, picking at the edge of my dress ... tunic thing. I still don't know. 'But I know we'll be fighting a lot if we keep doing what we're doing, so ...'

'Hey ... you were healing today, right?'

I frown. 'I was trying to help fight as well!'

'No, I mean ... I just don't think I've ever seen you focus on healing before,' Lloyd explains, shrugging. 'You're pretty good.'

'Not as good as the Professor ...' I admit rather thickly.

'Well ... what I meant was, you didn't look tense or anything. You usually did back at Sylvarant when you tried to use magic ... today you just looked natural, like Genis when he uses magic and stuff.'

I glance toward the half-elf we're suddenly talking about, but he looks extremely out of it right now. Probably off in his own little fantasy land, dreaming about certain pink-haired, secretly twenty-eight year old girls. I wouldn't be surprised if he started scribbling Mr Genis Combatir on the back of his notebooks. Ahh, young love.

'... What was up with Genis today?' I ask, turning back to a suddenly confused looking Lloyd. I grimace and attempt to elaborate. 'He was ... acting kinda nice, I guess. Calling me over to look at the map with you guys, not making snide remarks or anything ...'

'Yeah ... I noticed that ...' Lloyd mumbles, furrowing his brow a little in thought. 'He started acting weird after we left Sybak ...'

Sybak ... what happened at Sybak?

'It was the weirdest thing ... the Professor came over to get some mana-sample thing from him, and when she told him it was for you he just looked ... strange.'

'Pffthaha ...' I giggle, rubbing my fringe from my eyes. 'Probably shocked that I'm making an attempt to better myself on the battlefield.'

Lloyd nods. 'I don't blame you for not wanting to fight, though. Not after what happened before ... if it were me, I'd be too scared to even pick up my swords again ...'

'But it's just odd, I suppose ...' I push on the subject of Genis, trying not to let us go down another depressing path of conversation. 'I mean ... he seemed a bit snippy in the sewers, but that was just in general.'

Lloyd rubs his chin, glancing over to his bestestfriendforever, and then over to Raine and Colette. I just sit silently for a few moments, watching him almost attempt to scrutinize. Lloyd can't exactly scrutinize, so it's a fun sight.

'... I think I know what it is.'

'You do!?' I almost exclaim, jumping back up to my knees. Oh god, my bones, ow. Back down I go. 'What is it?'

'Okay, so ...' Lloyd starts quietly once the others begin shifting in their sleep again. He turns toward me, looking utterly strained to make sense. 'Keep up with me here ... Professor Sage came over to us to get Genis' mana thingie, and she told us you wanted to find out how you should be fighting ...'

'Oh ... so you think it's because I'm trying to fight again?' I ask, and Lloyd frowns a little.

'I said keep up. Alright, so later the Professor came back, and she told us that you should be healing, like she does.'

... I nod along.

'And you were healing a whole bunch when we were fighting the Papal Knights at that other guy, right?'

Nod.

'So I think maybe _healing_ ...' Lloyd concludes with emphasis, wagging a finger toward the sleeping mage. 'Is what he associates with his older sister? And because _you_ were healing ...'

'... It's transference?' I finish, and am a little relieved when Lloyd nods in reply. 'Because Raine's always been helping us with her healing ...'

Lloyd slumps back down again, yawning tiredly. 'Yeah, I think so. You're healing just like Professor Sage has been doing all this time, so maybe Genis thinks that's a good thing.'

'Ah well ...' I sigh, sitting back beside him. 'I guess it makes sense right now, so I'll stick with it. Thanks.'

'Anytime,' he mumbles softly, sounding drained with a second yawn.

'Tired now?' I ask, and he nods almost dizzily in reply. I hope all that talking worked to ease his distress about Sheena a little. I know he's probably still worried out of his mind, but if I've helped enough to let him sleep, then I suppose that's the best I can do right now. Honestly, we could all use a good, long sleep ... and I know we're probably going to be shaken awake in the cold, misty morning by a bunch of pissed off ninjas ... but I can at least sleep for as long as I can.

'Altessa's house tomorrow?' I ask, and Lloyd's head bobs tiredly. I don't even know if that was a nod, but he looks like he's struggling with staying awake enough to talk to me. Might as well wrap up this whole thing so we can both get some shut-eye. 'Okay. Night, Lloyd.'

He just slumps gratefully against the wall, clearly quite gone. 'Night, Charlotte.'

My mind doesn't seem to care that I'm overstepping about forty-seven boundaries in uptight-Symphonia-land, but I rest my head against Lloyd's shoulder and just relax against his arm. Screw it; if I don't get a pillow then I get something at least.

Luckily for me, he's already far too gone to throw a shitfit. Nightie-night.

-------

'_Hey brat, I have a question.'_

'_Go away Zelos.'_

'_Hey, hey! I haven't even opened my mouth yet.'_

'_Yes you have.'_

'_So, listen up. It seems to me that we have a little bit of hopeless romance going on in this group. As the great Adonis Zelos, I feel it's my duty to settle this.'_

'_W-what are you talking about!? I-I don't – I mean, it's not like –'_

'_You can't hide it from me! So fess up already. It's not healthy to bottle in your affection for girls.'_

'_Hmph, maybe for you ...'_

'_So come on, spill the beans. You've been having butterflies for a certain sweet young hunny, right?'_

'_M-maybe ... but it's not like that ... I don't think she even-'_

'_Ohhh, I think she does.'_

'_Y-you do!?'_

'_C'mon, those looks you were giving eachother in Gaoracchia Forest? That's a clear sign, little guy. Methinks there's a bit of young love developing.'_

'_... You really think she feels the same way?'_

'_I know so. I've got a gift for this sort of thing.'_

'_... Okay! I've decided! I'm going to tell Presea how I feel!'_

''_Atta boy – wait, what?'_

'_I'm gonna tell her how I feel about her ... and she'll just have to notice me!'_

'_... Whoa, whoops.'_

_-----------_

'Up.'

Aw shit, I knew it.

After attempting to open my eyes, I immediately have to snap them shut once more. It's extremely bright in here, and that is _not_ going to get me up faster, regardless of how many uptight ninjas are here to wake us up.

After the obligatory ringing in my ears that occurs every time I wake up, I hear people shuffling around with sleepy groans. Zelos swears quietly from about two bodies away, looking for a hairbrush by the sound of things. Apparently Colette has it I decide, after listening to her recurring "ow, ow, ow"s. I still don't feel the drive to wake up properly, because ... well, it's comfy and I'm tired.

'_Up_.'

Fiiiine.

I blink myself awake for a few seconds and scan the painfully bright room, in search of any threatening ninjas that have been sent to get us up. Well, there are none. All I see is a rather miffed looking Sheena with her hands on her hips, hair tie askew and heavy, dark bags under her eyes. Good god, I don't think she's slept _at_ _all_. She's looking around at us with impatience, glaring especially at Zelos who's trying to fix his headband. Wow, she looks _really_ worked up.

Well ... at least she doesn't look beat up. Sorry Sheena, I know this is important and all, but I'm gonna try and fit in about two more minutes of sleep.

'Colette, please ...' I hear Sheena mumble, and the sound of hair-brushing immediately stops with a sleepy, apologetic mumble. Sheena claps her hands sharply, and Genis jerks awake with a yelp. I just flinch, squeezing my eyes shut. I _hate_ getting up.

'Look alive, you guys. It took me all night to convince them not to throw you out of the village, now you have to appeal.'

'Appeal?' Raine asks, and it seems she's the only one properly awake right now. Colette trips over something, and is apparently too tired to "ow", but Raine ignores her.

'You guys need to appeal to the Vice Chief and get Mizuho on your side. If it goes well, they've promised to track down the Rheairds for you.'

At the mention of our beloved, flying death-crafts, Lloyd grumbles a little and begins waking up.

'Well,' starts a considerably quieter voice, no less than two feet from my sleep-feigned face while Raine and Sheena continue to converse on the other side of the room. 'It seems I was wrong about your little crush on Genis, Hunny.'

I crack open one eye to see Zelos crouching down infront of me with a rather smug grin. Though he looks exhausted and his hair is quite clearly unkempt, it doesn't stop me from almost tumbling into an embarrassed mess. I just nod and screw my eyes shut, faking sleep once more.

'It seems that both of your crushes lie elsewhere, hm~?'

Well duh, Genis has a thing for Presea and I ... well, obviously have a mandatory teenage crush on Zelos. I thought that was noticeable. Damn, I though _he_ knew that. Doesn't he walk around with the assumption that everyone is hot for him anyway? I mean frick, he thinks _Lloyd_ is hot for him.

... Wait.

My eyes snap back open, Zelos is still there with his smirk in place, and I quickly realise who he was referring to in my case. I practically rip my head away from Lloyd's shoulder and shove him away.

'Wagh!'

I turn back to Zelos while Lloyd finally wakes up properly with a flail, holding up a stern finger and fixing him with the most solid gaze I can.

'I don't,' I tell him sharply, but the look he's giving me just makes my resolve melt like hot butter. I'm not exactly going to come out with "no I have a crush on you, you prick", so I end up simply blushing hard and snatching my bag up from the floor, storming over to the safety of Raine and Sheena. I hear Zelos finally straighten up with a chuckle, giving Lloyd a soft kick to get him up and running.

'You can leave your things here,' Sheena says when she notices me huffing my way over with my bag in hand, and I waste no time flinging it in the general direction of Zelos' head. Judging by the third pained shout from Lloyd, I missed.

'So, uh ...' I begin, grabbing my boots from the luggage corner and slipping them on quickly. 'What ... what's this appeal thing again?'

Sheena sighs, rubbing her eyes hard. I guess she already explained this all to Raine, so I wave a hand quickly to stop her before she can start again.

'You just need to convince the Vice Chief that you're trustworthy and worth helping,' Sheena clarifies loudly, and I notice her practically calling over to Lloyd. I suppose she's expecting him to lead our "appeal". That sounds like the best thing, but he looks like he'd rather be asleep right now. It seems Genis and Colette are taking over with getting him up. Dammit Lloyd, make an effort.

'There'll be three guys over in a minute to keep watch here,' Sheena explains tiredly, finally reaching up to fix her hair. Raine takes the hint and quickly begins flattening her own down to look "worthy". 'We can leave when they get here.'

'Keep watch?' I ask. 'For what?'

Sheena points over to the corner of the hut, and I jump about three feet into the air when I realise who she's indicating. Good grief, I totally forgot about Regal. Who is ... well, still out of it by the looks of things. He doesn't seem to have woken up in the middle of the night and done anything to Presea, because she's standing beside Zelos and looking perfectly fine. Well, perfectly fine sans the soullessness, but you get what I mean.

I give Regal a wary look, almost as if I expect him to jump up at any second and start slaughtering the whole village. That's take the black sheep status of Sheena, I'm sure ... but we don't want that.

Speaking of everyone's favourite ninja, she finally lets out a hiss of annoyance and storms over to the opposite side of the room, pushing Genis out of the way and snatching Lloyd by the arm, yanking him up to his feet.

'This is important!' she snaps, dragging him over and giving him a quick smack around the head for added measure. 'Wake up!'

Zelos joins in and slaps him on the back for funsies. The look of glee on his face is priceless.

'Would everyone stop hitting me and – and throwing things at me!?' Lloyd demands, stamping his foot and glaring at us all. 'Geez!'

'Aw, kids,' Zelos coos, ruffling Lloyd's hair and avoiding a smack to the head. He doesn't have to dodge far, seeing as Lloyd is tired and misses by about a foot anyway.

Sheena claps her hands hard once more, and we all fall immediately silent. She makes a quick gesture, and the other two shuffle over quietly. Whoa, this looks like pep-talk time.

'Okay,' Sheena sighs, rubbing the hair out of her eyes. 'This is really important. If you pull this off, you'll have an ally in Tethe'alla. Mizuho isn't tied with the Church of Martel or the royal family, so you can trust them.'

'Having an ally would indeed be valuable, especially concerning our current situation,' Raine agrees, and we all look rather grim at her words. It's true about our situation; we've made enemies practically _everywhere_ we've gone, so having at least one settlement on our side would be great. If it goes wrong and Mizuho throws us out, well then we're pretty much fucked.

'Also, they've promised to help find the rheairds,' Sheena repeats for those of us that were asleep, and Lloyd's face lights up. 'Our information network is the best there is. I don't know how long it will take; the only lead we have is that the Renegades have them.'

'When we find them, we can return to Sylvarant, right?' Lloyd asks, and Sheena hesitates a little before nodding. Zelos seems to have the same idea, but is actually a bit more vocal.

'Eager to get back to your own world?' he asks, giving Lloyd a little knock on the head. 'I thought you were hell-bent on bringing down Cruxis and all that jazz.'

'There are thing that need settling in Sylvarant,' Raine explains with a grave look, glancing over to Colette. 'The Desians are still there, and defeating them will certainly aid us toward the fall of Cruxis. I'm sure our families would like to know what is happening to us.'

By families, Raine just means Dirk, Phaidra and Frank. Raine already sent a letter to Dirk explaining to him that we hijacked some flying aircrafts and are now in another world, and I'm sure he told Colette's family the same thing.

'That can wait until later,' Sheena interrupts. 'You need to _get_ Mizuho on your side first, and then you can worry about the rheairds.'

'So ... we just need to talk to this chief guy, right?' Lloyd asks casually, and the look on Sheena's face could shatter a mirror.

'First of all, you'll be getting _no_ help if you speak like that!' she seethes, and Lloyd shrinks back against Zelos. 'It's _Vice_ _Chief_, not "chief guy"! You guys need to show proper Mizuho etiquette if you want our help!'

'... Eti-what?' Lloyd practically squeaks, and Raine has to hold Sheena back from mounting him and punching his face into the core of the planet.

The next five minutes of waiting for the three ninja-guards to come and take care of Regal are spent sharpening our decorum for this little appeal. Sheena teaches us how to sit like proper Mizuhoans (legs folded under you, knees together, Colette keeps falling over sideways), what _not _to say ("don't call the Vice Chief a samurai, Zelos shut up"), and tries to stop Lloyd talking like a lazy teenager ("say _please_ and _thank you_, don't call anyone _guys_, don't act casual" "can't the Professor just do i – OW").

------------

'_So, Lloyd. You worried about appealing to this Vice Chief geezer?'_

'_I don't get why I have to do it ... Zelos, you're the Chosen – can't you do it?'_

'_Huh? I thought you'd be all up to this?'_

'_I am! It's just talking about what we want to do in this world, and how we want to stop Cruxis and make sure both worlds can live in peace, right?'_

'_... So what's your problem?'_

'_You heard Sheena and the Professor! They don't think I can pull it off! What if I say something wrong or I don't act "etiquettely" enough? I can't act posh or anything!'_

'_Hey, c'mon Bud. This isn't like you. You're usually itching at the chance to jump up and talk about how righteous and fair your cause is. What makes now any different?'_

'_I don't know ...'_

'_Meh, you're tired. And I wouldn't be too far off in guessing Sheena scared you into trying to act like a proper little nobleman, right?'_

'_Well ... yeah, I suppose so.'_

'_See, Sheena's giving you restrictions on what to say and how to act. You usually let out your ideals in passionate rants.'_

'_Hey!'_

'_It's true – I've seen you work your stuff at the Fooji mountains, Bud. You're not used to acting refined. You just speak from your gut.'_

'_... I guess you're right.'_

'_Well, that's what this old man is going to be looking for. Sheena's overreacting and putting too much pressure on you. Just be yourself. Forget everything she told you about saying this, and not saying that. Just tell him what you're doing and what you want done for the worlds. You want him to help you because of your cause - not because of how sophisticated you can act.'_

'_Yeah ... yeah, I'll do that. Thanks, Zelos.'_

'_Anytime, Bud.'_

'_I've never heard you give advice like that before. I guess you really do care, huh?'_

'_Care? Nah - the faster your circus troupe finishes up here, the faster I can go back to living in my luxurious mansion.'_

'_Wh-what!?'_

'_C'mon, what did you think I was doing? As soon as you guys clean up the mess you made in this world, I can return to all my hunnies back in Meltokio. I'm just trying to speed up the process.'_

'_Argh, you jackass!'_

'_Heh.'_

_-------------_

Ohhhh god, awkward.

No seriously, I've never felt so awkward before. We're all sitting in this tiny hut that's supposed to be the Chief's house (if this is Mizuho's idea of royalty, then bloody hell), and Zelos has already made a comment about it that made all the colour drain from Sheena's face. The Vice Chief didn't seem to mind at all, but he did cough rather loudly.

It's a little stuffy in here ... kinda smells like that cheap sandalwood incense. We're all sitting like we practiced with Sheena (I've started having the same problem as Colette with falling over sideways, so we've decided to sit joined at the hip to see if that helps). The only people who aren't sitting "properly" are Zelos and Lloyd, which is making Sheena rip out her hair behind a rather collected Vice Chief. Zelos is just leaning against the wall with his arms folded, and Lloyd's ignoring Sheena's angry flailing behind her boss.

Raine elbows Lloyd in the side a few times, but he's just ignoring her. It looks like Sheena's about to have a stroke, so I turn my attention to this Vice Chief bloke, who seems to have said nothing yet. He doesn't look anything important – he's just a rather stern looking man with slightly greying hair. I'm not sure if the thick, samurai-ish clothing he's wearing is supposed to signify importance, but god damn. He must be boiling in those things.

... Oh yeah, and we all had to take our shoes off at the door. Sheena had to body slam Lloyd to the ground before he could stroll on into the Chief's room and tear his shoes off herself. Fun stuff!

No one has said anything still. Yeah, awkward. Sheena finally settles down behind her boss, sitting _properly_ and giving Lloyd a final angry look. He does nothing, and I notice Zelos smirk from against the wall. Ohhh dear.

The Vice Chief seems to have noticed Genis looking toward a heavily curtained section of the room that's been sealed off, and I take a glance toward it myself. That must be ...

'Our leader is currently unwell and unable to speak,' says the Vice Chief, and a quick look of pain passes over both his and Sheena's faces. 'I oversee Mizuho's decisions on his behalf as Vice Chief Tiga, and will be listening to your plea of aid.'

Lloyd raises a hand. 'Can I say something?'

... Dear god, the _look_ on Sheena's face. She really does look like a banshee. Regardless, Tiga nods in agreement.

'None of this is Sheena's fault,' Lloyd explains, sitting forward a little. 'I heard that your village was counting on our assassination to help your relationship with Meltokio.'

'That is true,' Tiga confirms, and Sheena flails desperately behind him to shut Lloyd up. 'If we successfully sent an emissary of Tethe'alla to kill Sylvarant's Chosen, then it would have opened up connections with Meltokio that we, as a deprived village, required.'

'And if you failed, your village would face expulsion, right?' Lloyd adds.

'Proud and secretive as we are of our ways, we cannot deny that we sometimes need help from the outside,' Tiga explains almost uncomfortably. 'Our relationship with the Church of Martel and the royal family has always been rough, but in exchange for the few services we can offer, they have helped us to strive in secrecy.'

Tiga's expression darkens when his eyes flicker across the room to the man resting against the wall. 'I'm sure the Chosen One can assure you of that.'

Zelos just shrugs, not looking phased in the slightest. 'Meltokio doesn't like helping people who insist on keeping themselves hidden away. Seems kinda sketchy. We like to know where our money is going.'

'But they don't mind blindly going along with Cruxis,' Lloyd mumbles bitterly, and everyone nods in agreement. Except Presea, but y'know.

'Sheena has told me about the true colours of Cruxis,' Tiga says, giving the ninja a glance. She immediately stops throwing her arms around desperately and sits straight. 'Though we do not follow Martel's ways, it has too, come as a shock to us all.'

'So ... none of this is Sheena's fault,' Lloyd repeats with a sincere look. 'I'm sorry about your village, but-'

Tiga holds up a hand, and Lloyd finally does the first thing that makes Sheena relax and shuts up.

'We do not blame Sheena for these results. Now that she has returned to us with the truth, it puts us in a new position against the Church of Martel. Do we continue to leech from Meltokio's available services in order for our village to prosper, or do we now devote our attention to a new path?'

'Vice Chi-' Sheena starts, but he stops her with another raise of his hand.

'Sheena has given me a rough idea of what your aims are,' Tiga continues, and we all remain silent and nod along. 'But now I would like to hear them from you, before I begin making decisions that could send our village into its own early decline.'

I look over to Lloyd. He bites his lip and glares at the floor, and we all glance to eachother worriedly. The only people who look utterly at ease are Zelos and Tiga, who finally just leans forward a little and links his hands together.

'What do you plan to do in Tethe'alla, the land of your enemies?'

Lloyd blanches a little, and he looks uneasy for once. 'It's funny ... I've been thinking about it for a while, but my answer changes all the time.'

Tiga nods as Lloyd sits up, opening his arms out honestly. 'We came here to save our friend. But now we're here, and now we've seen what's going on in this world ... I can't just go home knowing how people here are suffering!'

'Indeed, our world is one of much intolerance,' Tiga agrees firmly with a nod, rubbing the greying stubble at his chin.

'You say that you're our enemies, but that view only seems to breed more pointless hate,' Raine adds, finally looking a less exasperated at Lloyd's attitude. 'Though our worlds may vie for mana, we are simply caught between. Chosens like Colette and Zelos suffer pointlessly because of that structure, but with that ideal, they are not the only ones.'

After a few moments of silence, Tiga nods, lowering a hand from his chin. 'Then I must apologize for my use of words. Yes, it does seem rather pointless to label ourselves enemies of Sylvarant. Though while our worlds victimize eachother for survival, it is only natural that we feel that way.'

Lloyd nods while Sheena deals with her heart-attack behind Tiga. 'We're not enemies. If the people of Tethe'alla see us that way, then nothing will change. Maybe if we work together-'

'Tell me what it _is_ exactly that you wish to change,' Tiga cuts in, and Lloyd falls silent.

'... Everything,' he says after a moment with a dark look. 'I want everyone to be able to live normally. I'm sick of seeing people being pushed around by Cruxis, by the Desians, even by the Pope. Chosens have to sacrifice themselves, half-elves have to suffer, and for what? So this Yggdrasill guy can laugh at how he has both worlds on strings?'

'You want to change the nature of the two worlds,' the Vice Chief says rather plainly, almost as if Lloyd had said he wanted to take a stroll in the park. Christ, throw the boy a bone. 'I do hope you realise how much you are asking of yourself.'

'I'd rather wear myself out trying than sit back and do nothing,' Lloyd says, voice cold and determined. 'I had to watch all my friends suffer – I had to watch my friend's soul ripped out of her body – I had to watch my friends get arrested for something they couldn't help – I had to watch my friend killed in the Tower of Salvation because of that Yggdrasill guy. As long as he controls both worlds, then nothing will ever look up. We have to do something other than sit back and blame eachother!'

'So this is also personal,' Tiga says, and Lloyd falters.

'That may be ...' Lloyd admits, hands clenched. 'But I just can't sit back while innocent people suffer – in either world. If I have to do it myself – if I have to storm up to Cruxis and change the structure myself, then I'll do it.'

I hear Zelos snort, but to everyone's surprise, Tiga actually smiles a little. It's a wry, condescending smile ... but it's a smile. 'You have much confidence in you, but your idealism weighs it out by far.'

'I know I sound like I'm asking too much, but if Yggdrasill built both these worlds-'

'I have heard of Yggdrasill and his powers,' Tiga says, and I think he has a knack for cutting off Lloyd in mid-sentence. 'You cannot judge a book by its cover. He may have seemed human to you, but it is not as simple as placing him on our level. We may appear the same, but I believe he is something much more powerful.'

Lloyd grits his teeth hard, and I notice his jaw shaking when I look over.

'... You asked me what I'm going to do in Tethe'alla,' Lloyd tries evenly. 'I'm going to search for a way to change the worlds. We had that power in our hands before when we were on the regeneration journey, so there's no saying we can't do it again. I'm going to find a way for both worlds to prosper, so no more people have to become pointless sacrifices. I can't watch anymore people die.'

'And tell me-' Tiga says, sitting back on his ankles, '-What makes you believe that you can change the two worlds. It has been a long few millennia since the practice of sacrificing people to reverse the flow of mana was born. What makes now any different?'

'Because I want to attempt methods that haven't been tried before,' Lloyd decides positively, brow furrowed. 'For a long time, both worlds have lived without knowledge of eachother, right? Maybe instead of making enemies out of eachother, we should be working together. We've already broken through the barrier to Tethe'alla, and that's a step further than anyone else has gone, isn't it? We're going against what Cruxis intended!'

There's a bit of silence, and I feel Colette shifting uncomfortably beside me. I don't blame her; my knees are killing me sitting like this. I notice Genis and Raine have gone a bit pink in the face at Lloyd's extremely vocal defence against half-elves. Sheena's cheeks are close to matching the colour of her skirt, because she's been holding her breath through the silence. She's looking a bit purple. Sheena breathe, Christ.

'I told someone from Cruxis what it is that I want to do here,' Lloyd says, and I notice the tone in his voice dim immediately. It always does when a certain seraph comes into the conversation. 'And he told me to do my best. We may be enemies now ... but that's all the clarification I need to know that I can make a difference.'

Tiga raises an eyebrow. 'Someone you knew?'

'Someone who confuses the hell outta me,' Lloyd admits awkwardly. 'But we had the power to change things at one point. With Zelos and Mizuho's help, we might be able to get that back.'

We all look over to Mr Playboy, who blinks at being mentioned. 'Eh?'

'Yeah. Tethe'alla's Chosen may be essential later on,' Genis agrees, nodding. Zelos huffs a little, but he doesn't make a big deal of it.

'Both Chosens working together against Cruxis ...' Tiga considers, rubbing his chin again. 'Though an unwilling Chosen is not necessarily an enemy of Cruxis, it'll certainly cause grief for him in regards to the Church of Martel.'

'Oh, Zelos abandoned those guys for us,' Lloyd comments offhandedly, jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards the huffing Chosen.

'Yeah, ain't I a treat.'

'As long as you know where your loyalties lie,' Tiga concludes with a curt nod to both Colette and Zelos. I have a feeling Sheena told him about Kratos, because it looks like he sympathizes with Lloyd when that dark look crosses his face again. 'It seems this will only be possible if we can establish a solid trust between ourselves. Sheena is adamant in lending you our aid, and I hold her opinion in the highest regard.'

I really am finding it hard to stop myself bursting out laughing at Sheena's slideshow of random eccentric emotions so far. For a change she's just lowered her head and blushed a bit at Tiga's words. At least we're on the right track; I think we've pretty much bagged Mizuho's trust.

'So ... does that mean you'll help us?' Colette asks.

After a few moments, Tiga nods. 'We shall do our best to aid you with our available resources, on the condition that you report back to you with your progress now and then.'

Group sigh of a relief.

'But in exchange, we would like your aid for a future project.'

Group sigh of unease.

'Um ... what kind of project?' I ask gawkily. I don't remember Mizuho doing any projects or anything like that ...

'It seems that if we are to pledge our services to you, our standing with the Church of Martel will be severed permanently,' Tiga explains with a grave look, and we all glance to eachother guiltily. We all keep feeling like Mizuho's plight is our fault, I'm sure. It's not a nice feeling, but I suppose it's the truth. Darn us for being so un-killable!

'What are we supposed to do?' Lloyd asks after pushing another wave of remorse from his mind.

'It's simple,' Tiga starts, sitting back a little. 'When we find the rheairds, we will hand them over to you as promised. When you are done, we would like to use them to transfer our clan to Sylvarant.'

Sheena looks like she faints for a few seconds.

'Oh, that would be great!' Colette exclaims with a clap. Overexcitement much? 'Then you can all live safely in our world, right? And we could see Sheena all the time too!'

'Yes, this is mostly about preserving the safety of our clan,' Tiga confirms, and Raine gives Colette a soft push on the shoulder to shut her up. 'Simply working with outsiders is a threat in itself to our village. By working with Meltokio, our secrecy is being threatened. It would be in our best interests to start anew in Sylvarant.'

'The thing is, Sylvarant isn't in a very good condition right now ...' Lloyd mumbles, scratching his cheek and staring at his feet. Well ... that's true – Iselia, Triet, and Luin have been destroyed. The only safe villages left are Asgard and Hima. I last saw Triet before leaving, and it looks as good as new, but still ... there's a lot of construction going on there. I'm sure Iselia has started rebuilding, but I'm not sure about Luin. I remember something about Neil sending the militia over to help, but ...

'Sheena has informed me of that, too,' Tiga replies. 'Should we move, we shall extend the offer to help rebuild, on the condition we are permitted to keep our privacy.'

Raine nods. 'That sounds fair. Though it'd be up to Neil.'

'I'm sure he'd agree,' Lloyd assures her, looking over his shoulder. 'So ... are we all on board with this? Is everyone happy with helping Mizuho move?'

All of us nod, few of us actually speak our agreement (I manage to go 'yeah!' along with Colette because I'm feeling dorky today), and Zelos seems to be the only one that just watches us all amusedly. He still thinks he's above us all, I suppose. Sure, it's a little annoying seeing him observe us work around him like ants, but I don't blame him. He's not exactly on our side in any sense. Not yet.

... Well I guess I'm not the only one, because Lloyd decides to call him out on it!

'Zelos?' Lloyd persists, looking up to him past his shoulder. 'You on board?'

Mr Chosen rolls his shoulders in a shrug, ignoring the scathing look Sheena shoots him. 'As long as Tethe'alla is safe, I don't care what you guys do.'

Lloyd just frowns. 'That's the point – Tethe'alla isn't safe right now. Neither of our worlds are. That's why we're trying to change it, duh.'

Zelos actually laughs a little, shaking his head. 'You guys just keep skittering around doing what you're doing, and I'll hang back until I'm needed, mm'kay?'

Everyone sends a truckload of glares Zelos' way (including Colette, holy crap), and I think I realise yet another reason why Genis is laying off me when I see the expression on his face. He's got someone else to hate now.

'You sound wary to join our newfound cause, Chosen,' Tiga speaks up, and Zelos goes right ahead and disregards us all, glancing over to Mizuho's leader for a few moments as he speaks.

'Well, these guys know what I think of them,' Zelos says, waving a hand in our direction. True, he did lay some hard truths on us back at Sybak that one time. 'I always thought it was dicey that they were so reckless, but now Mizuho is changing its ways just like that?' He emphasis with a snap of his fingers. 'After one little speech? It's like the whole of Tethe'alla's gone nuts.'

... You know, I'm quite glad Tiga is here, because Sheena seriously looks like she could just get to her feet and _kill_ _him_. Genis looks pretty much the same, but Sheena's got all this pent up anger concerning Zelos and how he's, well, kind of a dick.

'You would rather we sit back and stay with our old ways?' Tiga asks, and he's doing quite well at keeping a level head while Sheena gets considerably redder behind him. Wow, she's gonna smack some bitches up after this.

Zelos just shrugs again at Tiga's words. 'I don't care what you do. As long as you guys don't go destroying Tethe'alla, it doesn't matter to me. If you want to turn the Royals and the church against you, it's not my problem.'

To my surprise, Tiga actually smiles. Once again, it's not a genuine smile. It's thin, almost mocking. 'Then perhaps it would be in your best interest to leave our matters be and return to Meltokio, if you do not wish it to be your problem.'

Zelos returns the smile grimly, eyes thin and sarcastic. 'No can do, as a _certain_ group of people got me exiled.'

'Ah, but surely it would be in the church's best interest to keep their Chosen on their side?' Tiga inquires. 'Regardless of the Pope and the knights he instructs, the church will always put the Chosen first, as well will the rest of Tethe'alla if they wish for salvation. You are their only hope.'

Zelos looks like he just swallowed a fly.

'So I believe you have initiated your exile yourself,' Tiga continues, still looking eerily composed while we all stare wide-eyed between the two. 'I believe you murdered Brigadier Hansen prior to your official "exile"? Before you could confront the church on your way back from Sybak?'

Zelos lets out a bitter "tch". 'The old geezer was asking for i-'

'Then it was your own fault,' Tiga slices in sharply, playful mocking tone completely gone. His eyes look dark, and his expression is leaving absolutely no room for snarky retorts. He knows what he's talking about. 'It would be in _your _best interest to stop blaming those around you for the mistakes you may regret, Chosen. With our information network, those from Sylvarant no longer need your aid. If you truly wish to avoid burdening yourself with the two worlds' problems, leave Mizuho now and return to Meltokio.'

Sheena looks like she could faint with glee. Zelos opens his mouth to say something, but he's gone a rather sickly pale. He just looks ... angry and annoyed.

'_Now_,' Tiga repeats firmly with a motion towards the door, and we realise he wasn't talking in general before. He really means to kick Zelos out if he's just gonna be a dead-weight and complain all the time. Sure, it will help Mizuho more if he isn't slowing us down, but ... gee whiz.

Lloyd doesn't even attempt to say anything. He looks far too shocked, and he's been volleying looks between the two of them along with the rest of us. Genis is rooted to the spot with a hopeful look on his face, and Zelos actually takes a quick glance to the door, and then down to us. He grimaces a little, but hastily turns it into a rather crooked grin.

'Well ...' he starts quietly, brow furrowed in poorly restrained aggravation. His eyebrow twitches. 'I side with the strongest. Though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do my share for the world.'

'As Chosen, I assume it would be in your nature,' Tiga finishes with him coldly, turning back to Lloyd who might as well have his jaw on the floor. 'Now, there are still some things to discuss. I don't mind you gathering any resources you might need from our village for your journey, but return here once you are done. Also, Sheena-'

She straightens up stiffly when Tiga looks back to her, blowing some hair away from her face.

'I would like for you to continue accompanying them, even if their journey should lead them back to Sylvarant. That was what you wanted the Rheairds for, yes?'

Lloyd nods. 'Yeah. We need to return there first and sort things out with the Desians. We'll need the help of both worlds if we want to stand up to Cruxis.'

'That is fair,' Tiga accepts, turning back to Sheena. 'I wish for you to set an example for what Tethe'alla must now do. Fight alongside the travellers of Sylvarant, and work together with their world to bring peace to our village.'

'U-uh, yes sir!' Sheena agrees with a wide smile, getting to her feet. 'I'll support our information network from their side.'

'Good. But keep in mind, though Mizuho now works alongside new allies, our secrets must be preserved.'

Both Sheena and Lloyd make a very obvious "ulp" sound. It's hard to pinpoint the expression on Tiga's face, but he simply turns back to us after a few moments. 'I'll speak to you later. Now-'

'Vice Chief!'

I jump at the shout from down the hallway, and in turn Colette thuds to the floor after leaning against me that whole time. Lloyd gets to one knee ready to jump up, and Sheena is already reaching for her cards while Tiga remains calmly seated. A rather out-of-breath female ninja clad in dark blue clothing appears at the doorway, one hand flattened over her chest. She's wearing the same getup as Orochi and the other ninjas, and I wonder why Sheena opted for the more ... revealing choice in ninja-wear.

'Vice Chief,' she repeats, ignoring Zelos' low wolf-whistle. 'The prisoner with those from Sylvarant has awakened. Your orders?'

'Ah, yes,' Tiga says quietly, rubbing his chin. 'I remember Sheena saying something about a man you captured in the forest on your way here. If it true that he had blue hair?'

The female ninja nods, looking a little worried.

'Then he would not be so welcome in our village,' Tiga assumes bleakly. 'Though perhaps our tolerance may have changed. It would be best for you to consult your prisoner and decide the best course of action for yourself.'

Lloyd nods, pulling himself to his feet. He wobbles a little, and Colette just thuds back to the floor with a yelp after attempting to stand too. Damn, sitting like this really screws up your knees. 'Okay. We'll come back afterwards.'

'By all means, feel free to take a break and explore the village,' Tiga offers with a smile, and it looks like that female ninja has already fled to warn the others not to, well, slaughter us as soon as we step outside. That would suck.

Much like Colette, as soon as I stand, I'm greeted with a straw floor hurtling back towards my face. Ow.

--------------

'_Agh, my legs are killing me.'_

'_You didn't even sit like I told you to! Stop complaining!'_

'_Sheena! We got Mizuho on our side, right? Quit being mad at me!'_

'_I'm just w-worried about later!'_

'_Later? Oh, you mean-'_

'_Yeah. I don't know if the Vice Chief knows that you were able to use my spell cards. But if he finds out, we'll both be punished.'_

'_W-well ... I mean, after that, he can't go too hard on us, right?'_

'_That's what I'm afraid of.'_

'_Eh?'_

'_Usually we'd have to do something like swallow needles or hang upside down for a few days.'_

'_Swallow ... needles ...?'_

'_But if he's going to take it easy on us, then he'll just conduct the ceremony that'll make you an unofficial part of Mizuho's village. He trusts you now, so that seems like the kind of thing he'd do.'_

'_Oh cool! So I'd get to be a ninja!?'_

'_Well, no.'_

'_Oh, feh. Pirates are way cooler anyway.'_

'_Huh?'_

'_So what ceremony?'_

'_We've been over this! Since I'm being punished too, he'd ... well-!'_

'_Oh! Oh, that ...'_

'_S-so just keep your mouth shut, okay!?'_

'_Okay, okay!'_

_--------------_

Okay screw before, _THIS_ is awkward.

So ... yeah, seeing as we decided to go back and confront our new "prisoner", Genis found it fit to drag Presea by the arm and go collect the supplies we need. Now Zelos knows that Genis is giddy for Presea and not me, he's taken to teasing him about it every ... two minutes, is the record now. So we're currently the whole group, sans Genis and Presea, and plus some ninjas waiting outside and possibly on the ceiling.

I look up to check if there're any spiderman-esque ninjas up there, but thankfully there aren't.

This is weird. We all look cautiously defensive; Raine is holding her staff ready to smack Regal upside the face if he makes a move, and Lloyd and Zelos look ready to start Demon Fanging away if Raine can't mutilate him accordingly. Regal, however, is simply sitting in the middle of the shack we spent the night in with a blunt and disgruntled look on his face. Well, we did kinda beat him up, knock him out, make him our unofficial captive and drag him to a random village. Yeah, he must be quite confused. The point I should be making is that Regal just looks passive. He's not about to get up and make trouble, really.

'I'm not going to make a scene, if that's what you were all thinking,' Regal starts, breaking the silence after a good minute. Raine looks confused once more, and I'm sure I do to. I'm not sure if the others realise it, but Regal just _sounds_ like he shouldn't be a convict. It's just ... his mannerisms, the way he talks – he doesn't seem like a dangerous felon.

'Why should we believe that?' Sheena snaps, looking at Regal like she would with Zelos. Unbridled loathing, if you didn't catch that. I'm sure it's just to make sure Regal realises where he stands, but ... god damn. 'You attacked us before!'

Regal looks like he's gone over this reaction from us before in his head, and he doesn't look phased at the accusation. 'First of all, I believe it was your group who first initiated the attack. I merely wished to speak with the young girl travelling with you, and then defended myself from your assault. Second, I assume by now you have agreed that my business with Presea is genuine, or you would not have brought me to this place with you. Finally-'

He holds up his hands, and motions to his awkwardly crossed legs. 'I am restrained, and in no position to begin an ambush if I do not understand the situation I am in.'

... Group silence goes here.

Regal just accepts his small victory from our speechlessness with a nod, sitting back more comfortably. I don't know how comfortable he can get with his legs tied up like that, though.

'... What's your name?' Lloyd tries uneasily, what with having his ass verbally handed to him. As well as everyone else. Hell, Raine is even looking a little guilty about being so accusing to someone this well-spoken.

'.. Regal,' he answers quietly after a moment of silent observation toward our unofficial group leader. Lloyd fidgets uncomfortably until Regal just goes back to general glowering at us, and by the look on Zelos' face, I'd say something's clicked in the back of his head. He's staring at Regal with some kind of awkward disbelief. He's doing good at hiding it though.

'Is Presea still travelling with you?' Regal asks after noticing the lack of pink-haired girls in our group.

'She is,' Raine confirms quickly, and I notice she's lowered her staff. 'Though I'm sure you noticed that she is in no state to talk right now.'

A grim look crosses Regal's face. 'Yes, I did.'

'You're a convict, right?' Lloyd asks, and we all spread away from the doorway. Raine goes to gather our things together on the other side of the room, making sure to keep an eye on Regal as she does so. 'So how do you know Presea?'

'I would not go as far as to say I know her personally,' Regal answers, keeping a level gaze toward Lloyd. 'But I had an acquaintance connected to her family. I have wanted to speak with her for a long time, but I was imprisoned before I had the chance to find her.'

'You look like you've been in prison for a few years,' Zelos observes without worrying about his wording. Regal doesn't look too offended. 'Presea must have been a little kid when you wanted to speak with her.'

'I was never aware of her age – simply that she was a member of the Combatir family that I needed to speak with,' Regal answers curtly, not looking interested in Zelos. Once again, Zelos doesn't look miffed when Regal turns his attention back toward Lloyd for now. 'I know that Presea is not in the right state of mind to speak with me accurately, though the importance of the matter still remains. It is something I wish to settle while I still have my freedom.'

Lloyd frowns a little. 'Well ... we're on our way to Ozette to take her home. She said something about her father being there – maybe you could talk to him?'

'Uh – Lloyd?' Sheena cuts in, giving him a quick slap over the head. 'Are you actually trusting this guy? He was in prison!'

'Y-yeah, well so was I!' Lloyd tries to defend himself and ... for some reason, Regal. Regardless, I just blink.

'That's ... because Yuan threw you in there!' I say, waving my arms a little for emphasis.

'So what!?'

'Yuan's a dick!'

Regal coughs loudly, and we stop yelling to turn back to him while Raine sighs and shakes her head.

'I understand your caution to allow a criminal near your group,' he sympathizes. 'Though I will do neither you nor Presea any harm. I am acting upon my own will after my betrayal to the church.'

Colette blinks. 'The church? Oh, right ... the Pope sent you to retrieve Sylvarant's Chosen ...'

Regal nods. 'Upon my failure, I escaped and vowed to find Presea to speak with her while I can.'

'Why do you need to speak with her?' Raine asks from across the room, and Regal just shifts a little as though he's about to get to his feet. He doesn't, because ... well, he's still tied up.

'It is a personal matter,' he says, and the tone in his voice tells us that we're not getting anything else out of him.

'Ngh, it's getting late,' Zelos grumbles, looking out of the window. 'If we want to finish up with Tiga and get to Ozette today, we need to leave soon. Let's just bring the old guy with us and get moving.'

'Wha – Zelos, are you sure?' Lloyd asks, looking rather taken aback. 'After what he did to you in the sewers today, I figured you'd be more ...'

Zelos just waves a hand to shut Lloyd up, turning back to the convict. 'Regal, right?'

It seems Regal's noticed that Zelos recognises him. He just nods in response.

'You're not gonna try anything until you get a chance to talk with Presea, am I right?'

'If you are planning to restore her to her former self, then I would like to help,' Regal says truthfully, though I might be the only one that knows that. 'I don't know how I can prove to you my betrayal of the church. My own validation is all I have.'

'Whelp, that's good enough for me,' Zelos decides, raising a hand. 'You can fight for us too, old man. I've been breaking my back for these guys for days and it's killing me.'

'... Zelos, are you really sure?' Lloyd asks, still glancing cautiously to Regal every few moments. 'If he wants to help Presea then I have no problem with letting him come along for now, but-'

'I said its fine, so it's fine,' Zelos practically snaps with a shrug. 'What? I'm doing something out of the goodness of my heart for once – why the long face?'

Regal just "hmph"s at Zelos' comment, and I'm swiftly reminded of Kratos. He used to do that a lot ... and in a way, they're both very similar. I hope we don't end up having another Kratos on our hands ... not for them, but I can't handle that kind of attitude again. I'll go crazy.

'You guys are acting like this is a big deal,' Zelos sighs, leaning on the ledge of the window and giving us all a brief look-over. 'The church isn't about to send a prisoner to "spy" on us, because what's a prisoner gonna do once he's let loose? He's gonna escape and do what he wants, and apparently he wants to talk to Presea. It's not like we're hauling him for the long-term – he just wants to talk with Presea, or – OR – someone who can speak for her, who'd be her dad, who is – and say it with me –'

'In Ozette,' Lloyd finishes for him, and Zelos nods.

'And we'll be there by nightfall, so what's the biggie? We're just taking him with us for a few hours, he's gonna have his little chat with Presea's family, and ding – we're done. So loosen up and let's get going. The brat's gone to stock up for us, Lloyd just needs to finish up with Tiga, and we can avoid going through the Gaoracchia Forest in the dark. Everybody wins.'

'Believe it or not, I agree with Zelos,' Raine sighs, straightening up and rubbing the small of her back. She's also been affected by sitting awkwardly back at the Vice Chief's house, and I'm honestly not surprised. My knees are absolutely killing me. 'It seems his concern for Presea is genuine, regardless of his connection to the church. It's not our place to judge what is right for Presea; we are not from this world, nor do we know anything about her.'

'Y-yeah,' Lloyd agrees, scratching his cheek. He's been doing that a lot lately – I've never really been able to pinpoint why. I think he does it when he feels awkward. 'So ... you're gonna come with us as our prisoner for a little while longer.'

Regal grimaces at still being a "prisoner", but as long as he's outside of a cell then I'm sure it's the last thing on his mind. 'Very well.'

Lloyd looks uncomfortable. 'Um, I have to – uh, Sheena?'

She looks up. 'Yeah?'

'I'll meet you outside the chief's house – I just need some air.'

Before she can say anything, Colette's quickly moved out of the way so Lloyd can weave past her and back out the door. Colette watches him go with a worried look, but it's quickly turned to Regal when she notices that he's still very tied up.

'Oh – let me help you with that,' she says, already moving forward. Regal frowns as he watches her approach, but Colette doesn't back down. Sheena's got her hand on her cards in case Regal turns dangerous once he's free, but we're all past thinking he's going to smack us around and return to Meltokio with Colette under his arm. I highly doubt he'd get very far with Mizuho on his trail. I don't think he'd even get out the door.

'No need,' Regal says quickly before Colette can get to her knees. With a quick motion of his ankles, the cloth around them just falls away and he gets skilfully to his feet (without the aid of his hands, that's quite the accomplishment). Raine just flushes at her work being rather obsolete in comparison to Regal's escape skills, and I wonder why he spent all those years in prison when he probably could have escaped easily.

'Is he alright?' Regal asks once standing, and I realise he's ... well, tall. Really tall. Anyway, seeing as he's watching the slightly open doorway, I'll assume he means Lloyd. We all look worriedly to each other, but Zelos just rolls his shoulders in a casual shrug.

'Eeh, he's a weird kid. He'll be fine.'

Regal's tallness is really getting on my nerves. I don't know – it's just reminding me too much of Kratos, and the way he used to always tower over me. I make a face, and I hope Regal didn't notice. 'Um, I'm gonna go get Genis ... maybe give him an update.'

'You haven't spoken for a while, my little chestnut,' Zelos flirts, and I just flush horribly pink at my new nickname. I think before it was something along the lines of "shy sweetie", but ... hey, I guess he's taken into account my hair-colour and the fact that I'm not AS shy as before. I think. Why do I even caaaare?

'Didn't sleep much last night,' I say honestly, casting a final glance to Regal before I go past Colette, making sure to slide the light door shut behind me. Regal wasn't looking at me, and I'm kinda glad. He reminds me enough of Kratos as it is – I don't want us getting off on the wrong foot or something.

I hold my breath until I'm safely outside in the sun, and I immediately notice the lack of ninjas. Well, it seems Mizuho already decided Regal isn't bad news; that's definitely saying something. Wow, I think ... that's all of us. Yeah, Regal is the last main character to join. Phew, that's a lot off my shoulders – I don't have to worry about accidently letting names I'm not supposed to know slip anymore.

I'm not sure how strong that door is, so I shuffle over a little and lean against the wall with a sigh. I'm feeling kinda indifferent today. I'm not sad – I'm still happy that things are going ... well, normal. I've been happy since Sybak, because we're in a lot less danger than I thought we'd be, and ... things just feel more casual; just like old times. It's easier to be happy now. But I don't know ... it feels like all the events are just swimming past me. With the exception of Genis actually being nice and Regal's introduction, nothing's really made me perk up.

'Charlotte?'

Ahh, shit.

I look over, and Lloyd is standing near the back of the house. I doubt I'm far off, but it seems he's thrown a bit of water over his face. There are a few barrels of rice and wheat back there, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was water.

'You okay?' he asks, rubbing a gloved hand over his face quickly. He doesn't approach, probably to indicate that he doesn't want to go back inside just yet. I try to smile a little, but I feel it come out uncomfortable and twisted.

'Feeling a little too placid and sleepy,' I explain shortly, and Lloyd just stares. I shuffle a little under his eyes, and join him over the other side of the shack. I don't know if the others can hear us through that door, and for some reason I'd rather they didn't right now.

'You okay?' I echo his words. 'You looked a little freaked in there.'

Lloyd's face darkens a little, and I wonder if I said something bad. After a little inspection, he doesn't look angry, just ... a little weary. I know he's tired, and after all that talking I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to crawl back into bed. There's still more things to settle with Tiga, and then we need to walk to Ozette. Damn, even I want to go to bed. And I didn't do anything at all today.

'It's ... it's stupid – it's nothing,' Lloyd grumbles, rubbing some water droplets away from his neck.

'You can't say that and expect me not to push,' I say with a frown. 'C'mon, what's wrong?'

Lloyd's expression doesn't lighten, but he does snort. 'Damn ... I can't keep anything from you anymore, can I? You're always pushing, always prying ... I dunno why I bother.'

I have to hesitate and analyse his face to see if he's talking in annoyance or amusement, and I feel a daunting weight lift when he just smiles a little.

'It's ... that guy,' Lloyd clarifies quietly, smile deepening to a small frown. 'It's stupid – I know it is – but ... I dunno.'

Lloyd winces as if I'd just lashed out. 'He reminds me of ... him.'

I nod. 'Yeah ... I can see it too.'

'Not in a bad way!' Lloyd explains quickly, waving his hands. 'Just – like before. He uses the same kind of words, and he talks the same way, y'know? He's got the same kind of ... air about him.'

He scratches his cheek again. 'I feel like we can trust him ... but I felt like I could trust Kratos, too.'

I'm not sure what to say to that, but I managed to avoid wearing an uneasy look ... if only to make sure Lloyd doesn't falter. 'Well ... I'm sure Regal isn't like, some emissary of Cruxis or anything. Our eyes are a lot more open since we first met Kratos, and we always thought something was fishy about him anyway. I know it's a bit sudden, but I figure we can trust Regal.'

Lloyd nods after a while with a sigh, rubbing his forehead. 'Yeah ... you're right. It's only until Ozette, right? Heh ...'

I smile awkwardly. 'Yeah ... so cheer up, okay? It's hard to be happy when you're upset.'

'... Thanks, Charlotte.'

------

'_WHAT?'_

'_Regal, the convict. He's gonna come with us to Ozette so he can chill with Presea's dad.'_

'_... WHAT?'_

'_Genis, chill.'_

'_Chill!? Zelos, he's – he's a prisoner! Who knows what kinda stuff he did to get himself thrown into jail! H-he could be a thief or a murderer or – or -!'_

'_Oh c'mon, now you're overreacting.'_

'_I-I'm not letting him near Presea! I swear, if he even takes ONE step too close, o-or gives her a look, I'll burn him down to his handcuffs!'_

'_Genis.'_

'_W-what!?'_

'_CHILL.'_

* * *

Had to end it here, it was getting too long. plus mizuho is just booooooring. i'll introduce Regal properly next chapter, as well as skip right ahead to Ozette.


	85. Oh Snap It's Ozette

OH SHIT SHE'S BACK

Yeah I finally hauled ass and finished a chapter. Been super busy with college and ... just a lack of interest in ToS lol. Been working on my original story Clockwork, and my Head of College actually got me an animating job paying £500, so yeah. Life goes on and VT writes less.

Yes it's not as long as other chapters but I don't care lol.

* * *

**Chapter 85 - Oh Snap It's Ozette**

I've been laughing along with Zelos since we left Mizuho this afternoon. It's definitely calmed the mood of having Regal come along with us (which pissed off Genis like whoa), but either way, Regal hasn't done anything _head-reelingly bad_. He waited with us silently while Lloyd and Sheena finished talking with Tiga, sorting out how they're going to handle the Rheairds and etcetera. They're going to report back to us when they're found, and we're going to go and pick them up apparently. Regal also had to take some kind of ... vow of silence with Tiga, just to make sure he didn't tell anyone where Mizuho was or anything like that. Fair enough and all.

We're almost through Gaoracchia forest, which confuses me a little. We recently passed the place where we first met Regal, and Sheena's leading us toward Ozette. It didn't take us long to backtrack to this area, considering how long it took us to get to Mizuho. To be honest, I think Sheena was leading us in circles before, just in case Mizuho didn't trust us. Then she'd have an excuse for them not to execute us or anything. Well, regardless of how quickly we got back on our way, it's started to get dark now. We should be out of here by the time night falls properly, so it's all good.

Other than that, Regal's just been silent and well-behaved since joining us. He really hasn't spoke unless spoken too (which isn't a lot; I think Lloyd asked him how he walks with his hands cuffed, but that's about it), he hasn't approached Presea as promised (Genis' orders), and Raine is keeping a close eye on him. He's acknowledged that, and isn't putting up a fuss. I don't know what Genis is all worked up about - Regal's a pretty swell guy.

Or I guess Genis could be miffed about that other thing. Colette, too. Zelos and I still find it funny though. Lloyd however, is rather sad.

'Colette ... c'mon, please.'

'Hm.'

'Genis? You guys, come on ...!'

'Hm.'

'It's not like I asked for it! It wasn't even my fault! Guys, please quit being mad at me ...!'

Genis and Colette cast contemplative looks to each other, before turning back and folding their arms. 'Hm.'

It's weird to see Colette moody with Lloyd. Hell, it's weird to see _Genis_ moody at Lloyd - I mean, PROPER grumpy. They're seriously holding a grudge here.

'Look, you two, it's just the way of the village - there's nothing we could do to stop it,' Sheena agrees with Lloyd, arms folded stiffly and still pink in the face. 'It's not like it's real! Well, to me it would be, but you can stop being mad at Lloyd!'

Colette looks like her resolve is about to go, but Genis just pouts harder. 'Hm.'

'Guys, c'mo-' Lloyd starts desperately, but is interrupted by Zelos flinging yet another handful of dry rice over his and Sheena's heads. 'Dammit Zelos, would you quit doing that!?'

'Nooo~' Zelos sings, swinging the small bag of grains he took from Mizuho while Lloyd brushes through his hair frantically. I reach over and dust some rice off his shoulders, and Sheena just frowns hard and glares straight ahead.

Yes. Sheena and Lloyd are now married. Igaguri style.

'Hey Lloyd, shouldn't you be whisking away your lover-girl to a honey moon, eh?' Zelos teases, elbowing the shorter swordsman in the ribs. 'I hear Ozette is a pretty relaxing place fo-'

'Zelos, shut up!' Lloyd seethes, shoving him away harshly. Zelos just continues to laugh heartily, holding his ribs at the look on Sheena's face. Lloyd looks distraught. 'It's not real marriage - i-it's just in Mizuho!'

'Oh come on man, you robbed Sheena of her chance to have one of those big, excessive Mizuho weddings I hear about,' Zelos coos, poking Lloyd's crimson cheek with a gloved finger. 'The least you could do i-'

'SHUT _UP!_'

'I do hear the weddings at Mizuho are rather extravagant,' Regal agrees quietly, rubbing his stubbly chin. It looks a bit odd with his hands cuffed together like that, but he manages to pull it off looking cool. I should start getting used to that.

The mention of big, pretty weddings only makes Colette and Genis quicken their pace side-by-side, and Lloyd practically wobbles after them feebly.

'G-guys, please ...' he begs uselessly, and Raine just flattens a hand on Lloyd's shoulder with a sigh.

'I suppose it would be best to leave them to feel betrayed for a while, Lloyd,' she says quietly, giving him an assuring squeeze. With her attention off Regal, I notice that he's taking a few moments to observe Presea out of the corner of his eye, probably to confirm her soullessness. Well yeah, she's pretty damn soulless. She hasn't said a word since we left, though when Sheena and Lloyd stepped out of Tiga's shack with red faces, she was the first to bow and offer them a monotone "congratulations".

Lloyd still looks upset, and glances up to Raine hopefully. 'Professor, maybe you could talk to th-'

'I ... wouldn't,' Raine mumbles, lowering her hand and turning back to Regal. 'I know how much Colette wanted to be your maid of honour.'

'W- l-look, guys!' Lloyd shouts, jogging ahead and grabbing both of them by the shoulders, spinning them around to face him. We all have to come to a stop, and Colette and Genis just stare at Lloyd with hurtful frowns. Sheena makes a humiliated noise, and Raine pats her on the shoulder also.

'It wasn't a proper wedding!' Lloyd defends urgently, looking a little exhausted at this point. 'I can still get married when I grow up! Colette, you can still be my maid of honour, G-Genis can be my best man, a-and you can both give me away like we promised! And I'll do the same for you guys, right!?'

'I thought the chick was supposed to get given away,' Zelos whispers, and Raine rolls her eyes before reaching over and clipping him with the head of her staff.

'So ... so stop being mad at me,' Lloyd pleads, taking his hands away from their shoulders and clasping them together tightly. 'Please? Pretty please ...?'

Colette and Genis look to each other again while Lloyd waits, his breath held and clearly dying on his feet until he gets validation. The other two seem to take some kind of amusement in watching him writhe, because you can tell they're both trying their hardest not to grin. Lloyd clearly can't take it anymore, and thuds to his knees in front of them.

'You guys, pleeeeaase ... I can't stand you being mad at me ...' he whines. 'W-what do I have to do? C'mon, I'll do anything ...! J-just talk to me again, please!'

I wave. 'You still have me!'

'Charlotte, shut up! Colette, Genis, I'm begging here ...'

My face falls, and I hear Regal chuckle quietly behind me at my dismay. I'd turn around and glare at him, but I know he only means it in jest. I've long learned the major difference between Kratos and Regal since leaving Mizuho, and that would be that Regal is not a raging douchebag. So yeah - Regal 1, Kratos 0.

... But anyway, screw Colette and Genis - I'm in a mood with Lloyd now. Hmph, maybe I'll just go over to the corner and chill with Zelos for a bit, hmph. Clearly I can't do that, as my head would explode under Zelos' flirty influence after too long. How would you like that, huh Lloyd!? It'll be dead Charlotte all over again, and Martel won't smack me back down to Tethe'alla a second time! She's a busy undead-dream-woman thing!

Eventually, Lloyd's two friends can't help but smile at his anxiety of never being talked to again, and Lloyd deflates with a sigh of relief.

'I guess we could forgive you for now,' Genis sighs dramatically, giving Lloyd a pat on the head before he gets back to his feet. 'As long as you promise you don't run off and get married in secret again!'

'I-I didn't have a choice!' Lloyd goes back to whining immediately. 'They were gonna make me swallow needles!'

'It's okay!' Colette says brightly, and you can tell she's been holding in that bubbly attitude for a while now. It all just comes gushing out. 'We approve of Sheena, if you want her to be your wife!'

Both Sheena and Lloyd go utterly crimson once more and begin babbling excuses about how they're not husband and wife, and how it wasn't their choice to be married, and how yet another handful of rice chucked over their heads means _nothing_. Especially when Sheena finally tackles Zelos to the ground.

So ... while that goes on, I look around and notice that it's getting rather darker now. I don't know if it seems to happen faster because we're in a forest, namely the Evil Forest of Death and Generic Badness Which's Name I Can't Pronounce Properly, but ... but yeah, it's getting dark quickly, I think that was my point. Regal seems to notice it too, because he's taken his attention off Presea and Zelos, who is trying to avoid having his face beaten into the ground. He's looking around like me, but judging from the expression on his face, I don't think he senses any monsters around. Luckily Presea is silent too, so ... I think we're in the clear.

It's still creepy though.

'Perhaps it would be in our best interests to keep moving,' Regal offers from the back of the group, watching Zelos claw his way out from underneath Sheena while she pummels him relentlessly. 'I've heard dreadful tales of those that have deigned to remain in this forest longer than needed.'

I shudder at the thought, and Lloyd finally takes charge of his new wife and attempts to feebly pull her off Zelos when he begins yelling out for help. Genis and Colette are already skipping ahead (and it sounds like they're making wedding plans for Lloyd in the future), and Raine decides to give a nice long rant to both Sheena and Zelos about behaving, and she slaps Lloyd over the head because, well, why not - it's Lloyd. Either way, we're all moving forward and that's a good sign.

I dunno why, but seeing as the others are all preoccupied with themselves, I choose to hang back near Regal a bit. I suppose I feel like he's the first one that's going to react if some random monster jumps out, and seeing as he's kicked our asses already ... yeah, I'd like him to meat-shield me if needed.

'Who would stay in this forest longer than they need to ...?' I whisper mostly to myself, looking around at the darkening pathway. The path we're walking on is grey and dusty, but it's turning quite narrow. The dark, shadowed foliage and clawed branches hanging down and around us only seem to get closer, and I shiver.

'I would choose against remaining here, even with the most logical of reasoning,' Regal answers quietly, almost as if testing my character. I think he's waiting for me to either respond, snap back, or scream and run away. He's already decided it's probably not worth talking to Genis and Presea (seeing as Genis is acting like a dick), and ... well, seeing as I'm a little girl and he's a big scary convict-man, it kinda makes sense.

But whatever! Regal's not dangerous - I know that.

'I wouldn't stay here for all the money in the world, heh ...' I respond, forcing a laugh that only comes out uncertain. It's hard to be joking now that everyone has calmed down, and the thick silence is setting in.

'I believe some people come here with the intention of leaving with all the money in the world,' Regal replies, turning to me with ... well, I'm not really sure what kind of look that is. It seems every time Regal looks at me he's always searching for something, like to see if I'm allowing him to talk to me, but this time I think he's trying to gauge my interest. He doesn't have to gauge for long, because I'm sure I look rather interested if there's money involved.

'There's an old children's story that tells of a thief that hid his most valuable treasures in this forest,' Regal says, glancing off to some random shrubbery as if he expects some balaclava-clad dude to pop out with a swag-bag. 'Some say he buried it, some say he hid it amongst the treetops, but it's never been found.'

I nod, listening intently. It's drowning out the choking silence, that's for sure.

'Though it may certainly be a children's tale, men have driven themselves mad in this forest, searching its depths relentlessly only to become lost forever among the trees,' Regal finishes with an awkward grimace, turning to me. 'Mind you, the story of what happened to thief is more disturbing.'

'Doesn't sound like a "kid's" story to me,' I mumble, rubbing my arms uselessly against the paranoia quickly gripping me. 'I'd have nightmares for weeks if someone told me that as a child.'

Regal laughs deeply. 'The story is meant to scare children and young adults into staying away from the forest. There may not be insane ghosts driven mad by riches here, but it is still an extremely dangerous place to venture into alone. Many of those men did not take allies into the forest with them, if only to secure the "treasure" for themselves.'

I shudder at the thought of being lost in this place all on my own. I don't think I'd ever find my way out - I'd definitely succumb to insanity in here.

I feel a broad hand pat my shoulder, and look up in time to see Regal drawing away. 'Though, our intention is only to pass through without disturbing the "undead spirits" that might be protecting some farfetched treasure. With a group this size, I'm certain no trouble will befall us.'

... Regal 2, Kratos 0.

---------

'_Something wrong, Genis?_

_'... Sheena, have you been to Ozette before?'_

_'I've been there a few times when I was working for the Mizuho Information Network. It's a nice place, but the people there I could do without ...'_

_'What do you mean?'_

_'Apparently Tethe'alla is less tolerant of half-elves. If that's the case, then I have no idea what to say about Ozette. It's just so ...'_

_'Oh ... so my sis and I-'_

_'You're going to have to be careful when we get there. They won't kick you or Raine or Charlotte out of the village, but they won't let you shop there or use the inn. It's easy to cheat the eyes and say you're just elves, right?'_

_'It's easy enough to lie about it, but if there's a full-blooded elf around ...'_

_'It's rare to see elves around outside Heimdall - oh, that's where the elves live in Tethe'alla. They rarely ever leave their village, so I doubt there'll be any in Ozette. They're usually in Sybak or Meltokio.'_

_'I hope so ...'_

_'... We don't have to stay there. If we're quick, we could just drop Presea off with her parents and get to Altessa's place. It'd be dark, but I'm sure the others would understand._

_'N-no, it's okay. We can just say we're elves. Humans can't check, so ... I wouldn't want the others to push themselves too hard.'_

_'Well, if you're sure ...'_

---------------

Okay ... I don't know if I like Ozette or not.

All I remember from the game is the village being really, really ... dark and moody. I never really understood why, but after talking to Regal and letting him explain a few things, it seems Ozette is built in the curve of a cliff, and the village is practically encased in giant trees and twisting branches. It seems that it's mostly high above the ground, so I'm clearly going to be terrified of walking around when I could go plummeting off the edge of a colossal branch and into the rest of the forest below. Not fun.

Well of course, now we're here, it's getting dark already. It doesn't really seem that bad – I guess Ozette is kinda cosy. I mean, the whole place is practically tucked away, there're cute little lanterns lining the wooden fences leading up to the village centre, there's a few fireflies darting around ... it's nice, I suppose. The place _feels_ creepy as shit, but at least it looks _nice_.

We're all just kinda ... shuffling into the village in our tight little group, trying to look inconspicuous. What? The Papal Knights _are_ after us and all. We don't know if they're here or not. Presea apparently doesn't give a rat's ass, and is walking right on ahead despite the odd glances she's getting from all the night owls wandering around this late. There's only a young couple and a few kids playing hopscotch, but still ... clearly they don't like her here.

'I hate this village,' Zelos tells us rather straightforwardly, giving the small wooden buildings resting carefully on the edge of the grassy cliff a sour look. 'Gives me a headache.'

'Deal with it,' Sheena snaps, smacking the back of his head and continuing on after Presea. Who has ... gone. Shit.

Ah well, thank god we have Genis, because he's already zooming after her like a homing torpedo. Young love.

'Presea, wait!'

'What do you know, it's giving me a headache too,' I grumble, rubbing my brow and glancing up as we all trudge unenthusiastically after Genis and his new girlfriend. It's not that we don't care, we're just really tired. It's probably just the feel of this place, to be honest.

Above the village is just a low, dark tree canopy. Barely any light can get in, and it just seems like the village is locked in some kind of ... eternal twilight. No wonder they're so moody around here (well, from what I've heard).

'Argh, you know what?' Zelos halts us, speaking up when we finally reach the empty village centre. 'You guys go chase our little rosebud, and I'll land us with some rooms at the inn. It's won't be cheap, but-'

'Zelos,' Sheena interrupts firmly, cocking a head in Raine and mine's direction. 'Ixnay on the Alf-elf-hays.'

'Ahh, right, right,' he sighs, waving a hand. 'So, straight to Altessa's?'

'Whaaaat?' Lloyd deflates loudly with a kicked-puppy look. 'But my legs are killing me!'

'That's your own fault for crawling after Colette and Genis halfway from Mizuho,' Sheena grumbles, rolling her eyes at Lloyd's attitude. 'We'll see Presea home and explain to her parents why she's been gone so long. Then we can – oh Lloyd, quit looking at me like that! Stay here on your own if your legs hurt so damn much!'

Sheena finishes flipping her lid and storms off after Genis, who seems to have headed towards the eastern part of town. It's hard to see, but it looks like the cliff slopes down and around the cliff to a lower part of Ozette. I take a quick and cautious look over one of the wooden fences lining the edge of the plateau, but all I see are treetops and hanging vines obscuring the view. This is a really nature-esque village. I look around a bit more while Regal whispers a quick explanation to Lloyd (probably about Ozette and its half-elf bashing ways). The inn Zelos was referring to is actually built _into_ the trunk of a large tree on the edge of the cliff, which faces out to the mountains and the purple sky. By the look of it, I'd guess the rooms are built lower into the tree. That's kinda cool ... and sounds really cosy. I know we have to leave, but aw ...

'This village is so quiet ...' Colette says, looking around (after waving to the kids from before). 'Why's it giving you a headache, Zelos?'

Zelos immediately looks sour again. 'The people here leave a bad taste in my mouth. I came here once with my sister, and they're just ... ugh.'

'Oh, you have a sister?'

Colette looks really interested as we continue on, passing more twists of cliff and wild branches winding around the village. Zelos just looks uncomfortable, which is a bit weird to see for once. Zelos never really looks _awkward_, he just looks like he's eaten something bad. It's hard to explain ... even when he's not acting like it, he can still look cool. Yeah, I'll stop waxing poetic about my new crush now.

'A little half-sister,' Zelos says quickly, looking around with uninterest as if he were talking about what he had for dinner (which we haven't HAD YET). 'I don't see her much, but she never really liked me so it's cool.'

'Oh ... why doesn't she like you?' Colette asks, and it's a good thing Sheena ran on ahead. She'd have a whole list ready. Zelos just shrugs, clearly trying to dust off the topic as lightly as he can.

'Ehh, I can't remember. I think I broke something of hers once and she got pissed,' Zelos lies, twirling a finger around a lock of hair. 'All I remember is a fist flying towards my face and waking up two days later.'

Colette blanches.

'Wow, that just gave me some déjà-vu ...' Lloyd mumbles, scratching his head while Raine sneezes. Must be hayfever.

Anyway, I once again opt to stick close to Regal (I really, really dig him) while we continue on. It looks like another section of Ozette twists upward onto a higher part of the cliff-side, which looks like a little shopping area. We'll have to restock at some point ... probably on the way back from Altessa's. I know we're running low on gels, which is probably partly my fault. Y'see, adding a lemon gel to hot water and mixing it in is just ... well, it's heaven in a cup. Considering we live off water on this journey, it really is.

Regal actually came bundled with his own supply of gels, which have magically halved in number since he joined. It's not my fault he's nice enough to spare me one. Two. Okay, four.

'Careful here,' Raine says as we near mossy twist of cliff that should lead us down to where Presea, Genis and Sheena ran off to. It's actually pretty steep, but the grass and moss is giving it a lot more footing that it should be. After looking around and making sure no one is watching, Colette decides "screw it" and pops out her wings to glide down while we all struggle. Yeah, thanks Colette.

Surprisingly enough, Regal is the only one that doesn't stumble on his way down ... considering his hands are tied together and all. Which just makes me feel bad, because I fall on my ass halfway down. Oww, great, now I'll have grass stains over my tights. Leggings. Whatever.

I hear a laugh from above while the others just rush down. 'Want a little help?'

I frown and grab Lloyd's outstretched hand, letting him pull me to my feet again. 'Owww ...'

'You okay?' he asks, holding me up by my arms so I don't fall again. 'Did you twist your ankle?'

I give him a flat look. 'My arse hurts.'

... Lloyd pauses and just snorts. 'Okay, okay, stupid question, I know ...'

I see that I fell because this ... giant _root_ is what it looks like – well, it just gets steeper. I look down and see that everyone looks unscathed at the bottom, except Zelos who managed to fall flat on his face. Colette is helping him up, but Genis looks like he cracked a rib laughing.

Apparently my wariness is obvious, because Lloyd is nice enough to practically hold my hand the rest of the way down. I really don't mean figuratively – he backs down while watching me carefully, and just holds my hand at arm's length and leads me down to the others. I do eventually force him down faster the rest of the way when I notice Zelos grinning at me, and I reach them all a little pink in the face. Lloyd is oblivious as usual and looks around.

There's not much down here; not like up there. It's just a lone, large wooden house that looks rather old and decrypt ... almost like it's abandoned. A few planks of wood from the roof have slid off, and most of the window shutters have rusted and fallen off too. One or two of the window panels are broken, and all the wood looks worn and weak. There are crates and barrels surrounding the uneven fence framing the house, but I dare not look or even wonder what's in them. If they've been left untouched as long as the house, then ... ew.

I turn to thank Lloyd for tolerating my general awkwardness, but Genis and him are already staring at the house like it's just flipped them the finger. Well sure – Presea came down here, and if that's the only building here, then ... she's definitely inside there.

'... Ew,' is all Colette manages after giving the house a quick inspection. 'Presea lives here ...?'

'Looks like it,' Zelos responds with a frown, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I knew this was a hick town, but come on ... not cool.'

Genis turns to us with determination burning across his stupid lovesick face. Bless him. 'Come on, let's talk to Presea's parents about that dwar-'

Lloyd smacks Genis' shoulder hastily to silence him, and he turns to see the door of the decrepit old house creak open slowly. It's really kinda creepy – dark forests, lack of civilization, creepy soulless little girls involved? When did this game become a horror movie? I want out!

... Well anyway, it's just Presea who walks out, still as emotionally bland since we last saw her. It's weird; she looks totally out of place near that horrible thing. I mean sure, I don't like Presea, but let's face it – she's cute. Cute little girls don't fit well with whacked old houses.

Raine looks like she's about to call out to her, but after a few moments it becomes obvious that she's talking to someone else within the house. I'm certain everyone thinks it's either her parents or a sibling, so when some CREEPY OLD MAN walks out to join her on the stone porch, you can practically hear everyone's stomach turn.

Yeah, it's Rodyle.

I know I did this when I first met Zelos, but I hide behind Lloyd without thinking. Only now it's for very different reasons.

Rodyle just ... I don't know – he creeps me out. Really. I'm not talking about just "oh ew mad scientist dude", but he can honestly force me into a cold sweat. Even now I've got goosebumps, and just for being about twenty feet away from him. There's something malicious about him, and the way he approached me back at Meltokio ...

I place a hand over my Exsphere. I haven't been in pain lately ... not since in the mountains where I fainted. Maybe he was bluffing.

'Somehow, I don't think that guy's her old man,' Zelos mutters under his breath, and Sheena just nods with an awkward look on her.

'Yeah, maybe we should y'know, like, skedaddle right over that-a-way,' I whisper hastily, throwing my arm back and gesturing wildly to that one really dark corner of trees. Yep. Genis goes right ahead and ignores me as usual, and actually takes a few brave steps up to the house. I don't think Rodyle has actually noticed us yet (thank you, giant wooden door concealing his view) but Presea turns her head slightly when Genis approaches.

A brick might as well have hit the floor right behind me when Rodyle notices us. Ohhh geez.

I see Sheena automatically slip a hand closer to the card-pouch on her thigh when the cardinal glances to Genis, studying him over the brim of his red glasses. I suppose no one's considered the possibility of him actually being a decent bloke, but I can't really blame them. It's Rodyle, man.

Genis falters at the edge of the stone terrace, and quickly turns to Presea when he notices Rodyle looking at him. 'Presea ... aren't you coming with us to see the dwarf?'

Ohhh the look on his face when Rodyle claps down a hand on her shoulder.

'I'm afraid little Presea will have to remain here for now,' Rodyle says with an eerie smile, adjusting his glasses with a thickly gloved finger. 'You see, she is the only one able to retrieve the sacred wood for His Majesty of Tethe'alla. Without it, the royal family would be in rather the predicament, wouldn't you say? Hehehe.'

Lloyd takes a moment to shake me off when I grip his arm tightly. Before he can complain, Raine sucks in a sharp gasp of air when Genis reaches for his kendama, glaring at Rodyle all the while.

'We have more important things to deal with!' Genis snaps, holding his weapon behind himself slightly. Even he's not stupid enough to jump right into the fray, especially with someone like Rodyle. 'Presea is in danger, and it's up to her where she wants to go. So ...'

Wordlessly, Presea begins stepping slowly toward Genis.

The look on Rodyle's face is unreadable for a few moments, and I hear both Sheena and Colette sigh in relief beside me. You know it's bad when no one knows who Rodyle is, yet we're all extremely glad that Presea is choosing us over him. We can't all tell he's a half-elf, so the idea of him being a Desian probably hasn't even occur-

_Ping_.

I blink at the soft snap that cut the silence, and notice Presea is holding Genis' kendama in her hands, handle in one and spiked ball in the other. The string previously connecting them wavers limply to the floor.

Genis turns the same colour as his hair. Presea reaches out, staring through him, and hands him both parts of his broken weapon. 'Violence is not needed here.'

Rodyle just smiles eerily from behind her as Genis gingerly takes back the two parts of his broken kendama. I don't think he's about to say much else in her defence right now.

'The dear is correct,' the cardinal agrees, patting the soulless girl on the shoulder once more. 'Though your enthusiasm is admiral for your ... size.'

Genis' knuckles shake as he grips the handle of his weapon tighter. I'm surprised we're not all as equally pissed, but the rest of us are just standing and staring like gormless twats.

'Presea, why don't you run on inside and tend to your duties,' Rodyle urges in a sickly tone, touching her back and giving her a gentle push towards the door. She doesn't need directing twice, and without so much of a grumble from Genis, she disappears into the decrypt old house and closes the heavy, creaking door behind her. The unoiled hinges squeak loudly and make me shudder, but not half as much as Rodyle himself does.

Speaking of him, Genis is giving the cardinal the most scathing look I've ever seen. And he used to hate me like whoa, so this is new.

'Fervour!' Rodyle laughs with a single clap, ruffling Genis' hair as he strides past. 'I like that in a child your age.'

Zelos has to grab Raine by the arms to stop her from reaching for her staff. I inch slightly closer to Lloyd once more as Rodyle descends the small stone steps leading away from the patio, with Genis' glare burning into his back all the while. He quite clearly could care less, and touches the rim of his glasses as he walks by us. His swift scan of us sends a noticeable chill through the group, and he simply responds with pausing for a moment and grinning at the sight of us.

'My, what a colourful little group.'

He nods to himself and continues on his way while we try to locate our spines. Genis is already making a beeline for Raine, and Lloyd is scowling at Rodyle as he continues past us, job done here. And he's going, going-

Wait, why is he slowing down?

Why is he stopping in front of Lloyd?

Why is –

Oh shit, he's looking at me.

I lose the feeling in my legs and grab Lloyd's arm again, and thankfully he doesn't shake me off this time.

Rodyle holds the edge of his glasses, lowering them down the bridge of his crooked nose, and takes a long look at the hand I'm using to hold onto Lloyd. I glance down too, just to be certain, and sure enough my Exsphere is shining dully in the evening light.

Rodyle just tuts, shaking his head with another grin while he adjusts his glasses once more. 'Naughty girl.'

Goodbye spine.

I hear Lloyd's breath hitch as Rodyle walks away, muttering something else to himself. Probably because his arm is most likely bleeding through my nails. I quickly let go before I rip off one of his triceps, but wobble a little on the spot. Thankfully, pretty much everyone wasn't able to hear Rodyle's little comment, and Regal and Genis are already bashing down poor Presea's door.

'What was that about?'

I look over to Lloyd and blanch a little, shaking my head. 'I dunno ...'

Really, my mind feels a little scrambled right now. I think I'll ask Lloyd about Exspheres of the green variety a little later ... when we're out of Ozette at least. Let's get all this Presea stuff out of the way first, and then I can probably think straight. Right now the only thing on my mind is just _what_ we're about to encounter in Presea's house.

'Weirdo ...' Lloyd mumbles, glancing over to the small concaved path in the mountainside where Rodyle disappeared. 'You sure you're okay ...?'

I grimace a little. '... Can we talk later?'

'Uh ... sure.'

I already feel a little awkward, so I settle with dragging Lloyd over to everyone else. Regal's done a fine good job of getting the door open, considering he's handcuffed and all ... which begs the question _why_ Presea locked it, but hey. We're all about to find out.

Some of us before others, because Raine is already holding a hand over her mouth. The air in Ozette is pretty still, but oh god the _odour_ that just rolls out of Presea's house. Genis and Colette are the first to choke, and both of them back away hastily until they hit the fencing on the patio. I don't know why, but I look over my shoulder again just to make sure Rodyle is gone. I don't know what he'd do if we started breaking in with him still around.

'Oh geez- what the hell is that ...?' Lloyd coughs, yanking his collar up over his face.

'I dunno, but I'm not keen on finding out,' Zelos answers with a grim look, staring into the darkness of Presea's house. Fuck it, I'm not going in there first. It's like something out of Silent Hill. I'm half expecting Pyramid Head to jump out and start humping something. That doesn't make me feel any better.

Raine is the first to strap on a pair and actually step into the house, looking around through the darkness and waving some silvery cobwebs out of the way. I notice that she's leaving footprints in _abnormally_ thick layers of dust on the wooden floor. I honestly thought it was just grey stone at first. The house just creaks dangerously, and Genis makes a worried noise before gulping in a deep breath of air and following his sister.

'Ladies first,' Zelos says, giving Sheena pat on the back. She rewards him with a scathing look, but grabs Colette and me by the hands and drags us in there too. Hey, I know girls gotta stick together, but at least give me a second to grab some air like Genis did. Instead Colette and I wind up hacking away like the dainty females we are.

Oh god, this place SUCKS.

Cobwebs. Everywhere. All over the broken wooden furniture, all over the crumbling walls and rafters ... there's thick white webs coating the empty window panes, and they could have fooled me for a moment. Thankfully I don't hear any spiders scuttling around, and I'm quite prepared to jump into Colette's arms if I do.

'Excuse me.'

Apparently she was prepared too, because I shriek loud enough to alert the whole of Ozette, and I find myself leaping into Colette's arms Scooby Doo style. The others are probably trying to stop the ringing in their ears while Presea silently walks past, searching for something on top of a dusty cabinet. I know Colette still has her angel senses, so I figure I may or may not have given her brain damage with that scream.

Regal is the only one who seems unaffected, and watches Presea silently while she turns from the cabinet and heads toward a slightly ajar door. It squeaks through what must be a decade of rust as it opens, and she disappears into even more thick darkness.

'So!' Zelos cuts the thick silence with an exclamation and a quick clap. 'Our little rosebud seems pretty dandy, so how about we just mosey on over to that dwarf, eh?'

'Don't be such a coward,' Sheena snaps, giving him a shove on the arm. 'We need to find out what's going on.'

----------

'_Zelos?'_

'_Yeah? Something wrong, bumpkin?'_

'_Okay, you have to stop calling me that. It's "Lloyd".'_

'_... Wassup, Lloyd?'_

'_Earlier, you said you had a sister? Doesn't she live with you?'_

'_Why'd you ask?'_

'_I'm just curious. Whenever I used to think about Colette being my little sister, I always imagined her living with me. I guess it's just kinda weird that you don't.'_

'_Heh, I'm assuming if Colette was your little sister then you'd actually like her. My little sister? Not so much.'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_We just don't get along. It's a lot easier if we live apart from eachother. I mean hey, if I was your older brother and I annoyed the crap outta you, you'd want out, right?'_

'_Well ... you do annoy me a little.'_

'_Then my work here is going swimmingly.'_

'_But if you were my brother, I'd still love you all the same. That's what family is for, right? You may not be able to choose them, but they're still the most important thing. So ... I'm sure your sister loves you, even if you guys fight.'_

'_Ohhh, you'd be surprised. Kudos on the Goodness and Love speech though - haven't heard one of those for a few hours.'_

'_Hrrrff fine, be a jerk about it.'_

'_Heh ...'_

_---------------_

Oh, not fun. So much lack of fun.

I'm sitting with a pale-faced Genis against the fence of Presea's patio, and Zelos is comforting a retching Sheena around the corner of the house. Everyone else who was man enough to stay _in_ the house is trying to communicate with Presea, and I'm sure Genis wishes he could be in there with them. Raine actually demanded that he wait outside, and seeing as I was practically dying on my feet too, Zelos ushered us out with a queasy Sheena at his heels.

Yeaaaah. There is something dreadful in Presea's house.

I mean ... I've seen those magically-charged zombies running around near Iselia. They just looked like sickly ill people, at least of what I can remember.

But that thing ... in there.

I shiver a little when I hear Sheena coughing a few yards away.

Hollow eyes ... brown, moulding flesh, crawling with glittering black bugs, maggots ... the smell ...

'Ulp ...'

I feel my stomach churn again, and Genis glances over when I gulp down the nausea. I know he just wants to run in there, grab Presea and drag her out and to Altessa ... but I suppose Raine and Regal are deciding what to do for now. Well ... maybe not Regal. I still don't know exactly what he's going to do now ... I'm not sure if he'll come with us or not. He said he just wanted to talk to Presea's family (probably about Alicia), but there's soooo much shit going on right now.

I glance over to the other two, and Sheena seems to have finally composed herself. Apparently she can't handle herself well around rotten looking stuff, especially bodies. Zelos is actually dropping the flirting for once and just rubbing her back comfortingly, but I know that's not going to last for long, creepiness of this whole situation aside.

The entire house just creaks noisily in the wind, and I frown, huddling up to myself. I really want everyone to just get out of that place so we can leave, but I'm too scared to go back in there, and my legs aren't working. I just keep seeing that body in my head and it makes my knees cripple.

'... What now?' I ask tiredly, looking over to Genis while he stares at his hands. He doesn't look all that reactive, so I let him just ... act quietly disgruntled for a few moments.

'We gotta talk to that dwarf about Presea,' he explains thickly after raising his head a little, like he's trying to talk through a mouthful of salt. 'That Exsphere Kate told us about ... it's done something awful to her. She probably won't even come with us.'

I shake my head. 'I don't think she will, either. She's pretty stubborn. Sorry about your kendama, by the way.'

Genis looks pretty gloomy. 'It's okay. I don't really need it to cast magic; it just helps me concentrate.'

'Well, uh ...' I mumble, poking at the cold, dusty stone I'm sitting on. 'I ... still have your first kendama. You gave it to me on my birthday?'

'Second,' he corrects dryly. 'I have one still in Iselia ... Phaidra has it right now.'

'Genis, topic.

'Sorry.'

'Anyway, you can have it back if you want. Not that I don't appreciate it – I just think I'd be a danger to myself and anyone in a twenty yard radius if I ever tried to use it.'

That actually raises a smile, albeit a still grim smile. I can't complain; I think this is the first time I ever made Genis smile? I'd get up and do the Macarena in victory if there weren't a corpse only a few meters away behind that wall. Plus my knees are still weak, and I don't really want to attempt to get up and then crack my head open on the railing. That'd suck, and there are no hospitals in this world. Or Sylvarant. No wonder people drop like flies all the time around here.

The front door creaks open, and the screech of the hinges sends goosebumps shooting up my arms. A pasty-looking Colette practically crawls out, holding onto the wall and breathing rather carefully. I don't look, but I can feel Genis get to his feet and walk over to inquire, but as usual Colette just straightens up hastily with a small smile, trying to look positive.

'... She's staying, isn't she?' Genis asks, holding onto Colette's arm so she can stand up away from the wall.

'The professor said it's for the best ...' Colette sighs, and her smile drops immediately. 'It's too dangerous to force Presea to follow us right now. We'll come back a little later. Is Sheena okay?'

Zelos just waves for her, and it seems like they're talking about something in private while Sheena tries to maintain the contents of her stomach. Fun stuff.

'Uh ... Charlotte, are you okay on the floor?'

'Dandy,' I respond, trying to give Colette a grin in return. It doesn't work, and I'm sure it comes out twisted and worried. Anyway.

Suddenly, the door slams back open against the wooden wall with a smash, and one of the hinges cracks right off the frame while a blur of red soars right across the patio and into the field infront of Presea's house. Then Raine and Regal quietly emerge from the house while blur-Lloyd delves in some oxygen over ... that-a-way.

My brain is still a-spinning, but the situation is pretty much ... it's going to be easier to talk to Altessa ourselves rather than try to force Presea to come with us. We're going to ask him about Presea's key crest, and hopefully see if he can customize her current one or make her a new one to stop the parasitic growth. Raine's decided that, after asking very nicely, Regal is allowed to accompany us further until we can get Presea back to normal. Genis isn't too happy, but we all totally care what he thinks.

Also, Zelos finally seems to have let a flirt slip, and there's a quick slap from the other side of the patio before a still pale and pissed looking Sheena joins us once more.

'... Are you feeling better?' Lloyd asks, and I crane my neck back to see that he's leaning on the railing behind me from the other side. Sheena just nods in reply, and Zelos saunters over as suavely as he can, rubbing a rather red cheek. Poor thing.

'It's getting late now,' Sheena says, stepping to the side and trying to peer up through the thick canopy of trees. 'If we start off immediately, we could reach Altessa's before it gets dangerous to travel. I don't know if he'll let us stay the night, but ... it beats camping out.'

'True story,' Zelos agrees hastily. 'I haven't camped out with you guys yet, and I don't plan to.'

'We don't have any of our camping provisions ...' I say quietly after thinking for a second. 'We left most of our big stuff at Hima. And we can't exactly buy more if we're wanted criminals.'

I don't think the others realised that we don't actually have all our sleeping bags and blankets and all that hefty stuff we used to make Noishe carry around, so ... yeah, that just put a whole 'nother bummer on the group. I hear the wooden fence I'm leaning against creak when Lloyd collapses over it with a groan of annoyance, and Raine looks a little miffed herself.

'Let's pick up some supplies on the way back,' Zelos offers, weaving his fingers lazily through his hair. 'We're gonna have to pass through Ozette again whether we like it or not. For now let's just haul ass to this dwarf guy.'

'I'm afraid I have to agree,' Raine sighs finally, reaching back and closing the broken door with a soft creak. 'It's a shame that we have to leave Presea here, but right now we should just do all we can.'

Genis doesn't look entirely on board, but he just nods slowly with a frown. Aw, it's okay little man – you'll be back with your crush soon enough. Though I do agree – leaving a twelve year old girl with a rotted corpse with a certain half-elf slinking around doesn't sound exactly heroic, but hey ... we're the ToS group. We'll pick up soon enough.

Zelos once again proves that his mind actually sustains TWO tracks, and gives Sheena a hand walking seeing as she's still shaky. It's weird to not see him flirting, but I suppose if they were friends before all this then it's really not hard. Colette follows suit by winding an arm around Genis' shoulders in an attempt to comfort him (and stop him hanging around wistfully around the house) while Raine pretty much discreetly does the same to Regal. I'll admit, I feel sorry for Genis right now ... all jokes aside, he does actually care about Presea.

I reach above myself and grab the fence to attempt to heave myself up, but I don't know if it's the lack of feeling in my knees or just this horrible sense of foreboding I have that's weighing me down. I'm not turning back into the emo sap of the group, but encountering Rodyle and a rotted corpse in the same day kinda screws you over in the willpower department. I just hope things start looking up with Altessa.

'You hanging back here or something?'

I look up over my shoulder to see Lloyd yanking the bag he's carrying for Raine over his shoulder. I make a face and grumble. 'What, with a corpse and a girl who _acts_ like a corpse? No thank you!'

Lloyd raises an eyebrow. 'Well, we're gonna leave you behind.'

I frown. '... Help me up?'

It's hard not to laugh when Lloyd rolls his eyes, glancing back to the others as they follow Sheena before walking around the fence to yank me up. 'Geez, you okay? You're acting kinda strange.'

'Well I'm sorry, but stumbling across a mouldy old corpse crawling with bugs and maggots will do that to you,' I reply tartly, giving him a flat look.

'... I suppose so,' Lloyd answers with a bleak expression, giving the dark rickety house a worried stare. 'Was that the first time you've ever seen a corpse ...?'

I blanch at the question, but I eventually just have to think about it. '... No. I saw horrible stuff in the Palmacosta ranch with Kratos.'

'Oh ... right. He told me about that.'

My smile comes out wringed. 'Did he also tell you how much I freaked out over it? I wouldn't put it against him to bash me.'

'Geez, even when you're apart you're still at his throat about everything,' Lloyd says with a short laugh, running a hand through his hair. '... So what's wrong?'

I settle with pausing for a moment to try and tie that question to something we've been talking about in the last fifteen seconds, but my brain is hitting blanks. '... Eh?'

Lloyd looks over to the others quickly before turning back with an inquisitive look on his face. 'When that guy with Presea left, you said you wanted to talk about something. Can't you just tell me now?'

... Crap, what did I want to talk about? Oh right, green Exsphere! Right ... oh god, I don't want to bring it up amongst all this. I still don't know if it's urgent or not – Rodyle could just be pulling my leg for a laugh – but I should really have a chat with someone about it. I'd ask Charis, but she's apparently buggered off to the arse-end of nowhere, and she's the only one that really had answers for me.

But I dunno. I really can't bring this up right now. Let's just get the Altessa stuff sorted, and then I'll ask Lloyd about it. It's not like it's killing me.

'Uh ... you know what?' I say, trying to give a casual laugh alongside a small twist of the hand. 'Let's just get all this ... "saving Presea" stuff out the way. Stacking up problem after problem isn't a wise choice, I should know.'

Lloyd really doesn't look convinced. I'm not surprised; he's had to deal with my secretive shit before. But I'm not being secretive! I'm just kinda ... holding off a completely harmless problem of mine in favour of Presea and her ultimately fatal soullessness. Go Charster?

'... So it's a problem?' Lloyd asks, still not looking too on board with my selflessness. Hey c'mon, this is rare for me, let me have my moment Irving.

'Oh – you're reading too much into it!' I say, waving a hand. 'You're just all paranoid after not realising stuff before, and you're blowing it way out of proportion, and could you just help me up please?'

He just frowns, and I groan when he doesn't move.

'Look ... I just can't do this right now,' I sigh finally, gesturing towards the decrypt old house with its dark share of horrors. 'Please, can we just focus on Presea? My brain is all – and I can't right now – Lloyd, just help me up? Please?'

... He exhales slowly in frustration and steps up, offering out a hand. Yay, I broke him! I take his hand quickly after realising the rest of the group are nearly at the mountain fissure, and if we don't hurry then they're going to leave us behi-

'Wagh-!'

I almost stumble back over when Lloyd gives me a sharp yank as soon as I get to my feet. The smell of grass hits me hard, and I find myself staring at Lloyd's shoulder when a pair of arms circle tightly around my shoulders.

... Haven't had one of these in a while.

'Uh ... Lloyd?' I ask awkwardly, though to be fair I'm not really used to hugs from out of the blue. He doesn't respond for a few thick moments, which only serves to worry me a little. 'You okay, man?'

I feel his chest move when he sighs quietly. '... You've kinda stopped asking for hugs lately. They used to make you feel better. If you're not going to let me do anything to help right now, then at least let me do this.'

Regardless of the slight tinge of guilt I get knowing that Presea is still in there with nothing to help her right now ... I can't help but feel a lot safer knowing Lloyd can still find the time to worry about everyone else despite that. I wrap my arms around his middle and just indulge myself in the comfort of a friend for now. I don't know if it's that I needed this or if it's Lloyd, but I really do feel better ... and protected, as corny as it sounds.

... Lloyd just makes it hard to worry about things for too long.


	86. Altessa Sucks Too

look, a nice long chapter! if you could leave a review, it'd be much obliged.

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**Chapter 86 - Altessa Sucks Too**

Ohhhh man, so tired.

Yes, we did persevere and walk all the way from Ozette to Altessa's little mountainside house in the _dark_, thankfully without running into monsters at all, but after the bad day at Mizuho, _and_ at Ozette ... exhausted. Oh so very exhausted.

Lloyd is complaining about how slow Noishe was getting to Ozette (so he can't ride him), and Genis is snoozing on Colette's back. Team Iselia is pretty sleepy, I suppose. Raine is keeping herself awake by annoying the dignified _crap_ out of Regal, who ... actually enjoys a lot of the questions, to be honest. If Raine was asking me things about Tethe'allan ruins and architecture, I'd be choking myself with several lemon gels right now. I suppose after being in prison for so long, Regal is happy to have someone to talk to about ... grown-up stuff.

Team Tethe'alla isn't doing that well either. Ninja-heritage aside, Sheena is dragging herself along just like the rest of us with Corrine cheerleading on her shoulder, while the unspeakable has HAPPENED and Zelos Wilder Chosen of Tethe'alla has actually become too sleepy to flirt.

As for Team Earth, I'm ... just tired. I'm enjoying the lack of Presea, as cruel as it sounds, but ... she's creepy, okay? Don't judge me. Stop it. Hey, we're going to help her, okay!? Geez!

'So ... um,' Lloyd starts slowly, blinking through his drowsiness. 'So ... so – what do you think dwarves in Tethe'alla are like?'

I figure he's asking the entire group besides the people who are sleeping (Genis) or dead inside (Zelos). I just shrug from beside him, staring up at the towering mountains. We're walking close by to keep an eye out for Altessa's residence, but I reaaaally hate walking alongside mountains. It's probably a fear I've developed here, because I didn't particularly do it on a regular basis at home, but ... I dunno – you just look up and everything looks like it's about to topple over on top of you from fifty feet above. Not fun.

... It's actually making my head spin staring up at it, so I shake my head quickly and look back down at the dark fields rolling ahead of us. Ah, that's better.

'What, are there dwarves in Sylvarant?' Zelos asks, rubbing his eyes on the heels of his hands. 'I've only heard of this one Altessa dude here.'

'Lloyd's dad is a dwarf!' Colette reveals with a smile, looking back to Zelos (and making a sleepy Genis mumble a bit). 'He's really nice. Maybe Altessa is nice too!'

Oh, I wouldn't count on it. Regardless, the look on Zelos' now-awake face is priceless as he volleys confused looks between Lloyd and Sylvarant's Chosen.

'... So what, you're half-dwarf?'

Lloyd deflates with a groan. 'No.'

I point to Lloyd and mouth the word "adopted" in Zelos' direction, who just "OH"s and nods quickly, going right back to being dismissive and tired. Yes, when we show up at Altessa's house all grumpy and tired and asking for help, he's TOTALLY going to be inclined to comply politely. I remember him being a douchebag, I really do. I think I'll just try and handle the whole situation quietly, because I'm not in the mood for grouchy old dwarves.

... Plus, that probably means we're camping out tonight.

'Geez, I'm exhausted ...' Lloyd yawns, running a hand over his face.

'Lloyd, that's great, tell me that while you're holding my bags,' Zelos groans, dumping his moderately small luggage into Lloyd's automatically open arms. I just watch Lloyd slump to his knees with a yelp under the weight, and Zelos cracks his knuckles as though he's about to start on someone. Bloody hell, I hope it isn't me.

'What now?' Sheena demands tiredly, coming to a stop and looking between Zelos while he flexes his fingers, and Lloyd while he struggles to stand upright with the Chosen's apparently heavy bags. 'Zelos, would you quit wasting time?'

'I'm _saving_ time,' Zelos argues rather flippantly, giving Lloyd and appreciative pat on the head while he continues to struggle his way upright. 'Thanks bud. Anyway, this is taking too long, so I figure we could use a little pyro-power.'

Raine and the others have stopped also, and she looks like she's about to javelin her staff in Zelos' direction in angry-professor-rage, but Regal stops her by holding up a hand. Well, two, but y'know.

'I believe Zelos is right,' Regal defends, gaining a few surprised looks for actually supporting Zelos ... seeing as no one ever does that. Well, except me, but Regal isn't a hormonal teenage girl desperate for approval from pretty famous Chosens. I hope.

'Oh! That's right-' Sheena starts, yanking out a bright red card from her pouch and handing it to Zelos.

'Thank you, hunny.'

'What's going on?' Colette asks, backtracking carefully with a sleeping Genis still on her back. If we're near Altessa's then he's gonna have to wake up pretty soon. We can't have a rude encounter with someone without Genis getting all pissy. It just wouldn't be _right._

'There's an old law,' Zelos explains, snapping his fingers and creating a spark close to the card Sheena gave him. I'm guessing that's Fireball in action. 'It's not much use nowadays with everyone in cities and towns, but it's still floatin' around out of courtesy.'

'If you're lost at night and you can make a signal,' Sheena continues, pointing to the small embers burning away at the paper. 'Then the nearest residence has to signal back so you can ask for directions or wait there safely until sunrise.'

'... Don't we have that?' Lloyd asks, looking over to Raine after finally straightening up (I took the bag off him because he's a pansy tonight).

'We do ...' Raine responds thickly, looking a little awkward and embarrassed that the idea didn't occur to her first. 'But with all the monsters appearing in Sylvarant, no one is travelling unless it's by carriage or wagon.'

'... Remember Neil's wagon?' I bring up randomly, turning to Lloyd. 'With those bandits? That was a painful ride, holy crap.'

'Oh yeah!' Colette adds with a smile. 'That feels like it was so long ago ...'

'WHEN you guys are done waxing nostalgic about your hick modes of transport,' Zelos cuts in rather loudly, holding a ... dangerously fizzling card at arm's length. 'You might wanna cover your ears.'

We all do so rather quickly with the exception of poor Regal (and Genis, but no one's noticed yet and I wanna see the results). Zelos flings the card up into the air before it can start burning his gloves, and he actually manages to get it quite far up considering it's a piece of paper. I'm gonna pretend he's using some sort of magic like Wind Blade, or Sheena's cards are just _that_ practical.

'Huh ...' I say, lowering my hands away from my ears for a moment. 'That wasn't so ba-'

Because I have such good karma, the card explodes like a big red firework barely a second later, accompanied with a deafening bang. The others who were actually smart enough to keep their hands over their ears get to enjoy the pretty red lights fluttering down from above, while Genis, Regal and me wonder if we'll ever regain the use of our eardrums. Oh, Genis woke up, by the way. He fell off Colette's back from the noise, which is fun for me.

'Oh wow, that was so cool!' Lloyd gushes, watching the last of the lights until they flicker away. Colette is practically bouncing up and down on the soles of her feet in excitement, so I'm gonna guess Team Iselia has never seen fireworks before. 'Do it again!'

'NO,' I snap, holding my ears. Oh god, ow.

'Might wanna save them for emergencies,' Zelos agrees, taking his bag off Lloyd and slinging it back over his shoulder. 'Yo Professor, could you set us up some lighting?'

I watch Raine squirm once more when she realises she's overlooked yet _another_ very obvious and helpful tactic in helping us through the dark. She's not really having a good day. Either way, she yanks her staff off her back, and the head lights up almost immediately. It doesn't illuminate a lot in the dark, but now we're definitely noticeable if we're close to Altessa's house.

It takes about half a minute, but eventually Sheena directs us towards somewhere a little off the path from where we would have headed. It's quite far away and barely visible, but it looks like a dim light is flickering on and off. I really, _really_ doubt dwarf-houses built into cliff sides have electricity, so it's probably an oil lamp or a candle. I really don't know.

ANYWAY we all start trekking in our new direction, Lloyd and Colette begging Zelos to set off another firework and Genis looking ... rather justifiably pissed. I dunno; waking up to a firework going off only about ten yards away would make anyone sour. He's pulling a Charlotte and bitching about Zelos and noises and the dark in general, so ... at least it isn't me whining! Ohohoho. All in good time, my friends. I'll find something to flip out at eventually.

After getting a bit tired of Team Iselia, as well as telling Lloyd where he'll be shoving the next firework, Zelos manages to break away from the other two let them chatter between themselves about the firework. Good god, calm down. I've seen thousands of them before, and after a while they do just get old. Though I suppose it's fun for them. I'm sure Genis would be joining in if he wasn't glaring daggers at Zelos' back right now.

We're almost there (I can start to see the outline of the cliff and pinpoint the light coming from the open doorway and a single round window), so I skip over to Regal before we settle in and get chewed out by an angry dwarf.

'Hey!' I greet, probably a bit too cheerily considering our situation, time, and place. 'How are your ears?'

'I believe I'll survive, thank you,' Regal answers. He's been quiet since we left Ozette, save for answering all those questions for Raine. I suppose he's worried about Presea, so it's a good thing we're on our merry way to save her right now! Hopefully.

Y'know, I'm glad everyone's letting Regal come along. I was actually pretty worried that they'd decide to leave him behind at some point, considering he's a convict with a shady past that he's not keen on sharing. Instead, I think Lloyd is enjoying having another adult in the group, and Raine would probably keep him here against his will as long as he knows so much about Tethe'alla.

The grass beneath our feet finally starts turning into dry, dusty rock, and we have reach Altessa's house! Oh, it's been so long since Sybak! Okay, maybe a day or two, but we've walked so _far!_ I'm so happy.

I give the outside of the house a quick look-around. There's a small stone slope leading up to the actual residence, and beside that there's just a few necessities for living so far out in the boondocks like a hermit. There're a few crates of coal around, and a few barrels of water and sacks of what looks like rice and wheat. There's a couple of iron lanterns around that have been lit for our benefit (aw, how nice), and a small washing line. Other than that, it's pretty plain.

'Uh ...'

I look over at Lloyd, and then over to where he's staring. It seems the heavy stone door of the house has been pulled open, in standing there at the entrance is NOT an old dwarf, but instead a young woman holding an oil lantern. I suppose that's what was flicking on and off earlier.

Sheena slaps Zelos before he can say anything, but I don't blame him. She's very pretty. She's got long green hair tied up in a plait, and a boxed fringe framing her face. Strangely enough, like Presea and Regal with their weird hair colours, it doesn't seem unnatural. She's donning a matching green dress and some arm-length gloves, as well. It actually kinda looks like my outfit's formula, minus the tights. Huh, I wonder if this is a popular style in Tethe'alla.

'Um ... is this Altessa's house?' Lloyd asks finally. Well to be fair, she doesn't look like a dwarf. I look over at him and notice he's gone a bit red in the face. It's probably the legs. I know I'm a girl, and yes I'm quite hot for Zelos, but I take another look at the young woman and good god. Nice work, Altessa. Maybe he can set me up with some like that.

The woman nods. '_Please come inside_.'

... Oh dear, robotic voice time. Creepy.

She disappears into the house, and we all exchange looks with eachother before following slowly. What? Normal people don't talk like that. Even _Presea_ didn't talk like that, and she was as creepy as they come.

It looks like the place has been lit up, but unlike outside I don't think this was for our benefit. I think Altessa must have been working or something. Anyway, I take a quick look around with the others while our guide walks to the centre of the room to place her oil lamp on a large, stone table.

There's not much in here either. The ceiling is actually pretty high ... I wasn't expecting that, but hey. There's a small stove in one corner of the room, and another open doorway that looks like it leads into a small hallway with several bedrooms. I'm guessing Altessa got a bunch of travellers before, so he decided "fuck it" and built a bunch of rooms or something.

To my surprise, I realise that Altessa's house is actually pretty warm. I was expecting some cold, stony house, probably like a cave, but it's nice here. I don't know if Tabatha is cooking or not, but the house kinda smells like soft burning ... kinda like soup. I'm definitely picking up a hint of bay leaf from somewhere.

... Yeah, I'm rambling.

Genis, Colette and Sheena actually look quite uncomfortable being here, though I'm not sure why. I blame Miss Robot over there, still making Lloyd go pink in the face. Lloyd, honestly! You're a married man, stop staring!

I look around the rest of the room (I honestly think he has just this one room beside the bedrooms), and there's a large iron chandelier adorned with candles hanging down from the ceiling just above the table. I see quite a few wooden chairs lining the walls, which is surprising considering only two people live here. This is just one weird house. Anyway, behind a wall over to the left is a small opening, which I'm guessing leads the way to Altessa's little workshop. We're being led over there, so I'm guessing I'm right.

... Okay, you know what would be the bad thing to do? If all eight of us just burst into his workshop like a freaking barbershop quartet all "WE NEED HEEEEELP", which has apparently occurred to the others as well. Lloyd just motions to everyone else to stay put while he goes and talks to Mr Dwarf. Genis, Colette and Sheena look happy to stay where they are for now, and Regal probably doesn't want to be judged by yet another person. I'll admit; I wouldn't want to help someone who came to my door in handcuffs. It's just weird.

I go right ahead and ignore Lloyd, and apparently so do Raine and Zelos, so the four of us go right on ahead. What? You wanna know what happens, right? Well shush, then.

There's actually a small squeeze to get into Altessa's little area (that sounded wrong), though to be fair it is rather ... messy. The walls are lined with tables and shelves, all of them stacked and covered in papers, small precious stones, books, boxes ... and a mug, which looks like it's filled with steamy hot tea. Ooh, I wonder if I can get a cup of that before we leave.

Seated at the desk furthest from the wall is the man himself! Small, balding, and a beard to rival Santa's, ladies and gentlemen! IIIt's Altessa! Looking ... pretty miffed already! Geez, give us a chance to piss you off first.

He lifts himself from his small wooden stool when Tabatha approaches him, and I take a moment to notice he's wearing what looks like a long, teal coloured cassock. He's actually pulling off the look quite well; it just ... doesn't look like something a blacksmith would wear. Which I assume he is, considering the picks and tools lining the walls. I don't know!

'This is a rather unusual time for travellers,' Altessa tells us, almost as if he's scolding us for being out so late. Hey, you're not my real dad! 'Who are you people?'

Lloyd actually looks a little intimidated by his voice. I suppose after living with Dirk, it'd freak anyone out. Dirk sounds friendly, and Altessa ... just sounds gruff and old, almost like he hasn't talked to anyone in years. Or he swallowed a fly.

'My name is Lloyd,' he answers, and the rest of us just decide to stay quiet. He doesn't need to know who we _all_ are. 'We heard about you from a half-elf named Kate, in Sybak.'

Altessa's beady eyes narrow slightly at the mention of the name; though I have a feeling it isn't Kate that's making him look like that. 'You know Kate?'

'We ... ran into her during an incident,' Lloyd explains awkwardly, and the understanding nod from Altessa is signal that it doesn't need explaining. I'm feeling a bit awkward myself, standing here and doing nothing, so I have a quick look at a random stack of papers on the desk I'm standing beside. Huh, they're commissions ... people actually come all the way out here to ask Altessa to make stuff for them? Gee whiz.

'I want nothing more to do with Kate's research,' Altessa tells Lloyd rather firmly, and I'll admit; he's not being as big of a douche as I expected. Who knows, we could be on the road to eye-scratching and tables being flipped over, but it all seems okay so far.

'We're not asking you to get involved with Kate or the Imperial Research Academy,' Raine assures Altessa quickly when she realising we're losing him. It's like trying to grab at a rapidly unravelling rope. If we don't hang on we're gonna get kicked right out of here. 'We just need your help.'

Altessa's starting to look pissed, so I try to avoid getting involved too much and start looking over his commissions. Huh, some guy from Ozette named Alfred wants an owl amulet made. How about that.

'We've come in regards to Presea,' Lloyd reveals finally, and it suddenly becomes _very_ obvious that we're not going to get anywhere. Altessa's brow furrows and he thuds back down in his seat.

'I can't help you.'

Zelos raises an eyebrow, unfazed. 'You can't, or you won't?'

Lloyd elbows him in the side to shut him up, and quickly turns back to the adamant dwarf. I don't know if Tabatha is capable of facial expressions, but she's staring at her master's back with what looks like a mix of shame and pity.

'What? Why can't you help us?' Lloyd asks, and I bite my lip before looking at another commission. I'm just trying to stop myself blurting out something to get Altessa even more pissed off, so I'm diverting my attention until then. Oh hey, a woman called Cassandra wants a music box!

'I want nothing more to do with Presea, or any of the results of Kate's research!' Altessa replies a bit more resolutely, probably hoping we'll get the message. Unlucky for him, Lloyd is as stubborn as they come, and he takes a brave few steps forward.

'But ... this is important!' is the only defence Lloyd can come up with for now, and I keep staring down at those papers. Someone called Alexander wants a clock made, huh.

'This is no longer any of my concern,' Altessa decides, turning back to whatever he was working on. 'Get out of here.'

... Oh look, there's that douchebaggery I was expecting! And Harvey wants a wedding ring made! Don't get involved, Charster, just keep reading!

'Hey, some little kid's life is at stake here and you don't care?' Zelos butts in, and Lloyd doesn't stop him this time. 'All she needs if her Key Crest fixed up; what's your deal?'

'Tabatha!' Altessa snaps, not giving us a second glance. His robotic maid finally leaves her master's side, and walks over to usher us out of his workshop. I'll admit; that went a lot faster than it should have. I know the point of coming here in the game was simply to get shot down by Altessa in about four lines, but c'mon!

Lloyd is reasonably irritated at Altessa's flippant dismissal of our case, considering we _did_ walk all this way from Sybak to meet him. Tabatha gives him a gentle push with her hand on his arm to steer him out of the workshop, but Lloyd isn't about to go quietly. Though god forbid he'd actually struggle against a woman (especially one as creepy as Tabatha), but still.

'Look, if you're one of the people responsible for getting Presea into this mess, then you should at least help us get her back to normal!'

Altessa flat out ignores Lloyd, and that's the last we get from him before we're shoved back through the small alcove. Christ, Tabatha is strong. I actually have to grab for the railing separating the path to the workshop from the doorway that separates it from the living area. Which I have just realised is there. Huh.

Zelos flees to the safety of ... well, Colette and the others, and Raine follows rather sullenly behind him. I too am feeling rather down, considering we came ALL THIS WAY only to be told to shove it. I knew this was coming, but ... it hurts, man! Oh my aching feet.

'What ... the hell ... was that about?' Lloyd demands once we're out of hearing range, seething each word while he massages his temples. I hope he doesn't flip out and break a chair over Altessa's head or something.

Tabatha ushers us quietly away from the alcove, and after realising she doesn't exactly have a volume dial on her, I understand why.

'_I apologize for the Master's refusal to help_,' she tells us in her robotic tone, and both Colette and Genis shiver noticeably. I know it doesn't seem as creepy in the game, but when she's talking like that and staring at you with those wide, soulless eyes ... yeah, I'm scared too.

'Why doesn't he want to help Presea ...?' Genis musters up the courage to ask, which quickly gives way to anger when he turns to Lloyd. 'Did you say something stupid!?'

'Wha – no!' Lloyd snaps. 'No! Well, mayb – ugh, no I didn't!'

Raine sighs loudly, effectively shutting up both students of hers. She flattens a hand over her forehead, leaning against the railing. 'He said he doesn't want to involve himself in Kate's matters anymore.'

Colette's face falls. 'But ... Kate doesn't have anything to do with it now! All we want is to fix Presea's Key Crest ...!'

'_That may not be in Presea's best interest_,' Tabatha says flatly (she doesn't exactly have a range of emotions here). '_The Master has caused irreversible damage to Presea. Preventing her from witnessing that damage may be for the best.'_

'It's better than being stuck as a soulless shell for the rest of her life!' Sheena snaps, shoving Zelos out of the way so she can rage properly. 'Who's he to say what's best for Presea!? He definitely didn't consider that when he turned her into that ... thing!'

'I agree,' Regal adds calmly with a nod, and I'm surprised he of all people is able to keep his cool right now. 'Perhaps by helping Presea return to her former self, Altessa can atone for what he has done.'

Tabatha falls silent for a few moments, and I become rather freaked out. She doesn't make any gestures as if she's considering what we're saying – she's just standing there. Quietly. Staring at them. Thinking it over in her robot-brain. Sheena's rage goes _poof_ and she actually slinks awkwardly behind Regal for safety.

'_The Master has endured many hardships as of late,'_ Tabatha explains sympathetically (I think). '_It will be difficult to persuade him_.'

'You'll help us?' Lloyd asks, looking like he could just hug her. Again, Lloyd, married man. Control yourself.

'_I will attempt to make the Master see otherwise,'_ she promises, though the way she's saying it makes her sound unsure. '_If you return later, I may be able to change the Master's mind. Though if you wish to take matters into your own hands-'_

'You mean fix her Key Crest ourselves?' Lloyd asks, and Tabatha nods in response. 'I can repair Key Crests, but nothing like Presea's ...'

'_Then you should search for inhibitor ore. It may be able to sustain Presea's humanity-'_

'Tabatha!'

We all jump a few feet into the air (with the exception of the robot), and Altessa seems to have returned for round two! Or he just got sick of listening to his maid blurt out loads of information for us and has come to kick us out himself. Yeah, that seems to make more sense.

'I told you to get rid of them!' Altessa snaps gruffly, not leaving the security of his workshop's entrance. 'I want nothing more to do with the affairs of that awful man!'

I can only assume that he's talking about either Rodyle or Vharley, seeing as both of them are considerably awful. Sheena gets her rage back and comes out from her hiding place (poor Regal).

'If you're just going to let Presea die, then at least let us have the information to save her ourselves!'

'You would do best to leave her be, and that goes for myself as well!' Altessa fumes. 'Now leave!'

Lloyd grits his teeth, turning back to us. 'Let's just go. We're not getting any closer to saving Presea just by hanging around here.'

Regal nods. 'We have all the information we need for now.'

Tabatha turns to Altessa, who seems to be standing his ground at the entrance to his workshop until we finally leave. Oooo it's getting serious up in heeeere. Anyway, Genis gives him one of the most scathing look before storming out into the dark, and Sheena does the same before dragging Zelos along with her. Well, this did not go well.

'... You-!'

The remainder of the group jump once again at Altessa's sudden exclamation, and even Tabatha makes some sort of startled, abrupt gesture. She hops back out of the way when her master leaves the solitude of his workshop and storms over to us, looking rather wide-eyed and stunned as though he'd just realised something. Maybe he recognises us from wanted posters. That ... probably won't be good.

What happens next sends my stomach shooting down about a foot, and Altessa reaches out with a large, calloused hand and grabs my wrist, yanking me in.

'Wh – ouch!'

I stumble a little over the cobbled pathway, and Altessa's grip only turns firmer. My whole hand fits into his palm alone, and he's just clutching my wrist with almost bruising force. I'm too bewildered to say or do anything.

'Why are you wearing this ...!?' Altessa demands, practically bellowing, and I flinch at the personal scolding. The others have returned to the doorway from outside to see what the ruckus is about, and I really wish I knew myself.

'Wearing ...' I trail off after a confused moment, and suddenly notice my Exsphere shining dully against the light of the candles overhead. 'T-the Exsphere ...?'

Altessa actually looks appalled at how dense I am, and I feel like I'm up at the front of the class getting an F or something. Only with dwarves and Exspheres and crushing of the wrist bones ow ow OW.

'Do you have any idea what you're doing to yourself ...!?' Altessa yells furiously, tugging my hand sharply to indicate the gem. 'To your comrades!?'

I falter, heart throbbing in my throat. 'I-'

'Let her go!'

I feel Lloyd's hand on my shoulder, and there's a soft hiss when he lifts the hilt of his blade a few inches, glaring at Altessa. A single moment of silence passes, but he doesn't need telling twice. Altessa practically shoves my hand back to me, and I stumble again only to feel Lloyd's arm shoot the rest of the way around my shoulders so I don't fall. Altessa turns and storms back toward his workshop, Tabatha at his heels.

'Fools! Don't return here!'

Lloyd pulls me in safely, but I just remain slack in his grip for a few moments from the shock. Altessa disappears behind the wall, and Tabatha gives us one last glance before following him herself. I can hear her robotic voice talking to him, but I can't find the will to figure out what she's saying.

What ... the hell was that supposed to mean? Doing something to myself? To the others? What did he mean? Was all that creepy stuff Rodyle's been hinting at true ...? This Exsphere – is it bad news? Did Charis forget to tell me something ...?

There's a _thunk_ to snap me out of the slew of sudden questions cascading onto my tired mind, and Lloyd drops his sword back into its sheathe. 'Are you okay?'

I blink, and quickly feel for his arm so I can pull myself upright. I go a bit red in the face considering _everyone_ is staring at me, and I haven't had this much consideration since ... well, the Tower of Salvation I'm gonna guess. It's a shame I never get all the attention for good things. 'Um ... uh – yeah, I'm fine.'

Lloyd doesn't look convinced, but Raine coughs loudly from behind us. I look over, and she waves her staff at the door to shoo the others back through it. 'Let's just leave. We can sort out everything while we set up camp.'

... Altessa could have told me that I'm _dying_ in seven days, and the trauma from that wouldn't even stop me from deflating back into Lloyd's grip with a groan.

I hate camping.

-----------

'_... That's what you wanted to ask me about, wasn't it?'_

'_Huh?'_

'_Your Exsphere.'_

'_Oh ... Lloyd, let's not do this now? I'm tired.'_

'_I'm right, aren't I?'_

'_Yes, Lloyd, you're always right, can I borrow a pillow or something soft if you have a spare?'_

'_Char-'_

'_Look, you can chew me out when I've got my throbbing head on something soft.'_

'_I'm not gonna chew you out! Just listen.'_

'_... What?'_

'_What exactly were you going to ask me?'_

'_Just ... if you knew anything about green Exspheres.'_

'_... I've told you all I know already. They're just Exspheres that weren't processed properly. They can still function, just not as well.'_

'_Do you think that's what Altessa meant by what I'm doing to myself? And you guys? That I might not be pulling my weight by using a shoddy Exsphere?'_

'_Don't be stupid, you dork. You work just as hard as the rest of us, especially now. If it bothers you so much, why didn't you ever exchange it for a normal one? We encountered enough Desians wearing them.'_

'_Uh ... it's like there's some kind of voice in the back of my head telling me that I shouldn't take it off.'_

'_... You are so weird sometimes. But if it makes you feel better, then that's fine. You're not holding us back or anything.'_

'_Eeagh ...'_

-----------

Well, we just made a U-turn right from Crappy Avenue right up to Shit Creek.

As nice as getting yelled at and kicked out of Altessa's into the dark, cold night was, it's just gotten a lot worse. Well, that could just be me being a pessimist, but I really hate camping!

I probably didn't mention this, but to save ourselves extra weight (a lesson well learned from hauling a crapload of stuff around in Sylvarant), we left some of our stuff with Sebastian at Zelos' mansion. Just some stuff that we could sacrifice, like a few sleeping bags (they're practically just cloth). I mean, Genis can share with Raine, and Colette, Sheena and me can share sometimes ...

I left most of my stuff there too. I did have the most useless crap in my bags, sooo yeah. I've given Genis back his kendama from _ages_ ago, which he actually seemed quite happy to have returned to him. But other than that, I'm just carrying around a couple of Apple Gels, a Life Bottle, and my pistols.

So yeah, point being, second night camping out in Tethe'alla is _not_ as fun as it was in Sylvarant. Not that I'm saying it was fun at all; it sucked balls, but still! We don't even have Noishe to sleep on, because he's too busy looking after Presea in Ozette! Argh!

'This sucks,' Lloyd declares, lying sprawled out on the stone ground. We decided to camp against the mountainside a little ways away from Altessa's house, just because it's hella difficult to get a fire going on grass.

'Tell me about it,' Zelos groans, sitting with his back against the cliff-side. 'I'm the Chosen – I'm not supposed to be camping out like a hick!'

Genis glares at him from across the measly fire we managed to get going. 'Colette's the Chosen, and you don't see her complaining.'

... I think she actually would be, but she's crashed out with Sheena. Both of them are practically folded around eachother in a single sleeping bag for warmth, and if the weather keeps getting colder then I'm jumping right in there with them.

'I don't come from your bumpkin world, so I'm guessing it's a lot different there,' Zelos says with an eerily sweet smile. It might just be the light from the fire casting shadows on his face, but he looks like he could shove his sword right up Genis' nose. 'Here we don't usually have celebrities camping out with a bunch of nobodies.'

'Ow, my self-esteem,' I tell him with a flat look from the ground. Well, kinda. Don't look too much into this, but I've got my head on Raine's thigh while she reads a book she nabbed from Zelos' about the temples in this world. Considering Genis isn't waving the Crucifix around or kicking me away like a leper, I'd say it's okay. Raine's not taking much notice anyway.

'I didn't mean you, my little chestnut!' Zelos backpedals smoothly, and I almost consider forgiving him before I decide I can't be arsed.

'So ... just us guys?' Lloyd asks, raising an eyebrow.

'Well, you and the brat.'

'What about Regal?'

Regal, who is a couple of feet away while he ... meditates, by the looks of it, doesn't make any response. Wow, I didn't know Regal meditated. Well, he doesn't use an Exsphere, so I'm guessing all that power he's using has to come from somewhere.

'Y'see, the old guy is significantly cooler than you are, bumpkin,' Zelos explains to a disgruntled looking Lloyd. 'Plus, I don't have any personal grudges with him. You guys on the other hand got me labelled as a fugitive and kicked out of my mansion with the Papal army on my ass.'

'... Yeah, we kinda dropped the ball there,' I admit, craning my neck back to look at Lloyd. He groans in frustration with a frown, turning to Zelos properly.

'Well what would you rather do - just sit in your cushy mansion with women all day, or actually be out making a difference in the world!?'

'Women,' Zelos answers without skipping a beat.

'Argh, whatever!'

After a while of Zelos and Lloyd exchanging more casual abuse like an old married couple, I finally get up off my arse and decide to make some food. It took long enough to get the bloody fire going without any firewood. Lovely as these plains are, Gaoracchia Forest it ain't. Not a tree or a bush in sight. So seeing as it's dangerously cold, we're burning a sleeping bag. No one was told who's it was, so we're just going to have to live with ... four sleeping bags between eight people. Fun.

'Do we have any food to cook?' I ask, kneeling before the sad excuse for a fire and feeling a bit useless.

'Pots and pans are at my place,' Zelos groans, slumping down to his back. 'I imagined our trip would be pretty straightforward, but _nooo_.'

I roll my eyes. I'd suggest something that we don't _need_ a pot for, like ... I dunno, marshmallows or something, but that would require having ... y'know, marshmallows. And sticks. Which we have none of.

'I'm starving ...' I complain at the flickering flames. 'I haven't eaten since, um ... Mizuho, I think.'

'Me either,' Lloyd groans, rolling over and clutching his stomach. 'Now you've got me thinkin' about food ...'

'Maybe we should have told Altessa we were just travellers who needed a place to crash for the night,' says Zelos, drawing moodily into the dusty floor with a gloved finger. 'Then we could have laid all that Key Crest crap on him in the morning.'

'... Where was that idea a few hours ago?' Lloyd demands with a glare. Zelos just flicks a stone at him with a scowl.

'I'm not opposed to cannibalism in dire situations, so I'd shut that hillbilly mouth of yours.'

Cue Lloyd rapidly shuffling over to our side of the campfire, leaving Zelos on his lonesome. The Chosen just folds his arms behind his head with a smirk, shifting a little on his back to get comfortable. 'You guys tell me when you've got an idea for something to eat.'

My stomach gurgles in reply, and I press down on my belly to shut it up. Ohhh so hungry. I'll admit, being in Symphonia is like being on a crash diet. You barely eat, and whenever you do it's something like rice or dried noodles. We can't exactly carry around fruit and vegetables while travelling, because they'll rot rather quickly. I'm still waiting for scurvy to kick in here.

I make a face and move over to sit next to Lloyd. Maybe I should switch the subject off of food, because he's holding his stomach in hunger like he's got a stab wound or something.

'What are we gonna do about Presea?' I ask, and I see Regal's head turn to observe through the dark. 'Altessa isn't going to help, so ...'

Genis' head has taken my place in his sister's lap while she continues to read quietly, and he gets a sour look on his face when I mention the dwarf. 'We could do what that woman suggested ...'

'Fix the Key Crest ourselves?' Lloyd asks, looking a little worried.

'Make a new one?' I offer. 'Using inhibitor ore? That Tabatha lady said that Presea's wasn't made out of inhibitor ore.'

Lloyd blinks. 'She did?'

Oh ... crap, I bet she didn't, and I just remembered it from the game. I just shrug in response with an awkward look. 'Well ... I-I figured that's what she meant when she told us to look for it ...'

Lloyd sits back with a nod, though he still looks rather unsure. I can't particularly blame him – we've hit a dead end here, and with very little information to go by. All we know is that we may or may not be able to help Presea by making her a new Key Crest out of inhibitor ore, and that Altessa is a dick. So yeah, we're drawing the short straw.

'I say we give it a shot,' Zelos calls from over the other side of the fire, looking as if he's planning on taking a nap. 'It's not like we can do much else.'

'We don't even _have_ inhibitor ore,' Lloyd sighs, rubbing a hand over his brow. 'I could probably make a Key Crest the same as Colette's, but we're not gonna get anywhere unless we find some. Something's telling me that Altessa isn't exactly gonna hand some over, either ...'

Zelos snaps his fingers several times to get our attention, sitting up with a hard expression as if he's trying to recall something. 'Oh geez, what was that place called ... some Exsphere mine that got shut down a couple'a years ago, agh ...'

'The Toize Valley Mine.'

'YES!' Zelos cries, pointing to Regal who's just come back from his, uh, meditating and sits down beside Lloyd. 'Yeah, that's the place!'

'Calm down,' I tell him carefully, and I turn to Regal. 'Valley mine what now?'

'Yeah, can we find inhibitor ore there!?' Lloyd asks, leaning in uncomfortably close to poor Regal. 'How far is it!?'

Raine reaches over and grabs Lloyd ribbons, yanking him down onto his back without looking up from her book.

'Gyaa!'

Regal probably wonders just what kind of whack-job group he's gotten himself involved in, but I'm sure he doesn't mind that much as long as it's to save Presea. 'It's been a fair few years, but if my memory serves me correctly then I believe it's somewhere in the mountain range to the south, between the Ymir Forest and Altamira. There were several mines before, but they have all been securely closed off by now.'

'Why wasn't this one?' I ask randomly, and Regal looks over.

'It was owned by an independent corporation as opposed to the Tethe'allan monarchy,' he tells me. 'Unless the royal family has rights to the mine from the Lezareno Company, they cannot issue that it be shut down.'

Lloyd looks a little relieved. 'So we can still get some ore from there? Will we have to mine it ourselves?'

Regal links his fingers, probably from lack of anything else to do with those handcuffs on. 'I believe activity in the mine was halted rather abruptly, so there may still be some storage crates with the ore already inside. The inhibitor ore was found relatively close to the surface of the mine, so we wouldn't have to venture in far.'

'I'm liking this silver lining on our otherwise very grey cloud,' I say, sitting forward a bit. 'But there's a catch, right? There's always a catch. Is there like, some giant unnecessary dragon guarding the leftover ore or something?'

Regal gives me an odd look for a few moments. '... Not that I can recall. But due to the mine's inactivity, there may be some rogue creatures dwelling within.'

'Oh, well that's not so bad.'

'Though the mine is considerably far from here, and we cannot reach it on foot. It's beyond several other mountain ranges, as well as the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, all of which I'm positive are impassable.'

'... There it is.'

Lloyd shrugs. 'Why can't we just sail there?'

'You have a boat?' Regal asks.

'Better than that, we haaaaave-' Zelos holds up the wing pack. 'An _Elemental Cargo!_'

The poor confused convict stares at Zelos. 'You've been sailing around on an EC?'

'What'd I tell ya?' the Chosen responds with a shrug, pocketing the wing pack again. 'Yokels, the lot of 'em. You think this is bad; they sail around in washtubs on Sylvarant.'

'... Interesting.'

'It really isn't,' Raine replies with a pale look, probably remembering the experience. Hey, I'm the one that nearly drowned thanks to those stupid fish monsters. Anyway, Raine finally snaps her book shut and decides to take part in this conversation. 'Regal, I have a question.'

He just nods, and Raine folds her arms before sitting back against her luggage with an inquisitive look. 'Why are you so concerned about Presea? You've told us that there is close to no relation between the two of you, yet you've broken away from the pope and joined us in order to save her.'

'There is very little I can tell you, and with that I hold no qualms if you still decide that I am untrustworthy,' Regal tells her, looking rather confident considering Raine seems close to kicking him out of the group. Hey, she tried it with Kratos. 'Though before my sentence, I made a promise to an acquaintance of mine that I would make sure no harm would befall Presea.'

'Her father?' Lloyd asks. 'He did look kinda ill ...'

'No, Lloyd, he looked kinda dead,' I say flatly with a shudder.

'Well ... it just seemed like he was ill before he died! Geez.'

Regal coughs to stop our spat and regain our attention. 'I'm afraid that's all I can tell you for now. I'm not asking for your trust – only that you give me the opportunity to aid you in saving Presea from that monstrous fate.'

Zelos waves from the other side of the fire, and I wonder if he's starting to get a little lonely over there. 'I'm on board, because really – even if we did tell the old guy to beat it, he's the only one who knows how to get to the mine.'

'... True,' Genis mumbles, still not looking too happy. Don't worry; Regal isn't going to steal away your darling Presea. He just wants to protect her probably on the last wishes of Alicia or something, calm down little man.

'We can set off tomorrow,' Lloyd says. 'Though it wouldn't hurt to go back to Ozette for food first ...'

'Looks like food came to us instead.'

Both Lloyd and I jump up like we've just won Miss Universe, staring at Zelos expectantly when he tells us that FOOD IS AROUND. I hope it's not a rabbit or anything, because I'm not killing and eating a rabbit. Screw that – they're too cute. It'd be like eating your firstborn.

Instead, Zelos is looking over to where he threw his luggage a couple of feet away earlier, and it seems there's something very small and very alive nudging at the cloth with its nose. It's kinda hard to see through the lack of light, but ... is that a monster? It's definitely the _size_ of a rabbit ... so it's not a danger or anything.

'... The hell is that?' Lloyd asks, thankfully so I don't have to. Raine and Genis have shuffled over to get a look, and Regal is leaning in curiously. Zelos gives the thing a poke with his sword, and it recoils with a clicking sound before scuttling back to chewing at his bags. Now I look at it more closely, it kinda looks like ... an armadillo covered in leaves. It's like something pulled out of the Pokemon franchise, to be honest. God, eating that would just set up a whole lot of guilt for my seven year old self. Kentucky fried Pidgey, anyone?

'I dunno what it's called,' Zelos says, giving it another poke and watching it click angrily. It's probably unaware of the fact that it's surrounded by a number of very hungry humans. 'But they show up sometimes and eat stuff out of traveller's bags. Kinda like vermin.'

'Way to make it sound appetizing,' I groan. 'How the hell are we gonna eat that thing?'

'Yeah, it looks kinda ...' Lloyd drifts off when his brain fails him. 'Uh ... shell-like.'

'I believe it's the leaves Zelos is referring to,' Regal tells us, and my face falls. Great, that makes my stomach feel so much better.

'Yeah, you just pluck 'em off and eat them,' says our new chef, reaching over and, indeed, yanking off a leaf from the poor thing's shell. It doesn't start clicking again, nor does it writhe in pain, so ... I'm guessing it can't feel it. That's good.

'... So we're eating leaves?' Lloyd clarifies with an annoyed look. Well c'mon Lloyd, were you expecting a freaking turkey to wonder over and just throw itself onto the fire? Christ.

'They're crunchy, kinda like lettuce,' Zelos says with a shrug, chowing down on his own already. 'Don't knock it if there's nothing else, bumpkin. You're free to starve.'

And so, the next few minutes is filled with us stripping the poor armadillo thing of its leaves, and discovering that they don't actually taste that bad. It really does taste just like lettuce, only a bit saltier. We also discover that the little creature doesn't exactly re-grow its leaves, so it scuttles away after a while, probably all cold and naked and about to be laughed at by all his other leaf-madillo friends.

And then we are hungry again.

I hate camping.

-----------------

'_Hi Regal!'_

'_... I apologize, but you are going to have to remind me of your name.'_

'_Oh, no worries. I'm Charlotte.'_

'_Charlotte ... I'll remember that.'_

'_Yeah, so, thanks for easing my worries in the Gaoracchia Forest yesterday. I figure since we're on the way to that mine, maybe you could tell me something about it so I'm not paranoid all the way there?'_

'_You are afraid of mines?'_

'_Well, I've only been in one when I was little. It was on some tour, and part of the inside collapsed when we were in there, so ... I'm not really confident about going inside one.' _

'_I assume that mine was akin to a narrow tunnel.'_

'_Uh, yeah.'_

'_Then you have nothing to worry about. The Toize Valley Mine is colossal, and possesses the most advanced technological structures to ensure that it does not collapse. Though in reality, they are unnecessary. The mine itself is quite old, and uses sturdy machinery from ancient times that continue to run to this day.'_

'_But didn't you say it had been abandoned? What if they've stopped working?'_

'_That may be a possibility, though we shouldn't have to venture in particularly far to find what we are looking for. If we are lucky, there may in fact be some crates of inhibitor ore left at the entrance.'_

'_Wow, that'd be sweet.'_

'_Indeed.'_

'_I guess I'm not as worried anymore. I was kinda packing about having to go into the mine too far. Thanks Regal, you're pretty cool!'_

'_Ah ... thank you.'_

_---------_

Hey, hey, remember last time we were in the EC? Remember how Undine gave us a hand in making it surf flawlessly across the ocean, and then helped us arrive smoothly at our destination? OH WAIT that's right, she didn't do that at all. And once again, she's grudging at Sheena for hacking off her arm back at the Water Seal, and instead of arriving at the dock Regal directed us toward, we have crunched once again onto the shore just outside the mine. I'm glad it's just a stone's throw away now, but Christ, my back.

'Are we gonna have to deal with this EVERY TIME?' Zelos snaps from the floor, currently being crushed under the weight of both Genis and Lloyd. Surprisingly, Regal is the only one still in his seat, seeing as he's the only one smart enough to grab onto something when impending dooms comes speeding toward us at about 150mph. We're not the smartest group, we really aren't.

'Sheena, seriously, you didn't have to cut off Undine's arm,' I grumble, pulling myself out from underneath Colette. 'She's gonna hold that against you for like, ever.'

She gives me a glare when she sits up. 'Would you rather I just let her strangle Lloyd!?'

'You could have let Kratos cut off her arm instead! He's not the one summoning her! Then we could all engage in the Krat-hate together!'

'Ladies, ladies, please!' Zelos cuts in quickly, holding us away from eachother as if we're about to start pulling each other's hair and start scratching eyes out. 'If you're going to get into a cat fight, save it until there's a mud bath nearby!'

That turns Sheena's attention from me to Zelos, and everyone hastily crawls away regardless of injuries so Sheena can wrestle him to the floor and strangle away. Well, we'll just ... let them get on with that.

Lloyd pops open the hatch above and clambers out, quickly followed by the rest of us. We've been stuck in this damn thing since morning, and it's just gone noon now. Well, that's what it looks like to me when I crawl out of the EC and hop onto the shore. It's quite bright out here, clear blue sky, and warm too. I suppose since we're close to Altamira, which _is_ a holiday resort, we're in a nice climate. Wow, I could go for a tan if we weren't busy saving little girls from horrendous and grotesque Exsphere infections. Shame.

Zelos emerges from the EC with what looks like a bruised cheek and promptly collapses onto the beach with a groan. Poor thing. I decide to go over and help him up, seeing as everyone else is already following Regal to the mine entrance. The entrance itself is quite small, so I just hope it gets bigger the further we go in. The mountains are quite tall around here, so I think it should be.

When we trudge up the beach and get closer (while Raine is First Aiding everyone's bruises and booboos away), I see that the mine really does look like it's been abandoned rather impromptu. There are upturned mine carts lying around outside with bits of cold black ore spilling out. Something's telling me that's _not_ inhibitor ore (Regal says it's a gold colour), so we just go right ahead and ignore that. It's not like we need it for anything, unless of course it's edible.

'Is this the right mine?' Lloyd asks, probably just to break the silence. That's what I figure, seeing as we're all rather quiet and moody after the second crash landing, also because of the giant iron sign reading "TOIZE VALLEY MINE" right there. Smart job, Lloyd.

We all filter into the mine without much more talk (beside Regal telling us to watch our heads), and it's really not what I was expecting. I mean, I suppose I was thinking it'd be all cold and dark, like ... y'know, a mine. For one, all the rafters above us actually have lanterns hanging down and illuminating the entire tunnel in a soft orange glow. Surely if this place has been out of use for a few years, there wouldn't _still_ be lanterns working? I mean, I had my doubts about the machinery still working, but _LANTERNS?_ C'mon!

'The hell?' I ask rather bluntly, pointing up.

'What do you know, maybe there's some activity in this mine after all,' Zelos says, glancing around. I'll admit, it does look like this place has been used lately. 'You think we'll find some people inside?'

Regal shakes his head. 'This is an automated mine. If anyone was here, it was to collect ore.'

'Maybe it was Altessa!' Colette cries, and ... I'm not even going to list the twelve things wrong with that statement.

'Anyway, you don't think they came and took all the inhibitor ore, do you?' Lloyd asks, looking a little peeved. Seriously, if we came _all_ this way to find no ore left, I'm gonna be mega pissed. We already walked across a whole friggin' continent to get to Altessa, and he told us where to shove it. So yeah, this is turning into the journey of long, pointless detours.

'It's doubtful, though I am rather concerned about this mine being in use,' Regal says, honestly appearing bothered about someone being in here. Well, the Lezareno Company _owns_ this mine, doesn't it? So if people are in here just jacking what they want, isn't that illegal? Time to go all Hot Fuzz on those dickheads stealing our rocks. Well, Regal's rocks.

Zelos kicks away another upturned mine cart blocking our way, and we continue further in. I really didn't expect to lose all the delicious oxygen so fast, seeing as we _just_ entered the mine, but ... ugh. The air is thick and dusty, and I start wondering if we should have brought a canary with us or something. Or we could just use Corrine and kill the little bastard off early, I don't mind.

Other than that, this place isn't really bad ... for a cave, I mean. It does get quite spacious, and the lanterns scattered around _are_ helping, but still ... it's kinda dark and eerily quiet, save for the machinery further in that are making this quiet humming noise. There are actually a few machines scattered around the entrance, but they looks like broken parts that no one got around to fixing.

I notice Raine has slapped on her staff-light to help us navigate, and I get a bit worried when we start approaching a rather familiar mechanism. Yes, it's that giant evil door that Lloyd and co had to fight in the game. The shiny blue and white machinery spans the entire wall, and I notice everyone else now looks a bit wary to approach it too. I remember spending forever and then some on this friggin' boss, because I never focused on that ... thing it had to heal itself.

... But it seems to be open already!

'Someone has definitely been using this mine lately,' Regal says giving the machinery a look over. 'By the look of those dents, this apparatus has been recently destroyed.'

'... What was it?' Lloyd asks, looking up at it worriedly. Well sure, it goes up like ... fifty feet. I know it's attached to the wall and all, but still ... scary.

'It was used to close off the mine during its shutdown, but if someone has broken it open ...'

'Then they'll be lookin' for Exspheres right?' Zelos asks. 'This is an Exsphere mine, after all. If that's the case, I'd bet anything its Vharley or his goons.'

Regal gives the smashed up machinery an absolutely acidic look. 'That may be the case ...'

'Who's Vharley?' Genis asks, turning to Zelos once we get walking again.

'He's an Exsphere broker,' Zelos explains simply, stepping around a crushed part of the wall's apparatus so he doesn't trip (that's my job, and I do). 'He started his business after the Renegades came over, and now he's supplying them to the Papal Knights as well as anyone who'll pay enough.'

Lloyd bows his head in thought, folding his arms. 'But ... he can't just sell off dormant Exspheres – they're useless.'

'Maybe he's in cahoots with the Desians to evolve them?' I ask, shrugging. 'I don't think there're any human ranches in Tethe'alla.'

'Human ran– ew, what's that?' Zelos asks, cringing. 'Please don't tell me it's what it sounds like.'

'It's _exactly_ what it sounds like,' I say with a shudder. Ugggh Palmacosta Ranch uggh.

'Oh g- oh, eww, your world is messed up.'

'It's not _us_, it's the Desians!' Lloyd snaps hotly, making Zelos jump. Calm down there, Lloydie.

Thanks to the now damper mood running through the group, we all go back to being quiet for a while. It takes a few minutes to actually get into the inner part of the mine, and I'm guessing we _do_ have to go a bit further in, because I'm seeing no inhibitor ore lying around anywhere. At least, what looks like it – I dunno, I don't know what it looks like. For all I know we could have passed a huge cart full of it but we're too busy being pissed off at Undine and Vharley and Zelos to care.

After another minute or two of walking through the tunnel that thankfully gets wider and wider, we finally enter the area where I'm assuming everything gets done. It's actually quite impressive – the whole chamber is about the size of a football field. It's a lot lighter in here for some reason, and I can actually see to the other side of the room and everything. I look up to see if there are any lanterns in here, but it doesn't seem so. The ceiling goes up about a hundred yards too, and that's rather incredible.

'AMAZING!' Raine shrieks, and I leap about three feet into the air. She whips out her leather-bound notebook and sprints towards the nearest humming contraption like a bloodhound, leaving us all feeling a bit scared. Well, we lost one ... I'm sure we'll be able to find inhibitor ore without her.

'... How often-' Sheena starts, but Genis just groans, covering his face with his hands.

'All the time.'

'Leave her alone – she's like a kid with a toy,' Zelos says, stretching his arms over his head.

'Or you with a condom,' Sheena grumbles, earning a wink from the man himself before she storms off in the direction Raine went (she's moved onto the next machine and is still writing like freakin' JK).

'This place is huge ...!' Lloyd finally admires (he's been holding it in for a while now). 'Can we really find inhibitor ore here?'

Regal nods. 'Though if this place has been disturbed, then it may require more effort than we thought.'

'Oh, great,' I sigh. I'm about to wonder off and start searching through some crates like the others, but a noise from behind stops me. I shuffle closer to Zelos before looking back, half expecting to see Vharley skulking up the tunnel like a sex offender or something. Thankfully there is no creeper-Vharley, and I'm left with a rather hollow feeling of dread. Really, I think I might be right about that unnecessary dragon. There's always an unnecessary dragon.

'Something wrong, hunny?' Zelos asks, probably noticing how uncomfortably close I am. Well, considering its Zelos, comfortably close.

'Just ... thought I heard a bat or a mouse,' I say, scuffling away.

'I hope there aren't any mice or rats here ...' Colette sighs, placing the lid back on a crate she was fishing through. It looks like all of them are full of nothing but black coal and ore, so ... no luck so far. I don't think we'll be finding what we're looking for here.

I look around and notice Genis flipping out at his sister and Sheena, both of who have hopped on a kind of hanging lift machine that is speeding them towards the other side of the room, safely over a large dug crevice in the floor. Well, when I say safely, I mean they're not dead _yet_. It could snap at any second, I don't know. Considering how Sheena's clinging onto Raine for dear life, I'd say she's on the same wavelength as me.

I'm about to go and join the search, but once again something stops me. This time it isn't a noise or a feeling, but rather something brushing against my leg. I don't even bother looking down; I just let out a high-pitched scream that echoes around the entire room several times and leap toward the nearest person, who happens to be Zelos again. He doesn't mind too much, I'm sure, but I'm crawling up him for safety until I'm practically wrapped around him like a feather boa.

'Oh god, oh god, ew, ew, what is it!?' I cry, clinging on desperately so I don't fall. I've got my arms and legs wrapped around poor Zelos like a bloody koala bear, which only serves to disturb Lloyd when he comes jogging over to see what happened.

'Don't worry, my little princess,' Zelos assures me patronizingly, letting me hang off him while he reaches for his sword. 'I'll protect you from, uh ... the hell is that?'

Both Lloyd and me glance down to where I was previously standing, and ... oh god, please don't let that be what I think it is.

'Hey! You'd better watch your mouth, you loser!' it squeaks, adjusting its pointed hat.

Oh fuck, it's a Gnomelette.

'Holy shit!' Lloyd practically recoils a few steps from shock when it talks, and I'm guessing he got the bad language from me. I quickly climb back down from Zelos when the others come back over, and crouch down beside the tiny creature. Aw, he's kinda cute really. He kinda looks like Kirby, if Kirby was a small garden gnome with a pointy hat.

'Oh ... wow, that thing is tiny,' Sheena comments with an almost revolted look while she holds Raine back (still in her ruin mode here). I'm guessing she doesn't like small things that could potentially bite her ankles. Come to think of it, neither do I, and this thing probably only reaches my knee - hat included.

'I'll show you tiny, you broad!' the Gnomelette squawks, raising a tiny fist. 'Come down here and say that to my face!'

What a weird little man. It's funny, he kinda sounds like Gilbert Gottfried. Think the parrot from Aladdin. Anyway, Sheena looks utterly disgusted at his attitude (along with everyone else, to be honest), and ironically Raine is now the one holding her back from crushing the little bastard under her foot.

'What's your name?' I ask, giving his hat a small poke.

'Watch the goods, toots!' it snaps. Christ, Gnome, give your weird spawn some anger management sometime. 'It's Gnomelette number one! And don't forget it!'

Genis leans down with a positively arrogant look. 'That's your _name?_'

'Yeah, so!?'

'I'm gonna call you Gilbert,' I tell him.

'Gilbert is a stupid name! It's a loser's name!'

'Then it should fit _you_ quite well,' Sheena drawls haughtily, and I think she and Genis are enjoying making fun of the little guy. I think Genis is just happy that something actually shorter than himself showed up.

'When you guys are done?' Zelos cuts in, raising an eyebrow and sidestepping away from the Gnomelette. 'We have in inhibitor ore to find?'

'Oh, right,' says Lloyd, straightening up with a flush. He's probably embarrassed that we forgot. 'Uh, what do we do about this guy?'

'We leave him?' Genis offers while Gilbert sulks. Hey, eight giant people making fun of you would make you sulk too.

'If he's been in this mine for a while, he might know the location of the inhibitor ore,' Regal suggests, giving the Gnomelette an expectant look. The little guy just plugs his ears and storms around on the spot like a child having a fit.

'I'm sorry; I can't seem to hear you from _AAAALL_ the way down here! I must be too _tiny!_' Bloody hell, he's like a cartoon or something.

'Way to go, Genis,' I scold him for pissing off the Gnomelette, and crouch down a little further (I'm the only one down here, y'know). 'Do you happen to know where we could find inhibitor ore?'

He stops dancing on the spot and lowers his stubby little arms, rubbing his round face in thought. 'Ain't that the gold stuff? That chump with the bad hairdo's been dragging it around with some o' them raw Exsphere things lately.'

'Yeah, it's definitely Vharley,' says Zelos with a nod, and I notice Regal's expression turn sour at the name once more. 'Let's get some now before he comes back and strips the whole place of it.'

'Do you know where it is?' Genis asks, and Gilbert plugs his ears again with an obnoxious chorus of "lalalalalala can't hear you". 'Agh, Charlotte!?'

'Can you show us?' I ask awkwardly, and he stops acting like a spaz. I dunno why he's only listening to me – probably because I'm the only one willing to crouch down to his level. See, watching Super Nanny pays off!

'I suppose I COULD show ya where that old guy's been hauling it off to,' Gilbert starts, but his tone makes everyone deflate. Yes, we all know what's coming. 'But it'll cost ya!'

Okay, I remember this part in the game, because it pissed me off to no end (probably because it took me about an hour to actually find the mine). I remember the Gnomelette wanting something like Mizuho potion? Or an alcoholic drink of any kind, so I'm guessing a Palmacosta potion could have worked too. I'm not sure why they call it potion instead of booze – probably a PG thing.

Point being, if we have to haul ass back to Mizuho just to get a drink, then I'm gonna flip out. Or, y'know, we could just search for it ourselves. It's not hard.

'We got a deal or what, losers?'

Lloyd groans, palming the side of his face in frustration. 'Okay, who's got the gald?'

Another obnoxious squeak gets our attention. 'I don't want money, you bonehead! What's a little gnome like me gonna do with cash!?'

'Buy some manners, maybe!?' Lloyd snaps. Oh dear, I hope they don't get into a brawl. We don't want Zelos suggesting a mud bath again.

'Y'see, as a Gnomelette, it's hard for me to enjoy the finer things in life,' Gilbert starts waxing trauma about his troubled life, and we all raise an eyebrow in unison. It's actually quite creepy. Yes, you can guess what's coming.

'So what I'll do you this favour, and-!' he starts almost dramatically, arching an arm through the air, '- it'll cost you one kiss!'

... Okay, I guessed wrong.

Zelos snorts while both Raine and Sheena exchange horrified looks. I wouldn't be surprised if they jumped right back on that lift thing and zoomed away to safety. Holy crap, this is one inappropriate little Gnomelette. Not that he wasn't inappropriate when he was supposed to be asking all of us underage people for alcohol, but seriously. One of them is about to be involved in what can only be classed as prostitution in the lightest form ever.

'One ... _kiss?'_ Lloyd asks, wide eyed.

'I like this guy,' Zelos decides with a grin, turning to both our poor disgusted adults. 'You guys want me to eenie-meenie you or what?'

'What – NO!' Sheena shrieks, volleying aghast looks between both Zelos and the rather expectant looking gnome.

'I'm not kissing that thing,' Raine agrees with a positively green look about her. A high-pitched cough gets our attention, and we all glance back to Gilbert.

'Pardon my intrusion, losers, but I think maybe _I_ should be picking who I get a kiss from?'

Zelos shrugs. 'That sounds fair.'

'This is not fair!' Raine snaps, and even Colette looks a little red in the face. 'I don't want to kiss him; he's small and dirty!'

'Pretend he's a ruin?'

'SHUT UP, LLOYD!'

'I've made my choice!' Gilbert announces loudly, jumping up and down for our attention once more. Sheena and Raine look like either of them are about to be issued a death sentence, and Genis looks ready to crush the little guy with a nearby spade if he chooses his sister.

'The one in purple gets the smooch!'

Sheena lets out a bloodcurdling wail, and I swear I feel myself go paralyzed for a second or two. Geez, Sheena, I might need a Panacea bottle to help this one. 'I don't want to!'

'Going for the jugs, eh?' Zelos observes with a nod. 'I like your style, little man.'

'Not _that_ one!' Gilbert snaps, and I wonder if he's colour-blind for a moment and he's just winging it. Then of course, it hits me like a mine cart when he folds his arms in a buff manner and nudges my knee suggestively. 'If you haven't noticed, two ladies in your group are wearing purple!'

Suddenly I'm very aware of my dress, and I sit back on my ankles abruptly. '... What.'

The whole group goes silent, and I'm not that surprised. I'm really the last person it comes to when we have to flirt in order to get what we want (Raine has blown a kiss to a merchant for an Apple Gel before, true story).

'You heard me!' Gilbert says, leaning up on his toes (as if that helps any). 'Pucker up, toots!'

'Guys, help,' I beg automatically, turning to them. Raine and Sheena look a lot less uptight, but I think I just got loaded with both of their distress. Seriously, I could close my eyes, but then it _would_ be like kissing the parrot from Aladdin. I don't want to scar myself for life and render myself unable to watch Disney movies ever again.

'You gotta do what you gotta do,' Zelos says, gesturing toward the little Gnomelette who is just standing there waiting. Great support there Zelly, I'll come to you if I'm ever in peril.

'... Do I have to?' I ask, and I notice how very unwilling Genis is to bash the thing to death with a spade this time around. Wow, I sure do love all my supporting friends.

'I don't like it, but ...' Lloyd starts, seriously looking disturbed. 'I think you're going to have to ... it'll save us a lot of time, at least?'

I glance away from them, and back to the little Gnomelette standing at my knees. He's looking at me as if to say "I'm waiting, here", but really. Really? Do I really have to kiss one of these things? C'mon, I think I'd rather face Kratos again.

I let out a shaky groan, and lower my hand after a bit of inner turmoil and convincing. Gilbert climbs happily into my palm. He's about the size and weight of a hollow garden gnome, so ... I'll just pretend he is one. Not that it makes this ordeal any less bearable, but ... ugh.

'I hope Presea knows what I'm doing for her here,' I huff with a glare, and point at Gilbert with my other hand. 'If you don't turn into a handsome prince after this or something, I'm gonna be super pissed.'

'Not making any promises,' he tells me, holding onto my thumb for support and leaning in. Ohhhh god.

'C-could you guys not stare at me while I do this!?' I snap, twisting around. All of them immediately spin on their heels. I let out another annoyed mumble, and turn back to Gilbert who is giving me a suggestive look.

'Privacy, eh?'

'Shut up,' I tell him, screwing my eyes shut and leaning in.

...

Five long seconds later, he ends it with a rather comical smack of the lips, and I immediately recoil and shove him back onto the floor. Oh god, I can taste ... earth. Like when you fall over face-first into grass. That taste. Eugh. EEEUGH.

I tug on Zelos' trousers immediately. 'Apple gel.'

'You sure?' he asks, and only now do I realise that they all turned back while my eyes were closed, the traitors. 'I thought we were saving them fo-'

'APPLE GEL.'

'Whoa, okay.'

I chug the whole thing about half a second after Zelos places it into my open hand, and Gilbert doesn't look insulted in the least. He actually looks quite pleased with himself. I make sure to chuck the empty bottle in Genis' direction, who can't seem to keep in the sniggers much longer.

'Much obliged, sugar,' he says with a grin, and I just give him a withered look with watery eyes. I did swallow that apple gel quite quickly.

'Okay, you got your kiss,' Lloyd sighs in annoyance while I rub my mouth. I'm not being nice to people anymore if this is what it gets me. 'You promised to show us to the inhibitor ore, right?'

'I did!' Gilbert declares, and promptly points to a small, unopened crate about three feet away behind Zelos. 'It's in there.'

... Zelos gives it a swift kick, and sure enough, glittering yellow ore lies inside.

'The world needs more ladies like you, toots,' the Gnomelette says, giving my knee an affectionate pat. 'I'll see you around, babe!'

And in three seconds flat, he disappears, dancing down the dark pathway toward the entrance with the spirit of a musical orphan.


	87. Creepy Creepy Cardinals

oh shit it's an update.

yeah been super busy with CLOCKWORK which you can check out by visiting my DA page (link is on my profile page). also i haven't been able to forward this due to not updating in forever, but i made Char a formspring a while ago which you can check out hhhhhere (www . formspring . me /charster), and my own is hhhhhhere (www. formspring . me /chikuto) AAAAND you can check on one for Clockwork's main character hhhere (www . formspring . me /cawg), spaces excluded. Feel free to drop me a question, or if you've ever wanted to ask Char something, you can drop her one too.

until then, enjoy the update, and reviews are always appreciated!

* * *

**Chapter 87 - Creepy Creepy Cardinals**

Well, the voyage back to Ozette is rather uneventful. Sheena had a very stern talk with Undine, and she's promised not to send us careening into the nearest cliff, which actually seems quite possible. We decided to sail up the small lake that separates Ozette and Mizuho to shave a couple of hours off our trip, and hopefully get to Presea faster. There is a small rocky beach near Ozette, practically just outside all the foliage, so we could get there a lot faster. It makes you wonder why we didn't just sail from Mizuho in the first place. God, we're stupid.

Anyway, the trip back was boring. No one's talking to me because I want to _kill_ _them all_ for what happened at the Toize Valley Mine, and Lloyd is just silently fiddling away at Presea's new Key Crest. Well, kinda – apparently only dwarves can process inhibitor ore, so Lloyd's just carving in all the proper runes, then we're gonna slap her with it and hope it all works out. If not, we can always go back to Altessa and make him do it by gunpoint. I have two, y'know, just saying.

But really, close to nothing happens, so I won't bore you with the rest of the journey. We eventually end up clambering out of the EC as normal, zapping it back into the wing pack like it's a Poke'ball or something, wave goodbye to Undine (and thank her for not breaking our spines), and we're pretty much all set. Good stuff! It's evening now, so Ozette is looking particularly sinister. The sky is absolutely blood red, and it's creeping me out big time.

'Let's hurry and save Presea,' Genis sighs tiredly while we lumber up the rocky shore. Well gee whiz, what have we been doing for two whole days Genis? I could smack you something fierce, I really could.

It's a good thing Sheena has a nifty sense of direction, or else we'd be completely lost without her. We wind up having to navigate through a thick mass of trees to reach the lower part of Ozette (where Presea lives), and we actually get into a couple of fights along the way for the first time in a while. Monsters are still quite scarce in Tethe'alla, so it's no surprise we've been able to travel without a care lately. We only run into a rabid looking wolf and a rather large grasshopper (Palmacosta memories, oh lord), and Lloyd and Zelos quickly cut them down. Regal's started joining in too. For a CEO without an Exsphere, he can hit pretty hard.

It's considerably darker by the time we reach the clearing outside of Presea's house. The sky looks a lot more purple now, and my stomach sinks a little. I just really don't like night – bad things seem to happen. Not to say we don't get a whole lot of bullshit during the day, but it's just scarier at night. There's less help around. I suppose Ozette is like, right up there, but they don't like us.

I feel almost queasy walking up to the house again now I know exactly what's inside, but luckily the men are MAN ENOUGH to go up there instead. Except Lloyd, he's a pussy when it comes to corpses and zombies.

'It doesn't look like she's inside ...' Genis says worriedly, peering through the dusted window. 'Maybe she's in the town?'

'Amongst all those xenophobic hillbillies?' Zelos asks, raising an eyebrow after popping a window pane in and ignoring the glass shattering inside the house. I'm guessing he couldn't see through the dust and got impatient. Genis gives him a dark look for that. 'I know she's soulless, but is she stupid?'

'Yes,' I answer bluntly. What? You know I don't like Presea, quit giving me that look.

'Let's look around,' Regal suggests, already heading toward that _stupid steep vine_ that leads up to the not-so-much bustling village. 'The sooner we restore Presea to her former self, the better.'

'Yeah ...' Lloyd mutters, giving his newly made makeshift Key Crest a look over. It looks fine – nothing different from mine or Genis' or his own, so I don't know why he's looking at it like he's done an awful job. Maybe he can see some intricate DWARF-ONLY thing that my human brain can't comprehend. As long as it works, then I don't get the fuss. She'll get a new one from Altessa, I think. As long as he's not still being a gigantic dick.

Whoa, rambling. Anyway.

We all clamber up that god forsaken vine (Colette drifts up inconspicuously with her wings again), and yes I do have to ask for help from Lloyd once more. The look Zelos gives me is positively suggestive when I reach for Lloyd's hand, and I pout in his direction. Sadly I'm still rather smitten with our big lovable Chosen, so I can't quite glare or anything yet. One of these days I'd like to correct Zelos all "I don't have a crush on Lloyd, it's on you, you big red-haired Adonis", but that sounds a LITTLE too forward. I might as well just bloody bend over infront of him.

We do however get a lovely, lovely surprise when we reach the middle of town after all of us safely ascend the slope (ignoring Genis' grass-stained knee here). There's dim evening sunlight filtering in through the trees, and it's bouncing off the shiny green and silver armour of two Papal Knights! Oh this is just so our week. Thankfully, they don't see us, so all eight of us are pretty much standing at the summit of the slope, stiff as a board. I dunno why, it's not like they're T-Rexs or anything. They CAN see us even if we stay still.

Anyway, the reason they haven't spotted us yet is because they're questioning two young men. One's got long blond hair, and while the other is wearing a hat with shoulder-length, sandy brown curls. I'd say they were brothers or something.

'... Two girls wearing purple, two white haired siblings ...' one of the knights lists, and it seems he's scanning a tacky wanted poster that I'm sure is plastered everywhere. '... The Chosens, a boy in red, and probably an escaped convict ...' Lloyd mutters something about his colour-scheme while the knight looks over to his buddy, who just nods in affirmation before turning to the two people they're asking. 'Have you seen this group?'

'... They sound like quite the crowd,' says the taller of the two men says with a risen eyebrow. Ain't we though? Hearing the description read back to us just makes everyone deflate a little.

The two knights look to the other guy, who just tucks some hair behind his ear. 'The, um, the Chosen's group? Uh, I think I'd remember seeing people like that.'

I find it funny that we're standing, like, right here. I just kinda wanna flick a stone over there and wave or something. Thank god for giant armour obscuring their view. Either that or they're just nice enough to notice that maybe we're in a bit of a fix, and could probably do without having a pair of Papals on our asses.

... Y'know, or not, seeing as the tall guy just points over the knight's shoulder. 'Maybe those are the people you're looking for.'

'Duh,' Zelos says bluntly. 'Took you long enough.'

Looks like the short guy was thinking along my lines, because he just gives the other one a flat look. 'Alexander, that was mean. He's the Chosen.'

'Oh! Oh, you ain't getting that clock now, you wanker!' I shout, pulling out my pistols when I notice the two knights reaching for their spears. I can understand why some people would rather let us go, seeing as Zelos can still pretty much save the world for them while they're not interested in the Pope's personal spat with him, but some OTHER PEOPLE are just mean. I don't even check to see if it _was_ the same guy who commissioned Altessa, but hey, apparently in these worlds no two people have the same name. It's freaky shit.

Either way, the two men are gone before I can even consider it. Not that I expect them to hang around and watch us brawl it out with two Papal Knights, who are ... trudging quite sluggishly toward us. Well hey, big armour, I'd be tired too.

'Okay ... look,' one of them starts, ignoring how everyone just pulls their respective weapon out their ass and prepares for combat. 'Could you just come quietly? We just walked here from Meltokio and we're exhausted.'

'... No?' Lloyd replies slowly. 'That's a ... bad thing to admit to someone who's about to whoop your ass, man.'

The knight's buddy just bonks him on the helmet with his spear. 'Idiot.'

These guys don't seem too professional. I'm gonna guess they were just sent out to hang up wanted posters or something, because they're don't look the fighting type. They don't even look that much like those giant hulking Papal knights we've fought before – they're probably grunts or something.

... Cue the awkward silence either way.

'Don't make a scene,' the smarter one starts with an annoyed look, glancing at our weapons (they're not wearing helmets by the way, just leather caps). 'If you don't resist then you're saving yourself a lot of hassle.'

'It's cute how you think two little Papal knights could overwhelm a group of eight,' Zelos says with a cocky smirk, waving his sword in our direction to gesture (and almost taking out Lloyd's eye in the process).

'You seem to forget that the entire army if searching for you, _Chosen_,' the other one practically spits. 'It's not hard for us to call backup.'

'That wouldn't be a wise choice,' Regal interrupts, giving the knight quite a stern look. It works especially well, seeing as Regal himself is about two heads taller than the guy. It apparently doesn't matter to him, because he pulls out a small brass whistle from behind his breastplate, gives Regal an arrogant look, and raises it to his mouth.

Cue Regal kicking the guy in the chest with such force that his metal breastplate cracks, and then he goes sprawling to the ground with a despite gasp for air. Yeah, that was sudden.

'Hard now, isn't it?' Zelos calls patronizingly with his smile still in place, while the other knight stares slack-jawed at his friend on the floor currently coughing and rasping for air.

'How the hell d'you do that without an Exsphere?' Lloyd asks while the knight rushes over to help his buddy up, and probably check for broken ribs.

'I do have an Exsphere,' Regal explains, straightening up. 'It's just not visible.'

... Huh, that's news to me. It's probably on his foot or something.

'Wait, so they gave a convict an _Exsphere_ and then sent him out _alone_ to do a task?' Zelos asks, looking between the convict in question and the two Papal knights. 'Did they even consider you'd take the time to like, escape?'

'Apparently not,' Regal says, not really sounding too interested in how utterly stupid the Papal army may or may not be. Thinking about it, since the death of that, uh ... Brigadier Hansen was it? Y'know, the guy Zelos shanked in the face? Yeah, they seem pretty inept. I mean, a whole bunch of them got slaughtered in Gaoracchia forest thanks to Kratos. Jesus Tap-dancing Christ.

'Alright, backup time,' the other knight growls, while his friend just sits doubled over in pain. God dammit Regal, chill out. I know you want to save Presea but god damn. Anyway, the knight just fishes around behind his own breastplate before pulling out what looks like another small brass whistle. I dunno why, but I expect a shitload of Papal Knights in tight Power Ranger spandex to come karate-ing their way out of the treetops and shrubbery when he blows it.

Sadly, he gets it about halfway to his face before a sickening _crack_ splits the air, and his expression goes blank for a moment before he slumps face first into the grass. We all look rather worriedly toward the axe-wielding minor behind his unconscious body, and she sends a blank look to the lump of knight to the other side who seems to be frantically dragging himself away to some nearby shrubbery.

Well to be honest, if Presea was staring at me like that with a bloodied axe in hand then I'd be pretty freaked out too.

The guy doesn't waste any time in finally pulling himself to his knees and sprinting away down to the entrance of the village and leaving his comatose buddy behind, but ... ah well, we're just ignoring him for now.

'... Hellooooo,' Zelos attempts, waving warily from behind the safety of ... Raine. 'Lloyd, slap that thing on her fast. I don't like that look she's giving us.'

'Yeah, and that axe is looking a little ... yeah,' I finish with an awkward look, giving him a push. 'Go, go.'

'Uh ... Presea?' Lloyd asks carefully, watching the axe instead of _her_. 'We've brought you a Key Crest. We're going to turn you back to normal-'

Presea thrusts out her arm before Lloyd can finish, and suddenly the sharpened blade of her weapon is pressed literally millimetres away from his throat.

'... Plan B?' Lloyd asks without moving an inch, hoping one of us will pipe up with ... plan b, which we do not have. Think fast, Charster. Plan B is usually "shoot it more" for me, seeing as its Presea and I'm not _allowed_ to shoot her at all (insert sad face here), we're going to have to work around. How about STAB IT MORE?

'Aaaaanyone at all?' Lloyd presses a bit more desperately, lifting his chin a little when it seems that Presea isn't going to be backing down.

'Falcon kick?' I ask, turning to Regal. Obviously my joke is lost on him, and therefore I've been lumped in with the needlessly violent half of the group with Lloyd, Sheena and Raine. Quite the girl's club in here.

'Now, now ... we're not after him, Presea.'

Hey, has anyone seen my spine? I seem to have lost it in the process of leaping behind Zelos. I make him jump, but I really don't care.

Presea finally backs off, returning her oversized axe to her side, but it does very little to console me. From the higher half of Ozette comes the man we've been briefly crossing paths with quite a few times, and just like each and every time, some kind of unspeakable terror grips me for whatever reason. Maybe it's the crooked nose and evil eyes, maybe it's the ruthlessness you can tell lurks within that mind with just a glance, or maybe it's just that I am the biggest pussy to ever grace both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

Either way, screw Rodyle. Screw him with a rake.

I watch from behind the safety of Zelos while the rogue cardinal descends the thick pathway suspended over the forested gorge below, half praying that he just randomly slips and falls to his death. Of course, nothing is ever that easy and simple.

Raine's eyes narrow when Rodyle slips a gloved hand over Presea's shoulder when she returns to his side without question, and I just feel slightly relieved that we still all have our weapons out. 'I had a feeling you might have something to do with this whole situation.'

'How very perceptive,' Rodyle replies with a crooked grin, touching the edge of his small red glasses enough to let light flash over them for a moment. 'Though I shouldn't expect any less from my own kin.'

'We may share the same race, but you'll find we have very little in common,' Raine snaps back with a dark look, face just a little red. Hey, I'd be angry too being compared to Desians. Palmacosta ranch uggggh. Magnius was by far the most brutal cardinal when it came to physical torture; Kvar was the most brutal when it came to _mental_ torture, and ... I don't even want to think about Rodyle right now.

Which is a shame, seeing as he's still kinda right there.

'Okay, well you can just mosey your quite-clearly-villainous-ass right on outta here,' Zelos tells him rather calmly, waving a hand in his direction. 'Hand the little rosebud over to us and no one gets their legs broken, capiche?'

Rodyle's smirk only grows wider, teeth large and white.

'Oh, I think you'll find yourselves in quite the inconvenient position to be making _harmful-_' the hand around Presea's shoulder tightens, '-_threats_.'

... Aaand silence. Genis is the first to lower his own weapon, now probably thinking twice about emasculating Rodyle via stalagmite. I'll be honest – we all have weapons, Rodyle clearly doesn't, and yet we're all still utterly hesitant to act. God knows what that man has up his sleeve. What happened in the game? I can't remember at all right now. All I can think about his Rodyle and his sinister, haughty grin ... and that hand that just keeps tightening around Presea's shoulder, and the fact that she's not flinching at all.

'You reek of death,' Regal says finally with a revolted look, scowling at Rodyle. 'What business do you have with Presea? Are you the one-'

'Oho, I can't take all the credit,' Rodyle cuts in smoothly, patting Presea's shoulder slowly with a heavy hand. 'I'm sure you know Vharley had an act in this too. Of course, had we found this little one earlier, then that pretty little bit of yours needn't have ... "_suffered"_.'

Regal makes some feral sound deep in his throat, but he doesn't move. He knows first-hand what Rodyle is capable of, and I'm positive he doesn't want the same fate to befall Presea. Raine is giving Regal an odd look, but I manage to catch my eye and just shake my head. Now is _not_ the time for her to be wailing on Regal for keeping secrets, because there is a grand cardinal right there that kind of, sort of, REALLY needs taking care of.

A chuckle gets my attention, and I just inch back behind Zelos when Rodyle catches our attention once more, tucking some violet hair behind one long ear.

'Now let me see ...' he starts, and that raspy, creaky tone has returned to his voice. 'I would offer a trade for little Presea's safety, but what I want from you would exceed a fair exchange.'

'Since when do Desian scum care about fairness?' Sheena snaps, and I notice her hand hovering quite close to her thigh where her pack of cards is strapped. Rodyle raises an oddly shaped eyebrow.

'Oh, would you rather I take what I came for and leave with your little princess too?'

Situation aside, Genis blushes and glares when Rodyle glances to him as he says that. 'S-she's not-!'

'What trade?' Lloyd cuts in quickly, lowering his swords and finally being the sole voice of reason in our group. Shocking, I know.

'This one's life-' Rodyle gestures to Presea, and then to a rather silent Colette '-for your Chosen.'

Lloyd doesn't even pause. 'No.'

Rodyle's eyes narrow, but his smirk doesn't falter in the slightest. 'No matter. Your assassin is correct – I never really intended to play fair. I just needed a little something to stall you with until my girls arrived.'

And suddenly, UNNECESSARY DRAGONS, out of nowhere. The strange thing is I'm not actually kidding this time. The whole group falls silent once more, and I can see residents of Ozette peeking out from behind their closed curtains when a strange, far-off sound fills the air. It kinda pisses me off that pretty much everyone in Ozette has been watching this whole time and have made no effort to like, come out and smack Rodyle with a spade or something. We could use a little help here. God, they're such dicks.

Anyway, Raine pretty much grabs Colette and Genis when that sound starts getting louder and clearer. It's like a screeching growl, definitely not human or anything we've faced before for that matter.

I almost jump out of my skin when a wooden fence framing the cliff is instantly crushed under the weight of three giant, yellowing claws. All of our weapons go up again as this _beast_ slowly crawls the rest of the way up the side of the mountain. First comes a heavy, spiked head glittering with azure scales and narrow, glowing amber eyes. The second clawed hand comes up to tear the entire fence off into the forests below, pulling up its thick, scaly body. I think my heart skips a beat when it begins unfurling wide, leathery wings that shimmer an odd indigo colour and might as well span about three houses.

Okay, I know I've been in this world for a while now, and I know I've seen truckloads of weird and wonderful things, but screw me sideways. It's a _dragon_. It's an _actual dragon_.

My awe doesn't last long, because another crunch behind us makes me shriek, and along comes another one of Rodyle's "girls", slithering her way up the cliff. I don't have enough time to watch this one, because there's a cracking noise along with a blood-curdling screech from the upper plateau of Ozette where a _third_ dragon just destroyed a tree while landing, and oh look there it goes falling into the abyss below.

So now we have Rodyle and three huge-ass dragons. This day _could_ get worse, and sadly I'm counting on it.

'Ffffffuck,' Zelos says rather simply, watching as those beasts start crawling over to us, practically circling us like prey. Which we are, let's be honest. I back up next to Regal when the one closest to me gives me a long, lingering look of hunger, and I have to flinch when it growls lowly as a glob of saliva hits the floor.

'They haven't eaten in quite a while, so try not to run around too much,' Rodyle tells us, and even though my eyes are fixed on my current predator, I can _hear_ him smirking. 'My girls don't like to play with their food.'

'And I like to play with my girls, but there's always time to try something new,' Zelos says through grit teeth, resisting the urge to point his sword at the dragon closest to him. If we piss them off, that's it. We're done. Char-kebabs.

'I'd love to stay and watch, but it wouldn't do me well if Cruxis were to spot me here.'

I look over to Rodyle again, and suddenly notice that the dragons have stopped moving, but right now they're the least of our problems. Running right at us is Presea, axe raised, and quite clearly not giving a hoot if she beheads either one of us.

'Oh shit!' I screech, narrowly avoiding getting my shoulder sliced off when she aims for Regal behind me. He manages to leap back and avoid it, and I lay sprawled on the floor as her next swing thankfully goes away from me, but towards Lloyd and Sheena. Lloyd yanks his poor wife back so her hip doesn't get impaled, and quite clearly we have to stop Presea going on this little murderous rampage. Sure, Rodyle might be packing up and pissing off, but now we have three dragons and a bloodthirsty twelve year old to deal with.

While the others are occupied with Presea, I think I'm the only one that hears heavy thudding and sees the large body of two dragons bounding over to us, wings spreading wide.

Oh god we're all gonna die.

I throw my arms over my head and flatten myself against the ground. I can hear scuffle and a scream, and only when I hear Lloyd shouting Colette's name do I peer out from behind my arms. One dragon is kicking off from the ground, and the gust of wind is enough to throw half the group off balance. I flip over onto my elbows and look up to the sky to see Rodyle seated on that one dragon with one arm around Colette, and Presea caught between the monster's talons. Can't be too comfortable or safe, but she's soulless, so ... yeah, I would be screaming.

Colette looks like she's in pain, but damn she's putting up a fight. Rodyle is trying to keep a good grip on her, but she's lashing out and kicking and punching and all that. Something tells me Sheena's been giving her self-defence lessons. Either way, not one has landed on Rodyle, so she's not doing too well.

The second dragon is currently having oh so much fun with Zelos and Lloyd, so ... let's try fighting that one off first.

I pull out a gun, still on the floor, and try to aim as carefully as I can at one of Rodyle's dragon's wings. Of course, if I shoot it and it falls, Presea could get really hurt. If I don't and they get away, Presea _and_ Colette could get really hurt. I just bite my lip and go for it, firing a couple of rounds that _thankfully_ land on target.

Sadly, they do jack. The dragon just grunts and flicks its wing heavily in slight discomfort, but that's about it.

Blood splashes again the floor, and I immediately wave a hand in Lloyd's direction. 'First Aid!'

The deep gash on his arm is engulfed in green light, and I'm happy to see that Raine's own healing spell collided with mine and fixes the wound up quite nicely. I glance back up to Rodyle and Colette, and I notice something ... strange. I can't focus on it for a moment, because Zelos shouts out a rather loud profanity that makes Sheena look like she's about to slap him herself, and I notice a large cut on his side where the dragon lashed out. Either way, I get to my feet and send a First Aid his way. I feel kinda silly just waving my hands around and casting spells like this. I need a staff like Raine or something.

Raine is currently occupied, as Genis is totally smart and got himself hit by the thing's tail. It looks about as thick and heavy as a log, so poor Genis must be quite winded by now. Damn, this thing is built like a brick wall. The stupid dragon keeps screeching and rearing up and it's practically waving us away like _flies_.

I glance up to Rodyle again and wonder why he hasn't escaped, and I finally see what I thought was so strange before. He's holding onto Colette's shoulder, but not the same way he was doing with Presea. He doesn't look smug or arrogant – he looks kind of confused and irritated. And it's just her shoulder, so what-

Oh.

I notice Colette looks aghast when she realises what I just did. He knows about that ... thing. That thing that Colette's Cruxis Crystal is doing to her body, which started and spread from the exact same location he's clutching. I'll bet anything he can feel it, and all his plans for the mana canon are just collapsing in his head. He knows Colette's Cruxis Crystal is useless to him now.

'I see now why you have forsaken your world of Sylvarant; you're not fit to carry the title of Chosen.' I can hear Rodyle only vaguely from above all the commotion down here. I aim for him and shoot, trying to give Colette a chance to get away safely, but I miss because my hand is shaking so much. I hurl another First Aid at Lloyd's left leg which is bleeding pretty badly, but that's all I can do right now. Even my healing spells are starting to feel a bit useless.

And I don't know why exactly, I honestly don't know what just made that part of my mind just ... _click_, but when a rather heavy slash catches both Zelos and Lloyd while Raine is busy, I just throw my arms out and-

'Healing Wind!'

A glittering breeze flurries past them, almost knocking the dragon off balance when it supports itself upright with its wings. The glow settles over both Zelos and Lloyd's injuries just in time for Raine to straighten up after tending to her brother, casting the final touch to heal them up.

... So, new spell. I remember Charis telling me that I learned spells like Kratos and Zelos, and I think I've seen Kratos use that certain healing spell once, so ... I don't know. I could honestly have waved my hands and shouted that and bugger all could have happened, so thank god that _something_ did.

A small silence reigns when the dragon gets back to its senses, just enough for me to hear Rodyle say something about Colette's useless Cruxis Crystal before he shoves her away, and god you should see the look on Lloyd's face when she starts falling.

'_COLETTE!_'

My heart just stops when she manages to grab onto one of the dragon's talons, making it shriek and kick out. I look more carefully, and I notice that ... she kinda _meant_ to do that, because she's not letting go, and instead she's pulling herself up and closer to Presea.

She finally yanks out a chakram and gives the dragon's chest a firm thwack, making it shut up for a second before she turns down to us. 'Lloyd! Throw me the Key Crest!'

Lloyd ducks just in time to avoid a claw to the face. 'What?'

'Now!'

He lunges to the left to avoid another swipe, already grabbing for the thing. 'Oh geez ...'

Presea's already reaching for her axe as Colette gets closer, and it's like watching a bloody horror movie. I don't take my eyes off the Key Crest as Lloyd tosses it up towards her (though I do try to send an easy First Aid at Sheena while Raine goes for Zelos). I shoot in Presea's direction just to distract her, _hopefully_ not hit her, and luckily it works just to give Colette enough time to grab the Key Crest and yank Presea over to her.

I don't get to see the rest, because it looks like Regal needs some Super-Duper-Charster-Healing, stat. I hurry on over there, already powering up a spell to aim at a rather bloody leg. When it connects, I realise he's the only person to actually turn and thank me before running off into battle again. Well gee, that was nice of him. Regal 3, Kratos 0.

'Useless wretches!'

I look up once more (I should really start focusing on just one or the other), and a flurry of pink feathers clouds my vision for a few seconds as Rodyle's dragon shrieks once more, and Colette swoops safely down to the floor with Presea in her arms, wings unfurled.

Zelos is rather skilfully keeping the dragon busy by luring it around and taunting it by stabbing in its direction, and Colette makes her way over to Lloyd before he jumps in to start helping again.

'I attached the Key Crest, but it's taking her a while to-'

'You may keep your useless Chosen this time!' Rodyle interrupts from atop his now slightly wounded dragon, and the third one just comes out of nowhere (I honestly have no idea where it went before), and it's got flames licking around the corners of its mouth. Uh oh. 'But my dragons are remaining here with you. Level this entire village to flames and ashes!'

'Oh son of a-!' I shout, scrambling out of the way when a hurling blast of white and orange fire comes reeling down from the skies, incinerating the ground where I was previously standing. I stumble over to the others, and Colette clutches Presea closer to her chest. She doesn't look any different, but at least she doesn't look murderous.

'Lloyd, nothing's happeni-'

'It took a while for your Key Crest to work too,' Lloyd says breathlessly, sounded winded. He just looks around before putting a hand on Colette's arm, giving Presea a quick glance. 'Just – take her to her home and stay with her there. We'll take care of these guys.'

'Got it,' Colette agrees, winding an arm under Presea's knees and pulling her up. 'Be careful!'

Lloyd gives her an "I'm always careful" look as she leaves, but ... come on. He's not fooling anyone.

'TAG!' Zelos practically screams, slapping Lloyd on the back before continuing to sprint past. 'Your turn to play with that ugly thing!'

'Wha-' Lloyd turns, and sure enough that freaking dragon is clambering over itself and towards him. 'OH SHI-'

Cue more running. Some sick part of my brain is playing the Yakety Sax, so I just damn Benny Hill and start First Aiding frantically in Zelos' direction. He looks pretty beat up, but still quite lively. He's got a bleeding lip and some nasty looking gashes, but I'm healing him up quite well. I'm kinda proud of myself here!

'Charlotte.'

Raine makes me jump, because she's suddenly right next to me with a stern and worried look.

'I need to go down and check on the other two,' she says, glancing out over our current battlefield. 'Colette looked wounded after the fight with that dragon, and I'm sure Presea is quite hurt as well ... even if she can't feel it.'

'Um ... sure,' I tell her, and then it dawns upon me. 'Wait, you want me to stay and heal by myself!'

'Your bullets won't hurt them,' she tells me. 'Do you think you can handle this?'

'Oh ... um ... yes, I think so,' I decide awkwardly. I've never really had to concentrate on healing before – I just left it to Raine. Wow, this is pressure for sure.

'Alright,' Raine sighs, patting me on the arm. 'You'll do fine. Also ...'

She hands me her staff. 'Take this. I noticed your aim was a little off. You'll need it in battle more than I will tending to a few small wounds without all this havoc.'

Gosh, I'm getting more nervous by the second. I just take it when she hands it to me, and I never realised how big this thing is. It's taller than me, and honestly not all that heavy, but still. I wouldn't like to be dragging this thing around on my back all the time. Props to Raine.

She goes right ahead and disappears after Colette down the twisting vine, and I turn back to the group battling the dragon, staff in hand. Okay. This should be okay. Really. How on earth do I hold this thing?

'Huh.' I jump out of my skin when Zelos stops beside me, and I'm getting pretty mad at everyone scaring me today. He gives me a pat on the head after noticing that I'm holding this big hefty thing and planning to heal. 'Cute.'

... Hnngh dammit.

'Oh ... go get your ass kicked and give me something to focus on!' I cry, trying not to blush.

'No problem my little chestnut, but try not to focus on my ass _too_ much,' he says with a wink. 'You have other people to heal.'

I just descend into more blushes as I send a noticeably more concentrated dose of First Aid in Sheena's direction. She's leading the dragon around now, probably because Lloyd is a giant spaz who needs ... healing! First Aid for him. It glitters across his wound, and I notice him blink in surprise when he sees me with Raine's staff trying to be a stand-in healer. Either way, he grins and gives me a thumbs up before heading back over to Tiger Blade the dragon something fierce.

... I blush even more than when Zelos teased me, but I try not to pay attention to it. Being a healer makes you feel pretty swell, and when people are grateful it makes you feel even better. I really need to start thanking Raine every time she throws me a First Aid.

'Where's Regal?' I ask, looking around for more people who might need healing. 'And ... Genis, for that matter?'

'Other dragon!' Sheena tells me when she sprints past, and I run away with a shriek before I get trampled. Zelos dodges the thing's tail and looks over to me for a moment.

'Yeah, the other one is up top trying to destroy crap. Regal and the kid went to keep it busy.'

'... Alone?' I ask rather desperately. Shouldn't I get up there and heal them? But then these guys need healing too, and-

'Oh, they're not alone,' Sheena tells me before throwing a card at the dragon's face. It seals firmly over one eye, making it stop and thrash with a frustrated growl. I heal Zelos' arm from afar when I noticed he finally got clipped by the thing's whipping tail, and look up to the higher part of Ozette. I can hear the crunching and whooshing sounds of Genis casting spells, but I can also hear a faint clattering of steel and chains. It finally hits me when I see a pitchfork or two go flying.

Well, it's nice of the townspeople to finally get off their asses and help out.

Sure enough, within minutes there are people heading for the local armoury, only to emerge with weapons and chainmail. It's not much – and they're honestly not as strong as us without Exspheres on them – but at least they're making an effort to help out their village. Among all the commotion, I think I even see an elf or two emerge from the inn and start casting spells to help out. Again, not as powerful as Genis, but still.

A lot of them head up to the other dragon who seems to be doing most of the "village-destroying", and I'm honestly feeling kinda overwhelmed here. There're like ... fifteen people down here now? Who the hell do I heaaaal?

'I've got you covered,' someone says from behind me, and I'm going to punch the next person that gives me a heart-attack by doing that. The person this time is a tall woman with fair green hair and long ears. She must be an elf from Heimdall. I've seen elves in Meltokio and Sybak, but they just kept to themselves. I know some of them travel around in search of knowledge (from what Zelos has told me at least), so ... I don't know. It's weird.

Anyway, Ms Elf starts healing up the townspeople quite nicely. A couple of them are already quite wounded by this thing's thrashing around, trying to decide who to maul first. A group of people get knocked off their feet by the dragon's heaving tail, and I panic and try Healing Wind again. It works a lot better now I've got a staff on me, and they're back up in no time.

I don't know what on earth the elf beside me is using, but it looks really sweet. This light glow that shifts colours from purple to orange to blue just settles over Zelos' wounds and lingers there for a while as he fights. It looks a lot more powerful than the spells I'm totally ripping off from Kratos, but I try my best either way. I feel a little inferior next to her abilities when she summons a star-shaped rune on the floor that just bursts up light and starts healing a whole group of people, but hey! Group effort.

... Plus, I don't think she can tell I'm a half-elf. Let's keep hush-hush about that.

Our numbers down here are thinning quickly, because a lot of people are being sent by a pissy Sheena to help out above. The dragon up there is now noticeably doing a _lot_ more damage than the one down here, because I see half a freaking building fall off the edge and down into the abyssal forest below, and it looked like it had been torn in two. Yeah. That thing is _wrecking_ Ozette; this one is just ... getting more and more pissed off.

Eventually the elf who was helping me out turns to me. 'Can you handle these people on your own, little one?'

Gosh, just make me feel even more mediocre. 'Um, yes ma'am.'

'Good luck – I'll take care of the others,' she tells me, and off she goes to aid the rest of them up that-a-way. Freaking dragons, man – I hate these things.

Anyway ... disregarding our group, there's about five people helping out here now. I'm not being pissy – Ozette is really a small village, and I don't expect most women and children to come help out, but the bloody dragon just ... _isn't_ going down. It's wounded and getting weaker, sure ... but ugh!

'Ugly brute!' one of the townsfolk taunts, taking a lunge at its tail with a short sword. It goes in with a sickening crunch of scales and an ear-splitting, shrieking roar. Yeah, that didn't make it happy.

The dragon does a whole 360, knocking almost everyone off their feet. I panic at the amount of blood that goes flying, and start desperately casting as many Healing Winds as I can. I think I miss a few and begin using First Aid on whoever looks in pain, but I'm starting to feel kind of woozy myself. I forgot – I'm using up mana here, aren't I? I spamming heals like there's no tomorrow – no wonder I'm feeling tired. I need to calm down, but everyone looks hurt ...

Oh ... screw it, I have a staff, don't I?

'Lightning!' I shout, pointing it at the dragon. A short fork comes bursting out of the sky, catching its wings and thankfully stunning it for a few moments while everyone gets back to their feet. A lot more people are backing off to rest against buildings (without Exspheres, I don't blame them), but really ... I just hope they've almost killed that dragon up there, because this is getting ridiculous.

So, apparently dragons can use magic too. And apparently they like counterattacking. A burst of fire comes soaring in my direction, and ... I wasn't expecting it, so it pretty much hits me full on. I go sprawling backwards before I can even try to dodge or cast Protection. Thankfully I'm not on fire, but still ... ow ... so much ow.

I sit up and start healing myself, holding my head in one hand. Oh god, it's killing me. I feel a little blood, and assume I must have hit it on a rock or ... something. I just try to cure myself up quite quickly, but I'm getting woozier with each spell. Okay, bag ... bag ... and Orange Gel! Omnomnom.

I pull myself to my feet, wobbling a bit, but ... feeling better! Kinda. Right, back to, uh ... healing.

A lot of people have decided to flee, probably because I haven't been healing for about ... twenty seconds. Gosh, nice guys you are. Oh ... geez, group looks battered – okay, First Aid for Lloyd, Healing Wind for Zelos and the two townsfolk trying to get to the dragon's stomach to split it open, and ... Sheena looks okay for now. Phew, right, better.

Lloyd looks like he's trying to blind the dragon without getting too close, and Sheena looks like she's trying to ... blow its tail off. Honestly. She keeps sending cards at it that explode on impact, but they're not doing a lot. Those scales are as strong as stone. I would start feeling bad for the beast, but then again it _is_ trying to kill us and destroy the town.

My heart stops again when Lloyd doesn't dodge a swipe fast enough, and seeing as that dragon is pretty freaking _pissed_ right now, the strength of it sends poor Lloyd flying into a building with a shocked yell. I flinch at the crunch of wood, and thankfully Lloyd doesn't look grievously injured when he begins to pull himself up from the rubble after a few moments. He looks dizzy and out of it, sure, and I sprint over to give him a nice dose of healing.

But I stop because that dragon is glaring at him and clambering toward him _and_ the house that Lloyd just Kool-Aid'd at an alarming speed, teeth bared, mouth smoking and flicking with flames, and a very hungry look. Lloyd's leg is bleeding and at some painful angle, Zelos and the others just got knocked away, and if I hadn't leapt to one side then there's no doubt I would have been crushed. Sheena sends another explosive card to stop the thing, but once again it does fuck all and oh my g-

'Lightning Blade!'

The dragon stops dead - literally feet away from Lloyd - with a sickening screech of agony when a blade of whipping electricity cracks through its protective hide, piercing one wing and its entire body thoroughly. Blood spills out onto the stone floor as if someone had just upturned several barrels of it, and I gulp and slap a hand over my mouth. Ew.

Grave wounds aside, the dragon still snaps at Lloyd, stumbling in his direction. Well if it hadn't learned from that, it sure did now. Say goodbye to your heart, Mr Dragon, because guess what legendary blade just pierced that crap.

Hello Flamberge, and hello Kratos.

I'm sick of people just coming out of nowhere, but I _am_ relieved as heck when Kratos stops the thing from eating Lloyd. Of course, seeing as its Kratos, he can never just come to the rescue casually. A flurry of light blinds the dragon's vision when Kratos' ethereal sky-blue wings practically spin as they unfurl. They're so much more noticeable now that's it's no longer evening and almost completely dark, and he just looks so ... _cool_ standing there in his Cruxis gear with Flamberge glowing orange, even where it's stained with dripping blood, wings wide and bright.

... Regal 3, Kratos 1. I know he doesn't _mean_ to come in and look utterly awesome doing so, but its Kratos. So that's what we get.

Zelos and the others finally manage to split the thing's stomach open, and it tumbles over with one last agonized roar. I feel the ground beneath me shake when it collapses, head thudding heavily against the ground with wide, dead eyes. Collective sigh of relief after ten painfully thick seconds of all-clear, and Zelos finally collapses against Sheena. He does look absolutely exhausted and battered, so Sheena just clearly bears it for now.

'It's a good thing I made it in time,' Kratos says quietly, sheathing his blade. He glances at Lloyd, still sitting on his dumb behind and staring at Kratos with his mouth agape. I think Kratty is waiting for the usual "we totally didn't need your help, heave your fine ass back to Cruxis", but it's not coming this time. Instead, he offers a hand to Lloyd after realising he's been sitting there for about a full minute while the victorious townspeople go and check on the others on the upper plateau. I'll be honest; I think they finished the thing off _waaay_ before we did, because everything is finally silent and I can't hear any clanging or spells being thrown around.

Lloyd finally clicks, and gives Kratos a disgruntled looks while he tries his best to pull _himself_ to his knees, ignoring Kratos' small gesture of help. We're not all as arrogant as Lloyd, because Sheena's dragging a fairly wounded Chosen with her as she approaches the two of them.

'I'm getting pretty sick of your random "showing up and saving the day",' she tells Kratos, diverting his attention from Lloyd for a moment. 'But ... thanks. That thing was tough to kill.'

'Dragons are not to be taken lightly,' Kratos tells her, letting his hand rest on the hilt of his blade. 'Even more so the terrible abominations that Rodyle breeds.'

'Rodyle ... thought that guy looked familiar,' Zelos grumbles, spitting out some blood. 'The weasel's been crawlin' around Meltokio with Vharley a lot lately.'

Kratos nods, pretending not to notice Lloyd's face contort in pain when he tries to stand upright. 'Yes. He's a Desian, and a Grand Cardinal at that. Though he'll soon be stripped of his title for betraying our orders.'

'Is it just me or is it totally weird to be having a casual conversation with the enemy?' I pipe up, waving my – Raine's – staff in Kratos' direction. 'I know he saved our asses and all, but come on? He's with Cruxis?'

'Y ... yeah!' Lloyd agrees, remembering to glare. 'W-what are you even doing here, anyway?'

Kratos raises an eyebrow. 'Next time I'll keep in mind to let whatever monstrous beast has you on the menu do what it pleases, I suppose.'

'Oh f- well, thanks for saving me,' Lloyd huffs. 'B-but don't think-!'

'I know,' Kratos assures him with the slightest hint of a smirk. 'I know.'

* * *

'_Professor?'_

'_I came down here to heal your wounds. I noticed your arm bleeding before you left, and I'm sure Presea is injured too.'_

'_Y ... yes. Her arms and legs are bleeding badly, but ... Professor-'_

'_I see. She's returned to her senses?'_

'_She had ... no idea about her father.'_

'_... It must be hard for her. Is she in there now?'_

'_Yeah. I wanted to stay with her, but ... she said she wanted to be alone for a while.'_

'_That's understandable. I'm sure it felt strange when you woke up from the same experience. So much time had passed.'_

'_It did feel weird ...'_

'_I would never belittle your pain, Colette, but I'm sure this is far too much for Presea to handle right now. She has lost so many years ... so many loved ones. I would think twice about leaving her here even with a sound mind, especially with these people.'_

'_Do you think she'll come with us?'_

'_I don't know. I think for once, I would prefer welcoming another into the group. The pain of being alone and abandoned is far too great ...'_

'_Professor? Are you okay?'_

'_... I'm fine, Colette. Let me see your wounds. I will tend to Presea when she has finished grieving.'_

_

* * *

_

'How is she?'

Raine looks up when I ask, and closes the door of Presea's house behind her. 'She's ... doing better. She hasn't calmed down entirely yet, but ...'

Sheena nods from beside me. 'As long as she's not going crazy or anything in there. I know I would ...'

I lean back against the balcony of the patio, glancing over to the others. Genis is carving into the earth using his ground-spells, and Zelos is beyond summoning the energy to use magic and is helping out via shovel. Lloyd is trying to carve out a slice of log as carefully as he can into a certain shape, and if you haven't guessed what they're doing by now, Kratos is stood with his back to the wall beside Regal and a bundle of blankets, oblivious to the stench of death coming from it.

Yeah. We're helping to finally bury Presea's father. Well, the girls aren't doing much. We're taking turns checking on Presea, all besides Colette who is just standing beside Kratos and the corpse, praying. I don't know if everything so far was enough to wrack her faith completely, but sometimes it's just a habit. I don't blame her either way.

So ... yeah. No one's said a word to Kratos, we don't even know why he's _here_, but at least he's human enough to realise that he probably shouldn't be laying a bunch of crap on us when we clearly want to help Presea bury her dad. I know he's a dick, but he's not _that_ much of a dick. Either way, we're ignoring him until Presea is sound, and he's ignoring us. So it's pretty much exactly like old times!

Well kinda. Raine glances over to Kratos, furrowing her brow before standing beside Sheena and me against the railing.

'I know,' Sheena sighs after she notices him watching. 'He's starting to tick me off too, showing up wherever we're going.'

Raine shakes her head. 'I'm curious. You say that ... "Rodyle" man was a Desian Grand Cardinal?'

I pause and nod. 'Yeah. That's what Kratos said.'

'How peculiar.'

Sheena blinks. 'What's up?'

'It could be pure guesswork,' Raine lowers her voice, giving Kratos a short glance. 'But Rodyle said he wished to flee before Cruxis caught wind of his location. And suddenly Kratos shows up in Ozette claiming to strip the man of his title?'

'Ohh ...' I catch on after a moment, straightening up. 'You think there's some inside conflict going on in Cruxis?'

'That may be the case ...' Raine says quietly. 'I don't know if any internal strife should benefit us, but it seems both Cruxis and Rodyle are after Colette.'

'I dunno about that,' Sheena interrupts. 'I heard Rodyle pretty clearly saying Colette was useless to him. I wonder what made him change his mind so suddenly.'

Uh oh. Come on Charster, think fast. 'U-uh ... maybe it's because she didn't, um, finish the journey like she was supposed to? Or maybe because we slapped a Key Crest on her Cruxis Crystal? That could have stunted something within it.'

'Perhaps ... either way, Colette isn't in any danger from that man,' Raine sighs. 'Though I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll be seeing of him.'

'Yeah, he's got that ... stuck-to-your-boot look about him,' Sheena decides with a cringe. 'Kinda like Zelos.'

'You better not be comparing me to that purple-headed geezer!' Zelos shouts over, shovelling some more dirt. 'Dammit, a Chosen shouldn't be digging ditches.'

'Shut up,' Genis says in a gravely serious tone, giving him a dark look. It makes Zelos snap his mouth shut and continue digging, so ... eep. Genis is not in a happy mood. I don't think any of us are.

The three of us share pained looks when we hear a sob from inside the house.

'A-are you guys done with that yet?' I call over. Genis just nods and Zelos sighs in relief, collapsing back against a tree. Lloyd looks like he's finished making gravestone (well, grave piece-of-wood), and being the considerate person that he is, has carved some patterns and what looks like a short prayer into it. Must have been Colette's idea.

'I'll go and get her,' Raine mutters, giving Kratos a nod. I feel my stomach go cold when Kratos picks up the body of Presea's father and the others prepare to deliver him back to the earth. I freaking hate funerals. Even small ones like this, I just ... it's too sad. It makes me feel awful about all the people we've killed, but they've taught me not to think about it like that. Sadly, when this happens you just ... can't help _but_ think about it.

It's all sombre either way. Raine emerges from the house with one arm around a pale and shaking Presea, and my heart just breaks when I look at her. She no longer looks like a lifeless killing machine with cold eyes. Right now they're red and puffy and full of so much pain, and her face is stained with tears. I hang back a little with Sheena during the whole thing, but Raine stays by her side the entire time, keeping one arm around her shoulders. My throat starts tightening when Presea says her goodbyes to her father, and I think Colette feels the same. She's shaking a little as she prays and keeps wiping her eyes, and Genis looks about the same. It's just so sad seeing Presea switch from so little emotion to so much grief in no time at all. I won't go much into the details, but it's a short and quiet ceremony. Genis and Zelos return the shifted earth and complete the whole thing, and I breathe a couple of relieved sighs. Phew. I usually burst into tears at funerals.

'Thank you ... for all of this,' Presea says quietly when Genis finishes magically returning the earth. Now is not the time to start stuttering and blushing, but he goes ahead and starts doing it anyway. 'I think ... I've calmed down a little now.'

'That fast?' Zelos asks, only to be met with about seven glares. 'No offence, of course.'

Presea nods, voice quiet and soft. 'It's alright ... it was a lot to take in. I think I'm still in the midst of understanding all of this.'

'Would you come back inside and tell us about it?' Raine asks, but Presea shakes her head.

'I'd rather stay out here. The fresh air would be better for my head ...'

I just nod in agreement, looking over to Presea's dusty house. 'There's no rush. Until then, you're welcome to come along with us.'

Genis gives me a "since when was she the leader" look, but then remembers that he has a giant raging crush on Presea and rapidly agrees with me. 'Y-yeah! We don't mind, and staying here probably won't do you any good-'

'That's up to Presea,' Raine tells him, giving him a stern look. Her hormonal little brother finally shuts up with a red face, scuffing at the dirt with his boot. Yeah Genis, just ... shush for a while.

'Though I do appreciate your offer, I ...' Presea trails off, wiping her eyes. 'It would not be fair. I've burdened you all enough. I'm slowly beginning to remember everything that has transpired the past few days. All I can do is apologize.'

'Oh ... pff,' Lloyd says, waving a hand. 'You didn't burden anyone. We're happy to help whoever's in trouble.'

'Yeah, that's kind of our "thing",' Zelos agrees, leaning on his shovel. 'Your friendly neighbourhood circus troupe.'

'I ... don't want to talk right now,' Presea decides, voice sounding a little hoarse. Well, she has been crying a lot. 'But if it's truly no trouble, I would like to accompany you on your journey. I will explain everything later. I don't know if it will be useful to you, but-'

'At this point, anything is useful,' I say, shrugging. 'And I think both you and Regal share a common enemy with us, and a little revenge is in order. I honestly don't mind you guys coming along for the long run.'

Regal, who's been rather quiet until now, nods at my conjecture. 'That's true. I have a personal dispute to settle with Vharley, and now this Rodyle character. I believe your travels will lead you to them again, and I would like to be there should the time arise to strike them down.'

'Which knowing us, it totally will,' Sheena says with an awkward look. 'But I agree with Charlotte. I don't mind either.'

'The more the merrier,' Colette says with a small smile, and the others just nod.

Zelos grins, leaning up from the handle of the shovel and stretching his arms, glaring back at Kratos who has returned to the wall. 'Speaking of MORE-'

'Oh, right,' Lloyd realises, donning his "how dare you" look and turning to Kratos. 'Wh ... what did you want anyway?'

'I simply came for Rodyle – nothing more,' Kratos tells us, arms folded and giving us his usual cold look from behind his auburn bangs. 'Seeing as he escaped before I could reach him, I thought to aid you a little.'

'We don't need your help!'

'No, Lloyd, you DID need his help,' I snap. 'That dragon was gonna bite you in half. You're lucky he showed up when he did.'

Lloyd huffs. 'H-hey, who's side are you on?'

'I'm just saying!'

'When you're done,' Kratos sighs, straightening up sauntering over with his hand on his hilt as usual. 'Perhaps I have some information that could be of use to you.'

I don't know why, but Lloyd just looks ... pissed. He grits his teeth and looks like he wants to thrash out or something, but just grips his own hair and stomps over to Kratos.

'Why – are – you – helping us?' he demands, looking exasperated. I dunno; near-death experiences, fighting yourself silly, and more confusing traitors ... I suppose I'd get exhausted too. 'First you're our friend, then you're our enemy, and now whenever we see you – just what are you trying to do, Kratos?'

'I assure you,' the seraph tells him evenly, staring him down. 'I always was, and always will be your enemy.'

I don't catch the look on Lloyd's face, but it's gone in a second and replaced with more frustration. 'Then why are you giving us advice?'

'Not advice, just a simple update,' Kratos tells him, not looking phased at Lloyd's glaring and yelling and storming around. 'I believe the people of Mizuho have located the Rheairds. Perhaps you should pay them a visit.'

Lloyd hesitates. 'Wh ... oh, right – the Rheairds.'

'Finally!' Zelos whoops, practically jumping up and down. 'No more walking everywhere! Yes!'

Sheena slaps him so hard mid-jump that he goes sprawling to the floor. 'So, back to Mizuho?'

Raine nods. 'Yes. With them we can begin finding a way to return to Sylvarant. If the Desians are in Tethe'alla, I'm curious to see if they have begun returning to Sylvarant too.'

'How many ranches are left in Sylvarant?' Lloyd asks.

'Twooo ...' I test myself, wracking my brain. 'Two? Forcystus' ranch in Iselia, and there's one under the ocean that probably belong to Rodyle or Pronyma. We blew the others up.'

'... You guys are crazy,' Zelos tells us when he gets back to his feet. 'Blowing places up. Seriously.'

We all pretty much just nod, and Kratos coughs, almost as if trying to act like he totally didn't have a hand in blowing up ranches _at all_. 'That's all the information I can offer you for the moment. I'll take my leave of you now.'

'... Yeah, get out of here,' Lloyd grumbles.

'Very well. Oh, and I reinstate my warning from the Gaoracchia Forest-' he glances to us. 'Some of you should be careful about using your Exspheres. Not always are they ... beneficial.'

And I suddenly feel very uncomfortable.

'Excuse me.'

Colette moves out of the way so Kratos can pass (I notice that she's holding onto her shoulder at his words), and he heads back up into the city. I doubt we'll run into him again, but ... we _do_ need supplies, so let's hope he leaves.

'Stupid ... bastard mercenary ... ticking me off,' Lloyd growls, kicking the floor. Hey, he stole my line! 'S-sorry about all that, Presea.'

'It's alright,' she says, and her voice sounds a little more even. 'We ... we should probably leave if we want to reach Mizuho by midnight. I'm sure the villagers will offer you supplies after you protected their home.'

'Let's hope so,' Zelos sighs. 'Frickin' ... hicks.'

'Oh ... that reminds me,' Genis pipes up, fishing around in his small bag. 'Charlotte?'

I blink. 'Uh, yeah?'

'There was this ... elf,' he says, pulling out what looks like a small book. 'She wanted me to give this to you. She said you looked new to healing and that she didn't need this anymore.'

Oh ... that must have been the woman that was healing alongside me during the fight with the dragon. I take the small leather-bound book from Genis, giving it a quick look-over and flipping it open. 'Huh ... looks confusing.'

'This is a tome,' Raine says, immediately plucking it from my grip and studying it herself. 'It looks like the ones I used when I was studying healing arts.'

'Tome?' I ask.

'Yes. We learn all of our abilities from tomes used in the past. They've been handed down by generation from mages and swordsmen alike.'

'Yeah, I learned everything I know from ... ugh, _that_ guy's book that he gave me in the Iselia chapel,' Lloyd grumbles, gesturing to where Kratos left.

Zelos raises his hand. 'Yeah, me too.'

'Me three,' Genis joins in. 'I used Raine's old ones when she didn't adapt to destructive magic.'

... Oh, so _that's_ how they all learn techs? Geez, I thought they just tried something new and made up a name on the spot. Gosh, now I feel like a complete div.

'This is rather different from what I've learned,' Raine says, handing me the small book. 'It does seem more suited to your pattern. If you're serious about healing, it would do you well to study it.'

'Um ... sure,' I say, taking it. 'I'll give it a look.'

'You don't sound too enthusiastic about the idea,' Regal says.

'Oh, no!' I reply quickly. 'No, it's just ... never mind.'

'Quit being so prude – you were quite the good healer out there, my little chestnut,' Zelos coos, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. 'My little life-saver~'

Lloyd glares at Zelos. 'I ... agree. You were pretty good out there. It was kinda weird seeing you with a staff though.'

'Oh come on, she looked cute!'

'I-I didn't say she looked bad! Just ... weird! I'm used to her shooting things!'

'That's still cute, I guess.'

'Would you two ... stop ...' I mumble weakly, pushing away from Zelos' grip. 'Let's just get supplies and go get the Rheairds. We could all use a nice lie down after today.'

'Yeah ... let's just hope they work,' Sheena sighs. 'They crashed when we came to Tethe'alla, so-'

'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Okay!' Zelos wraps one arm around Lloyd's shoulder and one around Genis'. 'We strapping men will go get the supplies. You gals just ... I dunno. Braid eachother's hair or something.'

I like how Regal is included in our girl-club, but sadly so is Zelos when he remains here with a red, hand-shaped mark on his cheek while Lloyd, Genis and _Sheena_ go and get the supplies.

With Colette braiding his hair while he sulks.


	88. Screw the Lightning Temple

Yoyo.

Sorry for the lack of updates but I've been BUSY with LIFE and COLLEGE and CLOCKWORK and I know you're all probably sick of hearing about CLOCKWORK but I'm going to keep pimping out CLOCKWORK and you can find out more about CLOCKWORK on my DEVIANTART where I post stuff about CLOCKWORKWORKWORK.

Basically this chapter took long and is short because I rewrote the fcking thing like 3 times because it was crap and I hit writer's block like every 2 sentences awwwwyeah who's the man, that's right, I'm the man.

* * *

Chapter 88 - Screw the Lightning Temple

'_We have good news, and we have bad news,' Tiga reveals, taking a long sip from his tea while he waits for us to answer._

'_Good news first,' Genis answers, and we all nod along anyway. Tiga lowers his mug._

'_We've found the Rheairds. They've been repaired by the Renegades.'_

'_And the bad news?' Raine inquires while Lloyd and Genis share a bromantic high-five. C'mon, we never get off that easily. Even more so, as Tiga's face just ... twists in a "you don't want to hear this" kind of way. _

'_Well, the Network returned with one portion of bad news, which after some inside inspection only bred more bad news.'_

_Sheena immediately has a worried look about her. 'Vice-Chief?'_

_Tiga sighs and pushes his mug away, linking his fingers over the table. 'The Rheairds are still with the Renegades. We could not take them, as there is no more energy in this world to make them fly.'_

'_So we just have to go and get them, right?' Lloyd asks as if he was talking about going to pick up some frickin' milk from the store. Tiga coughs._

'_You could probably collect them with the wing pack. However, the Renegades Base is located on a small island in the midst of several mountains around the Flanoir continent.'_

'_Ahh, the land of eternal snow,' Zelos hums. 'This won't be easy.'_

_Tiga nods in agreement with the Chosen for once. 'Navigating there on the EC and successfully breaking in will be trouble in itself. The Network has secured a path that should lead to a room or two before the hangar where the Rheairds are being kept. They will lead you there, and then you can retrieve them. However ...'_

'_Unnecessary dragon?' I ask, and Tiga opts to ignore me and turns back to Lloyd. _

'_However, the passage leading out will most likely be sealed once the Renegades spot you. Your only means of escape would be to ride the Rheairds themselves.'_

'_... Which is impossible,' Regal notes. At least someone's keeping up._

'_Unless, of course, you-' he turns to Sheena –'one of you, at least, can harness Volt's power and return his energy to this world.'_

* * *

I'm just gonna get this out of the way.

I reaaaaally don't like lightning.

You know what else I don't like? Seals! They're painful. Fire Seal? I dislocated my shoulder. Water Seal? Kratos almost got his arm bitten off. Wind Seal? Genis almost died. Light Seal? I started throwing up blood everywhere. It's not nice. We have a pattern of _one of_ _us_ at least getting into some serious trouble. And oh – oh – look at that, I'm currently winning the most awards for "Getting Royally Fucked at a Seal"!

... I guess we have more people with us now, so I could be less of a target, but you never know.

So, as we stand now; we've just pulled up to the shore of this, uh ... islet quite north of Mizuho and in the middle of nowhere. Now, when I think of islets, I think of ... the Caribbean! And Hawaii! Y'know, nice hot places with sandy beaches and clear skies and a beautiful view of the ocean?

This place just took that idea, shat all over it and threw it in my face.

Well, let's see. This islet is pretty much just jagged rocks _everywhere_. Not a blade of grass in sight. I can almost feel the entire place _shake_ when the grey sea just crashes up against the cliffs, and I think we're in danger of losing our EC unless we pop that thing in the wing-pack quick time.

Anyway, it's horrible. The sky is dark, there's lightning going off every couple of seconds, and I'm sure it isn't doing much for Sheena's nerves. She's been a paranoid mess since we left Mizuho. Her _dear and loving husband_ Lloyd is being an awkward idiot and not doing much about it, but Raine's motherly instincts are kicking in and she's trying her best to comfort the poor ninja. Of course, once we get inside the seal the Professor will be all over the place, so ... it's short lived, I'm sure.

'Well,' Zelos sighs with a quick look around, catching the wing pack (like a boss) after flinging it at the EC. 'Altamira it ain't.'

'Tell me about it,' Sheena sighs. 'Okay, let's get this over with.'

I'd chime in with "that's the spirit", but it clearly isn't. I don't really want to say anything at all when I turn to look at where we're headed.

The Temple of Lightning is like ... the Tower of Mana. If the Tower of Mana looked like something that had been through the H.P Lovecraft blender. It's so dark and looming, almost in the shape of a giant drill ... and I think a bolt of lightning struck the peak on more than one occasion. I'm nowhere near the mage Genis is, but even I can feel _waves_ of mana flowing out of this thing like a strong breeze. I squint a little to see dark moss creeping its way up the sides of the building, and no wonder Sheena was iffy about coming back here. This place is nightmare fuel.

'... Pfffft,' Lloyd sighs in exhaustion, probably after giving it the same look over I just did. 'Well, okay then.'

'Definitely ... not like Sylvarant's seals,' Colette says with an awkward look, wringing her hands together while she looks between Sheena and the tower. 'Are they all like this?'

Zelos shrugs as we begin our reluctant trudge up to the entrance. 'There's this creepy old place ... I've been to the Seal of Ice before on vacation to Flanoir; that place is pretty eerie. It's inside a frozen mountain.'

Raine's face falls. 'I hate the cold ...'

'Aaaand then there's the Seal of Darkness, which ... speaks for itself! Creepy shit goes on in that place, I'm sure. That's inside some catacombs that go deep beneath a mountain range.'

Genis' face falls. 'I hate the dark ...'

'Then we've got the Seal of Earth, which sits atop a dangerous, bottomless crag. And Gnomelettes live there I guess. If we give that place a visit, you can say hi to your new boyfriend, eh?' Zelos nudges me, and I just blanch.

'I hate you, Zelos.'

'Noooo, you loooove me,' he coos, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pinching my cheek. Arrrghblarghflargh.

'Can we get a move on?' Sheena snaps, and we all shut up. Serves us right, but most of us are shooting dark looks at Zelos for being, uh ... happy. Cause y'know, in an event where one of us is depressed for a legit reason, everyone else must be depressed as well. Sense, it makes.

I feel water prickle my skin when it begins to rain, and we all jog the rest of the way to the entrance. For as we all know, water and lightning are a big no-go. But anyway, like Zelos explained; it seems that a lot of the seals in this world are more ... physically demanding than the ones back in Sylvarant. The Fire Seal was basically a giant tomb, the Wind Seal was ... a giant tomb, the Water Seal was some giant tunnels beneath a geyser, and the Light Seal was just a giant library. But I've always gone into one of those seals thinking "well if things get iffy, we can just exit for a bit and call it a day, try again tomorrow". Going beneath an entire mountain range doesn't sound too forgiving.

'There's, uh, no ...' Lloyd starts, slowing down waving a hand at the entrance as we all run in out of the rain. 'No ... Oracle Stone. We can just stroll on in?'

'This world is flourishing,' Raine starts, rubbing a hand through her hair. 'I doubt this place can be called an active Seal if it has no use.'

'How convenient,' Zelos says, rolling his shoulders and taking the lead of our group. 'Guess that's off my checklist for this journey.'

'Yet another reason we don't need you,' Genis grumbles, and Raine just pinches his earlobe for being rude. To be honest, Zelos' worth is kinda going down the drain in this journey. First he was like, the ambassador to Tethe'alla to us, and now he's on the run. Then we were gonna use him for his Chosen-esque abilities, and we don't need him for that either! I'm beginning to think we're just keeping him around for the sheer sex appeal. Well, I would.

'Nnnn'kay, we're gonna need that there ... magic ring thing for this place,' Zelos starts as we walk up a long, dark corridor. 'Blowing stuff up and all that.'

'You want it?' Lloyd asks with a sad look. You can just tell how much he wants to blow shit up. Zelos seems to notice, but takes it anyway.

Cue more silence. I think Sheena's bad mood is resonating through us all and making us miserable. Zelos is the only one who seems to be attempting to do anything about it, but no one likes him! Except me. I like Zelos. And his amazing face.

Those waves of mana I've been feeling since stepping onto this islet suddenly break over me in an all out drowning sensation when we step into the main hall, and both Genis and I have to stop for a moment. My vision spins, and Genis just holds a hand to his head. There is so much mana pumping around this place, and I think Zelos feels it to. He's gone rather quiet. But it's a different kind of quiet ... every aspect of his cocky, flirty self has just dulled as he looks around.

I don't even know what to think about this place. This hall is insane. It's just a single bridge leading up to a set of high stairs going into ... fack knows. Seriously. I look around, and I see not one wall, ceiling or floor. Everything is just black and violet clouds, swirling around and floating so slowly, so aimlessly ... I feel sick. My knees seize up when I look down through the opaque bridge to see no solid structure holding it up. It just floats upon thin pillars that descend down into the void.

I don't even care how red Lloyd goes when I sneak up to his side and just ... hold on for dear life. Screw this place.

'Does this remind anyone of, uh ...' Genis starts quietly, and half of us nod. Tower of Salvation.

I look up, and it just seems to go on forever. The same goes for when I look down, but it's so much darker. I don't even want to think about what would happen if I fell, and Lloyd just makes an awkward noise when I grip tighter. I'm sure Zelos would be giving him a good ribbing, but he's still looking uncharacteristically on edge.

'Those stairs don't look particularly safe,' Regal breaks the silence with more dread. Well hurrdurr, I think we could have figured that out for ourselves. But I still love you, Mr President. You're awesome.

'They just lead to the temple interior,' Sheena says quietly, already looking pale. 'They're perfectly safe.'

'Off – get off,' Lloyd whispers finally, shoving me away. I settle with wobbling after the others, trying to keep my eyes on something more satisfying than the deep abyss. I wouldn't stoop so low as to say Zelos' ass, but it is like. Right there.

You should see me try and climb the stairs that lead up into _more clouds_. Everyone looks pretty wary, but I'm practically crawling up them. There's no railing, so one fold of the shaky knees and it's _into the abyss for Char_. No, nu-uh, no gonna happen. I don't want to face Mana again when she's just going to give me a flat look all "you fell off some stairs, congratulations dipshit". That'd be pretty anti-climatic. I think I need to die gloriously in battle if she's going to send me to Valhalla. Uh ... I can die clumsily and messily in battle; maybe that'll count.

I close my eyes and hold my breath as we go through, but on the other end it's ... a lot less stressful. I crack an eye open and look around, and WALLS, thank god. And a floor. A glorious floor. Uh ... the ceiling is still just stretching up into everlasting darkness, so I just won't look up.

You can feel a wave of relief wash over everyone; it's quiet and empty here, almost relaxing; like a real temple. There's two sets of stairs on opposite side of the wall that lead up to a high balcony above us that simply fizzles with electric energy, and I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume that's where Volt is sleeping.

'Well that was simple!' Lloyd gestures up to it. 'There's a catch, right? If Kratos taught me anything, it's that there's always a catch.'

Almost on cue, the stairs leading up to Volt's crib light up, turning pure, light blue in contrast to the smooth purple stone this entire place is built from. I don't know what that means.

'Why do you do these things, man?' Zelos groans, and I suppose we're pinning the blame on Lloyd for this one. Sheena whips out a card and flings it at one step, and sure enough ... boom. Loud, burning, fizzling to ash BOOM.

'I'm not particularly educated on the mechanics of the temples, but I'll take a guess and say we're to cut the power flow to these staircases,' Regal says, looking rather concerned. I doubt he's done anything like this outside being the president of a multi-million gald cooperation and being in prison. Don't worry Regal, it'll get worse.

'I definitely wouldn't like to be fried,' Presea says, holding up her hands. I think most of Team Tethe'alla are wondering what they've gotten themselves into at this stage.

'Pleeeeaaase tell me you remember how to do this,' I beg Sheena. 'I really don't wanna stay here longer than I have to.'

'Everyone at Mizuho cleared the way last time,' Sheena sighs. 'And don't think about flying up there. He's surrounded by a static field, too.'

Colette pouts. Well, that's our universal solution to everything out the window; if it doesn't work, send Colette.

'Okay ...' Sheena sighs, taking a seat on a short rise of stairs that lead up to a stage (where I'm sure the showdown with Volt will take place). 'Okay, let me think.'

... And let her think we do. Raine's already torn out the journal from her satchel and is sprinting towards the nearest statue, with a very annoyed looking Genis on her trail. Zelos seems to have gotten over the immediate shock of entering his first temple. I'll be honest, he probably expected to be doing this under very different circumstances – y'know, like actually saving Tethe'alla. But nope, instead he's helping us nudge Volt awake so we can hijack Rheairds and go back to Sylvarant. Must be kinda weird for him. He's grown up being taught what he had to do here, and now he doesn't really have to.

Colette looks pretty chilled about being in a seal for once and not having to do jack either. For the first time she doesn't have to worry about losing part of her humanity or trying to keep things secret. Hey, things are looking pretty good right now!

Besides Sheena being all depressed. Yeah, I think both Colette and Zelos' previous strife just fell straight on Sheena's shoulders. S'all good though, Lloyd's over there being a good comforting husband. For once.

WELL. Might as well have a look around.

I follow Presea up the stairs Sheena is currently "thinking" on, making sure to give her a reassuring smile when I pass. Doesn't do much, but that's my good deed for the day.

'This hall is so vast,' Presea starts, looking around. 'We'll have to fight, won't we?'

It wasn't a question. I just grimace, folding my arms behind my head. 'Uh, that's been the norm up until now. Probably won't change here.'

'You've fought summon spirits before?'

I jump out of my skin when Regal's voice shocks me from behind. Dammit, I'm gonna start taking away awesome points from him if he does that again. He gives me a small apologetic look, and I restore his points like the good person I am.

'Uh, yeah ...' I say awkwardly, rubbing a hand through my hair. 'Well, just one. The water one. She was pretty tough, but there was only four of us.'

'I heard they can be quite ruthless,' Regal says, stepping around me to inspect the area a bit more. 'Let's hope that regulation doesn't persist in this world.'

Tell me about it. I don't really want to try fighting Volt with only four people. I'm sure Sheena and Lloyd would be up for it, but me? Not so much. I fought Undine last time – it's someone else's turn! Maybe Genis and Raine. That sounds like a good foursome.

... Wait-

I just drag my nails down my face and try to discard all those mental images.

'Okay; plan,' Sheena starts finally, using Lloyd's shoulder to pull herself up. 'I can't remember much, but we definitely have to shut down the artefacts powering the charges on the stairs. We accomplish that and we can face ... Volt.'

We all give eachother wary looks at Sheena's expression. She just looks so worried and stressed; I've never seen her like this before. Lloyd gets to his feet, casting a glance to the pure white stairs.

'You said artefact_ssss_?' he asks, turning back to Sheena. 'There's more than one?'

'Two,' Sheena says quietly, still thinking. We don't interrupt and simply let her get on with it. 'One for each set of stairways, but both need to be shut off for the static field to fall.'

Damn, I almost thought we had it easy there. Looks like we're spending more time in here than I thought.

'Perhaps we should split up into two groups,' Raine suggest, looking around our rather plentiful party. 'We have more than enough people to form two capable forces if monsters are prowling around.'

'That's ... a good idea,' Sheena says after a moment of consideration. 'I don't know if there are monsters here, but going after both artefacts at once will get this done faster.'

'Okay, so there's one, two ...' Lloyd trails off, pointing to each of us while he counts in his head. '... Nine of us. One group of five, and one group of four it seems.'

'Line up, ladies,' Zelos starts with a wink to Sheena. Cue several death glares. How dare you be happy, Zelos! Curse the very thought! Geez, these guys are uptight. I'm missing the whole "let's do our best" view on things.

'Actually,' Raine says, sounding almost pliant while Genis gives her a look of horror. 'It might be best to have Sheena and Zelos lead either team. They're the only two in the group who are even remotely educated on how the seals in Tethe'alla function.'

She actually glances to Regal to make sure, but he just shakes his head.

'I'm with Sheena,' Lloyd says without skipping a beat. Sheena gives him grateful look which quickly gets covered up.

'I wanna go with Sheena too,' Colette pipes up. 'I've kinda been through the same thing, so ...'

She's got a point, great cheerleader that she is, but I'm currently a bit worried about who I'll end up with. I won't lie – I really want to go with Lloyd and Colette.

'Unfortunately, I don't trust Lloyd to stay out of trouble,' Raine says, running a hand along the gem atop her staff. 'I'll stay with this group in case Lloyd sprains his ankle trying to descend a staircase.'

Lloyd gives her a flat look. 'Okay, that happened _once_ – okay, twice, but still!'

'Either way, both groups will benefit from a healer each.'

... Noooo!

Zelos rolls his eyes after looking over Sheena's group, planting his hands on his hips. 'That's right Lloyd, just _steal_ all the girls from me! Geez! That's it-'

He grabs both mine and Presea's shoulders, yanking us back into his sides. 'Aha! These ones are mine!'

Team-Sheena just sends the two of us pitiful looks while we glance at eachother. Yeah, not feeling too good right now. Presea tries to shrug away from his grip, pulling her dress into place.

'I have no objections,' she says rather flatly, probably not entirely sure what to think.

'I-I'm with Presea! I mean, with Zelos!' Genis declares with a red face, clearly not trusting Zelos to be alone with Presea for a second. Hey, if I had some mad crush on Presea then I wouldn't trust Zelos within ten feet of her either. I just rub my arm a little, not too happy about the outcome of Team-Zelos.

'I'll accompany the Chosen,' Regal says, handling the aspect of being the last pick rather gracefully. 'It seems they could benefit from another adult in their group.'

'Thank you,' Raine says, giving Zelos a weary look. Let's be honest – I wouldn't trust him with Genis, either.

Okay, so it looks like I'm healing for Zelos, Genis, Presea and Regal. This is ... quite the turnout. And not that I don't love these guys, but Team-Sheena? All of my favourite people. Ever. The thought of being apart from them for a whole Seal makes my stomach churn. I trust this lot, but ... augh.

Anyway, I'm not gonna make a fuss. I don't want to make things harder for Sheena, because I know she'd feel better with Raine healing for them instead of me. I'm still quite the novice, but Zelos and Regal can heal too ... kinda. So it shouldn't be too hard if we do encounter some baddies.

'So!' Lloyd says, looking over both our groups and clapping his hands together. 'This looks pretty good.'

'Of course it does, you're in a group full of chicks,' Zelos says with a wide gesture to where Team-Sheena stands. I would make a comment about Zelos just being chauvinist, but I kinda agree. They've got all the good people! I wanna go with them; I'd feel a whole lot better. I'd even swap places with Lloyd, but I know Sheena most definitely wants him there with her for this.

Either way, Lloyd just ignores Zelos and turns to Sheena. 'You and Zelos know where to go, right?'

'Deep,' Sheena says, ignoring Zelos' snicker. Lots of ignoring of Zelos going on around here. 'Just keep going down into the temple, and we should be able to find the artefacts.'

Before we leave, Raine and Regal get together and try to even out supplies just in case we _do_ stumble across some angry monsters down there. It'd suck realising that halfway through battle while Genis' left leg is on the other side of the room and I'm standing there all "oh, Lloyd has all the life bottles". I won't lie, it's happened before when we've split up. Someone goes off with all the medicine, and my own supply that I keep with me runs out pretty quick.

While this happens and we all say our temporary goodbyes, Zelos takes Sheena to one side and seems to get serious for a quiet moment. I don't know what he's saying to her, but judging by the way Sheena's expression is softening, I think he's telling her to cheer up. I figure those two would be really good friends if they didn't have that whole ... _thing_ years ago.

As they come back, Sheena motions to two stairways going down, both hidden in the shadows of each staircase leading up to Volt's bed. 'We'll go left. Zelos, you go right. And just follow the current.'

'Follow the current – got it,' he says, giving a thumbs up. He turns to Lloyd after a second, flashing him a smirk. 'Bet we can disable our artefact before yours.'

'Challenge accepted!' Lloyd exclaims before Sheena can snap at him. Before she can start scolding Lloyd too, he's grabbed both her and Colette by the arms and started dragging them towards the left stairway. 'Go Team-Lloyd!'

Colette manages to wave us goodbye with a shrill "good luck!" before disappearing into the darkness, and Raine just turns to us after a much needed facepalm. 'Do try and be careful, Zelos. I'm putting my brother's safety in your hands.'

'C'mooon, we'll be fine!' Zelos assures her with a grin, wrapping an arm around Genis' shoulders and dragging him in. 'We're buds, right?'

'I will kill you.'

'See? Cute kid – he's safe with me.'

Raine just sighs, turning and heading toward the stairway while Genis flails out of the Chosen's grip. Regal tries to give him an assuring look while his sister disappears out of sight, but he just folds his arms and huffs after realising what he's gotten himself into. Yes, he's keeping Presea safe from Zelos' perverted wrath, but he's grouped with _everyone_ he dislikes in the process. I'm not gonna sugar-coat it; I don't particularly like him, either. Or Presea. Regal is totally fine, and Zelos I could ... _really_ do without.

'Let's see them beat us without this,' Zelos says, turning to his loyal pawns (us) and holding up – ta daaa – the Sorcerer's Ring. 'Lloyd is totally my bitch for a week after we win this.'

I sigh. This is going to be ... awful.

* * *

'_Ugh ...'_

'_Lloyd? Is something wrong?'_

'_Huh? I'm fine, Professor.'_

'_You seem tense. Are you concerned about Sheena?'_

'_Well, of course! But ...'_

'_... Zelos and the others?'_

'_Do you think they'll be okay? I'm not particularly worried about Zelos, but ...'_

'_I'm sure they'll manage. Regal is with them, and I like to think Genis can keep a mature head on his shoulders.' _

'_And the others?'_

'_Zelos keeps his smarts hidden away. He'll be fine. Presea and Charlotte can look after themselves too. Let's focus on our own group and put our faith in theirs.'_

'_You make it sound so easy ...'_

'_Hm?'_

'_Nothing, Professor.'_

* * *

All in all? Not that bad so far! I've only had to heal once, and that was my own knee for falling down three stairs. I'm pretty smart, if you didn't already know.

Anyway, it's been about ... ten minutes since we set off down the dark stairway, which ... goes on for a while. I remember there being a seal where you had to keep going down FOREVER, but I think that was the Temple of Darkness. Doesn't feel much different now. Genis is using his kendama as a kind of torch (apparently Raine's not the only one who can make her weapon glow), and we're all just descending deeper and deeper. It's horrible – there's a set of stairs, then we get to a platform, then more stairs, platform, more stairs ... and we're in the same kind of place as the entrance hall. No walls, no ceiling, no floor, just ... deeper.

'Geez, this is depressing,' Zelos grumbles, still taking the lead with Genis at his side. 'At least I'm not here for myself.'

'It must be quite the odd sensation,' Regal comments, actually looking rather worried for once. I think it's the lack of a solid room that's getting to him. 'Growing up knowing you would come to a place like this, but under very different circumstances.'

Zelos snorts, and I see he's got an expression of rather strained joy. 'Yeah, sure feels better being here knowing that I don't have to _die_ later! Colette must have felt pretty shitty back in Sylvarant.'

Genis remains silent out of discomfort for the issue, and I just rub my neck awkwardly. 'She hid it pretty well. No one actually knew she was going to die until she left us to go to the Tower of Salvation by herself.'

'So what?' Zelos asks, looking back at me over his shoulder. 'You all just rushed in there and saved her?'

I try to smile, but I'm sure I look more wary than fond of the memory. 'Kinda.'

'Ha! She's got some good friends.'

'What about you, Zelos?' Presea asks quietly, after having been silent the whole way down so far. 'Who would have accompanied you on your journey?'

'Knights. Knights. More knights. Probably a few more knights,' Zelos responds with a dry laugh. 'Can't really think of any close friends I'd take with me.'

'What about Sheena?'

'She'd be paranoid of me grabbing her ass every two minutes. Not that she's be far off, that is.'

Genis rolls his eyes. 'Pervert ...'

Zelos ignores him, slowing down until he's at my side. Aaaagh. 'So you guys had no idea Colette was just marching along to her death? She didn't say anything?'

I shrug. 'Well ... she knew that if Lloyd and everyone clocked on, they're try to stop her. She just really wanted to regenerate the world.'

'But y'all tried to stop her anyway?' Zelos asks, and I note him raising an eyebrow through the dark. 'You just strolled on in there and told Cruxis to shove it?'

I hesitate. 'Well ... she completed the ceremony and all ...'

'We took her back before Cruxis could,' Genis interrupts quietly. I know he doesn't like talking about that day. 'A lot of things happened, but we wound up being saved by the Renegades.'

'Y-yeah,' I pick up, happy that we managed to skip the whole "oh and Charlotte died" thing, which they still don't know about. 'Then we found out they wanted Lloyd, and we wound up here.'

'Huh,' Zelos pauses. 'What did Cruxis do when you tried to stop the ceremony?'

Damn, Zelos really wants to get out of being a Chosen. I can't say I'd blame him; being around a soulless Colette means he's pretty much had a front-seat view of his fate. I know why he's asking these questions; I just hope he doesn't turn to Cruxis in the end. I really don't want him to die.

'Well ... we fought with the angels. And Kratos. And ... their leader.'

'Yggdrasill?'

I shiver at the mention of his name. 'Y-yeah.'

'How'd that go down?'

Badly. 'We escaped.'

'The Renegades helped us out,' Genis adds. 'As much as I hate to admit it, we'd be dead if it weren't for Yuan.'

'Yeah ...' I mumble. 'He's still a prick though.'

Genis just snorts after a moment. 'Can't really argue with that.'

It seems like Presea and Regal are rather lost as to who the hell we're talking about, and I have to remind myself that Regal knows next to NOTHING about what we're actually doing, why we're doing it, and what's happened so far. Same goes for Presea; she keeps telling us that she can't remember everything, so this must be one of those things.

'Moving onto BRIGHTER topics!' Zelos exclaims through the darkness, and I'm startled for a second when I hear his voice echo. There're no walls! Zelos just folds his arms behind his head, continuing to follow Genis as we descend even more stairs. 'What's Sylvarant like?'

'Yes, I'm quite curious myself,' Regal adds, and when I look back at him I'm honestly surprised he hasn't fallen yet. Try walking down the stairs with your hands cuffed – it's not easy. 'The thought of a whole other world by itself is staggering.'

I notice Genis blush a little, and I feel tempted to feel a little embarrassed too. I'm not _from_ Sylvarant, but as long as I'm in Tethe'alla I did come from there. It's weird to think of Regal and the others looking at us and going "holy crap ALIEN PEOPLE".

'It's ... warm?' Genis attempts, turning back to look at me when I realise I'm the only other person from Team-Sylvarant here. 'Warmer than Tethe'alla.'

'Yeah,' I agree after a moment of consideration. 'I haven't seen any deserts in Tethe'alla yet.'

'There's one, but it isn't particularly ... hot,' Zelos tells us, making a face. 'More windy.'

'Triet was hot,' Genis grumbles. 'So ... so hot.'

'I'm getting hot just thinking about it,' I say with a grimace, before realising _exactly_ what I just said. Zelos snickers to himself, and I just go right ahead and turn crimson.

'So where are you guys from in Sylvarant?' the Chosen demands. 'C'mon, I want names of your little backwater villages.'

Genis huffs, and I don't really blame him. Again, I'm not FROM Sylvarant, and I'm kinda getting insulting at all the insinuations that we're hillbilly hicks from the boondocks. Zelos, I will smack you with an iPod one day.

'I'm from _Iselia_, and it was way better than Meltokio.'

Zelos doesn't look too convinced, and his feigned interest is patronizing if anything. 'Oh?'

'Until it got burned to the ground,' I add, and Genis' shoulders hunch. 'That sucked.'

The Chosen's eyes widen. 'Damn, so your village got destroyed?'

'That's terrible,' Presea mumbles with a genuinely sad look. 'I'm so sorry.'

Catastrophic fate of Iselia aside, Genis goes crimson too. 'I-it's fine! T-there's ... Triet, too. In the desert, I mean.'

'Yeah, that was a nice little oasis town,' I say, thinking back. 'Before it got ... burned to the ground.'

Genis sighs, shoulders sagging. 'Y ... yep. And ... Luin.'

'Burned to the ground.'

Zelos, Regal and Presea are just staring at us with the most bemused looks. I know; it's like every town we visit just get ransacked by Desians because they're bored and don't have Xboxes in their ranches. Geez Louise.

Cue the awkward silence that is Team-Tethe'alla trying to fathom all the destruction that went on in Sylvarant while we were journeying our asses around trying to defeat Desians and liberate Palmacosta and bring peace to Asgard and drop the ball at Luin. It's kinda sad really; amidst all that suffering, I probably had the most fun in Sylvarant. I dunno; camping out with our little group, Lloyd sparring with Kratos all the time, Raine trying to cook and Genis and Colette trying to clean up the mess – just being travellers, I guess. It was nice and relaxing, sometimes. Now everything is kinda ... unsafe and hard.

'You're from Iselia too?' Zelos asks, giving me a poke.

'Ah ... no,' I say, thinking quickly. Lloyd's the only one that knows the "truth" right now. 'Everyone else is from Iselia; I'm from, um, Asgard. The windy city. '

Zelos looks between Genis and me. 'So ... wait; y'all aren't childhood friends?'

'_They_ are,' I point to the mage infront of me and back in the direction we came. 'Genis and everyone else from Sylvarant. I was just in Iselia when the whole ... Oracle thing happened, so I came along.'

'I thought you all grew up together.'

'Well ... no, I've only been with them for a few months.'

'... Bit of an odd-one-out, aren't you?'

I frown. Like you wouldn't believe, Zelos. 'Tell me about it.'

'My poor dear,' Zelos sighs, using an arm to drag me into his side. Really, really hoping he can't see me flush through the dark. 'We can be outcasts together!'

I wish I was just magically resistant to ALL of Zelos' flirting like everyone else in the group, alas I am very much not. Genis just rolls his eyes at the situation and continues on in the lead, lighting our pathway up for us with his trusty kendama. Regardless, I kinda have to consider myself for a second. In the group, I mean. Lloyd, Genis, Colette, Raine – they're a team. Zelos and Sheena – they're old friends, Presea and Regal – their pasts interweave ... I'm just kinda here, aren't I?

I don't know if Zelos notices my sudden rather sullen expression, but he gives me an extra squeeze around the shoulders for good measure before straightening up.

Being the odd one out sucks.

* * *

Wow. Okay. Like, half a bloody year later, we finally stop walking down stairs. I'm probably overreacting, but MY LEEEGS.

'Oh ... gods above ...' Genis groans, stumbling out of the darkness of the stairway and collapsing over a nearby broken pillar. 'My legs ...'

... Okay! So I'm not overreacting. But seriously, that was a stupidly long walk. It went on for so long that we just stopped and looked around for clues, threw Apple Gels into the void – anything! It felt like we were stuck in an endless loop we weren't aware of. Just going on, and on, and on ... and I don't even want to know how deep into the earth we've gone.

'That was LAME,' Zelos declares angrily as he exits the darkness, scrubbing his hands over his face and collapsing cross-legged onto the floor. 'Stairs are LAME and temples are LAME and this is LAME.'

'You're lame,' Genis retorts, voice muffled.

Presea and Regal bring up the rear together, and sure enough, they look pretty tired too. I don't think I'm out of line initiating a quick break before we move on. I take a seat on another destroyed pillar beside where Zelos is currently clawing his hair away from his face, and take a look around. My eyes kinda hurt after all that darkness, so it takes a good minute.

I can hear the soft hum and periodic crackle of electricity, regardless of my sight. I'd say we're finally inside the part of the temple that is more about solving puzzles and less about running around like headless chickens. Whoopie for that! Not that I like the threat of potential monsters running around, but I would rather shoot some nasty monstrosity running toward me than walk down more stairs. If I can even still walk, that is.

'Think we can finally get this show on the road?' Zelos asks, practically sprawled out on the floor at this stage.

'When I can feel my legs,' Genis grumbles. 'The Tower of Mana wasn't even this bad ...'

Well it was for me, but then again Genis didn't face that ... batshit monster that fiddles with your brain and shows you what you think is the worst outcome of your future. Man, I hope those things aren't crawling around in this world. I remember when Kvar was all up in Lloyd's grill, and he said something about him getting the solution for his torture device from Rodyle? Who got them from monsters in the Temple of Darkness, Shadow, whatever. Errrgh, that won't be fun.

Anyway! Happy thoughts. As happy as they can get in this place, at least.

'Okay, hands up if you've done a seal before,' Zelos demands from the floor. Both Genis and I comply, and the others just kinda sit there awkwardly. I guess that means us two are leading the way now? Gosh, I hope not – we just kinda followed everyone else with Lloyd. Colette and Raine and Kratos did everything else – we sorta trailed along all "yeah, totally a group effort you guys". Well, let's hope Zelos knows his stuff.

'Ladies first,' Zelos decides, tossing me the Sorcerer's Ring. What? He has to be kidding!

'Uhhh, Genis is more effeminate than me,' I say after moment, throwing him the ring. He just catches it lazily, not putting up much of a fuss.

'I'd say no, but you do swear like it's nobody's business,' he drawls, picking himself up off his half a pillar.

'Hey, I'm not that bad!' I snap. 'Am I? I grew up with a bunch of guys, so-'

'It's still unattractive,' Genis says rather bluntly, giving the ring a test fire at the wall. Yep, still in working condition. But still ...

I go a bit red in the face, and Zelos waves a hand quickly as he pulls himself up. 'You should hear all my pristine girls back at Meltokio when you get them alone. They've got tongues like rusty knives.'

'Still ...' I mumble, scratching my cheek awkwardly. I _do_ swear a whole lot, even just in my head. It's kinda the norm back home, but almost no one swears here. 'Okay! No more swearing from this point on.'

Genis snorts as he fits the ring onto a finger, and I give him an irritated look. 'I'm serious!'

'I'm gonna give it an hour, especially in a seal,' he tells me, and I fold my arms. Oh, screw him. I can totally do this. No swearing for ... for ... for a week! Maybe if I break my arm. Then I'll slip an f-bomb. But! Absolutely no swearing. Clean mouth from now on. I wonder if anyone will notice besides these guys, who I've just told. Kratos would definitely notice – I swore at him like I had tourettes. Then again, he was a jerk.

See? Jerk is a nice word. Kinda. You know what I mean. Good start.

'It's healthy to set yourself certain restrictive goals every now and then,' Regal says, and Presea nods beside him.

'Yeah, I remember when I told myself to give up sexy-time for a month,' Zelos adds, stretching his arms over his head. 'Auugh that ... sorta worked.'

Our mage looks utterly unimpressed. 'And that lasted ...?'

'All of ten minutes.'

Genis doesn't even grace him with an answer and simply strides off down the pathway before us. Zelos grins and follows, with the rest of us trailing awkwardly behind. I don't know what it is about Zelos and ticks Genis off so much. Maybe it's his totally carefree lifestyle? I dunno – Raine seems to have taught Genis and Colette to be as straight as arrows, and Zelos is just sorta ... very bendy. He doesn't care about anything, pretty much. I'd actually like to be as carefree as Zelos sometimes.

Anyway, back to our surroundings! Thankfully, it's much brighter down here. I'm not sure where the light is coming from exactly; I think it's the currents running along the walls? Along both walls is a long, long indent spanning the length of the corridor with purple lightning pulsing inside it. I don't particularly want to touch it, but Sheena said "follow the current"? So follow it we shall do.

I notice that there's also some bits of rubble scattered around? Just broken floor and some chunks off the wall, almost as if SOMEONE came through here before and probably had too much fun with the Sorcerer's Ring. Might have been Mithos. Might have been Orochi. Might even have been Kratos, who the heeeeck knows.

'If this static gets to my hair, I'm going to get angry,' Zelos says, giving the two currents wary looks. I just know Genis is praying for one of those pedestals that changes the function of the Sorcerer's Ring so he can electrocute Zelos over and over. Heck, he might even use it on me if I swear. That actually might be useful.

'What is it that one _does_ ... in a Seal?' Presea asks, looking around for herself. Zelos shrugs, gesturing to Genis and me.

'Ask those two – they've done this show before.'

'Well, uh,' Genis starts, fiddling shyly with the ring on his finger. Oh Genis, you love struck thing you. 'How many have we done so far?'

'Ffffffour?' I wonder, counting them off. 'Fire, Water, Wind ... Light? Yeah four. Now five.'

'Most of it was solving puzzles,' Genis explains shortly, probably trying to remember everything we did back there. I know I don't want to remember half of it – crazy bad things went on in those places.

'I don't even want to think about the amount of injuries we sustained doing those things,' I grumble, and now I can't help _but_ think about it. 'I dislocated my shoulder in the Fire Seal. I think? Kratos snapped it back into place, and that hurt like a bi – iiii – that really hurt.'

'Good girl,' Zelos says, patting me on the head.

'Lloyd's set of wooden swords got destroyed in that place,' Genis remembers with a short laugh. 'He was bitter about it for so long.'

'We probably should have warned him that wood _burns_,' I add.

Zelos rolls his eyes. 'And you guys did a Water Seal? Yo, isn't your sister terrified of water? She hates that EC.'

'Uh ... yeah. It wasn't that bad though. But that place took forever to navigate.'

'So did the Wind Seal,' I groan. 'We had to sleep in those places! Kratos almost had his arm bitten off in the Water Seal, and you – you got really messed up at the Wind Seal.'

Genis shudders. 'Let's just say I'm glad my sister took up healing arts.'

I notice that we're doing absolutely nothing to calm Team Tethe'alla's nerves about this place. Presea is getting steadily paler, Zelos is walking slower as if he's about to vault back up millions of stairs to the entrance and speed off on the EC by himself, and Regal looks ... pretty okay! Then again, it's Regal; he'd look okay if Derris Kharlan was speeding toward him.

'So ... grievous injuries at _every_ Seal so far?' Zelos asks in a "are you guys cursed or something" tone. 'What about the Light Seal?'

'Oh, that went ... pretty well? Didn't it?' I ask. 'I don't remember much trauma after that.'

Genis nods, and I think we're conveniently forgetting that I had a little episode at the Light Seal because PURE MANA, ew. Either way, it wasn't terribly traumatic – I just had to sit the fight out.

'I'm just hoping your unlucky streak ended there,' Zelos says with a whistle, running his hand over his hair (it seems to be feeling the effects of static). 'I'm not too keen on being sent back to Meltokio in a body bag.'

'I'll do that for you eventually,' Genis grumbles, and Zelos just chuckles a little nervously. Always fear the little quiet ones. I can kinda see Genis going insane and stalagmiting everyone one day, probably through the influence of Mithos and their bromance later on. Awww man, I don't want to meet Mithos. Why did I make myself think of that? Augh. AUGH. Permission to drop a tiny little f-bomb when I meet Mithos? No? FINE, no swearing. I'll just shove him to the ground and run away screaming. That's should be "Charlotte" enough.

'So, underlings,' Zelos starts, clawing his hands through his hair at this point to stop it getting too static. 'If I recall _correctly_, we're just down here to shut off a generator, right?'

Presea nods. 'Disable the artefacts powering the lethal charge on the stairs. When both are disabled, it will open the way to Volt. That's what Sheena told us.'

'Though I don't doubt her word – she knows far more about this temple than I – we should keep our guard up,' Regal adds, glancing behind us. 'There's no telling what kind of monstrosities are born down here.'

Well gee whiz, there goes my courage.

'I doubt it's anything we can't handle with the five of us,' Genis says, still inspecting the Sorcerer's Ring; we haven't used it in a while. 'I'm sure we've faced worse.'

'Well, _we_,' I say, holding an arm up. 'I dunno about these guys.'

'I killed the Brigadier of the Papal Knights,' Zelos says in a tone that shouldn't fit with that kind of sombre declaration. 'Shoved a sword right through his face. Where's my Badass Medal?'

'Do you really need one for something so ... grotesque?' Regal asks, raising an eyebrow.

'Barbaric, even,' Presea adds.

Zelos just rolls his eyes. 'Excusez moi, but _you_ guys didn't know him. I did. He was the worst kind of degrading, wife-beating, slum hating piece of a trash that ever wormed his way up to the big leagues, I kid you not.'

Silence for five seconds.

'How'd you know about the wife-beating?' I ask, and Zelos flashes me a grin. 'Argh, affairs abound! Not my business.'

Zelos laughs again. 'I probably did her a favour in more ways than one.'

'How thoughtful of you,' Genis says dryly through grit teeth.

Man, whenever we try to talk about the temple mechanics, the topic just goes veering off in another direction. I think so far we've established what we have to do exactly, which is "disable an artefact" ... which is pretty vague; I'm hoping for just a big red button. We've also gone over the possibility of monsters, which the others seem pretty confident about. I suppose I don't feel too bad about it. I mean, I won't be up there _fighting_ them for once. I'll just be standing back and healing. But let me tell you, that's a whole new level of stress right there!

'You know what?' I perk up when the silence has dragged on a bit too long as we trudge down this ... constantly widening hallway of purple stone and electricity. 'I've decided. I want a staff.'

Cue four pairs of eyes on me. 'Eh?'

'I want a staff!' I repeat. 'Like the professor's staff. I figure it would help me concentrate better, having something to channel magic through and send it in a _proper_ direction, rather than ... y'know.'

I wave my hands around a bit. 'Just throwing it out.'

Genis holds the stare the longest. 'You don't need a staff.'

'Why not?' I ask. 'Wouldn't it be better for healing?'

'Well yeah, but you're not a full-time healer, are you?' he explains rather bluntly. 'I can't see you keeping this up.'

I frown a little. 'Well, I mean-'

'What I'm saying is, why not be like Kratos?' Genis expands on after a second, probably realising he sounded a bit rude. 'Or Zelos? They're both fighters, but they heal too.'

'Please, list more reasons why you need me,' Zelos adds. 'My ego hasn't had its usual boost today.'

'You have girly hair!' Genis shoots at him before turning back to me. 'You can do both. I've used healing in the past, even though I can only do ... destructive magic now.'

'You can heal?' I ask.

'No! I mean, kinda. Well, it's really bad. I can't even heal a paper cut.' Genis looks very embarrassed about not being able to master something. Poor kid. 'You're not ... awful at fighting, okay? And you're not half bad at healing, either ...'

He turns back to lead the way. 'I think you could do both fine. You don't need a staff.'

... I think that's the nicest thing Genis has ever said to me? He really thinks I'm a competent fighter! I mean, fighting isn't particularly important to me – it's not something I'm looking to put on a résumé anytime soon. But in this world you need it, and it's very important. So yay!

I continue with a little giddy skip, until Genis quickly tells me to stop. Okay, so it was fun while it lasted.

Anyway, like I said before, the passage is beginning to open up slightly. It's definitely getting wider – the ceiling looks a lot higher than it used to be, and the pulsing electricity running along both walls is getting considerably stronger and faster. As soon as we shut down this ... "artefact", we're home free. Then we get to go and get our asses kicked by Volt. I bet you can just taste my enthusiasm.

It's getting a lot lighter, too. I hope the room we're heading to is well lit up; if we do end up fighting, I don't want to it in the dark.

'Looks like we're almost there,' Zelos says, and I notice he seems to have taken the lead. To be fair, we didn't need Genis to lead us down a single corridor. There goes both our worth as the only people who have done Seals here. 'Let's get this over with – I miss my fresh air.'

'Yeah ...' I add quietly, looking around at the purple stone this place is built from. I'm not entirely sure what it is. 'Y'know ... for a place that's so far down in the earth, it's rather clean down here.'

I brush a hand across the smooth surface of the wall and check for dust. Nothing. 'Maybe the temples have janitors.'

'Who knows – maybe Cruxis sends some angels down to clean every now and then,' Zelos suggests. 'Kinda creepy when you think about it.'

'Creepy?' Regal asks, with Presea and Genis looking just as inquisitive.

'Look at it this way,' Zelos starts, dropping his hands to his sides after having them folded behind his head for the majority of this walk. 'We're on the run from Cruxis, right? And yet the temples, the seals – this is pretty much their territory. I bet you guys saw angels at each seal, right?'

Genis and I nod. Yep, Remiel managed to swoop down from Welgaia at every seal, give us a hearty helping of bullshit, rip a sense from Colette and we'd be on our way. Ahh, the good old days.

'So what makes you think they can't send angels down here, too?'

We all look between eachother nervously. That's something I really never thought about. It's true – if they could just send Remiel down on a whim, then what's stopping them from doing it here? We could approach Volt, and then BAM. Insta-Judgement-To-The-Face induced death.

'Argh, don't jinx it!' Genis snaps quickly. 'Remiel was bad enough as it is to get rid of. I don't want to fight another angel anytime soon.'

'Yeah, he was kinda of a raging ... jerk,' I decide quickly. I could have said something bad, but I _won't_. Because I'm a _lady_. 'Killing him was pretty hard. He came back and then Kratos had to finish off the job.'

'... Kratos is part of Cruxis' high command, yes?' Regal asks slowly. He still isn't up to date on everything that happened, and neither is Presea. As far as they know, we pissed off Cruxis, the Desians, the Renegades, the Papal Knights, the Royal Family, and the Pope. And we're on the run. From all of them.

'Yeah, he is,' Genis answers bitterly after a moment.

'So ... Cruxis doesn't seem to be above killing their pawns,' Presea says quietly. 'They must be rather powerful to warrant such a lack humanity toward their subordinates.'

'Kinda sad when you think about it,' I add, making a face at the thought. 'Those half-elves get suckered in to joining the Desians and Cruxis because the whole world hates 'em, and they stick with it because it's the only place they feel they can get salvation from. I suppose it's like humans believing in Martel and the Chosen – half elves just turn to the Desians.'

'What a twisted world we live in,' Zelos sighs. 'Ah well! More fun for me. If I can sort this mess out do you have _any _idea how many chicks will line up just to bask in the glory of my success?'

'Probably like, forty thousand, maybe,' I guess. 'Depends how many girls there are in Tethe'alla.'

'Aaaaand there's my ego boost.'

'You're welcome.'

* * *

After a bit longer of twisting and turning down the hallway, we finally come to an open room. And by room I mean balcony that leads into an open r – you get the idea.

It's a bit of a breath of fresh air – as fresh as you can get deep down in the earth like this – but I feel less claustrophobic nonetheless. But daaaang, this room is huge. I'm the first to sprint over to the balcony railings and take a look over, and my knees give out on me when I realise we're raaaather high up from the ground. I look up for good measure, and there is no ceiling. The room just stretches higher and higher until the darkness closes in some ... hundred or so yards up.

Anyway, let's not focus on that. I don't like thinking about what could be hiding in that darkness.

I take a more thorough glance around the circular hall. This balcony spans the entire way around the room, and I have to jog after the others now they've located the stairway that leads down to the floor. I keep close to the railing and inspect as we make our walk down.

Both currents from the hallway that lead us here spread out the entire width of the room, meeting on the opposite side and descending down to the floor in a powerful, pulsing surge that leads to the centre of the hall. And in the centre of the room is the artefact I'm guessing we came here to shut down. More on that when we get down there.

I notice as we start down the stairs (which I will forever hate when I get out of this place), long thin pylons hang below the balcony and periodically crackle with electricity, all connected by untidy wires, some thick, some thin, some simply hanging loose and swaying, sparking dangerously. I wince. I've been electrocuted before, not seriously of course, but it frickin' hurt.

'I'm starting to wonder if this entire building is electrically charged,' Regal says after awkward silence as we all stare in awe at the clusterffffffudge of danger that is _this room_.

'I would _not_ be surprised,' Zelos grunts, now sporting a rather messy head of hair. 'I can almost taste the static here.'

... Wonder what static tastes like. Probably really fizzy sweets, like those fizzy worms. They were so nice.

I notice Presea grabbing her pigtails and trying to smoothen them out. 'I'm not entirely sure I'm fond of this environment.'

'Me eiTHER' I say, jumping in shock halfway through a breath when one of those pylons makes a short, sharp bang. Ahhh I hate this place.

'Okay!' Zelos exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air when we reach the bottom of the stairs. 'Let's get this crap over with. After this I want a bath, a blow dry, and some good old fashion lovin' if I weren't exiled from almost _EVERYWHERE_, thank you Lloyd.'

'We just blaming stuff on Lloyd now?' I ask quietly, turning to Genis. He nods with a weary look, following after our Chosen. Anyway! Now we're down here, let's take a better look around.

I take one look at the artefact in the centre of the room and pale a little. It's actually a huge statue, probably about the size of large tree. I follow behind Zelos to inspect a bit more before we go ahead and ... "deactivate" it; however we're supposed to do that. It just looks like a normal statue to me, and I have no clue what we're supposed to do to stop the current coming from it. The pulses of electricity come from the base of the statue, almost as if it's going beneath it.

I look up to it, and try to figure out the details. It's ... a snake. A really, really big snake coiled around a hammer.

'Any of you guys know what to make of this?' Zelos calls back to the others, and I dismiss their "no"s and take a closer look at this thing. The electricity pulsing through it accents some of its finer features – the patterns on its scales, the slit orbs of its eyes, even the fins on the side of its head pulse with light in time with the charge running around the hall. Is this the source of the electricity, then?

I get to my knees and take a close look at the hammer it's coiled around. The head of the weapon is planted on the floor, and I notice an inscription on the side.

'Oh man, I can't even ...' I say, squinting and raising my voice for the others. 'Myo ... jöllnir? Mjöllnir ...?'

'Let me see that,' Genis sighs, and I frown at his tone of voice as he crouches down beside me. 'M ... jöllnir ... stuff ... more stuff ... Jörmungand ...'

'What crazy language are you two speaking?' Zelos demands, hands on his hips as he watches us sceptically. 'Is it some half-elf code?'

Genis shoots him a dark look, gripping his knees and hoisting himself back upright. 'As much as I'd love to explain to you what it means and rub it in all the while, I'm stumped.'

'Mjöllnir appears in several old legends,' Regal starts, and we all look over to him for the insight Genis apparently lacks for once. 'It's speculated to be a weapon of a great god from before the times of Cruxis.'

'Lemme guess!' I interrupt, waving an arm. 'God of lightning? Was it, um ... Thor? I think?'

'That's correct,' Regal says with a nod.

Genis gives me the usual "how do you even know these things" look, and I shrug in return.

'As for the serpent ... I'm afraid that's where my knowledge of ancient deities ends.'

Aaaaand group sigh. Props to Regal, though – he probably knows a lot more about ancient history here than we do. I'll bet there something like a museum for that sort of stuff in Altamira. But I'm starting to remember now; Thor was a god of lightning, right? And he had a big ol' hammer. That's about all I know.

'How 'bout we, um ...' I start, scratching my head. 'Uh ... hit it with lightning? Maybe? I don't know.'

We all glare at the statue that pulses with crackling light, and Zelos slaps Genis on the back. 'You heard the girl – get casting.'

'Wha – Zelos, you can _use_ magic!' Genis retorts hotly, scowling at the bossy Chosen. Zelos just flashes him a grin, and I don't know if he's perfecting his persuasive power over males, but Genis just growls and pulls out his kendama. Purple runes begin spinning around his feet, and we all back up a little.

'Lightning!'

I jump with a shout when sharp, white streaks thunder down from the darkness above, hitting the statue dead on. A few shards of stone go flying at the impact, but besides that ... nothing.

'Great job,' Zelos sighs, and Genis just stews in his rage for a bit. 'So what now?'

'Let's look around,' Presea proposes. 'There could be another mechanism in this room to cut the power.'

'I hope so,' I whine, glancing over my shoulder. The entire room, however large it may be, looks pretty empty sans the statue. There're patterns on the floor, and I glance to Genis when I notice him inspecting them too, but it looks like we're both clueless. Seriously, I wish I paid attention more in that ONE class where a random teacher decided to talk about Norse mythology. I could totally be figuring this out right now! But nope.

'I miss the others,' I sigh, deciding to follow Zelos after I realise everyone else has already wandered off to things they've found. It seems like Zelos has spotted something interesting and is making a beeline toward it, with me not far behind. 'If Raine were here she'd know exactly what to do.'

'Ditto for Sheena,' Zelos adds with a knowing look. 'I know she seems like a bimbo-'

'No she doesn-'

'-but I'm sure she can figure out all this temple crap quick time. Looks like I'm losing my bet to Lloyd.'

'If Lloyd were here then he'd just be as confused as us, so ... small victory for us there,' I console him, small fist pump included. It doesn't achieve much, but Zelos does smirk as we continue on.

'Just as confused, but certainly more entertaining,' he says under his breath with a short laugh, glancing over to Presea and Regal. 'I got stuck with a brat and two people who wouldn't know small talk if it came up and gave them a lap dance.'

I pause. 'And ...'

'And a kid who's trying to clean off her dirty mouth,' Zelos finishes, and I go a little red. 'You'll get the hang of it.'

I suddenly realise what it is Zelos has found when he comes to a stop. It's a small, thin stand that I would have totally missed otherwise. It blends in well with the room, but it's got a single dark sphere within a round indentation at the top. Zelos gives it a test-poke, but it remains unresponsive in its stone cold bed.

'Two points to me,' he says out of the blue, glancing in my direction with a cocky look. 'If Lloyd were here, he'd have broken this by now.'

I can't help but laugh, and Zelos pushes his thumb against the sphere as if it would spin in place. 'Definitely true.'

Zelos squats down and continues inspecting the little apparatus we've found, giving me a quick sideways glance while he looks for some sort of button, hopefully. 'So ... what's the deal with you and Lloyd?'

'Huh?' I start before I can figure out a more elegant way to reply. Of course, my mouth is open now, so it's not as if it's about to close obediently. 'What do you mean?'

'You guys were a couple, right?' he says, pointing between me and ... an apparently invisible Lloyd to my left. 'Before this, at least.'

Strangely enough, I don't go red. That thought is just a little odd. 'What? No.'

'Oh, c'mon,' Zelos scoffs, rolling his eyes.

'We really aren't. Weren't,' I add, but Zelos doesn't seem the least bit swayed. I'm not entirely sure how this came up? I mean, as far as I know I haven't sent any fleeting looks Lloyd's way, or given him lingering touches on the arm, or mounted him whenever I got the chance. Why, has he been showing signs of affection in my direction or something? It's doubtful – I figured he was pretty into Sheena anyway.

'Hey, I've seen the way you look at him,' Zelos tells me, giving me a sharp tap on the nose before going back to his new toy. Guess it's my fault then. 'And I am Cupid cursed to roam this world and slap people with a fuzzy dose of reality, and that is-'

Another tap. '-You-'

Another. '-Like-'

And. '-Lloyd.'

I just give him the flattest look I can muster so I don't look like I'm in denial or anything. 'I really don't. I mean, of course I like him – he's my friend, but I don't, like ... have feelings for him, or anything. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any for me.'

Zelos just raises an eyebrow. Uh oh. Oh god, I know that look. That's the look of someone who plans to use their powers of matchmaking to interfere with lives.

'Well, Lloyd does a pretty good job of hiding it, but I'm sure you two-'

'Look, Zelos-,' I start rapidly, glancing behind me to see if anyone's nearby. Genis and Presea seem to have found the exact same kind of apparatus we have, and Regal is on the other side of the room. 'Okay, _don't_ say anything to Lloyd about this. Like, don't start having these kinds of conversations with Lloyd, because Lloyd's a giant dweeb and he'll take it way too seriously and I can just _poof_, kiss my marginally working friendship with him goodbye. I don't like him, he doesn't like me, so let's just ... not ruin that over what I'm sure would have been a god-awful hypothetical romance, okay?'

Zelos just gives me a patronizing look.

'You're in deniallll~'

Oh ... wow, this is getting annoying fast. I hate it when I get defensive. 'No! Zelos, okay? Look, please just don't put any ideas in his head. Or mine, even!'

'... So you don't like him.'

'No.'

'Not even a little.'

'Nope.'

'A smidgen?'

'Nada.'

'And you're sure he doesn't like you?'

'When was the last time you saw him slap my ass? Of course not.'

'A tidbit of affection, no?'

'No!' I think. 'Okay, maybe a tiny, little miniscule bit? But no. Nothing worth mentioning.'

'Ah,' Zelos grins. 'So you like him a little.'

'You're killing me here,' I tell him, running my hands over my face. 'Please stop?'

'I'll stop if you admit you like Lloyd.'

'I don't, though!' I try, hearing exhaustion seeping into my voice from this conversation.

'What about that miniscule bit of affection?'

Oh god, whatever makes him happy. 'Fine! I have tiny little ... ugh, _crush_ on Lloyd; are you satisfied?'

'_Immensely_,' Zelos practically purrs, flashing me a grin before straightening up. I just frown and fold my arms as Zelos calls Genis over. Well, that was incredibly awkward. That may have been even worse than when Raine asked me if I was in love with Lloyd back in Sylvarant. Ugh, what is it with them, seriously? I mean sure, I was embarrassingly needy back then, but I like to think I've matured. I don't go around acting like I have some huge honking crush on Lloyd, do I? And he definitely doesn't act like he wants to get into my tights. He's married to Sheena, geez.

Why does it even bother me so much? I guess I don't want to ruin things with Lloyd if everyone's adamant on claiming we're totally hot for eachother.

'Did you find something?' Genis asks when he comes over, and I'm praying this little exchange stays between me and Zelos. I don't need Genis chasing me down and casting Icicle in ... places.

'Indeed I did,' Zelos replies with a haughty smile, tapping the dark orb he's been inspecting. 'Simple math – there's more than one of these, they're all as dead as doorknobs, we've got a snazzy ring to shoot lightning, so how about you go around and do that like a good kid, nn'kay?' Zelos pats a blank looking Genis on the head as he brushes past. 'I'll be over here.'

I watch Genis' face remain impassive as Zelos walks off toward Presea and Regal, and begins thumbing the magic ring on his finger. 'I will hurt him.'

'Oh, I know,' I say, patting his shoulder as I walk away. 'Good talk!'

While Genis probably entertains thoughts doing various violent things to Tethe'alla's poor Chosen, I wander over to the other three. Zelos seems to have some knowledge of the temples at least, because he seems pretty confident in whatever's going on.

'So, the ring-' Regal starts, looking rather interested as Genis fires a streak of lightning at the black orb.

'Oh, it changes automatically with each seal,' Zelos says, waving a hand. 'Kinda like a mood ring.'

'Ah.'

Anyway, the orb seems to have responded. It's now glowing purple and looking very much more active that it previously did. Well, as active as an orb can get. Genis has to jump out of the way as electricity streaks down the stand and zooms through a thin indent on the floor toward the statue of the serpent-thing. Oh god, I can see where this is going. It's going to blow up or something isn't it? It's gonna blow up and debris is gonna smack me in the face and I'll be hideous and then Lloyd DEFINITELY won't have the hots for me. Take that, Zelos.

I notice that there are four stands. Genis goes over to the second on the opposite side of the room, while us four chill out at the last one. At least I can take cover behind these guys if the statue DOES choose to blow up.

'What's your guess?' Regal asks, glancing to the shorter man by his side. Zelos shrugs.

'I figure that thing is supplying the charge,' he says, jerking a thumb in the direction of the looming statue in the centre of the room. 'I'm not sure what we're accomplishing by giving it MORE charge, but let's just go with it.'

'We shall see,' Presea says quietly, turning to me. 'Should we be expecting a fight?'

I let out a deep breath. 'I didn't want to think about it, but I wouldn't put it against Cruxis to pull that kind of shi – iii – ngles. Shingles? Whatever.'

'You're getting better,' Zelos tells me, and I shrug. I really didn't notice that I swore that much. The more you know.

'You do the last one,' Genis snaps from out of nowhere, making me jump. He comes up from behind and tosses the ring at Zelos. 'All that lightning made my arm feel funny.'

While Zelos does the honours, I really try to think about all that Norse mythology stuff. Someone in a group next to me did a project on Thor, but I really don't ... okay, I know there was a serpent involved? Or a snake, or a Jourmun-whatever that thing is. I don't know – was he like, Thor's pet or something? An enemy? I don't know.

'Oh!' I start suddenly, turning to Genis while he rubs his arm. 'Does that still hurt? Can I test one of my new healing spells on you?'

Genis looks at me as if I'd said that while revving up a chainsaw. 'Uh ... I guess.'

Okay, I've been practicing this on myself for a while, so ... fingers crossed. It's harder without something to channel magic _through_, but Genis would probably oppose if I tried this with my guns.

'Alright, aaaand ...' I start focusing as Genis warily extends his arm out, hovering my hands over the irritated skin. 'Aura!'

A glow settles over the red skin, shifting colours from orange to a soft purple. It fades pretty quickly, and Genis pulls his arm back to inspect.

'... Huh,' he says, rubbing his palm over the hopefully healed arm. 'That was pretty good.'

Oh yeah, I'm totally getting the hang of this healing thing. I still feel a bit iffy about channelling magic through my guns, because well ... that just looks very impractical. But I'll figure something out.

'When you're done,' Zelos says, handing the ring back to Genis after the orb behind him lights up. 'Let's see where this little escapade gets us.'

I back up as lightning streams across the floor for a fourth time, colliding with the statue. Nothing happens, and the stone serpent remains coiled around its hammer. We all wait pretty patiently, but I'm quite sure I'm about to drop a major f-bomb if we walked all this way and this did JACK.

'The Jörmungand,' Regal starts suddenly, and we all turn to him. He seems to be remembering something, because it definitely looks like he's visualizing something he may or may not have read up on way back when. 'The great sea serpent, and foil to Thor.'

'I knew it!' I interrupt with a happy jump. Genis shoots me a look, and I shut up as Regal continues.

'If I had known that I'd be accompanying the Chosen's group on their travels to the temples, I would have had half a mind to read up more thoroughly on these matters,' Regal comments with an almost frustrated look. 'I'm quite certain however, that the polar opposite of Volt would be the summon spirit of water, Undine.'

'Yeah, she's a moody cow,' I say.

'But you have been to the Seal of Water. Was there anything similar?'

Genis and I look to eachother with pained expressions at the memories, but Genis starts. 'Yeah ... there was this great serpent there that we had to fight. The Leviathan?'

I nod.

'Then I am going to presume,' Regal begins again, turning to the statue that has ... begun to crackle with lightning. 'That we were sent to the half of the temple where the founders must have erected a statue to remind themselves of their only weakness.'

'Immortalized in stone forever,' Presea adds, tightening the grip on the handle of the axe hanging on her back. A deafening crack rings throughout the vast room as the stone structure splits down the middle.

'IIIII wouldn't say forever,' Zelos retorts with a short, shaky laugh as he reaches for the hilt of his sword. 'This turning out to be the norm for you guys?'

Genis and I just nod wearily as the apparently hollow shell of stone begins to split noisily. Broken pieces crash heavily to the floor and crumble on impact. Half of the serpent's stone face slips from position before joining the rest of the debris, leaving a sharp, yellow eye staring directly at us.

Well ... fudge.


	89. Volt

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD TODAY, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.

* * *

**Chapter 89 - Volt**

'This is so strange …!'

I shoot Genis an incredulous look, narrowly dodging a great bolt of lightning with a skip that barely misses my ankles. I wind up stuttering to a stop, supporting myself against the crumbling wall. '_What!?_'

'It – gh, hold on!' he snaps, and a dial of cerulean runes spins around the floor at his feet. '_Aqua Laser!_'

A great jet of water materializes from a gush of mana heading for the now-not-so-stationary statue in the centre of the circular room, knocking it off balance. Another bolt of lightning that would otherwise have struck a winded-looking Presea veers off and crashes into the pylons hanging from the top of the balcony. The bang that resonates throughout the room is deafening, and I fold my arms over my head as debris clatters down from above. A metal rod barely misses me, and I wince.

Almost getting impaled aside, Presea just gives Genis an appreciative nod before delivering another strike to the motionless beast with her axe. The Jörmungand – the great serpent whose stone shell has finally fallen away with our assistance, is now bent on frying every single one of us instead of … I dunno, thanking us from releasing it from its prison. Y'know, like a nice monster would. I'm not holding too much of a grudge against Genis for setting the serpent free, because we _do_ need to kill it to lower the barrier around Volt, but … I'm still tired from walking down seventy-million stairs! And all I can really seem to do is just hop, skip and jump around and hope I don't get toasted or crushed under rubble.

The good news? The monster doesn't actually seem to be able to move from its pedestal at all. It's sort of half-embedded into the floor. The bad news? It can still shoot lightning at us, which it seems to be doing with vengeful frequency. Almost on cue, the serpent heaves it's great, violet-scaled head, and the strangest sound of stone splintering echoes around the room. Its reptilian eyes sear with an orange glow, and veins of lightning billow from its jaws and streak down to where Regal was standing moments ago. That noise is so …

'Is it made of stone?' I ask Presea as I skip past her on the way to give Regal a hand. He looks kinda hurt, and I am totally healer extraordinaire. 'It sounds-'

'I'm not entirely certain,' Presea answers, scowling up at the serpent who seems to have set its amber sights on Zelos. I watch him sprint toward Genis with a string of swears following in his wake, and turn back to Presea when she continues. 'Its whole biology seems irregular … it's like nothing I've seen or read about before.'

'Well …' I mutter, trying to offer some sort of answer. I trust Presea's opinion, because she's the only one of us brave enough to stride up to the recently-awoken seal guardian and carve away at it. 'This is a temple, so …'

She cuts me off, heaving her axe over her shoulder with little effort. 'I'll continue to gauge its reactions for a weak spot. Regal requires your assistance.'

'Oh shi-sugar,' I remember, turning on my heel and skipping toward the ex-convict. I trip a little on my own feet with an ungraceful "eyaagh!" when another slice of lightning barely hits me, but I manage to jaunt over the slowly-deteriorating temple floor. I'm really hoping the room won't cave in on us with this entire ruckus – I wouldn't like to be trapped down here forever with Genis. But anyway, Presea and Regal seem to be the only ones doing anything worthwhile to subdue the Jörmungand-thing, so I will traipse around and heal them all I can. Oh, well, Genis is doing his fair bit I suppose, but he's mostly just yelling as Zelos as he attempts to dive away from every stray crackle of lightning.

Thankfully the serpent turns its attention away from me for a moment to focus on Mr Sage, and I give Regal's sore-looking shoulder a quick pat. 'Aura!'

He can't move to touch it with his hands bound, but the orange glow almost has the irritated skin healed completely. He doesn't move to look at me with the serpent still spitting lightning everywhere, but his "thank you" is enough. See, I'm getting better about not being pissy about being underappreciated! If this was back then and it was Kratos or something, I would probably be holding a grudge and refuse to heal him for the rest of the battle. But then again it's Kratos, and I would probably still do that.

And then suddenly: 'Perhaps it would be best to consider this as a structure … a mechanism.'

Regal glances over to Presea (with a Zelos hurling himself out of the way of lightning in the background), indicating that he's picking up the conversation where the two of us left off before. 'Do not consider the biology of a construct. Consider how to take it down as a device.'

I pause, watching Presea's axe crash against the serpent's side (accompanied by another burst of water from Genis). So … hmm. I still don't quite understand – all I know is that it's firing lightning at us every other second, and we're doing what we usually do when that happens; try to kill the source.

'ACKKGH-'

I look up in time to see water sloshing across the temple floor, after being fired from Genis' direction toward a very soggy looking Chosen. He's stopped running around at least.

'Sorryyyyy,' Genis calls in a drawl, indicating that he is most certainly not very sorry. Zelos shoots him a venomous stare as crimson hair clings to his soaked skin. 'Maybe you should try staying in one place!'

'Genis, don't be petty!' I snap on my way over to him. I'm trying to keep behind the serpent's head, and its great face of violet scales turns to Presea once more. 'That could be dangerous with all this lightning, you should know better!'

Despite the battle raging around us, Genis drops his arms to his side with a blank look, and suddenly raises an eyebrow. 'Yes, _Raine_.'

And despite the fact that I should probably be going over to heal Zelos, who wails as a fork of lightning splinters the floor by his feet, I redden a little. 'W-well, you should. Anyway, what was so strange about this? You said something earlier.'

Genis nods, and we both keep a wary eye on the serpent as it turns its attention to Regal instead. I take the opportunity to press two fingers to my brow for a few seconds with a mumble, swiping my hand in Presea's direction to treat a small wound along her leg. This method is a lot easier than using guns; it looks more practical, and … well, the recipient isn't running away on account of having guns pointed at them. I really need a staff. Regardless, Presea nods in thanks and goes over to assist Regal (and Zelos, who has grudgingly began to fight).

'Well …' Genis mutters, and I hop out of the way when he begins casting what looks like Aqua Laser. I wait for him to finish, watching as he lunges his kendama forward with the spell. It twists through the air in a rocket of water, crashing against the serpent with the force of a tidal wave. It arches with a shriek of a hiss, and misfires _more_ lightning into the pylons above. I throw my arms over my head when they bang noisily, groaning. I really don't want this place collapsing around us!

'This is … from the fable of Thor, right?' he offers, holding his head. I wordlessly fish around in my satchel for an orange gel while he continues. 'From the Kharlan War; Thor's Hammer, or … the Mana Cannon, as the Desians call it.'

'Um, right,' I say, not sure where he's going with this. This whole experience does have Norse mythology references flying outta every orifice.

'Don't you remember back in Sylvarant?' he asks, ignoring Zelos swearing loudly from the other side of the room. I nod to keep his attention, throwing a quick Aura spell in Zelos' direction. And then a stronger one, because his arm actually looks a little burned and sore. 'We talked about the legend of Asgard – the Bifröst Forest – all that?'

WOW, vaguely. It was so long ago, but I do remember crossing a cruddy forest of the same name to reach Asgard, all those … months ago? It's been so long. 'Um, yeah? Kinda.'

'It's the same fable!' Genis starts with frustration seeping into his voice, furrowing his brow. 'Thor Hammer – the Mana Cannon, Asgard – they're all related! So why is there a monument to Sylvarant's history here in Tethe'alla? It doesn't make any sense …'

'I … really don't have an answer there,' I say, thinking for a moment. 'Let's focus on this for now. Maybe you can ask Raine later?'

Genis takes the orange gel I offer him. 'It's best not to think about things like that when there's a giant serpent preventing us from moving on.'

'You're right …' Genis mutters, wrinkling his nose. 'For a change.'

'Oi!'

I just shake my head when he lines up another distracting shot of water, carefully sidestepping around the serpent to avoid his eyes. I have a feeling if any monster finds out what's healing the entire group, then they're probably going to aim for them first. And I don't like thunder! I really wish Lloyd and Colette were here right now. Argh, why didn't I ask to switch places with the Professor!? She would have understood, right!?

… Nope!

Thanks to rather sloppy aiming from Genis, the last torrent of water collides with the serpent's head and snaps it in my direction. Oh wow, thanks Genis.

'No no no no no noooo!' I sing, dancing out of the way of a stab of lightning. Shrapnel grazes my legs when the floor cracks under the force of the attack, and quickly fizzles out of existence. I end up tripping on my own feet and landing ungracefully on my elbows.

'Sorry!' I hear Genis call over the noise, and it actually sounds pretty genuine.

'I'm okay …' I respond with a wince, pulling myself up gingerly. Well, my knee kinda hurts. Okay, it really hurts! I want to complain to someone, but I won't. I cast a quick Aura on it and wait for the pain to go away, realising it's actually … kinda slow. Hmm, I should study that book more – maybe there's something a bit more powerful I could use. I'll be sure to do that as soon as we get out of here – I'm actually enjoying this whole side-healing gig! It beats wearing myself out, and I actually feel quite useful. It's a good feeling.

Y'know what isn't a good feeling? Getting electrocuted mid-thought.

'KYAAGH-'

I'm pretty sure that's the exact word that comes out of my mouth as I jump about three feet into the air against the stone wall. Regal, who was nearby anyway, is at my side in an instant while Genis distracts the serpent with more water. Seriously it's turning into a beach party here with how much water it getting thrown around.

'Are you alright?' Regal asks, touching my shoulder tentatively. I consider his question, but everything feels a little numb. The skin he touches is sort of raw, and he lifts his hand away with an apologetic look as soon as I flinch.

'Um … tingly,' I reply lamely. 'My head hurts.'

He sighs in relief when I straighten up with a shudder, holding a hand to my head and casting Aura (I _really_ need to practice something more effective). 'I can imagine. Perhaps you should focus; it would be unwise to assume this construct will give us some breathing room.'

'Yeah,' I agree, pursing my lips. 'Sorry. I'm awfully spacey.'

'It's alright. Just look around for something that may assist us in shutting the construct down while keeping out of harm's way.'

I pause. 'Shut down?'

Regal nods, straightening up. I realise he was crouching down to my level to inspect the damage, and then I remember he's incredibly tall. It actually makes me jump a little.

'Let's call it an educated guess, but I am being led to believe we make use of a gimmick – not destroy the enemy completely.'

'A gimmick …?' I wonder aloud, looking around. 'What did you have in mind?'

'The pylons,' Regal replies, glancing up. Oh yeah … they're lined up along the balcony, and they fizzle and pop routinely in the most unnerving way. They were freaking me out before this fight even started, and now that the Jörmungand is misfiring up to them on a regular basis, it's even more worrying. The broken ones are a mangled, burned mess of unstable sparks. 'There is a perpetual lightning storm brewing in this temple, and the pylons are drawing the storm to themselves as the highest conductors. If we destroy them all …'

'You're kidding, right?'

I jump with a shriek when I realise a soaking wet Zelos is standing right behind me. Considering how he was sprinting around like an astraphobic athlete, a rather casually conjured Guardian spell has a fork of lightning ricocheting off in a random direction. 'If we destroy all those things, this whole rotten place is going to come down! I'll _pass_ on being stuck down here with the Seal Guardian forever, thanks!'

'I do not see an alternative at the moment,' Regal replies stiffly. 'Unless you were planning on letting Presea and Genis distract the enemy forever.'

Zelos rolls his eyes. 'Ghh …'

'If we take out the pylons all at once, there will be no conductors left to draw the lightning storm,' Regal says, gesturing to the volts of energy that continue to travel from the base of the statue and up the wall. They're the ones powering Volt's room. 'Perhaps we could cause an outage. In turn, it may … "disable" … our new friend.'

Oh … because – Genis has been casting all sorts of water spells on it? So it'll turn into a new conductor! I _sort_ of remember this gimmick from way back when? Didn't you have to fiddle with the height of lightning conductors to help with the eternal lightning storm in this place? I guess this is the only option; I just hope it doesn't bring the place down.

'You'd best be right,' I mumble, looking around. 'I don't want to know what will happen if we can't get back up to the others. Let's give it a go.'

Regal nods. 'Unfortunately, Presea and I lack the magical capabilities to reach such a distance. I am not opposed to keeping our target occupied while the task is left in your hands.'

'Of course,' I reply, holding up a pistol; I vaguely wonder if going straight from healing to offence with feel odd. 'Right, Zelos?'

'I guessss,' he hisses with an annoyed look, watching as the serpent lunges its ugly head at a surprisingly agile Presea. She pretty much just pirouettes out of the way. I've never really seen Presea fight before; she's extremely talented and agile, considering she's heaving her axe around all the time. 'Though if I die down here, don't think I won't come back and haunt you.'

'If I can handle you in life, I'm rather certain I can handle you in death,' Regal replies with the most fleeting of a patronizing smile toward Zelos. With that, he sprints over to help Presea and roundhouse kick serpents and all that other cool stuff Regal does. To my surprise, Zelos actually snickers.

'He's getting better,' he says after a moment, flicking a drying strand of red hair from his face. 'Ah, well then … shall we get on with it, my little chestnut?'

'Y … yeeees?' I answer, going a little pink in the face. I don't know what it says about me that Zelos can still get me blushing in the middle of battle, but it's probably not something positive. Zelos goes over to Genis to tell him about the plan, and the half-elf in question has done a good job of stunning the beast to keep it busy. Those sparks of lightning that it shoots from beneath those stone-like fangs are beginning to react with the water coating its scales. Almost every time it tries to attack, it stuns itself for a few moments.

I see Zelos point to me after a moment mid-way through a conversation with Genis, probably to indicate who's doing what, and he accompanies the gesture with an assuring wink. Arghflargh. I'll never change. I'm sure if he betrays us and still has the capacity to send a flirt my way, I'm going to continue to be a quivering teenage mess because _Zelos Wilder_.

Okay. Okay … wow, what are my offensive techniques again? It's been so long since I did anything but heal.

'Thunder Blade!'

Genis seems to have taken a break from getting the serpent looking like a drenched mess, and sends a great vane of purple lightning toward the balcony. Thankfully the serpent doesn't notice as its busy snapping away at Regal with the most laboured sounds coming from its body. I'm still not sure if it's actually _made_ of stone or what. I just hope it conducts electricity in the end. Anyway, Genis' spell successfully puts a great group of pylons out with another migraine-inducing _BANG_, and a rather blinding flash of light.

Despite how I'm on the other side of the room, I still step back a little when a bunch of burned pylons and broken debris clatters down from beneath the balcony and onto the floor. If we bring down the balcony by accident … argh, geez.

Hey, do I know Thunder Blade? I know Lightning … I should really borrow one of Genis' tomes. As to avoid embarrassing myself, I point a pistol discreetly at a collection of pylons close to my location and barely whisper _Thunder Blaaaade_ to see if anything worthwhile happens.

Considering I expected nothing to happen, it's both a pleasant and painful surprise when a smaller sword of lightning goes flying up toward the balcony, and sends me recoiling back with the sheer power of it all. I'm not saying it was powerful – it takes out less pylons than Genis' did, but I am kind of clumsy and land on my ass either way. And then I'm quickly scrambling out of the way because shards of stone and twisted rods are falling down from above, and I kinda _don't_ want to get impaled messily.

'Fffffudge, fudge, frick,' I chant, clambering over my own limbs to get out of the way. I feel a small stone graze my leg, but that's about it.

'Y'know, your mouth is looking a lot cleaner already,' Zelos tells me from out of nowhere, and I realise I'd fled to his personal space. I want to glare, but he's right – I am trying. He just smirks with lightning dancing around his hands, and I skulk away with a blush as he takes out another group of pylons. I jump at the bang, and realise I'm going to have an awful headache after this.

'Charlotte!'

I look up and notice Presea (struggling at) holding up a winding looking Regal, who winces when she touches his arm. Oh, OW, it looks really burned. The serpent looks dazed, and small sparks dance over its thin face after the attack. I try to remember any other healing spells I have at my disposal, because I really doubt Aura would cut it at this point.

'Um … uh … Healing Wind!' I try, crossing my fingers as I wave both hands in their direction. A nice green, glittering breeze surrounds them, and I can see the burn fading already. Hmm, looks like I'm still good at the old ones … I really should practice more; I think I've established that about fifty million times. The old ones will do for now though. The two of them send me appreciative looks either way, and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside because appreciation. It's really nice helping out – it's a shame it took me almost the entirety of Sylvarant and a good deal of Tethe'alla to realise that.

There's a quieter bang as Genis takes out more pylons with some quickly lined up Lightning spells, and I send him a minty gush of First Aid to combat a bleeding leg. I wonder what it would be like if I'd been healing from the start? Perhaps I would have shown a little worth and Kratos and I wouldn't have fought like we did. Well … that _was_ mainly because I was blackmailing him and being a general nuisance and not taking anything seriously. But still! I've changed now. And as weird as it sounds, I sorta wouldn't mind Kratos back to see that. I don't know why his stupid opinion matters to me … maybe because I feel bad for how I was back in Sylvarant.

Oh well, its water under the bridge. For now.

Regal looks a lot better, and I'm just thankful he uses his feet and not his hands to fight. His arms look sore, and I start to feel bad. When we're not all running away from lightning I'll heal him up better.

Another bang indicates more pylons being taken down, but the serpent has his eyes set on me before I have a chance to look around. Uhoh.

It snaps its great stone jaws once, and rears its ugly face in my direction with sparks flying around those cracking fangs. With Genis preoccupied, all I can do is pull a Zelos and sprint around the steadily increasing amount of debris. I shriek when the force of a bolt behind actually propels me forward a little, and succeed in ignoring a shard of stone that cuts a small gash into my shoulder. Ohhh, that's so going to hurt in a moment when I'm not sprinting to the opposite side of the room.

I tap it with a quick First Aid when I'm finally out of the thing's line of sight. Presea seems to have gotten the thing off my shoulders with a mighty swing of her axe, and I suddenly realise how much I appreciate Presea. I feel really bad for disliking her at the start – she's actually a sweet person and a brave fighter. I sorta wish I was more like her, just … with the emotion.

'Are you okay?'

I look up and notice Genis, who paused in casting what looks like another Thunder Blade. Is he really asking this stuff? This is Genis, right? He's supposed to not like me and all.

'Just … shoulder owwie,' I reply, wincing in pain. 'Are you? Do you need healing?' You confusing half-elf munchkin, you.

'I'm fine – just be careful with these pylons,' he answers, continuing with his spell. 'I'm trying not to damage the balcony, but everything around here is so old and decaying …'

'Do you …' I pause and send a First Aid in Zelos' direction. He has a nasty gash on his arm thanks to getting caught by a metal rod falling from above, and I realise he's almost taken out half the pylons already. Geez. 'Do you think we'll lose it?'

Genis shakes his head slowly, and holds off his answer until he finished his spell. Lightning slices through the air and toward the remaining few conductors on this side of the room. I notice that now there are fewer conductors around as a whole, the lightning storm above has begun swirling more and more out of control. I think that's how Regal got his arm wounded so badly – the serpent isn't that strong. Almost as if to assure me out of nowhere that I'm right, both Genis and I are thrown back from the impact of a streak of lightning from above. I shriek and skid back until I land on my elbows once again, and Genis was smart enough to throw up a Force Field at the last second. He still looks awfully dazed though. After a moment, he sinks to one knee and holds and hand to his head.

'G … great …' I mutter, pulling myself up quickly. 'Now we have two things to look out for.'

Genis blinks rapidly, probably to stop his head spinning, and gets to his feet with a grit of his teeth. 'Ngh … let's hurry … this whole place is gonna …'

'Don't say that,' I plead, not wanting to know what could happen. 'Here – First Aid!'

Genis screws his eyes shut when green mist encircles his head for a few moments, but it looks like the pain went away. He isn't straining anymore, and he scrubs a hand through his white hair. 'Thanks …'

I take it upon myself to dismantle the few pylons that Genis missed, and then all that leaves is the few on the other side of the room that Zelos is taking care of. Genis looks like he's about to go over and help him finish up, but then notices that Regal and Presea are looking _eeeextremely _tired. He glances to me, and I nod. He should probably be giving them a hand in dazing the serpent until the lightning storm can take it out – I can help out Zelos fine enough! I'm sure.

When Genis gets close to them, I send another gust of Healing Wind in their direction. It's soooo nice being able to heal more than one person at a time. I finally realise the reason the serpent is swaying so drunkenly, and see that Presea has done an absolutely smashing job of … hacking it to near death. I never bothered to look at the base of the statue – I keep getting far too preoccupied with that great ugly face of his to see who he's about to attack. Presea and Regal combined have pretty much carved away its protective scales, and I realise it's swaying around in agony. As soon as we get those pylons down, then –

'Ohhhh nooo-'

I look over at Zelos' flat statement, and notice him backing away from the vicinity of a group of pylons he just – oh shi – sugar. Oh sugar.

Genis shares my sentiments with a frustrated wail when the stone of the balcony begins to crumble after the force of a rather rushed Thunder Blade. Nooooo, no, no, no-!

The entire group (and I think the serpent, for a moment) winces violently when a great portion of the balcony crumbles away, and debris crashes to the ground below in a dusty crash. Well … I think we kinda sorta needed that to get back up, and Zelos just lowers his arms from protecting himself against the gush of dust and stone particles.

He glances back up to the broken balcony. '… Whoops.'

'You stupid Chosen!' Genis snaps, flinging a torrent of water at the Jörmungand to keep it busy. 'How are we going to get back to the others now!?'

'Hey, hey, hey – don't get so mad!' Zelos replies, waving his arms. 'Look, the pylons are all out now, right? Let's cross that bridge when we come to it!'

'You just _broke_ that bridge, you ass!' Genis snaps, yanking at his own hair in frustration. 'Argh, why did I get grouped with you of all people!?'

Regal, despite his status, his grace, and his maturity, rolls his eyes. 'This does present quite a predicament.'

'If we don't get out of here, I'll fry you myself!' Genis seethes in Zelos' direction. Presea and I are just sorta standing here looking a bit worried (Presea with her axe embedded about a foot into the Jörmungand body). Regal helps her pulls it free before … y'know. Genis isn't letting up though. 'You careless, stupid, useless Chos-!'

I know he's gonna look back on this and blush later, but I'm thankful when Presea barrels into him and throws him out of the way of a bolt of lightning. The storm is totally out of control now, and we can't even take cover. I have a vague idea of what has to be done, and make my way over to the others. Zelos does the same, keeping a safe distance from our currently angry and blushing magician. Presea's arm around his shoulders is doing a pretty good job of averting his attention, and I keep mine on the Jörmungand. C'mon, this _has_ to work …

'What do we … uh … do?' Zelos asks, looking a little concerned about how we're all grouped up. I kinda share his apprehensions – we're not exactly spoiling the serpent for choice here, and it's sorta … glaring at us through the agony of continuously electrocuting itself thanks to its soaked body, and the devastation unleashed its base. At least … I think it's glaring – reptilian eyes always look quite menacing. Without thinking, I inch closer to Presea when I notice the lightning storm swelling above the serpent. Oh god, if we get hit …

'Wait for it …' Regal assures us, though even he sounds a little … unsure. Ohhhh please work.

I don't even care – I bury my face into Zelos' side when the serpent rears its head back to attack with a venomous hiss.

And then I'm sorta glad I did, because I get a little cushioning when we're all sent flying back by the climax of the storm. I'm dazed for quite a few moments (I had Zelos cushion the blow, but now I have Genis digging into my stomach), but I manage to throw my arms up to shield my eyes. The serpent is as straight and rigid as a pillar while the storm surges through it, and the sound is positively eye-watering. I flinch and look away, trying to observe from the corner of my eyes, but everything is so white and bright and I think I just developed epilepsy _OWWW_.

The serpent looks like it's about to slump, but an explosion tops everything off. Zelos and Presea cast their protective spells (apparently the rest of us are too winded and dizzy), and the sound of countless shards of rubble and pylons springing off the shields are enough to bring me to attention. I try to clear my head and cast my own, because we are so completely fuc – fudged if anything gets through at that speed. I do not want to be impaled, thank you please.

Oddly enough, it takes me a moment to remember the name of the spell. It's been a while since I used it.

I don't even wait for everything to calm down before I whine is despair from what I see. The light is fading; the storm is still picking up swirls of remains and fragments of stone and dust, but … the balcony …

Genis follows suit, and I feel his head slump against my stomach with a groan. Zelos' hand comes down with a pained hiss, and I move so he can straighten up. I wriggle myself free when I realise I had my legs thrown over Presea's torso, and apologize profusely before shoving Genis off and helping her up. Sorry, Genis, but you have sharp elbows and my thighs don't like them.

The dust still hasn't settled from the quieting storm. I can still hear a rumble around the entire room, and wonder if it's all in my ringing head. Wreckage and dust is pouring from the crumbling balcony almost like a waterfall, and my heart sinks with it. The serpent in the centre of the room is still straight and stiff, but it's … different. It's turned back to stone …? Then –

My knees wobble when I pull myself upright, stepping over a great deal of ruined stone and metal. I stumble a little, but …

'Well,' Zelos sighs, absolutely deflating on the spot at the sight that awaits us when the dust settles. 'At least the others can take care of Volt now.'

The current to Volt's room has stopped. The indentation around the walls that was carrying the current is now empty, and I suddenly notice rather obvious, dark streaks burned into the stone. I guess Regal was right – we finally got the power cut off, but …

'What … do we do now?' Presea asks a little uncertainly, and we all look to the staircase that should be leading us out of this room and back to the others. Currently, it leads to a whole fat heap of nothing. The storm effectively _swept away_ the freaking balcony as a whole. I mean, it succeeded in what we wanted it to do! We got the serpent "shut down", the current to Volt's room has stopped, but … gah!

This sucks, I decide inwardly, as the rumbling gets louder. Looks like the storm is picking up again. I think? It's not coming from above …

'Perhaps we should search for another way back,' Regal responds with a look that suggests even he doesn't really believe that. We're so deep in the temple! How could there be another way back …? Are we trapped down here forever …?

'This …' I mutter, looking around as I step over more broken stone and into a clearer area. 'This can't be right? Surely other Chosens have to defeat the Seal Guardian! Why does everything go to shi – sugar when we get here?' I turn to look at them. 'Is it because we came here for Volt?'

Zelos rubs the back of his neck with the barest hint of a guilty look. Oh … I wasn't blaming him. I hope he doesn't think I was. 'Well, I'll admit I'm not exactly checking all the boxes for what would have been a crappy pilgrimage. I dunno if that's why everything is screwed.'

'Maybe it isn't,' Presea interjects, using her axe to steady herself as she hops away from the pile of stone and joins me in the clearing. 'The only thing you lack is a Cruxis Crystal. I would not know for sure if certain mechanisms of a temple would react to that …'

'Yeah, there was no Oracle Stone outside,' Genis adds, looking a bit bewildered at himself when he realises he's helping Zelos feel better. 'I don't think it's your fault.'

That rumbling keeps getting louder, and I look up. The storm is gone … so … what –

The ground quakes a little, throwing us off balance. Ohhhh god, please don't let this room cave in on us. I really don't want to die and see Mana again. She's going to kill me for dying in such a lame way. Well, she – you know what I mean.

'That better not mean more trouble,' Zelos mutters with a flat look around the room. 'One more fight and this whole place is done for.'

'The storm is gone,' I say, repeating what I've been telling myself for the past minute. 'Is it an earthquake? Maybe Sheena is starting the pact …'

Genis looks slightly hurt. 'Without us!?'

'I'm just saying stuff!' I sigh exasperatedly, looking toward the ceiling. There's definitely no hint of a tempest brewing up there – just dark nothingness, stretching up as far as the eye can see. 'I … I dunno. Let's keep looking.'

The next impromptu rumble of the room sends me to my knees when I lose my footing. Genis trips on some stone with a yelp, and Presea is the only one smart enough to steady herself with her weapon.

'This doesn't look good,' Genis whines from the floor, pulling himself to sit. 'We did everything right, so …!'

I don't even have the capacity to listen to what he has to say – the colour is too busy draining from my face when one of the large square slabs that make up the paved floor in this room … vanishes.

It just disappears, leaving a large ugly hole that leads into absolutely nothing, and I wonder how on earth we were able to fight on such a thin floor without destroying it.

'Whoa, what-!' Zelos starts, backing away quickly, but more begin to fizzle into nothing. They just evaporate into dust like magic, and I realise the hole is growing larger and sort of maybe coming our way.

'Nope!' Zelos decides, grabbing Genis and me by the wrists and dragging us to the wall. 'Nope, nope, hell nope!'

Regal and Presea are already booking it to the wall, but the vanishing tiles aren't letting up. Genis and I have to leap for our lives onto the tiniest, most pathetic protrusion that barely supports the three of us, and we end up clinging to Zelos for dear life while the rest of the floor falls away. Regal and Presea have found their own space, but it seems even smaller than ours. Presea shrieks when the floor beneath them fades away, and she almost slips if it weren't for Regal looping his chained hands around her torso.

Both of Zelos' hands find themselves on either of our shoulders, and Genis and I share distraught looks. Seriously?

'You're freakin' kidding me …' Zelos groans, flattening himself against the wall as much as he can while he stares down. There's nothingness. Well … there's … it's strange – it looks like the space when we first entered the Lightning Temple – weird, violet clouds and black shapes. I don't even want to know.

I daren't move my feet all, but I shift a little closer to the other two. I _really_ don't want to fall and take those two with me. Regal has a good grip on Presea, but he looks over to us with an equally startled and sort of desperate expression. Zelos grits his teeth as they share some kind of inward panic, and looks back down into the abyss.

I look around. There's … nothing left in the room. Just the hole. Everything vanished! Even the rubble – the statue, what …

Argh, the stairs are gone too! It's like we're desperately trying to keep our footing in a massive tunnel, and the only way is down …!

'This is stupid,' I decide shakily, trying not to stare into the swirling abyss for too long. It's making my knees weak. 'This isn't supposed to happen, right!?'

'Zelos, do something!' Genis demands, staring wide eyed into the hole below us. I feel him jerk beside me.

'What am I supposed to do!?'

'You're the Chosen! Think of something!'

'Argh, geez …'

Presea looks down from over Regal's cuffs and clings to his arms for dear life. 'If … it's any comfort, it doesn't seem like we would be falling into complete emptiness.'

Regal nods from behind her, glancing over to our group for a moment. 'Perhaps this was intended … but I would rather not take any risks without the Chosen's consent.'

Despite our current situation, Zelos shoots him a flat glare. 'Why is everything down to me all of a sudden? Can't you guys use your own heads?'

'You're the Chosen!' I tell him, trying to take my eyes away from the abyss. I'm honestly trying to judge if we'll die when we fall. I don't see a floor … at all. It's just … clouds? 'Haven't you ever read about the Seals? Can't you remember anything …?'

'Gh … never thought I'd be wishing I'd paid attention in class like this,' Zelos says from behind clenched teeth, shuffling back a little. 'At least I'll die with a hunny clinging to me.'

I redden against my will and Genis elbows Zelos in the stomach. 'You promised Raine you'd take care of us, and don't think she won't follow you into the afterlife! If you want eternal peace, you'd better start remembering!'

Zelos tenses and I desperately try to think back to anything Sheena might have said. She most definitely didn't say anything about massive, gaping holes that apparently might as well lead into the centre of the world. I wish I could reach a stone to throw down there, but I don't even want to try moving. The panic is making me dizzy enough as it is.

'Zelos …' I start warily.

'I'm thinking …' he replies a little sharply, and I snap my mouth shut. 'Ugh, they crammed so much Cruxis worship down your throat it was hard to pay attention …'

Genis and I share looks once again, and coincidently enough it's pretty much the same one. Really, really wishing Lloyd was here right now. Or Colette. Colette can fly. Wait, Colette can fly! The Chosen is supposed to be able to fly at this point! So … maybe they expect us to be able to _fly!?_ Oh god, I really hope not … Zelos can't fly, and neither can we. We can fall though. I look up to the way out, but at this point it's just a hopeful hole in the wall. There's no way to get back up there; the balcony is gone, and the wall is completely smooth besides from where the floor used to be. We couldn't climb if we wanted to.

Zelos is muttering to himself, and it sounds like he's going through what may as well be decade old notes from his school days. I hope he thinks of something, because I'm pretty sure part of our platform falls away. Genis huddles up with a startled gasp, and Regal makes a concerned sound from a few feet away. These bits won't hold forever …

… Screw that – do _I_ remember anything? Not _really_ … I remember making use of conductors in the game, but … that was it. What else were there … the – the dark rooms? Ugh, that … I can't remember …

'Chosen …' Regal warns, and there's a crumbling sound followed by Presea being pulled in tighter. Oh god …

Zelos opens his eyes and stares back down at the abyss. I do the same, hoping he's thought of something. Anything …

Fingers snap behind my head, and Zelos straightens up. 'I got it!'

'You do!?' Genis and I chirp in unison. Oh thank god! What is it? Is there a certain brick we need to hit with magic? Do we wait until the floor comes back? That's a bit of a crappy test, and I assume that'll be when the next Oracle happens. I don't want to wait for that. Oh! The Sorcerer's Ring? We didn't use that yet – maybe it'll make stairs appear! Or maybe it'll bring the floor back? Maybe it calls like, an elevator?

Nope, Zelos wraps his arms around both Genis and I, and leaps off the jutting remains of the floor.

Into the abyss.

The last thing I see is Regal and Presea's slack-jawed faces staring after us, and then the clouds swallow my sight. I like to believe Genis and mine's reaction is quite appropriate.

'_AHHHHHH!'_

* * *

'_Sheena, are you still worried about Volt?'_

'_No, Lloyd! I'm worried about that stupid Chosen! They've been gone for a while now; what if he got them into trouble? Shouldn't … shouldn't they be back by now?'_

'_Hey, I grew up with Genis, remember? He can take care of himself. And I guess Zelos is pretty capable too … and even then, they have Regal with them. They'll be fine.'_

'_Then … why aren't they back yet?'_

'_Maybe they got lost?'_

'_That doesn't help! I don't want to start the pact without knowing they're okay. If they got hurt because of me, then-'_

'_Sheena, don't do that. You can't blame yourself if something goes wrong. We're here for you, but we're here to get the Rheairds working again, right? They cut off the current, so we know they're okay. Maybe they're making their way back. Or hey, maybe they're even coming back the way we did.'_

'_We should go and look for them … if they don't come back soon.'_

'_Wow, you're really worried about Zelos, aren't you?'_

'_No! He just doesn't know how to take care of himself, let alone a whole group of people! I don't want them getting hurt because I left that idiot in charge!'_

'_Sheena …'_

'_Wh … what!?'_

'_Relax. They'll be fine. Trust me, okay?'_

'… _Okay.'_

'_Wow, that was fast.'_

'_What!? You're the one that told me to trust you, so don't act surprised!'_

* * *

We fall for a long time. Sometimes fast, sometimes we slow down as the whole world around us shifts, but one thing doesn't change. I'm extremely nauseous, and Genis doesn't stop pounding Zelos' chest with his fist and yelling obscenities that make _me_ blush. And he says I'm the one with a dirty mouth? Yeesh …

so little else I can do with my hair billowing behind me as our bodies are carried by some unseen force, as well as gravity itself. I don't know if I'm stupid enough to trust Zelos at this point, but when I cling to him with Genis, that's pretty much all we can do at this point. Genis is just doing it with a lot less restraint – though I can't really hear him over the rush of wind. Zelos hasn't said much of anything since he jumped into the abyss with us, so maybe he's hoping this works too. I kind of have an idea what he's hoping will happen, and I just try and believe that it will too.

It feels like the clouds around us shift again, taking us in another direction, and Genis takes the moment of silence to barrage the Chosen with more insults. I shan't repeat them – I'm supposed to be a lady now. Everything seems to be slowing down again as we fall, and Zelos finally looks a little relieved. I really hope Presea and Regal aren't still up there wondering what the hell happened. I kinda don't want them to be trapped down here forever because Zelos deigned to tell them the plan.

'-and _stupid_, and _careless_, and _girly_, and you are such a _JACKASS_, Zelos -!'

I wonder vaguely if Genis is lifting insults from Zelos, and cling a little tighter to the both of them as we slow down.

'-telling RAINE about this if we ever get out of this place alive- and Sheena -!'

I can actually start to see the walls again now that we're not falling at deafening speeds, and they look narrower …

'-take my kendama and shove it so far up your – OWW-!'

And _BANG_, we finally hit something. It doesn't hurt _too_ much thanks to the slowing down, but … it still freakin' hurt! Ow … it feels like stone, but … oh man, at least it's something – at least it's not nothingness, and maybe we can find a way out from here.

'Ow, ow, ow,' Zelos grumbles, trying to sit up through the tangled mess of limbs. But then we realise he can't, because we're sorta … sliding. 'Whoa, crap …!'

'Uh …!' I begin, trying to flatten my feet against the narrow walls as we start picking up speed again. What … is this a chute!? 'Oh g – noooo, no!'

We tip over an edge and fall further.

'ZELOS I HATE YOU!'

I do too, right now. I shriek when we hit another surface, still … _basically_ getting thrown around in what feels like one of those weird cartoon chute systems. There's a lot of shouting and ow-ing and promising to castrate Zelos and falling and bashing into things and … and I'm going to be _so_ fuc – fudging bruised after this, I can tell. I wonder if I can cast First Aid while falling-

'_OWW!'_

Okay, no. Augh, my shoulderrr! I don't want to dislocate it again! That was bad enough at the Fire Seal with Kratos popped it back into place! I know the Exsphere helped with the pain, but … no thank you!

There's about twenty more seconds of falling around uselessly, and suddenly, fresh air and light and we're tumbling away from the suffocating walls of the chute and – and … and there's a really painful smack as we land in a crumpled mess on a floor. On top of Zelos, thankfully.

The unexpected lighting actually stings at first, and I just close my eyes to deal with it. Oh god … my heart is going a mile a minute. It takes me a few moments to actually realise we got through that ordeal alive – _all_ of us, when I hear Zelos swear sharply as he tries to unsuccessfully pull himself up. Genis groans from on top of him too, holding his head in his hands as he tries to drag himself to his knees. I open my eyes after a moment, trying to adjust to the light from all of that … just – _darkness_, and notice that we all look a little bruised. Genis' leg is looking quite beaten up, and Zelos' shoulders are bleeding. So are mine, actually – I don't look, but I can feel my leg is cut, too. Geez that was a nightmare and a half. I thought I was going to die back there … again.

The relief kind of dulls the pain, and I try to sit up. Mostly because Zelos is trying to push the two of us off, and I want to give him some air.

Genis drops his hands from his head limply to the floor, glaring down at Zelos to punctuate this whole ordeal. Zelos just grits his teeth and snickers at our successful escape from the room, though he still looks awfully hurt. 'I hate you, Zelos.'

'Hey, I got us outta there, didn't I?' he retorts, raising an eyebrow as he clings to his wounded shoulder. 'Gah …'

'I'm guessing that didn't go particularly smoothly.'

Before we even get a chance to look around, all our heads snap to the direction of the voice. Aaah it's the Professor! And everyone else! Looking … equally as bruised and battered!

'SIS-' Genis starts immediately, untangling himself from Zelos and making a beeline for the Professor. I don't blame him – all I really want to do right now is jump into Colette's arms or something. I just feel so sore! I sorta want to lie down with a nice … bowl of soup or something … but no! One look at an extremely distressed looking Sheena tells me that we still have a pact to make.

Wow, I should … probably try to stand up. And gather my bearings. Everything is happening so quickly. One second we're huddling for our lives, then Zelos is dragging us into the abyss, then we're getting thrown around like rag dolls in a tunnel, and now … now my head hurts.

Sheena strides past me and slap a seal card to Zelos' forehead, making him yelp. To her credit, it looks like a healing card. She just looks extremely stressed and probably isn't in the mood to ask where he's hurting, or in the mood to put up with the comical answer he'll have for that. So … if everyone is here, then …

I look up and wince at the light. But … this is the seal room – Volt's stage is up there! I remember this massive hall now – and the current from both stairs is gone too! So … the clouds – the abyss – it leads back here? God, Sheena could have told us! Though considering how beaten up they look, they didn't know either. To be fair, Raine does look like she's done a good job of healing them up through most of their wounds. It makes me feel sorta guilty when I see she has to heal Genis' bruises and cuts that I didn't catch. Hey, that was my job …

'Need a hand?'

I look up, and my eyes finally relax through the light. Ah … this is such a relief. 'Y-yeah.'

I successfully ignore Zelos' coo when Lloyd pulls me to my feet, and I try not to let my face go pink. He better not say anything about what we talked about down there. Seriously – if there was a worse time for anyone to play matchmaker to two incompatible parties, it's doing it on a journey to save the world. I stumble a little when I realise I never had time in-between the battle to heal all those cuts on my legs and shoulders, and now everything is calming down it sorta … well, it really hurts!

'Ow …' I mutter, touching my shoulder tentatively.

'You okay?'

I try to smile up at Lloyd. 'Just a little … beaten up.'

He nods. 'Hey – where are Regal and Presea?'

As if on cue, just as Sheena manages to help Zelos to his feet, he's sent crashing back down to the floor by a screaming ball of blue and pink from the entrance of the chute above. Ohhhh, Zelos … I'm sorry for laughing. But I'm glad those two are okay. Zelos just thuds the ground with his fists and swears angrily, kicking to get Regal off him while the man tries to untangle himself from Presea. Both of them look extremely worn out and in shock. Genis jumps away from his sister to help Presea up, and Sheena leaves the hissy-fit Chosen to help Regal. I should really be over there healing up, but … to be honest – I think I'm out of mana. I feel so drained.

'I have apple gels!' Colette … comes out of nowhere with a yell, making Lloyd jump about two feet into the air. She grabs my hands, pulling me away from Lloyd and toward the stairs. Apparently she was sitting with all the supplies that seem to have been lined up on the stairs. I guess they were expecting us to come back the same way, so they prepared all this for us. Aw … that's nice.

I don't really get a chance to mention it, because Colette has pushed me down to sit on the stairs with a positively pale look about her. She doesn't look hurt, so I'm guessing she flew down instead of … getting thrown around like a frisbee. But …

'Are you hurt?' she asks me immediately, sort of … flittering over me like a worried parent would. A list immediately springs to mind, but I push it out of the way and just nod silently. There's no use denying it – then I'll be as bad as she was on the journey in Sylvarant. And … well, I do kinda _not_ want to hurt right now if we're going up against Volt soon.

'Here!' she says, pushing an apple gel into my hands. 'This'll help!'

'Are you okay?' I ask automatically. Not that Colette isn't like … nice all the time, but even this is starting to feel a little forced. 'You seem kinda … uh, tense.'

She pauses with a life bottle in her hands (geez, overboard!), glancing over to the others and then back to me. 'No I'm not.'

'Yeah you are,' I reply in the same flippant tone. 'Are you worried about, um … Sheena?'

Colette smiles. 'I believe in Sheena. I know she can do this – she's amazing, remember? She made the pact with Undine.'

'Yeah, I believe in her too …' I mumble in a reply, rolling the vial of gel around in my hands. 'But you can still … y'know … be worried about her, and all. I know I am.'

'We have to be strong for her, right?' Colette says, taking a seat beside me on the stairs. She offers me another smile, but it's starting to wane at the edges. She passes the life bottle from hand to hand awkwardly. 'I want … to worry. Maybe a bit too much. But then I'll feel bad, because Sheena needs us to support her, right? So …'

Her smile turns a little twisted, and suddenly she frowns. 'I guess … I feel a little silly.'

I blink. 'For feeling concerned?'

I just take the second apple gel she hands me; she probably hasn't realised I haven't taken the first one yet. She does look pretty concerned, and maybe even a little guilty. She pauses when she notices I have two gels now, and smiles again.

'When … we were all doing the journey of regeneration,' she says, looking over to Team Sylvarant behind me. Lloyd has joined Sheena in helping heal up poor Genis and Presea, and Raine has reluctantly dragged Zelos over to treat his wounds. It looks like Genis is telling her all about what happened up there … down there? In the serpent room, so she's been none too gentle about it. Poor Zelos – I'd heal him if I could.

Colette struggles to continue, but does so after a moment. 'I spent so much of the journey trying to convince everyone not to worry about me … even though you all did anyway. Now I'm starting to realise … that wasn't really fair of me …'

She sits back a little, life bottle in hand as she glances to Sheena. 'I'm starting to see how hard it is … trying not to worry about someone you care about. Being told not to … doesn't really help, does it?'

I glance over to Lloyd. 'Yeah, it's … uh, it's not easy.'

'I believe in Sheena!' Colette assures me quickly, and I honestly don't need her to tell me that. We all do. 'Really, I do. But I can't shake this feeling, no matter how much I try.'

'That's normal,' I figure after a moment. 'I worry about everyone all the time. And … myself, but – I believe in everyone too! I suppose you can't really have one without the other. We're all human.'

I pause in thought. 'Well-!'

'I know what you mean,' Colette stops me with a small giggle. 'But … you're right. It's bizarre though … I feel like I'm with myself, only a few months ago. I really hope Sheena is okay.'

'She will be,' I say. 'Wanna know why?'

Colette blinks, and I gesture over to where Sheena is currently snapping at a joking looking Lloyd, with poor Regal not looking any better. He seems to have a headache.

'Because she has Lloyd,' I finish, finding myself smiling without thinking. 'And you had Lloyd, too. That's what gave you the strength to finish the journey, right? So I think Lloyd will give her the strength to make the pact we need.'

And suddenly, I frown. 'That was too corny. Can I try again?'

'No,' Colette says with a smile. 'You're right. I shouldn't worry. I know Sheena is afraid, but Lloyd is there for her. He's here for everyone.'

This is so cheesy. But I can't help but smile too. 'Yeah, he's … he's somethin' else.'

Zelos coos once again from across the room with a snicker, and I shut up with a flush. Colette gives me a questioning look, and I shake it off. 'Ah … I should use those gels …'

'You look red; are you sure you're okay?'

'I'm fine,' I say a little quickly, gulping a gel down while I try not to choke. Stupid Zelos. I should be thinking about Sheena, not … well … who Zelos thinks I should be thinking about. And I'm not! Just … just so you know.

It takes everyone a while to sort themselves out. Colette tells me they finished their side a long time ago, but they didn't actually have to fight anything. Sheena apparently remembered how to subdue to current already, and absolutely flipped her shi- her sugar when she realised she'd forgotten to tell us. I'm not to fussed about her not apologizing; she has more things to worry about right now, and we all made it out in one piece anyway. I'm just glad to be back! And it's nice that they were worried about us. Apparently Sheena almost came looking for us at one point, but Lloyd talked her out of it.

I finish up my apple gels, feeling a lot better and less … drained. I never realised how much healing takes out of you when all the adrenaline of battle has faded. I wonder how long it took the Professor to get used to it all. I hope I can adapt soon. I relay my healing escapades to Colette, who is happy to listen, and Genis comes to collect some supplies from us to take over to the Professor, it seems.

'Oh …' he pauses, noticing us talking. He's looking a lot better and less beat up! I'm glad. 'Um, Colette, could you take these to Raine? I kinda …'

Genis pauses, making an odd gesture in my direction with a tense look. 'Want … a word.'

Wow, I am so popular today! It's sorta unnerving; I'm not used to the attention. Colette jumps up with a peppy "sure!" either way, taking an armful of gels and such across Volt's hall and to an annoyed looking Professor. She's trying to treat Zelos through the flirts, and it's probably a lot more difficult than it sounds. Hopefully Colette can take some of the heat. Anyway! Genis.

I gulp down a final gel quickly (just to take the edge off) and get shakily to my feet. My knees are awfully wobbly after crash landing back into the hall from … wherever it was we were. The gels will kick in soon enough.

'You look a lot better,' Genis says, though I have a feeling that's not what he wanted to come out with. I'll just go with it.

'Pffyeah, I know right?' I reply with a grin, holding up a gel. 'I know we have to form a pact and everything, but I could do with a break from seals already.'

Genis rolls his eyes. 'I don't mind seals. Just don't lump me with a certain Chosen who'll remain nameless.'

'He tried,' I offer, but Genis doesn't look too convinced. He just wanders over and takes an orange gel for what I guess is later. Well, I won't try and force Genis to appreciate Zelos like I do. I know it's hard for him. He doesn't really like anyone who doesn't take anything seriously; I guess that's why we started off so badly, and … well, continued to. But this is nice.

'We made it out alive though,' I try instead.

'Tch – yeah, no thanks to him!' Genis grumbles. 'Well, whatever. I didn't want to talk about Zelos.'

'What's up?' I ask rather genuinely, picking at the fingers of my gloves. Genis looks immediately awkward again. Not … Presea-awkward, where he's stuttering and blushing like he's toeing the edge of manhood – he just looks honestly lost for words, and I wonder what he even wanted to talk about. Hopefully it's quick! Sheena looks about ready to go ahead and form the pact, and I sort of just want to let her take things at her own pace. If she's ready, I won't ask her to hold on.

'Uh, well …' Genis starts, drumming his fingers awkwardly against his exsphere. 'I-I just wanted to … uh …'

I wait, and Genis' face twists in discomfort.

'A … pologiiiize …'

Whoa, what!?

'Really?' I ask, and I'm pretty sure my eyebrows just met my hairline. Genis is apologizing to me? What'd he do? Was it something I was unaware of back in the serpent room? The only thing I can think of is … well! Us being dicks to each other for like, an entire journey and more – he did hate me pretty hard when I came back after the tower. But he wouldn't apologize for that. He has his reasons. 'For what?'

Genis deflates, dropping his arms to his sides and making sure everyone is out of earshot. They are. 'For … everything?'

Wow, he is! This is … wow, I don't know what to say. I actually don't. I thought he was too arrogant to apologize.

'I can … be stubborn,' he admits thickly, not looking at all comfortable while he delivers this apology. I'm not even sure what spurred it.

'I can be worse,' I counter with a short laugh, and I decide to try and help him through it. 'Look, I … yeah, I did a lot of awful stuff. And … stupid stuff. I don't blame you for being mad at me all the time. I think someone needed to be.'

'Yeah, but you were trying … to change,' Genis continues as if he's trying to speak through a mouthful of cotton. 'And you did … a whole lot. I just never …'

He stops himself, and I have to giggle a little when he drags his nails down his face. 'This is hard …!'

'It's okay!' I tell him quickly, waving a hand. Maybe it's the healing arts. They certainly paint me in a more helpful light, and it's easier to notice than whatever inner turmoil is going on behind my face. 'It … it means a lot that you can see I'm trying. I'll accept your apology if you can accept mine. For everything?'

'That … that sounds easier,' Genis mutters, straightening up. 'Okay, it's a deal.'

'Yay!' I clap, accidently drawing the attention of a few people. 'Are we friends now?'

Genis stiffens. 'Well-'

'I'm kidding!' I say quickly. 'Really. This is enough! Thank you, Genis.'

'Oooooh, what's going on over here?'

Zelos appears out of nowhere, looking a whole lot healthier (while Raine looks a whole lot sicker), slinging an arm around Genis' thin shoulders. The magician stiffens even further, looking at Zelos with a positively acidic stare. 'Having a super-secret conversation, are we? Can I join?'

'Guah!' is all Genis has to say as he shoves Zelos away, stomping over to his sister with a disgusted sound. Argh, thanks Zelos! I was just mending things with Genis and you went and … well, he didn't ruin it, but my ego was sorta getting a little bigger there. It felt good for once.

'You need to stop cooing,' I tell Zelos immediately, waving a finger in his direction. 'Every time I bring Lloyd up. You are gonna be the death of me! You …'

He's just smiling at me, and I descend into a mess of blushes and "harghblargh"s. Is my raging crush on him not obvious!? How on earth can he think I have the feels for Lloyd when he has me wrapped around his little finger!? Ohhh, it's a terrible situation indeed.

'Sheena's prepared,' he tells me when I'm done swooning against my will. That's non-consensual swooning right there. 'So chin up; I'm counting on your precious healing spells to keep me on my feet!'

I look up. 'What about the Professor?'

'Apparently she's met her quota with me, or so she claims.'

I actually snort. 'That's … ah, okay.'

A quick glance over to Raine (practically inhaling orange gels) tells me that her tolerance for Zelos' flirting is getting lower and lower. I think Sheena should give her some tips, but I notice Zelos has been flirting with Sheena less and less since we arrived here. I think he cares about her, really! He knows what she needs at times like this. Speaking of Sheena, I finally see the first of her since I got back. She comes around the railing with Lloyd and Regal in tow, giving me a worried look. Oh god, all this attention! I'm not sure if I like it …!

'How'd it go?'

I just smile at her. 'Healing is fun. Um … that's about it.'

She nods with a sigh. 'I'm glad you're still in one piece.'

'I'm a tough birdie,' I assure her, shrugging. 'It's up to you now. If you can make a pact with Undine, then I'm sure you can make one with Volt!'

Sheena doesn't look assured, but she smiles tiredly. 'Thanks …'

Geez, I really feel bad for her. And I feel bad that I can't do much, though that _IS_ Lloyd's job. His assurances have more gravity than mine, because it's … well, it's Lloyd. He's different. And I want to talk to him; I've said like, three words to him since I got ricocheted back to this room via clouds, and … well – I guess this isn't the time. Sheena needs him right now, and I'd prefer that.

I just sorta … need … to have a normal, basic conversation with him. After everything Zelos said. To like … assure myself. Maybe. I definitely don't, though. Augh, this is not the time for this!

Everyone (besides me and Colette) volunteers for Zelos to test out the stairwell to Volt's stage. He finally flattens a wary foot on the first stone step (after being shoved by Genis and Lloyd), and does not turn into KFZ, so we seem to have done everything correctly. I take one last look around the room before we all slowly begin ascending the stairway to Volt's balcony. This room is … really big and empty, so … I really don't doubt a hustle is gonna break out between us and Volt. I just kinda hope that at least one of the summon spirits is all … "Yeah that Mithos guy? Pff, whatevs, here's my power, no biggie", but the only one I can see doing that is … Gnome? And Gnome is … well … it's Gnome. Nothing else needs to be said on that matter. Goddamn gnomes.

I take one look over the (sadly railing-vacant) balcony when we reach the top, and realise I sort of definitely don't want to be thrown from this height. Maybe I can … like … grab onto Colette. Who can fly. That's a good plan – I should do that.

'Do you have to do that … summoner's concentration again?' Lloyd asks as Sheena warily steps up to the altar. 'Or Volt will continue sleeping?'

'Are summon spirits awake in this world?' Genis asks, turning to Raine. 'It's flourishing, right? So …'

'That's a good question,' the professor replies. 'Colette never completed the regeneration process, so the summon spirits of this world shouldn't be sleeping.'

'At the very least, they can be summoned for a pact,' Zelos cuts in. 'Sheena just needs to give 'em a little nudge.'

Hmm, what happened when Sheena called forth Undine? All I remember is loads of blue light, and then bam – Undine. Being a bitc – a, uh … a … mean ol' summon spirit. Argh, geez … she was being a bag of the ho variety anyway. But it was just like Colette's angel escapades with Remiel – lights show, great power, everyone go home.

'Argh, Corrine!'

I blink and look over to Sheena. A puff of smoke fades, and her rat is perched on her shoulder with a rather steadfast expression. Regal and Presea, who haven't actually seen Corrine before, jump out of their skin. Sheena doesn't look too pleased either. 'Go back inside – it's safer!'

'No!' it decides rather simply. I kinda don't even have the heart to roll my eyes. Its several tails flick around as it switches shoulders, and Sheena tries to catch it. 'I'm here to help you reason with Volt!'

'You don't …' Sheena starts, already beginning to look kinda defeated. She just sighs. 'What if-'

'Then everyone will protect you!' It switches shoulders again, standing on its hind legs as it observes the altar. 'Trust us! Volt isn't so tough!'

Sheena doesn't look swayed by that statement, but I think Corrine has a point. He's sort of a summon spirit, right? Maybe he can reason with Volt. I sort of remember Volt being a bit of a jackass for some reason. At any rate, we have someone who can talk to him. Even if it is the stupid rat who hates me.

Sheena says something quietly that I don't pick up, mainly directed at Corrine, who finally sits down on her shoulder. She presses her hands together to begin focusing on calling Volt forth, and I (and the others, it seems) brace myself for the lights show. There's always a lights show – not even gonna lie about it. If there's something this world – BOTH worlds – needs less of, it's all the random lights shows. Oracle? Lights show. Summon spirits? Lights show. Combat? Lights show. Cooking? If it's Raine's, lights show. Followed by food poisoning.

Sadly, there is no lights show. Thunder cracks down noisily from yet another void of nothingness above, hitting the altar dead-centre. The large, glass disk that serves as the stage lights up immediately after we're all done having heart attacks. I am so fudging SICK of thunder! Fudging, frick, flipping, flappin' thunder AUGH. Hopefully Sheena will NEVER summon Volt after this, because seriously, thunder. Frick it.

Apparently our entire experience with lightning in this place carries a sort of Vietnam feel to it, and Zelos twitches violently. There's a great ball of energy forming in the centre of the stage, just like with Undine, and all you can hear is cracking and popping like those damn pylons back in the chamber below the temple. The lights show only gets stronger and brighter and louder and god, I am so sick of getting electrocuted. I'm going to be having nightmares about this for weeks, and we haven't even seen Volt ye- oh, wait, nevermind.

What I _think_ is a lights show suddenly has eyes.

'Oh, _THAT'S_ Volt?' Zelos seems to have thought the same, looking quite taken aback. 'Just … a big ball o' thunder?'

The Professor catches his ear between her fingers, hissing something about respect. I think that's kinda important right now – I don't want to get … exploded. And I know Volt is apparently just a ball of lightning with eyes, but somehow, he does not look happy. And I don't like … this as a whole. Volt is extremely bright, and somehow it makes the room seem darker … that isn't doing much for my nerves. The shadows seem so sharp now, and my hair is standing on end. Volt just made the atmosphere extremely unsettling just by showing up. Did I mention he's like, huge? Like … bigger than a truck huge.

'So this is a summon spirit?' Regal asks, and both he and Presea look awed. I've seen Undine before, but geez, so do I. At least Undine looked sort of humanoid. Presea just nods, frowning.

'Volt's presence … is not a friendly one.'

Tell me about it, sheesh. All his eyes seem to be are narrow, crimson slits that burn like fire. I would sooo, so not like to be in Sheena's position right now, because he's just sorta glaring at her for disturbing his sleep, I guess. I'm sure he'd be telling her that, but all that comes out of him is a hissing, cracking sound. It … doesn't sound like ambience though – there's a sort of … tone to it? Like … almost syllables – as if Volt was trying to speak. Jolts spread around his sphere of a body when he tries, almost lightning up the room further.

Sheena, despite herself, takes a step back. Her hand finds the satchel of cards on her thigh. 'This …'

'What's wrong?' Lloyd asks immediately, and I notice Corrine is up on its hind legs again.

'I don't understand a word he's saying – it was like this last time!' Sheena responds shakily, grabbing her head. 'The Chief-!'

'He's bound to Mithos!' Corrine chirps suddenly, bouncing up and down on Sheena's shoulder. 'He wants to know who you are, Sheena!'

'You understand him?' Sheena asks, barely looking relieved. Her eyes are so sunken. She looks a little embarrassed that she didn't realise that sooner. I mean hey – even I got there before she did. That's a world record, that. But it makes sense that Corrine would be able to understand another summon spirit, and I'm kinda glad – I didn't want to get blown up just because we couldn't understand Volt.

'Wait, he's bound to who-now?' Lloyd interjects before they can continue. Luckily, Volt doesn't look too annoyed at the pause in our pact making. 'Mithos?'

'Yeah, wasn't Undine bound to Mithos too?' Genis asks, pressing a finger to his brow while he considers the possibility. 'It can't be the same Mithos, can it? He wouldn't be able to make pacts in two different worlds!'

'Not unless he was using a Rheaird,' Lloyd agrees, looking equally as puzzled. 'And that just … seems unlikely.'

It would be farfetched to assume it's a coincidence, I'll say that at least. I doubt they can feasibly explain how it's the same person right now, but it would be silly to assume otherwise. Raine just looks confused beyond her experience, and keeps her mouth shut while she stares at Corrine and Sheena.

Sheena casts her furry friend a wary look, and steps back up to the altar. She almost hesitates when a whip of thunder flares out in her direction as Volt's patience begins grazing its limits. 'I … I am Sheena! I seek to form a pact with the summon spirit, Volt! Annulst thy pact with Mithos and … establish a new pact …'

She has to pretty much bite the words out of her mouth. 'With … with me!'

I recoil a little when those small jolts of thunder get stronger and a little more out of control. Volt shines brighter, and we all stare at Corrine. It actually takes a while this time, and I wonder if Corrine is getting Volt's life story or something. He seems angry, anyway.

'What!?' Corrine snaps. Sheena jumps.

'What did he say?'

'His pact with Mithos is already corroded, but he doesn't want a new one!' Corrine yells a little angrily, looking peeved at his fellow summon spirit. Huh? I don't really remember this. 'That's not how summon spirits work, Volt! You know that!'

The summon spirit of lightning seethes brighter, and I being inching toward Colette. Corrine seems to have thrown translating out of the window and is having a full-on debate with Volt, but at least it's keeping us up with the details.

'No more dealings with mortals …? But that's not fair!' Corrine argues. 'Not all mortals are alike! Sheena has a pact with Undine already!'

Volt only flares brighter, and his eyes narrow further. Streaks of thunder whip around the stage noisily in his fervour, and even Sheena is beginning to recoil a little. Lloyd's hands already find the hilts of his swords, but he stands his ground for now. I'm almost tempted to reach for my guns, too – Undine was a bag, but Volt is just … _pissy_.

'Mithos doesn't matter!' Corrine snaps. 'Your old vow doesn't matter! Make a new one with Sheena, and we'll show you!'

Volts eyes all but disappear, and thunder crashes down angrily onto the stage. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure beneath the crack of thunder that makes everyone retreat a step or two, and flinch through the striking light, I hear a deep and hollow – '_NO.'_

'This is starting to look sticky,' Zelos says through a flinch when Volt begins to calm down and stops … bristling. Raine grabs for Genis either way, and Presea is feeling for her axe.

Corrine stand on its haunches once more, scowling up at the summon spirit who seems unwavering. 'We've already made a vow with one of your kin! Why do you still refuse!? Is it because Mithos broke your vow!?'

At the mention of his name, thunder crashes around the stage once more – but its exceeding even further in Volt's anger. Lloyd is almost hit, and jumps with a yelp of shock before being yanked back by Zelos. At this rate, we'll be in a full on battle before we even know it, and I'd kind of like some … formal clarification. Undine pretty much told us we were going to fight, what the rules were – she didn't just appear all "LET'S TUSSLE", and Volt seems to be going down that route.

'Mortals aren't all like that!' Corrine argues against whatever Volt just said, and he shines brighter. I'm pretty sure he's just sitting up there slagging us all off. Wow, Volt is a douche. I really don't like summon spirits so far. 'The pact you made is an ancient one! You're just being a coward!'

His eyes are widening, and while I'm led to believe that the gesture usually indicates shock, I'm … assuming otherwise with Volt. I kind of don't like how wide those crimson slits get wider. I don't know if he's speaking, but the sound coming from him is ear-splitting – unrestrained bolts of thunder crunch into the stage and stone floor around us. What, is he throwing a hissy fit now!?

'So wait, we came all this way and he's not even going to agree to a pact?' I ask, feeling more dumbfounded by the second. I don't remember this! 'But … the Rheairds!'

'Yeah!' Lloyd adds, and I'm glad I'm not alone here. 'We completed his trials, and he won't even hear us out because this … _Mithos_ guy broke his pact?'

Regal thinks for a moment. 'Perhaps we could ask Undine.'

At the mention of _her_ name, the summon spirit floating before us only seems to become more angered. I'm almost hit by a stray bolt of lightning that he can't control in his fury. He shines almost white through the purple essence that makes up his body.

'Undine agreed to help save these worlds!' Corrine snaps. 'Sheena! You need to state your vow – now!'

'_NO._'

Volt pulses as the word thunders through the chamber, along with … WELL. Thunder. It's hard to see through the wild bolts that fly around the platform, but Volt seems to be charging something up of his own.

'I'm not Mithos!' Sheena cries over the sounds raging around our group. Everyone seems to have thrown formality to the wind and in drawing their respective weapons, because it really seems that Volt isn't coming along quietly at this point. I don't even bother drawing my pistols; I have the green mists of First Aid swirling in the palm of my hand for whoever gets hit first. 'Stop being a coward and hear my vow!'

Aaaaand I miss.

From Volt's very core, a spear of lightning plunges through Sheena's torso at her nerve – all I catch is a wide-eyed and distressingly blank expression on her face, a short cry from Corrine, and suddenly –

- white –

- hot -

_BANG_.

* * *

'_You still can't let go of that, huh?'_

'_Wh … what are you talking about, Zelos?'_

'_I figured you'd gotten over it a long time ago! Guess I was wrong, huh?'_

'_What's it to you!? I thought outsiders didn't care what happened to folks from Mizuho.'_

'_Taking out a bunch of the population is news to anyone, y'know.'_

'…'

'_Hmm … how much longer are you gonna keep clinging to that?'_

'_Shut up, Zelos.'_

'_Hn. Fine. Keep that failure close to your heart. It's only gonna stop you from moving forward.'_

'_Wh-what are you even saying …?'_

'_You want to make a new pact with Volt, right?'_

'_Of course I do! Everyone … needs this.'_

'_So chin up and start looking forward. If you cling to the incident, you're only going to create a new one. And hunny? I don't want to die just yet.'_

* * *

Oh. Okay, OW. Ow. Everything hurts, fuc – fudging ow. Ohhhh my whole body is numb.

I don't … think I can move at all. I try, but none of my limbs are responding – they feel so heavy. I'm drifting in and out of consciousness, I think … sound is so distorted and sudden, and my vision is so dim and dark. Everything blackens for a few moments, and I feel like time is passing so slowly. I don't even know how long I've been lying here. This … this almost feels like when Kratos hit me with Judgement back in the Tower of Salvation, except … well … I don't feel emotionally drained right now. That was some rough sugar back then, but this – ow.

All I can hear is … crackling. Fizzing. Lightning? I'm not even sure what's … happening. Did they fight Volt already? Is everyone hurt …? I should … try to heal, if I can move.

But I can't …

I squeeze my eyes shut with a wince when I realise how badly by body hurts. It burns … that's right – Volt attacked us, didn't he …? Did everyone get hit? I remember Sheena … her face – she looked so blank and her eyes looked so empty. Is she okay?

It takes a _long_ time for my vision to adjust, which is worrying – I vaguely wonder if Volt blinded me for a while, but things reluctantly come into focus. Things still blur every few seconds, but … I see bodies …

All of us? He took down all of us …? Did we lose? What about –

'Everyone …?'

It's hard to see. The pain in my head dulls a little, and I realise I'm lying on my side at the base of the stairs in the hall below. Oh … that's probably why my bones hurt so much. Stupid stairs. Wow, I went flying _seriously_ far – no wonder my body feels absolutely rotten. I'm surprised I don't have concussion.

Sheena … she's okay! But she's on her knees at the top of the stairs, and she seems to be the only one up. Her clothes are burned from the attack before – her ribbon is messed up and falling apart, her hair is loose and windswept, and her eyes are ungodly wide and dark. Her mouth is bleeding … is she …?

Corrine is twisting its fangs into the material of her gloves, yanking her unresponsive limb for attention. Everything darkens for a few seconds and my head begins ringing again. I just screw my eyes shut, clenching my teeth. How can being electrocuted hurt this much? I hope I don't have internal damage that's causing this … I don't know how healable that is …

I open my eyes a little once more, in time to see Sheena's own glance frantically from body to body before her. All unmoving. All motionless.

'Everyone …!?'

'Sheena!' Corrine cries, and I notice … ah, Volt! Volt is descending from the altar. 'You have to get up!'

Sheena shakes her head despondently, eyes still wide. She lifts her hands away from Corrine's grip, holding tightly to either side of her face while she shakes her head. Tears cascade down her face. I've never seen Sheena cry … not like that.

'Lloyd … Zelos … everyone!'

Silence haunts her, and Sheena lets out the most bloodcurdling wail of agony, folding into herself.

'_Again_ …_!?_'

Corrine digs its claws into her shoulder from what I can see, trying to shake her already quivering frame. 'Sheena, Volt is coming! Please!'

She's just holding her head. Her knuckles go white as she grips her hair. 'The Chief … everyone -! I couldn't, a-and now …!'

'Sheena, you have to get up!'

'Zelos … Lloyd …'

'_Sheena …!_'

'I killed … them …!'

I barely manage to drag myself to my elbows without shuddering in agony. Oh my g – this takes so much effort; all my limbs are burning. I can see someone stirring beside me at the sound of Sheena's voice … Zelos?

It takes the last of my energy to send him a First Aid, and that's about all I manage before I collapse back onto my side. Zelos can do more than me right now. I don't throw a fuss when he doesn't send me an appreciative glance – he struggles to his elbows, pulling himself onto his knees with what sounds like a great struggle. He coughs once, holding his stomach, and a small amount of blood splatters onto the temple floor. It looks like Lloyd is beginning to move on the other side of the room, but I can't reach him with a spell.

'Ghh …' I hear from the Chosen beside me, but I can't move at all anymore. So dizzy … the spell took everything out of me. 'Sheena …?'

I don't think she heard him, because she's still curled up in a quivering ball on her knees, Corrine yanking desperately at her sleeve and Volt descending slowly from his platform. The air around him crackles noisily, and he shines brighter than anything I've seen before. I think it makes my vision black out for a few moments, or that could just be the spell taking the last bit of consciousness from me. Ugh …

'You're kiddin' me …' Zelos hisses through the pain, barely managing to keep himself up on one arm while the other holds his wounded abdomen. There's a noticeable rip in his black shirt.

I hear a storm coming.

The entire hall shudders as purple mana swirls violently around the summon spirit. I can hardly make him out against the blur claiming my vision every other moment, but I can see another spear of lightning forming at his core. Sheena sits up slowly, but she's not … oh no …

'Chief …'

'Sheena …!' Zelos all but growls, his voice rasping and unlike himself. I've never seen such a look on his face … eyes bright with worry and expression serious … but there's no time. Sheena's head lifts slowly to the direction of her name being called, but it's not enough. Lightning is already whistling through the air. Sheena turns her head to Volt, just in time to see the small fox leap onto her shoulder, throwing itself past her frame, and …

And I'm sorry. I close my eyes for the next part, because I hate Corrine. But I can't stop tears welling up in my eyes.

All I hear is an electrical crack, followed by a lifeless thud a few moments later. A bit too close for comfort.

I open my eyes, and see Corrine a few feet away in front of me and Zelos. A long, streak of blood follows him in Sheena's direction, and I screw my eyes shut again.

'Co …'

'Fuck,' Zelos says rather simply from beside me.

'… _Corrine!?'_

There's a loud scuff of material, and I hear Sheena stumbling over to the mess of a creature. It's so hard to open my eyes at this point – my eyelids are so heavy.

'_CORRINE!_'

I try anyway. Sheena collapses to her knees at the smaller summon spirit's body, quickly gathering it into her lap. I would really like it if Corrine made it … but …

'Try again, Sheena …'

'Corrine …'

'Restore Volt's faith in people … like you restored mine …'

I catch Zelos finally dragging himself to his feet, holding one hand to his head while the other fumbles for his sword. Sheena shakes her head into Corrine's motionless, battered body, clenching her teeth tightly. Lloyd seems like he's finally up too, and I can barely make out his expression as it switches from horror to concern in a second when he looks over at Sheena. She curls herself around Corrine's tiny body, still shaking her head as if it would make any difference. 'Corrine … you can't leave too …!'

This whole thing is … painfully … familiar.

'Use Undine … show him … it'll be okay, Sheena …'

It takes me a while to open my eyes again – enough to see Corrine … fading away. Sheena holds the fox's broken body close to her chest, almost like she's trying to will it to stay with her, but … its tail fades in fragments, dissolving away into nothingness … is this what happens when a summon spirit dies?

Its body goes …

'Corrine, no …!'

The paws that press against Sheena's breastbone –

'Make your vow …'

And then the simple _clink_ of Corrine's bell as it falls into Sheena's empty hands – burned and dented.

'_Guardian!'_

Lightning bounces off Zelos' shield after he manages to pull himself to the top of the stairs to face Volt. He seems to be the only one, because Lloyd is cradling a SCREWED UP looking arm to his chest. I need to go … fix that. When I can even move. This whole scene is making me tired … I just wanna cry and sleep. Sheena stares into her empty hands, still not entirely with it. Corrine is definitely gone, and its bell rests in her blood-stained palms.

Why is Volt such a … _augh_ …

Not everyone has come to their senses. Zelos is the only one on his feet (thanks to me), and Lloyd and the Professor are the only ones showing any sign of waking up. Sheena looks like she's still trying to tell herself that this is wrong, that it's a dream, that Corrine can't _die_, because – because it's her friend, and it's not _fair_.

… It's not fair.

'Are you just gonna sit down there and mope forever!?' Zelos snaps over his shoulder, honestly looking a little pissed. Volt drifts up when he realises Zelos is just deflecting all of his attacks, probably searching for an opening. 'Volt is taking everything from you, and you're just gonna curl up like a little girl and run away!?'

He barely has to flick his wrist, and a well-timed Guardian deflects another ribbon of thunder. He's hardly keeping an eye on Volt anymore, who drifts up closer to his stage. 'How about you get on your feet and start showing Volt how much his pact means to you! You're just gonna sulk around and let everyone's deaths go to waste!?'

Sheena just stares at the bauble in her hands, gritting her teeth through the tears that she can no longer control.

'How about you show Volt that this kind of crap isn't going to fly!? Take his power by force if you have to! _Get up_, Sheena!'

I think … I'm going to be out for this fight. I really can't … move …

'Ngh – _Guardian! _Looks like I'm subduing you myself, you great blueberry …!'

The fudge – is Zelos fighting Volt _by himself_? I … I think I'm in love. Not that I wasn't already, but … I didn't expect this. I finally see Lloyd begin pulling himself to his feet, wobbling a little. He's more than aware that Zelos could use a hand seeing as he's like … SOLOING Volt as we speak, but obviously his bleeding heart takes him to Sheena first.

He doesn't make it far until he collapses back to his knees, and I notice a burn along his left arm and leg. Ah … that must hurt. 'Is … is that –'

'Gah-!'

I try to look up. Zelos is … holding his own, but he suddenly has a lot of wounds that weren't there a moment ago … and he hasn't even been healed properly from before – he's only had a weak First Aid from me. But he's doing it … lightning springs off his guardian spell every time Volt attacks, and considering … Guardian … he should have fainted by now. It takes so much out of you just to cast. He points his sword at Volt and casts … Wind Blade? It does something to Volt's essence that he isn't happy about, and he floats away quickly, back toward the stage. He … he's running away!? Argh, I hate Volt so much!

Lloyd struggles back up, drawing his swords with a flinch. The Professor says something sternly from the floor, but he ignores it and goes to Zelos' side. 'Stupid … Chosen … augh- you'll get yourself killed …!'

'Tch – I can't die with a face like this.'

'What does that have to do with anything …!? Ah – watch out …!'

Both Zelos and Lloyd duck (Lloyd throws himself over the Chosen, to be precise) as Volt dives down from the stage, leaving a stream of lightning in his wake. He swoops toward his supposed "pact-maker", who has only just come around and begun pulling herself up. Whatever Volt has in store is ultimately halted when she _slams her hand_ into his face.

I notice a seal beneath her fingers, and Volt bristles noisily in surprise. I'm not sure what the seal is doing to him, but he doesn't seem to be able to move at all. And he's … big … the air is heavier around Volt, and I can feel my skin prickle from the very static he exudes. Small stripes of lightning travel around Sheena's arm from the contact with the summon spirit, but she doesn't move at all. 'I …!'

I don't see much after that. The last of my consciousness leaves me, and I join the others for now.

'_We demand your power!'_


End file.
